Kagemusha: The (The Criterion Collection) (1980)

Wow, what a movie experience! "Kagemusha (The Shadow Warrior)" is my favorite film from direct Akira Kurosawa, which is saying one heck of a lot when one considers "Rashomon", "Seven Samurai", and "Ran". I sat riveted to the television screen during the entire presentation. It is a story of a petty thief who, because he looks very much like the great Warlord Shingen, is given the chance to redeem himself and play the great Warlord's double. The heart of the film is the inner change and new found strength that progresses through the thief as he learns to become the Warlord. Awesome in its imagery, "Kagemusha" will mesmerize you and move you. Between 1 and 10, this powerful Kurosawa classic gets a 10. With his passing, along with Stanley Kubrick, the world has lost two great treasures.

KAGEMUSHA is the great 1980 drama involving a clan of 16th-Century Japanese warlords who want to deceive their enemies by having a common thief impersonate their murdered leader. This is a thought-provoking film about reality and illusion, as well as a visually inviting work filled with many striking scenes and compositions that Kurosawa films are known for. A memorable 6-minute opening shot of three identical-looking men, an elaborate dream sequence, and a harrowing montage of the aftermath of the final battle are among some of Kurosawa's finest moments in his long film career. Lead actor Tatsuya Nakadai was only in his 40s when he made KAGEMUSHA, playing a much older man and effectively conveying the guile and conflicted feelings of the imposter. Nakadai would also play the lead role in Kurosawa's next film, RAN, 5 years later, again unrecognizably playing a much older man.

Criterion has released the definitive video edition for KAGEMUSHA: a Region-1, 2-disc DVD of the uncut, 180-minute version of film. The anamorphic widescreen video quality is generally very good, except for some occasional graininess. The original Japanese audio is in Dolby Digital 4.0 surround (3 front, and 1 mono rear channels), although surround effects are infrequently used.

The best supplement on the disc is Stephen Prince's full-length audio commentary, which, due to the film's length, is able to elaborate on many topics in great details. Much of Prince's narration (I would say half of it) is more on the historical background of the film's period than the filmmaking and art of the film. He compares certain plot details against historical facts to show how Kurosawa uses his artistic license to convey his own ideas. Regarding the film itself, he emphasizes that this is an atypical Kurosawa film in that its hero tries to conform to the prevailing social order, unlike the nonconformist rebels and outcasts in past films such as SEVEN SAMURAI or YOJIMBO. On the film's artistry, he observantly points out that in a film about illusions, many of the key events in the plot are aptly NOT shown on screen. He also provides a great analysis on Kurosawa's most elaborate dream sequence.

Prince also does a good job of pointing out the differences between the shortened, 162-min international version and this 180-min uncut version. The longer version does not have "20 minutes of footage involving Kenshin Uesugi", as misreported at IMDB. The added scenes are, in fact, merely short, trimmed scenes and shots that are sprinkled all over the film. They add to the overall continuity, without altering anything in the main plot line. A majority of the added scenes are just too trivial to mention or to even notice. The few noteworthy ones include a much longer montage of the aftermath of the final battle, and a wholly added scene where the fake Shingen is being examined by the Jesuit priest physician -this scene also has the great Takashi Shimura's only appearance in the film, seen for the first time on this DVD by viewers outside of Japan.

For Kurosawa fans, the second best feature on the disc is perhaps the collection of impressionistic paintings by Kurosawa that were later used by him as storyboards for the film. In a 41-minute segment called "Image: Kurosawa's Continuity", hundreds of such paintings are shown, accompanied by sound clips from the films. In a still gallery section called "A Vision Realized", there are about 20 of the paintings placed side by side with still photos from the film. Many of these same paintings are also reprinted on the 45-page booklet that comes with this DVD.

The booklet also include 3 wonderful essays. As is usually the case, Criterion took the effort of including different writings that don't duplicate one another. One essay deals with the film itself, its art and its history. Another one is a Sight-and-Sound interview with Kurosawa. The third one covers Kurosawa himself biographically.

The disc also comes with a well-made 41-minute making-of documentary that is comprised of mostly interviews, stills, and clips from KAGEMUSHA. It's part of a 2003 series called "Akira Kurosawa: It is Wonderful to Create" (other episodes of this series are available on Criterion DVDs of IKIRU, THE LOWER DEPTHS, and STRAY DOG). In Japanese with optional English subtitles, it has interview segments of the cast and crew, including Kurosawa, Nakadai, Kota Yui (the child actor, who is now grown up), and others. They recount the challenges they faced, the artistic and technical choices they made, and a few amusing anecdotes.

Also included are trailers, a few whiskey commercials Kurosawa made on the set of KAGEMUSHA (other than the monetary reasons for which they were made, there is nothing special about these commercials), and a 20-minute interview segment with George Lucas and Francis Coppola, who praise Kurosawa's genius and lament that the film business often doesn't accommodate non-commercial films, even those by great directors.

