Training Day (2001) Review

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(More customer reviews)I must say, my preconceptions about Training Day were all wrong. The trailer I saw in the theatres made it look like a belated ripoff of The Corruptor, while director Antoine Fuqua's disastrous fumble with The Replacement Killers several years ago did nothing to boost my confidence.
My doubts were dispelled the minute Denzel Washington looked up from his newspaper. It is indeed good to see Washington, one of the most gifted actors of our time, abandon the saintly martyrs he's been prone to playing for 10 years and sink his teeth into a role which allows him to show a mix of deep charisma and dangerous viciousness. That same alchemy had made his breakthrough performance in 1989's Glory amazingly compelling, and in Training Day, there isn't a single moment where Washington is less than completely absorbing. Ethan Hawke also gives the performance of his career as Jake Hoyt, an idealistic but easily swayed young cop who finds himself drawn into a web of corruption, violence, and twisted morals.
Fuqua's directing is still overly stylish at times, but after a hyperactive first act, the film begins to roar. David Ayer's script is dazzling, a combination of rat-a-tat street vernacular and relentless forward momentum, and after the midpoint of the movie, the intensity of the scenes would reach incredible levels. And that's when Fuqua's show-offy camerawork finds a raison d'etre. In this film, Fuqua even finds room for some comparatively simple scenes which are really like a breath of fresh air to his filmmaking -- for example, the "you're a leader" car scene, and that beautifully understated ending shot. I hope he makes this part of his regular style, because there's only so much virtuoso camera one can take before it gets tiring, as is the case in the opening of the film.
A white-knuckle thriller, well worthy of the accolades it received. I stand humbly corrected on my original predictions.

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DVD Features: Alternate endingsAudio CommentaryDVD ROM FeaturesDeleted ScenesDocumentaryFilmographiesMusic VideoTheatrical Trailer

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Rome: The Complete Series Review

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(More customer reviews)THE SERIES
Rome wasn't built in one day, we all know that and its story can't be told over 2 seasons but this is probably the best we're going to have, audio-visually, for a long time to come. This is an interrupted, extremely ambitious and, eventually, unaffordable HBO project meant to illustrate the process though which an up and coming but flawed - expansionist, aristocrat driven, slave labor dependent - republic morphs into an equally or more so flawed, unsustainable empire. [Hmmm... lessons to learn? Anyone? Anyone?]
HBO and the producers of the show should be commended for doing everything in their power to stay as close as artistically possible to the historical record, whatever was available, of the period - and 'Rome' covers Cesar's climb to power and the period shortly thereafter, up to Octavian's triumph and transformation into 'Augustus' - the struggles, the intrigue, the atrocities - and how the events it triggered affected the aristocrats and the plebes, rich and poor, citizens, free men and slaves. The point of view and the storytelling shifts or swings between the history makers - Cesar, his family, Octavian, the aristocrats opposing Cesar - and two more or less ordinary Forrest Gump-like Roman soldiers who find themselves involved with almost everything historians wrote about those years and are also depicted during their more ordinary moments.
'Rome' is a feast to the eye, at least in the Blu-ray version that I'm watching. The colors are vibrant and the details on ornaments, wall graffiti, costumes, makeup are as accurate as they come. I would say almost the same about the sounds of Rome but we know so much less about the music of antiquity... Due to obvious budget constraints, camera angles are almost always narrow, focusing on specific buildings or people with the occasional, probably CGI-produced, panoramic shots. And no large, uber-expensive battle scenes but that's okay because the overall story is told well. I don't believe we ever see more than a few dozen humans on any scene but we should admire the director and the camera people even more for their ability to maintain our suspension of disbelief with the limited means at their disposal. Having some of the scenes shot on location - 'Rome' was made in Italy at the Cinecita studios - makes watching even more enjoyable.THE BLU-RAY EDITION
The Blu-ray edition excels in every aspect, from packaging to the quality of the actual episodes to the Blu-ray specific extras.
The two season's 22 episodes of about one hour each are delivered on 10 discs. They come inside an amazingly beautiful book-like binding with each disc on its own 2-page presentation/display that consists of one picture on the left page and some details on each of the episodes on that specific disc on the right-side page which also holds the disc. There are additional pages that contain titles or some artwork for a total of 30, thick cardboard, full color pages. It's nice that a cloth bookmark was added to help keep track of where one may be with the viewing. The box the book slides in is color-coordinated with the book covers - dark, weathered dried-blood reddish-brown with gold lettering and accents. Simply amazing.
Each episode is presented in 1080p, 16:9 screen and DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 Surround sound for English and German as well as DTS Digital Surround 2.0 for Spanish, French, Castilian and Polish (voice over). Subtitles are available in dozens on languages.
Blu-ray specific extras include the invaluable "All Roads Lead to Rome" - a historian presents the historical fact as the episodes run, a 'must watch' when 'Rome' is viewed the second time around because the abundance of information would make watching it the first time too distracting. Also Blu-ray specific is 'Bloodlines', another interactive guide that shows and helps us understand the connections between the various Roman families.
In addition, 13 of the 22 episodes come with audio commentary alternative sound tracks from the cast and crew - presumably to be listened to on the third watching of the series. There are also a number of the usual 'behind the scenes' and 'how did we make this' featurettes.MY RATING
Not surprisingly, I will rate 'Rome' as a 5-star. It's not perfect but it doesn't need to be so to earn its stars - Amazon's five stars mean 'I love it' not 'it's perfect'. And I absolutely love it. In fact, I am going through the second watching now - the one with 'All Roads Lead to Rome' turned on - and I love 'Rome' even more.
My only issue is that which earned 'Rome' its MA (mature audiences) rating. I am quite frustrated for not being able to watch 'Rome' with my kids in the same room. I know that some would call it 'butchery' but Blu-ray technology should allow for a 'cleaned', PG-13 version that kids could watch too because I can see how watching a show like this, especially with the historical interactive guide turned on, would make some curious enough to actually read more on the topic.
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FAIR WARNINGAnyone considering watching 'Rome' in a 'family' setting should be aware that the show is rated TV MA and for good reason. 'Rome' attempts to accurately depict the Rome of 2000 years ago where sexual inhibitions were all but absent, most women were viewed as 'property' and slaves were numerous. You WILL see explicit sex, frontal male nudity and covering your kids eyes won't be enough - consider earplugs or frequent use of the 'mute' button because the sounds of sex are even more explicit than the images. Besides engaging in sex largely for amusement, violence was part of the Roman way of life - torture, gladiator and other arena fights, assassinations were common. Well... those were the Romans - love them or hate them.

