NEW MOVIE SPIDERMAN 3 DIRECT DOWNLOAD

THATS RIGHT IT SPIDERMAN 3 THIS SUMMERS HIT IS NOW AVAILABLE TO WATCH RIGHT HERE.

HERE IS INFO FROM IMDB ABOUT SPIDERMAN 3

Peter Parker has finally managed to piece together the once-broken parts of his life, maintaining a balance between his relationship with Mary-Jane and his responsibility as Spider-Man. But more challenges arise for our young hero. Peter's old friend Harry Obsourne has set out for revenge against Peter; taking up the mantle of his late father's persona as The New Goblin, and Peter must also capture Uncle Ben's real killer, Flint Marko, who has been transformed into his toughest foe yet, the Sandman. All hope seems lost when suddenly Peter's suit turns jet-black and greatly amplifies his powers. But it also begins to greatly amplify the much darker qualities of Peter's personality that he begins to lose himself to. Peter has to reach deep inside himself to free the compassionate hero he used to be if he is to ever conquer the darkness within and face not only his greatest enemies, but also...himself. Written by Dark-Spidey

Everything is lining up great for peter he has finally got the love of his life Mary Jane Watson to marry him. But one night when the strange meteor crash's it clangs on to peter bonding him with an alien symbiote suit. This changes peter once the symbiote is attached by to him he changes his life around.Once he finds out his uncle's real killer is still alive who's Flint Marko/sandman he seeks revenge as his ex best friend harry Osborn becomes the new goblin and peter deals with Eddie Brock. Once peter realizes that he is doing everything wrong he decides only one way you can make it right by getting rid of the alien symbiote suit by riping it off witch eventually leads to the birth of venom. peter now faces all the darkest demons as he also tries to win back Mary Jane Watson. Written by Anthony Nardelli

Having finally achieved balance between his regular life with Mary Jane and his superhero alter-ego, Peter Parker/Spider-Man thinks he finally has it made. But dark changes are on the horizon. His former friend Harry has become the New Goblin to hunt Peter down. The case regarding his Uncle Ben has been reopened and new evidence points to Flint Marko, who has recently become the Sandman, as the true killer. A possible new relationship with fellow student/model Gwen Stacy drives MJ to terrible jealousy. Eddie Brock, Peter's new rival at the Daily Bugle, is determined to make Spidey look like a bad guy. And worst yet, a mysterious alien substance attaches itself to Peter, enhancing his powers and changing his personality for the worst. With the mysterious new darkness corrupting him, Spider-Man will hunt down Sandman in revenge, settle his score with Harry, drive MJ away from him and unknowingly create his most deadly enemy yet: Venom. But perhaps the most desperate battle raging may be within Peter/Spider-Man himself. Written by Josh Goring

A strange black substance known as "Venom" which needs a host to survive lands on earth, inside a shooting star. After it consumes Spiderman, turning him in to Venom, makes him evil. He manages to break free, but Eddie Brock, his rival photographer, (who has lost everything thanks to Peter Parker and now is desperate to kill him) is Venom's next target. Eddie Brock/Venom, teams up with Sandman/Flint Marko, a fugitive, to kill Spiderman. Spiderman is in even more trouble. Harry Osborn turns into the New Green Goblin, desperate to destroy Spiderman. But all the while, he tries to propose to her. Will Spidey survive??? Written by Heerak Yang

Peter Parker is finally happy: he is doing well at the school, his girlfriend MJ Watson loves him and the whole city loves his crime-fighting alter-ego Spider-Man, finally bestowing upon him the praise he so rightly deserves. Apart from this, he has made some new foes and rivals . His former friend-turned-foe Harry Osborn has become the New Goblin and wants to avenge his father by killing Spider-Man. On one night, an alien symbiote from outer space crash lands in Peter's vicinity and attaches itself to his Spider suit, turning it black in colour and enhancing its powers. Flint Marko, a fugitive, is turned into The Sandman when he gets subjected to a molecular lab experiment. Incidentally, Marko is the person who is revealed to have killed Peter's uncle Ben and now Peter wants revenge. Peter's job as a freelance photographer with The Daily Bugle is taken by Eddie Brock. Peter also learns that apart from enhancing his powers the black symbiote has also brought out the dark side within him which causes him to ruthlessly manages to throw Eddie out of his job. When MJ breaks up with him, he starts dating his fellow student Gwen Stacy who was Edie's ex, to make them both jealous. Soon Peter must decide whether he should let his dark side to dominate his personality or not. Written by Soumitra

HERE IS THE DIRECT DOWNLOAD TO SPIDERMAN 3 PART 1 OF 2.

HERE IS THE DIRECT DOWNLOAD TO SPIDERMAN 3 PART 2 OF 2.

SUPERMAN RETURNS DIRECT DOWNLOAD IN HERE

HERE IS A LINK TO THE DIRECT DOWNLOAD OF THE MOVIE SUPERMAN RETURNS

WHICH IS ABOUT SUPERMAN AND IS THE FIFTH MOVIE AND IF YOU GUYS LIKED THE OLD SUPERMAN THEN YOU SHOULD AT LEAST LIKE THIS MOVIE OR LOVE IT DEPENDS ON YOUR MINDSET. I WANTED TO PUT IT ON DIRECTLY BUT IT WOULD TAKE A DAY TO PUT ON A MOVIE THIS LONG SINCE I TRIED TO PUT ON TRANSFORMERS THE MOVIE 2007 BUT IT JUST TOOK WAY TO LONG TO PUT IT ON BLOGGER.

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FIRST CASUALTY IN THE WAR AGAINST PIRACY AS NEW ARRESTS ONE FROM YAHOO MOVIES

First Arrest Under NYC's New Piracy Law
Thursday July 5 3:25 PM ET

A moviegoer caught secretly recording the sci-fi blockbuster "Transformers" has been charged with unauthorized use of a video camera in a theater in the first arrest under a new New York City law that stiffened penalties for pirating films.

A criminal complaint accuses Kalidou Diallo of slipping a video recorder, video player and remote control into a sneak preview of the film at a Bronx theater Monday night.

"This is the first time someone has been arrested and charged with the new illegal camcording law," City Hall spokesman Jason Post said Thursday. In May, Mayor Michael Bloomberg signed legislation that upgraded film piracy from a violation with a $250 fine to a misdemeanor that carries up to six months in jail and penalties of up to $5,000.

The Motion Picture Association of America says more than 40 percent of bootlegged films are secretly videotaped in New York City theaters. The copies typically are sold for mass reproduction or posted on the Internet, sometimes just hours after the movie has opened.

Pirated movies cost major U.S. film studios more than $6 billion in 2005, according to the trade association. A study by the group showed that the New York movie industry loses an estimated $1.5 billion a year because of piracy, and the local economy suffers further with lost earnings, tax revenue and jobs.

Police arrested Diallo, 48, after an officer seated behind him in the theater saw him raise his right arm after the film began, court papers said. During a search shortly after the movie ended, police found a video recorder "strapped underneath his right arm via a body harness," and a video player and remote control in his jacket pockets, the papers added.

Diallo was released on Tuesday without bail and ordered to return to court on Sept. 20. No telephone number was listed for his Bronx address, and the name of his lawyer was not immediately available.

"Transformers" broke box-office records on its official opening day Tuesday, taking in $27.4 million to set a new high for Tuesday openings.