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William Goldman, and American screenwriter, admonished aspiring screenwriters to begin scenes as close to end as possible. This is the sort of pacing that audiences--American audiences, at least--are accustomed to. Akira Kurosawa's "Kagemusha" is quite a different sort of movie than would ever be produced by the American or even the European mainstream movie industry.. Its scenes are long and talky, with periods of silence, and still cameras. The scenery, make-up, and mannerisms of the actors are exaggerated and often melodramatic, like you would find in formal Japanese cinema. Anyone seeing this movie expecting a medieval action flick along the lines of, say, "Exalibur," is very likely to be disappointed.

Which would be a shame. This is a magnificent movie. The photography and set design alone are breathtaking. This is more a historical piece than a character study--the characters remain, for the most part, two-dimensional. The focus remains tightly on the strategies and deceptions involved in keeping together the Shingen Takeda clan when their leader has died.

Scenes are often long and patiently filmed. In one quietly dramatic scene, we see two lines of cavalry come galloping over an incline from a great distance. The thunder of the racing horses builds, and the lines converge before us. In this single shot, not much else happens, but the composition and sound create a powerful effect. This movie is filled with subtle, magnificent moments like this.

The battle scenes--well, no one can beat Kurosawa here. The final scene depicts devestation and defeat with surprisingly little gore, yet is no less powerful (and, arguably, more) than, say, the graphically violent scenes in "Saving Private Ryan."

This is a must-see for any movie buff.

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It is about time to get this film's definitive version.

I am Amazon user in Japan and already own the original LD release and huge, expensive DVD boxes(cost me about $1,0000.....), and I can assure you that this Criterion version will be "THE BEST" one.

While Japanese version was created from same new Hi-Definition transfer, all features, three-hour movie and 45minits documentary, are bundled in dual-layered disc, which is too much to take in one, and the sound bit rate is 338kbps instead of 448kbps.

I expect, likewise "Red Beard","Hidden fortress" and "Ikiru", one disc will be devoted to the feature presentation and the extra to the other disc on Criterion version so that the quality can be maximized, and can be better than original Japanese release.

Still, among the Japanese original box set, I can say that the quality of "Sansiro Sugata" and two-disc set of "Seven Samurai" are great. I can't wait to see what the folks at Criterion will do to the rest of Kurosawa film releases.

P.S

For the first time, in documantary, Mr.Nakadai talks about taking over the title role from great Shintaro Katsu(Zatoich)who was originaly cast for Shingen and Kagemusha. Simply amazing.

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Now this is CINEMA!

The Criterion Collection DVD is filled with extras, from original Japanese documentaries and interviews of the departed Kurosawa (with English subtitles, if needed) and a booklet containing scene sketches

by the Master himself, which help you to understand why his movies are so poetic and his photography so masterful.

The movie is presented uncut and in its full splendor. The sound is just a conventional Stereo, which is probably the original soundtrack.

Pity, because if there had been a Surround division of the channels, some very spectacular battle scenes would have been more involving.

But perhaps, Akira Kurosawa wanted precisely that, to avoid the viewer to be distracted by the fluff, and rather concentrate on the story he is trying to tell.

Also known in the Western hemisphere as "The Shadow Warrior", this is truly an Epic picture with a very beautiful and touching storyline.

This picture is the true and natural tie to other Kurosawa movies like "Seven Samurai", "Yojimbo", "Sanjuro" and "The Hidden Fortress".

Unlike "Throne of Blood" (adaptation of Shakespeare's Macbeth) and "Ran" (adaptation of King Lear), both also masterpieces, "Kagemusha" is an original Japanese story and gives a thorough insight of Japan in the 17th Century.

I always tought that Criterion was just out to steal our hard-earned money just for its name, but after having now bought Akira Kurosawa's "Ran", the present "Kagemusha", as well as Luchino Visconti's "The Leopard", I will stick to Criterion like CA Glue.

Although pricey, it is through and through, money totally well-spent, for the quality in DVD rendition (very clean and sharp transfers), very acceptable sound, although some more work on this would be nicer, especially with more recent movies.

Criterion has really proven that quality has its own price and believe me, I have never seen "Kagemusha" and "Ran" the way I have watched them on my flatscreen LCD HD TV.

Going to the movies nowadays, with a technology like High Definition TVs, has totally become obsolete.

DVDs, when properly treated and produced can knock out any movie theater in the world.

Thank you Criterion for the work of love you put in remastering and transferring such classics on DVD, not to mention the tons of extras you include with them.

Highly recommended and well worth its price.

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Blades of Glory (2007)

This has got to be one of the funniest movies that I have ever seen. I laughed so hard that I walked out of this movie feeling as if I had done 200 crunches. There were very few low points in which the humor died down. Most of the time I was in tears, laughing hysterically.

The story is about 2 male skaters that are extremely competitive. Their scores were tied and they both shared the Gold medal spot for a brief moment. They began fighting which resulted in their removal from the men's single ice skating competitions for the rest of their lives. After failing to achieve any sort of happiness with odd jobs (Ferrell ends up skating for a children's ice show and Heder ends up working for an ice skating shop)they agree to skate together in the couple's skating competitions.

