RAMBO IV NOW AVAILABLE

RAMBO IV NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE

HERE IS THE SUMMARY FOR THE MOVIE RAMBO IV FROM IMDB

Vietnam veteran John Rambo has survived many harrowing ordeals in his lifetime and has since withdrawn into a simple and secluded existence in Thailand, where he spends his time capturing snakes for local entertainers, and chauffeuring locals in his old PT boat. Even though he is looking to avoid trouble, trouble has a way of finding him: a group of Christian human rights missionaries, led by Michael Burnett and Sarah Miller, approach Rambo with the desire to rent his boat to travel up the river to Burma. For over fifty years, Burma has been a war zone. The Karen people of the region, who consist of peasants and farmers, have endured brutally oppressive rule from the murderous Burmese military and have been struggling for survival every single day. After some inner contemplation, Rambo accepts the offer and takes Michael, Sarah, and the rest of the missionaries up the river. When the missionaries finally arrive at the Karen village, they find themselves part of a raid by the sadistic Major Pa Tee Tint and a slew of Burmese army men. A portion of the villagers and missionaries are tortured and viciously murdered, while Tint and his men hold the remainder captive. Concerned by their disappearance, the minister in charge of the mission gathers a group of mercenaries and pleas Rambo transport them with his boat, since he knows their last exact location. But Rambo can't stay behind: he joins the team where he belongs, to liberate the survivors from the clutches of Major Tint in what may be one of his deadliest missions ever Written by stallonezone.com / Drew Lahat

In this latest Rambo installment, John Rambo has retreated to a simple life in a rural Thai village near the Burmese border, capturing snakes for local entertainers, and transporting roamers in his old PT boat. Following repeated pleas, Rambo helps ferry a group of Christian aid workers into war-torn Burma, where the local Karen villagers are regularly tortured and massacred by Major Tint's sadistic soldiers. The humanitarian mission is going well, until the village is attacked and the missionaries are kidnapped, and Rambo is once again asked to transport - but this time a group of mercenaries, assembled by the missionaries' minister on a deadly rescue mission. This time he doesn't stay behind. Written by Drew Lahat

In Thailand, John Rambo is living peacefully capturing snakes and transporting people and cargo in an old boat. When a group of Christian missionaries asks to be transported to the war zone in Burma to help the locals, the reluctant Rambo only accepts when Sarah Miller presents her point of view about their humanitarian mission. Rambo leaves the group in the requested location, but the village where they are working is attacked by the sadistic army of Major Pa Tee Tint, the locals are slaughtered and the missionaries are abducted. Later a member of their church meets Rambo and asks him to transport a group of mercenaries hired to rescue the missionaries. Written by Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

In Thailand, John Rambo is living peacefully capturing snakes and transporting people and cargo in an old boat. But when he joins a group of mercenaries to venture into war-torn Burma, and rescue a group of Christian aid workers who were kidnapped by the ruthless local infantry unit. Rambo refuses, but is convinced by another member, Sarah Miller, to take them up there. When the aid workers are captured by the Burmese army, Rambo decides to venture alone into the war zone to rescue them. Written by Anthony Pereyra {hypersonic91@yahoo.com}

HERE IS A REVIEW OF THE MOVIE RAMBO IV FROM DVDTALK

What began as a franchise of high adventure and bottomless sympathy, before promptly tumbling into a feral cartoon, has found its rightful home here: utter maniacal chaos. "Rambo" marks the return of Sylvester Stallone's Vietnam vet hero, a full 20 years after the release of "Rambo III." It seems that during this considerable downtime, Stallone has reassessed his work as John Rambo and his iconic screen history, and is comfortable raging again in this ruthless exclamation point on a surreal series of films.

Living in Burma as a boatman, John Rambo (Sylvester Stallone) spends his time quietly reflecting on his life, desperate to evade his demons. When a pack of Christian missionaries (including Julie Benz, "Dexter") comes to Rambo looking for passage into the heart of the Burmese civil war, he reluctantly accepts, but is wary of such dangerous terrain. Returning home alone, Rambo learns that the missionaries were captured by the vicious Burmese military, leaving him in a position to turn his back or assume his psychologically tattered solider mentality and launch into battle once again.

The truth is, "Rambo" is not a return to the sensitivity of 1982's "First Blood" in the same fashion "Rocky Balboa" healed old wounds. Nor is the film a superficial action breeze like the two previous blockbuster sequels. This time Stallone is hungry to prove a point, and he unleashes a torrent of violence in a manner that's just plain berserk. This is a detail that cannot be stressed enough: "Rambo" is a monumentally vicious film.

Stallone (who directs and co-scripted) is angling for the heart of darkness here, exhibiting the devastating Burmese civil war on very realistic terms, eager to stun the viewer with depictions of SLORC army atrocities including beheadings, rape, dismemberments, and further barbaric customs that keep the rest of the volatile country in place. "Rambo" doesn't recoil from any of it, displaying a gruesome rain of death and unspeakable acts of violation. Stallone is creating a bleak perspective here about the Burmese conflict, perhaps distancing himself from the mindless body count thrills of the two earlier films by edging toward authenticity. "Rambo" might seem over the top to some, but it puts the viewer in the middle of pure hell, making vivid points about the futility of peace and war. Here, fighting fire with fire is exhilarating, but there's an unavoidable price to pay.

Of course, Stallone isn't going to let "Rambo" sneak out into theaters worldwide without some expected heroism, and the brawny character is permitted some immense expressions of explosive jungle justice that dilute the verisimilitude of the film (the woefully melodramatic performances don't help the cause either), but still allow for an important sense of popcorn entertainment to help choke down the politics. Hulking around like a brick wall, Stallone isn't the lean machine he once was, but his matured gravitas works well for the character as well as the constant struggle with his uncertainties and traumatic combat experience. As seen in "Rocky Balboa," I enjoy Stallone's newfound comfort with himself, allowing his acting to soak up a dour sense of the world. It takes John Rambo back from a plastic action figure to a human being.

Once Rambo gets his military mojo back (with the help of overly chatty mercenaries also on the hunt), the film loses its damn mind and explodes with a thunderstorm of aggression aimed directly at Burmese military goons. "Rambo" blasts forward with wave after wave of fury, and it wouldn't be such a bad idea for those who like to sit in the first few rows to cover themselves with a plastic sheet Gallagher-style, to keep the buckets of blood and bits of body from staining their clothes. Here "Rambo" turns predator, but in a very dynamic manner that crashes across the screen with all the horror and fist-pumping that has come to be a staple of the franchise. What Stallone serves up in the finale of "Rambo" is a literal goulash of gore (most shots, if not all, are amplified with rickety CGI), and I was quite taken with the fearlessness of it all. The overall responsibility of the film is open for debate, but nobody can say that Stallone didn't reach for the bloodied brass ring with this splendidly bonkers concoction.

Just by being a product created two decades after the last installment, "Rambo" is a different cinematic creature; albeit one with familiar working parts. It's not a strong enough emotional statement to match the anger and frustration of "First Blood," and the action sequences are much too raw and uncompromising to offer solace to the sequel fans; "Rambo" is an unusual creation: a confident, striking production that may not conclude John Rambo's mournful journey, but finds a creative high point to rest upon for now.

HERE IS THE DIRECT DOWNLOAD FOR THE MOVIE RAMBO IV.

THEN SHE FOUND ME NOW AVAILABLE

THEN SHE FOUND ME NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE

HERE IS THE SUMMARY FOR THE MOVIE THEN SHE FOUND ME FROM IMDB

A New York schoolteacher hits a midlife crisis when, in quick succession, her husband leaves, her adoptive mother dies and her biological mother, an eccentric talk show host, materializes and turns her life upside down as she begins a courtship with the father of one of her students. Written by CartmanKun@aol.com

HERE IS A REVIEW FOR THE MOVIE THEN SHE FOUND ME FROM DVDTALK


Helen Hunt took herself out of the Hollywood game eight years ago after sleepwalking through the Mel Gibson embarrassment, "What Women Want." She's acted in a few projects here and there, but "Then She Found Me" feels like a breaking dam: the overflowing artistic release of an actress fed up with what's been handed to her. Now Hunt takes matters into her own hands with this raw feature film, her directorial debut.

