SPIDER-MAN 3 NOW AVAILABLE

SPIDER-MAN 3 NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE

HERE IS THE SUMMARY FOR THE MOVIE SPIDER-MAN 3 FROM IMDB

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

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

After Mary Jane and Peter Parker have confessed their love for one another, we start things off with them happier than ever. Spider-Man is still doing what he does best - saving the world. Mary Jane is the star of a great Broadway show. However, through all the silver linings, Harry is still blaming Peter for killing his father. After multiple attempts at trying to reason with him and patch things up, Harry finally confronts Peter and they engage in a brutal battle leaving Harry with temporary amnesia. During this time Peter encounters a symbiote, which attaches itself to his Spidey suit. After awhile Peter can feel a difference in his behavior (more aggressive) but as well his powers are amplified. Struggling to save his relationship with Mary Jane he removes the suit using the bells of the church and the suit finally grabs hold of Eddie Brock. Eddie was currently praying Peter would be killed for all the embarrassment that Peter's caused him. Not a minute too soon, Peter gets back to normal, but seems to have lost Mary Jane - and what's worse is she is held captive by Venom and Sandman - who have seem to have join forces. After realizing this, Peter asks Harry for help, but is declined since Harry has gotten his memory back. As Peter goes to face both villains, Harry is told the truth about his father and decides to help Spider-Man. The final battle comes down to Harry and Spider-Man against Venom and Sandman. Who will win? Written by Kris Hopson

Life finally feels good for Peter Parker. He has managed to balance life as both Spider-Man and as Mary Jane's boyfriend. He is even planning on proposing to MJ. But life isn't always going to be easy for the webbed hero. Harry Osborn still hasn't forgiven Peter for the death of his father. He has developed the perfect technology and crowns himself the 'New Goblin'. Harry isn't the only problem. It is revealed that an escaped convict, Flint Marko is the real killer of Peter's uncle. After an accident, he is now the invincible 'Sandman', who has teamed up with Venom to target the superhero, who is struggling to handle his life. Written by Film_Fan

HERE IS A REVIEW FOR THE MOVIE SPIDER-MAN 3 FROM DVDTALK

Let me go ahead and get this out of the way: yes, there was an enormous backlash against Spider-Man 3 when it swung into theaters this past summer, but it's hardly the disaster so many people have made it out to be. I'd shove the blame onto the last couple of superhero summer tentpoles -- Superman Returns and X-Men: The Last Stand -- which had been so disappointing that hardly anyone seemed to hold out much hope for Spidey. Admittedly, it doesn't come close to approaching the dizzying heights of Spider-Man 2, and Sam Raimi seems much more interested in squeezing every last cent out of his massive effects budget than bothering with...y'know, characterization or a barely passable story. It's a big, dumb summer blockbuster, but as big, dumb summer blockbusters go, Spider-Man 3 really is an okay flick.

Spider-Man 3 picks up a few months after part two left off. Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) is beaming -- Spider-Man has become as beloved a part of the New York landscape as the Empire State Building, and he's on the verge of popping the question to the love of his life, Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst). Aunt May (Rosemary Harris) has given Peter both her blessing as well as the engagment ring she'd been handed fifty years earlier.

...but hey, this is a summer superhero flick, so things aren't gonna stay bright and cheerful for all that long. Peter hopes to slink his way into a full-time gig as a photographer at the Daily Bugle, but a smug freelancer named Eddie Brock (Topher Grace) is gunning for the job and has already sleazed his way into pole position. He learns that the man the police once believed murdered Uncle Ben was merely an accomplice, and the real killer -- a two-bit thug named Flint Marko (Thomas Haden Church) -- is on the lamb after busting out of Rikers. The homefront's not looking any cozier; Mary Jane's dreams of a life bathed in Broadway's lights are crushed, leaving her jealously seething over both Spider-Man's newfound popularity and Peter's friendship with fashion model-slash-lab partner-slash-police-captain's-daughter Gwen Stacy (Bryce Dallas Howard).

Oh, I haven't even gotten to the superhero stuff yet. His one-time best friend Harry Osborn (James Franco) still blames Peter for the murder of his father, and as we saw the last go-around, Harry has stumbled upon the cache of bleeding-edge weaponry and chemical stimulants he needs to exact his revenge. Flint Marko trips his way into an open-air particle acceleration experiment on the outskirts of the city, transformed into an unstoppable sentient mass of sand. An alien symbiote crashes to earth and bonds with Peter, amplifying his powers and drawing his darkest inhibitions out to the surface. He's not exactly your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man anymore, ravaging everything that stands in his way, and when Peter inevitably rejects the symbiote...well, you already saw the name Eddie Brock a paragraph or two up, and any comic book nerd with his salt knows what that means...

After diving through the audio commentaries and the other extras on this disc, director/co-writer Sam Raimi makes it pretty clear that Spider-Man 3 was a movie that had a sprawling effects budget and a release date well before there was anything more than an outline to the story. The digital effects work was well underway before the script had been fleshed out, and Spider-Man 3 feels as if Sam and Ivan Raimi half-heartedly slapped together outlines from a couple of different sequels into one screenplay to loosely string together a bunch of lavishly budgeted, meticulously choreographed action sequences. Spider-Man 3 ought to be a big movie, but there's so much going on in this overloaded screenplay that it practically collapses under its own weight.

As Gwen Stacy, Bryce Dallas Howard infuses the movie with a warmth and bubbly optimism, but her charms are almost entirely squandered, showing up a couple of times to either be rescued or throw another stumbling block into Spidey 3's love triangle. (It's more of a dodecahedron than a triangle, but...you know what I mean.) The script tries in vain to squeeze out some sympathy for Flint Marko. He's not a bad guy! He just isn't well-funded enough to nurse his daughter back to health, so he knocks over a low-rent wrestling joint and steals cars at gunpoint from kindly old men. The Sandman is too thinly-written and saddled with too hopelessly generic a backstory for his weepy, anemic subplot to resonate the way Doc Ock's did. On the other hand, Eddie Brock fits in seamlessly, with Topher Grace striking that perfect balance of smugness and sleazy charm for Brock to hide behind. It's his transition to Venom that flops and flounders; the symbiote-empowered Brock feels bolted on, and if the rumors are true, the studio had Venom shoehorned into the screenplay at the 11th hour instead of giving Raimi the latitude he'd earned with the previous two movies.

As for the carryovers in the cast...? Kirsten Dunst really doesn't want to be there, coming across as such a cold, shrill harpy that if Columbia Pictures does churn out another sequel, they'll hopefully bench Mary Jane and let Gwen Stacy fill the Obligatory Romantic Interest slot. There's no real forward momentum for Tobey Maguire, but he does alright. Even if you haven't caught Spider-Man 3, you've probably seen those clips of Peter strutting down the street as they were making the rounds on YouTube a while back. That smarmier, emo-coiffed, My Chemical Romance-patch-on-his-satchel Peter isn't as doofy as those clips make him look, though. That scene works surprisingly well, and there's a brilliant, hysterical bit with Pete completely disinterested in an exposition-heavy phone call about the nature of the symbiote, barely paying attention as he schmoozes his skeletal, quirky-cute neighbor into feeding him milk and cookies. The only of these cocksure scenes that really sputters is a bizarrely over-the-top dance number in a jazz club that seems like it was yanked out of another movie entirely. Even though Peter and Mary Jane aren't all that cheerful or charismatic this time around, they both light up whenever they're around Harry Osborn. James Franco wasn't quite able to pull off some of his budding supervillainy in part two, although really, it's hard for even an actor of Franco's talents to make a line like "Kill Spider-Man, and I'll give you all the Tritium you need!" sound convincing. His amnesia subplot is soap opera hackery, but there's something so upbeat and instantly endearing about Massive Headwound Harry...radiating with a warmth that brings out something in both Peter and Mary Jane that no one else manages to do in the entire movie...that wouldn't have been possible otherwise, so I'll give it a pass.

A few other characters do pop up again, although there's so much going on that familiar faces like Rosemary Harris' Aunt May are only left with a couple of minutes of screentime. J.K. Simmons and Elizabeth Banks land Spider-Man 3's biggest laughs as J. Jonah Jameson and Betty Brant, fumbling with blood pressure medication as it leaps a couple feet off Jameson's desk and suffering through Ted Raimi shemping his way through a marketing pitch. Sam Raimi's partner in crime Bruce Campbell has had bit parts in all three Spider-Man movies, but in the first two flicks, he seemed to just hang around to torture Peter. This time around, The Chin plays a snooty but well-meaning Maître d' in an overpriced French restaurant, playing off Tobey Maguire as if they were part of a goofy Vaudeville act as he continually misreads Pete's cues to deliver his end of a sappy romantic proposal.

Okay, a lot of the characters are kinda thinly written, the sense of humanity from the previous couple of movies has been shoved down the garbage disposal, and the screenplay leans too heavily on soapy mainstays like amnesia, love icosidodecahedrons (sorry, I have this chronic inability to write "love triangle"), and an overabundance of coincidences. (Y'know, the butler who'd been pointlessly holding onto a bit of exposition just in time for the climax...the police suspecting for a couple of years that they pegged Uncle Ben's murder on the wrong guy but didn't get around to telling the Parkers about it until now...that sort of thing.) That's almost beside the point. Yes, it's a disappointment that this sequel isn't nearly as substantial and sharply written as Spider-Man 2, but that's not what Sam Raimi and company are interested in this time around.

Spider-Man 3 doesn't really bother to be a film; Raimi knows he's helming an event, and that's how he plays it. The effects work is astonishing, boasting a set of groundbreaking digital effects and dazzling aerial acrobatics. Many of the key fight sequences have Spidey tumbling hundreds of feet, leaping off crumbling walls as they spin and plummet towards the ground, diving through the latticework of a tumbling crane, and deftly navigating a gauntlet of sewer pipes as he squares off against the Sandman. Flint Marko is the centerpiece of the movie's most visually dazzling sequences as he undergoes his transformation into a creature of sand. Jaw-droppingly beautiful and masterfully executed, these two sequences are a landmark achievement and an absolute lock for the Best Visual Effects statuette once Oscar time rolls around. I feel as if I'm giving the effects short thrift by devoting so little of the review to them -- I could easily double the length of this already massive write-up by if I didn't rein myself in -- but I'd hate to spoil the grandeur of the movie's most spectacular scenes. If nothing else, give Spider-Man 3 a rental, skim past the dialogue and anemic characterization, and marvel at the special effects and stuntwork.

