I AM SAM NOW AVAILABLE

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HERE IS THE SUMMARY FOR THE MOVIE I AM SAM FROM IMDB

Sam Dawson has the mental capacity of a 7-year-old. He works at a Starbucks and is obsessed with the Beatles. He has a daughter with a homeless woman; she abandons them as soon as they leave the hospital. He names his daughter Lucy Diamond (after the Beatles song), and raises her. But as she reaches age 7 herself, Sam's limitations start to become a problem at school; she's intentionally holding back to avoid looking smarter than him. The authorities take her away, and Sam shames high-priced lawyer Rita Harrison into taking his case pro bono. In the process, he teaches her a great deal about love, and whether it's really all you need. Written by Jon Reeves {jreeves@imdb.com}

HERE IS A REVIEW FOR THE MOVIE I AM SAM FROM DVDTALK

The Movie: I'll state this before I start in with my review of "I Am Sam": the tearjerker is - and probably always will be - my least favorite genre. Although I often give these films a chance, they continue to underline emotions and themes, using music and other elements to pull at the heartstrings instead of letting the actors create compelling and sympathetic characters on their own. While "I Am Sam" is a well-meaning piece of work, director Jesse Nelson falls into many of the same traps that lead these films down the wrong path. The film stars Sean Penn as Sam Dawson, a mentially handicapped adult who earns a living by working as a janitor at the local Starbucks, where his suggestions are appreciated by customers. Fortunately and unfortunately for Sam, he suddenly finds himself a father after having a one-night stand with a homeless woman who was simply looking for a place to live. Sam clearly loves his daughter, but he finds himself ill-equipped to to care of her - once she reaches the age of eight, she also has a greater intellectual capacity than her father. When the Department of Children & Family Services gets word of the situation, a ruling is handed down that states that Sam is not capable of caring for his child. Destroyed, Sam finds himself on the doorstep of highly regarded attorney Rita Harrison (Michelle Pfeiffer) and begs for her to defend his ability to care for her daughter. While she originally doesn't want anything to do with the case, Sam provides a compelling enough case that she takes on the struggle. Clearly, "I Am Sam" devotes itself to wringing emotions out of every sequence, which makes otherwise fine performances seem less powerful. The film strains so hard to tug at the heartstrings that it begins to have the opposite effect, distancing itself from an audience that likely begins to realize that it's clearly being pushed and pulled. An example of this is the film's reliance on music - either the quirky score or a soundtrack full of Beatles tunes is playing far too often - how about letting the actors have a moment without the soundtrack intruding, telling us how to feel? Director Nelson and cinematographer also make an odd choice to shoot many scenes with a handheld camera. While I felt this worked in the more intense drama "Changing Lanes" recently, "I Am Sam" is a more simple piece where this choice feels awkward and unnecessary. The duo have also gone a bit overboard in terms of style, shooting the courtroom scenes with an overly and obviously cold look. As for the performances, I generally enjoyed all of them, if I certainly didn't think anyone of the cast members has their finest hour within. Sean Penn gives a convincing and strong performance; although it's rather obviously a bid for awards notice, he gives a strong and fairly sincere performance. Pfeiffer really doesn't have much to do within the confines of a pretty stereotypical character, but she hits all the notes fairly well. Young Dakota Fanning as Lucy really gives the finest of all of the performances, showing genuine emotion and remaining cute without being seriously annoying. Even Dianne Wiest sneaks in as Sam's next-door neighbor, who offers one of the film's few touching scenes as she speaks in the courtroom on Sam's behalf. "I Am Sam" proceeds as if the filmmakers clearly believe that the situations presented are deeply emotional and genuine - yet, the film does not succeed nearly as well as it probably could or should have due to the fact that the filmmakers desperately try to wring emotions out of the audience and offer predictable situations. A better, less forced screenplay and a different approach to the material would really have made for a more effective and less "Lifetime Channel" movie. The DVD VIDEO: "I Am Sam" is presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen by New Line. New Line, from the begining, has shown a commitment to presenting films in their original aspect ratio and with strong image quality than has never been inconsistent. Concerns about stylistic choices by the filmmakers aside, "I Am Sam" is another in a long line of terrific presentations from the studio. Sharpness and detail are exceptional throughout the movie, which appears crisp, smooth and wonderfully well-defined from begining to end.

As for flaws, there really wasn't anything of much concern at all. The picture did show slight grain during a few moments and a tiny touch of edge enhancement, but otherwise remained free of faults. No pixelation was seen and no pirint flaws in the way of specks or marks were noticed. Colors remained rich and vivid throughout, appearing bright and well-saturated, although crisp and cold during the more depressing courtroom moments. Black level remained solid, while flesh tones usually appeared accurate. Another excellent presentation from New Line, although I wasn't expecting any less.


SOUND: "I Am Sam" is presented in Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1 by New Line. Clearly, there isn't much of a need with a film like this for very dynamic audio or agressive surround use. The soundtrack full of Beatles tunes really gains the most attention in the soundtrack, filling the room and sounding crisp and clear. There's a few instances of nice ambience, but mostly, the film stays dialogue and music-driven, with little else. Both soundtracks remained very enjoyable, although the music seemed slightly warmer and more pleasant in DTS.

MENUS: A cute, subtly animated main menu is included. Additionally, transitions to sub-menus are nicely done and sub-menus are also creatively designed.