The movie based on the Hasbro toys that debuted in the 1980s chronicles a war between two factions of giant shape-shifting robots that bring their battle to Earth. The cast includes Shia LaBeouf, Tyrese Gibson, Jon Voight, Josh Duhamel and John Turturro.

TRANSFORMERS DESTROYS THE BOX OFFICE THIS WEEKEND FROM YAHOO MOVIES

"Transformers," the big-budget movie about alien robots battling on Earth, raked in $67.6 million at box offices over the weekend to land at No. 1 and bring its seven-day total to a record $152.6 million, according to studio estimates on Sunday.

Computer-animated "Ratatouille," about a cuisine-loving rat who longs to be a chef in Paris, fell one notch from last week to come in No. 2 with $29 million, boosting its 10-day total to $109.1 million, and action adventure "Live Free or Die Hard," starring Bruce Willis, was No. 3 with $17.4 million.

"Transformers" is based on the 1980s toys that shift shape from cars and planes to become alien Autobots and Decepticons warring against each other here on Earth.

The toys have built a loyal fan base of mostly boys and young men, and they turned out in droves for the movie. But curiously, the film's co-producers at Paramount Pictures and Dreamworks said the second-biggest group of supporters was mothers, who recommended the movie almost unanimously.

"We knew we had hard-core fans who wanted to come, (but) literally every one of the (major audience) groups turned out," said Rob Moore, president of worldwide marketing and distribution at Paramount.

Moms, in particular, "see the movie and see the spirit with which it is done -- the fun of it," Moore added.

"Transformers" debuted in a limited number of theaters on Monday and began a widespread release on Tuesday in the United States and Canada ahead of the U.S. Independence Day Holiday.

TRANSFORMING THE CHARTS

Throughout the week, Paramount trumpeted the film's ability to topple records. The opening-day haul of $27.5 million was the highest Tuesday ever, and $29.1 million on Wednesday was the most cash for an Independence Day.

Paramount said the estimated $152.6 million marked a best for the initial seven days of release for any movie that was not a sequel. It beat 2002's original "Spider-Man," which scored an opening seven-day haul of more than $151 million.

"Ratatouille" also performed well over the holiday since last weekend's initial, three-day haul of $47 million fell short of some box office watchers' expectations

.

At $109 million, the movie is now about $8 million shy of where last summer's Disney-Pixar film, "Cars," was at the same point, and is quickly closing in on "Cars" pace, said Chuck Viane, who heads domestic distribution at the Disney studio.

Willis' explosion-filled "Live Free or Die Hard" boosted its 10-day total to $84.1 million for Twentieth Century Fox.

Besides "Transformers," the only other new movie to open wide this week was Warner Bros. comedy "License to Wed," starring Robin Williams. It proved to be a mild performer with $10.4 million in its first weekend to land at No. 4 on charts. It has taken in $17.8 million since its Tuesday debut.

Rounding out the top five was Universal Pictures' religious comedy "Evan Almighty" with $8.1 million for the weekend and an overall total of $78.1 million.

Michael Moore's documentary about U.S. health care, "Sicko," landed in the No. 9 slot this weekend with $3.6 million and now has a total of $11.5 million.

Paramount and DreamWorks are part of Viacom Inc., Disney-Pixar is a unit of The Walt Disney Co. and Twentieth Century Fox is part of News Corp.. Universal is part of General Electric Co.

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THE LAST SHOW OF THE DAY IS CALLED NIGHTS OF REAL RADIO AND THE HOST OF THE SHOW IS A GUY NAMED DANO AND HIS CO-HOSTS ARE LEA AND LUKE. THE SHOW IS FROM 7:00 P.M.-11:00 P.M.

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HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX MOVIE PREVIEW AND TRAILER

HERE IS THE PREMISE OF THE MOVIE

In "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," Harry returns for his fifth year of study at Hogwarts and discovers that much of the wizarding community has been denied the truth about the teenager's recent encounter with the evil Lord Voldemort. Fearing that Hogwarts' venerable Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, is lying about Voldemort's return in order to undermine his power and take his job, the Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge, appoints a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher to keep watch over Dumbledore and the Hogwarts students. But Professor Dolores Umbridge's Ministry-approved course of defensive magic leaves the young wizards woefully unprepared to defend themselves against the dark forces threatening them and the entire wizarding community, so at the prompting of his friends Hermione and Ron, Harry takes matters into his own hands. Meeting secretly with a small group of students who name themselves "Dumbledore's Army," Harry teaches them how to defend themselves against the Dark Arts, preparing the courageous young wizards for the extraordinary battle that lies ahead.

HERE IS A TRAILER FOR THE MOVIE

SEINFIELD SEASON 8 DVD REVIEW FROM DVD TALK

The movie

Seinfeld almost didn't have an eighth season, due to the departure of Larry David, who had been the co-creator and executive producer of Seinfeld as well as a major writer for the show. With such a major change, could Seinfeld continue on the shoulders of Jerry Seinfeld alone? The answer (fortunately for fans) turned out to be a resounding "yes!" Though Season 8 was actually intended to be the show's final season (hence the symbolism of the little checkered flag behind the Seinfeld logo), it worked so well that Seinfeld & co. would end up doing one more season to wrap it up.

With Jerry Seinfeld completely at the helm of Season 8, Seinfeld continues on strong. As I was watching this eighth season, I couldn't help but be impressed at how consistently funny this show is. The series has moved from strength to strength ever since the opening seasons, due to the combination of a stellar cast and outstanding comedy writing. There's a telling observation in the special features for Season 8 that speaks to the success of Seinfeld: Jerry Seinfeld deliberately chose a cast who were all better actors than he was; he was willing to take on the role of straight man whenever the scene demanded it; and he worked to give the funniest material to the character who could make it work the best... not reserving it for himself. Though Seinfeld has as its title just one name, it's really an ensemble effort, as the episodes in Season 8 continue to demonstrate.

Most of what's notable about Season 8 is that it's equally as good as the preceding seasons. The writing is just as laugh-out-loud funny, the situations are just as delightful in their combination of the ordinary and the absurd, and the actors are just as good in their sharp comedic timing. The main change that we see in Season 8 is the complete disappearance of the stand-up clips at the start of the episode; the stories have organically grown to demand every available moment of on-screen time. (Remember back in the early days when there'd be stand-up at the end of the episode as well?) Instead, we jump right into the lives of the characters, either in a stand-alone humorous segment or something that gets a story thread moving. The change feels just right: in the previous seasons, it was always the stories in the world of Seinfeld that were the funniest, not the comedy routines, good though they might be.

Since the quality of the writing has, if anything, gotten stronger in this season, the result is that more Seinfeld is also better Seinfeld. Season 8 continues the characteristic Seinfeld experience of watching an episode and saying "Oh! So that's the episode with... (fill in the blank)!" There's only one title for each episode, but perhaps more than any other season, each half-hour show is a package deal full of classic Seinfeld moments. Take "The Chicken Roaster," for example. Not only does it have the hilarious story thread of the title, but it's also the episode with Elaine's struggle to justify the expense-account purchase of a sable hat, and George's trick for getting a second date by leaving something behind at his date's apartment. ("Cos-tan-za.") "The Pothole" ostensibly focuses on George's lost keys, but it's also the one with Jerry's girlfriend using a toothbrush that had fallen into a toilet, and Elaine trying to get Chinese food delivered outside its delivery zone.

