Puss in Boots

The one-and-only swashbuckling, scene-stealing feline from the 'Shrek' movies gets his very own epic origin story of daring deeds and big laughs, starring the voice talents of Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek, Zach Galifianakis, Billy Bob Thornton and Amy Sedaris. Lover, fighter and outlaw Puss In Boots is off on the adventure of his nine lives as he teams up with the tough and street smart Kitty Softpaws and the mastermind Humpty Dumpty for the ultimate showdown with the notorious Jack and Jill. This is the true "tail" of The Cat, The Myth, The Legend. "Puss in Boots"

Tora! Tora! Tora!

TORA! TORA! TORA!

Great movie. Its a shame Hollywood feels the need to change history, which they do quite often, by making the statement by the Japanese Admiral Yamamoto about the time they were too bomb Pearl Harbor. The Japanese had nothing to do with the Geneva Convention during 1941, so to say they were to bomb at 0830 to abide by it was incorrect. It wasnt till 1942 that the Japanese Empire signed the accord. Shame on Hollywood trying to lighten what the Japanese did to our country.

A fascinating movie showing the Japanese perspective of the bombing of Pearl Harbor. It is of a similar interest-type to "Das Boot," showing the most sensational and notorious attacks by both the Germans and the Japanese in World War II.

Spartacus: Blood and Sand - The Complete First Season

Spartacus: Blood and Sand - The Complete First Season

   Best show EVER the dvd's come in a nice book style holder. It arrived to me in a few days and i couldn't stop watching it. RIP Andy

If you want a series about Roman history, one can watch HBO's Rome (a very fine TV show). If you want to see a trashy and outrageously entertaining TV show with nonstop gore and nudity (both male and female) as well as graphic sex, Spartacus (very loosely based on the history of Ancient Rome's slave gladiator turned rebel leader) should be the choice.

   Supposedly, TV shows are by necessity tamer than movies, yet I haven't seen any movie as consistently graphic about sex and violence as Spartacus. Suffice to say that almost everybody in the large cast of mostly muscular men and gorgeous women, gets naked in the series at some point. Episode 9 in particular - subtly called "Whore" - is a highlight in that regard.

   A bit slow to start (I struggled with episode 1, but get hooked after episode 2), this admittedly not for all tastes series, was filmed in New Zealand with a mostly Australian and Kiwi cast. Its striking visual style can be compared with 300 (the gladiator's trainer, the great Peter Mensah, had a small role in that movie). The show is finely led in the titular role by Andy Whitfield (unfortunately he died of cancer after the first season, and was replaced by another actor in the following season). Yet, even if most of the cast is great, the best performance to me is by John Hannah as the devious Batiatus, the owner of the Gladiator's school. Hannah, whose background has been mostly on British comedies, excels here. While he initially seems to lack the toughness one supposes a master of a gladiator's school should have, he is eventually seen as a charming yet also very cruel and cunning man. Also remarkable are the performances of Manu Bennett as the knucklehead (but eventually noble) gladiator Crixus, Viva Bianca as the gorgeous but scheming Ilythia, and Nick Tarabay as Batiatus slimy aide, Ashur.

Reviews Spartacus: Blood and Sand - The Complete First Season

Puss in Boots (2011)

For the first 10 -15 minutes, it was all fighting, and I thought - you've got to be kidding! Is there no escape? Then it picked up, and it was great! I'm no cartoon buff, no expert, but I thought the animation was great (and get the endless credits - ran about as long as the flick - 1000s of animators worked on this!). I was especially impressed by the voices. The jokes and humor were really funny, the characterization was there - to the point that I felt as though I were watching people, and felt tense, anxious, scared, happy, sad, excited. Okay. I'm simple. But I did. And the details. Big to small, they all added up. The trip to and escape from the giant's castle was beautiful. The crucifixion of familiar fairy tales was delightful. I loved it. Enough said. I thought it was more than "just a cartoon".

Live Preview Puss in Boots

Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol

Mission Impossible may just be one of the most satisfying television show to movie adaptations of all time. There have been four movies in the series and the third installment took the series to a whole new level. The newest installment, "Mission Impossible 4: Ghost Protocol" has created a new level on top of that. With complex storylines that intertwine, realistic and jaw dropping action scenes, nicely placed humor and the ability to let the audience play along, MIP 4 may just be the perfect spy movie.

When the IMF (Impossible Mission Force) is shutdown after being blamed for a bombing at the Kremlin, four agents are forced to work without help in order to clear their name and stop a world-changing catastrophe. Sounds like a tense storyline doesn't it? Well, it is. Every second counts and the movie makes you feel those seconds counting by at every moment and during every task at hand. Everything is nip and tuck and the movie feels that way due to the tight writing and seamless editing.