EXTRAS: Commentary: This is a commentary from director Jessie Nelson. She provides a perfectly enjoyable discussion of the movie, providing insight as to why she chose to film certain scenes a certain way or how the characters chose to play a moment. While I didn't always agree with her choices, she at least provides a compelling and interesting arguement for how she approached many elements of the movie. A very enjoyable commentary that provided solid analysis and some entertaining stories. Becoming Sam: Aside from the fact that they create beautiful transfers of the movies that they release on DVD, New Line has also shown a great understanding of what audiences want to see and hear in supplemental features. "Becoming Sam" is more of the same, as the documentary does not simply restate the story or promote certain elements. Instead, the filmmakers and actors sit down to discuss their history with the project, from the inital inspirations that lead to the screenplay to the pre-production (casting), to details about filmmaking and more. Admittedly, there is some "I always wanted to work with" and "so-and-so is wonderful", but for the most part, this is a solid piece that clearly covers all aspects of the film well. The documentary is 42-minutes long; different pieces of the documentary can be played specifically or the documentary can be played as a whole. Also: 7 deleted/alternate sequences; theatrical press kit (bios/text info) and the trailer. Final Thoughts: "I Am Sam" certainly boasts a talented cast, but I felt they didn't really get a chance to shine. New Line's DVD edition is up to the standards of their usual "Platinum Series" releases, with excellent audio/video quality and fine supplements. The DVD is certainly recommended as a purchase for those who enjoyed the movie - those who haven't seen it and are interested should try it as a rental first.


HERE IS THE DIRECT DOWNLOAD FOR THE MOVIE I AM SAM.

MEN IN BLACK NOW AVAILABLE

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HERE IS THE SUMMARY FOR THE MOVIE MEN IN BLACK FROM IMDB

Men in Black follows the exploits of agents Kay and Jay, members of a top-secret organization established to monitor and police alien activity on Earth. The two Men in Black find themselves in the middle of the deadly plot by an intergalactic terrorist who has arrived on Earth to assassinate two ambassadors from opposing galaxies. In order to prevent worlds from colliding, the MiB must track down the terrorist and prevent the destruction of Earth. It's just another typical day for the Men in Black. Written by Keyser Soze

Based off of the comic book. Unbeknownst to other people, there is a private agency code named MiB. This agency is some kind of extra terrestrial surveillance corporation. Then, one of the agency's finest men only going by the name "K", is recruiting for a new addition to the agency. He has chosen James Edwards of the N.Y.P.D. Then, one day, a flying saucer crashes into Earth. This was an alien a part of the "Bug" race. He takes the body of a farmer and heads to New York. He is searching for a super energy source called "The Galaxy". Now, Agents J and K must stop the bug before it can escape with the galaxy. Written by John Wiggins

The adventures of two federal agent men Agent Kay and Agent Jay also known as "The Men in Black," who keeps an eye on aliens in New York City must try to save the world after the aliens threaten to blow it up. Jay and Kay's mission is to foil the plot by tracking down the terrorist, thereby preventing the earth from being destroyed. Written by Anthony Pereyra {hypersonic91@yahoo.com}

In present-day America, Agent K is a member of an organization that has been keeping track of extra-terrestrial aliens on Earth for over 40 years. When K finds himself in need of a new partner, a brash NYPD detective, James Edwards fills the position, becoming Agent J. Armed with space-age technology (which J barely understands) and their razor-sharp wits, J and K investigate a newcomer who is bad news for Earth. Written by David J. Gannon {dganno01@exch.eds.com}

HERE IS A REVIEW FOR THE MOVIE MEN IN BLACK FROM DVDTALK

The movie

We all know that the headlines about aliens in the supermarket tabloids are nonsense, right? Of course... complete nonsense. We all know that humans are the only intelligent species living on the planet Earth. And even if the truth is entirely different, well, the average person just isn't ready for it. Enter the Men in Black: the ultra-top-secret government agents who deal with aliens each and every day... all without the average Joes of the world knowing anything about it. Saving the world from alien scum? Sure, no problem... it's all in a day's work for Agent Kay (Tommy Lee Jones) and his new recruit Jay (Will Smith).

Men in Black has a number of characteristics of that familiar beast, the "summer blockbuster." Over-the-top action sequences! Dazzling special effects! Excitement! Humor! Coolness! The question is, can these elements be made to fit together into a film that actually stands firmly on its own as entertainment? The answer, in this case, is a firm "yes."

This was actually the second time I'd seen Men in Black, and I was impressed by how well the film held up to a repeat viewing. It's a fun film; it's a film with loads of cool visual effects; it's a funny film; it's also a very well-made film, with many little details dovetailing to create the overall effect. I'd hazard a guess that director Barry Sonnenfeld, scriptwriter Ed Solomon, and the rest of the filmmakers knew exactly what they were aiming for. Either that, or it was a very happy accident; in any case, Men in Black is a deftly constructed film that hides a lot of polish and style underneath its fast-paced action and humor.

Men in Black is intelligently written; not only do extremely funny one-liners abound (many delivered in a great deadpan performance by Tommy Lee Jones), but the inherent absurdity of the film's premise is richly mined over the course of the film. It helps tremendously that, in making a film that's both a comedy and an action movie, that the filmmakers didn't forget about plot (the one thing that tends to get thrown out the window in large action flicks). The plot is actually quite clever, refreshingly so; the different pieces of the story, including Jay's recruitment, are woven nicely together and all make sense as they fit together. I also appreciated the way the film avoided certain clichéd plot turns; Linda Fiorentino is given a solid supporting role as Dr. Weaver, and contributes nicely to the action plot without any obligatory romantic sub-plot (hurrah!).