No, Spider-Man 3 isn't the movie it could have or probably should have been. It fumbles with the humanity and emotional resonance that had won the previous installment such an endless amount of praise, too much of the writing is lazy and lifted from a C-list soap opera, and the script fails to truly seize hold of the concept of a darker, more vengeful wall-crawler. With Spider-Man 3, Sam Raimi waves goodbye to the franchise he spearheaded with a summer effects spectacle. The story may be clichéd and overloaded, but Raimi's unparalleled team of digital effects wizards and stunt supervisors have crafted some of the most dazzling action sequences I've seen in thirty years of obsessive moviegoing. Spider-Man 3 is the weakest of the three movies in the series, but taken on its own and viewed purely as a borderline-mindless action flick, there's more than enough to make it worth seeing at least once. Recommended.

Although Spider-Man 3 is available in its own separate Blu-ray release, completists might want to shell out the extra few bucks to pick up a set sporting the entire trilogy in high definition. Note that the first two films in the series don't carry over any of the extras from the DVD editions, and more elaborate re-releases are almost certainly waiting in the wings.

Video: Presented in its theatrical aspect ratio of 2.39:1 and encoded using Sony's preferred AVC video codec, Spider-Man 3 is the sort of reference quality disc you can grab off the shelf to show off just how spectacular high definition video can look. Fine detail is consistently dazzling throughout, particularly in any shot with the Sandman; the distinctness and clarity make it seem as if each individual grain of sand is clearly rendered. I found myself continually impressed by the tremendous level of detail, depth, and dimensionality that are constantly on display. The encoding is remarkably adept as well, something I'd imagine would have to have been a challenge considering that one of its main characters consists of millions of fine particles that must've been a nightmare to compress. There's no trace of edge enhancement, and although film grain remains tight and unintrusive throughout, I didn't spot any sign that its grain had been digitally smoothened away either. Spider-Man 3 has a consistently film-like appearance to it from start to finish. Black levels are deep and robust, with the image holding up flawlessly even in its most dimly-lit sequences, and its spry, vivid palette frequently pops off the screen. I have absolutely nothing negative to say about this high definition presentation of Spider-Man 3; the disc is a showcase release for the Blu-ray format and shatters even my highest expectations.

Audio: No matter which of the Blu-ray disc's lossless soundtracks you choose -- a Dolby TrueHD 5.1 mix or its uncompressed PCM track -- Spider-Man 3 sounds unbelievable. The audio is backed by a muscular low-end, which can be so tight and punchy during some of the brawls that it feels as if my subwoofer's slugging me in the gut, while such scenes as Flint Marko's transformation into the Sandman roar with so much bass that everything within a block or two starts to rattle violently. The mix is exceptionally immersive even outside of the action sequences, teeming with ambiance and very effectively fleshing out the hustle and bustle of the Big Apple. It goes without saying that the titanic battles are bolstered by an exceptionally aggressive mix, with chaos unrelentingly whirring from one speaker to the next. The detail and clarity so pervasive throughout these soundtracks highlight just how outstanding the sound design of Spider-Man 3 is, and this is easily a five star effort.

The Blu-ray disc also features Dolby Digital soundtracks in French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Thai. The long list of subtitles includes French, Spanish, Chinese, Cantonese, Korean, Portuguese, Thai, and both traditional English and SDH streams.

Extras: Spider-Man 3 marks the first two-disc special edition that Sony has issued on Blu-ray, devoting its second disc to a feature-length assortment of high-def making-of featurettes.

The extras on the first disc are primarily in standard definition, though; its only high-def extras are a 'coming to Blu-ray' promo reel and trailers for Surf's Up, Ghost Rider, Across the Universe, and Casino Royale.

The movie itself is accompanied by a pair of commentary tracks, the first of which has director/co-writer Sam Raimi piling into the recording booth with Thomas Haden Church, James Franco, Topher Grace, Bryce Dallas Howard, and Tobey Maguire, with comments from Kirsten Dunst spliced in from a separate session in London. Like most actor-centric commentary tracks, this is the fun one of the two. It's upbeat and kinda jokey, maybe leaning a little too far towards the everyone-and-everything-was-wonderful end of things, but it's a strong commentary overall. One of the most frequent topics of discussion is how in flux Spider-Man 3 constantly was, with a different villain attached at one point instead of Venom (The Vulture, to have been played by Ben Kingsley), swapping out which of Peter's love interests would be in peril in the climax, describing the very collaborate effort that went into making the film, and noting how the movie had a release date well before it ever had a script. Church's fantastic sense of humor really makes it worth a listen, pointing out how determined he was to punch a dog on-screen and poking fun at a movie he's probably long since slashed off his résumé. Raimi is coaxed into describing his visualization process, delving into his approach to storyboards and animatics, and there are some great stories such as Howard's impromptu reading for the part of Gwen Stacy, the amount of time her immensely famous father spent skulking around the set, and Franco taking lessons to flip omelettes and learn to do The Twist (I'm guessing not at the same time).

The other commentary is the more serious of the two, featuring editor Bob Murawaski, visual effects supervisor Scott Stokdyk, and producers Avi Arad, Grant Curtis, and Laura Ziskin. It's much more focused on technical details, particularly Spider-Man 3's visual effects work, which consisted of around 900 effects shots tackled by a team of some 500 artists. Some of the more intensely technical notes include the evolution of 'the goo', the sheer scale of what went into the memorable shot of the Sandman lurching to life, and the lighting challenges associated with shooting a character in a black suit at night. There are plenty of other topics touched on throughout the track, though, such as the use of a one-armed martial artist as a double, Peter's proposal lifted from a story Ziskin was told repeatedly and by far too many different people during her stint working on The Newlywed Game, and how the film was originally supposed to be set during a snowy winter. Because a fair amount of this material is covered on the extensive set of featurettes on Spider-Man 3's second disc, this is the less essential of the two commentaries, but it's a solid track.

Snow Patrol's music video for "Signal Fire" (letterboxed in a 4x3 frame) veers away from the usual soundtrack video formula. Instead of alternating between clips from the movie and performance footage by the band, "Signal Fire" is set against the backdrop of a gaggle of kids putting on a Spider-Man themed play. The song's somewhere in the neighborhood of Sad Bastard Music^™, but at least the video's clever. The first disc also includes a set of high-res still galleries, making use of the colored buttons on the remote to toggle between shots of paintings, sculptures, sketches, the special effects work, and director and cast shots. The galleries are fairly extensive, and I particular dug a glimpse at some of the conceptual art. Rounding out the first disc's extras is a six minute blooper reel (also letterboxed in non-anamorphic widescreen). It's pretty standard stuff but for whatever reason struck me as a lot funnier than usual, jumping back and forth between spontaneous bursts of laughter, flubbed lines, fumbling with props, and even a couple of CG gags.

The set's second disc is anchored around an extensive selection of featurettes, all of which are impressively provided in high definition. All of Spider-Man 3's villains -- the Sandman, Venom, and the new Goblin -- each get their own behind the scenes piece, clocking in around 40 minutes in total. These three featurettes take a look at the revised design of the characters as well as touching on their comic book backgrounds, backed by comments from quite a bit of the talent on both sides of the camera. The Goblin's is the shortest of the three since he's not as effects-intensive as the rest of the film's rogue's gallery, although his 11 minute featurette does delve in great detail into the design of his glider and weaponry as well as how his enormous fight was a difficult mix of CG imagery and live action photography. "Covered in Black: Creating Venom" describes the difficulty in coming up with the look and movement of an amorphous alien symbiote. The small army of interviewees also note how the symbiote is a metaphor for substance abuse before running through costume design, Topher Grace's elaborate make-up, the extensive digital effects work, and the several different stages of Venom that are seen throughout Spider-Man 3. Sandman is the most effects-intensive character in the movie, so it follows that "Grains of Sand: Building Sandman" is the most technically oriented of the featurettes. There are some character notes in here as well, but the emphasis is on the startling effects work, from the meticulous research Sony Pictures Imageworks did shooting reams and reams of reference footage of numerous types of sand to the technical challenges behind rendering a character that consists of untold millions of gritty particles the size of a pinhead. Interspersed throughout all of these interviews is a tremendous amount of behind the scenes footage, both on and off the set.

"Fighting, Flying, and Driving" (19 min.) serves up a lengthy overview of the film's numerous stunts: vehicular mayhem, smothering one of the movie's producers in thousands of pounds of corn, enormous fireballs, elaborate wire rigs, and Spider-Man 3's emphasis on stunts set hundreds of feet in the air. Several key effects sequences also get a close look with their own featurettes. "Wall of Water" (7 min.) focuses on the practical effects behind a vengeful Spider-Man finally finding a way to slow down the Sandman, backed by one of the largest scale water stunts in motion pictue history. "Hanging On..." (10 min.) takes a look at the elaborate physical stuntwork, impressive scale model tower, enormous hydraulic gimble, and all of the different visual elements that went into the sequence with Gwen Stacy struggling against the collapsing floor of an office tower. Aside from the intricate look into how this scene's effects were pulled off, there are also shots of all the rubber props that extras at ground level were pelted with to further flesh out the scene. "Cleveland - The Chase on Euclid Avenue" devotes seven minutes to the movie's biggest chase sequence, with Spidey running into Marko as the armored car he knocked over is careening down a busy street. The featurette follows the crew as they come up with as many different ways as they can to smash eighteen cars, show off a beefed-up version of Sam Raimi's old Ram-o-Cam, and are forced to quickly improvise after one key shot doesn't go nearly as expected.

While the Cleveland featurette is primarily focused on what went into just one scene, "New York: From Rooftops to Backstreets" (13 min.) casts a wider net, touching on all of the photography in the Big Apple, how New York is an integral character in the movie in and of itself, the dizzying aerial camerawork, and the crew's constant struggles with some inescapably rainy weather.

Two other making-of pieces step aside from the visual effects work and focus on other elements of production. "Inside the Editing Room" (4 min.) features editor Bob Murawaski running through the previsualization process and how that gradually transforms into a finished feature film. Murawaski also notes the challenges of detailing with so many different elements that are composited together into the final product. "The Science of Sound" (16 min.) has its audio beefed up to Dolby Digital 5.1 as it delves into Spider-Man 3's score and sound design. Composer Chris Young describes his writing process, followed by a lengthy series of shots of the recording of the orchestral score. Mixing is also touched on in detail, setting aside the time to highlight the design of one of the movie's most aurally impressive sequences, with Flint Marko caught in the swirling particle accelerator gates. I'm always fascinated by featurettes that take a look at Foley work, and "The Science of Sound" takes care to show just how much work goes into even an ordinary, undemanding scene, playing footage from one early sequence and listing the many different sounds that had been added in after the fact.

As much as I enjoyed the rest of the disc's featurettes, the only one that's completely focused on Spider-Man 3's characters really seems like an afterthought, kind of in keeping with the film itself. "Tangled Web" spends 9 minutes running through the movie's web of romantic entanglements, but there's not really any insight flailing around in here, playing more like a recap than anything else. There is a decent look at the choreography behind the dance number in the jazz dive, and that was interesting enough to salvage an otherwise pointless featurette.