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Four hundred years after the founding of the Republic, Rome is the wealthiest city in the world, a cosmopolitan metropolis of one million people, epicenter of a sprawling empire. But now, the city's foundations are crumbling, eaten away by corruption and excess...And two soldiers unwittingly become entwined in historical events, their fates inexorably tied to the fate of Rome itself. The entire award-winning, critically-acclaimed series will be available as a Blu-ray gift set, just in time for the holiday season.

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Purple Rain (1984) Review

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(More customer reviews)Leonard Maltin's review missed the main point of this movie. The movie is not primarily about a young musician who"struggles to gain acceptance for his own brand of ... rock music". Instead, the movie is about a man who has acquired his not only some of his father's musical interest and talent, but also his father's emotional instability and occasional abusiveness towards others, especially women. Maltin is correct that Prince's character is sexist and unappealing, but that's crucial to the movie. By playing his character as emotionally unstable, insensitive, and occasionally cruel, Prince de-glamourizes the cool, rebellious rock star image, showing that fame and talent are neither a guaranteed road to happiness nor a good excuse for being cruel to your girlfriend.This movie, rather than being a "soppy story" wrapped around concert footage, is instead genuinely literary. The concert footage is not an excuse for a movie; some of the concert footage is integral to the story. The title song, "Purple Rain", is used very effectively in the movie as a point of conflict between Prince and two of his female bandmates.
This movie, like Quadrophenia, would make a good subject for an English literature class targeted towards aimlessly rebellious under-achievers (rather than the 4.0 GPA high school students that most English literature classes are designed for).
[This review is based on the VHS version of the movie.]

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Rock star Prince plays a headstrong, vulnerable young musician known as "the kid." He struggles with his own psyche and family pressures ofan alcoholic father who beats his mother. He sees his father's madness infecting both his music and his own personal life.

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Unforgiven (1992) Review

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(More customer reviews)There are a plethora of reviews of the movie, but my review is mostly a comparison of the BD vs DVD version. I won't discuss its merits as a western, which is a classic and worthy of 5 stars. This BD disk is 3 stars for its technical quality.
The BD version is worth buying if you don't own the 2 disk special edition, which has the better DVD transfer, and cost more, even after discounts! But if you own the better DVD version and are looking to own the best version for home viewing, hold on.
While the audio is crisp and clear, there is no magic in its mastering or imaging, its just clearer sound than the DVD.
The BD transfer is generally sharp, but there are moments so dull, I thought I was running the DVD version. The high resolution of BD removes jaggies seen in diagonal lines and pixelation revealed by DVD resolution projected into a large HDTV, but this BD's colors are often washed out, and edges of objects blurred. This lack of resolution is much worse in the night scenes including the finale scene, and is 80% less during daylight shots. Some of the daylight shots do appear as blurry as the night shots. Unlike better BD out there, overall the background elements do not have more striking detail over the DVD. By comparison, a stellar transfer exists even in old movies. If you are a fan of WWII airplanes, see the 1969 'Battle of Britain' or the classic 2001: Space Odyssey.
However, if you don't own the 2 disk set, this BD disk incorporates all the extras of the 2 disk set into one disk, and a better buy than the original DVD release.