The overall tongue-in-cheek style is exceedingly well done. I couldn't really put my finger on it, but something about the humor reminds me of the kind of absurd humor in Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. (In fact, the filmmakers slid in a little homage to Adams: the song sung by a group of aliens passing through one scene is the "Betelgeuse Death Anthem" from the Hitchhikers' TV show.) It's a deadpan style of humor that presents the viewer with a world (and a universe) full of utterly ridiculous things that are taken entirely seriously by the characters.

To top it off, Men in Black is exactly as long as it needs to be, at 98 minutes, and not a minute longer. It's refreshing to see an action film that's paced so well: the action sequences are used but not overused, and the plot moves along at a brisk pace. Along the same lines, the special effects and fantastic aliens are used with exactly the right amount of restraint: often enough that we have many moments of "Oooh" and "Ahhh" and laughter, but not so much that we ever get used to their presence and take them for granted. The scenes in the MIB headquarters are effectively precisely because they combine the blasé attitude of the staff, routinely managing alien affairs, with our own goggle-eyed wonder.

The DVD

This single-sided, dual-layer DVD is packaged in a keepcase, which is then (annoyingly) surrounded by a cardboard sleeve with exactly the same cover art and technical information as the keepcase. The sleeve is a generic Superbit sleeve with Men in Black labels slapped on; the only thing it does is waste paper.

Video

Men in Black appears in its original widescreen aspect ratio of 1.85:1, and is anamorphically enhanced. The bit rate on this DVD is, indeed, "super," clocking in at an impressive average of 11.3 mb/s, and it's amply demonstrated in the high level of detail in the transfer, and the overall attractive appearance of the film. The only fault that I saw in the transfer was a very small amount of noise in one or two scenes. If there was any edge enhancement here, it was minor enough to completely slip past me.

All in all, the transfer offers a very attractive presentation of the film Colors are superb, looking bright and vivid but also very clean; black levels are solid and always look appropriately rich and dark; contrast is handled very well throughout the film. The print is in extremely good condition and free of print flaws.

Audio

The soundtrack choices here are a Dolby 5.1 and a DTS track. The sound overall is very good, with dialogue and effects always being crystal-clear. Danny Elfman's entertaining musical score is nicely balanced with the rest of the track, backing up the action but never overpowering it. Those viewers with the luxury of not having any neighbors will be able to appreciate the full-blast audio power of some of the action scenes; even the loudest parts of the soundtrack remain correct-sounding, with no distortion. Those of us less lucky folks, who don't want to scare the wits out of the nice elderly couple on the other side of the wall, might have to turn down the volume a notch during those scenes, but will be able to appreciate the fullness and balance of the soundtrack overall.

The score for audio isn't quite as high as it could have been, pretty much because the surround sound isn't used quite as extensively or effectively as it could be. That's not to say that we don't get some nice immersive effects, and in fact the four stars I've awarded indicate that the audio experience is excellent.

Subtitles in English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Cantonese, Mandarin, Korean, and Thai are also included.

Extras

There are no special features included on this DVD... which is normal for a Superbit presentation, which boasts that the lack of special features allows the full disc space to be devoted to the film's audio and video, thus allowing for the highest quality of transfer.

That's a great idea... except when it's not true.

The transfer is indeed an outstanding one, with a very high bit rate (11.3 mb/s on average); it's pretty much as good as it's possible to get. But of the 9 GB of space on the DVD, only about 6.5 GB are occupied by the film. This leaves about 3 GB that could have been used for something else... like a decent load of special features (which, after all, don't require the same high audio/video quality as the film) without having the slightest effect on the quality of the film's transfer. In other words, the "no extras" on this Superbit is simply a result of the series' gimmick: there is absolutely no reason, technically speaking, why we couldn't have gotten this outstanding transfer and some special features as well.

Final thoughts

Men in Black is a funny, entertaining, and overall just plain fun movie, and one that stands up remarkably well to repeat viewing. Several different editions of the film have been released, including a Deluxe Edition that includes a slew of special features. I can't comment on the differences in transfer quality; on its own merits, the Superbit looks outstanding, and offers a DTS track as well as a 5.1 track. I'm giving it a "highly recommended."

HERE IS THE DIRECT DOWNLOAD FOR THE MOVIE MEN IN BLACK.

THE DEPARTED NOW AVAILABLE

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HERE IS THE SUMMARY FOR THE MOVIE THE DEPARTED FROM IMDB

Two just-graduated officers from Massachusetts State Police Academy follow opposite sides of the law: William Costigan is assigned to work undercover with the Irish mobster Frank Costello to get evidences to arrest him. His true identity is only known by his superiors Dignam and Oliver Queenan. The protégée of Costello, Colin Sullivan, is promoted in the Massachusetts State Police and is the informer of Costello. Each police officer gives his best effort trying to disclose the identity of the other "rat". Written by Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Billy Costigan, a young man from a crook family, wants to do redeem the Costigan family by joining the cops. However, the cops see him as the perfect mole because of his crook family, so they send him undercover to the Irish Mob. Meanwhile, Frank Costello, the mob boss, sends in Colin Sullivan to become a cop for the opposite purpose. Both get caught up in their double lives and become obsessed with finding the other mole, as does Costello and Queenan, the heads of each side. Written by hnt523