Ferrell plays a sex addicted, egotistical guy who seems to be very low on the IQ scale. Heder plays a soft, effeminate guy who has lived a very priviledged life (until he gets kicked out of men's skating and his adoptive father disowns him). The two personalities clash to no end.

My husband and I truly enjoyed this show. There are a lot of sexual references made in the movie but it's used in a hilarious way. I wouldn't recommend younger children watching the movie simply because of the references.

I also find Will Ferrell a bit hit or miss. When he's on, he's on and when he's off it can be painful to watch. With this movie, though, he really hit the mark. It's chock full of silliness and sight gags that make watching it a lot of fun. There is some very crude humor and some gross-out moments but I thought Ferrell was rather more restrained than he sometimes is and that certainly worked to the advantage of this movie. The character in this movie is more or less interchangeable with most Ferrell characters but that's not the point. The point is the sheer silliness of the plot, the over the top events, and the hilarity of watching skating star after skating star make often surprising cameo appearances.

Jon Heder is really wonderful in this movie. Where Ferrell is pure silliness, Heder is good at creating some nuance in his characters. Though his characters tend to be spacey and weird, he does a good job of making them somewhat real. He has a good sense for when understatement can do a great deal more than something very overt and obvious. I think he is a great talent and look forward to seeing more of him.

As far as slapstick comedies go, this one is something of a gem and is worth watching solely for the hilariously silly skating routine at the end of the movie. Ferrell and Heder make a great duo and I'd like to see them do another movie together.

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Movie 4.5

I've always been a fan of Will Ferrell. His juvenile hijinks, potty-mouth humor, and physical mannerisms are something I've come to enjoy over the course of his career, and not even so much during his SNL stint, but from his work in Anchorman on up. Meanwhile, Jon Heder certainly made his mark in comedy with his portrayal of the socially awkward and quirky Napoleon Dynamite, something of a surprising low-budget oddity that probably caught a lot of other people off guard as well. Put these two together in a movie produced by, you guessed it, Ben Stiller, and you've got a very silly and over-the-top sports comedy. Like a certain other Ben Stiller film about the comedic sports underdog story (Dodgeball), Blades of Glory is another mishmash of elements that is meant to, first and foremost, entertain, but also give some kind of weird, outlandish version of inspiration at the same time. Chazz Michael Michaels (Ferrell) and Jimmy MacElroy (Heder) are figure skating's top two stars. Skills-wise, they're the best at what they do, but couldn't be more opposite from one another in terms of personality. Hating each others' guts and being forced to share Olympic gold, they get into a scuffle during the awards ceremony and are banned for life from singles skating. But upon an urging by MacElroy's creepiest and most obsessed fan, Hector (Nick Swardson), a loophole is found in the rules saying MacElroy can still compete in doubles. Predictably, as if you couldn't tell by the cover, MacElroy and Michaels become male doubles skating partners and attempt to achieve gold once again. If you know Will Ferrell's style of comedy and like it, then there's not much else to be said. The film is raunchy, silly, quirky, and not all that high-brow outside of a delightful performance by Jenna Fischer (who looked surprisingly hot in lingerie). Will Arnett and Amy Poehler co-star (with Fischer) as the opposing team, and Craig T. Nelson, as you can guess, plays Ferrell and Heder's coach.

Video 4.5

Having watched quite a few different types of genres on BD lately (lots of comedy, but the occasional drama and action flick), I have to say I'm surprised at the level of picture quality presented in a lot of the comedies I've seen, and Blades of Glory looks as glorious as its title implies. The color palette full of blues, whites, and shiny variations of the two, with a splash of red, looks stunning. From the very outset of the opening sequence where the two skaters are competing against one another at the Olympics, there's a very nice sense of pop to the overall picture. The details in their costumes, the clarity of the crowd, and the flawless digital removal of all the wiring looks excellent, which to me is kind of shocking for a simple comedy movie. All the little sequins on Heder's peacock suit, the bright reds and oranges on Ferrell's fire suit, or their outer space and electro-laden lights on their space suits look remarkably clear and vibrant. Outside of competition, blacks and contrast handle especially well revealing shadows, lines, facial features, and overall image detail in a clear, almost lifelike manner. Again, it's all about the costuming. My favorite one outside of the skater suits was Jenna Fischer's lingerie. I thought she was kind of cute on The Office and all, but wow. That black nightie with the all the cleavage and the fishnet stalkings look great. Oh, and so does the quality of black levels within the costume itself. The only downside to the picture? Saturation tends to be a little low on the non-competition scenes reserving a lot of the film's lighting and shine for the glossier parts of the movie, but I never found it to be a huge problem. It does, however, knock the overall transfer down just a bit, but is a beauty to behold, regardless.

