BLAIR WITCH PROJECT NOW AVAILABLE

BLAIR WITCH PROJECT NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE

HERE IS THE SUMMARY FOR THE MOVIE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT FROM IMDB

Three film students travel to Maryland to make a student film about a local urban legend... The Blair Witch. The three went into the woods on a two day hike to find the Blair Witch, and never came back. One year later, the students film and video was found in the woods. The footage was compiled and made into a movie. The Blair Witch Project. Written by Kevin Overstreet {GrndZero23@aol.com}

Heather Donahue, Michael Williams and Joshua Leonard, student filmmakers, set out to shoot a documentary about a local legend, the Blair Witch. In the forests near Burkittsville, Maryland, many children have vanished in the 1940s and people still avoid going too deep into the woods. So, the party sets out to look for facts that prove the legend, equipped only with two cameras and a little hiking gear. First, they find little piles of stone that must have been arranged artificially, later, they have to admit to be lost in the woods. Eerie sounds at night and more piles of stones in places where they have not been before cause the already desperate group to panic. And one night, days after they should have been back home, Josh disappears completely. Only what has been recorded and filmed with the cameras is found a year later and shows what happened in the woods. Written by Julian Reischl {julianreischl@mac.com}

Three film students set out into the Black Hills Forest to make a documentary on the legendary Blair Witch. Armed with a 16mm camera, a Hi8 video camera, and a DAT recorder, every step, word and sound is captured. After wandering around the Black Hills Forest, Heather, Josh, and Mike are cold, lost and hunted. Finally, one night after the last ray of light had left the forest black, they were never to be seen again. One year later, a bag full of film cans, DAT tapes, and video tapes were found. The behind the scenes, video footage and the film, are cut together, and this is..."The Blair Witch Project." Written by Michael McCaffrey {apollo@chariott.com}

In October of 1994, three student filmmakers hike out to the woods of Blair, hoping to find evidence of a local legend "The Blair Witch". At first, they find nothing except a pile of stones arranged by hand. As the sun goes down, they realize they are lost, but there is little panic. They camp out, and in the middle of the night they see and hear things, things that are not normal. When they awake, they find wooden dolls in cross-like formations. They were not there that night. Then one of the students, Josh, is separated from the group. The other two finally realize that they are in a very serious situation, and that they are being stalked, stalked by something that may be the very thing they were looking for... Written by ipreach4ever

In October of 1994, 3 students go into the woods to find the Blair witch. They find wooden dolls. When the last ray of light leave the forest. The forest is left black. Then, everyone mysteriously disappears. Then a year later, A thousand of film cans, tapes and footages were found. They are combined and made into "The Blair Witch Project" Written by Cheatmaster2006@hotmailcom

HERE IS A REVIEW FOR THE MOVIE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT FROM DVDTALK

What starts off as a deceptively simple little independent film slowly, carefully, turns into one of the most chilling, creepy films in memory. "The Blair Witch Project" has stormed the film industry in the past few months, scaring other studios whose giantically budgeted Summer films were running in fear from the tiny project. The biggest beast that this film has run over would definitely be Jan De Bont's horror update "The Haunting", a picture that's nowhere near as terrifying with it's 70 million in effects compared to this 60,000 dollar piece. It all starts simply enough with three filmmakers getting together to make a short film about a local legend, the "Blair Witch". The group of filmmakers- Heather(cute looking, yet quite bossy and at times annoying, talking incessantly at the other characters). The other two are Mike and Josh, who take care of the sound and camerawork. They start off interviewing the townsfolk, who all play "local people" perfectly, talking about their opinions on the legacy of the local witch, not only entertaining, but they also give us something to go upon as the filmmakers begin their hike into the Maryland woods. If you've never read any other reviews, it's not likely that you've heard how the film begins. We are told at the begining of the picture that these people aren't going to make it out of the woods alive. Even so, when "The Blair Witch Project" really gets intense, we're no less terrified, even knowing that this ain't going to end well. The filmmakers make their way into the woods and slowly, they begin to feel intensely creepy- the forest in autumn seems opressive and alive and the black and white footage are the biggest examples of where the film really begins to feel cold and chilling. After the filmmakers find their first location, they begin to head back, only to find out that they're not quite sure where back really is. What becomes possibly lost soon becomes most definitely lost as the crew camps out for the night. During the first night, the characters become aware of a presence in the woods, at first making slight sounds, but as the days and nights go on, making itself definitely more known. There's a terror in the simplicity of the night scenes as the characters race around, completely in total fear. If anything, I would have liked these scenes to go on longer, really wringing all of the fear out of the darkness. As is, they simply end a little too quickly as we're introduced again to another bleak, hopeless morning for the actors. The first half of the forest scenes are wonderfully acted as the characters slowly lose it as food and supplies run low. Not only that, but a scene of figures made with sticks as well as a pile of stones for each of the characters waiting outside their tents makes it known that the days are no safer than the nights. The handheld camerawork by the 3 actors only puts us further into the reality that this film is presenting. We feel the frustration of these people as the woods seem to go on forever in all directions. The performances are also all fantastic. Where these characters start off as rather unlikable, the sheer fear, terror and sadness that they express as the film goes into it's last quarter makes the film not only chilling, but heartbreaking. The film really creeps into your head as it goes further. The amount of tension that develops as all hope seems lost is 10 times more horrifying than any horror film of the past few years, maybe ever. "The Blair Witch Project" isn't a horror film, though. It's a solid mix of horror and psychological drama and once it gets going, the intensity with a film this small is breathtaking and almost unbearable as the desperation felt by these characters is greater as the nights fall once again. Images from the "Blair Witch Project" still are crystal clear in my mind hours after watching the film and there are sequences in this film that I doubt I'll ever forget. The film may start off slowly, but these scenes aren't without their purpose and once the film gets going, I don't think there's been another film this year this thrilling or original. The performances are perfection getting us involved with these characters down to their last moments. A really well-done film and in my opinion, it's one of the few films this year that's definitely a must see. The DVD VIDEO: Artisan has presented "The Blair Witch Project" in about it's 1.33:1 original aspect ratio. It's a full-frame image, and it was shot that way. The image quality varies throughout the picture and it's an accurate representation of the image quality that I saw last Summer in the theater. Keeping in mind that this is a limited production, this is generally a good looking picture. The outdoor scenes are clear and crisp, with the details of the forest such as the trees remaining clear and not blurred. Colors look natural and accurate throughout the picture as the group wanders through the forest. I really enjoyed the black and white photography in the picture and it looks really quite good here as well.

The film is intentionally gritty looking by design(and by budget). Some of the scenes as night falls and in the total darkness look grainy, but it looked the same way in theaters. There really isn't any problems with shimmering or pixelization that I saw. This may not be a picture with a "big budget" look to it, but I was really pleased how well Artisan has transfered this picture to DVD; it looks clean and really, exactly how it looked in theaters. I've been pleased with what I've seen from Artisan, whose "Joan Of Arc" disc from a couple of weeks ago was really excellent as well. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing future efforts from them.

SOUND: Again, this is a fairly basic production and sound is pretty limited. The scenes as the group gets lost in the woods generally do give the listener a good sense of space and of the forest noises as the actors run screaming through the woods. Dialogue sounds a little thin, but with the kind of budget this film has, it's to be expected. It may sound a little thin at times, but it's still always easily heard.

MENUS: Awesome work on the menus by Artisan. They're fully animated with clips from the film as well as audio from the movie. Totally great way to get into the sort of tone and mood of the picture.