Years ago, a powerful Irish mafia figure placed a small selection of his youngest, brightest men into the Massachusetts State Police Academy as cadets. Their purpose is to eventually rise within the prestigious ranks of the state police department, to serve as the eyes and ears of their boss. While somewhere else, a young cadet was assigned with an equally dangerous task: infiltrate the Irish syndicate headed by the man sending in his own to the Massachusetts State Police. Now, one cadet is an up and coming police official with a torn allegiance to his job and to the criminal mastermind that put him there. While the other cadet is the trusted number two of that man, only finding his professional duties are becoming blurred with his current state. But new clues have lead to unfortunate discoveries, when both sides realize they're being watched by the enemy. It's now all just a matter of time before the men assigned to find out whose the infiltrator, could come to a bloody end when someone's identity may be revealed. Written by mystic80

In South Boston, the state police force is waging war on Irish-American organized crime. Young undercover cop Billy Costigan is assigned to infiltrate the mob syndicate run by gangland chief Frank Costello. While Billy quickly gains Costello's confidence, Colin Sullivan, a hardened young criminal who has infiltrated the state police as an informer for the syndicate, is rising to a position of power in the Special Investigation Unit. Each man becomes deeply consumed by his double life, gathering information about the plans and counter-plans of the operations he has penetrated. But when it becomes clear to both the mob and the police that there's a mole in their midst, Billy and Colin are suddenly in danger of being caught and exposed to the enemy-and each must race to uncover the identity of the other man in time to save himself. But is either willing to turn on the friends and comrades they've made during their long stints undercover? Written by Anonymous

Revolves around a rivalry between the Massachusetts State Police and an Irish-American gang. A gangster is chosen to infiltrate the state police while a young police officer is chosen to infiltrate the gang. When their paths cross, what will be the result? Written by Ninja01

HERE IS A REVIEW FOR THE MOVIE THE DEPARTED FROM DVDTALK

Two dozen films under his belt, and Martin Scorsese can still crank out a gem worthy of comparison with "Taxi Driver," "Goodfellas" and "Raging Bull." "The Departed" doesn't have quite the same air of brilliance about it as those classics did, but it sure comes close.

It's a remake of a 2002 Hong Kong action flick called "Infernal Affairs," which was an hour shorter and several fathoms shallower. It was a devilishly clever story about a police department and an organized-crime ring battling each other, both unaware that they had rats in their midst -- i.e., an undercover cop had infiltrated the gangsters, and a gangster had managed to become a cop. It's a great little movie with a great premise.

Scorsese, with screenwriter William Monahan ("Kingdom of Heaven"), has taken that caper's basic framework and injected some humanity into it. Where the original was concerned primarily with the mechanics of the plot, "The Departed," set now on the mean streets of Boston, gives real weight to the characters. It examines the two double agents' conflicted emotions. It allows the gravity of the situation to sink in, refusing to let it be just a cool crime flick.

Yet it's also a pretty cool crime flick. Just think of the intricate possibilities in such a twisted set-up: Billy Costigan (new Scorsese favorite Leonardo DiCaprio) is a screw-up from the wrong side of the tracks who, against all odds, becomes a state police officer. Given Costigan's unsavory background, Chief Queenan (Martin Sheen) and his abusive right-hand man Dignam (Mark Wahlberg) figure he'd make a believable undercover agent, so they send him into the bowels of a mafia operation run by Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson). Meanwhile, Costello long ago took a fatherless boy under his wing and taught him the family business of extortion and violence. The boy is Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon), and he's just graduated from the academy to become a state police officer, upholding the law while continuing to keep Costello informed of any police activity that relates to him.

Consider what will happen when the police department suspects they've got a rat in their midst and Sullivan -- who IS the rat -- is assigned to figure out who it is. He can't confess, obviously, but he can't report back and say he came up empty, either. He has to finger someone.

Imagine the parallel scenario in Costello's camp. He thinks one of his guys is disloyal to him. But how does a gangster run background checks on his thugs? How do you ferret out a snitch when your whole operation is based on deceit and corruption?

The plot is a work of beauty in its own right, for which most of the credit goes to the Hong Kong filmmakers who originated it. Scorsese brings out subtle themes, though, effortlessly creating this hostile world of casual racism and casual violence and making it seem both extraordinary and believable.

The film is all about communication, or the lack of it. One side of the law-enforcement team doesn't know what the other side is doing, Sullivan doesn't know one of his fellow cops has been sent into Costello's den, the Feds who know who the undercover officers are won't tell anyone else. Both Sullivan and Costigan must send furtive text messages to their secret bosses to keep them apprised, all the while trying not to be discovered by the people around them.

And like a lot of Scorsese's movies, "The Departed" is ultimately about masculinity, too. Crime and crime-abatement are both boys' clubs, and there's barely a female character to be found in the film. The only significant one, a police shrink played by Vera Farmiga, gives Costigan and Sullivan an outlet to do something they can't do with other men: communicate. Even within the police department there are figurative pissing matches and actual fist-fights between guys who are supposed to be on the same team yet who let pride and machismo determine their behavior.