Now 39 years old, April (Helen Hunt) is desperate to have a baby of her own. However, to get to a place of motherhood, April has to deal with her divorce from husband Ben (Matthew Broderick), the death of her adoptive mother, and the persistence of her birth mother (Bette Midler), who, after all these years, is ready to be a part of her life. Also on her plate is an itchy romance with single father Frank (Colin Firth), an equally unhappy individual with passions that excite and frighten the newly-available, baby-starved April.

Adapted from the 1990 novel by Elinor Lipman, Hunt (who also co-wrote the screenplay) has molded the material into an expression of pain so piercing, it threatens to overcome the whole production. "Found" showcases the lives of some seriously miserable people, and the plot piles on the hopelessness relentlessly, making April's character arc a shoo-in candidate for the "most unlucky fictional character" award. However, Hunt's direction is sympathetic and graceful, keeping "Found" from total gloomy disintegration. She understands the necessity of maintaining a sincere mood to the piece, sympathizing with the characters and their individual needs and relationship angst. In all, it's a rather gentle take on crushing disappointment.

Hunt's camerawork is refreshingly unobtrusive, giving space to her superb cast, who each take their position memorably in April's babyfever nightmare. The standouts are easily Hunt herself, who looks to be scraping away the depressive gunk found at the very bottom of her soul to inform April's frustrations (something tells me sections of the film are autobiographical), and Midler, who's been kept away from a role this fertile for far too long. Funny, touching, and impressively subtle, Midler is a dream, executing her best performance in over a decade as April's deceptive, yet caring, birth mother. Sharing ace chemistry with Hunt, Midler's scenes are the jewels of the film; a reminder of how impressive her talent is and how much her recent career direction has failed to capitalize on her gifts.

"Found" does get a little grabby near the conclusion, attempting to smother April with even more doubt and heartache to manipulate the character into a place where her final motherhood choice can be better appreciated and cooed over; it's much too late in the game, but it doesn't smudge the rest of the picture. Helen Hunt has always been a strange screen presence, yet her own direction of "Then She Found Me" reveals a newly-energized place for her acting, requiring astoundingly naked emotional pull that assists the picture in uncovering some unsettling, yet superbly rewarding moments of emotional truth.

HERE IS THE DIRECT DOWNLOAD FOR THE MOVIE THEN SHE FOUND ME.

SMACKDOWN VS RAW 2009 PREVIEW FROM IGN.COM

SMACKDOWN VS RAW 2009 PREVIEW FROM IGN.COM

HERE IS THE ARTICLE ON SMACKDOWN VS RAW 2009 FROM IGN.COM


You're about to read about some really cool stuff in WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009. This week, I got to participate in my first Inferno Match, figure out how Fighting Styles work this year, create my own finisher, and try out all of the new tag team features THQ's been talking about since WrestleMania. However, there's one tidbit that should really setup what THQ's going for in this installment of the franchise. For the first time ever, you can enter the wrestling ring via the steel steps. If you're a SVR hater, you might scoff at that little addition, but fans of the franchise should take note because it's just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the polish being put into this title. After an hour and a half of playing and creating, I was digging my time with SVR 09, but it wasn't the match types that were making me cheer inside. I was marking out for the way the ropes sagged as Jeff Hardy put his weight on the taught lines. I was marking out because flicking the left stick skips the current track playing over most menu screens in favor of another licensed tune or wrestler entrance theme. I was marking out because load screens now display the stats you've racked up as whichever wrestler is on the screen -- your win/loss record with Triple H, your most played match type, etc.

I could go on -- and as you can see below, I obviously will -- but the gist of what you need to take away at the broadest level of SVR 09 is that THQ and Yuke's have taken the gameplay and controls that you now know backward and forward from SVR 08 and shined 'em up real nice. Don't worry though, they apparently haven't turned them sideways or stuck them up your candyass. The character models look more defined than ever, the championship belts fit snugly on character waists and appear polished as well as heavy, and the action seems to be a few frames faster, although both the PS3 and Xbox 360 will run at a solid 60 frames per second. Now, even though SVR 09 keeps the left stick to move, right stick to grapple scheme we all know and -- most of us -- love, that's not to say that nothing has been added. When you get dropped by a superkick or what have you in this year's game, you'll still be instructed to tap a button repeatedly, but when you pull yourself to your knees, you'll be able to hold down R2 and L2 to enter a guarded state. Basically, if someone wants to kick you while you're guarding, you'll be able to reverse the strike and get up cleanly. If for some reason you can't get up and your opponent is stomping your corpse over and over again, the game will only let you take the punishment for so long before it generates a reversal that pushes the bad guy back and gives you the chance to get to your feet. There are other nifty tweaks and additions to the control scheme, but we'll chat those up when we get to them. For now, let's talk about the Inferno Match. Ever since the Undertaker and Kane stepped into the ring at Unforgiven 1998 and ring hands set fire to a barrier around the squared circle, the WWE fan base has dreamt of participating in a videogame version of the Inferno Match. This year, THQ's delivering that vision. My inaugural bout in the flaming fight pitted my CM Punk against the one and only Matt Hardy. The entrances progressed as normal -- Punk trotting to ringside in his T-shirt (which hugged the champ's body and looked more realistic than ever) and Chicago-inspired trunks before wringing his hands in the middle of the ring; then, without a load screen, Matt Hardy's music blared and Version 1 ran to the ring -- and I got to see Punk pacing Matt as the fire round ringside illuminated his face. Then, the bell rang. The first thing you'll notice is that SVR 09's Inferno Match takes advantage of the fact that it's a videogame. Rather than have some lame metal halo around the ring that actually houses the flames, the actual ring-rope sides of the ring are on fire. You pull off body slams and other moves, and, as the bodies impact, the flames shoot up.

Who is scared of the burn unit?

Think Go to Sleep is a gruesome looking finisher in real life? Take a gander at it as flames explode around Matt Hardy's impromptu dental work and the screen shatters like broken glass -- the broken glass bit is the new visual that goes off at the moment of Finisher impact and looks pretty damn cool. As you're pulling off these moves and the ring's belching towers of fire, a smaller box in the lower left corner is tracking the heat of the ring. It'll start at a bone-chilling 300 degrees and work its way up as the moves get more and more devastating. The rising flames also mean the screen's getting redder and redder. Anyway, when the pyro gets to a balmy 500 degrees, that's your chance to shove your opponent into the hellfire. To do this, you'll need to pull off a strong grapple and then work the enemy to whatever side of the ring you want with the left stick. If you're the dude getting dragged to the fire, you'll have to be on top of your face buttons to get out before you're lit up. When the strong grapple starts and you guys begin inching forward, your controller's face buttons will pop up near your HUD and you'll have to tap the buttons that are lighting up. If you pull off the taps quick enough, you'll break the hold and save yourself from third-degree burns. If you fail to keep up, the buttons will disappear as your opponent goes for the final shove into the fire and then the buttons will pop back up for one final command. Miss that move, and you're extra crispy. What happens when you go up like a brother of the Undertaker? The camera cuts to your dude rolling around ringside on fire -- a rolling/freaking out animation that stays on a disturbingly long time -- before fire extinguisher fog blasts in from the sides to save the day. There are other caveats to this match, such as the fact that you can't bounce off the ropes when the temperature is at its highest, the ring'll stick around that 500 degree mark for about as long as a momentum meter would flash, and so on, but one thing I can tell you is that this match is eye candy. Sure, it's goofy to see Triple H rolling around on fire, and it felt a bit sluggish moving a grappled opponent to the flaming ropes, but the fire growing and the roaring sound after every big move is a brilliant touch. I've played these games for a long time, and the close up on CM Punk rearing back on the Anaconda Vise as flames grew behind him might be one of the coolest shots I've ever come across. Even though I only got a brief taste of SVR 09, there seems to be a lot of nifty tidbits like the Inferno Match, and I'd personally put the refined Fighting Abilities in that category. Last year, THQ and Yuke's debuted Fighting Styles -- a grouping of abilities that gave benefits to the characters based on how they acted in the ring. This year, the developers are dropping the styles but keeping the abilities. Look at it this way: last year, Randy Orton was a Dirty Superstar. This meant that he had access to a bunch of dirty abilities such as removing turnbuckle covers and pushing the ref into opponents, but he didn't have access to the abilities that were in the Hardcore Fighting Style. This year, every Superstar will have six abilities. This means that single grappler can have the ability to remove turnbuckle covers as well as the ability to bash himself over the head with a chair to regenerate limb damage. These abilities are now independent. There's no longer a title you have to worry about.

