Friday 25 March 2011
Thursday 17 March 2011
The Tourist
Johnny Depp (Actor), Angelina Jolie (Actor), Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck (Director) | Format: DVD
28 days in the top 100 
(32)Release Date: March 22, 2011
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Frank (Johnny Depp), a mild-mannered American on vacation in Venice, Italy, is befriended by Elise (Angelina Jolie), a breathtakingly beautiful woman with a mysterious secret. Soon, their playful romantic dalliance turns into a complicated web of dangerous deceit as they are chased by Interpol, the Italian police, and Russian hit men in this suspense-filled, international action thriller.Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie use their star power to help propel The Tourist to its ultimate, satisfying destination. It just takes a little while to get there. Director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck (The Lives of Others) sets a leisurely pace for The Tourist, which lets the film be equal parts mystery, romance, thriller, and comedy. But because of its lush cinematography and location-based shooting, The Tourist is perhaps first and foremost a valentine to the city of Venice. Jolie plays Elise, an international woman of mystery, somehow caught up with a glamorous thief who's double-crossed a gangster, Shaw (Steven Berkoff, splendidly menacing). On a train from Paris to Venice, Elise meets Frank (Depp), a schlumpy math teacher from Wisconsin on holiday. Before the train hits Venice, poor Frank has become entangled in a dangerous web that he can't begin to understand. As the plot unfolds, a group of stone-headed thugs dashes after Frank and Elise, darting through canals, across tile rooftops, and into some of the most beautiful hotel rooms in the world. The cinematography of John Seale and the score by James Newton Howard set an immersive tone. Depp and Jolie do a respectable job with their roles, though perhaps because of the mysteries in the plot, as a couple, Elise and Frank lack a certain oomph. But the supporting actors, including Paul Bettany, Timothy Dalton, and Rufus Sewell, are uniformly excellent, and the story (based on the French film Anthony Zimmer) wraps up nicely. Yet the true star of The Tourist is enchanting Venice--and anyone dreaming of a romantic getaway will not want to miss this trip. --A.T. Hurley Read more
Tuesday 15 March 2011
Jackass 3 (Two-Disc 3D DVD / Blu-ray Combo + Digital Copy
Johnny Knoxville (Actor), Steve-O (Actor), Jeff Tremaine (Director) | Format: Blu-ray
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JOHNNY KNOXVILLE AND COMPANY RETURN FOR THE THIRD INSTALLMENT OF THEIR TV SHOW SPIN-OFF, WHERE DANGEROUS STUNTS AND EXPLICIT PUBLIC DISPLAYS RULE.3 times the laughs. 3 times the stupid. 3 times the pain. The jackass guys are back for their wildest round of mischief and mayhem yet! You’ll laugh ‘til your bladder pops or your spleen spleens as Johnny Knoxville goes roller-skating in a buffalo herd, Bam Margera barrels through a hallway of high-voltage stun guns, and Steve-O takes to the skies in a fully-loaded porta-potty. Get ready to go AC or DC with your choice of theatrical or unrated version, loaded with all the outrageous footage not shown in theaters. So brace yourself for uncensored, unbelievable and totally explicit stunts from the idiots you’ve come to know and love from a safe and sanitary distance! Read more
Sunday 13 March 2011
True Grit (Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Copy)
Matt Damon (Actor), Jeff Bridges (Actor), Joel Coen (Director), Ethan Coen (Director) | Format: Blu-ray
(89)Release Date: June 7, 2011