Audio 4.5

Back in the day before Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD MA became the economical norm for disc space, there once was a codec called Uncompressed PCM. And while it took up a good deal of memory, it packed a wallop of a bit rate. Blades of Glory, for all its ridiculousness, got a mind-bottling presentation from Paramount/Dreamworks with an audio encode of 6.9Mbps, that's nearly twice the bit rate of Avatar. Strange for a sports comedy to get such royal treatment, I know, when so many other newly re-/released and catalog titles are still getting shafted with lossy Dolby Digital (*cough* Warner Brothers), but big thanks to the people at Paramount for giving Blades a very excellent aural presentation. My biggest surprise upon a few re-watches on my newly-equipped HT setup (new center, fronts, and sub added since then) is the amount of directionality and separation within the film's sound design. Something I've always liked about sports movies is the ambiance of crowd noise, and this track definitely didn't disappoint. Dialogue remains clear and centered, while the front sides and rears do a tremendous job of placing cheers, random fans voicing their support, and camera clicks all over the place. The score by Theodore Shapiro or what few instances there are of record label songs totally immerse you. Aerosmith's I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing and Queen's Flash are two great songs by two very great bands, and hearing them in lossless audio during the competitive events is a blast every time. The only downside, or rather the only elements not truly taken advantage of, are the LFEs. While there is some slight bass from the music, your sub never really gets a workout until the very last scene with some fireworks and Ferrell blasting fire into the camera. But all in all, the sound couldn't be any better.

Extras 3.5

There aren't a whole lot of extras, but a good majority of them are in HD and pretty entertaining for what they're worth. There's a making-of, a segment for the skate choreography, one for costuming, various interviews with cast and crew, deleted scenes, alternate takes, and a trailer that amount to a little over an hour in total duration. One of the highlights for me was the making-of, in which Ferrell, Heder, Fischer, Stiller, and the two directors are very candid and seriously funny (as in serious, yet jocular) about how the movie came about, what they hoped to "achieve" by making it, and their experiences in filming it. My second favorite would have to be the interview with Arnett and Poehler, I liked them for what little exposure I had to their SNL days, but I've seen or heard them in a few movies since then and like their chemistry and overall demeanor a lot. Lastly, my favorite extra is the unscripted Moviefone Q&A between Ferrell, Heder, and Arnett. The three get along very well, don't take the interview too seriously, and offer some pretty funny responses to the questions they get asked. My one disappointment in this package, however, is the lack of a commentary. Had those three taken the time to sit down, or maybe if a combination of them were in the booth with Stiller, Poehler, Nelson, Fischer, Swardson (maybe in-character as Hector) or either of the directors, I think this would've made for a great, great listen to compliment the zaniness of the film itself. It's a darn shame nothing was made, but there's still a good amount of extras here that fans would probably get a kick out of.

Overall 4.5

Blades of Glory is crazy and over-the-top. It's a story about male pairs figure skating with raunchy humor, sexual references, a balanced dose of slapstick, and even a little wordplay here and there. As ridiculous as the premise seems, it's also a movie in the care of some really good comedic actors in Ferrell, Heder, Fischer, Arnett, and Poehler, all of who give great deliveries and possess excellent chemistry with one another. With near-reference picture and sound and a slightly underwhelming, but still entertaining, set of extras, Blades of Glory comes highly recommended. Boom!

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I expected Blades of Glory to be fairly stupid without much maturity, and that's precisely what I got. Except I was surprisingly entertained by witty, dirty, and sometimes both witty and dirty, one-liners. You're not going to get a cinematic masterpiece here, but you will get a side of figure skating you've never seen before.

Will Ferrell is once again cocky, selfish, rude, and witty. Take Ron Burgundy's personality, Ricky Bobby's intelligence (or lack thereof), lace up some skates, and you have Chazz Michael Michaels. Jon Heder (Jimmy MacElroy) doesn't take away from Ferrell's presence, and even gives a presence of his own by standing his ground and going after a young lady. Jimmy has a bit of competition with Chazz on the ice, and even though Chazz "is figure skating," he keeps his pride. The two clashing skaters form a duet and show everyone what "twin dongs" can do.

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Will Ferrell springboards off the success of Talladega Nights and lampoons another niche sport in Blades of Glory, a satire of figure skating. Although his character is more akin to his self absorbed and perverse Ron Burgundy, the film relies on the same formula that succeeded in his Nascar film, as joke after joke is leveled at the sport most of us don`t quite "get". The plot is full of one movie cliché after another, everything from a romance ruined when one party misinterprets a precarious situation to a breakneck chase to reach the arena in time to compete, but as long as you understand going in what to expect, this is a solid Will Ferrell film.

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First Sunday (2008)

I knew that the movie had to be great cause Ice Cube was in it and I liked his movies. Until I saw "First Sunday" I had no idea who Katt Williams or Tracy Morgan are (Unbelievable) But now after watching it I know that Ice Cube, Katt Williams, and Tracy Morgan make a perfect trio and they should make more movies together. You will not stop laughing, promise. But this is just my opinion so watch it. "First Sunday" is worth every penny!

This movie mixes comedy with drama to generally good effect. This movie is very funny and very entertaining. It will have you lauphing throughout the whole movie.