So hot in here!

Breaking the abilities up seems like it's going to amplify the individuality that Fighting Styles introduced. During my demo, THQ talked about trying to make this game feel more like WWE programming than ever before and the Fighting Abilities are a big part of that. For example, when was the last time you saw a match end in a simple Boston Crab or arm-bar submission hold? If a wrestler puts someone into a hold that isn't his or her finisher in real life, it's not likely the opponent is going to tap. For years, that hasn't been the case in SVR. If you wore the legs of Shawn Michaels down, he'd tap to the simplest of leg holds. That's not going to happen anymore. If you don't have the Submission Specialist ability, you can't make someone submit to a plain old hold. Now, don't get me wrong -- John Cena's no Submission Specialist but his STFU will make people submit because it's a Finisher/Signature move. That fact is universal, but nobody's submitting to a figure four unless it's a Finisher/Signature or the person pulling the move off is a Submission Specialist. If you haven't caught on in your years of reading IGN's SVR coverage, THQ is pretty good at keeping secrets. The company says that there are "big, big features" that it hasn't announced for SVR 09, but that didn't stop us from getting the dirt on a few more of the 20 Fighting Abilities. Possum Pin's one of the abilities, but it's been tweaked a bit from last year; this time, you have to spend a stored finisher to pull the move off. There's the Dirty Pin (using the ropes for leverage), Hardcore Resurrection (the aforementioned beat-yourself-up-to-heal move), Object Specialist (a proficiency with items from under the ring), Lock Pick (a one-button press that gets you out of submissions), Steal Taunt, and Steal Finisher. Beyond all those abilities were three that we found especially intriguing. Kip-Up is the tried-and-true Shawn Michaels move of kicking up from your back to your feet. A Superstar with this ability will only be able to do the move once per match and only when he's racked up critical damage. Once the guy pops up, he'll have a full momentum meter and be momentarily damageless. The next ability we really dug was Fan Favorite. We didn't get to see it in action, but what will happen is the Superstar will begin taunting and clapping in an attempt to get the crowd going. If the opponent doesn't stop the Superstar, the crowd will get in on the claps, they'll become deafening, and the foe will cover his ears and be open for an attack. The last "big one" we got to hear about was Resiliency. This is kind of an always-on attribute that won't be deployed by a button press but should definitely affect the way the game plays. In previous years, schooling the Hurricane was the same as schooling Triple H. If you knew your moves, you could dominate different guys in the same way. THQ's looking to fix that with Resiliency, a Fighting Ability that makes a main eventer feel like a main eventer when you're wrestling him. A Superstar with this ability will need more bang to knock on his buck.

"Why does my hand smell like this?"

Now, to put down these main eventers, you're going to need some killer moves, and this year you'll get to make your own with Create-A-Finisher. As I'm sure many of you are aware, I was a two-time Backyard Wrestling Federation Champion before landing on IGN's doorstep. My title reigns were marked with drinking laundry detergent and a terrifying move known as the Greggy Guillotine -- a fireman's carry that spun out into a Stone Cold Stunner. I actually stole the move from the character creation found in N64's WrestleMania 2000, and I have been heartbroken every year since then to find it missing from the SmackDown series. Finally, my virtual Gruesome Greggy can pull off his very own finisher. Create-A-Finisher presents you with more than 500 animations to slot in up to ten steps that will make up your masterpiece. When I clicked on step one, I was taken to a list of all the available moves. Tapping R1/L1 cycled through move subcategories such as blood-drawing maneuvers, taunts, holds, and more, while the right stick rotated the green guy demonstrating the moves as well as zooming in and out. Of course, there is no such thing as a DQ in the BYWF, so I choose to start the Guillotine animation with a swift kick to my opponent's groin. For step two, Gruesome Greggy yanks the foe into a fireman's carry. Step three spins the bad guy out into a Diamond Cutter position, and step four finishes the cutter. Sure, it wasn't the stunner -- only a few dozen of the 500-plus moves were available in the build I was playing -- but it was still awesome looking and a cinch to set up. With the move running next to my four-step layout, I decided the kick wasn't swift enough and jumped back to crank the speed of the blow up to 150 percent. With the brutal combination complete, I jumped in and named the move -- you can choose from a set of pre-assigned names if you want to hear the announcers say it or create your own title -- and saved the creation. From there, it was as simple as assigning it to an actual or created Superstar. Our final touchstone in our WWE afternoon was the revamped tag team match. Although the company's keeping a lid on all the bells and whistles under SVR 09's hood, THQ's had no problem promoting the double team finishers, hot tags and more that this mode features. For our bout, we teamed up with a developer to become the Hardys (EXTREME!) and went up against Rey Mysterio and Mr. Kennedy. Jeff and Matt came out as a team and under the Hardy moniker, while Rey and Ken entered solo.

619!

As Jeff, the match began with me perched on the apron watching Matt work. Since it announced that SVR 09 was overhauling the tag match, THQ has said that it's going to make the inactive tag team member still feel like they're part of the match. From my quick taste, it appears to be working. While Matt wailed on Rey, I could stalk around the two sides of the ring that touched our corner, I could jump to the arena floor, I could crawl into the ring, and I had a number of offensive moves I could pull off when the time was right. When Matt whipped Rey at the ropes, a button tap had Jeff yank the rope down so that Rey went flying. If Mr. 619 got too close to Jeff, I could use the right stick to grab the munchkin and hold him so Matt could get in a few shots -- however, I ran the risk of Rey reversing when I tried this and belting me in the jaw. If Matt decided to be selfish, I could also use the right analog stick to force the tag and get my time in the limelight. Tag teams are nothing without teamwork though, and SVR 09's got a wealth of options. There's a ton of double team moves -- think Jeff and Matt's copyrighted crotch/leg drop thing -- that can be set off by one player initiating a strong grapple and the other guy just grappling normally. On top of that, there are around 20 dedicated tag team finishers -- such as the Twist of Fate followed by the Swanton Bomb. Some of those double team finishers will be self-explanatory when you're rolling with an established squad, but if you're pitting Wrestler A with Wrestler B and the two aren't connected, you'll have to pair them from the main menu -- a lot like the old Create-A-Stable -- and assign the finisher there. Thankfully, tag teams will share a momentum bar, so there's no need to worry about tagging in a partner and losing your power. On top of that, the new Hot Tag seemed pretty cool. I let Jeff get beat on a bit by Kennedy, and then began holding the D-pad. Slowly but surely, the onscreen momentum meter began to burn and finally erupted in flames. When this happened, I just had to get Jeff on our side of the ring, and the camera jumped to a beleaguered Jeff making the weary, last ditch dive to tag in Matt. Like a ball of brutality, Matt leapt into the ring, took out the legal man, and then swung at Rey on the apron. As this happened, a button prompt appeared on the screen. If our partner piloting Matt hit the proper button, Rey would go down. However, our partner missed the prompt. Rey nailed Matt and ended the Hot Tag antics.

To the EXTREME!!

When I read the message boards or check the comments on an SVR story, I almost always see someone criticizing THQ for "putting out the same game every year." As a fan, you and I could argue the fact that there's always new arenas, wrestlers, modes, and more, but there is some truth to the criticism -- THQ constantly builds on what makes its games good. Although I've only logged a little more than an hour with SVR 09, this title seems to be building in the right ways. There's a more appropriate amount of echo in the ring announcers voices; there are four different crowds that will show up in the game's arenas; when a ref's counting a pinfall or ring out his voice now sounds as if it's coming from inside the ring and there are no more big, hokey numbers that pop up on the screen; and when Superstars such as the Undertaker perform finishers that end in a pin, the game's going to make the move flow so that the sequence doesn't end in a rope break. The character models look sharper than ever, the entrances are grand, we don't even know all the features yet, and there's going to be downloadable content. I am legitimately excited about this title, and I don't see how fans of the franchise couldn't be.