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A 14-year-old girl needs a man with "true grit" to help her bring in the fugitive who killed her father. That she settles on Rooster Cogburn--a one-eyed, booze-soaked, potbellied U.S. marshal on the downward curve of his career in law enforcement--is the glorious springboard for all versions of True Grit: the Charles Portis novel, the 1969 western that won an Oscar for John Wayne, and the 2010 Coen brothers adaptation. The Coens have some mighty shoes to fill in their version, and their choice for the eye-patch is Jeff Bridges, who growls his way through an understated take on Rooster. Matt Damon plays LaBoeuf, the Texas Ranger who joins the hunt; Josh Brolin is the scurvy killer; and Barry Pepper is the leader of the outlaw gang. Working as usual with cinematographer Roger Deakins, the Coens exhibit their clear, crisp view of western places, thrillingly creating new takes on recognizable vistas such as the frontier town, the snowy forest, and the isolated cabin at night. The Coens revel in the incredibly ornate dialogue, which allows their sardonic attitude to bleed into the material--young actress Hailee Steinfeld doesn't seem at all fazed by the language, which may be a key reason she got the job as heroine Mattie Ross. While True Grit doesn't have the heft of the best films in the Coens' arsenal (there's something very formal and even a wee bit academic about their stroll through this familiar text), they do create a pleasant sense of a good yarn, retold around the campfire for the umpteenth time. --Robert Horton Read more
Saturday 12 March 2011
Unstoppable
Chris Pine (Actor), Denzel Washington (Actor), Tony Scott (Director) | Format: DVD
(84)Release Date: February 15, 2011
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Hang on for the ride of your life as Oscar® Winner Denzel Washington and Chris Pine (Star Trek) team up for the year’s most electrifying action-thriller. A runaway train, transporting deadly, toxic chemicals, is barreling down on Scranton, Pennsylvania, and only two men can stop it: a veteran engineer (Washington) and a young conductor (Pine). Thousands of lives hang in the balance as these ordinary heroes attempt to chase down one million tons of hurtling steel and prevent an epic disaster. Helmed by visionary director Tony Scott (Man on Fire), this story inspired by true events delivers excitement and suspense that are — unstoppable! Orson Welles once said that directing a movie was like playing with the greatest toy train set in the world, and Tony Scott seems to be taking him literally. With the caboose of Scott's Taking of Pelham 123 barely in the distance, the filmmaker turned to Unstoppable, a train-chase picture loosely inspired by a true story (and perhaps just a smidgen by Runaway Train, the 1985 film based on an Akira Kurosawa script). At a Pennsylvania rail yard, some clueless workers let an unmanned train get loose, and the thing is soon hurtling across the countryside. Did we mention that it's pulling a few cars' worth of highly toxic material? Did you doubt it would be? Meanwhile, old-time engineer Denzel Washington and new conductor Chris Pine are making a routine run nearby--of course, in the movies, a routine run almost always turns into something wild. This odd couple is the only hope for stopping the runaway, while upper management dithers and an operations-room dispatcher (Rosario Dawson) spends most of the movie talking into her headset. Scott is an unabashed manipulator, and he yanks all the strings at his disposal for this whipped-up pageant: song cues, hype-filled reaction shots, stunts aplenty. It's all so aggressive, it makes you wish the exciting story could be allowed to tell itself. But the pulse does quicken, if you can turn your mind off for a while. And although it's faint praise, the movie is undeniably better than Pelham 123. --Robert Horton Read more
Wednesday 9 March 2011
The Rock [Blu-ray]
Jim Maniaci (Actor), Bokeem Woodbine (Actor) | Format: Blu-ray
91 days in the top 100 
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Sean Connery and Nicolas Cage join forces to avert unspeakable carnage as The Rock explodes onto Blu-ray Disc! Co-starring Ed Harris, this spectacular! (NBC-TV) thrill ride will rock your world in this astonishing format. When a vengeful ex-general seizes control of Alcatraz Island and threatens to launch missiles loaded with deadly poison gas, only a young FBI chemical weapons expert and a notorious Federal prisoner have the skills to penetrate the impregnable fortress and take him down. Catch every instant of rapid-fire action in eye-popping 1080p, while the phenomenal 5.1 48 kHz, 16-bit uncompressed audio puts you smack dab in the middle of the mayhem. Prepare to experience the awesome power of Blu-ray High Definition!Between his high-octane debut, Bad Boys, and 1998's wannabe blockbuster Armageddon, hotshot