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Ice Cube stars as a struggling young father who's life revolves around his young son. Although he has somewhat of a rocky relationship with the boy's mother, he is a mainstay in his child's life. Until his ex tells him that unless she can come up with 17K to maintain her beauty salon, she'll have to move to Atlanta. Determined not to let his son leave the city of Baltimore, Cube teams up with childhood friend LeeJohn (Tracy Morgan) to rob an inner city church....but when things don't go exactly as planned, the two instead find themselves being ministered to by the church's congregation (Loretta Devine, Katt Williams).....and everyone discovers that an even bigger rat may be hiding amidst the holier than thou.

Another respectable product by Cube....reinforcing his credibility as an actor/producer. Comedic relief is abundant thanks to Katt Williams and Tracy Morgan...I laughed out loud thoughout. If you're looking for something fun and light with an undercurrent of seriousness, you've found it. Grab the popcorn and enjoy.

DYB

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**1/2

A very appealing cast is left with little to work with in "First Sunday," a manufactured comedy whose script fails to rise to the level of its actors. Desperate for some quick cash, Durell and LeeJohn come up with a scheme to break into a local church and carry off the fund earmarked for construction of a new building. Unfortunately, this seemingly simple robbery quickly turns into a complicated hostage situation when a dozen or so of the most prominent church members unexpectedly show up on the scene.

"First Friday" does elicit a few hearty laughs, due, in large part, to its game cast and the occasional funny line scattered in and amongst the numerous clunkers. Ice Cube effectively plays straight man to Tracy Morgan`s endearingly bumbling sidekick, and they, together with the other actors, help to comprise a fine comic ensemble. The problem lies in a screenplay which often goes for the obvious joke over something truly original or clever, and which pours on the syrup to alarming proportions near the end just to ensure the movie its status as a morally upright, "feel-good" comedy.

It's a harmless enough little diversion if you have some time to kill, but the company is far more appetizing than what it is they`re dishing up.

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Durell Washington (Ice Cube) loves his son and he doesn't want him to move to Atlanta. The only way the two of them will be able to stay together is if he can come up with a large sum of money. It's not his idea to rob a church, but he goes along with it and all kinds of problems arise.

First Sunday has good actors and a few good messages. I don't think this comedy would have been very funny, though, if it wasn't for Katt Williams. The movie became enjoyable when his character, Ricky, was introduced. I always appreciate a good belly laugh and Katt's quick-witted comebacks were hilarious! I don't think I'd be interested in his raw standup comedy, but he was great in this movie. He's so good at what he does, I wouldn't be surprised if he adlibbed the entire time.

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Black Knight (2001)

The one thing that makes time travel movies so fascinating is how they show the cultural differences between the time traveler and the era traveled to. Throwing a Nike-wearing urbanite into medieval times might sound a bit out of place, but you do get some fun scenes. Unfortunately if it's not done the right way and the scenes that are supposed to be funny get tiresome. That is what this movie suffers from more than anything else.

Okay. You can't really expect much from a time traveling movie with Martin Lawrence in it. A Martin Lawrence comedy, no matter what genre they make it, is going to be pretty much the same. Black Knight does have some good qualities to it, but they get drowned out by... well... Martin Lawrence doing what he does in just about every comedy he's made. In other words it's funny the first few times, but how many times can you see this guy freak out over some predicament? It gets old really fast. The worst part about it is the other parts of the movie actually get interesting and you can see a lot of potential here, but then Martin starts up with his usual shtick and ruins the moment. Martin really needed to branch this character out more.

As far as making everything look and feel like a real 13th century kingdom they did a pretty decent job of it. I wouldn't go so far as to say it rivals the authenticity of movies like Dragonslayer or Lord of the Rings, but I would call it a good shot for a movie with a modest budget. That is until you start getting the music in. These people need to do their research on those long trumpets because they certainly didn't sound right. Also there is a scene where Martin Lawrence gets the local minstrels to play some Motown which ended up being not only unbelievable but just plain silly (and not in a good way). Yeah I know... Martin Lawrence and all that.

To be fair the plot and back-stories were solid. There were a couple of bumps here and there, but good enough nonetheless. I really did like how the whole movie came together in the end. You also get some good performances from Kevin Conway and Vincent Regan. Marsha Thomason does surprisingly well in spite of looking out of place in medieval England. Her performance definitely makes up for that. Martin is Martin so I can't say he really made a stretch in his performance.

Black Knight is mostly just for people who like the comedy style of Martin Lawrence. If his style gets on your nerves then you might want to shy away from this one. Still it's an okay movie if you can get past Lawrence's annoying recurring fish-out-of-water theme. Just don't expect Braveheart.

Fast-talking con-man Jamal Walker has big-time plans--but for now he's stuck in a menial job at a medieval theme park. After slipping into the park's fetid "moat," Jamal finds himself in 14th century England--a world of knights in shining armor, a wicked king and damsels in distress. The Middle Ages will never be the same after Jamal uses his 21st century street smarts and attitude to help a down-and-out knight and a beautiful woman defeat an evil king. Black Knight is extremely funny but slow on the on plot and not as much action as I thought. Martin Lawerence wasn't his best but he brought the laughs.