EXTRAS:: Commentary: This is a commentary by directors Daniel Myrick, Ed Sanchez and producers Rob Cowie, Mike Monello and Greg Hale. This is a very fun commentary to listen to and even in the begining, the speakers state, "I hope you guys aren't expecting a serious commentary." The results are the kind of relaxed, fun group commentary that we've heard before on discs like "Cruel Intentions". The group talks quite a bit about the production, talking about the kind of equipment that they used to film the picture and what happened to the stuff they used(one camera was returned to Circuit City.) The group also talks quite a bit about who shot the footage as well as who are some of the actors that were found for the picture. It's interesting to hear about how some of the "townspeople" were found for the film and some are actually actors who were given lines. The stories about where the "locals" were found are definitely fun to listen to. Also fascinating is listening to how the characters were set up as well as the sort of concepts about how the characters were going to interact as the film goes on. Also talked about is the kind of work that the actors had to go through on their own for the picture and how they were controlled by the directors, which is one of the most interesting parts of the commentary, where we're told just what the actors had to go through during the filming of the movie. The group also talks about how they fooled with and scared the actors during the night in great detail. What the group has to say about the way the final scene was filmed was quite cool to listen to as well. This is definitely a fun commentary as the group throws in the occasional joke about the making of the picture. Not only is it really informative about how the picture was made, but it's a lot of fun to listen to. "Newly Discovered Footage":: A scene that really goes deeper into the thoughts of the group about what the "Blair Witch" could be as well as what has gone on so far during their stay in the woods. It's a scene that provides some great dialogue, but at 5 minutes, this scene of the group talking in the tent was likely too long to be in the final film. Curse Of The Blair Witch: This is the entire documentary of the history behind the movie. The opening menu screen for the documentary is quite cool, with audio in the background talking about the missing filmmakers and the curse of the Blair Witch. "Curse Of The Blair Witch" takes the viewer deeper into myth of the "Blair Witch", taking a look at the history behind it all. This is sort of a "documentary inside a documentary", with interviews with people who knew the filmmakers. It's definitely cool idea and I really enjoyed these interviews, which were definitely fun to listen to, and I think that the story that is told here, the kind of background information, is really well written and the documentary as a whole is really well-done and very creative. There are also scenes from the film occasionally as the documentary goes on, as well as "newscast" footage talking about the missing filmmakers as well as historical documents taking a look at just what or who may have been the "Blair Witch". As impressed as I was with the movie itself, I just as impressed with how really well-done this documentary is; it's just incredibly creative and inventive. Apparently, this documentary has aired before, but this is the first time I've seen it and I loved it. "Curse Of The Blair Witch" runs about 45 minutes. Trailers:: 2 teaser trailers and the full trailer for "The Blair Witch Project" and a trailer for the DVD release of "The Stand". "The Stand" trailer is a very cool trailer promoting all of the features of the upcoming DVD. One note: to get to the trailers, click on the stick figure on the "special features" menu. It took me a while to figure out that was where the trailers were located.

HERE IS THE DIRECT DOWNLOAD FOR THE MOVIE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT.

NICK AND NORAH'S INFINITE PLAYLIST NOW AVAILABLE

Here is the summary for the movie Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist from imdb

It's been three weeks, two days, and 23 hours since Tris broke up with Nick. And now here she is at his gig, with a new guy. How could she have moved on so fast? This begins the night of Nick, Norah and Manhattan. The night of stripping nuns, hotel ice rooms, Russian food, psychotic ex-boyfriends and lovingly trashy ex-girlfriends. It's the night of Julio and Salvatore. The night of holding hands and writing songs and singing in the rain. It's a night they'll never forget. Writen By Anonymous

Here is a review for the movie Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist from dvdtalk

So, Nick and Nora really like their martinis, right? I mean, really like them. You could say they are living the high life on highballs. That is, until this murder happens, and Nora decides that it would be fun to try to solve it. The murder victim is this really thin guy, and they call him the "the thin man," which a lot of people think is actually a nickname for Nick but that's not true. And--

Wait, wait, wait. Wrong movie. I'm supposed to be talking about Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist. That's Norah, with an "h." Maybe I'm the one who should lay off the highballs.

William Powell and Myrna Loy have been dispensed with, and they are now replaced with Michael Superbad Cera and Kat The House Bunny Dennings, two cute kids who like to party themselves, so they're all right. Except they are both straight edge, which means neither of them drink, so they aren't exactly the same. Maybe that's why authors Rachel Cohn and David Levithan picked those names when they wrote the young adult novel the movie is based on, they were being ironic. Like naming a killing machine in a war movie "Gandhi."

Anyway, so yes, Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist was a book and now it's a movie, adapted by first-time screenwriter Lorene Scarfaria and director Peter Sollett (Raising Victor Vargas). It's a totally cute but wholly inoffensive relationship film for teens, and the chemistry between Cera and Dennings is so good and the writing so sweet that it's pretty hard not end up with a smile on your face even as you roll your eyes. Nick is an emo kid who is pining for his lost love, a total skeez named Tris (Alexis Dziena, who played Lolita in Jarmusch's Broken Flowers). He hides in his room and leaves her long, sad voicemails and makes her mix CDs to tell her he misses her. She tosses the CDs in the trash, where they are fished out by her schoolmate, Norah, who thinks Nick has the best taste in music ever.

Cut to later when Norah and her lush of a friend Caroline (Ari Graynor) are in a NY club checking out Nick's band, a queer punk outfit where he's the token straight bass player. As fate would have it, Norah is totally attracted to sad little Nick, but she has no idea that he's Tris' mixtape king. Thus, it's a matter of fate that, in order to prove to Tris that she can get a guy, Norah walks up to Nick and plants a kiss on him. The rest of the night is spent chasing after their favorite band (they are playing a secret gig somewhere in the city and finding them involves following clues), trying to track down the drunk Caroline, and generally struggling to unhook themselves from their respective hang-ups. Nick has to get past Tris, and Norah has to get over being the daughter of a famous music impresario as well as dropping her lame semi-boyfriend Tal (a marvelously douchey Jay Baruchel). It's a good time, watching the kids run through the city, where they always find a parking space and never really run across anyone that is all that threatening in any way. (SNL-cast member Andy Samberg tries to be the crazy threatening guy in one cameo, but his main threat is that one day he will be funny. I'm still waiting for him to carry through with that.)

There isn't much more to it than that. All of the actors are very good, with Ari Graynor winning the MVP award for her spot-on comedic drunkenness. Michael Cera pretty much is sticking to the Paulie Bleecker bit he did for Juno, but I'm not really tired of it yet, so that's all right, too. He has the best lines in the movie, and a lot of them sound like they were either improv or Scarfaria has a really good ear for his delivery style. Nick's bandmates, played by Rafi Gavron and Aaron Yoo, are also fantastic, bringing the right kind of nerdy confidence to the screen to make them believable as Michael Cera's pals. The casting director really deserves extra kudos for those two.

All in all, Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist whizzes by and entertains as it does, but it's not entirely memorable. From the bland songs that make up the soundtrack to the pedestrian direction (Sollett should work on his comic timing, particularly with more physical scenes), it's all a little easy and carries a whiff of vanilla. Teens will probably like it for its unfettered emotionalism, but anyone with a passing knowledge of these kinds of date movies shouldn't expect any surprises. It is what it is, and thankfully, that's good enough--but only

Jamie S. Rich is a novelist and comic book writer. His current novel is entitled Have You Seen the Horizon Lately? and was released by Oni Press in the summer of 2007. It follows up on both of his successful books from 2006, the pop-culture hit The Everlasting, and his original graphic novel with Joëlle Jones, 12 Reasons Why I Love Her. Rich is currently writing the ongoing independent comic book series Love the Way You Love.

Here is the direct download for the movie Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist.

FACE/OFF NOW AVAILABLE

FACE/OFF NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE

HERE IS THE SUMMARY FOR THE MOVIE FACE/OFF FROM IMDB

Sean Archer, a very tough, rugged FBI Agent. Who is still grieving for the dead son Michael. Archer believes that his son's killer is his sworn enemy, a very powerful criminal, Castor Troy. One day, Archer has finally cornered Castor, however, their fight has knocked out Troy cold. As Archer finally breathes easy over the capture of his enemy, he finds out that Troy has planted a bomb that will destroy the entire city of Los Angeles and all of its inhabitants. Unfortunately the only other person who knows its location is Castor's brother Pollux, and he refuses to talk. The solution, a special operation doctor that can cut off people's faces, and can place a person's face onto another person. Archer undergoes one of those surgeries to talk to Pollux. However, Castor Troy somehow regains consciousness and now wants revenge on Archer for taking his face. Not only is Troy ruining Archer's mission, but his personal life as well. Archer must stop Troy again. This time, it's personal. Written by John Wiggins

Sean Archer is a government agent who for six years has been trying to apprehend terrorist, Caster Troy, who tried to kill him but ended up killing Archer's son instead. When Archer corners Troy, Troy tells Archer that he has planted a bomb that will go off, unless he lets him go but Archer thinks that Troy is bluffing so a fight erupts that leaves Troy comatose. But later when they go through some of his brother, Pollux's things, they discover that Troy was telling the truth. All what they need now is to find out where it is and the only person who knows is Pollux. And the only person that he will talk to about it, is his brother, Caster but unfortunately he is a vegetable. A government official then suggests to Archer that he assume Caster's identity and ask Pollux about the bomb. So she brings him to a doctor who has perfected a method wherein the face of one individual is removed from him and placed on another. Archer agrees. The operation is a success so Archer as Troy goes to the prison where Pollux is being held and successfully gets him to tell him where the bomb is. Meanwhile, Troy who was believed to be comatose awakens and forces the doctor who operated on Archer to place Archer's face on him. He then goes to the prison as Archer and taunts Archer by telling him that he has destroyed all documentation of the operation and eliminated everyone who knew about it. He then takes his brother out and leaves Archer in prison. But Archer somehow manages to escape and is now trying to find someone who will believe and help him, while Troy is plotting something. Written by rcs0411@yahoo.com