An ad campaign gallery features the original teaser and a set of three trailers in high-def. Also included are TV spots from throughout the world -- Japan, Spain, Germany, Italy, Chile, Russia, Brazil, and the United Kingdom -- with those naturally presented in standard definition.

Several deleted scenes are mentioned throughout the disc's audio commentaries, but nothing like that has been provided on here. I guess they're being held back for a re-release down the road, and that's kind of a drag. I'm surprised that for such a flagship title, Sony didn't go to any extra lengths to show off Blu-ray's beefy interactivity. The menus and extras are all fairly traditional, which is fine -- I'm not really one to cry out for flashy bells and whistles -- but they don't show off what Blu-ray is capable of in the same way that the video and audio do.

Conclusion: Spider-Man 3 knows its a summer effects spectacle, shrugging off the strong characterization and emotional resonance that helped make the previous film stand out as among the best...if not the best...comic book adaptations of the past thirty years. Spider-Man 3 only bothers with a script as an excuse to string together a bunch of truly dazzling action sequences and some exceptional, groundbreaking visual effects, and even if the writing and story are weak, at least they don't get in the way. As far as the video and audio go, Spider-Man 3 is a reference quality Blu-ray release, bolstered by a reasonably strong set of extras, nearly all of which are offered in high definition. Recommended.


HERE IS THE DIRECT DOWNLOAD FOR THE MOVIE SPIDER-MAN 3.

SPIDER-MAN 2 NOW AVAILABLE

SPIDER-MAN 2 NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE

HERE IS THE SUMMARY FOR THE MOVIE SPIDER-MAN 2 FROM IMDB

Peter Parker is an unhappy man: after two years of fighting crime as Spider-Man, his life has begun to fall apart. The girl he loves is engaged to someone else, his grades are slipping, he cannot keep any of his jobs, and on top of it, the newspaper Daily Bugle is attacking him viciously, claiming that Spider-Man is a criminal. He reaches the breaking point and gives up the crime fighter's life, once and for all. But after a failed fusion experiment, eccentric and obsessive scientist Dr. Otto Octavius is transformed into super villain Doctor Octopus, Doc Ock for short, having four long tentacles as extra hands. Peter guesses it might just be time for Spider-Man to return, but would he act upon it? Written by Soumitra

It's been two years since Peter Parker (Maguire) transformed into Spider-Man, and he is still trying to balance life perfectly. His love for Mary Jane (Dunst) is becoming much stronger, as he finds it hard to not let her down. His friendship with Harry Osborn (Franco) is at risk, as the young Harry is frustrated with Spider-Man getting away with his father's death. And if this wasn't enough for the super hero, a new enemy is in town. Dr. Otto Octavius (Molina) is involved in a freak scientific accident and becomes the dangerous Doctor Octopus. Written by Film_Fan

Peter Parker's having a rough time. His double life as the super hero Spider-Man is having a devastating impact on his civilian life. Things are so bad he declares that he's quitting and never putting on the suit again. However, his sense of duty forces him to become a hero again when the brilliant scientist Dr. Otto Octavius is transformed in an accident and becomes Dr. Octopus. With four metal tentacles sticking out of his back, he'll prove to be a more than worthy opponent for Spider-Man. Written by rmlohner

Peter Parker can't seem to catch any kind of break. Being Spider-Man has brought him nothing but problems as far as his personal life is concerned. Not only that, Mary Jane Watson is engaged to astronaut John Jameson, and Peter may lose her forever. Things are so bad for him that he is pushed past his breaking point, so he decides that he doesn't want to be a super hero anymore, until a freak accident transforms Dr. Otto Octavius into Dr. Octopus, a super-villain with four metal tentacles protruding from his torso. Peter realizes that only Spider-Man can stop him but, of course, problems arise. Mary Jane gets caught in the middle, and Harry Osborn, who still blames the web-slinger for the death of his father Norman Osborn, also the Green Goblin, wants him dead. Spider-Man will have to push himself past his limits if he's going to survive. Written by Roguemaster83

Peter Parker appears to be your average ordinary college student--struggling to make ends meet, living hand-to-mouth, and attempting to capture the heart of the girl of his dreams. All is not as it seems, as Peter also possess amazing super-powers that he uses to serve to protect his fellow man as your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. Peter is now faced with the titanic choice of living his life out as he wants, or shouldering the burden of his unwanted responsibility. Written by Joe50000

Two years have passed for Peter Parker, established in his role as college student...and as a crime fighter. He can't keep up at school, pay his rent, or make amends with his estranged best friend Harry, who wants Spider-Man dead. Mary Jane is more skeptical than ever of the man in her life. Peter's idol, a renowned scientist named Otto Octavius, who resurfaces as Doctor Octopus following a failed fusion experiment. Peter, at times noticing he's losing some of his powers, and feeling the effects of the stress in his personal life, realizes he must decide between being who he once was or retaining his secret identity to stop Doc Ock and save New York City. Written by balboa82

HERE IS A REVIEW FOR THE MOVIE SPIDER-MAN 2 FROM DVDTALK

Well, it's taken over 25 years, but someone has finally made a superhero film that surpasses Richard Donner's Superman: The Movie. I should start this review by noting that I wasn't a huge fan of Sam Raimi's first Spider-Man. I thought the first half was very good, but then the second half got over saturated with CGI effects and Willem Dafoe's overacting. Raimi doesn't make the same mistake the second time around. What Raimi (and writers Alfred Gough, Miles Millar and Michael Chabon) understand is that the real story of Spider-Man is Peter Parker, not superpowers and spinning webs. Peter has much more screen time in this movie than his masked alter-ego, and the film is that much better because of it. Don't worry, "True Believers", the action you crave is still there – but its Tobey Maguire's portrayal as Peter than makes Spider-Man 2 soar. Two years after his Uncle Ben was killed and Peter was bitten by the radioactive spider, Spider-Man 2 beings with Peter still having torn feelings about his one true love, Mary Jane. But that's the least of Peter's problems. He's been fired from his job, his Aunt May is about to be thrown out on the street, and his friend Harry Osborn is still obsessed with finding and killing Spider-Man. Meanwhile, the conflict inside himself between being the man he wants to be – Peter – and the hero everyone else wants him to be – Spidey – is starting to have a physical manifestation on his super powers. Suddenly, he can't spin webs, climb walls or use his super strength. Yes, it seems that Peter is having some major performance problems! After one more emergency prevents Peter from keeping a date with Mary Jane, he comes to a decision in his life: he will be Spider-Man no more. Of course, this is just at the time when a new threat has come to the city. A brilliant scientist named Octavius has just perfected a method for fusion which will enable him to harness the power of the sun. He has created mechanical arms that attach to his body so he can handle the dangerous process and…naturally…things go horribly wrong. Alfred Molina plays Octavius, and what I enjoyed about his performance that I didn't enjoy about Dafoe's performance in the original film is that Molina grounds his change from a sane man into a madman in reality. Dafoe played his character over-the-top (as far too many villains in the movies do), but Molina strikes a nice balance and never seems to be hamming it up for the camera. Without giving away too much of the plot for the readers out there, one of the great things about Spider-Man 2 is that it isn't afraid to shake up the mythos. There are some genuine surprises in the story, and ones that the viewers won't be cheated out of by any superspeed trips around the planet or magic kisses (see Superman I & II). This isn't so much a sequel to the first film as it is a continuation of it – and it was great to see a movie that ties in so nicely with the original, but doesn't repeat itself. Movies like Spider-Man 2 don't get much attention when it comes to awards, but the film is far and away the best thing we've seen on the silver screen in 2004…heck, it may be the best thing we've seen this decade. Fun for both the grown-ups and the kids, Spider-Man 2 is everything I go to the movies for. It's a wonderful, magical, and emotionally powerful film, and I can't recommend it highly enough.


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SPIDER-MAN NOW AVAILABLE

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HERE IS THE SUMMARY FOR THE MOVIE SPIDER-MAN FROM IMDB

Based on Marvel Comics' superhero character, this is a story of Peter Parker who is a nerdy high-schooler. He was orphaned as a child, bullied by jocks, and can't confess his crush for his stunning neighborhood girl Mary Jane Watson. To say his life is "miserable" is an understatement. But one day while on an excursion to a laboratory a runaway radioactive spider bites him... and his life changes in a way no one could have imagined. Peter acquires a muscle-bound physique, clear vision, ability to cling to surfaces and crawl over walls, shooting webs from his wrist ... but the fun isn't going to last. An eccentric millionaire Norman Osborn administers a performance enhancing drug on himself and his maniacal alter ego Green Goblin emerges. Now Peter Parker has to become Spider-Man and take Green Goblin to the task... or else Goblin will kill him. They come face to face and the war begins in which only one of them will survive at the end. Written by Soumitra

On a school field trip, Peter Parker (Maguire) is bitten by a genetically modified spider. He wakes up the next morning with incredible powers. After witnessing the death of his uncle (Robertson), Parkers decides to put his new skills to use in order to rid the city of evil, but someone else has other plans. The Green Goblin (Dafoe) sees Spider-Man as a threat and must dispose of him. Even if it means the Goblin has to target Parker's Aunt (Harris) and the girl he secretly pines for (Dunst) Written by Film_Fan

A rather odd thing has just occurred in the life of nerdy high school student Peter Parker: after being bitten by a genetically modified spider, his body chemistry is altered mutagenically. He can now scale walls and ceilings, he has superhuman strength and super-fast reflexes, and he develops a precognitive sense that warns him of approaching danger. Adopting the name Spider-Man, Peter first uses his newfound powers to make money, but after his uncle is murdered at the hands of a criminal Peter failed to stop, he swears to use his powers to fight the evil that killed his uncle. At the same time, scientist and businessman Norman Osborn, after exposure to an experimental nerve gas, develops an alternate personality himself: the super-strong, psychotic Green Goblin! Peter Parker must now juggle three things in his life: his new job at a local newspaper under a perpetually on-edge employer, his battle against the evil Green Goblin, and his fight to win the affections of beautiful classmate Mary Jane Watson, against none other than his best friend Harry Osborn, son of Norman Osborn! Is this challenge too much for even the Amazing Spider-Man to handle? Written by Hammer2Fall

HERE IS A REVIEW FOR THE MOVIE SPIDER-MAN FROM DVDTALK

Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man

So many classic shows and comic books have been made into truly mediocre movie franchises, it's refreshing to see one of the all time classic comic book superheros given the kind of treatment it deserves.

Spider-Man is as solid a Summer Superhero movie as you're going to find. It has the right mix of character development, action, drama and humor to make it much more than you're average action thrill ride.

One of the major problems I typically have with modern superhero movies is the fact that they often rush right through the 'discovery' phase of a super hero (the time where they discover and test their super powers). Maybe that's one reason I'm such a huge fan of Unbreakable (which is 100% discovery and almost no action). But in Spider-Man Sam Raimi finds a really great balance between the 'becoming' of Spider-Man and the 'being' Spider-Man. Just as he finds the perfect mix between Super hero action and the underlying story made up of the relationships between the characters.