director Michael Bay forged his dubious reputation with this crowd-pleasing action extravaganza. In it a psychotically disgruntled war hero (Ed Harris) seizes the island prison of Alcatraz and threatens to wage chemical warfare against nearby San Francisco unless the government publicly recognizes the men who were killed under Harris's top-secret command. Nicolas Cage plays the biochemist who teams up with the only man ever to have escaped from Alcatraz (Sean Connery) in an attempt to foil Harris's terrorist scheme. As one might expect, what follows is an action-packed barrage of bullets, bodies, and climactic confrontations, replete with enough plot contrivances to give even the most jaded action fan cause for alarm. It's a load of hooey, but the cast is obviously having a grand old time, and there's enough wit to make the recycled action sequences tolerable. If you're ordering this movie on Blu-ray, be careful with the volume knobs on your home-theater sound systems, because The Rock could cause partial hearing loss and structural damage to your home. --Jeff Shannon Read more
Tuesday 8 March 2011
Excalibur [Blu-ray]
Liam Neeson (Actor), Patrick Stewart (Actor) | Format: Blu-ray
(357)Release Date: March 8, 2011
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The legend of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table receives its most impressive screen treatment in Excalibur, from visionary director John Boorman (Deliverance, Hope and Glory). All the elements of Sir Thomas Malory’s classic Le Morte Darthur are here: Arthur (Nigel Terry) removing the sword Excalibur from the stone; the Round Table’s noble birth and tragic decline; the heroic attempts to recover the Holy Grail; and the shifting balance of power between wily wizard Merlin (Nicol Williamson) and evil sorceress Morgana (Helen Mirren). With Patrick Stewart, Gabriel Byrne and Liam Neeson in notable early screen roles.This lush retelling of the legend of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table is a dark and engrossing tale. Director John Boorman (Deliverance) masterfully handles the tale of the mythical sword Excalibur, and its passing from the wizard Merlin to the future king of England. Arthur pulls the famed sword from a stone and is destined to be crowned king. As the king embarks on a passionate love affair with Guenevere, an illegitimate son, and Merlin's designs on power, threaten Arthur's reign. The film is visually stunning and unflinching in its scenes of combat and black magic. Featuring an impressive supporting cast, including early work from the likes of Liam Neeson and Gabriel Byrne, Excalibur is an adaptation of the legend both faithful and bold. --Robert Lane Read more
Monday 7 March 2011
The Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy (Extended Edition + Digital Copy) [Blu-ray]
Elijah Wood (Actor), Viggo Mortensen (Actor), Peter Jackson (Director) | Format: Blu-ray
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The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring Extended Edition: With the help of a courageous fellowship of friends and allies, Frodo embarks on a perilous mission to destroy the legendary One Ring.
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Extended Edition: In the middle chapter of this historic movie trilogy, the Fellowship is broken but its quest to destroy the One Ring continues.
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Extended Edition: The final battle for Middle-earth begins. Frodo and Sam, led by Gollum, continue their dangerous mission toward the fires of Mount Doom in order to destroy the One Ring.
Versions of Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy on Blu-ray and DVD
Original Theatrical Edition | Platinum Series Special Extended Edition | Original Theatrical and Extended Limited Edition | Original Theatrical Edition [Blu-ray] | Limited Extended Edition [Blu-ray] | Release Date | May 25, 2004 | Dec. 14, 2004 | Aug. 29, 2006 | Apr. 16, 2010 | TBA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Format/Disc # | Three DVDs | 12 DVDs | Six DVDs | Three Blu-ray Discs, Three DVDs, Three Digital Copies | Blu-ray/TBA |
| Digital Copies | No | No | No | Yes, on three discs | Yes, online |