CLOVERFIELD NOW AVAILABLE

CLOVERFIELD NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE

HERE IS THE SUMMARY FOR THE MOVIE CLOVERFIELD FROM IMDB

Cloverfield follows five New Yorkers from the perspective of a hand-held video camera. The movie is exactly the length of a DV Tape and a sub-plot is established by showing bits and pieces of video previously recorded on the tape that is being recorded over. The movie starts as a monster of unknown origin destroys a building. As they go to investigate, parts of the building and the head of the Statue of Liberty come raining down. The movie follows their adventure trying to escape and save a friend, a love interest of the main character. Written by Pip Carlson

HERE IS A REVIEW FOR THE MOVIE CLOVERFIELD FROM DVDTALK

Shuffled from a quick shooting schedule to post-production to theatres in a shroud of secrecy, Matt Reeves' Cloverfield (2008) created plenty of buzz upon its release last January. Hidden beneath fake name titles like Cheese and Slusho, the as-yet-unknown monster movie spared no expense in making sure the final cut arrived with a bang. Having seen the film's mysterious trailer before last year's so-so Transformers, it immediately caught my attention as something worth looking into. I wasn't alone, of course: curious fans were intrigued by the film's viral marketing campaign and reluctance to reveal what Cloverfield was all about. For the most part, we only knew that it was big, scary and would be arriving soon. Surprisingly enough, when it did arrive...it actually scored big with audiences and critics alike. Go figure.

Here's the setup: twenty-something Rob Hawkins (Michael Stahl-David) is given a surprise going-away party after landing a prestigious job overseas. The Manhattanite has got obvious feelings for Beth (Odette Yustman) after their rendezvous a few weeks prior, but she shows up to the party with another guy. Rob's pal Hudson (T.J. Miller) attempts to cheer him up while recording well-wishes from the crowd...though "Hud" also has his eye on Marlena (Lizzy Caplan), who barely knows Rob but was invited anyway. Also attending are Rob's brother Jason (Mike Vogel) and his girlfriend Lily (Jessica Lucas); the latter is perhaps the most level-headed in the bunch, which could be why she did most of the party organization.

All this yuppie-grade drama is pushed to the background, of course, when the apartment shakes and power flickers off for a moment; the kids are terrified, so they scramble towards the TV and windows to see what caused all the commotion. This is no "earthquake" as early reports suggest, especially after a massive explosion in the city sends fiery debris their way. Fleeing to street level, the party-goers witness more chaos and destruction; eventually, some folks get separated in the fray. What exactly caused all the panic doesn't really matter at the moment; they've just got to find each other and get to safety before Manhattan crumbles.

This story is told from a narrow perspective: like The Blair Witch Project and its ilk, all the spookiness is captured on a single camera (in this case, the one Hud carries around dutifully)...so whether we like the characters or not, we're stuck with them for the duration. Our heroes are likeable enough, yet I'll admit that the well-to-do Starbucks and sushi crowd---in their fancy Manhattan apartments, no less---isn't really my environment of choice. This is perhaps a testament to Cloverfield's effectiveness, however: no matter if you have a trust fund or not, the over-the-top events of the film unfold in a chaotic but believable manner.

The Blair Witch style of presentation isn't the only thing that separates Cloverfield from typical monster movies, but it's certainly the most noticeable difference. Some viewers may rightfully become disoriented at times: after all, Reeves' film takes the Paul Greengrass approach and amplifies it substantially. Yet such a stripped-down atmosphere doesn't hinder the film at all; instead, it reminds us that Steadycams and sweeping crane shots aren't necessary to tell an exciting story. Taking their cues from viewer-driven video websites like YouTube, the crew of Cloverfield certainly had the means to hold the camera steady...but they really wanted to inspire audience members without immediate access to fancy equipment.

Adding to the "kitchen table" effect is the exclusion of a traditional score...save for the occasional bit of background music, of course. Instead, our ears are simply treated to a chaotic, creepy audio mix---developed and executed, in part, by Skywalker Sound---that magnifies the tension considerably. The end result is just as enveloping as the visuals themselves, yet the sum of these parts holds our attention from start to finish. We really feel as though we're part of the action...and during a suspenseful film, can we really ask for more?

Presented on DVD by Paramount Home Entertainment, Cloverfield manages to bring plenty of scares to the small screen. The stripped-down visual presentation and enveloping audio mix have been preserved nicely, while a number of interesting bonus features support the film well. All things considered, it's a solid package that fans should certainly enjoy. Let's take a closer look, shall we?

Video & Audio Quality

Presented in a 1.78:1 widescreen aspect ratio and enhanced for 16x9 displays, Cloverfield looks excellent, given the circumstances. The moderately filtered and degraded image preserves the film's intended look, while black levels and image detail are quite solid in most cases. A very mild amount of edge enhancement can be spotted during a few sequences, though other digital imperfections are clearly part of the source material. Overall, this is a terrific visual presentation that fans should enjoy.

For obvious reasons, let's ignore the fact that such a crisp and thunderous soundstage could never be captured on a "consumer-grade" camera. This Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround mix (available in French and Spanish dubs) is dynamic and immersive, putting us smack-dab in the middle of the action. Dialogue is generally clear and easy to understand, rarely fighting for attention with background noise...and only when appropriate, of course. Optional English, French and Spanish subtitles are provided during the main feature and nearly all of the extras.

Menu Design, Presentation & Packaging Seen above, the appropriately tense menu designs are basic and easy to navigate. The 84-minute main feature has been divided into 16 chapters, while no obvious layer change was detected during playback. This one-disc release is housed in a standard black keepcase and includes no inserts of any kind. Interestingly enough, this promotional screener copy arrived in an oversized "archival tape" case, further accenting the film's top-secret tone. Spooky!

Bonus Features They might look a bit standard on paper, but the included extras prove to be quite entertaining and informative. Leading things off is a feature-length Audio Commentary with director Matt Reeves, who previously worked with producer J.J. Abrams in creating the television series Felicity. Reeves delivers quite a fast-moving track, which contains only a few moments' worth of silence during the film's 84-minute lifespan. The director speaks about Cloverfield's brisk shooting schedule (which spanned just over a month), as well as the unique format and mixture of live action and green-screen backgrounds. Interestingly enough, Reeves also expresses a bit of regret about how the apartment "rescue sequence" turned out visually, which I noticed during my first viewing and completely agree with. Overall, this is a fine commentary worth listening to.

"Document 1.18.08: The Making of Cloverfield" (28:17, below left) provides an up-close and personal view of the film's relatively short production, taking us behind the scenes of multiple set locations and post-production facilities. Director Matt Reeves and producer J.J. Abrams are joined by select members of the cast and crew, who comment about the overall experience and top-secret nature of the shoot as it unfolds. This is an interesting enough piece---and though a few key sections are glossed over, they'll be explained in more detail soon enough.

Up next is a pair of related featurettes, beginning with "Cloverfield Visual Effects" (22:31, below right). This obviously expands on the computer-aided aspects of the production, mainly the aforementioned green-screen background sequences and creature designs. It's surprising to learn exactly what was added in post-production, even during some of the more conventional sequences. On a similar note is "I Saw It! It's Alive! It's Huge!" (5:52), a shorter piece focusing solely on character design and development (especially the chief baddie, nicknamed "Clover" by the production team). Peppered with glimpses of 3-D models and early puppet designs, this will be of great interest to more visually-minded fans. My only nitpick relates to the numerous mentions of Godzilla as an obvious inspiration, yet King Kong is casually brushed aside. Gorillas need love too.

Winding things down is a selection of unused footage, beginning with "Clover Fun" (3:59). This short compilation of flubbed takes---nearly all of which takes place at the going-away party and Beth's apartment---is relatively lightweight, but still worth a look. Also here is a handful of Deleted Scenes (4 clips with optional director commentary, 3:35 total), which include a few lighter moments and extended takes. They were rightfully trimmed from the final cut, though one could argue that the party sequence still runs a bit long. Our last film-related extra is a pair of Alternate Endings (2 clips with optional director commentary, 4:36 total), which turns out to be fairly disappointing; in short, they do little more than alter the final few seconds of "flashback footage".

Also included are Previews for the upcoming theatrical releases of Star Trek and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, though Cloverfield's excellent trailer is nowhere to be found. All bonus features, save for these previews, are presented in anamorphic widescreen and include optional English, French and Spanish subtitles. This shouldn't need to be mentioned, but it's good to see such care taken with every aspect of a DVD release.

