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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Blu-Ray movie review of Kramer Vs. Kramer

Released in the same years as the Apocalypse Now, Kramer vs. Kramer won the Oscar for the best picture of the year. A lot have argued that Apocalypse now should have won the best picture instead of Kramer vs. Kramer. Both films are worthy of the award. But, I think it’s unfair to criticize the movie for winning the award ahead of the Apocalypse Now. The 70s have produce number of war films and this drama was breath of fresh air to close out the decade. This was time when divorce became more prevalent than the previous generations. This movie deals with the topic in frank and sincere manner.

There are ton of movies that deal with the divorce and custody issue. Few can match the intelligence and the great script of Kramer vs. Kramer. Dustin Hoffman plays a man having to juggle his professional and personal life. He is a loving father who has to devote his time at work more than at home. Meryl Streep plays the wife that leaves the husband and the son. Ted somehow manages to juggle his career and taking care of his son. Later, Joanna comes back to contend for the child custody. This sets off the court wrangling between the two.

The movie is relevant as ever even after 20 years. With so many couples divorcing and putting strain on the children, this movie shows the tribulation of that entire process. The movie doesn’t force any happy ending or some dramatic conclusion. It shows what happens when a marriage falls apart with kid in the middle. The director and the actors all contributed to the great success of this film. The Blu-ray version includes a digital copy on top of the physical disc.

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Blu-Ray movie review of Traitor

I don't think Don Cheadle has made a bad movie. There were mediocre movies with Don Cheadle in it but never through the fault of Don Cheadle. Don Cheadle has established himself as one of the finest actors in Hollywood. With movies like Hotel Rwanda, Crash and Traffic to his credit, he is always a threat for best actor award for Oscar. Even a secondary role in Ocean's series has provided us with great acting.
He delivers another solid effort in Traitor, an action thriller movie.

Don Cheadle plays Samir Horn, a terrorist or counter intelligence operative. I think it's safe to say that we can correctly guess at which one Cheadle turns out to be. At the start of the movie, Samir is arrested while trying to sell Semtex explosive to a group of terrorist. He eventually wins over the one of the terrorist and works his way into the inner circle of the terrorist. There, he works as bomb expert devising suicide bombs. Eventually, he blows up an American Embassy in Nice. Up to this point, the viewers are left to guess at the true identity ofSamir Horn. Is he with the terrorist or with the United States. Most intelligent and unintelligent viewers would have come to conclusion early in the movie. The movie unfold from there in cat and mouse fashion with FBI trying to track downSamir Horn.

Acting throughout the movie is simply superb. Don Cheadle delivers a very convincing role as the supposed traitor. Guy Pearce and Neal McDonough are convincing FBI agents trying to catch Samir. And, Jeff Daniels as the Samir's handler delivers another strong performance. Jeff Daniels is one of the most under appreciated actors in Hollywood in my opinion. He can easily make you believe in any role he chooses to play.

The movie does deliver solid entertainment. One complain I have is that this movie tries to be everything at once just like The Kingdom by Peter Berg, which was fairly good movie on its own. Is it a moral drama or straight up thriller? I give credit to the movie makers for trying to tackle the complex Middle East issues in their movies. However, it's never black and white and the movie does what it can with the tough subject. As a thriller, the movie is very enjoyable. They could have taken the setting and shifted it to the mafia setting and it would have worked as well. Ultimately, it's very enjoyable film because of the great actors.

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Blu-Ray dvd movie review of The Aviator

I think there are few directors in film industry that compels you to buy movie ticket purely based on his reputation. Martin Scorsese is such director. After the epic Gangs of New York, Scorsese dived into yet another period movie in The Aviator. And, Leonardo DiCaprio makes another appearance in Scorsese movie. The Aviator is a biopic of Howard Hughes. Most of us know Howard Hughes as a businessman, movie producer, and quirky obsessive compulsive individual. Whether this is a true biopic and not just conjecture, Dicaprio delivers a great performance. He was great in Gangs of New York. He is even better in this movie. He captures the early years and eventual spiraling of Howard Hughes.

This is a vintage Scorsese film. The direction, editing, cinematography, and superb overall production is evident in this movie. Nothing is short changed. This is perhaps even better than Gangs of New York when it comes production value. Scorsese pays a great homage to the golden ear of Hollywood in the first half of the movie. The first part of the movie focuses on Howard Hughes' effort to produce the biggest movie in the history of Hollywood.

The second and later part of the movie devolves into Hughes' obsessive compulsive battle. This is played out with his venture into aviation and commercial flight. I liked the historical part of Spruce Goose and its spectacular flight. It's fairly informative on the facts. Whether it happened exactly that way or not is for another debate as validity of Hughes' biography is in question.

The partnership of Scorsese and DiCaprio seems strike gold every single time. The Departed, Gangs of New York, and The Aviator are all great movies feature the combo. This is great movie regardless of accuracy. Even if Howard Hughes was a fictional character, this would have been fascinating movie. I think this is well worth buying for your Blu-ray collection.