That's not to say that the episodes feel exactly the same as in previous seasons. There is, I think, an increased sense of playfulness, with the plots sometimes tinged with more absurdity than we saw in earlier seasons. It's totally consistent with the Seinfeld style, though, which is predicated on the absurdity of daily life to begin with.

One of the characteristics of the funniest episodes in Season 8 is a playful self-referential comedy. "The Bizarro Jerry" is probably one of the best all-time Seinfeld episodes, at least if you are a Seinfeld fan: it does a brilliant job of playing with the audience's own familiarity with Seinfeld's characters, premises, and jokes. Then there's "The Chicken Roaster," with the incursion of Kenny Rogers Roasters transforming Jerry into Kramer and Kramer into Jerry. Seinfeld also has a lot of fun playing with references to movies, and to the conventions of film and television in general, whether it's a wordless chase scene between Jerry and Newman that plays on the typical police-story pursuit, or "The English Patient," with its riff on the characters' reactions to the Oscar-winning film. The entire film industry gets skewered with the story thread about bootleg videos in "The Little Kicks."

The working lives of the characters continue to provide ample material for comedy: Elaine's work with the J. Peterman catalog gives her some of the funniest material she's had in the show (including the Urban Sombrero), while George's involvement with the Yankees as well as with the Susan Ross Foundation is a font of great material. In "The Foundation," who can forget George's tape-recorder-in-the-briefcase trick? (recording the famous "squink.") Then there are the just-plain-classic episodes. "The Yada Yada." ("You yada-yada'ed sex?!?") "The Muffin Tops" (and the corresponding muffin stumps).

Writing this review just makes me realize, once again, that it's basically impossible to describe what makes Seinfeld so funny. If you've seen the episodes, you'll be saying to yourself, "Oh, yeah! That one! Yeah, that one was hilarious!" but if you aren't a Seinfeld fan (poor deprived soul) then you'll probably be wondering "what is supposed to be so funny about that?" See, that's the brilliance of Seinfeld. Most comedy shows take premises that have obvious potential for humor, and run with them (whether successfully or not). Seinfeld takes "nothing," the minutia of daily life, and makes it funny.

All the episodes are the full-length network versions, not the trimmed syndicated versions. Yay.

The DVD

Season 8 is packaged as the other seasons, with the four DVDs in ultra-slim keepcases inside a slipcase, with an outer slipcase on top.

Video

The episodes look great, as they have for the past seasons. The image is clean, clear, and natural-looking, with lively colors and well-handled contrast. There's occasionally a touch of grain in the outdoor shots, but the other material looks consistently clean. It would be impossible to go back to watching miscellaneous episodes caught on TV, after seeing such a nice transfer available on DVD. The episodes appear in their original aspect ratio of 1.33:1.

Audio

The Dolby 2.0 audio sounds great: the actors' voices are always natural-sounding, with a nice clarity and distinctness to the track. That's particularly important in a show that relies a lot on verbal humor: even an almost-sotto-voce remark like Kramer's description of Elaine's dancing in "The Little Kicks" ("... you stink!...") is captured just right. The laugh tracks are handled well, and are appropriately balanced with the rest of the track. A dubbed French 2.0 track is included, as are English closed captions and subtitles in French, Spanish, and Portuguese.

Extras

As usual, there's a generous serving of special features for Seinfeld fans.

Disc 1 starts with "Jerry Seinfeld: Submarine Captain," a 23-minute documentary featurette that takes a look at Jerry Seinfeld (the actor, not the character) and how he pulled the show together. It's an interesting piece that includes interview segments with the other cast members, writers, and other people involved with the show. We get 17 minutes of "Inside Looks" and two brief deleted scenes (about 2 minutes).

Disc 2 includes "The Del Boca Vista Express," a "Sein-imation" animation of a short Seinfeld stand-up routine, 18 minutes of "Inside Looks," and three deleted scenes (2 minutes).

Disc 3 has a "Sein-imation" of "Pinky Toe's Wild Ride," 15 minutes of "Inside Looks," and four deleted scenes (5 minutes)

Disc 4's main special feature is a 24-minute blooper reel, which goes to show how much effort is involved in keeping a straight face with the material; it also includes 26 minutes of "Inside Looks" and five deleted scenes (7 minutes)

All four discs have the option of "Notes about Nothing" (text pop-ups during the episode) for all the episodes. We also get commentaries for many of the episodes here:

Commentaries:

"The Bizarro Jerry": David Mandel (writer)

"The Little Kicks": Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Jason Alexander, and Spike Feresten (writer)

"The Fatigues": Gregg Kavet and Andy Robin (writers)

"The Checks": Tom Gammell and Max Pross (writers and consulting producers)

"The Chicken Roaster" has two commentaries: one with Jeff Schaffer and Alec Berg (writers), and the other with Jerry Seinfeld and Andy Ackerman

"The Abstinence": Jerry Seinfeld, Andy Ackerman (producer) and Steve Koren (writer)

"The Comeback": Andy Robin and Gregg Kavet (writers)

"The Susie": David Mandel (writer)

"The Pothole": Jerry Seinfeld, Andy Ackerman (producer), and Dan O'Keefe (director and writer)

"The Nap": Andy Robin and Gregg Kavet (writers)

"The Yada Yada": Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Jason Alexander, and Peter Mehlman (writer)

"The Muffin Tops": Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Jason Alexander, and Spike Feresten (writer)

"The Summer of George": Alec Berg and Jeff Schaffer (writers)

Final thoughts

It's Seinfeld. It's my favorite comedy series of all time, and, I would argue, the best comedy series ever. What's not to like? Season 8 has a slightly more absurdist flavor than the earlier seasons, which to my mind is a natural progression of some of the funniest elements that have developed as the series grew. It's a season that's a real treat for fans, giving us a chance to really enjoy the humor of self-reference as well as the hilarious stories about the "nothing" of daily life. I can't think of any possible reason not to rate this season up there with the last few, and give it a resounding DVD Talk Collector's Series recommendation.

WWE THE BEST LADDER MATCHES DVD TALK REVIEW

Somewhere between my affinity for globetrotting documentaries, Martin Scorsese films and The Criterion Collection, I found a soft spot for professional wrestling. Don't ask me how this happened; it just did. Despite this declaration, I shower daily, all my teeth are accounted for, I have a college degree...and, most importantly, I have a wife with the same merits. I'm not alone, of course. The wrestling fans I know aren't slack-jawed yokels; they simply appreciate the spectacle and illusion that this genuine sport creates, in the same way movie lovers enjoy fast-paced fights and thrilling chase sequences. Long story short: we know this stuff is "fake", but we like it anyway.

Speaking of fast-paced fights and thrilling chase sequences, it's doubtful that you'll find a better example of these in wrestling than a ladder match. Typically, here's how it works: a desired object (such as a championship belt) is suspended high above the ring, only accessible by a ladder. The only way to win, of course, is by obtaining the object before your opponent does---and doing so requires much more physical risk than a traditional wrestling match. One slip could lead to a concussion, a broken bone or worse---but if there's one thing that any athlete should understand, it's that physical risk is always a reality.

Contrary to popular opinion, the ladder match was not created by the WWF in the early 1990s. It may have reached mainstream popularity through the promotion---evolving quite a bit in the process, of course---but the basic concept was dreamed up by an athlete and booker named Dan Kroffat in Canada's Stampede Wrestling, circa 1972. Though this type of match didn't exactly spread quickly, more ladder matches were held in various promotions throughout the years---and for history's sake, one such bout (from Smoky Mountain Wrestling, circa 1979) is included in The Ladder Match, WWE's three-disc "best of" compilation. For the most part, though, the ladder match's evolution during the last decade devours most of this collection's nine-hour running time. Even though a few key matches didn't make the cut, there's certainly enough memorable footage here to satisfy wrestling fans.