Packed with plenty of thrills, chills and suspense, Cloverfield is a claustrophobic monster movie crafted with care by true fans of the genre. The guerilla-style visual approach---unfairly regarded by some as a cheap production gimmick---does wonders for the admittedly stripped-down atmosphere, while attention to detail and the lack of a traditional score enhance the experience even further. This "budget blockbuster" also plays fairly well on the small screen...thanks in part to a careful DVD treatment by Paramount, which pairs a solid technical presentation with a handful of entertaining, informative bonus features. It's at least worth a rent for even the most jaded followers of horror and suspense, but most fans will want to make permanent room on the shelf for Cloverfield. Firmly Recommended.

HERE IS THE DIRECT DOWNLOAD FOR THE MOVIE CLOVERFIELD

GET SMART'S BRUCE AND LLOYD OUT OF CONTROL NOW AVAILABLE

GET SMART'S BRUCE AND LLOYD OUT OF CONTROL NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE

HERE IS THE SUMMARY FOR THE MOVIE GET SMART'S BRUCE AND LLOYD OUT OF CONTROL FROM IMDB

A spin-off of the Get Smart movie, centered on Bruce, a techie at CONTROL, and his nerdy analyst cohort, Lloyd.

HERE IS A REVIEW FOR THE MOVIE GET SMART'S BRUCE AND LLOYD OUT OF CONTROL FROM DVDTALK

The Movie:

Being a fan of the original TV show, I recently saw 2008's Get Smart remake at the theaters and quite frankly it was everything I hoped it was going to be. The cast was superb and the spirit of the original series was certainly in there. The bottom line is if you were a fan of the original then check it out; you'll be glad you did. Then again this review isn't for Get Smart; it's for a direct to DVD spin-off featuring two characters from the film.

Get Smart's Bruce and Lloyd: Out of Control is an interesting release when you get right down to it. Typical when you see a spin-off you're looking at a year or so down the line as a way to capitalize on a larger audience that has already seen the film. With Out of Control being released concurrently with Get Smart the amount of interested parties is undoubtedly smaller. You need to have seen the movie in order to be even remotely intrigued by Bruce and Lloyd's exploits. Needless to say it's a decidedly bold move on the part of Warner to release this when they did. I'm not entirely sure that fortune favors the bold in this instance because as nicely marketed as this release is it's certainly flawed. The biggest problem here is that Out of Control has very little to offer that is even remotely familiar to its theatrical counterpart. Or as Maxwell Smart would say, "Missed it by that much!"

Rather than tell a tale about Bruce (Masi Oka) and Lloyd (Nate Torrence) at a different point in the franchise Out of Control is supposed to be a side story about what happens to the lab nerds while Agents 86 and 99 are out on assignment. This adventure is completely separate despite a couple of instances where the stories intersect so don't expect to see Max, 23, or many of the other main players (Anne Hathaway does have a brief appearance but that bit feels shoehorned in). What you do get from this feature is a mildly entertaining diversion that has a few moments of brilliance scattered throughout a weak script with failed jokes and wasted potential. It's not all bad but I dare say that if you're expecting a level of quality close to or on par with the actual Get Smart film you're going to be greatly disappointed.

Out of Control begins with Bruce and Lloyd testing out an invisibility cloak known as the OCT (Optical Camouflage Technology). Agent 91 (Terry Crews) is the guinea pig in a paintball practice match between Control and the CIA. Considering the gadget gurus haven't perfected the battery time 91 soon finds himself in a bit of an embarrassing situation and this moment only serves as a catalyst for a rivalry between the two government groups. The CIA wants to steal the cloak and Control wants to perfect it and protect it; a task that Bruce and Lloyd simply aren't up to.

For being such geniuses Bruce and Lloyd are quite inept when it comes to other areas of life. They throw a party at control to celebrate their success at coming up with a greater energy source for the cloak but during it a beautiful South American agent sneaks in and steals the weapon. The rest of Out of Control follows the dynamic duo as they attempt to track down their technology and best the CIA in the process. The events that follow feel forced and haphazard at times but in between it all the film's main characters are charming enough to muddle through.

Bruce and Lloyd have a good amount of working chemistry and you really get the sense that they have been friends for some time. It's the little interactions between them that make up the good moments here. When Bruce goes after a girl named Nina (Jayma Mays) who reeks of death due to her position at Control, Lloyd invents a perfume that kills the stench and allows his buddy to get to know her. Likewise watching Bruce dole out nuggets of wisdom about women and life to his buddy is equally amusing because neither really has a clue. (On a side note, fans of Heroes will appreciate seeing Jayma and Masi on screen together again)

Beyond the interactions between its main characters Out of Control simply fumbles the ball while trying to piece a feature around the two. The quest for the OCT becomes more ridiculous as it goes on and there are simply too many diversions in between. It all feels like a collection of ideas loosely tied together with string and there is very little here that makes it part of the Get Smart universe beyond the phone booth and names Control and Kaos.

If the creators of Out of Control spent more time exploring the origins of Bruce and Lloyd and created more of a script around them then this film would have been much better. As it stands it feels like a collection of rejected ideas and gags stuck together with some adhesive. Some of these elements are genuinely funny but between these moments there are a lot of deadpanned gimmicks and very little actual storytelling. Fans of the Get Smart film may get some mileage of it with a rental but if you're looking for a release with legs to stand on then you're going to want to look elsewhere.

The DVD:

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Video:

Get Smart's Bruce and Lloyd: Out of Control is presented on DVD with two different aspect ratios available on the same disc. A full frame 1.33:1 features the pan and scan version of the feature while the 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen definitely one-ups the dreaded full screen nonsense. Considering this is a direct to DVD release the budget for this title is undeniably smaller than a larger project. This means that the picture quality is not quite as good as it could have been but given the amount of coverage for this release it's slightly better than average.

Throughout this film the picture is softer than what you'd expect with most scenes lacking the level of crispness major releases enjoy. The look isn't bad per say but it's definitely disappointing and doesn't capture all of the details that it should. In addition to this there is a fine layer of grain over the image that can be kind of distracting at times. Darkly lit scenes are the grainiest by comparison and to be honest there are no naturally rich blacks and shadows because of this. This gives the feature a somewhat flat appearance. Despite these flaws Out of Control isn't a "bad" looking film; it's just an underwhelming one.

Audio:

Out of Control comes with an English 5.1 track as it's only audio selection aside from English, French, and Spanish subtitles. Like the video quality, the sound here is flatter than it should be. The 5.1 offering is always nice to have but when most of the output comes from the front channels instead of the rear there's definitely not much going on in the way of immersion. Granted this is a dialogue driven film and as such the rear channels aren't needed quite as much but there were plenty of opportunities that were squandered. The audio doesn't contain any flaws and in the end it's suitable for what the film strives to achieve; it's just underwhelming in the process.

Extras:

The bonus material for Out of Control is mostly promotional and there's not much meat to it which isn't very surprising. The first extra feature is "Bruce and Lloyd Confessionals" (14: 31) which puts the actors alone in front of a camera talking in character about random things. There are a few amusing bits here but in the end it's merely an entertaining diversion than anything substantial.

The second feature on this disc is "Cue the Anti-Follicular Device" (4:59). In this promotional bit we see some behind the scenes content as the cast and crew talks about Bruce and Lloyd's beloved gadget that causes immediate and presumably permanent hair loss. We're taken into the dressing room for make up and they talk about the gun in the film for a tad as well. The best thing you're going to find on this disc is "Bruce and Lloyd Tech" (13:25). This brief feature takes a look at the gadgets of the film as a whole and talks about their potential in the real world. It's amusing on some levels but in the end it's not something that will make you appreciate the film more.

Final Thoughts:

Get Smart's Bruce and Lloyd: Out of Control is a very unique release if you stop and think about it. How many other films have had a promotional side story launched while the movie is still fresh? Unfortunately this movie turns out to be a better marketing subject than a viable source of Get Smart entertainment. The film doesn't really have any legs to stand on with a downright lame storyline and gags that are botched more than they are a success. With that being said there are some moments in between where the material is actually quite funny but a lot of those bits center on the main characters themselves. Oka and Torrence have a good amount of chemistry and they are able to play off of each other quite well.

If you enjoyed the Get Smart film and found these characters amusing then you may appreciate this release. Unfortunately this one is better left as a rental than a purchase due to the spotty quality. A stronger script and better wit would have gone a long way to improving the experience.