The acting is sharp all around. Your skepticism of "Titanic" pretty boy Leonardo DiCaprio will hopefully have worn off by now so you can appreciate Costigan's increasing horror at the things he sees while in Costello's employ, his commitment to police work wavering as he fears he may never get out of this undercover operation. Note also how Matt Damon's unflinching two-facedness starts to crack as things get hairy in the film's last act. Admire Martin Sheen and Mark Wahlberg as two good cops, and Alec Baldwin as a tart-tongued fast-talking federal agent, able to be funny and menacing simultaneously.

And then dish yourself up a huge helping of Jack Nicholson as Costello. Viewed at first only in shadows, often shot from low angles to emphasize his power, sporting a goatee that makes his waggling eyebrows seem all the more satanic, Costello is the devil himself. He lives a life of pure debauchery (money, drugs, women, murder), enjoying evil for all it's worth. Nicholson plays the role to the hilt, reveling in the character's monstrosity without ever going over the top. Like Scorsese, Nicholson is a senior citizen who proves occasionally that he's still got the touch.

"The Departed" is the rare Hollywood feature that appears to have been made by someone who actually understands the language of film, who can do things with light and shadows, with camera positioning, with sound and music, to create feelings. That's to say nothing of Scorsese's knack for drawing pitch-perfect performances from his actors, as already noted. This is an excellent film, a throwback to the grittier, more substantial crime dramas of the '70s, and a reminder that movies can have weight to them and still be enjoyable as entertainment.

HERE IS THE DIRECT DOWNLOAD FOR THE MOVIE THE DEPARTED.

STREET KINGS NOW AVAILABLE

STREET KINGS NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE

HERE IS THE SUMMARY FOR THE MOVIE STREET KINGS FROM IMDB

Tom Ludlow is a veteran LAPD cop who finds life difficult to navigate after the death of his wife. When evidence implicates him in the execution of a fellow officer, he is forced to go up against the cop culture he's been a part of his entire career, ultimately leading him to question the loyalties of everyone around him.

HERE IS A REVIEW FOR THE MOVIE STREET KINGS FROM DVDTALK

Police corruption is roasted over an open fire in "Street Kings," the latest motion picture to look into the black heart of the LAPD and come out confused, covered in blood, and gasping for air.

Tom Ludlow (Keanu Reeves) is a burned-out, alcoholic vice cop who specializes in bending the law to suit his crime-solving needs. Under the care of Captain Jack Wander (Forest Whitaker), Tom's sins have been covered up for years, keeping him tight with his fellow officers (including Jay Mohr and John Corbett) and allowing him a lawless existence that's turned into a prison. Now, when his former partner-turned-informant (Terry Crews) is killed in a vicious convenience store attack, it instills Tom with a newfound twitch of moral fortitude, and he sets off to hunt for the killers with the help of a young detective (Chris Evans) who's eager to partake in a clandestine investigation.

I'm having trouble classifying "Street Kings" as a "good" film, but it sure is persuasive. A violent, gritty citywide journey into the dark brotherhood of L.A. cops, the film won't win any awards for originality, yet the execution of the feature rumbles with a convincing rage. Director David Ayer has spent most of his career working around police thrillers (writing scripts for "Training Day," "Dark Blue," and "S.W.A.T."), and the history informs "Kings" with a fascinating level of detail, paying specific attention to police shorthand and procedural frustrations. Ayer understands how L.A. moves, but finding a suitable screenplay to match this wealth of knowledge is where "Kings" cracks its crown.

The screenplay, credited to three writers including the great James Ellroy, is a juicy selection of intrigue and paranoia, placing Tom in the middle of a tornado of evidence tampering, the attention of internal affairs, and his own self-loathing, which has thickened his skin to such a degree that he barely comprehends injustice anymore. The script is ripe with tongue-twisting dialogue and rotating motivations, and it's too much for Ayer to handle at times. Outside of the fact that giving Reeves platefuls of complex technical language is a mistake (he's a fine actor, but needs to be wielded carefully or his limitations are revealed quickly), "Kings" doesn't know how to unwind itself; it prefers an excruciating "Bond villain" explanation in the third act to untangle the complex plot, severely undercutting the labyrinthine structure of the earlier scenes.

By the end of "Kings," Ayer hands the material over to operatic sways of spastic melodramatic acting (I think Whitaker is convinced he's in a silent film) and semi-believable turns of logic. The network of corruption that "Kings" itemizes is compelling groundwork for something more intellectually explosive than the action film clichés of the final stretch, and the film loses much of its zest when Ayer scrounges for an ending that can both satisfy and stimulate.

"Kings" is far from perfect, and perhaps I was too caught up in the forked-tongued ballet of facial-haired machismo to notice the picture failing to connect the dots in a secure fashion. However, it does provide a compelling, edgy ride around the underbelly of life, worth the trip to bask in the tough-guy bloodshed and bullet-riddled nightlife of Los Angeles.

HERE IS THE DIRECT DOWNLOAD FOR THE MOVIE STREET KINGS.

