The Bodyguard (Full Screen Edition)

Starring:Kevin Costner, Whitney Houston, Gary Kemp, Bill Cobbs, Ralph Waite, Tomas Arana, Michele Lamar Richards, Mike Starr, Christopher Birt, DeVaughn Nixon, Gerry Bamman, Joe Urla, Tony Pierce, Charles Keating, Robert Wuhl, Debbie Reynolds, Danny Kamin, Ethel Ayler, Sean Cheesman, Richard Schiff
Director: Mick Jackson
Studio: Warner Home Video
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Amazon.com
This 1992 crowd pleaser made almost as much money for Whitney Houston as its chart-busting soundtrack. A high-wattage star vehicle as only Hollywood can make, The Bodyguard stars Houston as a pop-music diva (now there's a stretch) and Kevin Costner as the stern bodyguard who is assigned to protect her after the singer receives some nasty death threats. Pop star and bodyguard don't hit it off at first, but they wear down each others' defenses, and before long Houston is baring her tonsils with a rousing rendition of the Dolly Parton chestnut "I Will Always Love You." The film, written by Lawrence Kasden, was originally intended for Steve McQueen, but the script languished for years before Houston took an interest in the project. A proposed sequel would potentially have starred Costner and Princess Diana, until Diana's tragic death precluded that possibility. --Jeff Shannon
Description
She's safe now. Safe from hordes of screaming, grasping fans. Safe from demanding kooks who pop up unexpectedly. Safe from the unknown killer stalking her every move. She's in the arms of The Bodyguard. Starring Kevin Costner and Whitney Houston and featuring songs from the #1 soundtrack album (including Houton's hits "I Will Always Love You" and "I Have Nothing"), The Bodyguard has it all: Suspense. Thrills. Romance. Peril. Passion. And the shining brilliance of two great stars. In her spectacular film debut, Houston plays Rachel Marron, a music/movie superstar at her peak. Fans want to see her, hear her, touch her. But one wants to kill her - and that's where security expert Frank Farmer (Costner) comes in. Farmer is a professional who never lets his guard down. Rachel's glamorous life often puts her at risk. Each expects to be in charge. What they don't expect is to fall in love

DVD Features:
Production Notes
Theatrical Trailer

Average customer rating:

Colorful, whimsical adventure
FUN FANTASY ADVENTURE
Always loved it!
Great Classic
Great Family Movie

Willow (Special Edition)
Starring: Billy Barty , Tony Cox , Warwick Davis , Joanna Dickens , and Phil Fondacaro
Director: Ron Howard
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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The Dark Crystal

ASIN: B00003CXDD
Release Date: 2001-11-27

Amazon.com

This epic Lucasfilm fantasy serves up enough magical adventure to satisfy fans of the genre, though it treads familiar territory. With abundant parallels to Star Wars, the story (by George Lucas) follows the exploits of the little farmer Willow (Warwick Davis), an aspiring sorcerer appointed to deliver an infant princess from the evil queen (Jean Marsh) to whom the child is a crucial threat. Val Kilmer plays the warrior who joins Willow's campaign with the evil queen's daughter (Joanne Whalley, who later married Kilmer). Impressive production values, stunning locations (in England, Wales, and New Zealand) and dazzling special effects energize the routine fantasy plot, which alternates between rousing action and cute sentiment while failing to engage the viewer's emotions. A parental warning is appropriate: director Ron Howard has a light touch aimed at younger viewers, but doesn't shy away from grisly swordplay and at least one monster (a wicked two-headed dragon) that could induce nightmares. --Jeff Shannon

Description

From legendary filmmakers George Lucas and Ron Howard comes one of the most beloved fantasy tales of all time. This groundbreaking film features stunning special effects, dazzling action and a classic battle between good and evil.

When young Willow Ufgood (Warwick Davis) finds an abandoned baby, he is suddenly thrust unto an adventure filled with magic and danger. According to an ancient prophecy, the sacred child is destined to end the reign of the evil sorceress Queen Bavmorda (Jean Marsh). Now, the only a single swordsman (Val Kilmer) at his side, Willow must overcome the forces of darkness that threaten to destroy anyone who stands in the Queen's way!

Customer Reviews:

Colorful, whimsical adventure.......2007-07-04

It doesn't get any better than this. The imagery in this film is so wonderful that it runs through your mind for hours after watching it. The colors are so bold, the scenes are beautiful, and if you ask me, the story is very enjoyable. Plus, if there are fairies, it always gets five stars.

FUN FANTASY ADVENTURE.......2007-06-27

Willow is one of my favorite movies. Willow loves his family, friends and community. He tries hard to please all of them! Val Kilmer did a great job in this movie. His character is a rough, tough guy who tries to hide his good heart. There's lots to like in this movie---comedy, adventure, battles, fantasy, even monsters! It's the kind of movie my husband and I love to watch --more than once.

Always loved it!.......2007-05-17

I loved this movie when I was young! I am still YOUNG BTW :P Anyway, great movie, Val Kilmer is a hottie in this movie! Love watching it, and always a joy to pop it in the DVD player.

For the price, I had to add it to my collection! Awesome movie!

Great Classic.......2007-05-13

A great movie classic for fantasy and adventure lovers. Good plot, great acting, and good clean fun!

Great Family Movie.......2007-05-12

Sit down on a rainy Sunday afternoon with a bag of popcorn, pop in Willow and you will spend two very enjoyable hours with your family.

Average customer rating:

The Godfather
The Godfather
One Of The Best!
IMHO, closer to the reality
The movie that started the modern American mafia genera

The Godfather (Widescreen Edition)
Starring: Marlon Brando , Al Pacino , James Caan , Richard S. Castellano , and Robert Duvall
Director: Francis Ford Coppola
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0001NBNB6
Release Date: 2004-05-11

Amazon.com essential video

Generally acknowledged as a bona fide classic, this Francis Ford Coppola film is one of those rare experiences that feels perfectly right from beginning to end--almost as if everyone involved had been born to participate in it. Based on Mario Puzo's bestselling novel about a Mafia dynasty, Coppola's Godfather extracted and enhanced the most universal themes of immigrant experience in America: the plotting-out of hopes and dreams for one's successors, the raising of children to carry on the good work, etc. In the midst of generational strife during the Vietnam years, the film somehow struck a chord with a nation fascinated by the metamorphosis of a rebellious son (Al Pacino) into the keeper of his father's dream. Marlon Brando played against Puzo's own conception of patriarch Vito Corleone, and time has certainly proven the actor correct. The rest of the cast, particularly James Caan, John Cazale, and Robert Duvall as the rest of Vito's male brood--all coping with how to take the mantle of responsibility from their father--is seamless and wonderful. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews:

The Godfather.......2007-07-05

Long before "The Sopranos," a young Coppola transformed our understanding of the relationship between organized crime and corporate American profiteering with this operatic ode based on Mario Puzo's acclaimed novel. Moody and violent, with Gordon Willis's Technicolor photography adding a sepia-toned period look, "Godfather" combines a bullets-blazing mobster film with a gripping family saga. And what a cast: Pacino, Robert Duvall, James Caan, and Diane Keaton are all superlative. Brando, of course, achieved yet another level of cinematic fame with his iconic portrayal of the title character. Coppola fought with Paramount to achieve his personal vision, but ultimately triumphed, winning the 1972 Oscar for Best Picture.