HERE IS THE DIRECT DOWNLOAD FOR THE MOVIE BRUCE AND LLOYD OUT OF CONTROL.

SNOW BUDDIES NOW AVAILABLE

SNOW BUDDIES NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE

HERE IS THE SUMMARY FOR THE MOVIE SNOW BUDDIES FROM IMDB

Disney's adorable talking puppies are back, and this time they venture to the frosty arctic and team up with new friends in a thrilling dogsled race across Alaska.

HERE IS A REVIEW FOR THE MOVIE SNOW BUDDIES FROM DVDTALK


Snow Buddies:

I have no vendetta against Disney. The first film that made me cry in the theater was Bambi, and one of the first that made me want to leap out of my seat and cheer was The Rescuers. Clearly Disney has had a hand on the pulse (if not an actual stent in the artery) of American Pop Culture for some time now. But by now the Disney product is akin to Monsanto engineered mono-cultural grain than a good old beautiful ear of Indian Corn (if you'll excuse the racist label) and I don't want to buy it. And when it comes to straight-to-DVD Disney product, 20 packets of Top Ramen for a dollar sounds more nourishing.

The Snow Buddies are five adorable golden retriever pups living an idyllic life in small-town Washington, enjoying their cozy lives and silly stereotypes. From the bling-wearing hip-hop pup to the princess puppy, most of the kid genotypes youngsters will identify with are represented. The buddies accidentally wind up on one of those commonplace ice-cream freezer containers routinely dropped into the Alaskan wilderness, and quickly find themselves shacked up with a sled-dog puppy and his boy who are just foaming at the mouth to put together a sled-dog team to win the local race and salvage their dad's ego from a previous ill-fated race. I'm not a rich man, so I won't offer any money to those who can guess whether this scrappy group of pups is able to get it together and win the race. Suffice it to say we'll all be eating Monsanto corn soon enough, whether we like it or not.

Aside from being utterly predictable and extremely cloying, there's nothing at all wrong with Snow Buddies. Previous complaints aside, my main problem as an adult watching this was that I didn't get enough of a view into the lives of small-town Alaskans, possibly the only thing that would have held my interest. But I'm not the target audience am I? Impressionable 8-year-olds will get their fill of that not-untoward message that positivity, effort and love will always out, but they'll also be force-fed a bunch of pretty bland, engineered crud passing as humor, characterization and plot - none of it slightly objectionable, unless you dislike the odd fart joke.

I'm not even going to go as far as giving a strong endorsement or rejection of Snow Buddies. And I'll tell you why. Snow Buddies is completely passable entertainment for your child old enough to sit through a feature film. Though worked over to a fare-thee-well so as to smooth away all burs of originality or challenge, its message is ultimately benign, and who doesn't love puppies? Even puppies who talk in obnoxious adolescent voices? It's a perfect film in front of which to plop the moppets, just save your sanity and sit in the other room, or at least have a goblet of chilled Pinot Grigio (yeah, I'm talking to you) on hand to numb the pain. But here's the trick, do not bring this into your home unless the kids request it. They'll let you know soon after if it needs to be a part of the collection.

The DVD

Video:
A widescreen, 1.78:1 ratio presentation enhanced for 16 x 9 TVs shows the quality. You'll see every snowflake and whisker. You'll see too much. The snowy white color scheme is true-to-life, save for all the CGI snowfall added in later. No compression artifacts are present.

Sound:
Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound seems well executed and delivers all the audio thrills of a bunch of mealy-mouthed little puppies running around in the snow with perfect fidelity. French and Spanish language tracks are also included.

Extras:
I've never been a fan of faux special features, but that is often what you get with the kiddie movies. And in the case of Snow Buddies, it's too much of a usually good thing. How about a feature-length Commentary Track featuring the buddies? Fictional dog characters provide very little in terms of behind-the-scenes tidbits, but a lot of stupid jokes. It pains me, but your kids might like it, or maybe they won't give a rip - kids don't always need the same stuff adults get with their DVDs. About three minutes of Bloopers are also of the mostly fictional variety. Again, kids will enjoy it, or the significance will be lost. A short Dogumentary (oof) gets into a bit of the reality of filming a movie wherein the principals pee on everything, but in that Disney-fied, kid friendly way, and an even shorter look at The Magic Of Visual Effects points out the many ways our eyes are tricked into thinking a bunch of talking dogs are pulling a sled through snowy Alaska. Worst is a Music Video from Hannah Montana star Mitchel Musso. I think the song is a funked-up version of 'Lean On Me' but my brain is struggling to reject it like an orangutan's liver.

Final Thoughts:
Snow Buddies will probably thrill your indiscriminate 6-year-old; it's wholesome, entertaining and full of adorable puppies. But it might make you parents retch, so be careful, pop it in with the miracle of Disney's Fast Play - you can put it into the player and run. But remember, this is scientifically engineered entertainment, a bit pandering, cloying, safe and without challenge or real character. The bling-wearing pooch and a Wanda Sykes wannabe cat are the only edgy things in sight, and that's not saying much. If your kids ask, feel secure in going to Rent It, but maybe force them to watch an episode of Now with David Brancaccio on PBS to balance things out.

HERE IS THE DIRECT DOWNLOAD FOR THE MOVIE SNOW BUDDIES.

JUMPER NOW AVAILABLE

JUMPER NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE

HERE IS THE SUMMARY FOR THE MOVIE JUMPER FROM IMDB.

A genetic anomaly allows a young man to teleport himself anywhere. He discovers this gift has existed for centuries and finds himself in a war that has been raging for thousands of years between "Jumpers" and those who have sworn to kill them.

HERE IS A REVIEW FOR THE MOVIE JUMPER FROM DVDTALK

It's quickly becoming evident that when an action franchise is handed over to director Doug Liman, the results are going to be spectacular. "Jumper" is the filmmaker's latest enterprise, and it's the type of head-spinning, duck-in-your-seat bullet of popcorn entertainment that could shake the winter blues out of multiplexes everywhere.

As a bullied teenager, David Rice (Max Thieroit) learns he has the ability to teleport throughout the world. Using his gift to rob banks and travel beyond the reach of the common man, David quickly understands how to control his powers. Now an adult (Hayden Christensen, in full puffed-chest mode), David finds himself targeted by Agent Roland (Samuel L. Jackson) and his army of Paladins who want to destroy all "Jumpers" and restore order to the world. David, caught up in a love affair with childhood crush Millie (a miscast Rachael Bilson) and introduced to a fellow Jumper named Griffin (Jamie Bell), now must fight for his life as the Paladins block his every move, pushing him to manipulate his powers further than he ever could imagine.

Adapted from the popular 1992 book by Steven Gould, "Jumper" is an 85-minute thrill ride that trusts the potential of the source material and bathes in its sincerity. It's not Liman's best film (that would be "The Bourne Identity"), but it demonstrates a certain skill from the director to create worlds of fantastical sights and sounds, yet ground them in an unsettling, but strangely digestible reality. "Jumper" is a sci-fi tale of wild abandon. It is a comic book shot out of a cannon, decorated with state-of-the-art special effects and furious action sequences; however, there's not a moment in the film where one doesn't buy the lunacy of it all.

Frankly, "Jumper" is a messy film, straining to establish David's powers and the peril he faces rapidly, pushing much of the essential narrative to potential sequels. There's a part of me that adored this approach, if only because velocity is Liman's best friend. He's tremendous with pulse-pounding constructions of threat, and "Jumper" is crammed with moments of David leaping and battling his way out of a jam. Only in this picture, teleportation plays a crucial role: these guys don't just beat the stuffing out of each other, they cross all over the globe doing it, punching in Tokyo, kicking in Egypt, and throwing each other across Antarctic glaciers. It's amazing footage.

The teleportation sequences are the jewels of "Jumper," permitting Liman to swing his movie around selling the disorientation of the event. As the story progresses, Liman pushes down hard on the frenzy of David's powers, communicating the chaos of the Jumpers as Agent Roland begins his final assault. It's exhausting watching David fight for his life, leaving behind exploitable "Jumper scars" in the air, and trying to protect Millie from the Paladins, who are armed with lightsaber-looking devices that shoot electric spider webs intended to muzzle the Jumper's abilities. Liman pulls out all the stops for the finale, which is a dizzying smear of exotic locations, alliances, and PG-13 violence. As much fun as it is to view, I must admit to a tinge of nausea trying to take in the teleportation madness all at once.