Of course, the presentation of these matches should be of interest to fans, and The Ladder Match does a passable job in most respects. As with all WWE DVD releases from the past several years, WWF's stylized logo from the "Attitude Era" has been blurred out completely (as a result of the World Wildlife Fund lawsuit), while all mentions of the company name by ringside commentators have been muted. This editing should be all-too-familiar to wrestling fans by now, so it's hardly a distraction anymore. The entrances to each match---including pyrotechnics, music, and a few recap montages---appear to be complete and intact across the board, which is certainly a nice touch. These matches also include new introductions by WWE personality Todd Grisham---and though a few of them are rather groan-inducing, Grisham is often paired with a participant from each one (including Edge, Ric Flair and Jeff Hardy).

Of course, a few nitpicks keep this collection from being perfect. The exclusion of the classic Razor Ramon vs. Shawn Michaels ladder match---their first of two, from Wrestlemania X---is fairly surprising (NOTE: a few highlight clips are shown), though this particular match has already been included in Michael's From the Vault DVD. Other fan favorites (including a few RVD vs. Jeff Hardy bouts and a tag match from Judgment Day 2003) are also missing in action---and though it's almost foolish to expect everything of note, WWE has come frustratingly close. Perhaps a future installment of The Ladder Match may fill in the gaps, but it's still tough to be disappointed overall.

Here's the bottom line: from start to finish, these matches speak for themselves. There's roughly nine hours of terrific content here, including plenty of death-defying leaps and nail-biting finishes. From TV tapings to sold-out pay-per-views, the bulk of these bouts stole the show on their respective nights. We'll see a pair of early matches from WWF's more innocent years (including a classic between Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels, held a year before Wrestlemania X), the introduction of "Tables, Ladders and Chairs", a few notable "Money in the Bank" contests and much more. Though a few laughable storylines clog up otherwise flawless matches (including the eye-rolling "Custody Match" from Summerslam 2005), this is WWE's most consistently entertaining and accessible release thus far.

Complete Match Listing
(21 matches on 3 single-sided DVDs)

Disc One

Jake Roberts vs. Big Daddy Ritter [AKA Junkyard Dog] (Stampede Wrestling, 1979)
Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels (WWF House show, 7/92)
Shawn Michaels vs. Razor Ramon (WWF Summerslam, 1995)
Triple H vs. The Rock (WWF Summerslam, 1998)
Edge & Christian vs. The New Brood (WWF No Mercy, 1999)
Dudley Boyz vs. Hardy Boyz vs. Edge & Christian (WWF Summerslam, 2000)
3 Count vs. Jung Dragons vs. Jamie Knoble & Evan Karagias (WCW Starrcade, 2000)
Chris Benoit vs. Chris Jericho (WWF Royal Rumble, 2001)

Disc Two:

Edge & Christian vs. Dudley Boyz vs. Hardy Boyz (WWF Wrestlemania X-7, 2001)
Edge & Christian vs. Dudley Boyz vs. Hardy Boyz vs. Jericho & Benoit (WWF Smackdown, 5/4/01)
Christian vs. Edge (WWF No Mercy, 2001)
Eddie Guerrero vs. Rob Van Dam (WWF Raw, 5/27/02)
Jeff Hardy vs. The Undertaker ( WWF Raw, 7/1/02)
Kane & Hurricane vs. RVD & Jeff Hardy vs. The Dudleys vs. Jericho & Christian (WWE Raw, 10/7/02)
Chris Jericho vs. Christian (WWE Unforgiven, 2004)

Disc Three

Benoit vs. Jericho vs. Edge vs. Shelton Benjamin vs. Christian vs. Kane (WWE Wrestlemania 21, 2005)
Eddie Guerrero vs. Rey Mysterio (WWE Summerslam, 2005)
Edge vs. Matt Hardy (WWE Raw, 10/3/05)
Edge vs. Ric Flair (WWE Raw, 1/16/06)
John Cena vs. Edge (WWE Unforgiven, 2006)
Jeff Hardy vs. Johnny Nitro (WWE Raw, 11/20/06)
London & Kendrick vs. MNM vs. The Hardys vs. Regal & Taylor (WWE Armageddon, 2006)

Quality Control Department

Video & Audio Quality

Presented in its original 1.33:1 aspect ratio, The Ladder Match is easily on par with the most recent crop of WWE DVD releases. Colors are generally bold and bright, though some of the older footage shows its age at times. Mild pixellation and artifacts can be seen during certain pyrotechnic sequences, but these are generally kept to a minimum. Overall, fans shouldn't find much to complain about.

Most of the audio has been presented in a fairly standard 2.0 Surround mix; likewise, it's about as good as the source material will allow. Sounds and play-by-play commentary come through loud and clear, though the older footage is obviously a bit flat in comparison. Not surprisingly, subtitles and Closed Caption support have not been included.

Menu Design, Presentation & Packaging Seen above, the animated menu designs are basic and easy to navigate. Each match has been presented with a new introduction (which can be bypassed), while no obvious layer changes were detected during playback. This three-disc release is housed in a foldout digipak case with an index booklet; a slipcover is not included, but you won't miss it.

Bonus Features No traditional extras have been included here (unless you count the new intros), but it's hard to complain with roughly nine hours of content to dig through. Still, a few optional audio commentaries would've been interesting, as well as a few of the missing matches mentioned above. A proper star rating has not been given for this department, but that certainly doesn't mean this collection isn't worth the price of admission.

Final Thoughts

Even at roughly nine hours in length, there's still never a dull moment during WWE's The Ladder Match collection. This entertaining, action-packed three-disc set gives wrestling fans plenty of bang for the buck---and even with a few surprising omissions, they've managed to cover the bases fairly well. Audio/video quality is easily on par with recent WWE releases, while the technical lack of bonus features is only due to the presentation format. With a relatively low retail price and sky-high replay value, it's no surprise that The Ladder Match is a must-have for wrestling fans...if they haven't bought it already, of course. Highly Recommended.

STICK IT DVD TALK REVIEW AND TRAILER

HERE IS THE TRAILER FOR THE MOVIE STICK IT



Jessica Bendiger, who wrote the smarter-than-it-should-have-been script for Peyton Reed's cheerleader comedy Bring It On, attempts a two-fer with her directorial effort and, well, she gets points for difficulty but chokes on the dismount.

This time, it's all about gymnastics. The girl-centric, Karate Kid-wannabe plot just begs the question, hasn't there already been a girl Karate Kid movie? Didn't it star Hilary Swank and, you know, suck? The answer is yes, yes and yes, but apparently someone at Buena Vista forgot and made another one.

Missy Peregrym, a graduate of the same genetic research lab that spat out Piper Perabo and Amanda Peet, stars as Haley Graham, a rebellious teen facing time in either a juvenile facility or military school unless she ... trains in gymnastics. Huh? Is this common in the juvenile courts? Are ne'er-so-well youths being sent to cooking school and band camp instead of juvie these days? And, if so, why hasn't Stone Phillips done a searing expose on the subject?