The Godfather.......2007-06-21

The greatest movie ever. It can teach you all you need to know about life in 180 minutes. There you go, life in 3 hours

One Of The Best!.......2007-05-15

What can I say, this is a fantastic epic! In my opinion, it is one of the best movies of all time. A+++

IMHO, closer to the reality.......2007-04-15

It's sad to see the mafia or cosa nostra portrayed as a couple hundred thugs in New York hustling up money. The mafia is a worldwide organization and in the overall evaluation performs many good deeds and must benefit others more than it harms (Aquinas - "The greatest good for the greatest number"). The governmental systems in all countries always leave people behind and there must be some underground that picks up these people and helps them survive. Also, it seems to prove useful to have an underground which is at least somewhat prepared to fuel revolutions. Frequently, the mafia within a given country can prove a great asset to its government since they are usually privy to intelligence that escapes the ears of the government's agencies.

Everyone knows this movie, I would point out that I really liked the development of the expansion of the Cosa Nostra and in the sequels the international expansion.

The movie that started the modern American mafia genera.......2007-04-14

The Godfather set the American Mafia movie genera. A good plot line with a tight scrip, superb direction and well acted. There are many murders, after all this is about gangsters but why it's rated "R" is beyond me. It's way less gruesome with less disturbing violence than Casino and many modern MA films are much more violent.

The power plays, honour and business scheming between the Mafia families give the framework of the film with personal trial and tribulations providing more depth for the character development that echo throughout the genera ever since and make The Godfather repeatedly watchable.

I wanted a copy for a present and after spending months looking for a copy in the retail shops without success, I found this widescreen version at a great price on Amazon within seconds and, I ended up keeping it.

Terminator 2 - Judgment Day (Extreme DVD)

Average customer rating:

Ultimate and Extreme DVD's the way to go
HD version without DD5.1
Owes just as much to "Aliens" as it does its predecessor
High Def does not work in Vista
Let's Shed Some Light

Terminator 2 - Judgment Day (Extreme DVD)
Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger , Linda Hamilton , Edward Furlong , Robert Patrick , and Earl Boen
Director: James Cameron
Manufacturer: Lions Gate
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00008PC2O
Release Date: 2003-06-03

Amazon.com essential video

After he pushed the envelope of computer-generated special effects in The Abyss, director James Cameron turned this hotly anticipated sequel to Terminator into a well-written, action-packed showcase for advanced special effects and for one of the most invincible villains ever imagined. Terminator 2: Judgment Day is a legitimate sequel: there's more story to tell about a hulking, leather-clad android (Arnold Schwarzenegger) who arrives from the future to protect a rebellious teenager and future leader (Edward Furlong) from being killed by the tenacious T-1000 robot (Robert Patrick), whose liquid-metal construction makes him seemingly unstoppable. The fate of the future lies in the balance, with Linda Hamilton (who would later marry her director) reprising her role as the rugged woman whose son will change the course of history. --Jeff Shannon

Description

He said he'd be back. This time experience T2 like never before! Go EXTREME with the best picture and sound ever! ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER returns as the Terminator in this explosive action-adventure spectacle. Now he's one of the good guys, sent back in time to protect John Connor, the boy destined to lead the freedom fighters of the future. LINDA HAMILTON reprises her role as Sarah Connor, John's mother, a quintessential survivor who has been institutionalized for her warning of the nuclear holocaust she knows is inevitable. Together, the threesome must find a way to stop the ultimate enemy - the T-1000, the most lethal Terminator ever created. Co-written, produced and directed by James Cameron ("The Terminator," "Aliens," "Titanic), this visual tour de force is also a touching story of survival.

Customer Reviews:

Ultimate and Extreme DVD's the way to go.......2007-06-28

This is the second movie from James Cameron that I consider to be among the best science fiction films ever. Sequels rarely stack up to their predecessor, but this film actually outdoes the original Terminator, which is saying a lot considering how good the original was. Terminator 2 has everything you need to make an excellent sci-fi including a fantastic premise, very strong well-rounded character development, groundbreaking special effects, and the kind of story that would make Rod Serling proud. If there is ever a sci-fi movie that gives you all the best the genre has to give this is it.

One of the big deals about this movie is that it's the one that introduces to the world CG animation that actually seems to interact with a live environment as well as the morphing technique unique to computer animation. While Terminator 2 wasn't the first to do it (The Abyss gets the credit for all that... another Jim Cameron film) they do get the credit for popularizing it. Practically everybody uses computer animations with live action in one form or another today. Even over a decade later the CG effects still measure up and even outdo stuff that's still being created today.

On top of the new CG stuff you get plenty of other tried and true special effects that will knock your socks off. The action in this movie is relentless at times and will be sure impress any testosterone junkie out there. There is a lot of exciting gunplay in this movie that includes some killer military hardware too like the awesome 1500 rounds per minute minigun action reminiscent of Predator. Eye candy for those with a short attention span? Check.

If Terminator 2 only had a neato special effects and action it wouldn't be as great as it is. Everything else must work as well. The story in Terminator 2 is deep with the main characters evolving as events happen around them. Even the Terminator robot gets to get some character development. While it's cool to see the action and explosions and stuff what makes the movie really fill out is the fact it delves into several different levels of the human condition. You also get a ton of background details too like who was involved with building Skynet and even a scene with the futuristic battle that John Conner grows up to lead. The theoretical twists in the plot are enough to get the thinkers debating over time paradoxes and stuff like that. Deep and involving storyline for those who prefer quality over pizzazz? Check.

The Terminator robots are as awesome as ever. Not only do you get to see the classic style cyborg bad boy like in the last movie but you also get to see a completely different concept in killer robot technology with the T-1000. The future scene has even more robot coolness to offer, though it's just a little more than what I saw in the last movie (but still sweet!).

The acting is superb as well, which is surprising considering Edward Furlong has absolutely no previous experience in acting. Schwarzenegger and Linda Hamilton play off each other well. Robert Patrick gives a stunning and eerie performance as the T-1000. The soundtrack takes the original Terminator themes and puts them to new heights. The music truly enhances the movie here.