Tobey Maguire is simply fantastic in the lead Peter Parker/Spider-Man role. He brings such a great level of complexity and emotion to the role, and it helps really flesh out Spider-Man from it's 2D cartoon life onto the big screen. Going in I had my concerns about Willem Dafoe as the Green Goblin, that he would be overly 'cartoony' and generally over the top. But honestly I was impressed with Dafoe who brought a similar level of complexity to his character that Tobey Maguire did. And the relationship between the two really does server to drive the film forward.

There's no question in my mind that Kirsten Dunst is going to get a lot of attention for her role in Spider-Man. Raimi's camera seems to be as fond of her as Peter Parker is, and she manages to take that attention and really light up the screen. Kirsten Dunst has been in front of the cameras since before she was 8 and it shows. She seems like a natural playing Mary Jane and shows she's really arrived as a leading actress.

While I did thoroughly enjoy Spider-Man, I was slightly disappointed at some of the CGI effects which unfortunately are 'hit and miss' throughout the film. Columbia Tri-Star heald the release of Spider-Man which was slated to be released last year (after September 11th which I think was a very smart move). But I wish they had taken the extra time to work on some of the rooftop Spider-Man scenes. One scene in particular where Peter Parker jumps from roof top to roof top looks just plain bad, so obviously CGI it's jarring. Ultimately Spider-Man shows that effects really don't make the movie, and despite some of the poor effects Spider-Man is still a very solid film.

One thing that's important to note about Spider-Man is the fact that it is rated PG-13 and deservedly so. Raimi's vision of Spider-Man is a dark one, not as dark as Tim Burton's Batman, but dark none the less. There is a fair amount of intense violence and so if you've got a younger fan of Spider-Man you may want to substitute the recent Spider-Man - The Ultimate Villain Showdown DVD (a cartoon) for this live action version.

If you're looking for a great Summer Superhero movie Spider-Man's the movie for you. It's got all that you'd want from superhero movie and more. A truly enjoyable film.

HERE IS THE DIRECT DOWNLOAD FOR THE MOVIE SPIDER-MAN.

ALI NOW AVAILABLE

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HERE IS THE SUMMARY FOR THE MOVIE ALI FROM IMDB

In 1964, a brash new pro boxer, fresh from his olympic gold medal victory, explodes on to the scene, Cassius Clay. Bold and outspoken, he cuts an entirely new image for African American's in sport with his proud public self confidence with his unapologetic belief that he is the greatest boxer of all time. To his credit, he sets out to prove that with his highly agile and forceful style soon making him a formidable boxer who soon claims the heavyweight championship. His personal life is no less noteworthy with his allegiance to the Nation of Islam, his friendship with the controversial Malcolm X and his abandonment of his slave name in favour of Muhammad Ali stirring up controversy. Yet, at the top of his game, both Ali's personal and professional lives face the ultimate test with the military draft rules are changed, making him eligible for military induction during the Vietnam War. Despite the fact that he could easily agree to a sweetheart deal that would have meant an easy tour of duty for himself, Ali refuses to submit on principle to cooperate in an unjust war for a racist nation that treated his people so poorly. The cost of that stand is high as he finds himself unable to legally box in his own country while his case is contested in court. What follows is a battle for a man who would sacrifice so much for what he believes in and a comeback that would cement his legend as one of the great sports figures of all time. Written by Kenneth Chisholm {kchishol@rogers.com}

Muhammad Ali from 1964 to 1974, told in three braided threads. The boxer: from becoming champion to regaining the championship. Religion and politics: Cassius Clay becomes a Black Muslim, truncates a friendship with Malcolm X, perhaps is Elijah Muhammad's pawn, refuses induction into the US military, and faces a five year prison sentence while his case goes to the Supreme Court. Family: he marries twice and by 1974 marriage two is strained, defends his white trainer, has a brother in Bundini Brown, and is wily with Howard Cosell. Throughout, Ali keeps his own counsel: in the ring, at the induction center when he won't step forward, and in friendship, love, and victory. Written by {jhailey@hotmail.com}

HERE IS A REVIEW FOR THE MOVIE ALI FROM DVDTALK

Documenting anyone's life can be an arduous task. What to include, what to leave out, and what to emphasize are all important questions. What that person is famous and everyone is awaiting the outcome that process can be even more difficult. Director Michael Mann seemingly faced these decisions multiple times while making Ali and did not always make the right choices.

When dealing with a life as well known as Ali's, there are moments that everyone expects to see. They want to see his first championship win, the reason he changed his name, his fight with the U.S. Army and any of his numerous other fights (Rumble in the Jungle). Mann has included these moments, but has produced so much padding and filler around them that it's easy to lose interest at times.

The opening of the film flashes between his childhood and first championship win. It's an interesting method that shows who he is both now and then. By the time this sequence is over, 30 minutes have passed. With this much time devoted to the opening, it's no mystery as to how the rest of the film will play out.

In choosing to look at the middle of Ali's career, Mann chose the most politically interesting time in his life. In doing so he also forces Malcolm X (Mario Van Peebles) into the picture, whose presence threatens to steal much of the focus from Ali (Will Smith). X may have been an important influence on Ali's life, but he could have been less of an onscreen presence.

That's not to say the movie doesn't do several things beautifully. Will Smith is mesmerizing in his performance of Ali. It's an amazing physical transformation that deserved the Oscar nomination it received and hints at Smith's potential. Likewise, Jon Voight as Howard Cosell is amazing. Last, but not least, Jamie Foxx again proves he has the dramatic chops to carry a film with his portrayal of Drew 'Bundini' Brown. Another perfect aspect of the film is the cinematography. There are many moments that are framed and filmed perfectly. This helps with the slowness of the film at times by engaging the viewer visually.

Video: As stated, the film looks beautiful. The Anamorphic print is presented in 2.35:1 ration that frames the film perfectly. There's a richness and saturation to the colors that looks great, but not overly bright or vivid. As far as quality, nothing bad can truly be said. There's a little edge enhancement visible at times, but the overall print quality is perfect with no flaws.

Audio: The audio is a mixed bag on this disc. The fight scenes are mixed wonderfully. They convey the power in the ring with thunderous punches that will give your sub a workout. The rest of the soundtrack is considerably tame. There's no use of Dolby Digital's processing power anywhere else in the film.

Extras: Normally I would say this disc has none. I don't consider trailers as extras. But, when one of those is the full trailer for Spider-Man (May 3, 2002) then I'll make an exception. Also included are trailers for Ali and Men in Black II. These are all in 5.1, so that's a plus. It's a real shame there is nothing included with the film, as you know the material had to be there.

Overall: This would definitely be a rent for me. The film looks and plays beautifully, but I never really felt a personal connection or interest to Ali through the length of the film. Those looking for a straight biography would also be better looking elsewhere. Those looking for a sometimes slow, but entertaining film should give it a chance. It's worth a single viewing based on Smith and Voight's chameleon like performances alone.

HERE IS THE DIRECT DOWNLOAD FOR THE MOVIE ALI.

NEVER BACK DOWN NOW AVAILABLE

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HERE IS THE SUMMARY FOR THE MOVIE NEVER BACK DOWN FROM IMDB

At his new high school, a rebellious teen Jake Tyler is lured into an ultimate underground fighting club in a Backyard Fight, where he finds a mentor in a mixed martial arts veteran. After receiving threats to the safety of his friends and family, Jake seeks the mentoring of a veteran fighter, to train his mind and body for one final no-holds-barred elimination fight with his unrelenting personal nemesis and local martial arts champion Ryan McCarthy. Written by Anthony Pereyra {hypersonic91@yahoo.com}

HERE IS A REVIEW FOR THE MOVIE NEVER BACK DOWN FROM DVDTALK

Did you find the "Karate Kid" too challenging? Too cerebral? Too thematically dense? Then "Never Back Down" is the film for you. The cinematic debutante ball for Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), the picture is an artistic travesty. I'm not sure why the producers even bothered with a plot.

When a tennis scholarship for his little brother whisks the family away from Iowa to Orlando, troubled teen Jake (Sean Faris, "Sleepover") immediately brushes up against the school bully, Ryan (Cam Gigandet, channeling his inner Zabka) and furthers his cycle of self-loathing by engaging in an MMA fight that he loses quickly. Beaten and frustrated, Jake and pal Max (Evan Peters, "Sleepover") begin fight lessons with MMA guru Jean Roqua (nicely played by Djimon Hounsou), hoping to improve their skills and dish out some revenge. Along the way, the training changes Jake, offering him a chance to confront his personal demons and break his bad habits. However, Ryan isn't going to go away easily and demands more blood.

"Never Back Down" is a movie produced to entertain children, but that doesn't excuse the idiocy of the filmmaking or the non-stop parade of despicable directorial choices. Take away the fact that the screenplay by Chris Hauty is merely a crude photocopy of the classic wuss underdog story "Karate Kid," and all that's left behind are a variety of pretty boy actors who couldn't emote realistically even if held at gunpoint, and hacky, trendy stylistic choices made by director Jeff Wadlow ("Cry_Wolf") that bury the rest of the film in suffocating gloss.

Wadlow visits every common sight: flash cutting, open-shutter photography, x-ray broken body part reveals, porno-chic teen lesbianism, and even a moment of body-mounted camera silliness: the Taj Mahal of visual bankruptcy. Wadlow is all style no substance, and his direction of "Down" is laughable from every conceivable angle; it's like watching the hokiest, dullest Nickelback music video imaginable.

Wadlow has difficulty processing the drama as well, submitting basic feeds of information and character backstory with sitcom elegance; he fumbles any opportunity for the picture to resemble a splinter of real life by reducing every beat to its achingly obvious endpoint. Subplots such as Jake dealing with the guilt over his father's death and Jean battling his own family demons grind the film to a halt with their eye-rolling melodrama and afterschool-special execution.

The screenplay also includes a pass at exposing today's media-obsessed teen culture, where every move is captured by a camera phone and posted to YouTube within seconds. A statement denouncing oversaturation, or a chance to pipe in blatant product placement? You tell me.

Of course, the lack of a single character worth caring for makes the theatrical experience even more excruciating. A faceless collection of older actors trying to pass themselves off as impossibly-sculpted teenagers (not a pimple in the room), "Down" radiates unpleasantness. Jake's whining and baffling disrespect to his mother is a good example; a character strangely presented as a blathering harpy when, in fact, she's the only person in the script who offers an accurate sense of responsibility. Why demonize her? Because the screenplay was written in crayon, and any taste of reality to crawl into "Down" would then force the film to put forth actual effort. That, of course, would take away precious screentime from the screeching power-pop soundtrack and shots of glistening 26-year-old, L.A. gym, desperate-actor abs.