FIGHT CLUB NOW AVAILABLE

FIGHT CLUB NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE

HERE IS THE SUMMARY FOR THE MOVIE FIGHT CLUB FROM IMDB

The narrator suffers from a lack of sleep. He tries different ways to cure this, but he does not succeed. He does get some sleep, but his conditions rebounds back into it's original state when he meets a lovely young woman, whose name is Marla. He finds out that she and he both have a lot in common and they spend a lot of time together. While touring, he meets an enigmatic young man named Tyler and after a short conversation both become fast friends. Both like to relieve their inner tensions by hitting each other. Soon word gets around about their fights, and lots of young people also get interested. Then a club is formed, which the narrator and Tyler call 'Fight Club'. Both start spending a lot of time and both also make lots of money. Then one day the narrator finds out that Tyler has been using him. Written by Sumtira (Corrected by Calista)

You're young. You have an easy, well-paid deskjob. You have a condo, Swedish furniture, artistic coffee tables and a fridge full of condiments. Yet you feel emotionally and spiritually empty. You eventually find comfort in going to support groups for lukemia and cancer victims when there's nothing wrong with you until they're hijacked from you by another faker. Then you meet Tyler Durden, a man that shows you that not only can you live without material needs but that self-destruction, the collapse of society and making dynamite from soap might not be such a bad idea either. Written by John Weeks {J.T.Weeks1@student.derby.ac.uk}

A ticking-time-bomb insomniac and a slippery soap salesman channel primal male aggression into a shocking new form of therapy. Their concept catches on, with underground "fight clubs" forming in every town, until an eccentric gets in the way and ignites an out-of-control spiral toward oblivion. Written by Anonymous

A lonely, isolated thirty-something young professional seeks an escape from his mundane existence with the help of a devious soap salesman. They find their release from the prison of reality through underground fight clubs, where men can be what the world now denies them. Their boxing matches and harmless pranks soon lead to an out-of-control spiral towards oblivion. Written by Joe50000

A nameless, desk working man becomes consumed in his emptiness until he meets a Tyler Durden, a cunning soap salesman. The two set off to form fight clubs and eventually turn onto a path towards anarchy. Written by Nathan_S

HERE IS A REVIEW FOR THE MOVIE FIGHT CLUB FROM DVDTALK

The Movie: Fight Club is the story of the every man - Jack, who like most of us clocks in every day to a job, defines himself by what he owns, and simply does not sleep well. Jack finds solitude in myriad of support groups, everything from Men with Testicular Cancer, Sycle Sell Anemia Support Groups, and of course both Blood and Brain Parasite Support Groups. Jack doesn't have the ailments associated with each group, but he isn't exactly well either. Through a series of events Jack meets Tyler Durden and through Tyler he finds Fight Club, a much different kind of support group. I would say more, but as you will find out.... "The First Rule of Fight Club is- You Do Not Talk about Fight Club".

Fight Club is an in your face adrenaline filled movie, which isn't afraid to laugh at itself and at us. It's part action film, part satire, part comedy. A strange and unique blend that really works.

If you haven't seen Fight Club, be prepared, it's a movie that definitely has to grow on you. The first time I saw this film in the theaters I had a mixed reaction to it. Then I read the book by Chuck Palahniuk, and began to find myself really liking the story. By my third enthusiastic viewing on DVD I realized that Fight Club is one of those movies that truly improves with time and repeat viewing.

The Picture: On DVD Fight Club looks great. Fight Club is presented in its theatrical aspect ratio of 2.40:1 and is enhanced for Wide Screen TV's. Having seen Fight Club in the theaters I was particularly impressed with the films transfer on to DVD. Fight Club is a very dark film with a lot of deep dark tones. The transfer to DVD masterfully reproduces these dark tones in a very clear and clean way while still maintaining the gritty feel of the movie.

The Sound: Fight Club features truly fantastic 5.l Dolby Digital audio track which is used very well by both the movies sound effects and the excellent score by the Dust Brothers. A nice feature (if you have the equipment to support it) is the main Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track is THX EX enhanced - Which basically means it has an additional rear center channel. Fight Club is THX certified, I wish more of the the THX certified movies looked and sounded this good.

The Extras: Fight Club is so packed to the gills with special features, I found myself spending as much time watching the special features as I did the movie. The best special features are the 4 audio commentary tracks on the DVD. It was quite a task listening to ALL 4 commentary tracks, and I'd recommend spacing them out a bit. The two tracks I liked the best were the main Commentary track with David Fincher and the second track with David Fincher, Brad Pitt, Edward Norton, and Helena Bonham Carter. There are so many layers to this film and these two tracks really flesh out many of the subtleties and meaning which make Fight Club such an amazing movie.

The Second Disc in this 2 disc set is devoted entirely to extras. Be warned, this DVD has so many features and so many options it's almost impossible to get through. While I admired the uniqueness of the way the Making of Fight Club Features were presented (with multiple camera angles and audio tracks), I found the experience of watching them to be disjointed. I was so overwhelmed by option and selections that it really didn't end up being an enjoyable experience. I think the Making of Fight Club Features are a great example of DVD technology being over used and getting in the way of the enjoyment of the material. I would have much rather seen a more compiled making of documentary over the fragments presented on this DVD.

When Fight Club was announced I got the impression that there would be many more Outtakes and Deleted Scenes. There are only 7 fairly short deleted scenes, most of which compare the deleted scene with the scene that ended up in the movie. With so much room on the second DVD I would have liked to see more Outtakes and Bloopers (like on the Criterion release of Armageddon).

If you are a fan of trailers and promos, you'll be in heaven with Fight Club. I don't think I've ever seen such an extensive collection of promotional materials including: Teasers, Trailers, TV Spots, Internet Ads, PSA, Posters, Lobby Cards and even the Film's Press Kit. Of special note are the Fight Club Internet Ads which are extremely entertaining as well as 2 PSA's which are just hilarious.

