#% Reign Over Me Blu ray

couldn't find the movie in any stores, ordered it from amazon, got it within a few days...very satisfied!!!
(122 customers reviews )
Customers Rating=4.0 / 5.0

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• ISBN13: 0043396190603
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.

!! Apocalypto Blu ray

"Apocalypto" should have been more controversial than Mel Gibson's other traditionalist classic "Passion of the Christ". That it was not is a clue as to who holds real political sway in our culture. In any event, this movie is fine addition to Gibson's string of writer/directorial classics, making Gibson the top writer/director of our age.



Although violent and not very complex in plot, "Apocalyto" stands as a monument of originality in the wasteland of modern American cinema. To make a hero out of a small jungle tribe tyranized by the Maya was truly a unique stroke that stands apart in the entire Hollywood oeurve. To portray these people as they really were, that they had their own very dark side, was a startling act of bravery in our postmodern culture, which seldom portrays any but white Europeans, usually males, as villains and oppressors. The great civilizations of pre-Columbian Mexico and Central America had vices so horrific that history should regard the Conquistadores as liberators rather than the gold-crazed pillagers that have become paradigmatic in our youths' history texts. Sure, they had cultural achievements to compare with those of the Egyptians, but the "Egyptians never practised human sacrifice", according to Herodotus.



Secondly, an impressive amount of cinematic talent was necessary to mold a riveting adventure out of an alien culture, using strictly unknown foreign actors. Many a fine premise has been ruined by poor execution, but not so "Apocalypto". There is vivid character development despite the limitations imposed by subtitles. The visuals are a stunning recreation of how the Mayan civilizations probably appeared. The entertaining series of deus ex machinas that save the hero, Jaguar Paw, as he is pursued by blood thirsty Mayans, culminating with the masterful suprise ending, driving home the message of the film, were inspired.



All in all, "Apocalypto" is an original, well executed movie, somewhat limited by its subject matter and excessive gore, which serve the purpose of the film, but don't watch it over dinner!
(540 customers reviews )
Customers Rating=4.0 / 5.0

More Detail For Apocalypto Blu ray

• ISBN13: 0786936726145
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.

** Beowulf Grendel Blu ray

There's something to be said for making a movie by placing real actors and real objects in front of a real camera with real film loaded in it. In this respect, "Beowulf and Grendel" easily exceeds Robert Zemeckis's largely CGI "Beowulf". If nothing else, Hrothgar is a believable Danish ruler, rather than a vinyl Stinky Pete, sans pickaxe.



The script -- which has a great deal of intentional humor -- never forgets that "Beowulf" is an Anglo-Saxon tale, and peppers the dialog with F-bombs and S-bombs -- not to mention the C word. Selma (a character not in the original tale) asks Beowulf why he hasn't made a snatch for her c---. Despite this, there is almost no sex -- the principal sex scene being Grendel ravishing Selma. (Yes.)



Which brings us to the "reworking" of the original tale. The Zemeckis version is tolerably close, but "B&G" strays far afield, with Grendel now the revenging victim of the Danes' violence. Still, as silly as it all is, the overall /effect/ is not half so silly as the Zemeckis film, which is why I've given it 3 stars. The Blu-ray transfer is beautiful, and allows one to savor the magnificent cinematography. Not to mention the bearded, long-haired eye-candy. Beowoof!



Performances are generally okay, with the notable exception of Sarah Polley. She was a wonderful child actress ("Baron Munchausen"), but her "performance" here is wooden and amateurish beyond belief (and beneath contempt) -- it wouldn't be acceptable in a high-school play.



Now that Gerard Butler has played the king of Sparta, Atilla, and Beowulf, perhaps it's time he assayed Gilgamesh. One problem, though -- Gilgamesh and Enkidu start off as woman lovers, but when they meet each other... well . It's hard to figure how "The Epic of Gilgamesh" could be "reimagined" to cover up /that/.



PS: Don't confuse Geatland with Greatland, Target's line of outdoor gear.
(205 customers reviews )
Customers Rating=3.5 / 5.0

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*$* Stargate The Ark of Truth Blu ray

I'm a fan of Stargate, and a HUGE fan of seasons 9 and 10. Obviously I had high expectations for this, but unfortunately they weren't met at ALL. The writing was just terrible. I mean it would be okay for a decent action movie, but by Stargate standards it was garbage.



Everything was stilted, things (like the Ori, the Priors, the Orisi) that were scary as hell in the series were kind of boring and/or goofy seeming in this. The wonderful chemistry between the cast felt completely absent. Vala and Sam barely have a part-Sam's reduced to a handful of tech lines, Vala has to spew a few paragraphs of boring exposition (she's an amazing actor...but how do you strike the write tone for that character while reading...paragraphs of boring exposition?) The only one who really gets a decent amount of screen time is Cam.



We have a generic, unbelievable bureaucrat, like they're saying "hey, remember those awful bureaucrats we've seen on Stargate? He's like them!" We have a shift of loyalties that comes out of the blue, and doesn't seem to have any connection at all to how the character was ALWAYS portrayed.



Heck, even the 'dialing the gate' scene was done 1000x better at the end of "Unending".



I'm really not sure how to rate this. I didn't hate it, but it's a huge disappointment, and doesn't do the series justice at all. To the people who seem to have only watched this movie and are judging the series by that-start at the beginning, or at the beginning of season 9. I don't regret seeing it, and any fan of the series like me is going to have to...but wow...I'd love to know what went wrong.
(501 customers reviews )
Customers Rating=4.5 / 5.0

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#$ Let the Right One In Blu ray

What to say? This film isn't scary at all, but it does have a lot of atmosphere, it is intriguing, and the idea is a very good one. The best vampire film ever? No. But one that should be seen.
(341 customers reviews )
Customers Rating=4.0 / 5.0

More Detail For Let the Right One In Blu ray

• A fragile, anxious boy, 12-year-old Oskar is regularly bullied by his strongermates but never strikes back. The lonely boy's wish for a friend seems to come true when he meets Eli, also 12, who moves in next door to him with her father. A pale, serious young girl, she only comes out at night and doesn't seem affected by the freezing temperatures.Coinciding with Eli's arrival is a series of inexpli