Ah, but Haley was once a world-class gymnast who, of course, walked out of the Nationals two years earlier, leaving her team in the lurch and gaining a reputation as a, um, walker-outter. So her parents and the tough-but-fair juvenile court judge (Polly Holliday -- Flo from TV's "Alice!") make her go back and face her past. Apparently, walking out is as bad as it gets in Gymnasticland, because her bad-girl rep precedes her, and some of the other girls are (gasp!) rude to her. Her new coach also has a rep -- the girls who train at Burt Vickerman's school are known to sustain a lot of injuries (although we never see this problem) and he's known more as moneymaker than a motivator. So when he and Haley butt heads (of course), each learns a valuable lesson about integrity. Or something.

But here's the thing -- Vickerman's played by Jeff Bridges. And it's always delightful watching Bridges work, even when he's obviously slumming. He brings a charming, irascible, well-worn quality to the aging coach, and even when the movie sort of sucks (which is often) the quirky little flavors he brings to the character are never less than brilliant.

Stick It takes a really nice turn in its last act, veering in a very different direction than other flicks of its kind, but it's an uneven sort of development. Bendiger's script and direction belie a desire to make something fresh and new while still sticking to the old template of bad girl learns a lesson/snotty girl becomes her friend/dress-up musical montage in the mall/potential failure then triumph at the competition. And you really can't have it both ways. The gymnastics are cool, Peregrym is almost believable as an athlete (even though she's too tall and her breasts are a tad too big to compete successfully at that level) and, as mentioned, Jeff Bridges is his usual awesome self. Stick It doesn't entirely suck � but it's far from successful, making it a pale imitation of Bring It On that's only good entertainment for less-discerning 'tween gymnastics enthusiasts.

The DVD:
If you're a fan of the film, the DVD is a must-buy -- there are loads of genuinely entertaining extras, so if you or your 13-year-old daughter are nuts for Stick It, you may as well just buy the damn thing now so you can watch it over and over and over.

The video:
It's an absolutely gorgeous transfer, but that should be expected from brand-spanking-new movies at this point -- a clean, crisp anamorphic 1.85:1 picture with excellent color saturation and no noticeable edge enhancement. Really sharp, in every way.

The audio:
The sound is equally good, in Dolby Digital 5.1 surround (English, Spanish or French, with optional subtitles in each language). This isn't an effects-heavy film, but the hip-hop music track is a big part of its appeal, and the sound mix balances big, bold bass lines and dialogue nicely.

The Extras:
First up, there are two audio commentaries, one with writer/director Bendinger and actresses Missy Peregrym and Vanessa Lengies, and another with Bendiger, cinematographer Daryn Okada and editor Troy Takaki. They're pretty standard commentaries, focusing on specifics of the scenes, and how much fun it was to work with everyone, etc. Naturally, the second track is more tech-heavy, which is great if you like that sort of thing.

"Buttaharas," the inevitable blooper reel of gymnasts falling, actors blowing lines and Peregrym making a seemingly endless series of "funny" faces. (3 min.)

"Skinny Fat," offering deleted scenes with optional filmmaker commentary. Most aren't worth the trouble, but one sequence featuring Bridges and the girls making a run to a drugstore is absolutely hilarious. (13 min.)

Music videos for Missy Elliott's "We Run This (Stick It Edit)" and "Crowded" by Jeannie Ortega. Elliott's is cool and cutting edge with terrific dancing, while Ortega's is standard-issue movie clips intercut with her Aguilera-like singing.

"Hard Corps: The Real Gymnasts of Stick It" is just what it says it is, a delightful little snippet introducing the real stunt-double gymnasts. (4 min.)

"The Elites" offers full gymnastics routines -- floor, beam and uneven bars -- by some of the film's stand-in gymnasts. (9 min.)

"The Judges Table" shows the very impressive individual uneven bar routines, in slow-motion, that were used as part of the film's visual effects.(9 min.)

The bottom line:
If you're a grown-up who's hoping this film will be the equal of Bendiger's Bring It On, you'll be disappointed -- as an example of how a good director can make a script sing, you can't do much better than comparing Peyton Reed's direction on that far superior film with Bendiger's here. On the other hand, if you're a girl between the ages of 12 and 15, you'll probably love Stick It, and if that's the case, this DVD release offers a lot of bonus features that you'll adore.

TENACIOUS D AND THE PICK OF DESTINY TRAILER AND REVIEW FROM DVD TALK

Whether you've become familiar with "mock rock" outfit Tenacious D during their HBO series (airing sporadically from 1997-2000), their full-length debut album (2001) or the two-disc Complete Masterworks DVD (2003), they're certainly an easy act to remember. Comprised of actors / musicians Jack Black (High Fidelity, Mars Attacks!) and Kyle Gass (Jacob's Ladder, Elf), this two-man supergroup dubbed itself "The Greatest Band in the World" soon after its formation in the mid 1990s. Their goofy, lowbrow lyrics may trick casual fans into thinking "The D" is purely a joke act---and to be fair, nearly all of their material is completely tongue-in-cheek---but make no mistake about it, Black (AKA "JB" or "Jables") and Gass (AKA "KG" or "Rage Kage") are both talented musicians, songwriters and performers. Remember: great satire is only possible if you actually respect and understand the source material. Here's looking at you, Date Movie.

Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny (2006) brings the band's legacy to the big screen; luckily, it's everything you'd expect it to be: lowbrow, self-assured and full of catchy hooks. In no small part, it serves as a travelogue of The D's origin story and early adventures...with plenty of details embellished, of course. Our story begins as young JB (Troy Gentile, who also portrayed a young Black in Nacho Libre) grows increasingly frustrated with his Bible Belt parents and their anti-rock ways; seeking advice from Black Sabbath's Ronnie James Dio (below left), JB begins a journey to find his future partner-in-crime. Our heroes finally meet in Venice Beach and eventually begin their training while focusing their sights on The Pick of Destiny, an all-powerful guitar pick made of Satan's own tooth.

Tucked inside the film's free-wheeling, musically-charged exterior, however, is a fairly basic road trip story that sees our heroes looking to score rent money. They've got to rescue The Pick from the guarded interior of Sacramento's Rock & Roll Museum---but it's really not the pick itself that they're seeking, it's the success that will hopefully follow. Through hallucinations, a daring heist, a car chase, the Valley of the Shadow of Death and a "rock-off" with Beelzeboss himself, The D take their schtick one step farther with a bigger budget, a few recycled gags...and, of course, non-stock rocking. Part Bill & Ted, part Blues Brothers and part Pee-Wee's Big Adventure, The Pick of Destiny isn't entirely original but it is pretty darn entertaining. If you've heard their material, it shouldn't be a surprise.

Directed and co-written by Liam Lynch (Jesus Is Magic, TV's Sifl & Olly), The Pick of Destiny plays its tarot cards right during most of the 94-minute running time. The episodic pacing is fairly standard for a road movie, hitting plenty of right notes early and keeping the laughs coming throughout. Featuring appearances by famed rockers Ronnie James Dio, Meat Loaf and Dave Grohl as well as longtime D pals Tim Robbins, Ben Stiller and others, it should keep plenty of die-hard fans happy without (hopefully) scaring off too many outsiders. Though it didn't exactly set the box office on fire last November, The Pick of Destiny is a predicable yet satisfying comedy that doesn't take itself too seriously.

Presented on DVD by New Line Home Entertainment (and as part of their Platinum Series line, no less), you'd never suspect The Pick of Destiny tanked by what we get here. Fans can look forward to an excellent technical presentation, while a host of entertaining extras provide plenty of support. All things considered, it's a well-rounded package that does the film plenty of face-melting justice. Let's take a closer look, shall we?