An undercover agent takes the physical appearance of an assumed dead terrorist. The terrorist was only in a coma, and he takes the form of the undercover agent. Written by Robert Krzanowski {stonedpsycho@hotmail.com}

FBI Special Agent Sean Archer tries to find a biological weapon placed in Los Angeles by a sadistic terrorist-for-hire and criminal mastermind named Castor Troy. Archer has hunted Troy for the last 8 years, and is consumed by revenge because Troy is responsible for the death of Archer's son. To do this, Archer must "borrow" Troy's face using a surgical procedure to go undercover as Troy, but things go wrong when Troy assumes the identity of Archer. Written by Nick Hawkins {hawkins@aureate.com}

Sean Archer has been chasing Castor Troy to avenge his son's death by the hands of the psychotic terrorist for six years. Now that he killed Castor, Sean must find a biological bomb by assuming the identity of Castor Troy by taking his face and being brought in prison. But Troy, who awakes from his coma, takes Archer's face in order to take revenge on him. Now, Troy turns Archer's life upside down by assuming his identity. Will Archer break free from his prison and get his face back, or will Troy have the last laugh ? Written by Ali Nasser

Sean Archer is a government agent whose son was killed in a terrorist act by Castor Troy. Sean takes on the face of Castpr in a plot to bring down a terrorist group. However, Castor, who was believed dead but merely in a coma, wakes up and does the same. Soon, they are pitted against one another. Written by Laurence Mixson {jarls@datasync.com}

HERE IS A REVIEW FOR THE MOVIE FACE/OFF FROM DVDTALK

Ever since director John Woo left for Hollywood after Hard Boiled blew us all away in 1992, most fans have regarded his domestic output as a pale imitation of "the Hong Kong years". One exception to the rule is Face/Off (1997), a clever tale of role reversal, redemption and revenge. Our subjects are two men on opposite ends of the moral spectrum who switch identities via unusual medical circumstances, resulting in a twisted game of cat-and-mouse peppered with liberal doses of gunpowder. What a predicament!

Originally conceived as a futuristic sci-fi action epic, the project was shuffled around and relegated to the present tense for, among other reasons, budgetary constraints. Woo was eventually brought on to helm the project, having initially turned it down because he wasn't comfortable with the futuristic elements. Luckily, these compromises worked out quite well: the end result was a more emotionally charged yet down-to-earth version of its former self, but would the formula prove successful? The short answer was a resounding "yes", as Face/Off enjoyed a strong performance at the box office and generally positive reviews. Having enjoyed the film during its original theatrical run, I somehow managed not to watch it again during the last decade. Luckily, Face/Off holds up fairly well.

Here's a quick synopsis: our "two men on opposite ends of the moral spectrum" are Sean Archer (John Travolta) and Castor Troy (Nicholas Cage); the former is an obsessed FBI agent whose son was inadvertently killed by the latter, an international terrorist. An early confrontation leaves Troy comatose while a bomb ticks away somewhere in Los Angeles, leaving Archer little chance of infiltrating Troy's inner circle to uncover the bomb's location. He eventually agrees to an unusual facial transplant procedure, as his comatose enemy seems like the perfect candidate to literally "hide behind". The plot thickens: aside from Archer's continued neglect of his wife and daughter, the task of assuming Troy's identity proves almost too much to bear. Without giving too much away, their identities are effectively swapped after Troy proves to be less comatose than originally assumed. Suspension of belief is certainly required to fully appreciate Face/Off...but it's an action film, so what else is new?

Speaking of typical action movie elements, the sheer volume of explosions and gunfire rival most of Woo's past contributions to the genre---but with the increased budget and longer shooting schedule (see also: Mission: Impossible 2), there's a certain polish that often works to Face/Off's advantage. It's hard not to long for the frenzied spontaneity of Hard Boiled, The Killer and A Better Tomorrow, but Face/Off blends Hollywood slickness with Woo's knack for controlled, fluid chaos better than any other of his recent films. Additionally, most of the film's effects are 100% practical, trading in CGI trickery for realistic body doubles and daring stunt work. It's a potent combination, all things considered, and one that hasn't aged much in the last decade.

Clocking in at a daunting 140 minutes, Face/Off could've been trimmed a bit here and there without losing any of its real strengths. Woo clearly focused much of his attention on the film's emotional content, yet it often isn't enough in proportion to the endless shootouts and chase sequences. When the personal drama is present and accounted for, it's usually pulled off quite well; the problem is, most of these domestic issues are given equal attention so none really stand out. Since this is a story based around dual identity and revenge, Face/Off has plenty of balls in the air at once---and it usually does a fine job with the juggling act, but a slightly more streamlined set of supporting characters would've made the film virtually seamless. Still, it's hard to complain when you've got this much action, suspense and drama crammed into one enthusiastic package.

Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, Face/Off returns on DVD in a polished two-disc set from Paramount, effectively replacing the single-disc version released all the way back in 1998. From top to bottom, there's plenty of good news here: the technical presentation is better than ever, while a slew of retrospective extras supports the main feature quite nicely. Best of all, Paramount has resisted the temptation to slap a ridiculous title on this release; otherwise, this might have been named the "Woo-wee, You Good Lookin'!" Edition. Let's take a closer look, shall we?

Quality Control Department

Video & Audio Quality

Presented in its original 2.35:1 aspect ratio and enhanced for 16x9 displays, Face/Off looks excellent from start to finish. Though the previous disc was never part of my DVD collection, it's obvious that this squeaky-clean transfer is an improvement over the original version. Colors are bold and natural, boasting strong detail and excellent contrast. Digital problems---such as edge enhancement and pixellation, for example---are nowhere to be found, rounding out the visual presentation nicely. Until the delayed high-definition release hits store shelves in late October, this is the best that Face/Off has ever looked.

Equally impressive (if not slightly more so) are the included Dolby Digital 5.1 EX and DTS 6.1 mixes, both of which pack an incredible wallop. Dialogue is clean and clear from start to finish, while the film's numerous action sequences come alive with strong surround activity and plenty of bass to keep your subwoofer happy. There's little else to say here, except that fans of Face/Off will enjoy cranking this up to 11. A French 2.0 dub track is also included, while optional English, French and Spanish subtitles are included during the main feature and bonus material.

Menu Design, Presentation & Packaging Seen above, the animated menu designs are basic and easy to navigate. The 140-minute main feature has been divided into 40 chapters, while no obvious layer change was detected during playback. This two-disc release is housed in an unhinged slim double keepcase; there's no room for an insert, but a matching slipcover is included.

Bonus Features Spread across both discs, the extras for this new edition of Face/Off are surprisingly well-rounded and entertaining. Disc 1 starts off with two feature length Audio Commentaries: one with director John Woo and co-writers Michael Colleary and Mike Werb, and the other with just the two writers. The first obviously focuses more on the director's comments, though Colleary and Werb provide plenty of insight when not fielding questions to Woo. The writer's commentary is a bit more technical, touching on the story development and themes generally unexplored during the first track...along with plenty of anecdotes, of course. Neither commentary lapses into silence very often, but a few stories are repeated along the way.

Also here is a short collection of Deleted & Alternate Scenes (7 clips with optional commentary, 8:18 total), including "Castor Kills the Janitor", "Archer Weeps", "Childhood Lessons", "Hideaway Shootout", "Archer vs. Castor Finale", "Will Dad be Dad Again?" and an alternate ending. It's easy to see why some of this material was cut, but the audio commentary by Woo, Colleary and Werb (recorded separately, in most cases) helps to put everything in the proper context. "Archer Weeps" is probably the only scene that could've been part of the final cut, as this short sequence emphasizes the loss of his son at the hands of Castor. The alternate ending puts a mysterious spin on things, but Face/Off works well enough without the added jolt.

