Saturday, September 28, 2013

Terri [HD]



Another outcast school kid movie that is actually very good.More realistic then many of this type of movie.Worth seeing. I say B
"There's good hearted kids and there's bad hearted kids. When I look at you I see a good heart." Terri (Wysocki) is a larger then average 15 year old. Feeling like an out cast and having to take care of his sick uncle he seems to give up. After repeated tardiness to school and his new wardrobe of pajamas only, the school's principal (Reilly) decides to take Terri under his wing. This is a new take on the outcast school kid movie. The actor playing Terri does a fantastic job with this and even Reilly is subdued and adds a lot to the character. While the movie is not anything original you really feel for this character and want things to go his way. Unlike most other outcast movies like "She's The One" or even "Naploean Dynamite" this one seems much more realistic and that makes it better then most of the movies in this type of genre. The humor in this is more subdued but still a pretty funny watch. Overall, not a bad movie with the type of humor that not everyone will get. Worth...

Some pretty good elements
This is a contemplative film about an alienated teen with some new unlikely friends, including his school principal. There is a lot of sexual content that may make some uncomfortable and parents would not like to watch it with their kids, I imagine. Also, if you are looking for resolution and a lot of action, this is not the film for you.

Enjoyed it thoroughly
Pretty excellent melancholy comedy. Now here are the other sixteen words I need to write to make this comment public.

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Ice Age [HD]



Super cool movie the same as before
Another re-release for "Ice Age" (this is the third counting the single disc edition of the film) to coincide with the sequel, this edition essentially is the previous two disc edition with some minor features added that don't make it any more worthwhile to pick up. The DVD ROM printables and "Scrat's Frozen Facts" appear to be the newest features on this set. Most of the featurettes are recycled from the previous edition.

No issue with the transfer per se since it is a digital cartoon this edition appears to be from the same source as the previous edition. Should you upgrade? Not if you have the previous two disc edition but if you have the single disc edition and you want the extras, this is the way to go. Sound is crystal clear with nice use of 5.1 effects.

The DVD ROM printables and "Scrat's Frozen Fun Facts" an interactive feature that can be accessed during the film appear to be the newest features on this set. The latter has behind-the-scenes clips you...

This is as cool as it gets!
Here's why:

First, a great character driven story with a positive message. The heroes in this story don't start out as heroes at all. Sid is an annoying and rather pathetic sloth who is left behind when all his friends migrate. Manfred is a mammoth with "issues" who at the beginning is walking the wrong way for some reason. Why? Does the scene with the moving cave drawings explain this? Was his wife and offspring killed, and was he walking the wrong way to end his own life? Diego the sabertooth tiger is an order following killer on a mission.

Each of these characters grow beyond themselves to save a human baby. Sid assumes responsiblity and develops courage. Diego learns to think for himself and do the right thing. Manfred overcomes his grief and self-centerdness and endures all kinds of trials to save a baby who may grow up to be a hunter of mammoths. This is a story how anyone, regardless of how non-heroic they may be, can rise above themselves and...

Sub-Zero Heroes
Get ready to "chill-out" with the fun-filled 2002 animated family hit "Ice Age". During the great migration, a moody mammoth (Ray Romano, "Everybody Loves Raymond"), a dim-witted sloth (John Leguizamo, "Moulin Rouge") and a devilish sabre-toothed tiger (Denis Leary, "Rescue Me") become the unlikely guardians of a lost human child. Together, they will embark on a journey across icy glaciers and countless dangers to return the child to his tribe. Created by Blue Sky Studios, "Ice Age" is a remarkably entertaining family spectacle that ranks as one of the highest grossing films of 2002. The story is fast-paced, heartfelt and very funny. The computer-animated feature film contains some hilarious moments and memorable characters. The CGI animation is stunning with impressive landscapes. Ray Romano, Denis Leary and John Leguizamo deliver some fine comic performances. "Ice Age" also features the voice talents of Cedric the Entertainer, Stephen Root, Diedrich Bader, Alan Tudyk and Jack...