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The main idea of this Martin Lawrence vehicle had some potential. A black, young adult, under achiever with potential gets sent back to medieval times to learn a valuable lesson. Some of the bits are funny and Lawrence shows he has some talent, but there was nothing solid enough here that to make us feel that we wanted to watch it again, unless it came on TV with the language edited.

It could have even been done to be more family friendly, but it wasn't. This movie is at best AVERAGE or 2.5 stars. I'll round down to 2 stars for some language.

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This is one of the more offbeat movies that Martin Lawrence has starred in. He's a 20th century black man transported back to medieval England and the hilarity starts. He even teaches WWE wrestling moves to the natives when they rebel against the king.

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Martin Lawrence is a favorite of mine, and I'd missed "Black Knight" in theaters and on DVD until a friend of mine brought it over recently for me to see.

I still really like Martin Lawrence, he's still a favorite, but boy was this movie a mess. Martin Lawrence plays a goofy (and goof-off) employee for a Renaissance Fair-like amusement park in southern California named Jamal, who dreams of a better life when a competing attraction called Castle World prepares to open down the road. As he contemplates this possible new job, Jamal spies a glowing medallion necklace in the fake moat at work, and in reaching for it accidentally falls in ...

When he comes out again, he's been tranported to the late 14th century, is promptly mistaken for a messenger from the Duke of Normandie, and becomes the jester -then head of security -while all the time plotting to get into the dress of a beautiful servant girl, whom he learns is part of a rebellion to overthrow the evil king and put the rightful queen back onto the throne.

When Jamal comes out of the water in the 14th-century, in jeans and a football jersey and sneakers that no one questions, I knew the script suffered from lack of common sense. Martin, good as he is, can't overcome the bad writing of a film that just never crosses the line to be believable. His clothes, style of talk, and slanguage fit right in from the beginning, and the silly sitcom-style circumstances that lead to his being made head of the king's security will just make you roll your eyes, and the cast surrounding Martin Lawrence are adequate -but still can't make up for a script that just isn't funny.

Skip this one, and turn on some "Martin" on tv instead -and say Good Night to this "Black Knight".

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Another Gay Movie & Another Gay Sequel: Gays Gone (2005)

The first movie I watched when I was in high school and had to go to the art house theater out here. I loved it so much I went many more times and took friends. The movie is so campy but it does it well. The second one is even more campy but loses some of the charm the first had.

The blu ray does come with the special features that was on the DVD and with a pretty good transfer, but nothing to ride home about. It is nice to be able to get both in one collection and save rather than buy both for more.

The fact it's on one disc is not my favorite thing cause it feels like I didn't get much, but they save money on distribution and makes this as cheap as it could.

Overall good buy if you don't own them, or if you just want to include it with your blu rays

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The Medallion (2003)

I enjoyed this film. It was a classic jackie chan adventure full of comedy, action, and cute chicks. Although this wasn't his best by far it was still very entertaining. His comedic sidekick was great, only part i did not like was the end. I expected a better fight scene. Otherwise if you are a true jackie chan fan you will want to see this movie. Don't be warded off by bad reviews because if you love jackie chan, you already know a lot of his movies have bad story and acting, but it's jackie himself that electrifies the screen.

The movie is not that great which most people alredy knew. However, the extrme lack of efforts with this Blu-ray is shocking. Amazon has the wrong spec. about audio; the disc actually only has PCM stereo (2.0)!!!!! It's not even as good as the DVD which has multiple 5.1 language tracks. Buyers be aware.

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'The Medallion' captures all of the qualities fans of Jakie Chan know and love, action, supspense, extreme humor, and a touch of mystisism, all the qualities I know and loved in the KID'S WB! 'Jakie Chan: Adventures' cartoon series. It has a great cast [Julian Sands as the dreaded Snakehead, Claire Forlani as the high kicking Interpol Agent Nicole, Lee Evens as the bumbling Agent Watson, and, of course, Jakie Chan as the Chinese Super-Man Eddie Yang] that help give the movie a great energy. The greatest thing about it was it wasn't afraid to make fun of itself! Great movie, I hope they make a sequel!

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Jackie again does all his own stunts in this action comedy also starring Claire Forlani and Lee Evans.

I quite like this movie. Note that despite seeming like a Hollywood film it is actually a Hong Kong film shot in Hong Kong, Thailand and Ireland. I've been debating as to whether or not to give it 3 or 4 stars but I've chosen to go with 4 stars. The film itself has pretty average action and comedy, but the idea that this movie is really aiming to be something great appeals to me. The outtakes at the end of the film are also very funny.

The DVD has a very straight laced audio commentarynot that much fun but nonetheless informative. It also features a wide array of deleted scenes. I'm kinda glad the deleted scenes didn't make it into the film. Only one is worthwhile, and that involves Jackie Chan revealing that he is alive to Claire Forlani. It explores the history of the characters very well and it's a shame it was cut from the film. It also has Claire Forlani at her dramatic best (quite reminiscent of her role in "Meet Joe Black").

In summary, The Medallion is short and sweet. Check it out. You might like it.