In many ways, "Jumper" resembles M. Night Shyamalan's tranquil superhero origin tale "Unbreakable," eager to build a comic book personality of good vs. evil through plausible characterizations. "Jumper" is a little more on-the-nose with its fantasy intentions (David and Griffin compare their team-up as a "Marvel limited run series"), but the effort to cloak the artificiality helps to consume the myriad of lightning-fast special effects and enjoy the picture's colorful twists and turns.

What exactly is Agent Roland's problem with the Jumpers? What's the secret of David's absentee mother (Diane Lane)? Does Griffin represent a larger community of Jumpers out there in the great unknown? You'll have to line up for the sequel for those answers, folks, since Liman leaves a horde of plot-threads dangling in the wind. The producers ache for a franchise out of "Jumper," and if the sequels are as much delirious fun as this soaring maiden voyage, it could be the start of something grand.

HERE IS THE DIRECT DOWNLOAD FOR THE MOVIE JUMPER.

MONSTER'S INC NOW AVAILABLE

MONSTERS INC NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE

HERE IS THE SUMMARY FOR THE MOVIE MONSTERS INC FROM IMDB

In a city of monsters with no humans called Monstropolis centers around Monsters, Inc., the city's power company. Monsters, Inc. The lovable confidant, tough large, furry blue behemoth-like giant monster named James P. Sullivan (A.K.A. better known as Sulley) and his Cyclops wisecracking best friend short, green monster with one large eye, Mike Wazowski discover what happens when the real world interacts with theirs in the form of a 2-year-old baby girl dubbed "Boo," who accidentally sneaks into the monster world with Sulley one night. And now it's up to Sulley and Mike to send Boo back in her door before anybody and especially two evil villains such as Sulley's main rival as a scarer chameleon-like Randall(a monster that Boo is very afraid of), who possesses the ability to change the color of his skin and Mike and Sulley's boss Mr. Waternoose the chairman and chief executive officer of Monsters, Inc. Written by Anthony Pereyra {hypersonic91@yahoo.com}

James P. Sullivan (AKA "Sulley") and Mike Wazowski pick up their paychecks at Monsters Inc., the utility company that generates energy from the goose bumps of children. Sulley, the No. 1 scream-generator at the plant accidentally lets in a little girl into the monster world. Since monsters are actually terrified of children it's a major cause for alarm and a major headache for Sulley and Mike. Written by Anonymous

In a land of monsters, James P. Sullivan is king. He and his coworker/ friend Mike Wazowski are two of many monsters that work for Monsters Inc. a utility company that generates power for a very paranoid and nervous city of monsters. This power, oddly enough, is generated from the screams of children, which is produced by scaring them in their sleep. One night, however, Sully uncovers a devious plot to rid Monster city of it's power problems, but in all the wrong ways. Together, ironically, Sully and Mike will fight to protect the innocence of the children they scare every night. Written by Redblok

In the world behind our closet doors, monsters like Mike and Sulley work hard for their income. To be exact, the monster world depends on our children's screams: It is their energy that makes lightbulbs glow and cars drive. Big companies like Monsters, Inc. collect the scream energy, and many monsters work there in shifts. In these times, it is getting harder and harder to shock the kids properly, since they're so spoiled by television, so that there's an energy shortage in the monster world. Sulley, the number one frightener, one day accidentally lets a human child into the monster world. Since kids are supposed to be poisonous and carry loads of diseases, pandemonium ensues. After Mike and Sulley discover that the girl they named Boo actually seems quite harmless, they decide to bring her back through her door into her room. But Boo's presence is more than just a mere accident. Now, Mike and Sulley have to face an enemy within their own ranks. Written by Julian Reischl {julianreischl@mac.com}

James P. Sullivan and his best friend Mike Wazowski work together at Monsters, Incorporated, a mega-company that delivers energy to Monstropolis, the place where they live. Mike and James are the best at what they do: scaring human childs so they can provide them enough screams to produce energy. But just when everything looked perfect, something happens and James releases someone who threatens to destroy not just the company but the whole Monstropolis itself! Will Mike and James be able to save the city by stoping the menace and put it back where it belongs? Or will Monsters, Incorporated come to an end and the days of scaring children be over? Written by tunatun

HERE IS A REVIEW FOR THE MOVIE MONSTERS INC FROM DVDTALK

The Movie:


"Monsters, Inc." is the latest feature from Pixar animation, the studio that created both "Toy Story" features and "A Bug's Life". "Monsters" is a film that's as visually impressive and inventive as any of the studio's prior efforts. However, it's unlike previous Pixar efforts in the way that the intended audience is geared more towards children than the "Toy Story" films, which contained a good mix of gags for both young and old audiences.

The story is fairly simple, but has some inspired elements: James P. Sullivan (a big furry monster, voiced by John Goodman) and Mike Wazowski (a walking eye, voiced by Billy Crystal) are workers at Monsters, Inc. The company produces energy for its world, as the monster workers venture through doors into our world, scaring children and capturing their screams to provide power for the city.

However, today's kids have grown more sophisticated and more difficult to scare, causing power problems with the city (newspapers advise about upcoming "rolling blackouts"). Another fun element is that the monsters are insanely afraid of the children, as they believe they will be infected if children - or any of their items - touch them. Early in the picture, we're shown an example, as hazardous materials teams invade the plant after a sock sticks to a monster's fur.

The story develops further: Sullivan is the leader of the plant, providing more screams than any of the other workers. This leads to jealousy from Randall (voiced by Steve Buscemi), who wants the title for himself. One day, a curious little girl follows Sullivan through the door without his knowledge. When he and Mike find out, they're terrified at first, but soon find themselves growing more fond of their new role as parents. Still, they realize that their new visitor has to go back to her own world, but as with any plan, it won't be that easy.

I really wasn't expecting "Monsters, Inc." to try and match the fun and wit of the "Toy Story" series and it really does not. The film's plot is a bit too thin for its own good and even at only 93 minutes, it feels stretched out and rather sluggish at times. Although most of the slapstick-ish jokes are geared towards children, some of the humor is hit-and-miss, with the occasional gag that falls flat.

The voice work is quite solid, with Goodman's voice work nicely portraying Sullivan's moving turn towards recognizing his new responsibility. Crystal is his usual funny and chaotic self, while Busemi pulls off the evil Randall quite well. Overall, I've warmed up to "Monsters, Inc." after being a bit disapointed with the picture upon first viewing last Winter. It's a fun - if rather slight - picture that certainly has its moments.


The DVD


VIDEO: "Monsters, Inc." is presented by Disney in THX-certfied 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen, along with an additional 1.33:1 full-frame presentation. The anamorphic widescreen presentation is an exceptional one; as with many of the other computer-animated features of recent years, "Monsters, Inc." boasts a transfer that's taken directly from the digital source. The picture offers exceptional sharpness and detail, with definition that the film didn't even seem to have theatrically.

Although this is usually where I'd discuss the flaws in the image quality, I really found nothing to be concerned about here. Edge enhancement is entirely absent, as is pixelation or any other such artifacts. Given this is a transfer from the digital source, there's nothing in the way of print flaws at all.

The animated feature's very bright color palette was rendered beautifully on this presentation, appearing wonderfully well-saturated and rich, with no smearing. Black level remained solid throughout, as well. Quite frankly,this is about as good as it gets - definitely a reference quality presentation. THX's "Moo Cow" trailer appears before the show.


SOUND: "Monsters, Inc." is presented by Disney in Dolby Digital 5.1-EX. The film's sound designer is Gary Rydstrom, who also worked on both of Pixar's "Toy Story" films. Obviously, in an animated feature, the sounds of the universe have to be created from the ground up. While most animated features are satisfied to distribute a few sound effects around the room, Rydstrom lets his imagination run wild, crafting his animated sound works down to the finest detail (the sound designer has been featured on documentaries included on this and other DVDs, such as the one for Disney's special edition of "Atlantis").

"Monsters" is another example of Rydstrom at his finest: surrounds are aggressively and often cleverly engaged to provide a wealth of sound effects that often have great personality. To easier appreciate the work of Rydstrom and his crew, there is an additional 5.1-EX soundtrack included on the widescreen edition of the film that provides only the sound effects - nothing else.