Video & Audio Quality

Presented in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio and enhanced for widescreen displays, The Pick of Destiny looks surprisingly good from start to finish. The film's warm color palette appears consistent and natural, black levels are solid and no major digital problems (edge enhancement and pixellation, for example) are on display. Long story short: comedies usually don't look this strong, so fans should be pleased with New Line's respectable efforts.

The audio is presented in robust Dolby 5.1 Surround EX and DTS-ES 6.1 mixes (as well as a more modest 2.0 track), all of which pass with flying colors. Obviously, such a musically-driven effort needs to have plenty of power behind it; luckily, all the channels are put to good use on many occasions. The film's non-stop dialogue is clean and clear throughout, while never fighting for attention during the frequent sonic assaults. Optional English and Spanish subtitles, as well as Closed Captioning support, are available during the main feature.

Menu Design, Presentation & Packaging Seen above, the animated menu designs are basic and easy to navigate. The 94-minute main feature has been divided into 14 chapters, while no obvious layer change was detected during playback. This one-disc release is housed in a standard black keepcase and includes a matching slipcover and promotional insert.

Bonus Features Though everything is squeezed onto one disc, there's plenty to dig through after the closing credits. Leading things off is a pair of Audio Commentaries; the first features stars Jack Black and Kyle Gass, while the second features director Liam Lynch. As expected, Black and Gass offer an entertaining and laid-back commentary, dishing out plenty of interesting tidbits and casual banter that D-sciples should appreciate. Lynch's track is a bit more low-key, but his frankness is appreciated; though this obviously isn't a technical tour-de-force, it doesn't overlap with the first track as much as you'd think. It's odd that all three participants weren't recorded together, but fans shouldn't mind the choice.

Tying in nicely is a Behind-the-Scenes Documentary (23:08, below left); it's a fairly standard featurette in most respects, touching on the film's pre-production, band history, cast, script and so on. The charisma of Black and Gass help to speed things along nicely, while comments from crew members and cast are also appreciated.

Also included is a collection of Deleted & Extended Scenes (16 clips with optional intro by director Liam Lynch, 30:09 total), including a longer version of the car chase, an alternate ending and a few minutes of outtakes. Everything here is worth checking out at least once, but it's easy to see why some of it didn't make the final cut.

Fans can also look forward to a small chunk of Studio Footage (21:34) featuring The D and composer John King goofing around in the studio...and occasionally laying down a few tracks, slowly but surely. Also here is a Music Video (2:25) for the title track, as well as a brief Featurette (4:44, above right) covering the music video's production; both are short and to the point, featuring additional comments by director Lynch and a few extras.

Closing things out is a handy Jump To A Song feature, allowing direct access to any of the film's 12 major music cues (including a "Play All" option), as well as the film's Theatrical Trailer (1:31) and Teaser Trailer (1:46). Also included is a handful of Sneak Peeks at current and upcoming New Line DVD releases, including Pan's Labyrinth.

All extras are presented in anamorphic widescreen and most include optional English subtitles. Since most major studios don't go the extra mile, it makes The Pick of Destiny seem that much more polished in comparison.

Created with die-hard D fans in mind, The Pick of Destiny successfully blends great music, goofy antics and a light-hearted story with energy to spare. That's not to say that newcomers won't enjoy themselves, but it's probably a good idea to get acquainted before jumping right in. Those who enjoyed the film theatrically should enjoy New Line's DVD package, equipped with an excellent technical presentation and a goblet full of entertaining extras. Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny may be a one-note song full of lowbrow humor, but darned if it isn't catchy. Highly Recommended.

HERE IS THE TRAILER FOR THE MOVIE

E3 NEXT WEEK

NEXT WEEK IS ONE OF THE BIGGEST GAMING EXPO'S OF THE YEAR E3 AND I WILL BE BRINGING YOU ALL THE VIDEO GAME NEWS FROM E3 ALL NEXT WEEK.

HOW TO GET NEW MOVIES ONLINE

HERE IS A GUIDE TO GETTING NEW HIT MOVIES ONLINE FOR CHEAP 35 DOLLARS FROM NEWSGROUPS AND FROM NEWZBIN.

STEP 1 YOU NEED TO GO TO WWW.GIGANEWS.COM.

STEP 2 IS YOU SHOULD SIGN UP FOR 24.99 FOR THE UNLIMITED SPACE BECAUSE THAT WAY YOU CAN'T RUN OUT OF SPACE EVERY MONTH.

STEP 3 ONCE YOU PAY THE 25 DOLLARS YOU NOW GO TO EITHER WWW.NEWSLEECHER.COM OR GO TO WWW.SHEMES.COM AND DOWNLOAD THE FREE TRIAL OF GRAB IT OR YOU CAN BUY NEWSLEECHER FOR 30 DOLLARS FOR ONE YEAR.

STEP 4 NOW THAT YOU HAVE GRAB IT AND YOU HAVE THE SERVICE FROM GIGANEWS OPEN GRAB IT AND IT ASKS YOU TO PUT IN THE NEWS SERVER YOU PUT IN NEWS.GIGANEWS.COM AND THEN PUT IN YOUR NICK NAME AND PASSWORD THAT YOU GOT FROM GIGANEWS.

STEP 5 NOW YOU CAN USE EITHER THE SEARCH FROM GRAB IT TO SEARCH FOR FILES OR GO TO WWW.NEWZBIN.COM IT IS A SERVICE THAT YOU NEED TO SPEND BETWEEN 2-4 DOLLARS FOR 60 DAYS OF SERVICE ITS A GOOD DEAL. NEWSGROUPS POST FILES AND THEN THEY POST FILES CALLED NZBS WHICH YOU OPEN WITH GRAB IT OR NEWSLEECHER AND THEY LET YOU DOWNLOAD THE MOVIE OR GAME OR TV SHOW WHATEVER THE FILE YOU WANT. ONCE THE FILE IS DOWNLOADED WHICH COULD TAKE YOU ANYWHERE FROM 10 MINUTES TO 2 HOURS DEPENDING ON THE FILE WHEN IT IS DONE YOU OPEN THE FILE WITH WINRAR AND EXTRACT THE FILE AND THEN YOU CAN WATCH THE MOVIE YOU DOWNLOADED.

ANY COMMENTS ARE WELCOMED.

PS3 VS XBOX 360 WHICH WILL YOU SPEND YOUR MONEY ON?