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Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs [HD]



3D Review by a 3D Connoisseur
My ratings are based mainly on the QUALITY OF THE 3D, not the video content.

There are a large number of out of screen effects that extend 10% of the way, from the screen to the viewer. 6 OOS effects reached 25%. The best two for Longevity & Depth are Skrat and his lady friend in tar bubbles reaching 25%, lasting for about a minute and very short lived anteater punching bag reaching an impressive 40%.

*** Funny with an enjoyable story line. Excellent graphics add to the 3D ***

MY 3D RATING = EXCELLENT (poor, fair, good, very good, excellent)

Note: As far as the percentages go, everyone's eyes are different. What I see at 25% you may see at 15% or 35%. To fully realize how far something is out of the screen for you, pause on an effect and direct a partner with an extended finger to the tip of what you are seeing. You may be surprised.

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Great movie!
Took my nephew to see it and he loved it. I thought it was hilarious as well. Why can't some of you people just enjoy the movie for its entertainment? Is there a need to pick everything apart? Wahhh waahhh just another sequel to make more money. Ok? Who cares. I thought the dinosaurs were extinct in the first one. Again who cares!! Enjoy the freakin movie!

Hilarious animated film
I have to disagree with reviewers who try to "see" too many things in a movie made mainly for (young) kids. This movie made my child and me laugh many,many times. In fact I think it is even funnier than Ice Age 1+2. It is just "clean" family fun. In this age of over-hyped animation from Walt Disney and Pixar, how refreshing to watch something without too many pretensions and not too much relation to today's world. Let the kids be kids,please.

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Friday, September 27, 2013

The Scarlet Coat



Revolutionary war and Cornel Wilde
Set during the Revolutionary War, Cornel Wilde plays a Major in the Continental army trying to uncover a British plot to get information from an American spy. The Scarlet coat is how that intrigue develops and the circumstances leading to Benedict Arnold's treason. A great movie and one of my favorites over the years. Seen rarely but now an addition to my collection, so I can see it when I want.

The Scarlet Coat was an un-expected historical gem.
This is a well told, equally well photographed story with a superb cast set during Benedict Arnold's defection to the British during the American Revolution. It was a find. I hope there are more movies like this waiting to be re-discovered.

Carl E. Ramsey

dorie
i simply love this movie for the actors always play their part so well. and even more so because it,s in color . Thank you for bringing out this movie on dvd.

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Hysteria (2012)



Pleasant romcom, and oh yea, it involves a vibrator
"Hysteria" (95 min.) brings the highly unlikely (but we are reminded at the beginning of the film that "This movie is based on true events. Really.") story of a young doctor Dr. Mortimer Granville (played by Hugh Dancy) in London, 1880, who is struggling but eventually finds a job with Dr. Robert Dalrymple (played brillantly by Jonathan Pryce) who is treating women for the so-called hysteria disease, really a catch-all for any and all things supposedly wrong with women in those days. The treatment is nothing else but to touch these women's private parts until they reach "paroxysmal convulsions" (wink, wink). The young doctor along with his buddy eventually come up with a mechanical device, which became the vibrator (still the number one sex toy in the world today, we are reminded at the end of the movie).

But the movie in fact is much more about Granville's romantic interplay with the 2 daughters of Dalrymple, Emily (played by Felicity Jones), who is "daddy's girl" and to...

Hysteria is hysterical!
Yes, Hysteria really is about the invention of the vibrator in Victorian England. And in my opinion it is adorable. Not everyone's cup of tea I realize. If the subject matter makes you a little uncomfortable, then give this one a pass. I can certainly see that certain conservatives would not be amused by this premise.

If however you find it amusing that someone made a romantic comedy about...well...you know what... then you will have a lovely light evening with lots of laughs.

Hysterical -- in the best possible meaning of the word
When, some time ago, I'd heard that Maggie Gyllenhaal was making a movie about the invention of the vibrator, I was excited. I mean, I love Maggie and I love vibrators so what more could I ask for in the way of entertainment? But time went by and I heard nothing about it. I'd almost forgotten it completely when, checking out the new offerings on Amazon (because as I've told you repeatedly for months now, NETFLIX SUCKS), there it was! Yippee!