Aside from being a more active soundtrack than most animated efforts, the "Monsters, Inc." soundtrack also is a bit more lively in the sound quality department. Considerably low bass is heard and felt in a handful of scenes, while sound effects come through with exceptional clarity and detail. Randy Newman's fun score also sounds warm and has nice presence in the soundtrack. Last, but not least, dialogue is well-recorded, sounding crisp and natural.

MENUS: While the main menus on both discs are a little on the ordinary side, many of the sub-menus put film-themed images to more creative use.

EXTRAS:

Commentary: This is a commentary from director Pete Docter, co-director Lee Unkrich and executive producers John Lasseter (director of Pixar's other films) and Andrew Stanton (co-director on Pixar's prior films). As with all of the other commentary tracks that Stanton, Unkirch and Lasseter have provided (Docter is, as far as I know, new to commentaries), this is a fun track that provides a fine amount of technical and production information while having fun with the proceedings and not talking in too great detail for potential kid audiences to be too confused. The commentary has no gaps of silence and really does provide an insightful discussion of the production and story details.

Sneak Peeks: Sneak Peek trailers for Pixar's Summer '03 animated film "Finding Nemo", "Beauty and the Beast: SE", "Lilo and Stitch", "Inspector Gadget 2" and Disney's November release, "Treasure Planet".

THX Optimode Tests: THX's audio/video tests, located in the set up area.

Disc 2:

Opening Material: Aside from an opening intro by director Pete Docter and other members of the Pixar crew, there are a few features outside the main areas of the second disc. They include: "outtakes" from the film, as well as shorts "Mike's New Car" and "For The Birds" ("Birds" played in front of "Monsters, Inc." at most - if not all - theaters).

Sections: The supplemental material is split into two sections: "Humans Only" and "Monsters Only". These two sections offer different material - "Humans" is geared more towards the production and technical aspects, while "Monsters" offers more along the lines of fun and games. I'll first discuss what the "Humans" section offers.

Pixar Fun Factory Tour: This is a short featurette where Pixar head John Lasseter, "Monsters, Inc." director Pete Docter and other members of the Pixar crew lead the audience through the Pixar facilities. For those who have seen some of the other featurettes on Pixar from the other DVDs of Pixar films, you'll know what to expect: while work is important, time is made for things like Paper airplane contests that the entire company gathers to view.

Sound Design: Sound design genius Gary Rydstrom and co-sound designer Tom Meyers are interviewed on this featurette and they discuss the various steps it takes to get towards the final sound mix. As I noted in the sound review, it's very interesting to see how Rydstrom and crew try and create a sound environment that starts in their own imaginations.

Binaural Recording: This featurette introduces viewers to this new technology, which can attempt to provide a "surround" feeling through headphone listening.

Animation Process: Members of the Pixar team take the audience step-by-step through the animation process, showing how they take images from the story reel (essentially a moving storyboard) towards the final, finished animation.

Early Tests: Members of the Pixar team provide commentary for some early tests that attempted to visualize the characters.

Opening Credits Sequence: Director Docter discusses the development of the opening title sequence, which was important to set the tone of the film.

Hard Parts: The Pixar crew is interviewed on this featurette, discussing the kind of challenges that they had in front of them on this production, such as trying to animate Sullivan's 3,000,000 hairs.

Shots Department: In this featurette, we're shown the work of the Shots department, which was a new group for this production, who were responsible for fine-tuning elements of the animation to better suit the desired emotion of the scene.

Production Demo: This multi-angle feature allows the viewer to use the "angle" button to switch between the storyreel, layout, animation and final color of one scene.

Story Is King: This featurette leads off the "Story" section and introduces Pixar's story department. We learn more about the storyboarding process, and how the animators must pitch ideas to the rest of the staff.

Monsters are Real: A very short featurette that includes interviews with Crystal and Goodman. The simple piece mainly talks about the film's plot.

Back To Work: As viewers saw on the "Story is King" featurette (and with many of the other Pixar SE DVDs), animators have to pitch their ideas via storyboards to the rest of the crew. In this scene, one of the film's story supervisors must try to act out a scene in the film while leading the audience visually through the scene via the storyboards put up in sequence on the wall.

Original Treatment: The animated version of the original story treatment.

Banished Concepts: Four deleted clips, presented in a mixture of storyboard and other elements.

Original Sully Intro: The original introduction to Sully, presented in what appears to be near-finished form.

Storyboard to Film: A comparison (available in either storyreel, final color or split-screen) for one scene in the film.

Monster Files: This section provides a list of characters, "What Makes a Great Monster?" featurette and a library of character design concepts.

Release: This section collects several items related to the film's promotion and release. First, there's a clip from the film's LA premiere. Next, there's a short featurette on the film's toys, as the animation staff (who seem as if they've never grown up themselves) play with and talk about their ideas for the film's toys. Rounding out the area are the outtakes from before, a poster gallery, 3 TV spots, the film's 2 theatrical trailers and teaser trailer, international inserts (small visual elements changed) and a clip from the film shown in 30 different languages.

Monstropolis: This short featurette leads off the "Design" area. It offers comments from director Docter, as well as John Lasseter and other members of the Pixar crew, who give a good overview of the visualization process for building the Monster's world.

Set Dressing: While this section's featurette is quite interesting, more fascinating is the included "step through", where the viewer can see the basic "set" for a scene, then go step-by-step as more details and props are added in.

Master Lighting: This lengthy gallery offers a look at before/after for the final lighting applied to the animation.

Location Flyarounds: Small tours of the animated film's "locations".

Also in "Design": Color scripts, Monstropolis Art and a guide to the film's "in jokes".

New Monster Adventures: This section leads off the "Monster's Only" area of the supplemental disc. The first extra included here is the "Mike's New Car" short, which is also available from the main menu. Next, there's "Monster TV Treats", which were short ads featuring the movie's stars. Rounding out the section are: "Ponkikes 21", a Japanese game Pixar created animation for; "Boo's Door Game"; "Welcome To Monstropolis" interactive story and "If I Didn't Have You" music video.

Behind the Screams: This section includes the outtakes from the film, the "Monsters, inc. Company Play" and "On the Job With Mike & Scully" news clip.

Orientation: This section includes the "Welcome To Monsters, Inc." ad; an orientation video; history of Monster World animated clip; Monsters, Inc. employee handbook, Scarer of the Month listing and scarer cards.

Also: DVD-ROM features, including interactive game.


Final Thoughts: While "Monsters, Inc." doesn't always succeed, the movie has a lot of heart and quite a few laughs. Disney's DVD edition is an impressive offering, delivering excellent audio/video quality and a wealth of supplements. An easy recommendation.


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Bill Gambini and Stanley Rothenstein are 2 friends from New York University that just received scholarships to UCLA. They decide to drive through the south. Once they arrive in Alabama, they stopped at a local convenience store to pick up a few snacks. But, no sooner that they left the store, they were arrested. They had thought that they were arrested for shoplifting, but they were arrested for murder and robbery. Plus, they are facing execution for this crime. Bill and Stan do not have enough money for a lawyer, good news, that Bill has a lawyer in his family, his cousin, Vincent Laguardia Gambini. Bad news, is that Vinny is an inexperienced lawyer who has not been in a trial. So, Vinny has to defend his clients and battle an uncompromising judge, some tough locals, and even his fiancée, Mona Lisa Vito who just does not know when to shut up, to prove his clients' innocence. But he will soon realize that he is going to need help. Written by John Wiggins

Two teenage boys from New York are travelling down south when a series of coincidences lands them in jail charged with first degree murder. They can't afford the $50K for an attorney so they call the lawyer cousin of one of the boys. Vinny is a stereotypical New Yorker who is initially a complete disaster, but can he get them off the hook ? Written by Rob Hartill

While heading for college, Bill and Stan are arrested in Alabama when circumstances point to them as having murdered a convenience store clerk. Unable to afford an attorney, they turn to Bill's cousin Vinny, a brash New Yorker who took six tries to pass his bar exam. Worse, until now he's only taken personal injury cases, none of which have gone to trial. Dragging along his even more abrasive fiancee Mona Lisa Vito, Vinny will have to straighten up fast, and keep out of jail himself, if he's going to win the case. Written by rmlohner

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