Some of the most awe-inspiring stunts I've ever witnessed are in MIP4. They are so well done and so beautifully shot that there is no suspension of belief to be had. In fact, I'm pretty sure that was Tom Cruise swinging back and forth outside the Burj Khalifa tower, which is the tallest building in the world. The reason why is because it was Tom Cruise doing his own stunts. The actions scenes are real and filmed in a way that isn't hokey and impossible to follow. The car chases are intense. The fights are physical and real looking and don't have shaking cameras to disguise the lack of realism. The action scenes aren't over the top like most block buster movies these days try to pass off in order to please the ticket buyers.

"MIP4: Ghost Protocol" is an exciting and creative movie for anyone who loves espionage type films. The disguises, the technology, the backstabbing, the people in powerful places and the high intensity are all in place. The Mission Impossible series appears to be getting better, which is a rarity with most sequels.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Haven't seen the original TV series with Alec Guiness. Although after watching the Film, it is now in my Amazon basket.
Excellent film, excellent cast and an excellent director. If the theatricals and action sequences of the Bourne trilogy, and Bond franchise is what you expect, then stay away. If you want to see exactly what espionage entails, then this is the film to watch. Be prepared to concentrate on the movie, and it reaps rewards. On to my third watch now, and it is still Excellent.

THE STORY:
At the height of the Cold War George Smiley has been forced out of the British Intelligence Service. However, his absence makes him the perfect agent to root out a mole within the Circus (MI6 HQ) who is powerful, highly placed and could be any of Smiley's former colleagues.

WHAT'S GOOD:
Truly intelligent films are a rarity these days (Hollywood seems happy to feed the sheep with loud, sparkly, star-studded nonsense - like 'Avatar') but here we have a masterpiece of subtlety and suspense, which leaves out car-chases, explosions and CGI robots and replaces them with tense conversations and suspicious looks. I also very much enjoyed revisiting the Cold War time period, as most recent thrillers focus on Middle-Eastern types with bombs or cyber terrorism, but here we are treated to some good old-fashioned spy-vs-spy intrigue. If you've read the cast list then you'll already be in no doubt that this film features some truly brilliant acting from its principle stars but special mention should be made of Gary Oldman's beautifully understated portrayal of George Smiley, flawlessly making his own of a character who was famously played by the great Alec Guinness.

WHAT'S BAD:
Well, it has to be admitted that this film is slow and is visually dull. This means that many people with short attention spans will find it boring and will probably be better off seeing what ridiculously noisy stuff Jason Bourne is up to these days. Personally, I know that the pace and washed-out colour palette are deliberate and therefore accepted their value to the movie as a whole. 

Adele Live At The Royal Albert Hall

Adele Live At The Royal Albert Hall

     Two best things I love about this - very high quality video and very high quality sound. I may be a little biased because I am absolutely infatuated by Adele and her amazing voice and musical talent... I had this turned up quite loud all the way through. I LOVE that it came with a CD copy of all the live music. It hasn't left my car stereo since it arrived. If you like Adele, this is definitely a must have item. Adele puts on a fantastic show. Would highly recommend it to anyone! Sound quality is very good and she really interacts with the audience. I would love to see her in concert!

Reviews Adele Live At The Royal Albert Hall

   

The Bodyguard

   I've seen few of her films but this is by far MYFAVORITE...her acting is pretty good, the story is thrilling and her voice is amazing. worth having...RIP Whitney We'll miss you.

  I have always loved this movie but never bought it...after Whitney Houston's tragic death I had to add it to my collection. An incredible talent ...never to be forgotten and a great movie. R.I.P Whitney Houston.

Reviews The Bodyguard

The Bodyguard

The Walking Dead

The Walking Dead

While the first half of the season left me feeling unhappy with the lack of development while we continued to watch the group deal with the same issues week to week, the comeback promises new things on the horizon. The shock of events surrounding the mid-season finale seem to wake up some character that have remained static for a while and the path the group has before it now seems to open up. Not much action in this episode, but some surprising turns near the end leave me with hope for the rest of the season.