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Clint Eastwood and Morgan Freeman play retired, down-on-their-luck outlaws who pick up their guns one last time to collect a bounty offered by the vengeful prostitutes of the remote Wyoming town of Big Whiskey. Richard Harris is an ill-fated interloper, a colorful killer-for-hire called English Bob. And Best Supporting Actor Oscar winner Gene Hackman is the sly and brutal local sheriff whose brand of law enforcement ranges from unconventional to ruthless.

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Kingdom of Heaven (Director's Cut) Review

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(More customer reviews)(Please note: This is for the 4 disc director's cut--for some reason this is combined with ALL versions of the movie including the Blu-ray. The Blu-ray features ONLY the first two discs of this set on one Blu-ray disc. None of the discs with extras are included as part of the package).
Sometimes longer is better particularly when you have a complex story. The theatrical version of "Kingdom of Heaven" was flawed from the beginning with significant narrative gaps that undermine the character development and the smooth momentum of the story. That's because Fox had Scott cut the film by nearly an hour deleted significant and important character development at the expense of trying to fit in more showings per theater. The result was a sprawling ambitious project that had the epic scope of "Lawrence of Arabia" without the narrative strength. Thank God for DVD. "Kingdom of Heaven: The Director's Cut" restores the material demonstrating that the original 3 hour cut was a brilliant film that played theatrical late last year after the film had bombed at the box office. The reason the film bombed was the idiotic decision to cut the film and make it shorter reducing the film's impact. While it might not have made a huge amount of money it would have done well at the box office as a prestige film AND would have deservedly been nominated for Oscars. Much of the background story is fleshed out and the relationships between the various characters are more clearly defined. "Kingdom of Heaven" is a magnificent epic film that recalls the power of David Lean's epics and allows Scott's historical drama to breath. If you've seen the theatrical cut you owe it to yourself to see this major film from a major talent.
The film is presented like the "Lord of the Rings" deluxe sets with the film spread over two discs. Featuring a beautiful anamorphic transfer this version of the film actually looks superior with less issues with digital artifacts when compared to the previous edition of the film. The 5.1 audio presentation sounds wonderful with both a 5.1 and 5.1DTS track that makes exceptional use of the format. You'll feel like you've put plopped down into the middle of the battle sequences in the action sequences and there's wonderful ambient sound effects sprinkled throughout the film even during sequences that are dialogue driven.
Special features are terrific in this set. We start off with an introduction by Scott discussing the "Director's Cut" compared to the theatrical version of the film. Featuring Scott, writer William Monahan and actor Orlando Bloom the first commentary track (it was recorded separately and pieced together) becomes a rich resource of trivia beginning with the origin of the project and how Scott and Monahan ended up working together. The second commentary track has visual effects director Wes Sewell, assistant director Adam Somner and producer Lisa Elizey discussing the technical aspects of the shoot and the challenges they faced covering everything from the use of digital and on set effects to second unit photography. The last commentary has editor Dody Dorn discussing the two different versions of the film. We also have production notes and information about the shooting of the film provided as text commentary.
The third and fourth discs have most of the supplements. Unfortunately neither has the excellent A&E documentary that was part of the two disc set so you may want to hold on to your other set if you haven't sold it already. We have "The Path to Redemption" presented in six separate parts with each running anywhere from a half hour to twenty minutes a piece covering the making of the film. The first of the three parts include text, images, early screenplay drafts and notes on the shooting of the movie. The second part has cast rehearsals covering everything from the training with the weapons to costume tests. The third of the three parts has storyboards as well as a short documentary featuring scholars discussing the accuracy of the film.
The fourth disc features the last three parts on the film and includes video shot on location, storyboard galleries and photo galleries as well as deleted/extended/alternate scenes with optional commentary by Scott and editor Dorn. There's also a section on the visual effects of the film as well as various sound elements to create the unique sound mix of the film presented in various stages. The last section features trailers, TV spots, the Showest presentation. There's also footage from various premieres around the world, poster galleries, footage of the press junket shot on video, image and poster galleries as well as a brief featurette similar to the one done for "Gladiator: The Extended Version" that discussed the creation of this special edition.
An exceptional film that was badly butchered by Fox prior to its premiere due to skittish leadership at Fox, the film has finally been presented the way it should have been in the first place. Fox DVD has done an exceptional job in putting together this package and has made amends for the way it handled the film when it was released theatrical last year. Highly recommended.