Disc 2 kicks off with "The Light and the Dark: Making Face-Off" (5 parts, 64:02 total), a detailed summary of the film's production. Divided into "Science Fiction / Human Emotion", "Cast / Characters", "Woo / Hollywood", "Practical / Visual Effects" and "Future / Past", there's a nice assortment of cast and crew interviews mixed with plenty of behind-the-scenes footage. Though portions of this documentary seem a bit disjointed---due to the somewhat extraneous section titles, no doubt---"The Light and the Dark" is a satisfying documentary that fans should certainly enjoy. From Woo's original storyboards (above left) to the amazing practical visual effects work, there's plenty of eye candy to gaze upon. Overall, it's a concise and entertaining supplement that partners well with the audio commentaries.

Not to be outdone is "John Woo: A Life in Pictures" (26:06, above right) a relatively short but satisfying documentary about the director's life and work thus far. Featuring plenty of comments by Woo himself, the director shares a few personal stories from his childhood and emphasizes his love for movies, music and art. Most of his recent Hollywood output is touched upon, as are his more notable Hong Kong films. It's a solid enough overview, though most die-hard fans of Woo won't learn many new details.

Closing things out is the film's excellent Theatrical Trailer (2:08), featuring a wonderfully subtle tease that sells the film perfectly. All bonus features are presented in anamorphic widescreen (even the deleted scenes, though a few sequences don't look quite as polished) and everything except the trailer includes optional English, Spanish and French subtitles. It's an entertaining assortment of extras, but the thoughtful presentation makes them all the more satisfying. Compared to the original vanilla disc, fans will be very pleased.

Final Thoughts

Slick, stylish and over-the-top, John Woo's Face/Off is one of the more memorable action films of the 1990s. The conventional cat-and-mouse story is turned on its ear with the reversal of our protagonist and antagonist---and though the opposites are almost cartoonish in their distinction, the jaw-dropping effects work and action sequences help us forget a few snags along the way. Fans of Woo's Hong Kong epics like The Killer and Hard Boiled should be drawn towards the continued themes of justice and dual identity, making Face/Off more of a return to form than anything else in his domestic canon. Paramount's excellent two-disc Collector's Edition celebrates the film's 10th anniversary in style, boasting a top-notch technical presentation and a host of terrific bonus features. All things considered, this is an extremely affordable double dip and an easy blind buy for action fans. Highly Recommended.

HERE IS THE DIRECT DOWNLOAD FOR THE MOVIE FACE/OFF.

JOY RIDE 2 DEAD AGAIN NOW AVAILABLE

Here is the summary for the movie Joy Ride 2 Dead Ahead from imdb

Detours can be deadly! When four friends embark on a road trip to Vegas looking for fun and a few cheap thrills, they have no idea they they’re about to fall into a blood-drenched charnel house of tension, torture and the darkest depths of pure primal fear! After their car breaks down in the middle of nowhere, they must find a way back to civilization. But their plan soon arouses the malice of Rusty Nail – a murderous, vengeful trucker with an insatiable appetite for gruesome mutilation and sadistic pain – and he’ll stop at nothing to ensure they pay their toll…one body part at a time!


Here is a review for the movie Joy Ride 2 Dead Ahead from dvdtalk

The Movie
Bad things come in threes, so just in case you didn't get enough of Fox's awful direct-to-video "UNRATED!" sequels (each packaged in the same "scary" burnt brown tones) of inspired horror films, along comes Joy Ride 2: Dead Ahead to waste more of your time. It follows in the footsteps of The Hills Have Eyes 2, the sequel to the chilling 2006 remake (it ran in theaters, but let's face it--it's a direct-to-video disaster in disguise); and the uninspired, similarly titled Wrong Turn 2: Dead End, the sequel to the fabulous 2003 ode to gritty 1970s horror.

When looked at as a direct-to-video entry, Joy Ride 2 impresses with its look and feel--with a few talented actors and decent production values, it's close to faking a theatrical attitude. It's one of the higher quality cheapies you'll come across, and far better than most other DTV horror films. But that's not saying much--and when compared to truly inspired genre efforts like the original, it's just another cloned sheep in wolf's clothing.

Just like Fox's other two sequel stinkers, Joy Ride 2 borrows heavily from its inspiration--the surprise 2001 hit from director John Dahl (from a script co-written by J.J. Abrams) with Steve Zahn, Paul Walker and Leelee Sobieski. The original was a fun trip that relied on likeable characters and slow-building suspense to engage and spook you, creating scenarios where you actually bit your nails hoping the trio survived. That's not the case here, as a cheap blood-and-guts show eventually hijacks the already-weak sequel.

Melissa (Nicki Aycox) and fiancé Bobby (Nick Zano, to be seen in next year's Final Destination 4) are headed to Vegas for some pre-wedding partying. Tagging along is Mel's sister Kayla (Laura Jordan), who has them pick up her online boyfriend Nik (Kyle Schmid)--a wannabe punk/alterna-boy slacker--on the way. When their '83 Chevy Caprice wagon breaks down, the gang finds an abandoned house along a side road in the desert. They decide to "borrow" the '71 Chevelle they find in the garage to finish their trip, but Mel leaves a note because she's such a sweet gal.

While the four are eating at a diner, Bobby never returns from the bathroom--and Mel gets a phone call from Rusty Nail, the gravelly voiced trucker terrorist from the original. In order to save Bobby (gagged with a remarkably loose cloth that renders him surprisingly mute), the three must follow Rusty's orders, barked out from a CB in the Chevelle (Mel is coined "Goldilocks", this version's Candy Cane). After being forced to destroy their cell phones, the three bears are suddenly at the trucker's mercy. From here, the film continues to copy heavily from the original, including putting the gang through humiliating situations for mere sport and commanding them to open the trunk and glove compartment. Joy Ride 2 gives us the finger even harder by nodding at The Hitcher and (can you believe it) Rebel Without a Cause (!).

Joy Ride 2 is a weak copy, borrowing just enough from the original to make it completely predictable--and taking every other wrong turn to make it nearly unbearable. Most of the main cast can act--Aycock (too good for this film) and Zano do a fine job with what they're given, but Nik is written (and performed) so annoyingly, you'll want him to get nailed immediately--while Kayla's amused attitude at his awful antics makes her equally loathsome.

The film also shows too much of Rusty (mostly in dim lighting), lessening his impact as a spooky presence. His voice also sounds too removed here--it's no where near as creepy as the performance of the talented Ted Levine (the voice in the original). Rusty's rig is equally unimpressive--unlike the menacing presence in the original, it comes across more comical here (the repeated "smoky ears" bit is straight out of a Bugs Bunny cartoon) in an attempt to make the truck its own character.

As the film progresses, the intended scary parts rely too much on tired genre devices, like a torture scene and other gory sequences you can see coming a mile away. For the most part, the gore can't overcome the film's modest budget to truly disgust you (a problem Wrong Turn 2 also suffered), forcing the script to sometimes try and make up for it with stupid zingers (like after a kill copied from the original!): "Hey, did you see the way his jaw dropped?"

Director Louis Morneau--who mined similar territory in DTV entry The Hitcher II: I've Been Waiting--relies on clichéd shots that remove any sense of suspense (you'll easily guess the punch line to the strip tease scene). I also had to rewind a car flip sequence that seems to ignore the laws of physics, and the ending (followed by the requisite epilogue "cliffhanger") is a lame sequence made all the more tame by sudden daylight. As for the opening kill, couldn't she have just ducked?!

The script is also a mess: When Mel falls for Rusty's semantics ("You do what I say, I promise you'll see him again"), you'll want to strangle her. Even worse, it's littered with painfully placed references to "hip" trends in an effort to appeal to the young crowd, like some old timer found a list of "cool stuff" and randomly inserted them into the screenplay, resulting in awkward dialogue: "He's not a serial killer! Trust me...I googled his name and everything!" Also getting shout-outs are MySpace, YouTube, Grand Theft Auto, Punk'd and Rage Against the Machine (and those were just the ones I remembered). And are you kidding me with that ridiculous mortuary scene?! (Who knew it was so easy to just walk into one of those!)

Do yourself a favor and just watch the original again...and brace yourself for the inevitable next year: Identity 2: The Do-Not-Disturb Dead by Dawn Special Unrated Edition.

The DVD

Video:
Fox supplied a screener disc for this review, so it's best to avoid a final verdict on the anamorphic 1.85:1 transfer. There's a gritty look to the image, similar to The Hills Have Eyes films, which may explain the grain.

Audio:
Ditto for the 5.1 surround track, also available in French and Spanish Dolby Surround options. Subtitles are also available in English and Spanish.