I had fresh coffee, a French toast bagel with honey walnut cream cheese and a movie about vibrators. A near-perfect Saturday morning.

Honestly, I expected the movie to be interesting, perhaps even enlightening in an indie film kinda way, considered that it apparently got so little press I wasn't even aware it had opened. But what i got was a delighful little movie that had me chuckling and laughing out loud. Considering the subject, it gives the term "a feel-good movie" a whole new meaning.

Even better, the basic...

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Cheaper By The Dozen 2 [HD]



Let's hear it for a decent, clean, family film!
I truly enjoyed this movie - and wouldn't hesitate to allow some of my young children to see it! There is no foul language, and dating and first crush situations were handled very tastefully - and even with a flair of innocence about them! I happen to be the oldest of 7, my husband is one of 8, and together we have 5 children - so we are very much pro big families. It is very refreshing to see a positive story involving not one, but TWO large families! In this day and age where society pushes the idea that 1 or 2 children makes the perfect family, this movie gives the viewer a fairly accurate glimpse of what life can be like with many more siblings. Of course there will be times of difficulty and disagreements, but there is also plenty of love to go around, and this is the ultimate conclusion of this movie - in BOTH families! There are many lessons to be learned in this film - not the least of which is the need to have a clear vision of what is more important in life. Both fathers in...

a surprise sequel with great results!
I was basically shocked as all heck when I saw a trailer for this movie on TV over the holidays. Given the modest success of the first film, I was surprised they were going for a sequel. I was even more shocked that the bigger stars like Hilary Duff and Tom Welling returned for this, but somehow the timing was good enough for all fourteen original characters to reprise their roles.

After seeing "Cheaper by the Dozen 2" quite a few times in the theater this Christmas, I have to say that it was very nicely done and certainly outdid the 2003 film.

It's not anything that's going to win an Oscar or be discussed in passing years from now, but then again it wasn't trying to be either of those things. It was released as a clean, lighthearted movie, ideal for a day at the movies with the kids over the holiday break from school, and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it.

Don't get me wrong, I watched the first "Cheaper by the Dozen" in 2003 and liked it well...

Yeah, it's funny! A movie for most of the family.
Depending where you at when you watch this flick, but if you're on your ski vacation, then watching this film you'll forget that your snowboard is outside and that it's cold, because the film concerns a family vacation at a lake around labor day.

Steve Martin is funny as always and there are a few new lines and ideas. And sure there are a couple of stupid scenes that should have been left out, but not too bad so that your 8-year old can probably still watch it without asking too many questions. Eugene Levy (probably not as well known by his name to too many folks) is excellent and I like him goofing off even more than Martin for the most part.

The storyline is about two extended families that apparently had a type of rivalry going on for many years, and now they meet at that particular lake again and on labor day they have a family competition there and so on. While Martin plays the loving Baker dad who's not too well off financially, Levy plays the now wealthy...

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Jumpin' At The Boneyard [HD]



A Great Overlooked Flick
I happened by this movie on cable last week, and when I went to order the DVD after all these years, I find that it's only available on VHS. Tim Roth portrays a down-on-his-luck man who tries to help his even worse-off, drug-addicted brother. This is a very moving movie that has been overlooked for too long.

Essence of New York
One of many interesting films starring the great Tim Roth using the inner city of New York as a character in itself to show the aggression and hopelessness caused by living in the concrete jungle. In some ways the film is a comic take on New York, in some ways has a tragic logic. Most interesting is how Roth's character relates to such negative circumstances, trying to surmount the negativity with aggressive will; the ending was obviously a product of a toss up: should we have him succeed or fail. Highly recommended.

Great movie!!
I simply loved this movie. Tim Roth is excellent in it, pulling of the New York accent perfectly. Very dramatic, very touching, great acting.

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