The real stars of the show are the MMA sequences, and I'll be the first to admit total befuddlement with this sport. A variation on boxing (think Twyla Tharp crossed with Greco-Roman wrestling), MMA, as presented in "Down," lacks a common theme of honor and humanity other brutal contact sports at least attempt to suggest. In the film, it's mostly used to show cretins with bad haircuts beating the tar out of each other, broken up by the occasional sage piece of new age advice by the resident Miyagi stand-in, Jean. I'm positive there's more to MMA than the crude aggression "Down" presents, but to suggest the sport as a cure of sorts for teen hostility sends the wrong message. This is dangerous stuff "Down" is toying with to turn a quick buck, and I fear for the impressionable kids that see this slick piece of garbage and feel the need to pound their neighbor without understanding what these professional fighters stand for. I'm sure that's a common complaint with action films, but it's valid with "Down," especially the manner in which it prostitutes itself toward young audiences.

Because Wadlow is bereft of ideas, the climax of "Down" takes place in the world's most poorly arranged nightclub parking lot, where the final showdown can take advantage of rap video lighting and other visual gimmicks to put this anemic rivalry to bed. Such big-screen ostentation is unnecessary when a passable screenplay is involved, but this picture is hopeless from frame one. "Never Back Down" is a tired, asinine attempt to piggyback on a fight club subculture and it does wonders to make MMA seem like the most idiotic undertaking in recent memory.

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LUCKY YOU NOW AVAILABLE

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HERE IS THE SUMMARY FOR THE MOVIE LUCKY YOU FROM IMDB

In Las Vegas, Huck Cheever is a poker player, brilliant but also prone to let emotion take over. It's the week of the poker world series, and Huck must come up with the $10,000 entry fee, which he wins, loses, borrows, and loses - and even steals part of from Billie Offer, an earnest young woman who's new in town and who catches Huck's eye. By the time the tournament starts, Huck owes everyone. Complicating things is the arrival of Huck's father, whom Huck detests for having left his mother, a champion player in town to win. Can Huck learn to play poker the way he lives and to live the way he plays poker? Or is his only flush the sound of his life going down the toilet? Written by {jhailey@hotmail.com}

HERE IS A REVIEW FOR THE MOVIE LUCKY YOU FROM DVDTALK

OK, so it isn't "Rounders," but "Lucky You" gets surprisingly far cracking open the world of poker and exploring the personalities that can't help but be completely drawn to the game.

Huck (Eric Bana, "Hulk") is a compulsive gambler, looking for a seat in the World Series of Poker, but unable to keep a winning streak burning long enough to earn the seed money. Into his life comes Billie (Drew Barrymore), an aspiring Vegas lounge singer who helps Huck find some focus. The obsessive player will need all the assistance he can get when he finds out that his estranged, manipulative father, L.C. (Robert Duvall), is also looking for a win in the tournament.

Written by director Curtis Hanson ("8 Mile," "Wonder Boys," "In Her Shoes") with Eric Roth ("Munich"), the picture attempts to set up base camp as a romantic comedy, shoving Bana and Barrymore into roles that are ill-fitting and lack chemistry. It's a rather blatant way to inject something soft into a film about hard people (complete with eye-rolling poker-metaphor dialogue), and when it doesn't work, it grinds "Lucky You" to a full stop.

Far more involving is the rest of the film, which follows Huck and his itchy brand of fixation to the tables and back alleys of Vegas's finest and oldest casino floors. Hanson, employing his unmatched skill at bringing out the flavors of his locations, takes the viewer on a visually resplendent tour of downtown and suburban Las Vegas, poker players of all shapes and sizes, and their endless desire for trouble.

"Lucky You" contains fascinating scenes of Huck's desperation for money and respect. The script doesn't sugarcoat his tendencies toward betrayal for the chance to wet his fingers with some coin, but the writers are careful not to make him a monster either. In fact, all the gambling characters are given a fluid representation; these icy creatures of the night with a habit they like to pass off as their profession. Hanson digs into the pain of losing, the shame of defeat, and the fingers-through-hair lust for the next potential win. It's an understated depiction of hardcore gambling, while also respecting the art of the game and the temptation of combat. Hanson and Roth clearly hold poker in high regard, but they're not afraid to reveal the darker side of the participants to better detail the drama.

The film is set in 2003, and while that seems an odd choice at first, Hanson and Roth take their time rolling out the significance of the year. It seems 2003 is regarded as the last year the sport of poker was one played by kings. Especially in the tournament finale, Hanson draws some very distinct lines in the sand between the old guard who play with some semblance of honor and the new kids; the generation of social misfits who think a pair of sunglasses and caulked expression is enough to get themselves a passport to badasslandia. It's a strong point (thrown alongside jabs at television coverage technology and youthful internet poker rubes) made in a strong film.

2007, "Lucky You" is a much more stable, intricate effort than the romantic pap being smeared across television and trailers suggest. Perhaps it isn't the definitive peek at poker, but it gets inside the minds of those who live and die by the game, and rises above cutesy screenwriting to becoming a picture well worth the time spent with it.

HERE IS THE DIRECT DOWNLOAD FOR THE MOVIE LUCKY YOU.

A KNIGHT'S TALE IS NOW AVAILABLE

A KNIGHT'S TALE IS NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE

HERE IS THE SUMMARY FOR THE MOVIE KNIGHT'S TALE FROM IMDB

Inspired by "The Canterbury Tales," as well as the story of Ulrich von Lichtenstein, this is the story of William, a young squire with a gift for jousting. After his master dies suddenly, the squire hits the road with his cohorts Roland and Wat. On the journey, they stumble across an unknown writer, Chaucer. William, lacking a proper pedigree, convinces Chaucer to forge genealogy documents that will pass him off as a knight. With his newly-minted history in hand, the young man sets out to prove himself a worthy knight at the country's jousting competition, and finds romance along the way. Written by Anonymous

HERE IS A REVIEW FOR THE MOVIE KNIGHT'S TALE FROM DVDTALK

The Movie

I'm always baffled by the films deemed worthy of multiple dips by studios and those films, which are equally, if often not more worthy, languish in the vaults and on shelves, doomed to wait while the super-hyped-up-mega-tricked-out-with-11-extra-seconds-of-sexy-footage editions are trotted out. A Knight's Tale is one such flick – while moderately entertaining and worth viewing at least once through, it by no means warrants having had three separate DVD releases in almost as many years.

Writer/director Brian Helgeland's playful revisionist romp through the days of yore, when men proved their worth by strapping on some armor, gathering up a lance and riding full-tilt at each other, features a infectious break-out role for Paul Bettany, as well as winning turns from Heath Ledger, Mark Addy, Alan Tudyk and Shannyn Sossamon, but the central conceit – jousters as rock star athletes of the Middle Ages – wears thin quickly.

I'll skip summarizing the film's plot (you can find an excellent example of that in my colleague Aaron Beierle's review of A Knight's Tale: Special Edition). I will say however that the main thrust of Helgeland's idea is diverting and his cast is more than up to the challenge – the Seventies/Eighties-centric rock soundtrack also adds an extra kick, making for a fun couple of hours some lazy Saturday night.

As previously mentioned, this release of A Knight's Tale is the third DVD offering of this 2001 film in nearly as many years – the special edition was released Sept. 25, 2001; the Superbit edition streeted Aug. 27, 2002 and this "extended director's cut" dropped almost exactly three years after the inaugural release. Billing this release as a "director's cut" is fairly misleading, in my estimation, since all the studio really did was restore the 10 minutes of deleted scenes that were offered as supplemental material on the first DVD. Basically, if you own the special edition, you've got the director's cut, albeit in a slightly scattered form. The restoration of this cut material only makes an already overlong film even longer (the new running time is 144 minutes) and doesn't really add much to the overall story.

In short, fans of the film who have yet to pick up a copy of A Knight's Tale would probably be content with this latest edition, which didn't lose any of the special edition's bonus features – all's well for now, until, of course, the inevitable HD-DVD version.

The DVD

The Video:

A Knight's Tale: Extended Cut is presented in a solid 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer – from what I can tell, this image hews closer to the Superbit release than the first DVD, which is to say it's a sharp, clean image with deep blacks and excellent detail (dig those lances splintering, baby). Those who own the Superbit won't need to upgrade here, but visually, those owners of the first edition may want to consider a re-purchase.

The Audio:

Various flavors of Dolby Digital 5.1 – English, Spanish, Portuguese and French – are on board as well as subtitles in all of the aforementioned languages; I'm certain that much like the visuals from the Superbit release, the Dolby Digital track was likewise ported over. The rock-heavy soundtrack packs a hefty punch as do the jousting scenes; the dialogue comes through clearly with no distortion or drop-out.

The Extras:

Surprisingly, in its third incarnation, A Knight's Tale doesn't boast much in the way of supplemental material and what is offered is recycled from earlier editions: all 11 full-screen featurettes – from "The Rock Music Scene in 1370" to "Stories For The People" – are ported over from the first DVD release as is the 15-minute HBO making-of featurette and the wildly campy Robbie Williams/Queen music video for "We Are The Champions" rounds out the package. Inexplicably, the Helgeland/Bettany commentary track included on the first release has been dropped from this edition, making it the only bonus feature not to be ported over – go figure.

Final Thoughts:

A Knight's Tale: Extended Cut is a restored version of the film that reintegrates roughly 10 minutes of previously deleted footage – if you haven't checked out the film before, I'd suggest picking up the theatrical edition first. Fans of this rock-fueled dramedy who don't have the other two DVD releases should seek out a sale-priced copy of this latest edition. Recommended for rental for the curious and an iffy blind buy for Knight's Tale aficionados.

HERE IS THE DIRECT DOWNLOAD FOR THE MOVIE KNIGHT'S TALE.