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Among the best directors of our time, Ridley Scott (Gladiator), contributes generously to this extraordinary Collector's Edition of Kingdom of Heaven. Featuring his Director's Cut of the film and hours of fascinating extras ? including a six-part tour from conception to completion of filmmaking ? this definitive set makes what Variety called a "genuinely spectacular" film even more so!
An epic marvel that's as beautifully acted as it is visually awesome, Kingdom of Heaven stars Orlando Bloom as Balian, a Jerusalem blacksmith who has lost his family ? and his faith. But when his father (Liam Neeson) shows him his destiny, Balian vows to defend his country, and in the process, falls in love, becomes a formidable leader, and steps forever into history

Audio: English: 5.1 DTS HD Master Audio (Lossless)
Language: Subtitled: English, Spanish, & French
Theatrical Aspect Ratio: Widescreen: 2.35:1

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Underworld (Unrated) (2003) Review

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(More customer reviews)Being a fan of the Underworld series as well as the lovely Kate Beckensale, I had to purchase this movie on blu-ray. I have this movie on every format except vhs. All I have to say is that this movie looks and sound awesome on blu-ray. If you want good demo material get this movie, you will not be disappointed.

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In the Underworld, Vampires are a secret clan of modern aristocratic sophisticates whose mortal enemies are the Lycans (werewolves), a shrewd gang of street thugs who prowl the city's underbelly. Noone knows the origin of their bitter blood feud, but the balance of power between them turns even bloodier when a beautiful young Vampire warrior and a newly-turned Lycan with a mysterious past fall in love. Kate Beckinsale and Scott Speedman star in this modern-day, action-packed tale of ruthless intrigue and forbidden passion ­ all set against the dazzling backdrop of a timeless, Gothic metropolis.

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Star Wars: The Original Trilogy (Episodes IV - VI) (2011) Review

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(More customer reviews)It's real simple, George. The vast majority of people who will buy the Blu-Ray versions are middle-aged nostalgia hounds. These people will NOT pony up more of their hard-earned dough for CGI "enhancements." They WILL, however, whip out their credit cards for the ORIGINAL THEATRICAL RELEASES faster than Han Solo's draw-down on Greedo.
Find your best exant print each film of the original trilogy. Have the ILM lab boys scan in every frame @ 4k. Do the LEAST amount of color correction and dust/scratch removal--only in a restoration sense, not "improving color" or anything like that. Approach it like archivists.
Use your technical advancements to do the finest BR encoding of those individual frames. I want to see film grain, dude. Matte lines. Pancake makeup. Absolutely naked and unvarnished. The final result should be a monument to the format, really.
Do the same with the audio.
If your ego won't let you "let go" of your CGI meddling, then make every feature a two-BR set--your best "improved" version + the original theatrical release. You can charge more that way, have your final vision, and still satisfy the fans who want the '77, '80. and '83 prints. And line your pockets with more filthy lucre as you sell the same product to us for the umteenth time.
Call it a "Special Edition Archivist Series" or something like that.

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Star Wars: The Original Trilogy on Blu-ray will feature Star Wars Episodes IV-VI utilizing the highest possible picture and audio presentation.Star Wars Episode IV: A New HopeNineteen years after the formation of the Empire, Luke Skywalker is thrust into the struggle of the Rebel Alliance when he meets Obi-Wan Kenobi, who has lived for years in seclusion on the desert planet of Tatooine. Obi-Wan begins Luke's Jedi training as Luke joins him on a daring mission to rescue the beautiful Rebel leader Princess Leia from the clutches of the evil Empire. Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes BackIn this installment, Luke Skywalker and his friends have set up a new base on the ice planet of Hoth, but it is not long before their secret location is discovered by the evil Empire. After narrowly escaping, Luke splits off from his friends to seek out a Jedi Master called Yoda. Meanwhile, Han Solo, Chewbacca, Princess Leia, and C-3PO seek sanctuary at a city in the Clouds run by Lando Calrissian, an old friend of Han\'s. But little do they realize that Darth Vader already awaits them.Star Wars Episode VI:Return of the Jedi(4 years after Episode IV) In the epic conclusion of the saga, the Empire prepares to crush the Rebellion with a more powerful Death Star while the Rebel fleet mounts a massive attack on the space station. Luke Skywalker confronts Darth Vader in a final climactic duel before the evil Emperor.

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