Extras:
A few short features lead the way: Joy Ride 2: The Making of Dead Ahead (13:39) features brief interviews with the main cast (and Rusty Nail, still in character), along with director Louis Morneau (who says he was a fan of the original), producer Connie Dolphin and other crew members. "It's a little bit more modern: There's a lot of ideas of being mentally tortured as well as physically tortured," notes Nicki Aycox--an observation I don't agree with, unless the MySpace reference makes it "modern."

The segment has a little plot recitation, and also covers one car-flipping sequence--and the cold Canadian shoot in British Columbia, accompanied by the cast bonding with the small-town locals: "People who really live in the middle of nowhere are funny!" says Laura Jordan with sincerity, and a laugh. "And interesting, and (that) really added to, I think, our experience." Aww...how, um...insulting!

Blood and Guts: The Make-up of Horror (7:10) mostly talks with make-up supervisor Christopher Mark Pinhey, who shares some of the quick shoot's secrets--along with Nick Zano and Kyle Schmid, who share their pain. Also included is a Storyboard-to-Scene Comparison (3:00) for Scene 118, along with trailers for other releases.

Final Thoughts:
Compared to other direct-to-video horror films, Joy Ride 2 has a lot going for it--and it almost gets away with its faked theatrical feel. But compared to truly inspiring thrillers, it's just another unoriginal, predictable knock off, a cloned sheep in wolf's clothing. Unless you're a diehard horror whore, do yourself a favor and just watch the far-superior original again. Skip It.

Here is the direct download for the movie Joy Ride 2 Dead Ahead

WALL-E NOW AVAILABLE

WALL-E NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE

HERE IS THE SUMMARY FOR THE MOVIE WALL-E FROM IMDB

In the distant future, a small waste collecting robot that slowly begins to become sentient inadvertently embarks on a space journey that will ultimately decide the fate of mankind.

HERE IS A REVIEW FOR THE MOVIE WALL-E FROM DVDTALK


Pixar as a formidable storytelling machine is not an entity I'm entirely comfortable with. The studio has turned itself into a faceless animation brand name, and while I can't argue the box office numbers, I'm not buying the artistic results. "Wall-E" is Pixar's biggest creative gamble in over a decade; a genuine cinematic leap of faith. However, the ambition doesn't match the outcome, and while "Wall-E" dances whimsically, it's a plodding, frighteningly hypocritical, and forbidding film that trips over its fogged intentions at every dreary turn.

It's 800 years into the future, and Earth is left in a pile of ruins, with garbage piled as high as skyscrapers and the landscape a sickly shade of brown. The last robot left on the planet is Wall-E, a compactor machine who dutifully carries out his business cleaning up the land while he dreams of companionship, fueled by repetitive screenings of "Hello Dolly" and indulging his childlike curiosity whenever he can. Sent to Earth to retrieve signs of life is Eve, a probe droid who Wall-E is instantly smitten with, and the two form a startling bond. When Eve finds a plant sample on the dead planet, she's snatched back to the pathetic remnants of the human race for questioning, leaving Wall-E ready to hitch a ride off Earth to remain with her.

It's easy to become wrapped up in the light show director Andrew Stanton ("Finding Nemo") fires off with "Wall-E." It's a film seemingly constructed with a mind toward pure simplicity: our hero, Wall-E, is a robot who only speaks in electronic tones, participates in plenty of slapstick inquisitiveness, and all he wants is love. It's a veritable Pixar to-do list of elementary visual gags, and "Wall-E" indulges every scrap of physical comedy available for the first third of the picture (nearly completely free of dialogue), even handing the robot a traditional best pal of sorts in a loyal cockroach. This is the comfortable, reassuring padding that Pixar could accomplish with their eyes closed, with Wall-E decked out in full cute mode to help ease the audience into this bleak, post-apocalyptic world that few G-rated animated projects would dare consider.

Where "Wall-E" heads next is sure to divide audiences. Following Eve into space, Wall-E boards the "Axiom," a huge cruise space ship that's home to the loose ends of the human race. You see, in the 700-years since mankind bolted from Earth, they've evolved into overweight blobs of pudding, nurtured by the Buy-N-Large Corporation who use humans to feed the endless, aggressive cycles of profitable consumption, leaving them helpless and totally enslaved to commercial trends. The human characters are obese nincompoops who've lost the ability to walk eons ago, puttering around on floating chairs waiting impatiently for their next needless desire to be force fed to them by the all-powerful corporate machine.

Here's where I remind everyone this is a Pixar/Disney picture. Pixar/Disney. Decrying greed.

It's a pretty ballsy move to create a film condemning the culture of gluttony and corporate insatiability while indulging in those practices to market a film (kids, make sure to buy a Wall-E toy on the way out!), and it opens a can of worms that Stanton has no idea how to properly sort to dramatic satisfaction. "Wall-E" paints in massive brush strokes, attempting to educate younger audience members with horrific vistas of a polluted, wasted Earth and the overall piggish behavior of the humans, while also making sure Wall-E is endearing enough to use on games, toys, and stuffed animals so all concerned make a mint off of vulnerable family audiences.

If "Wall-E" was a scrappy independent film emerging from, say, the great Ralph Bakshi, the contrast and violent condemnation would've been a total gas. Coming from Pixar/Disney, it feels... discourteous, or, at the very least, corrosive and incompetent. The overall finger of intolerance is wagged with gale force winds here; a fascinating momentum lost on a picture easily 30 minutes overlong. "Wall-E" doesn't have much adventure on its mind, nesting comfortably in the details of cutesy robot behavior and mad lunges toward audience sympathy, but there's no dramatic spine keeping the film a riveting sit. Still, Stanton pushes forward, drawing out Wall-E's lust past the expiration date and into full-out repetition.

I'm the first guy to applaud a Pixar film not entirely swathed in cliché, but the spark of the film is in constant threat of being snuffed out by the habitual elongation of the ice-thin story. I wasn't moved by Wall-E's Chaplinesque mishaps and intergalactic dreams, just agitated that Stanton doesn't take the character past infantilization or offer something more than pratfalls for our hero to undertake. Wall-E's shtick tires quickly.

To some, Wall-E is an adorable character with rich emotional professions, and that's all the cinematic nutrition they need from this picture. I craved that sensation while watching "Wall-E," but it never arrived. Instead I was left bored and insulted by a misguided, preachy film riddled with absurd messages and run into the ground by complete storytelling lethargy. But that Wall-E sure is cute, huh?

HERE IS THE DIRECT DOWNLOAD FOR THE MOVIE WALL-E.

THE ROCKER NOW AVAILABLE

Here is the summary for the movie The Rocker from imdb

The Rocker tells the story of a failed drummer who is given a second chance at fame. Robert "Fish" Fishman is the extremely dedicated and astoundingly passionate drummer for the eighties hair band Vesuvius, who is living the rock n' roll dream until he is unceremoniously kicked out of the band. Twenty years after his rock star fantasies are destroyed, just when Fish has finally given up all hope, he hears that his nephew's high school rock band A.D.D. is looking for a new drummer. They reluctantly make him the newest member of the band, giving him a chance to reclaim the rock God throne he's always thought he deserved, and taking the young band along for the ride of their lives. Written by Fox Atomic

Here is a review for the movie The Rocker from dvdtalk

A pox, a pox I say, on the house of the individual who first told Rainn Wilson he was a funny man. For the inconsiderate moose that decided to open their trap and inspire this actor, I wish them the same discomfort I suffered while watching Wilson's first starring effort, "The Rocker."

Enjoying the rising success of his '80's metal band Vesuvius, drummer Robert "Fish" Fishman (Rainn Wilson) is floored when the band mates (including Fred Armisen, Bradley Cooper, and Will Arnett) fire him. Now 20 years later, Fish is stuck in a series of soul-sucking jobs, living in his sister's attic. When his nephew Matt (Jack Black photocopy Josh Cad, "21") asks Fish to join his band A.D.D. (including Teddy Geiger and the gifted Emma Stone) for a few gigs, the lonely drummer agrees, turning the garage nobodies into chart-topping YouTube stars when footage of his nude rehearsals leaks. Asked to tour, A.D.D. hits the road, offering Fish the rock star lifestyle he's craved for decades, but can his aged, doughy body take the pressures of fame? Will mom Amanda (Christina Applegate, on autopilot) allow Fish to corrupt the band?

Do you really care?

"Rocker" is a mundane comedy, made to be discovered on cable television, where the convention of crotch hits, vomit jokes, nude Rainn Wilson, and storytelling clichés can be absorbed without the pressures of ticket and concession pricing. It's a terrible film and I didn't giggle at all while watching it, but I can see its potential appeal with a distracted home audience who has the option of burning through a checklist of domestic tasks while the picture drones on in the distant background. Gosh, I envy those people.

