Lord of War Blu Ray Review

Lord of War is your typical thriller movie. At the end of the movie, you might not feel like you’ve been entertained like a typical summer blockbuster. This is no James Bond or Mission Impossible flick. Instead, it delves into the business and politics behind war and who it benefits. While we have all seen the caricature of “gun runners” in prime time television or one of many action/thriller films, this movie accurately portrays the gun running business. According to director, the events in the movie are actually based on real events. This makes it even more eye opening and disturbing at the same time.

The movie is about a man named Yuri who rises from nobody to become one of the biggest arms dealer in the world. In pursuit of more and more money, he gets knee deep in the arms dealing business. He does not see himself as evil or good. Instead, he simply views himself as businessman. One day, Interpol agent gets information on Yuri. This leads to cat and mouse chase. Over the course of the movie, we see Yuri question himself on the morality of arms dealing. It isn’t some revelation or midlife crisis. Instead, we see realistic struggle of Yuri. When all is said and done, the perfect ending makes a powerful statement.

Nicholas Cage is always masterful in any role he plays even in bad movies. The portrayal of Yuri is downright perfect. He does perfect job conveying multiple side of Yuri. Bridget Moynahan was as good as Cage as Ava as loving but someone who chooses to avoid the reality of Yuri’s real job. And, Ethan Hawke as the righteous Interpol agent adds perfect foil to Nicholas Cage’s gray character. This is one of the best film of 2005 and nobody should miss it.

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Kingdom of Heaven Blu Ray Review

With Kingdom of Heaven, Ridley Scott dives into the Crusade era warfare. Scott has directed great war/action movies in the past. Scott explored Roman Empire in Gladiator. He returned to modern day warfare with Black Hawk Down. While Gladiator and Black Hawk Down emphasized more on action, the Kingdom of Heaven takes different approach. While set in middle age, the movie seems to be relevant in today’s Middle East conflict.

Orlando Bloom plays Balian, a secret son of noble heritage that used to be a blacksmith but now fight in service of Jerusalem. As the movie opens, Balian works as blacksmith but is quickly involved in some trouble. He takes a horse a follows a noble who is headed to Jerusalem for the latest Crusade effort. The noble, Godfrey of Ibelin, turns out to be his father. Through various heroics, he takes command of Jerusalem.

The movie is based on historical events. While there was some great dramatic licensing from Scott, the movie stays faithful to the overall event taken place in the movie. As with other Scott movies, the Kingdom of Heaven has great cinematography and costumes. The movie looks authentic. Orlando Bloom does great job as the main lead and answers the critic on whether he can carry a movie as the lead. The strongest point of the movie was the fair treatment of Middle East conflict and its origins. Scott does not vilify the Christians or Muslims. While there are villains in the movie, it is not the main characters that strive to end the conflict. Toward the end of the movie, Scott captures the Middle East conflict when Balian asks Saladin what Jerusalem is worth. Saladin answers “Nothing, Everything.”

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Children of Men Blu Ray Review

Alfonso Cuaron paints a bleak future of no babies in Children of Men. Based on a novel by P D James, the movie takes us into 2027 where no women have given birth in 18 years. The reason is not given and we are left to surmise the cause of this infertility. This phenomenon causes massive chaos around the world. In this setting, we are introduced to Britain. In England the unrests are brutally put down by an oppressive government. The oppression works better than the chaos experienced by rest of the world.

We are introduced to Theo, a journalist who lives in England. One day, he is recruited by his ex-wife to help her get some papers for Kee. Before long, he discovers that she is pregnant and is forced to help her escape security forces as well as some unsavory insurgents. Their ultimate destination is a boat operated by the Human Project, whose goal is to save the humanity through research. While these plot devices drive forward the escapes and chases, my attention was focused on the bleak and very realistic nature of world where no babies can be conceived. The whole world has spiraled out of control without the ability to procreate. There is sense of doom throughout the movie.

Clive Owen as Theo is the perfect casting. He exudes a reluctant hero aura where he does what he has to do because he can’t just walk away. Michael Cain as the hippie and Juliane Moore as his ex-wife perfectly compliment Theo. The movie works well as science fiction film. It works even better as social commentary on many subjects. Humans facing extinction, oppression vs. freedom, and terrorism are front and center subject of this movie. Inject some very human moments and the movie is almost perfect.

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Watchmen Blu Ray

Watchmen Blu Ray Review

Watchmen, directed by Zack Snyder, was very polarizing in audience’s response. People either loved it or hated it. There seems to be no middle ground on this movie. Part of the problem seems to be from the way the movie studio advertised the film. By attaching Zack Snyder to direct a comic book adaptation seem to have pigeon holed the movie as a superhero film. If you went to watch the film expecting Spider-Man type of movie, you were most likely very disappointed. The film is more of a social commentary than a full blown superhero movie. However, watching the trailers and teasers, one might have expected a superhero film instead of what Zack Snyder delivered.