If the original movie wasn't enough Cameron decided to make an extended cut with almost 20 minutes of new footage. I wouldn't necessarily say the new footage opens up brand new territory for the movie, but I will say the extra scenes do add some extra depth to some of the scenes. A couple of the new scenes flesh out young John Conner's character a little, which is always a good thing. I wouldn't say any incredibly cool scenes were added though there is one with the Terminator that is kinda cool, but the good stuff in that scene has more to do with fleshing out some character development with the humans than cool cyborg tricks. Speaking of cyborg tricks you get the added bonus of seeing a Terminator try to smile. Funny, funny stuff! While I can't say the extended edition is better than the original I will say it does give you more background on the story, and thats always good if you're into that.

With the exception to blu-ray fans there are only two DVD editions you should consider (the rest don't have any special features). The Ultimate Edition and the Extreme Edition. Essentially what you have is a trade off between the two. Neither edition have the same special features. The Extreme edition improved the picture quality slightly while the Ultimate edition has DTS. Here is a breakdown:

Ultimate Edition: You get three versions of the movie. The theatrical release, the director's cut and an extended director's cut via an easter egg (EDC basically includes the deleted scenes). You get three in depth documentaries including one on the Universal Studios 3-D ride. Commentaries from the crew (no James Cameron). Also included are several smaller featurettes covering all aspects of production, tons of storyboards, a 30 page hard cover booklet insert and the screenplay. Not to mention THX certified test signal package for fine tuning your audio set up, Dolby 5.1, Dolby 2.0 and DTS 5.1 for all the audio freaks out there.

Extreme Edition: Two versions of the movie with the director's cut being on the disk and the theatrical trailer as a DVDRom movie (via Windows Media Player... although you can see the theatrical version on the DVD via an easter egg). An audio commentary from director James Cameron and screenwriter William Wisher, very comprehensive text commentaries with over 90 minutes of branching video footage, a 24 minute documentary and a 12 page hard copy booklet insert.

If you have no version of T2 on DVD I would recommend the Ultimate Edition since it has the most features. Although the Extreme Edition is still worthy for its James Cameron commentary track and the excellent text commentary. Since the extras are completely different between the two this might not be a bad double dip if you get them at the current low prices. The blu-ray version has only the theatrical version (no director's cut), but includes the commentaries from BOTH the Ultimate and Extreme editions. I say wait for a better high definition release.

If you haven't seen this movie I strongly recommend it. VERY strongly. You action fans will get plenty of mayhem for your pleasure. You content fans will get rich and full storylines with character drama. You sci-fi purists will get the kind of story you would expect to be reading from someone like Phillip K. Dick. This is required viewing for any sci-fi fan. Nuff said.

HD version without DD5.1.......2007-06-19

I bought the DVD in order to watch the Hi-Def version. I already have the older version of the movie, and I've seen it many times over the years. I have an HP laptop running Windows Vista, hooked up to my 50" Panasonic HDTV (1280x720), with the VGA connection. I loaded the disk, and it prompted me to install the InterActual player. Vista warned me that the program has issues with the new operating system. I went ahead, and installed it anyway, then immediately downloaded the newest version from the Internet. It then told me that I needed a DVD decoder that I could buy on their web page. I ignored that message, and went on to play the HD version of the movie. It played OK, after some initial stuttering during the first few screens.

The picture quality was very good, but the audio was not Dolby Digital 5.1, meaning that there is no surround sound. I followed up on the InterActual web page, and they confirmed this. Apparently, Microsoft used some other audio encoding. So, even though the picture quality is better, I chose to watch the lower definition, extended edition in order to get the DD5.1 sound. I find the sound quality is at least as important as the video quality.

The standard definition image is still very good. The nVidia chip set in my laptop does a nice job of upscaling. The 5.1 sound is spectacular as ever. The added minutes in the extended edition don't really add much, but the novelty effect is nice anyway. All in all, I'd say that it is worth the price at under $10.00.

Owes just as much to "Aliens" as it does its predecessor.......2007-06-17

It's no surprise that the editors of "Entertainment Weekly" would choose both "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" and "Aliens" as two of its 25 Best Action Films of all time. Both are sequels that significantly up the special effects ante, along with the body count, and both feature two of the movies most dynamic kick-[...] heroines, Sarah Conner (Linda Hamilton" in the former and Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) in the latter.

Besides doubling the action of the first, "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" also doubles the cyborg quotient by returning Arnold Schwarzenegger in the role that he was born to play (this time as a "good" cyborg) and bringing in a more than equal combatant/foe in the from of the Robert Patrick as an "upgraded" model. The movie adds an element of surprise in the form of the much smaller (and less developed) Patrick as a superior model to Arnold's character, able to best the strongman in many a scene.

The movie also brings back Earl Boen in an expanded role as the befuddled "Dr. Silberman." He brings needed comic relief in a film that is short on words but long on action sequences.

James Cameron may have felt on "top of the world" a decade later with his Oscar-winning "Titanic" but it is for the first two "Terminator" films that he probably made his greatest cinematic impact.

High Def does not work in Vista.......2007-06-08

The movie is great, great package with lots of good features. However the WMP video could not be played at all. Some may experience this and some may not. You will to install the Interactual player to view the WMHD version.

Let's Shed Some Light.......2007-05-27

i love this film being a big film buff and all but also i've noticed that the price is fantastic and is even more cheaper in certain stores, anyway when i bought the dvd and popped it in the dvd player i was amazed with the picture pure high def 1080p i mean i baught this movie for 5.50 and it's in high definition, the blu-ray version is like 20 or 25 bucks so i'm wonderin why make a whole nother disc-format and just make standard dvd's in high def i mean perhaps u can't fit any special features but why not just make them double sided dvd's and put the special features on the other side instead of movie companies using 2 discs and waste money. i believe this will prevail and end the war against blu-ray vs. hd-dvd and just keep blank blu-ray discs for information purposes. I mean i love blu-ray and i want one so bad but u gotta pay up the nose just to get one, at least players are becoming more and more affordable but i dont want to have to convert all my 700 dvds to high def formats. it's interesting how Artisan backed this movie and now it doesnt exist anymore as soon as the high def battle started, Lionsgate is now mastering all thier old movies and they back up blu-ray 100%, it just makes you think what coinsidences emerged with all this, terminator 2 on standard dvd is in high def (for us in the US anyway) it cost me 5.50 its just a big mystery to me...

Average customer rating:

Not great, but not bad
Top notch film starring Denzel Washington
kinda wet (as opposed to all wet)
Best Punisher Movie Ever Made
Worse than tripe.

Man on Fire
Starring: Denzel Washington , Dakota Fanning , Marc Anthony , Radha Mitchell , and Christopher Walken
Director: Tony Scott
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
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Out of Time

ASIN: B00005JN0W
Release Date: 2004-09-14

Product Description

Hard-drinking, burnt-out ex-CIA operative John Creasy (Washington) has given up on life--until his friend Rayburn (Oscar winner Christopher Walken) gets him a job as a bodyguard to nine-year-old Pita Ramos (Dakota Fanning). Bit by bit, Creasy begins to reclaim his soul, but when Pita is kidnapped, Creasy unleashes a firestorm of apocalyptic vengeance against everyone responsible.