WITCHES NIGHT NOW AVAILABLE

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HERE IS THE SUMMARY FOR THE MOVIE WITCHES NIGHT FROM IMDB

Halloween weekend. A jilted groom. A hastily-organized canoe trip. A pristine river. A deep, dark forest. The strange old woman behind the bait shop should've been a warning, but too much beer dulls the senses. When they stumble upon four beautiful women deep in the woods, it all seems too good to be true. And slowly they realize they'll be lucky to escape alive... Witches' Night is a throwback to the horror classics of the 1970's, and features many of the same elements: well-rounded characters, titillating sexual scenarios, an indelible villain, and a plot that builds slowly and inexorably toward an unforgettable conclusion. Written by Michael Lent

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EMOTIONAL ARITHIMETIC NOW AVAILABLE

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HERE IS THE SUMMARY FOR THE MOVIE EMOTIONAL ARITHMETIC FROM IMDB

Emotional Arithmetic tells the story of three people who formed a life-long bond while housed at a detention camp during World War II that are reunited some 35 years later after being separated from one another. Jakob Bronski, a young Jewish man, took a shine to two youngsters, Melanie and Christopher, while they were interred, by the Nazis, at Drancy, a housing complex on the outskirts of Paris that was used as a detention camp for Jews. Drancy operated as a way station; once there, having your name put on the wrong list meant relocation to a death camp. Their separation inflicts deep emotional wounds that grossly impact their lives in differing ways in the years leading up to their life-altering reunion. Now a beautiful woman in her 50's, Melanie Lansing Winters, wife of David Winters, balances her precarious emotional state with an innate sharp, deprecating wit. Jakob, now a senior citizen, is a heroic dissident and veteran of a Soviet psychiatric hospital. And her childhood friend, Christopher Lewis, a British novelist who has long carried a torch for Melanie, is haunted by the eternal question survivors ask themselves - "Why was I saved?" Melanie invites Jakob to stay with her at her home in Canada. Christopher accompanies Jakob there. With Melanie's marriage to David in shambles due to his compulsive infidelity, the pair's presence in the Winters' home revitalizes Melanie, but arouses unexpected reserves of jealousy in David, who is estranged from his and Melanie's grown son, Benjamin, a father himself to a young son, Timmy. On a balmy summer evening, the past explodes into the present in an unexpected and tender love story and its fatal consequences. The 'emotional arithmetic' of the title refers to the characters' struggle to face the past and move on. Written by the Official Press Release, modified by thefilmstudent

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IDIOCRACY NOW AVAILABLE

IDIOCRACY NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE

HERE IS THE SUMMARY FOR THE MOVE IDIOCRACY FROM IMDB

The purpose of the program set up by the Pentagon, called the "Human Hibernation Project," is designed so that the military can save their best men for when they're needed most. According to the officers heading the project, too many times the talents and expensive training of the best pilots and soldiers go to waste during times of peace. So they enlist Bauers (Wilson), the most under-achieving average guy they've got, to be the test subject for the initial hibernation experiment. Also participating in the top-secret program is Rita (Rudolph), a prostitute who agreed to take part in exchange for dropping some criminal charges against her, among other things. Of course, the experiment, which was to last only a year, goes under due to the arrest of Officer Collins, who is busted for heading a prostitution ring. Seeing as though he was in charge of the experiment, one of the only ones who knew of its existence, and "due to a lot of top-secret red tape... and the massive scandals and base closure that followed, Joe and Rita were forgotten about. Written by Slider

Joe Bauers, an Army librarian, is judged to be absolutely average in every regard, has no relatives, has no future, so he's chosen to be one of the two test subjects in a top-secret hibernation program. He and hooker Rita were to awaken in one year, but things go wrong and they wake up instead in 2505. By this time, stupid people have outbred intelligent people; the world is (barely) run by morons--and Joe and Rita are the smartest people in America. Written by Anonymous

HERE IS A REVIEW FOR THE MOVIE IDIOCRACY FROM DVDTALK

THE FILM

After the rabid successes of "Beavis and Butt-head," "King of the Hill," and the cult supremacy of "Office Space," one would think that 20th Century Fox could've extended some level of trust to writer/director Mike Judge when it came to his latest film, "Idiocracy."

What's finally being shown to audiences after two years sitting on a shelf gathering dust is a Frankenstein's Monster of a film, pieced together by a studio looking to pull off cinema's greatest single act of irony: they've dumbed down a film about dumbing down.

Private Joe Bowers (Luke Wilson) is volunteered by his commanding officers to take part in an experimental hibernation program that will put him to sleep for one year. Sent under with a prostitute (Maya Rudolph), the program is eventually cut short, with Joe's tube lost for 500 years. When a garbage avalanche ends his centuries-long slumber, Joe awakens to find the year 2505 and a whole world evolved into idiots. Branded the smartest person alive by the professional wrestler/porn star president (Terry Crews), Joe is given the task of saving America from starvation, but all he really wants is to get back to 2005.

In many ways, "Idiocracy" is similar to the hack job that Paramount pulled on Louis CK's "Pootie Tang." Judge's film is something near a complete mess, with the opening 20 minutes pushed and pulled like taffy to cover what feels like 45 minutes of footage. Slapped with narration that hand-holds the viewer through storylines and important scenes we're not allowed to see, the opening act of the film is a jarring rush of settings and characters that make little sense and lends the film a sloppy quality I refuse to believe was Judge's intention.

Thankfully, Judge's sense of humor does escape through Fox's sweaty fingers. When you boil the picture down to the essentials, it's uproarious in primitive slapstick ways and as a potent bitchslap of a social commentary. Opening with the frightening concept that America's future is not in the hands of the most intelligent, but the most fertile and irresponsible (aka the poor), Judge's script begins to claw away at not only America's corporate sponsorship culture (some get paid to end every sentence with "Brought to you by Carl's Jr."), but their entertainment tastes as well. The number one show on television? "Ow! My Balls!" Favorite channel? The Masturbation Network. The top-grossing film of all time? "Ass." Just 90 minutes of a man's ass, with an occasional fart escaping.

Judge has it out especially for Gatorade (called "Brawndo" here), using the general uselessness of sport drinks to emphasize the deceptive nature of predatory corporations, and the gullibility of consumers who will believe anything they read. Even electrolytes.

This is a world where citizens are named Frito and Beef Supreme, Starbucks is a place that only sells handjobs, Fuddruckers is considered the Mona Lisa of trash dining, and if a subject doesn't pertain to sex or farting, nobody wants to discuss it.

"Idiocracy" eventually heads over to the political realm, turning a presidential address into a wrestling main event, and opening up the idea of capital punishment as gladiatorial fight to the death with tricked out cars, scored by a whole section of head-banging guitar stoners.

As a satire, "Idiocracy" is a cold steel blade to the gut. Judge relishes his opportunity to expose our insatiable need for stupidity, and he takes that to the most grandiose possible conclusion for maximum effect. Still, the film remains a thoroughly hilarious affair, due mostly to the cast's glee in dragging their knuckles for a change and Judge's satirical targets, some of which might hit too close to home for many viewers.

Even if the film contains the single biggest laugh I've had this year at the movies (imagine the Washington Monument pool turned into a jet-ski paradise), "Idiocracy" is a terribly muddled affair. The heart of the film appears to have been ripped out in the process of streamlining the feature for mass consumption. While Judge's touch remains interwoven into the piece, the finished product doesn't move the way we've come to expect from this director.

The picture has some potent ideas on dysgenics and where humanity is headed, and how much citizens are complacent when their lives are bought and sold; ideas that felt like they were once properly layered into a feature film. Not anymore with this version of "Idiocracy." I don't care how much Judge might've screwed up originally, if cinematic history tells us anything, it's best to leave this talent alone

THE DVD

Audio:

"Idiocracy" is present in Dolby Digital 5.1, and makes good, dimensional use of futuristic sound effects. Of course, a majority of them are fart sounds, but you get the point. Dialogue and music are presented crisp and clean.

Visual:

Given an anamorphic widescreen (1.85:1) transfer, "Idiocracy" feels pretty cozy at home, where Judge's intimate satiric scale can be best appreciated. Image is clean with bold color reproduction. Larger home theater screens might reveal the low-tech limitations of the scrapped together special effects more than smaller sets.

Extras:

The only supplement served up for this DVD release is set of deleted scenes, totaling less than four minutes of screentime. All are insignificant snippets, but two of them do showcase the woman in Joe's life before he goes into hibernation. Another shows us the National Fart Museum, where kids of all ages can watch history cut the cheese.

Sadly, Mike Judge is nowhere to be found on any of this disc.

FINAL THOUGHTS

I'm starting to sense "Idiocracy" might be the new "Superman II." Perhaps one day audiences will be treated to Mike Judge's full, unobstructed version of this ambitious satire, but for now, all we have is this DVD. After years of thinking we wouldn't even get this far, it's wonderful to finally get a chance to see what Judge had up his sleeve, and to watch what Fox was so fearful of releasing. Keep your expectations low, and there's an often hilarious, sly little feature to be found in here somewhere.

HERE IS THE DIRECT DOWNLOAD FOR THE MOVIE IDIOCRACY

PROM NIGHT NOW AVAILABLE

PROM NIGHT NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE

HERE IS THE SUMMARY FOR THE MOVIE PROM NIGHT FROM IMDB

Donnas senior prom is supposed to be the best night of her life, one of magic, beauty, and love. Surrounded by her best friends, she should be safe from the horrors of her past. But when the night turns from magic to murder there is only one man who could be responsible, the man she thought was gone forever. Now, Donna and her friends must find a way to escape the sadistic rampage of an obsessed killer, and survive their Prom Night. Written by Davi Silva

HERE IS A REVIEW FOR THE MOVIE PROM NIGHT FROM DVDTALK

Stop me if you've read these ingredients before: a PG-13 horror picture, a remake of an 80's cult classic, directed by nondescript filmmaker, pathetically kept from critics to avoid unpleasant opening day reviews, and starring a roster of insipid young actors? Surely this means only the finest quality Hollywood has to offer!

After surviving the slaughter of her family three years back, Donna (Brittany Snow, "Hairspray") has finally managed to secure a happy life, now enjoying the night of her high school prom. As Donna arrives at the hotel with great anticipation, surrounded by her tight circle of friends (including Scott Porter and Jessica Stroup), the evening quickly turns into a game of survival as the killer (Johnathon Schaech) from years before escapes from prison and shows up to the big celebration to finish the job.

The new "Prom Night" has very little in common with the 1980 Jamie Lee Curtis slasher footnote, instead just pilfering the title and the concept of a killing spree at the most important social gathering for the average high school student. The earlier "Prom Night" wasn't an elegant achievement in suspense, but it's amazing how much the new production fails to offer the audience in the way of chills. The new "Prom Night" is insistently lifeless, which I think is worse than simply being awful. At least awful has some personality to it.

Charm, pace, and suspense are all in short supply for this brainless remake. Director Nelson McCormick comes from a long history of television work and it shows, for his "Prom Night" is too cautious, too gutless to make a psychological dent; a one-way ticket to dullsville, fueled by absurdly toothless PG-13 fright sequences (boo scares aplenty here) that will make this forgettable one-weekend-wonder a DVD dynamo on the sleepover circuit. I'm sure there's an audience for implied stabbings, but set loose in the thickly-padded script by prominent genre hack J.S. Cardone ("The Covenant," "The Forsaken"), and "Prom Night" has nowhere to go but right to sleep.

The cast, led by Snow's irritatingly teary performance, couldn't be more vanilla if they tried; along with Schaech, who makes evil about as cinematically enticing as a tax audit. Where's the fervor for fright in this debacle? McCormick just elongates the whole process, assuming the audience will have a ball watching teen characters natter on about their tedious lives between knifing sequences, or observing actor Idris Elba (here in the concerned cop role) give in to every smell-the-fart acting itch he's ever dreamed of exploring. It's rare to come across a film that simply gives up, but "Prom Night" is lazy that that, spending long stretches of the running time accomplishing nothing. It's just odd.