Watchmen is set in an alternate universe where masked superheroes are common occurrence. The movie opens up in 1985 with the murder of one of the masked hero named the Comedian. His partner, Rorschach, follows the lead to unmask who is killing the former masked heroes. If you have never read the original work, you might be little lost in the beginning. I have never read the work and was little bit confused as to how these “superheroes” came about. Regardless, the only one with real superhero power is Dr. Manhattan. Dr. Manhattan works with Ozymandias to develop an alternative energy source to “cure” all the ills of the world. All these events are connected and tied up nicely in the ending.

The issues brought up in the movie is not for little kids who enjoyed Spider-Man. Instead, it is very adult oriented movie. The whole alternate universe where Richard Nixon is still the president is pretty interesting to watch. The era where Soviets are constant threat and the World is on the edge of nuclear destruction. The cast is made up of largely unknown actors in the superhero or blockbuster business. Malin Akerman, Billy Crudup, Matthew Goode, Jackie Earle Haley, and Jeffery Dean Morgan are not familiar faces to many audiences. However, they are all very good especially Jackie Earle Haley as the Rorschach. Overall, this is very interesting movie. It deserved more audience but its grim nature and the story line may turn off a lot of the audiences.

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The Last Emperor Blu Ray Review

It’s was little strange for western director to make a biographical film based on the last emperor of China. Regardless, Bernardo Bertolucci, an Italian, created a master piece in The Last Emperor. Released in 1987, the film garnered nine Oscar nominations and won all nine Oscars including the best picture award.

The movie is told in combination of flash backs and flash forwards. The movie deals with the life of the last emperor of China, Pu Yi. Pu Yi, played by John Lone, assumes the Dragon Throne at the age of three. From there, he sees the Japanese invasion as well as the Communist revolution. He goes from the all powerful emperor to a puppet emperor to a prisoner all in one life time. The movie doesn’t sugar coat or sway you any direction. It remains historically correct for most of the movie. Even toward the end of the movie, you feel neither good nor bad about the outcome.

The custom and location of a given movie rarely commands important role in modern movies except for period pieces. The Last Emperor employs some of the most beautiful locations and costumes in the history of cinema. The true location as well as the many extras truly makes the film extra special. The running time may distract some viewers as it tends to meander through on some parts. It was really remarkable to see such powerful figure fall from the throne all the way to the prison. This is a very good movie and everyone should invest 2 hours watching it.

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Gran Torino Blu Ray

Gran Torino Blu Ray Review

Don’t write off Gran Torino as an “older version of Dirty Harry.” The trailer for the movie is not an accurate representation of the movie. Clint Eastwood has largely made his career playing tough blue blooded heroes in various forms. He made his mark with Dirty Harry and the unforgettable western, Unforgiven. With Gran Torino, he once again shows us why he is once in a generation type of actor. Released after much heralded Changeling, the Gran Torino did not receive too much attention from the public. However, with positive reviews, the movie raked in around $150 million.

The story is one we’ve seen before, the older person trying to mentor a troubled kid. This relationship has been explored in other movies. What sets this movie apart is the presence of Clint Eastwood. This role was written with Clint Eastwood in mind. He perfectly plays the racist Korean War veteran, Walt, who cannot connect with anyone, including his sons. The movie opens up with funeral of his late wife. He just wants to get through with the proceeding and send everyone home so he can be alone. The two sons try to convince him to move out of the old neighborhood inundated by foreign people. One family, Hmong origin, lives next door and eventually befriends Eastwood’s character. He eventually gets involved in the Kid next door, Thao. Thao gets tangled up in some gang problem and Walt steps up to help him out.

Again, this story has been told in many movies before. But, the execution and the acting by Clint Eastwood sets it apart from those movies. Clint Eastwood deserved to win the Oscar for his role in this movie. He was both funny and heartbreaking throughout the movie. The minor complaint is the lack of polished acting from the supporting cast. Sometimes, I found myself cringing at the lack of acting chops surrounding Clint Eastwood. Otherwise, this is one of the best movies I’ve seen in long time.

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Defiance Blu Ray Review

Defiance is a “true” story about the Bielski brother’s fight against the Nazis during the World War II. The film is emotional and well executed by the director Edward Zwick, director of Glory and The Last Samurai. Zwick has great experience in directing war films. Both Glory and The Last Samurai are fairly decent war films. The biggest flaw of the film is in its representation as a true story film. The movie is rife with inaccuracies and great deviation from the facts. If you can over look the inaccuracies, the movie is rather emotional and inspirational.

The movie’s version of Bielski brother’s story starts out with Germans cracking down on the village where the Bielskis live. They return home one day to find their parents murdered and the Jews being rounded up by the SS. This forces them to retreat into the woods where they find few others fleeing from the Nazis. Little by little, they gather into a group of people that needs to survive. Bielski brothers take charge and organize how they will survive. They forage, hunt, and even rob nearby farmers to feed the growing group. One of the farmers notifies the Nazi and they come under attack and forced to flee. This is the starting point of their struggle against the element as well as the Nazis.