| Extra footage | None | 30 minutes added to Return of the King; 43 minutes added to The Two Towers; 50 minutes added to Return of the King | For all three films: Both the theatrical and extended edition on one disc | None | Same as extended-edition DVD | Commentaries | None | Commentary by Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, and Philippa Boyens; Commentary by the design team; Commentary by the production/post-production team; Commentary by the cast, including Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Sean Astin, Andy Serkis, John Rhys-Davies, Orlando Bloom, Christopher Lee, and Miranda Otto | None | None | Same commentaries as extended-edition DVD |
| Documentaries | Fellowship of the Ring: "Welcome to Middle-earth," "The Quest for the Ring," "A Passage to Middle-earth"; The Two Towers: "On the Set: The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers"; "Return to Middle- earth"Return of the King: Three documentaries: "The Quest Fulfilled: A Director's Vision," "A Filmmaker's Journey: Making The Return of The King," "National Geographic Special: Beyond the Movie" | "From Book to Vision," "From Vision to Reality," "The Journey Continues...," Documentaries on J.R.R. Tolkein, "From Book to Script" documentaries, "Designing and Building Middle-earth," "Home of the Horse Lords," "Gollum," "Filming 'The Two Towers,'" "Visual Effects," "Editorial: Refining the Story," "Music and Sound," "The Battle for Helm's Deep is Over..."; "Filming The Return of the King," "Weta Digital," "Post-Production: Journey's End," "The Passing of an Age," "Cameron Duncan: The Inspiration for 'Into the West'" | Three behind-the-scenes documentaries by Costa Botes, the filmmaker director Peter Jackson personally hired | Same as theatrical-edition DVD | Same as extended-edition DVD, plus Costa Botes documentaries from the Original Theatrical & Extended Limited Edition |
| Featurettes | Fellowship of the Ring: 15 featurettes originally created for lordoftherings.net, which explore the locales and cultures of Middle-earth and include interviews with cast members Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen, Liv Tyler, and others; The Two Towers: Eight featurettes originally created for lordoftherings.net: "Forces of Darkness," "Sounds of Middle-earth," "Edoras & Rohan Culture," "Creatures," "Gandalf the White," "Arms & Armor," "Helm's Deep," and "Gollum: Andy Serkis, Bay Raitt" Return of the King: Six featurettes: "Aragorn's Destiny," "Minas Tirith: Capital of Gondor," "The Battle of Pelennor Fields," "Samwise the Brave," "Eowyn: White Lady of Rohan," "Digital Horse Doubles" | None | None | Same as theatrical-edition DVD | None |
| Other Features | Exclusive 10-minute behind-the-scenes previews of The Two Towers and The Fellowship of the Ring; Enya "May It Be" music video; An inside look at the Special Extended DVD Edition of The Lord of the Rings Trilogy; Preview of Electronic Arts' video games; DVD-ROM features: Exclusive online content; Emiliana Torrini "Gollum Song" music video; "The Long and Short of It," a short film by Sean Astin; "The Lord of The Rings" Trilogy Supertrailer | Design Galleries; "Middle-earth Atlas: Tracing the Journeys of the Fellowship" interactive map; "New Zealand as Middle-earth" interactive map w/on-location footage; production photos; "The Mumakil Battle" demonstration / multi-angle interactive feature; "DFK6498" short film, "Strike Zone" short film, DVD-ROM access to exclusive online features | None | Same as theatrical-edition DVD | Same as extended-edition DVD, plus MTV Movie Award Easter eggs: (The Council of Elrod spoof, Two Towers sneak peek, Gollum accepting award) |
After the breaking of the Fellowship, Frodo and Sam journey to Mordor with the creature Gollum as their guide in The Two Towers. Meanwhile, Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), Legolas (Orlando Bloom), and Gimli (John Rhys-Davies) join in the defense of the people of Rohan, who are the first target in the eradication of the race of Men by the renegade wizard Saruman (Christopher Lee) and the dark lord Sauron. Fantastic creatures, astounding visual effects, and a climactic battle at the fortress of Helm's Deep make The Two Towers a worthy successor to The Fellowship of the Ring, grander in scale but retaining the story's emotional intimacy.