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I have always been a Jackie Chan fan and I own most of his movies but this one is probably one of his worst. In this movie he plays as a cop who dies and comes back to life because of the Medallions powers. He get lots of strength and can take bullets without being killed. This is one of his movies where he doesn't have lots of cool stunts and all the action. I like when he uses more of the items around him to defeat his enemies but he doesnt use any in this movie. I have only seen one movie where Jackie is killed and that is The Prisoner.

What you expect, Jackie is 50 years old this year but I think he could still do what he did in his older movies. All of his current time movies have something in them that gives him power and strength that a normal person wouldn't have. What happens in his older movies such as Rumble in the Bronx, and First Strike could happen at any time in real life which made them better. But in this movie you know that no one will be able to come back to life from a medallion.

I recommend some of his older movies such as Rumble in the Bronx, Legend of Drunken Master, Who Am I, and Gorgeous.

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Last Chance Harvey (2009)

By no means do I damn with faint praise when suggesting that this is a "small" film. Rather, only to suggest that it covers a brief period of time (a few days), in a single setting (London), focuses primarily on only two characters, and there few plot developments. Briefly, Harvey Shine (Dustin Hoffman) is employed by an advertising agency in Manhattan as a jingle writer when we are introduced to him. Almost immediately we sense that he is dissatisfied with both his career (he would prefer to earn a living as a jazz composer and performer) and with the current state of his life (he is divorced and apparently alienated from his adult daughter, Susan, who is about to be married in London). The title refers to both situations: Charley is advised by his boss Marvin (Richard Schiff who played the character Toby Ziegler on the television program, The West Wing) that his job is in jeopardy. After a very brief encounter upon arrival at Heathrow Airport with Kate Walker (Emma Thompson) seeking to obtain travel information from passengers, Harvey is saddened to learn from Susan (Liane Balaban) that she has decided that her stepfather Brian (James Brolin) will accompany her down the aisle. Of course, Harvey encounters Kate again and then....

The acting is outstanding. The setting is especially appropriate for what happens to a troubled New Yorker, among strangers in a strange city, at a time when he is running out of options in all areas of his life. Kate has concerns of her own but seems less troubled, probably because she fulfills at least some needs by comforting and reassuring her mother Maggie Walker (Eileen Atkins) who calls her constantly throughout the day (and evening), concerned about trivial matters. We know almost nothing else about Kate's private life, other than the absence of romance and few (if any) chances of finding it. She clearly does not wish to be hurt and is sensibly reluctant to become involved with anyone, even a stranger who is clearly unhappy, feels rejected, and in need of attention and kindness.

Five Star ratings of films should be reserved for "classics" and that is especially true of romantic comedies such as It Happened One Night, Little Shop Around the Corner, Sleepless in Seattle, and You've Got Mail. Last Chance Harvey is not in their class. However, I think Hoffman and Thompson are not only superb but have charming chemistry, the film is well-made, respectful of awkward adult situations with potentially serious consequences, and arrives at its happy ending with a pleasing plausibility.

Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program I understand that most people that go to movies are in their early 20's and the movie makers knowing this,aim their films for that audience generally,but this is a wonderful surprise.

A charming story of people at an older age that have hit many dead ends in life but because of chance,they discover that life doesn't have to be done, there can be a future filled with the excitement that you might feel only lived in the past.

With the two great actors,Dustin Hoffman & Emma Thompson and a wonderful supporting cast,this is a very well made movie that I feel has the legs to stand up for viewings in the future and still have that same warmth and heart.

I think that some of the twenty somethings that might see this now and write it off as silly,could very well see this film in several years and view it very differently after they gain some of the experience and disappointments that life brings.

I really feel this could be viewed as a classic in the future,

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For those looking for a fast-paced, ultra-modern, and formulaic romantic comedy feel free to run back to the bad acting, effects-laden Hollywood tripe so often produced for an unimaginative audience. If, however, you are looking for a thoughtful and surprisingly human story, then Last Chance Harvey deserves your attention. Rather than finding this movie slow and boring, my wife and I felt compelled to stay up past our bedtime because we simply couldn't fall asleep until it was over.

Yes, the movie moves at a walking pace--that's part of its charm! We should rediscover the skills of paying attention to a real story that does not require the aide of special effects and heart-pounding action. Simply put, the story itself is beautiful and wonderfully acted. Its true-to-life and a worthy addition to one's movie library if one has an eye for art rather than mere amusement.

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This movie is wonderful. I have to comment on some of the criticisms I have seen here--if you are looking for belly laughs and lousy computer generated effects,take your short attention span back to your x-box. This movie is a beautiful exercise in real story telling. These two seasoned actors bring incredible meaning and depth to a movie about real things that happen to people in real life. I was touched by the obvious and not so obvious messages in this story and feel it was, for me, a much awaited change from the fast-paced, meaningless bumblers Hollywood keeps ralphing out. Very well done--and thanks to Hoffman and Thompson for taking me along for the stroll. I needed the fresh air...