Unfortunately, I had to sit through "Rocker" as it assembled a laundry list of uninspired humor, often falling back on slapstick 101 nuggets to get a response out of the audience. Anemically directed by Peter Cattaneo ("The Full Monty"), "Rocker" tries to squeeze as much comedic mileage out of Wilson as it can, depending on the actor to stand proudly in front of the camera and mug shamelessly to sniff out any hint of a chuckle. Wilson is enormously grueling to watch here, bouncing around the frame while his co-stars wait their turn for lines. "Rocker" is more of a fall-down-and-go-boom comedy than an inspired send up of rock star rites of passage or hair metal traditions, and that feels like such a waste; especially with cock rock goon Brett Michaels back in the public eye. Surely there's more potential substance to the film than Wilson getting hit in the face with branches, strolling around shirtless (a Will Ferrell staple), falling over his drum kit, or keeping some "lucky puke" in his front pocket?

Sadly, no.

With a comedy cast that includes Wilson, Arnett, Cooper, and Cad, there's already a multiplex version of a Mr. Yuk sticker slapped on this baby. Take the hint.

Here is the direct download for the movie The Rocker.

IGOR NOW AVAILABLE

Here is the summary for the movie Igor from imdb

"Igor" is a playfully irreverent comedy that brings a new twist to the classic monster genre. In a world filled with Mad Scientists and Evil Inventions, one talented evil scientist's hunch-backed lab assistant has big dreams of becoming a Mad Scientist himself and winning the annual Evil Science Fair. Written by Exodus

Here is a review for the movie Igore from dvdtalk

A routine CG-animated family film offering, "Igor" does have the novelty of being something darker to offer the little ones as the Halloween season begins to creep into view. Embracing monster movie motifs from the classic era of cinema, "Igor" has charm but misses a grand opportunity to evoke the world of James Whale when it would rather crib blatantly from Tim Burton.

In a far away land called Malaria, evil deeds are encouraged by King Malbert (voiced by Jay Leno) and his population of mad scientists. With the help of their assisting Igors, the scientists are preparing for the annual fair to show off their accomplishments, and the cunning Schadenfreude (Eddie Izzard) is ready to take home the gold again. When Igor (John Cusack) finds his dimwitted master Dr. Glickenstein (John Cleese) killed by his own stupidity, the brilliant young college-educated toady fills in with a special offering: a humongous disfigured monster named Eva (Molly Shannon). Created for nefarious purposes, Igor is shocked to find Eva is a kindly soul who wants nothing more than to become an actress, encouraging the jealous wrath of Schadenfreude and his shape-shifting girlfriend, Jaclyn (Jennifer Coolidge).

While I'm positive it was created with the best of intentions, it's nearly impossible to examine "Igor" and not notice the serious "Nightmare Before Christmas" similarities that litter the motion picture. The parallels are drawn most severely in the angular, ghoulish character designs, with the animation a near photocopy of Burton's cult classic, viewed most uncomfortably in the King Malbert character. It's truly difficult to register the connection as tribute or robbery, and it pulls apart what little fun there is to savor in "Igor."

Step beyond the mimicry, and "Igor" has other problems to solve, including an irreverent tone lifted from "Shrek" (a screenwriting quirk that needs to be flushed from family films permanently) and some curious targets for jokes, one itchy riff pointed at a Malaria school for blind kids. There's some great discomfort there.

However, "Igor" has some spring to its step courtesy of the Louis Prima soundtrack and the voice cast, who put in a game effort trying to accurately navigate the screenplay's sense of humor and keep character arcs clear as a bell. Cusack and Shannon impressed me the most here, making for a sweet odd couple (she's as big as a house, he's about as tall as the doorknob), with Cusack showing atypical interest in maintaining an upbeat delivery. Special support comes from Steve Buscemi and Sean Hayes as Igor's previous failed monster experiments, which come to the aid of their creator with a healthy offering of slapstick and sarcastic wit.

Frantically directed by Anthony Leondis ("Lilo and Stitch 2"), who slings the camera around as if this was a jackhammer Michael Bay animated production, "Igor" has a few fine moments of macabre mischief to enjoy before mediocrity sets in, along with a huge amount of distasteful chaos. "Igor" is crafty, just never triumphant or enchanting, trying too hard to ape previous morbid comedies and not focusing on the obvious problems at hand.

Here is the direct download for the movie Igor.

RIGHTEOUS KILL NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE

Here is the summary for the movie Righteous Kill from imdb

Turk (Robert De Niro) and Rooster (Al Pacino) are partners in the NYPD Homicide Division. They have 30 years of service investigating murders, and before they pull the pin, they want to solve their last big case. The city has a serial killer who is targeting criminals who have fallen through the cracks of the judicial system and have gotten away with rape, murder, and other heinous crimes. The serial killer believes that he is helping the police by taking the scum of the earth out of society for good, never to hurt any law abiding citizens again. The serial killer shoots the criminal at very close-range and leaves a four-line poem justifying the execution. Turk and Rooster want to give this person a medal, but instead, they must arrest him before he kills again. Douglas Young (the-movie-guy)


Here is a review for the movie Righteous Kill from dvdtalk

Two veteran cops, two veteran actors, one predictable movie.

Righteous Kill comes to us trumpeting the fact that this is the first time Al Pacino and Robert De Niro have shared the screen together since 1995's Heat, and unlike that film, where they played adversaries and only had one scene together, Righteous Kill pairs them up for the bulk of the picture. De Niro is Turk and Pacino is Rooster, two long-in-the-tooth police officers who favor glory over retirement, and so they jockey for a high-profile case involving a serial killer who is dispensing a little vigilante justice on their city. He shoots bad guys at close range, leaving behind clumsy poems declaring his reasons for choosing each particular victim. Given the up-close-and-personal nature of the killings and the lack of any signs of a struggle, Rooster posits that the shooter has to have some way of gaining access to his targets. The most logical answer: a police badge.

If there is any joy to be had in watching Righteous Kill, it is from watching Pacino and De Niro working together. Neither of their roles requires them to be overly showy, and so instead of competing to see who is the more grandiose thespian, they confidently stroll through the film with the easy intimacy of two people who appear to have known each other a very long time and no longer have anything to prove to one another. Pacino peddles his usual brand of slickness, while De Niro is the more befuddled cop with anger management issues. Their characters end up teamed with two other detectives from a neighboring precinct (Donnie Wahlberg and John Leguizamo), and this extra pairing rounds out the acting quartet nicely, with Wahlberg providing a "good cop" analogue to Pacino's more together Rooster and Leguizamo's Perez being the young hothead version of De Niro's "bad cop" Turk. Perez and Turk also both have a history with Karen (the fantastic Carla Gugino), a forensic scientist with a taste for the rough stuff, and thus it's all the more questionable when Perez marks Turk as their #1 suspect.

Righteous Kill has all the makings of a good police thriller. Screenwriter Russell Gerwitz, whose material fared much better under Spike Lee when the director helmed his Inside Man script, has concocted an intriguing set-up with complex characters and interesting moral questions. Unfortunately, at some point, either Gerwitz or director Jon Avnet, a man whose back catalogue contains such diverse items as the universally panned Pacino-vehicle 88 Minutes and the chick flick Fried Green Tomatoes, made a fatal error along the way when they decided to open Righteous Kill with a videotaped confession from Turk. This confession runs throughout the movie, and it not only removes any suspense from the mystery, but it tips the movie's hand in such a way that any viewer with half a brain can guess where the plot is heading. Just stop for a moment and ask why all of this information is being laid out for you, and the bait-and-switch becomes obvious.

It's a cheap trick, and it only serves to keep the audience from becoming invested in the movie, because it actively discourages the viewer from getting as wrapped up in what is going on as they should be. (Confusion, friends, is key for audience participation in a good thriller.) The even bigger trick of Righteous Kill, though, has to be that Avnet has somehow convinced this remarkable cast that he is a capable director. There are some very good individual scenes within the movie, but the disjointed editing, overwrought use of slow motion, and CSI-level camerawork come off as desperate attempts to dress up a pig to try to sneak it into the Oscars. It's hard to tell if one should laugh at how obvious the disguise is, or be mad that the perpetrators think we will fall for it.