I OWNED BOTH AT ONE TIME THE 360 FOR ME SUCKED BECAUSE OF ONE MAIN THING THAT THE PS3 DOES NOT HAVE THAT THE 360 DOES AND THAT IS THE NOISE. MY 360 WAS SO LOUD THAT I NEEDED TO PUT A PILLOW ON IT JUST TO PLAY MY GAMES FOR A FEW MINUTES TO AN HOUR. I PLAYED WWE SMACKDOWN VS RAW 2007 ON IT AND EVERY TIME I PLAYED IT THE GAME WOULD MAKE SO MUCH NOISE I COULD NOT PLAY IT FOR HOURS LIKE I DO WITH EVERY OTHER SMACKDOWN GAME I HAVE PLAYED SO I DECIDED TO BUY A PSP AND THE SAME GAME SMACKDOWN VS RAW 2007 AND GUESS WHAT I PLAY THE GAME FOR HOURS AND NOT GET BORED BECAUSE I CAN HEAR THE GAME AND NOT THE MACHINE NOISE. NOW I THOUGHT THAT THE PS3 WOULD BE JUST AS LOUD BUT I HEARD FROM OTHER OWNERS THAT SAID THE MACHINE IS QUIETER THAN THE 360 AND BOY WERE THEY RIGHT THE MACHINE STARTS UP WITHOUT THE LOUD NOISE AND YOU CAN PLAY FOR HOURS WITHOUT THE MACHINE HEATING UP. SO FOR ME I THINK THE PLAYSTATION 3 IS SO MUCH BETTER THAN THE 360 THAT I SOLD MY XBOX FOR 3 GAMES ON THE PS3 AND TO RESERVE SMACKDOWN VS RAW 2008 WHICH I CAN'T WAIT FOR. WRITE ANY COMMENTS IF YOU GUYS HAVE ANY ON WHETHER YOU THINK THE 360 IS BETTER OR THE PS3 IS BETTER.

PS3 100 DOLLAR PRICE CUT STARTING THE 12TH OF JULY FROM GAMINGTRUTH.COM

Sony hasn’t confirmed it yet but the people at GameDaily Biz received confirmation from a retail sector that the PS3 will be dropped to $499 next week.

This first started when somebody posted an Circuit City ad (shown above) showing the PS3 with the $100 price cut. Many people thought that it was just a promotion Circuit City was doing but one of the world’s biggest retailers confirmed that it is retail-wide. The $499 PS3 will go on sale July 12 with but the new ads promoting the price cut won’t hit till July 15.

Probably the biggest gripe about the system has been answer. I know some are going to say but where are games and I believe Sony will answer that at E3. If you were on the fence between which system to get I’m sure this made it a lot harder to chose now.

Sony is listening to the people it seems and this price cut although early is exactly what it needed. This should change a lot of people’s mind about buying the PS3. If your not happy with this then there’s nothing I can say but either way you look at it Sony made the right move with this price cut because this is exactly what people wanted.

MICHAEL MOORE'S SICKO PIRATED FROM HOLLYWOOD.COM

HOLLYWOOD - According to online reports, Michael Moore’s new documentary Sicko has been leaked and is available for download on several peer-to-peer file-sharing Web sites--two weeks before its June 29 release. In Sicko, Moore--who won an Academy Award for his 2003 documentary Bowling for Columbine--takes the U.S. healthcare system to task. The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival last month to a standing ovation and rave reviews. Although Moore has yet to comment on the leak, the controversial filmmaker has taken a lenient attitude towards online file-sharing in the past. In 2004, Moore stated in an interview he did not have a problem with people illegally downloading his film Fahrenheit 9/11. “I don’t agree with the copyright laws and I don’t have a problem with people downloading the movie and sharing it with people,” Moore said. “As long they’re not doing it to make a profit off it, as long as they’re not trying to make a profit off my labor. I would oppose that… I make these books and movies and TV shows because I want things to change and so the more people that get to see them the better. I’m happy when that happens.” This is the second pre-release leak in less than a month for a film distributed by Lionsgate Entertainment. A studio-quality workprint version of Eli Roth’s horror flick Hostel: Part II was spotted on peer-to-peer networks May 29--ten days before its June 8 release date.

LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD HOLLYWOOD.COM REVIEW

Hollywood.com Says

You can stop cringing at the idea of another Die Hard installment. Bruce Willis nails it in this fourth go-around, with just as much spectacular action to give any adrenaline junkie a good fix.

Story
The story, too, is just as out-there as only a good Die Hard installment can be. Seems the enemy this time is a slick computer hacker, Thomas Gabriel (Timothy Olyphant), who holds the U.S. hostage by systematically breaking down its digital infrastructure. First, he takes down the transportation grids, then creates panic on the financial market and finally, he shuts off all utilities—gas, electricity, et al. The hackers call it a “firesale" (as in everything must go), but it isn’t as far-fetched as one might think. Of course, what Gabriel doesn’t figure on is one NYPD cop named John McClane (Willis), who inadvertently gets involved when he’s called to pick up Matt Farrell (Justin Long), a young hacker being targeted by Gabriel. Ah yes, the old wrong-place-at-the-wrong-time adage, which follows McClane wherever he goes. Now, with Farrell in tow explaining to the fossilized cop exactly what the hell is going on, McClane has to become “that guy” once again to save the country—and his daughter (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), who Gabriel tries to use to bring McClane down. Big mistake.

Acting
Come on, did we really doubt Bruce Willis could pull off one more Die Hard adventure? Look how long Harrison Ford did the action hero thing—and Willis looks to be in way better shape. The other thing Willis does to bring us in again and again is give his alter-ego humility. His McClane is one of the best Everyman heroes to grace the big screen, and Willis makes sure we know that no matter what dire situation McClane finds himself in, he's never going to stop doing his job—even if he gets the crap beat out of him along the way. Nobody—save for maybe Harrison Ford—plays hurt better than Willis. Of course, he gets hurt plenty in Live Free or Die Hard, but the quieter moments between McClane and Farrell—played by the scruffy sweet-natured Long (the guy in the Apple/IBM commercials)—are quite humorous and enlightening as well. McClane knows he’s almost too old-school but is willing to learn a few new tricks—just so long as he can still do it his way. Olyphant (HBO's Deadwood) also does a fine job as the hacker villain whose uber-geekiness has given him the upper hand. He doesn’t just think he’s smarter than everyone else, he IS smarter than everyone else—except, he isn’t very handy with a gun or a car or a helicopter or a semi-truck. That’s McClane’s department.

Direction
Wow, where to begin. Be it a car flying up a tollbooth and slamming into a hovering helicopter or a semi-truck outrunning a jet armed with close-range missiles or McClane hanging precariously from a boxcar in an elevator shaft while kung-fu fighting a key henchwoman, director Len Wiseman (of the Underworlds fame) knows exactly where the Live Free or Die Hard bread is buttered: the action. It’s all we really want from our Die Hard movies. That, and maybe Bruce Willis’ sexy bald head. And it doesn’t really matter to us if the stunts were accomplished the old-fashioned way or with special effects. No, we just want to laugh at McClane muttering to himself just as he’s about to engage in a car chase, “Sure, just go pick up the kid and bring him to Washington, D.C. No problem, piece of cake!” Then we want to sit through one implausible way the grizzled cop escapes death after another, grab our seats and thoroughly enjoy ourselves. Now, the wincing might start again if they decide to do a fifth one...

TRANSFORMER HOLLYWOOD.COM REVIEW

Hollywood.com Says

When Transformers is going strong early on, it’s the grandest—in every sense of the word—entertainment in years. But during the second half it either burns out or burns us out, an amnesia only Michael Bay can induce.

Story
Remember when you were younger and you would hold one Transformer action figure in each hand, maybe have Optimus Prime square off against the sinister Megatron? Well, each of them could now hold your entire body with the curl of their mechanical pinkies—that’s the scale on which Michael Bay operates in every movie, not just Transformers. Our first glimpse of the ‘bots comes in the deserts of Qatar, where a shape-shifting helicopter makes quick work of defenseless U.S. soldiers. But what they’re really after is a keepsake held by an unsuspecting teenager, Sam (Shia LaBeouf), who is actually trying to unload the item on eBay. Sam, however, soon finds out that this family heirloom is the key to Earth’s survival—and that his seemingly beat-up jalopy of a car is Bumblebee, a member of the well-intentioned Autobot Transformers. Bumblebee repeatedly saves his life and that of his high school crush (Megan Fox) before the evil Decepticons descend upon our planet to take matters into their own “hands.” But they’ll have to contend with the likes of all Autobots to win the war—as well as some pissed-off humanoids, like the Secretary of Defense (Jon Voight) and a couple of soldiers (Josh Duhamel and Tyrese Gibson).