The finale of the picture should be this grandiose showdown between good and evil, but not on McCormick's watch. No, he's likes to make even the simplest acts of behavior last about 900 years, constructing a conclusion that is absent even the slightest blip of tension and conflict. It seems unfair to blame PG-13 standards for the continual gutting of the horror genre, but when a stinker like "Prom Night" shows up to bleed teenagers of their allowance, it's hard to ignore the warning signs. The defanged slasher movement once again lays a rotten egg.

HERE IS THE DIRECT DOWNLOAD FOR THE MOVIE PROM NIGHT

WELCOME HOME ROSCOE JENKINS NOW AVAILABLE

WELCOME HOME ROSCOE JENKINS NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE


HERE IS THE SUMMARY FOR THE MOVIE WELCOME HOME ROSCOE JENKINS FROM IMDB

A successful talk show host leaves Los Angeles to reunite with his family in the Deep South.

HERE IS A REVIEW FOR THE MOVIE WELCOME HOME ROSCOE JENKINS FROM DVDTALK

I prefer my Martin Lawrence humiliated, emasculated, and speechless. Fortunately, "Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins" appreciates these very same concerns, kicking around the comedian in what amounts to a slightly ludicrous, slightly bloated, but overwhelmingly good-natured comedy of the broadest kind.

Roscoe Jenkins (Martin Lawrence) is a successful trash T.V. host with a trophy girlfriend (Joy Bryant) and a flavorless, Hollywood life. Called back to his rural Georgia home for the 50th wedding anniversary of his parents (James Earl Jones and Margaret Avery), Roscoe is reintroduced to the insecurities and rivalries he held as an angry teen. Now, surrounded by his hot-blooded family (including Mike Epps, Michael Clark Duncan, Cedric the Entertainer, and Mo'Nique) and confronted with a lost crush (Nicole Ari Parker), Roscoe has to decide if he will retreat to his isolating fame and fortune, or if he wants to confront the person he once was and heal old wounds.

I have to give credit to writer/director Malcolm D. Lee for charging ahead with "Jenkins" and feeling brave enough to manufacture a slapstick comedy that, for the majority of its running time, doesn't break down into melodrama and remains consistently funny. This is the guy who made "Undercover Brother" after all, so hopes were not high for an evening of smiles.

I suppose if one squints hard enough, the comparison to Tyler Perry's brand of southern-fried family reunion insanity could be made, but truly, "Jenkins" is its own creation. It's not unique or clever, but it's comfortable with itself, and that counts for something. Lee has a vision for the piece and he sticks to his guns, pushing forward with massive displays of silliness, mostly centered on the continual beating of Roscoe at the hands of his brothers and sisters, and trusting his cast to improv like heavyweight champs and offer comedic reactions with Kabuki-like enormity.

"Jenkins" remains agreeable due to the excitement of the actors, who look as though they are having a ball. It's a joy to see Duncan be playful for once, while Cedric, Epps, and Mo'Nique all take turns leaping off the page and chewing some scenery. It all boils down to Lawrence, who is revisiting a character he hasn't played in forever: the humbled loser. As the straight-man of the film, Lawrence is the perfect sponge for the troupe's energy, batting the laughs back in smaller, but effective doses. Only in the final act does the old in-control Lawrence comes painfully strolling out, but up to that moment, it's the most infectious, relaxed, giving performance the actor has offered the screen since he spun records as Bilal in "House Party."

"Jenkins" isn't all roses. Lee chokes down a little too much wacky with sequences involving flatulent yoga, two utterly mismatched dog lovers, and the hysteria of Roscoe's girlfriend, played with vigor by Bryant, but written far more shrill than necessary. I also wasn't thrilled with some hokey melodrama in the final moments that shuts the film down to a dead stop. Lee softens the blow with a sweet group-hug ending, but "Roscoe Jenkins" is a comedy, and a pretty decent one at that. To assume the audience is hungering for more soulful nutrition from a movie where dogs have sex in the cowgirl position nearly destroys the surprisingly digestible experience.

HERE IS THE DIRECT DOWNLOAD FOR THE MOVIE WELCOME HOME ROSCOE JENKINS.

10,000 BC NOW AVAILABLE

10,000 BC NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE

HERE IS THE SUMMARY FOR THE MOVIE 10,000 BC FROM IMDB

A prehistoric epic that follows a young mammoth hunter named D'Leh's journey through uncharted territory to secure the future of his tribe. When a band of mysterious horse-riding warlords raid the Yaghal camp and kidnaps his heart's desire - the beautiful Evolet along with many others, D'Leh is forced to lead a small group of hunters south to pursue the warlords to the end of the world to save her. Driven by destiny, the unlikely band of warriors must battle saber-toothed cats and terror birds in the Levant. Written by Anthony Pereyra {hypersonic91@yahoo.com}

HERE IS A REVIEW FOR THE MOVIE 10,000 BC FROM DVDTALK

Once upon a time Roland Emmerich made greasy popcorn entertainment that was buoyant and exciting ("Stargate," "Independence Day"). Ever since the epic failure of 1998's "Godzilla," Emmerich has been desperately trying to rekindle his old blockbuster flame, but the results have been lackluster at best ("The Day After Tomorrow"). "10,000 B.C." is a further step backward for the event movie prince, sending the audience to the mystical world of cavemen, yet offering little in the way of substance beyond the abundant special effects.

A young hunter in his clan, D'Leh (Steven Strait) finds his fate intertwined with Evolet (Camilla Belle), an orphan embraced by the elders who hope she will fulfill a great prophecy. When invaders attack D'Leh and his clan, they snatch Evolet and imprison her as a slave, starting a quest for D'Leh and a small pack of warriors traveling across treacherous terrain to get her back. During their dangerous journey, D'Leh befriends other tribes who want similar revenge on their oppressors, finding the relentless warrior fulfilling his own prophecy as a leader brought to the world to unite good and topple evil.

That's right, two prophecies. That's how hollow this screenplay is: they needed two ways to figure out how to take tedious characters and lend them a false sense of otherworldly intent.

"10,000 B.C." is not a cerebral journey of anthropological investigation; it's more a Saturday matinee thrill ride using prehistoric iconography to molest audience-pleasing explosions of action and chest-thumping drama. On the page, I'm sure the project looked amazing with grand displays of adventure and numerous openings for eye-popping visual effects; however, Emmerich's execution of the whole shebang is sleepy, and the screenwriting downright deplorable.

Stealing cues from "Apocalypto," "Braveheart," and his own "Stargate" (not to mention numerous other films), Emmerich has assembled a funky bouillabaisse of derivative material glued together by the CG sequences, which imagine a land populated with grazing mammoths, fierce saber-tooth tigers, and massive ostrich-like creatures that allow Emmerich a chance to rip-off the Velociraptor attack from "Jurassic Park." Admittedly, "B.C." is a gorgeous widescreen production, with sweeping vistas and towering scale. Emmerich knows how to go big, but his touch with human interaction is laughable, and "B.C." is his most emotionally distanced movie yet.

Thrust into this world by Omar Sharif's perplexing narration, "B.C." never gets off the ground. Emmerich is more enamored with selling the characters as action figures than human beings, breaking the critical bonds between them that supposedly motivate the entire movie. The worst offense is found between D'Leh and Evolet, who are offered to the screen as the destined, tragic lovers of the piece. The script doesn't give them much time to intertwine, and it's not long before they're separated, leaving D'Leh to do his Conan-lite routine and for Evolet to commence her...whatever she actually does in this movie. I'm not sure. I detected a lot of painful-color-contact blank stares and falling. Perhaps the "natural lady" caveman wig on Belle was too cumbersome. There's really no sense of community in the picture, just a filmmaker checking off disposable action beats from his creased, yellowed "to do" list as the production plods along aimlessly.

Without any tangible interest in the characters, "B.C." is reduced to a highlight reel of flavorless set-pieces. Trust me, if you've seen one mammoth stampede, you've seen them all. Emmerich has never been one to rely on the wizardry of nuance, but I was stunned to feel numb to nearly everything "B.C." offered, as if my mind immediately detected a filmmaker looking to brazenly cash in on his past successes. I miss the fun-loving Roland Emmerich, who once made stupid undeniably rousing. These days, he's just riding gimmicks and special effects and "10,000 B.C." is a culmination of every lazy impulse he's been harboring for years.

HERE IS THE DIRECT DOWNLOAD FOR THE MOVIE 10,000 BC.

CAMP ROCK NOW AVAILABLE

CAMP ROCK NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE

HERE IS THE SUMMARY FOR THE MOVIE CAMP ROCK FROM IMDB.

"Camp Rock," centers on a teen girl who desperately wants to spend her summer at a prestigious rock camp, but can only attend if she works in the kitchen as one of the cooks. When she's overheard singing - but not seen -- by a teen pop star at the camp, he is completely taken and sets out to find the girl behind the beautiful voice. But first she must confront her fears, step out of the kitchen and into the spotlight. Written by fmmini

Camp Rock is a musical that mostly focuses on a teen girl Mitchie (Demi Lovato) who desperately wants to spend her summer at a rock camp, but can only attend if she works in the kitchen as one of the cooks. When she's overheard singing by teen pop star Shane Gray (Joe Jonas) at the camp, he has fallen head over heals and sets out to find the girl with the beautiful voice. Written by alrc2007

"Camp Rock," centers on a teen girl who desperately wants to spend her summer at a prestigious rock camp, but can only attend if she works in the kitchen as one of the cooks. When she's overheard singing - but not seen -- by a teen pop star at the camp, he is completely taken and sets out to find the girl behind the beautiful voice. But first she must confront her fears, step out of the kitchen and into the spotlight to show how she really is Written by smily_558

Camp Rock tells the rock n' roll Cinderella story of Mitchie Torres (Demi Lovato), a teen with an amazing voice and a driving ambition to be a pop singer who wants to spend her summer at a prestigious rock camp. Unfortunately, an expensive music camp is a bit out of reach for her family, but her mother gets a job as Camp Rock's cook so that Mitchie can attend as long as she helps out in the kitchen between classes. Befriended by fellow camp member Caitlyn (Alyson Stoner) but intimidated by the immensely talented Tess Tyler (Meaghan Jette Martin) and her friends Peggy (Jasmine Richards) and Ella (Anna Maria Perez de Tagle), Mitchie lives a double life hiding that she is the cook's daughter and posing as a well-to-do camper in order to become part of the hottest clique at camp. When she's overheard singing, but not seen, by teen pop star and celebrity camp instructor, plus lead singer of Connect Three, Shane Gray (Joe Jonas), he is completely taken and sets out to find the girl behind the beautiful voice. Meanwhile, Mitchie will have to learn how to confront her fears, step out of the kitchen and into the spotlight as herself. Written by asumamori

HERE IS THE DIRECT DOWNLOAD FOR THE MOVIE CAMP ROCK.