Conclusion: Fight Club is a really exceptional DVD due mostly to the superb film and sound transfer. It is packed with special features, but quantity in this case doesn't necessarily mean quality. I spent a great deal of time with Fight Club, much more than almost any other DVD that I own, but not all of that time was quality time. Especially on the second DVD, I found myself spending a lot of time just flipping around trying to figure out what I was watching. If Fox had released Fight Club with the great picture and sound and only 2 of the commentary tracks, a solid making of documentary and the deleted scenes, on one DVD, it would have been enough, the rest is bonus.

HERE IS THE DIRECT DOWNLOAD FOR THE MOVIE FIGHT CLUB.

LIAR LIAR NOW AVAILABLE

LIAR LIAR NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE

HERE IS THE SUMMARY FOR THE MOVIE LIAR LIAR FROM IMDB

Fletcher Reed a fast talking attorney, habitual liar, and divorced father is an incredibly successful lawyer who has built his career by lying. He has a habit of giving precedence to his job and always breaking promises to be with his favorite young son Max, but Fletcher lets Max down once too often, for missing his own son's birthday party. But until then at 8:15 Max has decided to make an honest man out of him as he wishes for one whole day his dad couldn't tell a lie. When the wish comes true all Fletcher can do is tell the truth and cannot tell one lie. Uh-oh for Fletcher! Written by Anthony Pereyra {hypersonic91@yahoo.com}

Fletcher Reid is a fast talking attorney and habitual liar. When his son Max blows out the candles on his fifth birthday cake, he has only one wish, 'that his dad would stop lying for 24 hours'. When Max's wish miraculously comes true, Fletcher discovers that his biggest asset (his mouth) has suddenly become his biggest liability. Legal and emotional havoc ensue as Fletcher tries to keep his practice afloat and his ex-wife Audrey from taking their son and moving to Boston. Written by Jon-Peter Sacko {townsend@rcc.se}

Fletcher Reed (Jim Carrey) is an incredibly successful lawyer who has built his career on lying. Unfortunately he spends far too much time working instead of being with his son Max(Justin Cooper), so Max makes a birthday wish that for just one day, his dad can't tell a lie. The wish comes true and Fletcher must try and defend his client, Samantha Cole (Jennifer Tilly) even though his entire defense for her is a lie. Written by Qrrbirbel

HERE IS A REVIEW FOR THE MOVIE LIAR LIAR FROM DVDTALK

Background: Physical comedy has been a staple in entertainment for generations in one form or another. As far as film is concerned, are there any of you out there that have never seen The Three Stooges, Fatty Arbuckle, Charlie Chaplin, and scores of others that elevated the genre to make it timeless? Heck, I've watched the Stooges in three separate languages over the years and laughed just as hard as the I Love Lucy reruns were played on a local Spanish channel. In that sense, there are few current comedians that are as well known as Jim Carrey; star of The Mask, The Ace Ventura movies, and a wide range of silly flicks that include some serious drama far beyond the man's reputation. Well, a few days ago I lucked out and picked up a couple of his comedic efforts, with today's review of Liar Liar (HD DVD) being the first. I'm still new to the HD DVD format in terms of my reviews (the previous titles being the limited number of porn titles gracing the website) but I found that DVD Talk had never covered the original release of the movie so here goes...

Movie: Liar Liar (HD DVD) is a cute little comedy starring Jim Carrey as defense attorney Fletcher Reede; a talented litigator on the fast track at a major law firm. He is divorced from Audrey (Maura Tierney) with whom he has a precious son by the name of Max (Justin Cooper) that he loves dearly. The reason for the divorce was summed up nicely by Audrey in that Fletcher was having a lot more sex than she was, not so subtlety suggesting he was sleeping around rather than finding the wonders of self love preferable to her own bedroom antics. A stereotypical lawyer, Fletcher gets by in life using his skillful manipulation of the truth; in short, he lies with a sense of abandon but does so in such an over the top manner that most people roll their eyes and just give him his way. In a deleted scene included on the disc, Fletcher is shown making his client, a bulking thug of a man, look like the innocent victim in a robbery case where it is clear the guy held up an old man at an ATM machine, stole his car, and then beat up the female police officer while resisting arrest. Yet the way Fletcher weaves the tale, his client was simply trying to assist the man after a case of mistaken identity, the lawyer thinking on his feet in the courtroom to incorporate anything he can to bolster his summation of the facts.

Fletcher lives alone but spends a lot of time with the ladies, scoring like a juvenile delinquent with any cutie he sees fit to apply his lines on. His biggest goal in life is to make partner and he will do, and say, anything he can to achieve this goal, including neglecting his son on their visitation days, much to the chagrin of Audrey and Max. His son still loves him for all the goofy antics the man uses but has grown weary of the lies and on the eve of his fifth birthday Max makes a wish that his father tell the truth for once. By mystical means unknown, the wish is granted and Fletcher, having spent the night with one of the senior partners in the firm brushing up on his social skills (that's the nicest way I can put it), finds the harsh realities of his new condition when she asks him how good she was; the man answering that he has had better. This surprises him as much as her and sets the stage for Carrey to use his mugging comedy style in a series of dilemmas ranging from being pulled over by the police to a hilarious encounter with the storage lot personnel to his biggest career case of a tramp (perfectly played by hotty Jennifer Tilly) trying to divorce her rich husband after Fletcher convinced her the day before how much of a victim she was for her seven indiscretions.