Amazon.com

Style trumps substance in Man on Fire, a slick, brooding reunion of Crimson Tide star Denzel Washington and director Tony Scott. The ominous, crime-ridden setting is Mexico City, where a dour, alcoholic warrior with a mysterious Black Ops past (Washington) seeks redemption as the devoted bodyguard of a lovable 9-year-old girl (the precociously gifted Dakota Fanning), then responds with predictable fury when she is kidnapped. Prolific screenwriter Brian Helgeland (Mystic River, L.A. Confidential) sets a solid emotional foundation for Washington's tormented character, and Scott's stylistic excess compensates for a distended plot that's both repellently violent and viscerally absorbing. Among Scott's more distracting techniques is the use of free-roaming, comic-bookish subtitles... even when they're unnecessary! Adapted from a novel by A.J. Quinnell and previously filmed as a 1987 vehicle for Scott Glenn, Man on Fire is roughly on par with Scott's similar 1990 film Revenge, efficiently satisfying Washington's incendiary bloodlust under a heavy blanket of humid, doom-laden atmosphere. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

Not great, but not bad.......2007-06-20

To my surprise, Tony Scott's remake of Man On Fire isn't the war crime I was expecting by a long shot. Horribly over-directed in places, true, but nowhere near as irritating as Domino, which is the closest ADDS filmmaking has come to projectile vomiting at the audience to date. It helps that Scott has a decent script and a good cast to keep his worst excesses in check, and it has to be said that some of the stylistic touches (such as the very active subtitling) are really pretty good. He's better at framing the surrounding scenes than some of the big moments, which are fairly tension and adrenaline-free for all their imagination, but he's prepared to get his hands far dirtier than you'd expect from a mainstream studio picture, and he even manages a couple of moments of emotional resonance as well. It's certainly much better than the dire original, which only had a good John Scott score (part of which turned up in Die Hard) going for it (aside from the film's change of location from Italy to Mexico, the song has changed from Someone to Watch Over Me - well, Ridley beat him to that one - to Linda Ronstadt's infinitely less relevant cover of Blue Bayou). Good to see Christopher Walken in a good guy role again, too.

Top notch film starring Denzel Washington.......2007-06-19

Man on Fire is one of the best crime drama films I have had the pleasure of viewing. Set in the heart of Mexico, the film tells a fantastic story that is backed up by great direction and cinematic appeal. With that said, you throw in top notch actors like Denzel Washington and Christopher Walken and it does more than make the grade.

Man on Fire centers on John Creasy, a burned out loner type whose only resolve in the present day is a bottle of liquor. Creasy meets up with an old friend (played by Walken) who turns him towards work as a bodyguard for a family's daughter in Mexico, a place where multiple ransom based kidnappings occur on a regular basis. Given his extensive background of military accomplishments which includes counter terrorism and Special Forces (to name a few) he is hired almost immediately, although he himself is reluctant about the new role.

The character development of Creasy is excellent, but I would have to attribute that as much to the screen presence of Denzel as I would anything else. Overall the direction of this movie is superb, using captions when necessary and applying some different camera uses in regards to angles and perception to allow different moods to be invoked for a specific scene. Dakota Fanning plays as the daughter that he is supposed to protect, and I feel was a good choice for the role. As the movie moves on, we learn little about Creasy's past but get to explore him tearing down some walls in the present, as both a "vigilante with a vengeance" persona as well as seeing the human compassion side of him in his adoration of the little girl he is paid to protect. The film has it all when it comes to twists and turns as well as themes of corruption, family, and revenge. As Creasy says it best in the movie; "revenge is a dish best served cold". The films emotional conclusion is still a stoic ending when you take into account all the harrowing events and actions that led up to it. I feel what makes this film so much better than many of its kind is the ability to evoke a great seriousness within the main character while putting him in a dire situation throughout much of the film.

Bonus Disc: If you were a fan of this film when it first came out then you may enjoy this particular "Collector's edition Steelbook" package, which features a bonus disk chocked with extra's including multiple trailers, behind the scenes footage and an interesting documentary that talks about the ransom based kidnappings that take place in places like Mexico on a regular basis. Also discussed somewhat is the history of this story which originally came from a novel and had an initial film made about it starring Scott Glenn several years ago.

kinda wet (as opposed to all wet).......2007-06-12

How do you take a decent script, fine cast and turn it into average, run-of-the-mill, uninteresting film fare?
Easy. Get a no-talent hack like Tony Scott to direct--with his whirling dervish, idiotic, mindless, pointless,
car commercial, dizzying camera moves and editing.

It's sad. Because Denzel is working his butt off here, so is the incredible Dakota Fanning, not to mention the fine cameo that Chris Walken turns in--depressingly enough, Tony Scott simply will not leave the camera alone...and keeps spinning it, twisting it, whirling it, gliding with it--not to mention the constant changing from 16 mm to 35mm to Super 8 mm...Man oh man; this is infuriating.

And he does it every damn time. He did it with Top Gun, Days of Thunder... Why destroy otherwise excellent performances with incredibly useless, distracting camera moves? WHO ARE YOU TRYING TO IMPRESS? THE CAMERA SHOULD NOT BE NOTICED AT ALL! don't you understand that? You pull the audiance out of the fantacy by making them aware of your relentless camera SHENANIGANS.

I just don't get it.

Hey, Mr. Scott: it's very simple. Leave the actors be. Let them do what they were hired to do--which is to act! We don't need to know your camera is (always) there. Period. (In fact, we preffer it when we do not know the camera exists at all!)

Take a look at some of the late, great John Ford's films. Want to see the way a film should be directed? Take a look at John Ford. Please.

Best Punisher Movie Ever Made.......2007-05-28

I've seen Man On Fire multiple times since it's original release, and it never ceases to amaze me. Often times critics will reference a mild weakness in the plot, which I for the life of me cannot seem to find. I understand that Tony Scott's directing techniques may not necessarily be for everyone, but this is a film that simply would not be the same without it. From frenetic pans and out-of-focus shots to overlapping of frames and free-roaming subtitles, the direction and editing in Man On Fire takes the viewer into the chaotic plot of a man not only out for revenge, but a sense of self-redemption (assumably).

The only thing I'd really like to point out is in relation to the title of my review. For any comic book reader out there that was seriously disappointed with The Punisher movie, I'd highly recommend this as a substitute. Man On Fire is pretty much the very essence of the Marvel Comics character, with the exception of his name being Creasy and being a black guy. But everything about this flick radiates Frank Castle.

Worse than tripe........2007-05-24

The worst aspects of human nature exploited for entertainment value. I guess it's a sign of the times.