SPEED RACER NOW AVAILABLE

SPEED RACER NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE

HERE IS THE SUMMARY FOR THE MOVIE SPEED RACER FROM IMDB

The story begins with Speed Racer who is a young man with natural racing instincts whose goal is to win The Crucible, a cross-country car racing rally that took the life of his older brother, Rex Racer. Speed is loyal to the family business, run by his parents Pops and Mom. Pops designed Speed's car, the Mach 5. The owner of Royalton Industries makes Speed a lucrative offer, Speed rejects the offer, angering the owner. Speed also uncovers a secret that top corporate interests, including Royalton, are fixing races and cheating to gain profit. With the offer to Speed denied, Royalton wants to ensure that Speed will not win races. Speed finds support from his parents and his girlfriend Trixie and enters The Crucible in a partnership with his one-time rival, Racer X, seeking to rescue his family's business and the racing sport itself. Written by Anthony Pereyra {hypersonic91@yahoo.com}

Hurtling down the track, careening around, over and through the competition, Speed Racer is a natural behind the wheel. Born to race cars, Speed is aggressive, instinctive and, most of all, fearless. His only real competition is the memory of the brother he idolized-the legendary Rex Racer - whose death in a race has left behind a legacy that Speed is driven to fulfill. Speed is loyal to the family racing business, led by his father, Pops Racer, the designer of Speed's thundering Mach 5. When Speed turns down a lucrative and tempting offer from Royalton Industries, he not only infuriates the company's maniacal owner but uncovers a terrible secret-some of the biggest races are being fixed by a handful of ruthless moguls who manipulate the top drivers to boost profits. If Speed won't drive for Royalton, Royalton will see to it that the Mach 5 never crosses another finish line. The only way for Speed to save his family's business and the sport he loves is to beat Royalton at his own game. With the support of his family and his loyal girlfriend, Trixie, Speed teams with his one-time rival-the mysterious Racer X - to win the race that had taken his brother's life: the death-defying, cross-country rally known as The Crucible. Written by Warner Bros. Pictures

HERE IS A REVIEW FOR THE MOVIE SPEED RACER FROM DVDTALK

The Wachowski Brothers have proven their skill with visual gymnastics and their affinity for high-octane action, but an ability to assemble a suitable family film will most likely always elude them. "Speed Racer" is an ocular slap, but it's strictly empty calories; a joyless, over-plotted nostalgia machine that barely limps out of the starting gate.

Ever since he was a child, Speed Racer (Emile Hirsch) has always wanted to join the family business and become a car-racing competitor. When the death of elder brother Rex pushes Speed into the driver's seat, he shows amazing ability on the track, making his family proud. When the ruthless owner of Royalton Industries (Roger Allam) makes Speed an offer to join his aggressive driving squad, Speed refuses, putting him in the crosshairs of corporate thugs. With the help of the mysterious Racer X (Matthew Fox), Speed partakes in several hazardous contests, hoping with each opportunity to further understand his brother's legacy and show up those who question his talents and threaten the livelihood of his family.

A live-action aping of the cult 1960's Japanese anime television series, "Speed Racer" has been exhaustively expanded to fit big-screen needs. Written and directed by Larry and Andy Wachowski (their first since sealing off "The Matrix" with a double helping of provocative sequels in 2003), the brothers literally lunge into a kaleidoscopic realm of colors and cuts with this picture, taking the audience into the tight folds of animation and sensory overload. It's meant for families, but "Speed" will surely beguile stoners for years to come.

"Speed" is an intricately constructed movie, with every blinding detail imaginable up on the screen. Blanketed by CGI, the film's color scheme resembles a tipped bowl of Skittles, with all sorts of garish colors fighting for camera time. This blizzard of hues and extensive green-screen work acts to construct the cartoon world for Speed (think "Spy Kids" mixed with "Dick Tracy") as he puts the pedal-to-the-metal and zooms across twisted tracks of certain doom; not unlike a potent Hot Wheels fever dream. The Wachowskis don't just want Speed to speed, they turn the race sequences into acts of "Car-fu," as the vehicles cartwheel, flip, and battle each other for the lead, similar to the pod racing sequences from "Phantom Menace," only with a more pronounced cartoon glaze, if that's even possible.

The race sequences are the highlights of "Speed," if only because the directors possess a radiant gift for kinetic energy. Speed skidding around day-glo roads is the ideal venue for the Wachowskis to flame on their imaginations and smear the screen with a gloss of eye-crossing car choreography and distinct inspiration reference points, presented by two minds clearly in love with the source material.

However, that blinding devotion to "Speed Racer" is tricky to sort out, and the screenplay is a numbing jumble of allegiances and poor characterizations. In short: the film is a bore. The swirling opening titles and tease of the famous "Speed Racer" theme are quickly replaced by stifling racing legacy overtones, a horde of ill-defined villains, corporate financial jockeying (because nothing says "summer entertainment" quite like stock price bargaining), and uninteresting Racer family dynamics.

Not a typo here: the film runs 130 minutes, which is about 50 minutes too long for bubbly fun like this, but the Wachowskis are unwilling to scrape out any of the fat, and it hurts the film. What should've been Speed in danger, the question mark of Racer X, and heaps of flamboyant car racing is turned into an obese, exposition-heavy creation that fatigues easily. There's no emotional pull to any of it, and it puts Speed into the focal backseat for most of the feature.

Again, stock prices. There's this ungodly-looking world of towering loops and impossible jumps ready to smack the audience in the face, and there's a sequence where the bad guys hammer out the details of stock prices.

In retrospect, perhaps it's best that Speed isn't handed prime screen real estate, since Hirsch's performance barely shifts out of neutral. He's a cardboard standee here, physically embodying cartoon Speed nicely, but lacking any charisma to properly 3-D the icon. Better is John Goodman as Speed's father Pops, Korean star Rain as Speed's dubious ally, and Fox, who grits his teeth pleasingly as Racer X (not to mention pulling off the film's most absurd costume with panache). Unfortunately, the film's feminine contingent, Susan Sarandon (as Speed's mom) and Christina Ricci (Speed's love Trixie), are shuffled off to the corners of the movie in a hurry, and the absence is felt.

To counteract the thundering wall of artifice and adult-themed intrigue, the Wachowskis have activated the characters of Spritle (Speed's kid brother) and chimpanzee sidekick Chim-Chim to speak directly to the children in the audience (often literally). Practically existing in their own separate movie, the mischievous duo provides ear-piercing slapstick and broad comedic displays to the film, and every moment with these two clowns is catastrophic. Granted, the filmmakers have zero experience in family entertainment, but that doesn't excuse the aggressive pinch of these scenes or the eventual use of fecal matter and groin-hit sound stingers to get a laugh. Even worse, the Wachowskis direct young Paulie Litt to assume the cocktail-hour stance of an obnoxious borscht-belt comedian for Spritle, turning his every eye-bulging, neck-craning move into pure torture. 10 minutes in, I wanted Speed to run over the character with the Mach 5.

"Speed Racer" sure is pretty to look at, and the Wachowskis have accomplished amazing optical feats bringing the viewer into the living anime world of visual layering, spastic cutting, and bold coloring. However, the film is an inert sleeping pill; an anti-event movie that spends an inordinate amount of energy trying to drum up extremity, only to completely botch the results by permitting such cringing indulgence.

HERE IS THE DIRECT DOWNLOAD FOR THE MOVIE SPEED RACER.

COLLEGE ROAD TRIP NOW AVAILABLE

COLLEGE ROAD TRIP NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE

HERE IS THE SUMMARY FOR THE MOVIE COLLEGE ROAD TRIP FROM IMDB

When an overachieving high school student decides to travel around the country to choose the perfect college, her overprotective cop father also decides to accompany her in order to keep her on the straight and narrow.

HERE IS A REVIEW FOR THE MOVIE COLLEGE ROAD TRIP FROM DVDTALK

Oh, the mugging in this thing. You would not believe how many of the actors spend all their precious screentime contorting their face into extravagant comical positions, making sure every single audience member comprehends "College Road Trip" is supposed to be a silly movie. It's nearly 3-D in execution.

A protective father, James Porter (Martin Lawrence) is reluctant to allow his daughter Melanie (Raven-Symone) a chance to attend college at Georgetown, located over 700 miles from the family home. When Melanie is invited to speak to the admissions council at the last minute, James refuses to let the child travel with friends, taking her, son Trey (Eshaya Draper), and pet pig Albert on a road trip to help restore frayed bonds, but also to keep a close eye on his beloved daughter. It doesn't take long for the vacation to turn into a nightmare, leaving James in a permanent state of panic as he fights to keep Melanie on a leash, deal with fellow strident parents (Donny Osmond), and confront his own growing sense of empty nest syndrome.

Roger Kumble directed "College Road Trip." This is same man who created smut like "Cruel Intentions," "The Sweetest Thing," and "Just Friends," and now he's at the helm of a G-rated Disney family comedy? Perhaps that's why "College" feels so overprocessed and shrill. It's clearly the work of a man attempting to alter the course of his dying career, only to rely on ineffective instincts for a genre he should be kept away from. Kumble is bad with cute and cuddly.

However, blaming the director for the entire cringe factor of "College" is unfair. The screenplay (credited to four writers) is a hodgepodge of slapstick, melodrama, more slapstick, and "one to grow on" sentiment, piled punishingly high and rendered flavorless by the Disneyfication production process.

The cast is just as shameless, with every participant leaping about like their pants have caught fire. While I admit to enjoying Lawrence when busts out his panic button, Raven-Symone pitches her acting to the rafters, taking every horrible habit she's nurtured on the Disney Channel and splashes the big screen with her obnoxious, questionable eye-bulging and 10-chin double-takes. "College" even permits her a musical number just to loathe the performance even more.

The less said about Donny Osmond the better, though I will write that he's astonishingly well-cast as the constant annoyance of the story.

Thematically, "College" wants to discuss the misery of parents forced to let their children become adults. It's a tender topic, yet nothing resembling a human emotion is allowed near the picture. All that's offered are repetitive scoring cues (separated into two categories: "sad" and "fall down and go boom") and saccharine, tear-jerking screenwriting that's far too coldly calculated to penetrate the ill will clotting up the rest of the picture.

While the novelty of seeing Martin Lawrence trying to neuter himself to meet G-rating expectations is an undeniable curiosity, "College Road Trip" pushes too hard on the wacky button, to a point of full sensorial meltdown. There are only so many food fights, pig-hopped-up-on-caffeine gags, and brutal Raven-Symone improv that one person can take before madness sets in.

HERE IS THE DIRECT DOWNLOAD FOR THE MOVIE COLLEGE ROAD TRIP.