The mulligan behind the reason Fletcher is forced to tell the truth is completely sidestepped here and truth be told, it was a wise decision on the part of Director Tom Shadyac (he mentions it in detail on the audio commentary) since that would force the story into a lot of details unimportant to the moral of the story. While an imperfect tale, Carrey pulls it off as though he were the only one who could have done it, the screenplay failing only in that it relies almost exclusively on Carrey to the dismissal of the others. Audrey is the generic ex-wife with the new boyfriend Jerry (played as a goof by Cary Elwes) that wants to take them away to Boston and his bosses, including bed buddy Miranda (Amanda Donohoe) are as clueless as they are vicious. Tilly gave a great performance, though limited in scope, and Cooper as the child was perfect for the role, but this was Carrey's baby all the way, the stereotypical lawyer written to cater to the masses by Paul Guay and Stephen Mazur; making Fletcher an obnoxious, two dimensional bastard that fares little better when he sees the light by the end of this feel good comedy. Still, it had some shining moments that even ten years later stand out in my mind as truly imaginative, the weight of a full length movie appearing to be too much to sustain in between those spots.

For me, the movie held up well enough to rate as Recommended if you don't already own it. For technical reasons I'll get into in the following section, it was not a big leap forward as some of the high definition titles have been but it did show more detail and clarity, the original film stock probably in need of a remastering to get any better than this. In terms of content, I would have preferred the deleted scene be added in (it looked atrocious compared to the rest of the movie) since it added needed background to solidify just how evil Fletcher was and fleshing out the characters would certainly not have hurt the movie given how limited they were but as a fan of Jim Carrey from his In Living Color days, I'm not going to show the green eyed monster as others have done in recent years over some of his career choices. This was one of Carrey's first movies to truly tone down the physical comedy just slightly enough to show he could do more, and audiences loved it enough to result in scores of nominations and awards by various groups as a result.

Picture: Liar Liar (HD DVD) was presented in a true 1080p High Definition widescreen color with the original aspect ratio of 1.85:1 as originally released in theaters. The HD DVD was not surprisingly encoded in the common VC-1 codec, on a single sided, single layer disc and while it was not the movie to showcase a high end set up, it wasn't bad either. Having originally seen this one in the theatre and then on a (gasp) full frame DVD, I was impressed that the movie looked decent in most places. This being an HD DVD, I expected more but a comparison this weekend between the collector's edition and this one showed some nice improvement in terms of detail, colors, and clarity but some parts looked like they were noisier than others; such as one of the scenes in the park, the tow lot, and scenes in front of the courthouse. There was edge enhancement observed, and for me to notice it you know it was more than average, but it was still decent looking for the majority of consumers. Should Universal remaster it for a future release, I'd appreciate checking it out as a fan but I don't suspect this will happen since my belief is that few people are going to like Carrey and pass this one up in one form or another (for the record, watching the SD version on my Toshiba certainly improved the way it looked but it wasn't nearly as closely in terms of picture quality as the adult HD titles on the market at this time).

Sound: The audio was another area that received some improvement but not enough to justify an upgrade unless you find a decent sale. The primary track was a 5.1 Dolby Digital+ in English, a secondary French track added in that I listened to for kicks a bit. The separation and dynamic range were barely above the level of a TV movie of the week (my limited experience with HD DVD is that action movies fare the best in this regard) but considering most of the show was about dialogue, in the form of a lying then truthful Carrey, this wasn't all that big a deal. In the two scenes that could be labeled action sequences (Carrey in the bathroom trying to get a continuance and the chase at the airport towards the end), the show fared better but as much as I was hoping for more of an upgrade, this was a pretty basic translation from the original track, albeit slightly cleaned up with less compression and noise.

Extras: The trailer was cute and the limited outtakes were funny but to me, the best extra was the deleted scene where Carrey has to convince a conservative jury that a guy named "Skull" (played by former heavyweight boxer Randall "Tex" Cobb perfectly in an understated performance) did not commit robbery was classic. It looked really inferior compared to the film elements of the main movie but it struck me as an integral part of fully establishing Carrey's character for the movie. I also liked the director commentary by Tom Shadyac. While he didn't exactly liven up my life as a result of listening to the commentary, he provided some serious insights about the movie, some of the behind the scenes stuff going on, and the difficulties of modern day film making that struck me as worth listening to. There was also a cute little featurette called Bridging the Comdey Chasm but it was just a fluff piece for the show as far as I was concerned. I would have preferred some unique extras to this new HD DVD release but I don't suspect that will happen often until the format establishes a larger consumer audience. For the record, the extras were provided in SD DVD format with a Dolby Digital 2.0 track lacking much punch.

Final Thoughts: Liar Liar (HD DVD) held up fairly well for this Jim Carrey fan and the new technical elements for this HD DVD release were an improvement that fans will appreciate but nothing here was so much better to justify an upgrade if you already have the anamorphic widescreen version of the movie on DVD already. The extras were the same basic package and the movie's theme, while cute, was not really worth watching a whole lot compared to other shows with greater replay value. Jim Carrey made the movie and if you enjoy his comedic work, this will be a likeable enough work for his courtroom antics alone (I got the impression that the writers must have been in divorce court a time or two by the end of the show) though if you aren't a fan, it'd still be worth a rental.

HERE IS THE DIRECT DOWNLOAD FOR THE MOVIE LIAR LIAR.