Acting
In Transformers, there seems to be a hierarchy of strength of performance—by order of age, starting with the youngest. In such an uber-CGI extravaganza, one might expect the older actors to have a better handle on the blue screen-as-a-costar dynamic, but that’s not the case. Take Shia LaBeouf, hottest ‘it’ boy since the last one. The fact that his ‘it’ predecessor is already forgotten doesn’t bode well for Shia; then again, that person didn’t have Indiana Jones IV lined up. Despite being the youngest, LaBeouf has as much experience as anyone not named Jon Voight, and it shows. He blows away every other actor, and when he’s not merely coexisting with Optimus Prime and co., he steals their thunder, too. LaBeouf’s comedic timing is so astounding and infectious that even his eager-to-hate generation of viewers will cheer instead of jeer, but it’s his overall energy that gets us in the mood before the Transformers make their proper entrance. Megan Fox will also get people in the mood, for slightly different reasons. Most male viewers will have to mop up their drool after watching the Angelina Jolie wannabe in action—if not for her looks then for her mechanical proficiency—but her and LaBeouf’s elders are, well, outdated. Duhamel, there for sex appeal to the chaperone set, is just so damn lucky he doesn’t look like Paul Giamatti, but he and a seldom-seen Tyrese aren’t as off-key as John Turturro (as a government agent) and Voight. Voight’s age, to put it bluntly, prevents him from keeping up with the action and its breakneck pace. Luckily, no actor has a long take without Transformers intervening.

Direction
Call Michael Bay Grandmaster Cinema—cinema’s master of grand. To him, quality in film is apparently measured by size and decibels, and it has always been the reason for his movies’ death (and, to his credit, financial successes). At least Transformers’ demise takes a while to surface. Bay, the director responsible for making anyone born circa 2001 think that Pearl Harbor is a theme park, fancies his special effects more integral than the actors or story. But Transformers has a first half that is among the most entertaining in years, thanks to its balance of all three of those elements. The story—a near masterpiece in kitsch screenwriting from Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman—is for a while cohesive and so genuinely funny that it’s sustenance for the audience whenever Transformers aren’t present. And Bay shows the 30-foot-tall robots sparingly at first, great foreplay for an unforgettable scene involving their official chase-sequence intro. The Transformers are groundbreaking, not only in the literal sense but insofar as a new special-effects bar has been set, with a mix of live action and CGI. The movie is clicking on all cylinders at this point. But somewhere along the way, albeit subtly, the story ceases that coherence—or rather, ceases altogether, as the Bay of old takes over and cuts loose. It’s as if his disease was in remission for much of the movie and then he had an action relapse. The overlong ending features, nay, is his trademark special-effects orgy, and Transformers flying through buildings and ripping apart a city is suddenly uninteresting. What was once exciting and controlled is now mundane, as Pearl Harbor has come to the metropolis—with robots.

BENOIT MURDERS SON AND WIFE AND THEN KILLS HIMSELF

AS MANY OF YOU HAVE HEARD WWE WRESTLER CHRIS BENOIT HAS SUPPOSEDLY KILLED HIS WIFE AND HIS SON AND THEN MURDERED HIMSELF LAST WEEKEND. I THINK THE MEDIA HAS DONE A HORRIBLE JOB WITH THIS NEWS BECAUSE BEFORE THEY HAD ALL THE FACTS THEY MENTIONED THAT HE KILLED HIMSELF AND HIS FAMILY EVEN WHEN THE INVESTIGATION WAS STILL GOING ON. I MEAN HERE IS A GUY WHO ALL HIS FRIENDS SAY THAT HE LOVED HIS FAMILY AND WAS KIND TO EVERYONE AND THEN SOMETHING IN HIM SNAPS AND HE PUTS HIS WIFE IN A CHAIR AND TIED HER UP AND THEN STRANGLED HER AND THEN HE WAITS A LITTLE WHILE AND GOES TO DANIEL HIS SON AND SUPPOSEDLY USES HIS OWN FINISHING MOVE THE CRIPPLER CROSSFACE ON HIM AND THEN KILLS HIM TOO AND THEN THE NEXT DAY OR THE SAME DAY THEY DON'T REALLY KNOW YET HE KILLS HIMSELF IN HIS OWN GYM. I THINK THERE IS STILL MORE TO THE STORY THEN WHAT WE KNOW BUT THEN THE NEXT FEW DAYS FRIENDS SAY THAT HE WAS ACTING STRANGE AND THEN WE FIND OUT THAT HE HAS BEEN ON STEROIDS AND TAKEN THEM FOR THE LAST YEAR AND NOT JUST SOME BUT A LOT OF THEM LIKE EVERY 3-4 WEEKS HE TAKES A 10 MONTH SUPPLY OF STEROIDS THAT IS INSANE THAT HE LASTED THAT LONG I MEAN WHO WOULD BE TAKING A 10 MONTH SUPPLY EVERY MONTH ESPECIALLY WITH THE PAST THAT THE WWE HAS HAD IN DEATHS RECENTLY I MEAN HIS BEST FRIEND EDDIE GUERRERO DIED A YEAR AGO FROM A DELAYED EFFECT OF HIS STEROID AND DRUG ABUSE I MEAN SHOULDN'T THAT GIVE HIM THE IDEA THAT TAKING A LOT OF STEROIDS COULD KILL YOU OR WORSE. THE MEDIA TO ME IS EXPLOITING THIS TRAGEDY I MEAN HOW WOULD THEY FEEL IF THEY WERE CHRIS BENOIT'S KIDS THAT ARE STILL ALIVE. THEY ARE THE ONES WHO ARE THE VICTIMS BECAUSE NOW THEY HAVE TO GO THROUGH LIFE WITH THE THOUGHT THAT THEIR DAD KILLED HIS WIFE AND THEIR BROTHER AND HIMSELF. THE MEDIA IS ALSO EXPLOITING IT BY SHOWING IT EVERY DAY AND TALKING ABOUT THE SAME THING THAT THEY HAVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT FOR THE LAST WEEK. THE DAY IT HAPPENED THAT THEY FOUND HIS BODY THE MEDIA BARELY SAID ANYTHING ABOUT IT EXPECT THAT WWE WRESTLER CHRIS BENOIT AND FAMILY FOUND DEAD AND THEN THE NEXT DAY THEY HEAR THAT IT COULD BE A MURDER SUICIDE AND WHAT HAPPENS IT SHOWS UP ON EVERY NEWS SHOW FOR THE WHOLE WEEK. I FEEL SORRY FOR BENOIT'S KIDS AND HIS PARENTS AND NANCY'S PARENT'S THOUGH I DOUBT THAT BENOIT DID IT WITHOUT HAVING EITHER A REASON TOO OR SOMETHING WRONG IN HIS HEAD THAT RECENTLY HAPPENED I MEAN BEFORE THIS TRAGEDY HE WAS DOING FINE AND NO ONE THOUGHT HE COULD EVER DO SOMETHING LIKE THIS SOMETHING MUST OF HAPPENED.