Reviews Nebraska [HD]

The Big Year

This film The Big Year I was on a business trip and my colleague wanted to go see this movie, so I agreed. I had seen the previews and was expecting a completely different film. The marketing team who decided to bill the movie as "the comedy of the year" should be smacked upside their dense little heads!! They so misrepresented the movie, that they destroyed it in the marketplace. The film itself was beyond delightful. I really connected with the characters on a human level and felt the story was warm and enjoyable. The cinematography was fantastic and I found myself wishing more people would get an opportunity to experience this film as it truly is. I so enjoyed the film, that afterwards I called many of my friends and recommended the movie as I simultaneously corrected the misleading previews. I mean the film is great, it is as if the marketing team was embarrassed by the story and decided to "candy-coat" the movie. A real shame because the acting, writing, and filming stand on their own as a fantastic, all around feel good flick! Although I would not classify it as a "comedic-romp" you will laugh, and more than that, I bet you will really feel super when it is over!! (I loved the snow owl and the eagles! Awesome footage!). I like The Big Year

Reviews The Big Year

The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall [Blu-ray]

The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall

I have seen the phantom of the opera at the royal albert hall in NYC twice and I was really disappoited. This filmed performance is just fantastic! I think they were much better than the movie. I think and hope we will be seeing more live productions filmed this way.I know this was a special production, but I think if I had seen a film from a live NYC - Broadway show, I would have loved it from the begining. I just finished watching this bluray and wanted to add my 5 stars. I know I'll watch it many more. Now, I think they should do Les Mes. That would hevenly. : The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall

Shameless

Shameless
Shameless: This turkey glorifies alcoholism. The father abandons his children to slobber booze, fight and pass out wherever he ends up. The daughter mothers the other children, gets drunk and screws whatever strikes her. The rest of the children are liars and thieves. The only thing missing is the abuse that the alcoholic father should be perpetrating. They have reduced sex to the rutting of pigs. "Shameless"

Hugo (Three-disc Combo: Blu-ray 3D / Blu-ray / DVD / Digital Copy)

 Hugo (Three-disc Combo: Blu-ray 3D / Blu-ray / DVD

"Hugo" is a drama genre film where the calamity of several lives intermingles with each other, at the Paris Railway Station of Gare Montparnasse.

The narrative follows Hugo Cabret, an orphan boy, who is fending for himself whilst maintaining all the clocks at the train station, and living in the servicing areas.

It is a broken automaton that brings many of the film characters together. After the death of his father Hugo believes that returning the automaton back to working order, which has a writing function, will contain a message from his dad, and he works tirelessly to achieve this.

The automaton connects more than one broken heart and Hugo's comment that: "machines don't come with spare parts...so as humans we have to assume that there are no spare parts in our world, and that we all have a purpose," is striking as philosophically poignant film dialogue.

The viewer is presented with a stupendously crafted story, complemented by wonderful acting, and accompanied by breathtaking film shot selection and vivid colour.

Nicholas R.W. Henning - Australian Author
Author of: Boomerang Baseball, The American Dream: From Perth to Sacramento, The Tourist, and Brennan Cooper

ESPN 30 for 30

ESPN Films 30 for 30 Gift Set Collection

ESPN 30 for 30 : In celebration of the ESPN® 30th anniversary, ESPN® Films presents 30 for 30, a critically acclaimed series of films from some of today's finest directors. From Barry Levinson and Peter Berg to Steve James and Ice Cube, each filmmaker brings their perspective to an extraordinary sports story from the last 30 years. This 6-disc DVD gift set includes the first 15 films from the series as well as over 2 hours of bonus features.

Back to the Future

Back to the Future: 25th Anniversary Trilogy

Actors: Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover, Thomas F. Wilson
Directors: Robert Zemeckis
Format: Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, Dubbed, Subtitled, Widescreen
Language: English
Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
Back to the Future is a 1985 American science-fiction adventure film. It was directed by Robert Zemeckis, written by Zemeckis and Bob Gale, produced by Steven Spielberg, and starred Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover and Thomas F. Wilson. The film tells the story of Marty McFly, a teenager who is accidentally sent back in time from 1985 to 1955. He meets his future-parents in high school and accidentally attracts his future mother's romantic interest. Marty must repair the damage to history by causing his parents-to-be to fall in love, and with the help of scientist Dr. Emmett "Doc" Brown, he must find a way to return to 1985.
Plot Back to the Future
Seventeen-year-old Marty McFly lives with his bleak, unambitious family in Hill Valley, California. His father, George McFly, is continually bullied by his supervisor, Biff Tannen, and his unhappy mother, Lorraine Baines McFly, has a drinking problem. Marty's underachieving older siblings, Dave and Linda, also live in the household. When Marty and his band audition to perform at the high school dance, they are rejected. Despite this setback, Marty's girlfriend, Jennifer, encourages him to pursue the dream of being a rock musician. At dinner that night, Lorraine recounts how she and George first fell in love when her father hit George with his car...