Average customer rating:

Great "Who done it..??"
One Misstep Leads to Murder
Dvd...? Hello...?
DVD?
Fritz Lang intrigue with a twist - rightly 4 1/2 stars

The Woman in the Window (MGM Film Noir)
Starring: Edward G Robinson , and Joan Bennett
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Classics | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

Film Noir Classic Collection, Vol. 4 (Act of Violence / Mystery Street / Crime Wave / Decoy / Illegal / The Big Steal / They Live By Night / Side Street / Where Danger Lives / Tension)
The Stranger (MGM Film Noir)
Ace in the Hole - Criterion Collection
Kansas City Confidential (MGM Film Noir)
A Bullet For Joey (MGM Film Noir)

ASIN: B000PMFRW4
Release Date: 2007-07-10

Customer Reviews:

Great "Who done it..??".......2007-04-29

Stars Edward G. Robinson as a college professor who meets regularly with colleagues at a mens club. Next door to the club is a portrait of a beautiful woman in the window of a studio. The men come look at the portrait and admire her beauty. One evening Robinson meets the woman and goes to her apartment for a drink. Her boyfriend bursts in and in the ensuing scuffle is killed. But things are not really as they seem and Robinson eventually learns the truth behind his chance meeting with the "woman in the window". A Very good mystery with good performances.

One Misstep Leads to Murder.......2007-03-01

The film shows "Gotham College" in New York, founded in 1812. Professor Richard Wanley lectures his class on the psychological aspects of homicide. His wife and children leave for vacation, leaving him a summer bachelor. His friend the DA tells about the troubles for middle-aged men who try to act like a young colt. Professor Wanley stares at a portrait of a woman in a shop window, then at the model herself. Alice Reed talks to him, then invites him over. One thing leads to another. Alice's boyfriend returns to her apartment; there is a fight and the Professor stabs the man. At first the Professor picks up a telephone to call the police, then pauses to review the events. He decides to cover up this crime, and makes a deal with the woman. There is suspense when the Professor removes the body for disposal. Things don't go as planned, but the body is dumped beside a highway. The next day the newspapers report that financier Claude Masard was murdered. The police have the footprints and the tire tread, a blood sample form the man who dropped off the body, and some wool thread from the man's coat.

There is another complication. Masard had a bodyguard who followed him, but he has also disappeared. This bodyguard showed up at Alice Reed's apartment. He knows much, but will take a payoff to keep the secret. The Professor explains there are three ways to deal with a blackmailer. Will one death lead to another? The bodyguard is worldly-wise, and not easily fooled. He wants his payoff, and he gets it in an unexpected way. Alice Reed calls the Professor but does not get an answer. Will this nightmare ever end?

This film serves as a checkpoint to criminology, the art of detection from the clues left behind. Edmond Locard says a criminal always leaves something at the crime scene, and takes away something. The Professor received a cut from barbed wire, and touched poison ivy to get an infection.

Dvd...? Hello...?.......2007-01-18

I first saw this picture when I was 17, perhaps 18 - a long time ago, anyway. I remember my boyfriend at the time called me on the phone during the commercial break and I also remember what I told him: "I'm going to bed NOW. I can't stand this!" I remember having a similar reaction to a totally different movie - "Whatever Happened to Babby Jane?", by Aldrich, a few years later. Which speaks volumes. This is an absolute classic. We need the dvd!

DVD?.......2006-10-30

Why isn't this classic on DVD? Joan Bennett has never been lovelier. Great film - DVD whomever?

Fritz Lang intrigue with a twist - rightly 4 1/2 stars.......2005-07-20

The affable Edward G. Robinson plays criminal psychology professor Richard Wanley in "The Woman in the Window". After spiriting his wife and children away on vacation he goes to his club to spend time with his friends, one of whom being D.A. Lalor played by the angular Raymond Massey.

After they depart, Robinson becomes enraptured with a portrait of a beautiful young woman displayed in the window of an art gallery next to the club. Robinson is startled when he sees a face reflected in the window of the woman in the portrait. After his initial shock, Robinson engages the gal Alice Reed played by Joan Bennett in converstaion. They eventually wind up in her apartment for an innocent nightcap. Quite suddenly and unexpectedly an agitated unknown man bursts into Bennett's apartment and in a jealous rage starts to choke the life out of Robinson. Protecting himself, Robinson grabs a pair of scissors and stabs the man in the back killing him.

Bennett and Robinson are conflicted as to what to do and ultimately decide to cover up the crime and move the body to a distant location. Since they are both amateurs, very soon evidence starts to mount as the body is quickly found. It turns out that the gentleman was a millionaire who had been missing since arriving in New York's Penn Station. Massey, not suspecting Robinson involves him in the investigation. Robinson starts getting panicky when the noose starts tightening around his neck. Things really start going awry when Dan Duryea, a bodyguard of the millionaire arrives at Bennett's pad threatening extortion.

Lang creates an intense sense of fear, dread and intrigue as his plot evolves greatly aided by nice acting performances by a solid ensemble. Lang's finale is a bit of a cop out but didn't spoil the overall fine quality of the flick.

Average customer rating:

Go for the Ultimate or Extreme edition.
im happy with this version
Upscaled DVD at Best!!!
Great movie on bluray
DVD quality at best

Terminator 2 - Judgment Day [Blu-ray]
Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger , Linda Hamilton , Edward Furlong , and Robert Patrick
Director: James Cameron
Manufacturer: Lions Gate
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: Blu-ray

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

General | Blu-ray | Formats | DVD | Video

Horror | Blu-ray | Formats | DVD | Video

Science Fiction & Fantasy | Blu-ray | Formats | DVD | Video
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ASIN: B000EWBKKI
Release Date: 2006-06-27

Product Description

Blu-ray Disc - Terminator 2Actors: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Edward Furlong, Robert Patrick, Earl Boen Directors: James Cameron Format: Dolby, Subtitled, Widescreen Language: English Studio: Live / Artisan DVD Release Date: June 27, 2006 Run Time: 125 minutes

Customer Reviews:

Go for the Ultimate or Extreme edition. .......2007-06-22

I love this movie, it is one of my all time favorites. I recently upgraded to a Blu-Ray player and this is one of the first movies I bought. I am hugely disappointed in the quality and features of this BD. It honestly sux. I went from the Ultimate edition to this BD edition and took a huge step back. The quality is about the same as the Ultimate or Extreme editions and there are no bonus features. This was one of the big movies I bought a Blu-ray player for, so you can understand my disappointment. I will probably sell it and re-buy the Ultimate or Extreme edition. I recommend waiting to see if they come out with an Ultimate or Extreme edition on Blu-ray before buying this one.

im happy with this version.......2007-04-21

it may not be the extended version with cut scenes. I will say i watched this movie on digital cable and compared it to the blu0ray version and trust me there is a big difference more colors no smearing of facial features like on the cable version and the sound is incredible. If your hdtv sucks then blu-ray version may suffer if the difference is not noticable its your tv
and not the blu-ray disc. This is a must have for terminator fans!