The movie is well polished Hollywood production. On its own, it is a very good movie in terms of script, acting, and directing. Complains come from the very inaccurate portrayal of Bielski brother’s exploits. The film glorifies Bielskis and their actions. While some of it is true, a lot of the negative facts and historical facts have been left out of the movie entirely. This is easily understandable as the filmmaker most likely wanted to have likeable heroes for his movie. In absence of these transgressions, the movie should attract most viewers. After watching the film, everyone should hit the internet to check the facts against the movie to get better understanding.

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The Wrestler Blu Ray

It’s easy to see why The Wrestler has won so much acclaim from the critics. This is type of movie that will not find wide variety of audiences or be labeled as a crowd pleaser. Darren Aronofsky has largely produced movies that are well received by critics but often baffle and puzzle the audiences. The much anticipated movie The Fountain left a lot of people scratching their head. The Fountain, while excellent in my opinion, mixed a lot of drama and science fiction with very deliberate sequences mixed in. In contrast, The Wrestler is a character piece centered on Mickey Rourke’s character.

The story is about a washed up wrestler named Randy “the Ram” Robinson. In his heydays, he was one of the biggest draw for the professional wrestling. Imagine the WWE and Hulk Hogan. Randy is washed up and supports himself by wrestling in small venues. Rather than doing it for the money, Randy truly loves to wrestle at any cost. He has forsaken his family and friends to pursue his passion for the wrestling. One day after a wrestling event, he collapses from heart attack. Realizing his frailty, he reaches out this his daughter Stephanie, played by Evan Rachel Wood. The question is whether he can rekindle his relationship with his daughter and maintain his passion for the wrestling.

There are no suspense or plot twists. Instead, the story is entirely focused on Randy and his passion for wrestling. If you are not into character driven movies, you will quickly find this movie boring. Aronofsky does great job portraying the ins and outs of the wrestling. Besides Rourke and Evan Rachel Wood, Marisa Tomei fills in nicely as the love interest for Randy. She plays the stripper named Cassidy. There’s really nothing much to say about her character. She plays the stripper with heart. Little cliché but she is always excellent in any role she plays. This movie will not appeal to wide audiences. However, you should at least give it a shot as it is an excellent movie.

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Blu-Ray movie review of Slumdog Millionaire

The much hyped and awarded film, Slumdog Millionaire, finally comes to Blu-ray and DVD this week. Directed by English directory, Danny Boyle, the movie takes features relatively unknown casts set in India. Breaking out with Trainspotting, Danny Boyle has had mixed bag of success in film industry. The 28 days later was a great success whereas the science fiction epic Sunshine was not as well received by critics and audiences. With Slumdog Millionaire, he returns to genre he is very comfortable with.

The story is ultimately about destiny and love. I know this sounds little corny but once watch the film, you won’t feel that it is sappy chick flick. The story follows two Malik brothers, Jamal and Salim, who are orphaned at early age. Soon after, they meet another orphaned girl named Latika. They are soon taken in by a group who takes advantage of these orphans by turning them out to beg in mass numbers. When Salim finds out they intentionally blind kids to rake in more money, he takes Jamal and runs away while leaving behind Latika. The rest of the story is about Jamal’s longing for Latika and his search for her throughout the entire film. All this is in the background of Jamal trying to win the ultimate prize in the India’s version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire. As the questions are asked, Jamal answers them correctly. How he answers the questions are linked with the experiences he goes through in searching for Latika.

This is truly an uplifting film. The story and plot is acceptable. But, the message it delivers is what people have found to be appealing. The struggle Jamal goes through to find and reach Latika and ultimately finding her and finding that happily ever after. The way the story is presented is fresh and imaginative. The acting was superb and it’s surprising to find out that the real kids were casted from the poverty stricken part of the India. The two main leads are also relatively new actors that did fantastic job. This is a must see movie of the year.

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Blu-Ray dvd movie review of Australia

Australia is a hard film to figure out. Is it a camp comedy like city slickers? Is it a romantic action film like Romancing the Stone? Is it a World War II epic like Pearl Harbor? It could be all of those or none. Baz Luhrmann crams in a lot of genres into one film. The film is certainly epic in nature but it seems to miss a coherent central theme or plot. For most parts, the film is entertaining due to Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman.

The plot is about an English noblewoman who heads to Australia to take stock of her ranch, which is managed by her husband. Upon arriving, she finds her husband dead the ranch manager pressing her to sell the ranch to King Carney. Of course, she refuses and enlists help from “the drover” played by Hugh Jackman. There’s also the social commentary that goes with Nullah, a boy with mixed heritage that includes aborigine. Kidman’s character comes to care deeply for Nullah and wants to become a mother figure to him. She achieves this while taking the herd of cattle across the Australia for delivery. And, for no apparent reason, the movie turns into some sort of war movie.

The only reason movie works on any level is the two leading actors. To me, Nullah was annoying character that wouldn’t have been missed if he died. The story jumps from City Slickers, Romancing the Stone, to Pearl Harbor. It’s a pity because it was pretty solid for most part. The setting and the period could have been exploited further. Instead, we are left with a hodgepodge mix that doesn’t quite work.

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