There is actually a good movie somewhere in Righteous Kill. Schedule some reshoots and a new pass through the editing bay, and this movie could be salvaged. Unfortunately, as I write this, the film is set to be released in less than twenty-four hours, so I don't see that happening. The movie is a massive squandering of riches, taking a solid premise and a marvelous ensemble of actors and doing nothing with them. As Turk and Rooster might say, someone has put two right between the eyes of this movie. The stench of the corpse isn't so bad that you should avoid it entirely, but you still might want to approach Righteous Kill with your nostrils pinched closed all the same.

Jamie S. Rich is a novelist and comic book writer. His current novel is entitled Have You Seen the Horizon Lately? and was released by Oni Press in the summer of 2007. It follows up on both of his successful books from 2006, the pop-culture hit The Everlasting, and his original graphic novel with Joëlle Jones, 12 Reasons Why I Love Her. Rich is currently writing the ongoing independent comic book series Love the Way You Love.

Here is the direct download for the movie Righteous Kill.

UNEMPLOYED NOW AVAILABLE

Here is the summary for the movie Unemployed from imdb

Jamal and Dex, out of work actors, come to terms with reality when they realize they've been pursuing their dreams for over ten years and still haven't booked a single speaking role. When the two run out of cash and face eviction they hit the pavement in search of a job. With no experience, no skill set and little ambition, the audience gets a front row seat to this hilarious journey in which these two characters can't seem to catch a break. Written by Anonymous

Here is the direct download for the movie Unemployed.

STAR WARS EPISODE IV A NEW HOPE NOW AVAILABLE

Here is the summary for the movie Star Wars A New Hope from imdb

Part IV in a George Lucas epic, Star Wars: A New Hope opens with a rebel ship being boarded by the tyrannical Darth Vader. The plot then follows the life of a simple farmboy, Luke Skywalker, as he and his newly met allies (Han Solo, Chewbacca, Ben Kenobi, C-3PO, R2-D2) attempt to rescue a rebel leader, Princess Leia, from the clutches of the Empire. The conclusion is culminated as the Rebels, including Skywalker and flying ace Wedge Antilles make an attack on the Empires most powerful and ominous weapon, the Death Star. Written by P. Wong {pwong@nt.net}

In a galaxy far, far away, a psychopathic emperor and his most trusted servant - a former Jedi Knight known as Darth Vader - are ruling a universe with fear. They have built a horrifying weapon known as the Death Star, a giant battle station capable of annihilating a world in less than a second. When the Death Star's master plans are captured by the fledgling Rebel Alliance, Vader starts a pursuit of the ship carrying them. A young dissident Senator, Leia Organa, is aboard the ship & puts the plans into a maintenance robot named R2-D2. Although she is captured, the Death Star plans cannot be found, as R2 & his companion, a tall robot named C-3PO, have escaped to the desert world of Tatooine below. Through a series of mishaps, the robots end up in the hands of a farm boy named Luke Skywalker, who lives with his Uncle Owen & Aunt Beru. Owen & Beru are viciously murdered by the Empire's stormtroopers who are trying to recover the plans, and Luke & the robots meet with former Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi to try to return the plans to Leia Organa's home, Alderaan. After contracting a pilot named Han Solo & his Wookiee companion Chewbacca, they escape an Imperial blockade. But when they reach Alderaan's coordinates, they find it destroyed - by the Death Star. They soon find themselves caught in a tractor beam & pulled into the Death Star. Although they rescue Leia Organa from the Death Star after a series of narrow escapes, Kenobi becomes one with the Force after being killed by his former pupil - Darth Vader. They reach the Alliance's base on Yavin's fourth moon, but the Imperials are in hot pursuit with the Death Star, and plan to annihilate the Rebel base. The Rebels must quickly find a way to eliminate the Death Star before it destroys them as it did Alderaan. Written by Derek O'Cain

Luke Skywalker stays with his foster aunt and uncle on a farm on Tatooine. He is desperate to get off this planet and get to the Academy like his friends, but his uncle needs him for the next harvest. Meanwhile, an evil emperor has taken over the galaxy, and has constructed a formidable "Death Star" capable of destroying whole planets. Princess Leia, a leader in the resistance movement, acquires plans of the Death Star, places them in R2D2, a droid, and sends him off to find Obi-Wan Kenobi. Before he finds him, R2D2 ends up on Skywalkers' farm with his friend C3PO. R2 then wanders into the desert, and when Luke follows, they eventually come across Obi-Wan. Will Luke, Obi-Wan, and the two droids be able to destroy the Death Star, or will the Emperor rule forever ? Written by Colin Tinto {cst@imdb.com}

Princess Leia is held hostage by the evil Imperial forces in their effort to take over the Galactic Empire. Venturesome Luke Skywalker and dashing Captain Han Solo team together with the lovable robotic duo, R2-D2 and C-3PO, to rescue the beautiful princess and restore justice in the Empire. Written by Robert Lynch {docrlynch@yahoo.com}

In a distant galaxy eons before the creation of the mythical planet known as Earth, vast civilizations have evolved, and ruling the galaxy is an interstellar Empire created from the ruins of an Old Republic that held sway for generations. It is a time of civil war, as solar systems have broken away from the Empire and are waging a war of rebellion. During a recent battle techical schematics for a gigantic space station, code named The Death Star, have been unearthed by Rebel spies, and a young woman who is a dissident member of the Imperial Senate, under the cover of a diplomatic mission to the planet Alderaan, is trying to smuggle these plans to the Rebellion. But her spacecraft is attacked by a vast warship of the Empire and seized. The dissident Senator is captured, but the plans for the Death Star are nowhere to be found. While soldiers of the Empire search the nearby planet Tatooine, a series of incidents sweeps up a young desert farmer with dreams of being a fighter pilot in the Rebellion, as he winds up with the Death Star plans and also the assistance of an elderly hermit who once served as a warrior of an ancient order whose chosen weapons were powerful energy swords known as light sabers. The pair recruit a cynical interstellar smuggler and his outsized alien copilot with an ancient freighter heavily modified for combat to help them reach Alderaan - but the planet is obliterated and now the foursome must rescue the young woman held prisoner by the Empire and lead an attack by the Rebellion against the Death Star before it can annihilate all hope of restoring freedom to the galaxy. Written by Michael Daly

Here is a review for the movie Star Wars A New Hope from dvdtalk

The Movie:

NOTE: The top screenshots are from the 'special edition' on disc one and the screenshots on the bottom are from the 'theatrical cut' on disc two. They might not match up perfectly but they serve the purpose of showing the difference in quality between the two discs contained in this set.

In 1977 George Lucas had the novel idea of basically setting the old serials/adventure stories that kids enjoyed years before and placing one in outer space. The film that came out of this idea was, as we all know, Star Wars and with it, George Lucas made history. Ever since then Star Wars has been less of a blockbuster film than a part of the world's pop culture psyche. Everyone in the modern world knows what Star Wars is – they can't help it. It's everywhere around us, from movies to video games to comic books to toys to clothes to any kind of spin-off or merchandising tie in you can imagine. There are fan conventions, online communities, costume contest and even plenty of Star Wars tattoos around – people take the film and it's sequels/prequels very seriously and it stands as the most successful science fiction film franchise of all time, bar none.

So why then, since making history in 1977, has George Lucas been constantly re-writing it? Well, in his defense, these are his films and so he is free to do what he wants with them. That being said, the fans are what made the series the success that it is and what the fans wanted was not the versions of the movies that Lucas has altered to suit his current vision but the theatrical cuts that we all fell in love with in the first place. When the original trilogy was released as a deluxe boxed set two years ago, Lucas said that the 'special editions' (referring to the altered versions of the three original films in the series) were all that we'd ever see again. Fans bought it regardless, Lucas made a bunch of money off of it, and now – surprise surprise – he's given us the option of re-buying the 'special edition' films as single releases (two discs each) to get the original theatrical versions that he should have released in the first place.

Why the change of heart? Only he knows for sure. Granted, no one is forcing us to buy these but the fact that since the advent of DVD technology there have been countless bootlegs of the original theatrical versions making the rounds (some sourced from the laserdiscs, others from VHS tapes) what probably happened is that Lucas decided to make some of that money back for himself with the least amount of effort possible. IF this were being done 'for the fans' then the issues with the audio and video quality on the theatrical cuts (see below) wouldn't be issues at all. If Lucas cared about those who have made him a wealth and powerful figure in Hollywood he'd have done the set right the first time and not pulled a fast one on the Star Wars faithful by dumping out rather unimpressive versions of the theatrical cuts he had previously said we'd never see again. Don't be fooled – this is not a favor to those who have helped Star Wars become the phenomena that it is, this is a cash grab. Lucas wants your money and he knows that a lot of you will give it to him.