Upscaled DVD at Best!!!.......2007-04-18

High hopes were set in place for this blu-ray release, and I have to admit I am sadly dissapointed.

The transfer is only a 'fraction' above watching a SD DVD version upscaled, which is a real shame.

Buy at your own risk, or wait for a much better release, hopefully Director's Cut, remastered and all.

2.5/5 for effort.

-zallapo

Great movie on bluray.......2007-03-25

I bought this movie because I'm a fan and it is one of my top five action movies of all time. I wanted to see this film at it's best on bluray and I was not disappointed. The picture and sound is awsome. The commentary by James Cameron is a treat, one the most interesting commentarys I've listend to. It lacks some of the extras that dvd versions may have contained, but the bluray transfer of of the movie is superior to the dvd version. Finally, I can enjoy a sharp picture on my wide screen.

DVD quality at best.......2007-03-24

Anyone with a upconverting DVD player, or just a Blu-ray / PS3 will get the same quality of picture from the standard DVD. The transfer of this movie would need to be cleaned up digitally before it will be up to what Blu-ray can show. It's truely shocking the difference in quality between the menue footage which is true 1080p and fresh VS the lower grade transfure from the film with no digital clean-up. Anyone with the standard DVD should just save their money.

Average customer rating:

"YOU NEVER HAD YOUR HANDS ON A TEET BEFORE"...."NOT ONE THIS BIG!" GREAT EDITION!
where he belongs
Timeless
Witness Protection Becomes Witness Perfection
havent seen it but.....

Witness (Special Collector's Edition)
Starring: Harrison Ford , Kelly McGillis , Josef Sommer , Lukas Haas , and Jan Rubes
Director: Peter Weir
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0009UC7R0
Release Date: 2005-08-23

Amazon.com essential video

When Samuel (Lukas Haas), a young Amish boy traveling with his mother Rachel (Kelly McGillis), witnesses the murder of a police officer in a public restroom, he and his mother become the temporary wards of John Book (Harrison Ford), a detective who's been assigned to solve the crime. After suspect lineups and mug-shot books yield nothing, Samuel, in the most memorable scene of the film, recognizes the murderer as a narcotics agent whose picture he sees in the precinct. Once Book realizes that the police chief is in on it, too, he whisks Samuel and Rachel back home to Amish country, where he himself goes into hiding as a plain Amish man. The juxtaposition between the life of the Amish and the violence of inner-city police corruption work surprisingly well for the story, and Kelly McGillis as the falling in love widow gives an almost perfect performance. Directed by Peter Weir, the film is extremely successful in drawing the viewer into its world and, accordingly, is immensely entertaining. The only thing that mars its polish is the one-dimensional, almost cartoonish handling of the upper-echelon police corruption--a subtler, more realistic treatment of this aspect of the story would have rendered the film near perfect. --James McGrath

Customer Reviews:

"YOU NEVER HAD YOUR HANDS ON A TEET BEFORE"...."NOT ONE THIS BIG!" GREAT EDITION!.......2007-07-04

Ford,McGillis,Haas and the entire cast shine in this classic romantic/thriller/fish out of water film! Now, we have a DVD treatment worthy of the movie. Interesting extras and a great transfer make this a must have in your collection.

where he belongs.......2007-05-27

Harrison Ford shines in this lingering over the close-quarter differences between Pennsylvania's Amish people and the 'English' life that by contrast seems so rude in this 1985 screen gem. Yet twenty-two years later, it is the young Kelly McGillis who nearly melts the screen with this early performance as Rachel, the Amish widow who takes in Harrison's 'John Book' and grows into love with a fugitive from 'the city' whose own heart grows entwined with the Amish way.

Although the Amish did not like this film (it *is* a film), it remains as a deeply moving tribute to their chosen, peaceful way. Perhaps it is the finest thing we 'English'--this reviewer grew up in Pennsylvania with the Amish as his neighbors--can offer them.

Not that they were asking for recognition.

Director Peter Weir caught them doing what they do best, going about the business of keeping peace and making the earth grow its greenest things. The occasional caricature that creeps in clumsily elevates the men and women it seeks to honor rather than reducing them to its dimensional poverty.

The Amish are not heroes and do not play that role particularly well on the wide screen (the actors of are course not Amish men and women). They are rather people who have from within community made a stark choice and chosen to celebrate both its limitations and the world it opens up to them.

Weir, Ford, McGinnis et al. did well to freeze-frame that choice as one that saved the life of a self-sufficient Baltimore policemen who stumbled upon corruption that made him a marked man in the city. It is a most moving still.

The film was uncanny in its capacity, in the end, to mark the Amish off in the most authentic way: not by sneering at their simplicity of style and rejection of 'fashion'. Rather, as recent history has provided grim occasion for us to observe, the Amish are distinguished by the grace that they do not kill. And, when bloodied, they say the damndest thing: 'We forgive'.

Witness indeed. And a superb movie.

Timeless.......2007-04-02

Witness is both a detective thriller, a love story, and a timeless view of our society. The acting is impeccable, the story both gripping and a deeply insightful take on our society. Set among the Amish of Lancaster County, Pennslvania we see the truly startling contrast between 21st Century America and the Eighteenth Century society preserved there. Detective John Book discovers corruption in the police department for which he works in Philadelphia and becomes a hunted man. He flees and is hidden by the Amish. The action and the human relationships that follow are completely absorbing.

Witness Protection Becomes Witness Perfection.......2007-03-02

This film defies being placed in any genre and is as near to perfection on screen as you will likely find. Harrison Ford gives his absolutely best performance in this film and he should have won the Oscar that year along with this film's great director, Peter Wier, who seems to be always a bride's maid and never the bride with his numerous nominations. Wier gets perfect performances from everyone involved in this landmark film on inner city crime and the ways of the simple Amish in Lancaster, Pennsylvania (where I live). Many actors in this film got their break here such as Jan Rubes, Lukas Hass, Kelly McGillis, Alexander Gundenoff, and Viggio Mortensen (in a quick scene).

The life of Det. John Book, Ford, is brilliantly juxtaposed to the simple life the Amish live only a mere 50 miles or so out of Philadelphia. It is carefully presented as not being a utopian society with its restrictions. Book risks his life to protect the witness and his mother and is nearly killed himself in the process. They nursed him to good health while he was also protecting them. He ends up falling in love with his caretaker and the simple life and ponders giving up everything for this simple life. Book must decide when the dust settles on the case that brought him out to Amish Country which life he wants: the simple, quiet life of the Amish or his busy, violent life where he also saves lives. Its not as an easy decision and we sympathize with his difficult choice.