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Blu-Ray movie review of Shawshank Redemption

I think this is one of the best films in last two decades. This movie has everything that makes a great movie. Great acting, great directing, and great story. It is a story of friendship, hope, and ultimately, redemption. At the heart of this movie is two great actors playing two great parts. Both Morgan Freeman and Tim Robbins deliver Oscar worthy performance. And, I believe this is the best movie for the director Frank Darabont.

Few people would recognize this movie being based on King's story. Stephen King has written some of the best novels. But, most of us know him for his horror tales. And, most of us know his work through IT, Shining, and Misery in film format. I did not realize this was Stephen King's work until I read about it on internet. Another prison tale, Green Mile, is another film based on King's story. Of the two, Shawshank Redemption is easily the better film.

This is a story about innocent man who is sentenced to life in prison for allegedly killing his wife and her lover. Andy Dufresne finds the prison life very difficult at first. However, he befriends Red, Morgan Freeman, and several other inmates and slowly adopts to the prison life. There he builds library and runs GED program as well. He also help the guards with their taxes and financial advices. This is the basic out line of the movie. From here Dufresne must make sense of the bad luck what he has to do to survive. The journey toward that end is filled with touching moments.

This is simply a great story executed to perfection by the actor and director. It is ultimately about a redemption for a man robbed of his freedom. He could have been bitter and beaten. Yet, out of the bleak situation he works and finds his happiness. Along the way he manages to inspire and befriend great number of characters. This is must for any movie lovers.

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Blu-Ray movie of The Kingdom

Peter Berg's ambitious film tries to be more than a shoot em up action flick set in Saudi Arabia. The Middle East politic has been no win situation for any political figure let alone a movie maker. It is so complicated that it's rarely tackled by anyone. I think Peter Berg does admirable job making some sort of statement and making it entertaining at the same time. Some have blasted it for trying to be more than an action flick. But, I think it works fairly well because the last line of the movie wraps up Middle East politic in a very realistic way.

The movie starts off with bang when terrorists attack American worker compound in Saudi Arabia. We get this peaceful afternoon setting where families gather to enjoy baseball and bbq. This is not so far fetched as similar event occurred back in 2003 in Riyadh. All hell breaks loose. And, the second bomb goes off while the rescue efforts are under way. One of the FBI agent dies in the second blast and this prompts FBI to send a team to investigate the bombing. Obviously there are many obstacles as FBI don't have jurisdiction in Saudi Arabia. One thing leads to another and the team is on the trail of infamous bomb maker. There are great bursts of action and political wranglings in between

Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman, and Chris Cooper are all excellent. Jamie Foxx has become a great actor since the days of In Living Color. And, Ashraf Barhom gives a convincing performance as a colonel in Saudi army assisting/liaising with the FBI's investigation.

I think the criticism of trying to be more than an action film would have been deserved if it tried to portray a workable solution or "future looks bright" moment for the Middle East conflict. However, the last scenes portray an honest assessment of the current situation. I won't spoil the ending scene as I think it is a great ending. If nothing else, this is a great action flick of cat and mouse. The Blu-ray version contains various extras such as director commentary and few other scenes. It is well worth the purchase.

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Blu-ray review of Stallone’s classic First Blood

When you think of Sylvester Stallone, you inevitably come up with two characters. Rocky and Rambo. Sylvester Stallone pulls off a traumatized Vietnam veteran who gets to blow off some steam. This is much more than simple action flick as it is a drama about a war veteran's grip with life.

John Rambo is first introduced as he arrives at a town where he meets up with old vietnam war friend who is suffering from cancer. He is introduced to sheriff named Will Teasle, played by Brian Denehy. He at first tells Rambo that he will help him out and give him a ride. Looking for a meal he asks sherrif where he can get some food. The sheriff tells him to move out of the town for food. He refuses and returns to town to eat. of course this sets up the conflict between the cop and Rambo.

The film, directed by Ted Koetscheff is without fault in my opinion. The action isn't over the top and the story is directed competently. And, Stallone does an excellent job as the Vietnam veteran. The soundtrack done by Jerry Goldsmith is memorable.

This is a movie about Vietnam veteran within the backdrop of manhunt movie. This movie can be particularly relevant in the time where Veterans return from the war. It's fairly good movie with a message. I don't think there is a better film with Stallone.

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Paul Newman’s classic Cool Hand Luke on Blu-ray

Cool Hand Luke is film that will be remember for very long time. Paul Newman as stubborn anti hero in this film is unforgettable. He takes everything life throws at him and keeps on chugging. The movie excels in every department including directing, acting with a very good supporting cast, and a great overall story.

The story is rather simple. Luke is arrested for petty crime and sent to prison where apparently, chaingang is popular. The entire prison changes after the arrival of Luke. Where the inmates were hostile at the begining, they begin to change and warm up to Luke. Luke on his part, constantly yearns for freedom as any other prisoner.

I think all of us who have watched this film have certain moments that we remember. The great chemistry between the cast and solid acting puts this movie as a must watch. And with the release on Blu-ray, you should not miss this movie that features one of the most memorable character in the cinema history.

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