With that said, Star Wars is a great film. Not a masterpiece in the same way that something like Citizen Kane is or The Godfather is but for pure, unadulterated action/sci-fi entertainment the first film to debut in the franchise holds up really well almost thirty years since it was born. Luke might be a little too corn-poke for his on good in some scenes and some of Leia's dialogue is a little tough to swallow but there's no denying the sheer coolness of Han Solo and Chewbacca and Darth Vader is still one of the greatest cinematic bad guys of all time. Peter Cushing and Alec Guiness bring a whole lot of class and charm to the film and their experience and professionalism gives Grand Moff Tarkin and Obi-Wan Kenobi some genuinely impressive screen presence while Anthony Daniels and Kenny Baker do a fine job of providing the comic relief in the form of C-3P0 and R2-D2 respectively – the Abbott and Costello or Laurel and Hardy of outer space. When the Death Star blows up that first planet it's still shocking even if we know it's all going to work out in the end and the cantina scene that takes place on Tattooine is still fantastic with more alien creatures in it than you can shake a stick at. We can still snicker when Obi-Wan tells the Stormtroopers that 'these are not the droids you're looking for' and we can still get a little misty eyed when Darth Vader strikes him down.

The action and adventure is still rich and exciting, the heroes are still likeable and the villains are still sinister. The outer space battles and chase scenes remain exciting and the film is one of those rare movies that is literally fun for the whole family – you can watch it with your kids and your grandparents in the same room and it's almost a sure thing that everyone will get a kick out of it. One of the most beloved space epics of all time and a cultural behemoth was born with this film, it's difficult not to love it particularly if you grew up on the material as so many of us did.

The crass exploitation of the film movie and its fans does not take too much away from the enjoyment that Star Wars still offers those who love a good adventure story. It might hurt to see a part of your childhood that you do sincerely love used in commercials and merchandising tie-in's at fast food restaurants or reissued in various home video formats over again but when the opening scrawl tells us about that 'It is a period of civil war' the nostalgia and fun do come rushing back, particularly when Han shoots first.

The question lies not in whether or not you should fork out the cash for the original theatrical cut of Star Wars, but when you should. Having already lied about making these films available one has to wonder if next year, just in time for the thirtieth anniversary of the film, if we won't see a proper release. Though there's been no official announcement Lucas' track record indicates that at some point there will be yet another release, possibly a boxed set of all six films with the theatrical cuts of the original trilogy included – who knows. This release, along with the releases of The Empire Strikes Back and Return Of The Jedi are supposedly going to be available for a limited time only – if you don't get them know you run the risk of not owning the original cuts on DVD (or having to make do with the bootleg releases which isn't ideal at all). On the other hand, if you buy them, you run the risk of having to (or at least wanting to) upgrade down the road if and when proper releases emerge. With that in mind, what is the consumer to do? It's a fairly underhanded marketing strategy designed to milk Star Wars fandom for all its worth and obviously it all comes down to personal choice and how bad you want the original cut of the film. You've also got to take into account the technical specifications of the presentation, and with that in mind…

The DVD

NOTE: For the record, the 'star ratings' to the right of this review reflect the second disc which contains the original theatrical cut of Star Wars, the reasoning behind this being that the inclusion of this version is really the only reason anyone is interested in it in the first place, which is why that version of the movie is not being included in the Extras section of this review.

Video:

The 'special edition' of Star Wars contained in this two-disc set utilizes what is essentially the same transfer that was included in the boxed set release from two years ago, which is fine as it looks great. We already know that it's a fantastic transfer and that some would even go so far as to call it reference quality. It's been painstakingly cleaned up, it's got a lot of really nice fine detail in both the foreground and the background of the image and the color reproduction is gorgeous. Going into any more detail would be redundant – the tinkered with version of the movie looks great.

So what about the theatrical version? In a nutshell, it's not bad for what it is, but unfortunately what it is happens to basically be the laserdisc slapped onto DVD. The image is presented in its original widescreen aspect ratio of 2.35.1 but no one has seen fit to give it anamorphic enhancement, which, to a lot of us, is a very big deal. Let the record show that the movie is perfectly watchable here but the differences between the loving restoration afforded the 'special edition' version compared to the theatrical cut is definitely very, very noticeable.

Going into a bit more detail, the first thing that you're likely to notice is the grain. While it's all but been completely removed on disc one, on disc two it is very noticeable. Some scenes suffer from this more than others do, but one need only to look at the scene where the Millennium Falcon takes off from Tattooine to see it in all its glory. The colors are also fairly uneven. Some scenes are pretty bright, others look flat and almost dead in spots.

The amount of grain coupled with the lower resolution stemming from the non-anamorphic transfer directly results in a significantly less detailed picture. Depending on how large your set up is, results are obviously going to vary a fair bit. For comparisons sake, the disc was sampled on a 20" set, a 32" flat screen tube set and a 78" screen by way of a projector and – though this should go without saying – the flaws were definitely more noticeable on the larger sets than the smaller ones, particularly the print damage and the over saturated reds in a few scenes. It's never overpowering and the movie is watchable even on a larger display but the fact of the matter is that this version of this movie deserved better than this. The video quality is okay, when really it should have been as good if not better than the 'special edition' version. These transfers were fine in the laserdisc days, but those are long gone and by today's standards they are just not up to where they should be.

Sound:

The 'special edition' of Star Wars on disc one has a fantastic Dolby Digital 5.1 EX Surround Sound mix in English and Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround mixes in English, French and Spanish with optional subtitles available in English. The 5.1 mix is very active and makes excellent use of all channels. The subwoofer gets some serious action during the combat and space battle scenes although there are a few spots where the dialogue fluctuates a little bit. Even with that said, this is still a nice mix, even if it isn't quite perfect.

One disc two, the theatrical version of Star Wars contains Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround mixes in English, French and Spanish with optional English subtitles. The same fluctuations in the dialogue that are on the first disc are here as well though they don't seem to be as pronounced. There's some nice channel separation contained throughout and even with the ups and downs of the dialogue there aren't any problems understanding what anyone says at any given time. A true surround sound mix would have been nice to see here, but again, this is basically the laserdisc on DVD and in defense of Fox/Lucas, it's close to the original mix that played in theaters decades ago - so flaws or not, that's a good thing.

Extras:

The first disc, which represents the 'special edition' of Star Wars contains only the audio commentary that was provided on the last DVD release that came out via the boxed set release in September of 2004. The participants on the track include George Lucas, Ben Burtt, Dennis Muren, and Carrie Fisher and if you haven't heard it, it's a pretty decent discussion even if you can tell that they weren't all sitting in a room together and were likely recorded completely separately from one another. Regardless, their collective comments have been edited together quite nicely and we do get a well-rounded talk about the history of the film, what it was like on set, where some of the location shooting was done and how some of the effects were pulled off. Lucas has a bit more to say than anyone else, which makes sense as this really was his baby from the start (whether we like it or not!) and what you get out of this track will directly relate to your tolerance for the man. There isn't a whole lot of enthusiasm to be found in his comments, and that can be a bit off putting. One can't help but be left thinking that the commentary could have been stronger than it is, but on the flip side, it could have been a lot worse. There's also a web-link included here for those who care to put the disc into their DVD-Rom and be whisked away to the official Star Wars website.

The only extra feature included on the second disc which houses the theatrical cut of the film is a playable demo and a trailer for Lego Star Wars II game, which admittedly looks very cool but is nothing more than an advertisement. Aside from that we get chapter stops and a menu screen. It might irritate some to learn that the menus for the theatrical version don't match those designed for the special editions and the three prequels and oddly enough, though the feature isn't anamorphic the menus are. Figure that one out, kids.

Inside the packaging is an insert that contains chapter stops for both discs and some nice artwork from the movie in addition to an advertisement for other Star Wars DVDs.

Final Thoughts:

It's hard to recommend a release like this when it seems like such an obvious cash grab. Granted, by non-anamorphic standards the unaltered Star Wars doesn't look bad here but there's no excuse for the lack of enhancement on such a popular and important film and the fact that fans are pretty much being forced to re-buy the 'special edition' version of the film in order to get the theatrical cut is, quite frankly, lame. Unless you're a completist, rent it.

Ian lives in NYC with his girlfriend where he writes for DVD Talk and for AV Maniacs. He spends a lot of time wandering around exploring and generally wondering what to do with himself.

Here is the direct download for the movie Star Wars A New Hope.