If for some reason you missed this movie when it was out or have never heard of it, reward yourself by purchasing or at least renting this outstanding film. You will find it facinating and riveting.

havent seen it but............2007-02-27

this was Viggo Mortensens first movie, he plays Moses-somethin'-or-other, thanks in advance for clicking the not helpful button

Average customer rating:

gay drama
Ok, excuse me while I go "out" my dog.
Which is more odious: A man who outs closeted gay hypocrites or drug company CEOs? Strachey helps us decide
Taking time out, for "Third Man..."
Loved the movie

Third Man Out
Starring: Chad Allen , Sebastian Spence , Jack Wetherall , Woody Jeffreys , and Sean Young
Director: Ron Oliver
Manufacturer: Regent
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Suspense | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

Thrillers | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

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ASIN: B000FZEU1K
Release Date: 2006-08-08

Customer Reviews:

gay drama.......2007-06-27

this dvdd shows what we all like a gay cop with some comedy meets a gasy case. All htese actors have some good things and that is there looks but you reconize most of them

Ok, excuse me while I go "out" my dog........2007-05-27

"Third Man Out" proves to be a pretty good movie packed with "film noir" moments and a lot of mystery, suspense and drama. The best part of this film is without doubt, it's star actor Chad Allen, who gives a wonderful performance as "Donald Strachey". Strachey is a gay private detective hired to find who has been threatening a notorious member of the gay community noted for outing prominent people living a double life. When he refuses the case and the notorious John Rutka is reported to have been murdered, Strachey is compelled to solve the crime in spite of his personal disdain for the deceased. To do so, Strachey must protect hundreds of extensive files Rutka kept on high profile individuals he felt were a threat to the gay community. All hell breaks loose when he and his lover become the target of those who had a motive to kill Rutka and are seeking to destroy any evidence which might place them at the top of the list of suspects.

I was intrigued throughout the film to stick with it and find out "who dunnit". Never really a dull moment in this first gay mystery movie. The acting was very well done by almost every one of the nearly all-gay cast. A little overacting on the part of Sebastian Spence, who plays the part of Strachey's boyfriend. Not a bad performance, but probably not best suited for the particular role of the more feminine character. This was a role for which I felt the writing could have been more realistic. Allen's character was perfect, macho and more "straight natured" which fit him to a tee. His acting was flawless. I felt the scripting for the character of Rutka to be written a bit sloppy, and the combination of John Wetherall (Rutka) and Woody Jeffreys as his gay lover Eddie, to be a bit strange, but somehow it worked in spite of that. All in all, the actors all gave a great performance considering the script they were given to work with. There were a few things here and there that I was personally not impressed with, such as one unnecessary political reference that I found very distasteful, a little too much flame in the script for Strachey's lover Timmy, and a few unbelievable lines that I felt could have been much more convincingly written. There was the tattoo that changed from one arm in one scene, to the other arm at one point in the film, and I think a little more attention should have been given to detail throughout. All in all though, this is a great movie, very well done, and a first for gay media. Not your typical "coming-out" theme, or dime a dozen gay film topics. It was a nice twist making a GAY police drama, and I personally enjoyed viewing it. If you like suspense and mystery, you are gonna like this film.

There is also a great DVD extra for your viewing. It is a featurette with behind the scenes interviews with the cast. It is well worth watching and fills in a few details you may miss the first time you watch the film. This screenplay is Loosely adapted from the novel "Third Man Out", and the first of a series of Donald Strachey films. I will be watching for the next one. Hopefully it will be a little better written and directed than the first, BUT that being said, I highly recommend this movie. Just don't go overboard with your expectations. It's not the best mystery flick you've ever seen, but the gay theme behind it, gives it a nice flair, and the acting of Chad Allen makes it well worth watching. A great mystery that will keep your attention and dispense a few surprises along the way.

Which is more odious: A man who outs closeted gay hypocrites or drug company CEOs? Strachey helps us decide.......2007-04-19

Which would be worse if you're a gay detective based in Albany, New York...slugged in the kisser by an irate blonde who doesn't care for the photos you took of her husband or being called "Nancy-boy Drew" by the corrupt and catty manager of a hotel who secretly films the doings of some of the guests? Donald Strachey (Chad Allen) doesn't much care for either, but this is nothing compared to what he is about to get involved in. Fortunately, Strachey is a happily married man, or as close to it as a gay man can be. His partner, Timmy Callaghan (Sebastian Spence), is a smart, affectionate political assistant to an elected New York state assemblywoman. Strachey's latest case brings him a client that both he and Timmy are repulsed by.

John Rutka (Jack Wetherall), an aging, self-righteous gay demagogue, publishes a cable expose program called The Rutka Report. In it he outs closet gays, especially well-known married public homophobes who promote family values and sponsor anti-gay legislation while secretly making nighttime visits to highway rest stops and wearing their leathers at, ah, small, intimate parties. After someone breaks into his home and shoots him in the leg, Rutka goes to Strachey for protection. Strachey turns him down. Outing people, Strachey and Timmy agree, is one of the lowest forms of human activity. But the need for Strachey to earn an income changes their minds. Even though Strachey has to hold his nose, he takes on the job. It's not long before a charred corpse turns up and is identified through dental records and that gunshot wound by the cops as Rutka. Strachey took the man's money; now he's determined to find the man's murderer. There are three prime candidates, one of whom Rutka was going to pick as the cover-boy for his next broadcast. From Rutka's files, Strachey identifies Ronnie Linklater, the host and star of a hugely popular children's television show who enjoys using his hand-puppets in unusual ways; Bruno Slinger, a powerful, anti-gay Congressman who thinks B&D without a little pain for his partner is for sissies; and a person Rutka identified only as "the ultimate hypocrite." From there, Strachey doggedly goes through piles of Rutka's documents, financial records and computer files. Along the way he visits sleazy motels, a Catholic church, a hospital and a funeral; he encounters Rutka's body-building partner, Rutka's foul-mouthed sister, an exercising granny who puts moves on him, and various tough guys who push him around and pistol whip him. He leaves one of them limping, after Timmy gets beaten up, by using a power nailer to plow a nail into the guy's foot. Strachey also visits a porn call-in site where the owner, Dik Steele, for a fee will talk to heavy breathing call-in chumps. Even Strachey looks put off a bit at the operators posing as Steele...balding, chubby males and grannies with deep voices, all pretending to be Dik Steele in the throes of ultimate passion. Kind of like internet sites. The conclusion carries a powerful and unexpected twist which some may like and some may not.

Third Man Out is the first of what may be a series of Canadian cable movies featuring Chad Allen as Donald Strachey. The second, Shock to the System, was broadcast in 2006. It seemed to me that with Third Man Out, director and writer Ron Oliver was still in the process of finding the right balance between message and mystery. Oliver and Allen deal with a lot of issues here, some head on, some in passing, everything from hypocrisy, AIDs and the costs of AIDs medicine, the ethics of outing, gay relationships and on and on. For me, all these messages began getting in the way of the mystery, which I thought was well-constructed with clever false leads, good characters and a disturbing conclusion. With Shock to the System, I think Oliver found the formula that works...make sure you put the mystery first and keep the messages low-key. For readers, the Donald Strachey mysteries by Richard Stevenson, all eight of them, are worth buying. The plots are strong and Strachey makes for a believable, sometimes cocky private eye. They are solid mysteries that happen to feature a gay private detective; they're not simply gay mysteries.

