Gladiator Blu Ray

Gladiator Blu Ray Review

Gladiators, directed by Ridley Scott, is one of those movies you should not miss before you die. Unlike a lot of the movies based on Roman Empire, the Gladiator is not based on any true event or accurately portrayed historical figures. Instead, movie is loosely based on some historical figures and events and interwoven with fictional settings and characters. Nevertheless, the movie is very entertaining and epic in every way. We’ve come to expect nothing less from Ridley Scott.

The story is not over complicated or convoluted. It’s simple tale of revenge. Maximus, played by Russell Crowe, is a great general of the Roman army who leads them to victory over Germania. Commodus, the son of the emperor Marcus Aurelius, arrives after the battle is over. Maximus is greatly favored by the dying emperor of Rome to succeed him and return the Rome in the hand of republic. This does not sit well with Commodus. He murders his father and plans to murder Maximus. But Maximus escapes and return to his home. Upon arriving at home, he finds his wife and son murdered by Commodus. This sets off Maximus on a mission of revenge.

Russell Crowe, Djimon Housou, and Joaquin Phoenix make a great trio in the movie. They are all great in their role. Especially Russell Crowe and Joaquin Phoenix. Phoenix was simply amazing as the villain Commodus. He made a great foil to Maximus. The script, directing, and cinematography were also top notch. The overall setting and shots were simply amazing. This is one of the few movies you might want to upgrade from a DVD as I have. The better picture and sound quality is well worth the investment.

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Adventureland Blu Ray Review

Adventureland is Greg Mottola’s follow up to successful Superbad. The trailer and small previews all point out that fact very proudly. The marketers also touted it as similar movie. That would have been except Adventureland is a very different movie. It is not a teenage sex adventure film like Superbad. Instead, Adventureland is a coming of age romance film that is vastly different from Superbad. The movie does have some funny scenes and moments. However, it is more drama than comedy.

The movie is about a recent college graduate who has to move back home to earn some money before heading to New York to attend graduate school. He initially planned to travel the Europe after the graduation. However, his parents encounter financial difficulty when his father is demoted. Forced earn his own money, he moves back home and takes job at local amusement park called Adventureland. The job is terrible and funny at same time. We meet various funny characters. But, he falls hard for an employee named Em. She is a college student who is taking a break and working at the amusement park. The overall story revolves around this couple.

The story is a fairly entertaining. The setting of 1980s is clearly aimed at the older generation who might feel nostalgic about their time in the 80s. However, it’s a film a Superbad fan will also be able to appreciate. The movie has right balance of drama mixed in with some comedic moments. Overall, it is a very enjoyable film with broad appeals.

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Pride and Glory Blu Ray

Pride and Glory Blu Ray Review

Any fan of cop drama or gangster film will immediately recognize the overall plot and tone of Pride and Glory. Regardless, Pride and Glory is well acted urban police drama with very good moral dilemma. Like any good movie, Pride and Glory does not define good and evil in simple terms. There is vast gray area where the main characters inhibit. If nothing else, the acting of Edward Norton and Colin Farrell makes the movie a very enjoyable affair.

The plot is fairly straight forward. It’s the tried and true formula of corrupt cop vs. good cop. Except, the corrupt cop and the good cop are from same family. Jimmy, played by Colin Farrell, is tough cop who works murder, drugs, and prostitution. He works the most dirty and hard cases. Ray, played by Edward Norton, is the brother in law who comes from a family with a big tradition of serving in the police department. One day, four cops die in a shootout at drug dealer’s apartment. Ray digs deep and starts to find out about the truth behind the shooting and Jimmy’s involvement.

The movie works because of the cast and the fine acting job. Colin Farrell, Edward Norton, and Jon Voight form the core of the excellent cast. Edward Norton and Colin Farrell are nothing short of amazing. They are two of the best actors Hollywood has to offer. The extended cast are also very good. Everyone from family to the police department are excellent. While the story is not something that will leave you guessing, the overall movie will leave you satisfied.

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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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