With The Return of the King, the greatest fantasy epic in film history draws to a grand and glorious conclusion. The trilogy could never fully satisfy those who remain exclusively loyal to Tolkien's expansive literature, but as a showcase for physical and technical craftsmanship it is unsurpassed in pure scale and ambition, setting milestone after cinematic milestone as Frodo and Sam continue their mission to Mordor to destroy the soul-corrupting One Ring. While the heir to the kingdom of Men, Aragorn, endures the massive battle at Minas Tirith with the allegiance of Legolas, Gimli, and Gandalf, Frodo and Sam must survive the schizoid deceptions of Gollum, who remains utterly convincing as a hybrid of performance (by Andy Serkis) and subtly nuanced computer animation. Jackson and cowriters Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens have much ground to cover; that they do so with intense pacing and epic sweep is impressive enough, but by investing greater depth and consequence in the actions of fellow hobbits Merry (Dominic Monaghan) and Pippin (Billy Boyd), they ensure that The Return of the King maintains the trilogy's emphasis on intimate fellowship and remains faithful to Tolkien's overall vision. By ending the LOTR trilogy with noble integrity and faith in the power of imaginative storytelling, The Return of the King, like its predecessors, will stand as an adventure for the ages. --Jeff Shannon and David Horiuchi
Our Review of the Limited Extended Edition on DVD (Dec. 14, 2004):
The extended editions of Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings present the greatest trilogy in film history in the most ambitious sets in DVD history. In bringing J.R.R. Tolkien's nearly unfilmable work to the screen, Jackson benefited from extraordinary special effects, evocative New Zealand locales, and an exceptionally well-chosen cast, but most of all from his own adaptation with co-writers Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, preserving Tolkien's vision and often his very words, but also making logical changes to accommodate the medium of film. While purists complained about these changes and about characters and scenes left out of the films, the almost two additional hours of material in the extended editions (about 11 hours total) help appease them by delving more deeply into Tolkien's music, the characters, and loose ends that enrich the story, such as an explanation of the Faramir-Denethor relationship, and the appearance of the Mouth of Sauron at the gates of Mordor. In addition, the extended editions offer more bridge material between the films, further confirming that the trilogy is really one long film presented in three pieces (which is why it's the greatest trilogy ever--there's no weak link). The scene of Galadriel's gifts to the Fellowship added to the first film proves significant over the course of the story, while the new Faramir scene at the end of the second film helps set up the third and the new Saruman scene at the beginning of the third film helps conclude the plot of the second.
To top it all off, the extended editions offer four discs per film: two for the longer movie, plus four commentary tracks and stupendous DTS 6.1 ES sound; and two for the bonus material, which covers just about everything from script creation to special effects. The argument was that fans would need both versions because the bonus material is completely different, but the features on the theatrical releases are so vastly inferior that the only reason a fan would need them would be if they wanted to watch the shorter versions they saw in theaters (the last of which, The Return of the King, merely won 11 Oscars). The LOTR extended editions without exception have set the DVD standard by providing a richer film experience that pulls the three films together and further embraces Tolkien's world, a reference-quality home theater experience, and generous, intelligent, and engrossing bonus features. --David Horiuchi
Read moreThe Next Three Days (Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Copy)
Liam Neeson (Actor), Russell Crowe (Actor), Paul Haggis (Director) | Format: Blu-ray
(16)Release Date: March 8, 2011
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Life seems perfect for John Brennan until his wife, Lara, is arrested for a murder she says she didn’t commit. Three years into her sentence, John is struggling to hold his family together, raising their son and teaching at college while he pursues every means available to prove her innocence. With the rejection of their final appeal, Lara becomes suicidal and John decides there is only one possible, bearable solution: to break his wife out of prison. Refusing to be deterred by impossible odds or his own inexperience, John devises an elaborate escape plot and plunges into a dangerous and unfamiliar world, ultimately risking everything for the woman he loves. Lionsgate presents a Hwy 61 Films / Lionsgate production. The Next Three Days stars Russell Crowe, Elizabeth Banks, Brian Dennehy, Olivia Wilde and Liam Neeson, and is directed by Paul Haggis from a screenplay by Paul Haggis. The Next Three Days is produced by Michael Nozik and Paul Haggis, and Olivier Delbosc and Marc Missonnier.The powerful presence of Russell Crowe and the skillful writing and directing of Paul Haggis (Crash) give The Next Three Days an emotional heft to match its taut suspense. Schoolteacher John Brennan (Crowe) is stunned when his wife Laura (Elizabeth Banks, W.) is sentenced to life imprisonment for murder. As he watches her emotional decline behind bars, he becomes determined to break her out of prison--and The Next Three Days tracks his meticulous efforts, including wrong turns that threaten to capsize everything. The movie is most compelling in how it follows Brennan's wrenching emotional changes. He's not some cold, focused secret agent--he's torn between his painful devotion to his wife and the frightening possibility of what could go wrong, including the possible cost to their son. The outstanding supporting cast includes Liam Neeson, Brian Dennehy, and rapper RZA, but the vast majority of the movie rests on Crowe's shoulders and he carries it like an athlete. There's something deeply physical about Crowe's performances--his emotions seem to fill his entire body, even as his expressions are incredibly subtle. It's a gripping performance by a remarkable actor, anchoring a well-conceived and engaging thriller. --Bret Fetzer Read more