This is obviously a made-for-TV movie. Everything has that clean, careful TV look. The main characters do fine acting jobs but some of the secondary roles lack a little skill. There is one bonus feature, "Coming Out with the Cast and Crew," which I didn't watch. It comes down to this: Whether you enjoy the plot may depend on whether you see the ethics of outing as the same moral equivalent of being the CEO of a drug or insurance company. Tough call.

Taking time out, for "Third Man...".......2007-03-23

I'm not familiar with the book that this movie is based on, so I can't make a fair comparison of the two. This film, though not the same caliber as "Brokeback Mountain" and "Maurice", is still a decent addition into the genre of gay films and a fairly decent mystery film.

Much of the film's success certainly is due to the likeablity of Chad Allen as Donald Strachey, a private eye who is hired by a loathesome man who's life is spent outing politicians and celebrities on his website. When the man turns up murdered, Strachey is unwillingly drawn in to the mystery of his death.

QAF's Jack Wetherall does a fair job as the murdered man Strachey is originally hired to protect. Sean Young appears (barely) in a role that can't be considered more than a cameo role. And Sebastien Spence, as Donald's lover Tim, strives just a little too hard to prove that he's a friend of Dorothy---little white dog in tow each time he's in their apartment is just a little too much for me.

The director could have upped the suspense factor a little and, if needed, tinkered more with the storyline and characters. Overall, however, its a decent movie. Now that the second of an apparent series is out, it will be interesting to see it and compare the two. Let's hope the director strives to improve on what could be an entertaining franchise. Worth a look.

Loved the movie.......2007-03-21

Loved this movie over all...weak in spots but it was all made up with the second movie. Buy it and add it to your collection today!

Average customer rating:

a great team
Tess has the power!
Guarding Tess is a joy!
SHIRLEY & NICHOLAS
Unexpectedly satisfying

Guarding Tess
Starring: Edward Albert , Susan Blommaert , Nicolas Cage , Stephen S. Chen , and Mark Conway
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: 076780676X
Release Date: 1998-04-15

Amazon.com

Nicolas Cage stars in this drama-comedy about a Secret Service agent unable to get out of his assignment watching over an exasperating former first lady (Shirley MacLaine). The two get along like oil and water, but when MacLaine's bored widow ends up kidnapped, Cage's agent becomes a determined avenger. While the pairing of these two actors in a movie isn't something most audiences would ever have considered, that's what makes it so much fun. Cage and MacLaine are brilliantly focused in their respective parts, and filmmaker Hugh Wilson brings an unusually solid and urgent feeling to a story that might have become a dismissible light comedy in another director's hands. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews:

a great team.......2007-06-28

I became a Nicholas Cage fan after "City of Angels" In this movie ,he shows he can be sensitive as well as funny.The pairing of Nicholas Cage and Shirley MacLaine is brilliant.The chemistry between these two actors is wonderful and belivable as the relationship between them goes from tolerance to friendship and love

Tess has the power!.......2007-06-28

I hadn't heard of Guarding Tess until i found it in my parents movie collection. I was maybe eleven at the time and only picked it out because it had my nickname, Tess, in the title. Since then i have become a N. Cage lover. So i brought the movie because i forgot what it was about.(i just remember i liked it). The only reason why i say this is because by reading the other reviews, it hasnt been teens buying this movie which is a shame. You could really feel Cages emotions through the screen and Cages and Maclaine has a relationship that was pleasant to watch since you don't really see that kind of loyality anymore. And how couldn't you love the ridiculously bossy widow who everyone is afraid to say no too. Which is always a great element of a good comedy.

Guarding Tess is a joy!.......2007-01-03

Never got tired watching it over and over and over again, same as Dave of similar genre!!!

SHIRLEY & NICHOLAS.......2007-01-03

TWO OF OUR FAVORITE ACTORS ARE SHIRLEY MACLAINE AND NICHOLAS CAGE. THIS TWOSOME HAS PAIRED IN A FUNNY AND HEART TOUCHING MOVIE CALLED GUARDING TESS. WHAT A GREAT MOVIE. OUR WISH IS THAT THESE TWO GREAT ACTORS WILL PAIR IN MORE MOVIES THAT WILL KEEP US ENTERTAINED AS ONLY THEY CAN.

Unexpectedly satisfying.......2006-12-16

Doug Chesnick, played by Nicolas Cage, is the secret service agent assigned to protect President Carlisle's widow Tess, played by Shirley MacLaine. He chafes at the unimportance of his assignment but he especially would like to get away from her! She's difficult, rude, arbitrary, and won't let them do their jobs effectively. But when his current assignment is over and he gladly returns to Washington, he is told he has to go back. Tess called the president and wants him to stay. It is an almost constant battle of wills between them, with Tess usually winning.

A key scene is of her wheeler-dealer businessman son (Edward Albert)coming to ask her to endorse a high-end golf club/housing development. He simply came there to use her. It is there in her face that she knows this, as she turns him down. Later, she is viewing video of television coverage of her husband's funeral, during which her son appears to be feeling nothing, while Doug's composure breaks. Brief, and covered quickly, but there's no doubt how he felt. Nicolas Cage is certainly a very good actor. We understand that Tess wants Doug close to her because he loved her husband and is the son she wished she had. Also, no one knows that she has an inoperable brain tumor and does not have long to live.

Suffice it to say that her affection for him is justified when she is kidnapped. To Doug's great professional humiliation, top agents descend from Washington and take control; but Doug, unlike anyone else in the agency, realizes almost at once who is responsible and stops at nothing to extract the information he needs to save Tess's life.

In the hands of two less-edgy actors it would probably be completely forgettable; but it works. Highly recommended.

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Whitney's Dubious Dramatic Debut
WHITNEY WHEN SHE WAS A SUPERSTAR
You'll watch it over and over
The Bodyguard
I love this movie!

The Bodyguard (Special Edition)
Starring: Kevin Costner , Whitney Houston , Gary Kemp , Bill Cobbs , and Ralph Waite
Director: Mick Jackson
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( B ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Special Editions | Fully Loaded DVDs | Features | DVD | Video
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ASIN: B0006N2EZ0
Release Date: 2005-02-01

Amazon.com essential video

This 1992 crowd pleaser made almost as much money for Whitney Houston as its chart-busting soundtrack. A high-wattage star vehicle as only Hollywood can make, The Bodyguard stars Houston as a pop-music diva (now there's a stretch) and Kevin Costner as the st