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Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program Very slow movie throughout. The plot revolves around a man, Harvey (Dustin Hoffman), a jingle writer. He is about to lose his job and has a difficult relationship with his daughter. He travels to London to attend his daughter's wedding and meets Kate (Emma Thompson) who works for an airline conducting research. They experienced an unexpected and lovely romance. The movie is indeed lovely but so darn slow! Although the acting was amazing; actually, it was phenomenal, I was still falling asleep. I can't help but wonder what this movie could have been in the hands of another, more dynamic director.

I especially like the featurette as it revealed a lot of interesting things about the movie. For example, I though the movie was based on a book. Actually, the screenplay was written especially for the actors Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson.

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Wrong (+ Digital Copy) (2012)

I didn't like Rubber much, but the movie had some really good moments, so I decided to give the director's new movie a try. It turned out to be far more suited for me I couldn't stop laughing during this one, and kept smirking to myself with remembered scenes for a few days afterwards. All of the enjoyment of this movie comes from layered absurdity notable because of the artfulness of the situations (it definitely isn't American slapstick). Speaking of artfulness, the movie has a very pleasant bout of cinematography and soundtrack, making it a very well rounded comedy. I'll be sticking it back in my player more than a few times.

Dupieux has quite a one-of-a-kind style. Wrong and Rubber really stand out from the crowd. I wonder if he'll be sort of be like the "Wes Anderson" of comedic films.

It was absurd. Perhaps I was simply unable to perceive anything else. Perhaps it was absurd for absurdity's sake. Personally, if I could go back in time, I'd tell myself to save my money or rent something else.

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If you're not familiar with Quentin Dupieux, you can start slowly. Watch a few of the music videos he made for his own music (Mr Oizo) as well as for others. Assuming that you had a good laugh and/or that your head started to shake on the beat, you may be ready for what's next.

It's always hazardous to compare a director to another but we'll have to agree that Quentin Dupieux is ideologically closer to Spike Jonze (being John Malkovitch) and Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine.../science of dreams) than he is to Michael Bay.

It's surreal, it's really well done, with good actors, great and efficient cinematography and a smart use of music ( that he's co-signing). It's sweet by times, really funny overral, and not like anything you've seen so far.

It's a director's work in a sense that Dupieux is behind the wheel with a total creative control (clap clap clap) and it's not for everybody and oh do we love that !

Each new movie is a milestone. "Wrong" is probably his most elaborated movie so far. I can't wait for the next one.

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Dolph Springer (Jack Plotnick) wakes up one morning to realize that his beloved dog Paul has gone missing, but that's the least of Dolph's problems. His life only begins to get weirder and practically spirals down the drain as he crosses paths with his gardener Victor (Eric Judor), a pizza delivery girl named Emma (Alexis Dziena) who becomes obsessed with Dolph, a strange detective named Ronnie (Steve Little), the mysterious Master Chang (William Fichtner), and Dolph's jogger-in-denial next door neighbor Mike (Regan Burns). Meanwhile Dolph just wants to find his dog.

Quentin Dupieux made the eccentrically absurd yet glorious film "Rubber" and birthed at least one lifetime fan because of it. It was because of that film that the anticipation for "Wrong" was so high. At its core "Wrong" is a more grounded film than "Rubber." Compare a telepathic car tire that makes people's heads explode to a guy looking for his dog and "Wrong" seems like a more traditional experience on the surface, but "Wrong" is actually way more out there than Dupieux's previous effort.

The film begins with a group of firefighters lounging around a fire truck as a van slowly simmers in flames. One of the firefighters starts texting while another drops trow and begins reading a newspaper. The score starts off as this tribute to 8-bit video game soundtracks, but slowly evolves into something more synth heavy that sounds like it's straight out of the 80s. Dolph's clock rolls over to 7:60 every morning and that blank letter he receives with nothing but a stamp on it is never addressed (best accidental pun ever). After realizing Paul is gone, he spends the morning talking to Emma about how absurd it is that the logo of a pizza place would be a rabbit riding a motorcycle when the rabbit is fast enough as it is on its own.

Dolph encounters a police officer who's incredibly indecisive and seems to dislike everything for reasons he won't disclose. Dolph works in an office building where it's always raining inside and his gardener reveals that the palm tree in Dolph's yard turned into a pine tree overnight. A painter likes to paint people's parked vehicles different colors while they're away and Detective Ronnie strings together an elaborate conglomeration of impressive vulgarity. This is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the insane events that transpire in "Wrong." It's the type of film where you can reveal everything and the viewer still won't know what they're in for.

Every character acts really strange in "Wrong." The cop (Mark Burnham) and Emma in particular aren't very good actors. Emma's voice is nerve grating and it doesn't really become an issue until she encounters Dolph in person while the cop just seems a bit stiff in his line delivery. Dolph is perhaps the most normal of the bunch, but the unusual behavior by everyone around him doesn't really seem to affect him as he's constantly asking questions that only encourage them. William Fichtner seems to be purposely talking with a bad accent and the Master Chang character relies on incessant rambling.

"Wrong" is like the most insane statement against animal abuse ever. It's never boring and no one will be able to predict where it's headed, but it's overflowing with nonsense and it's sure to be misunderstood by a fair portion of those that encounter it. "Wrong" and "Rubber" do have the concept of telepathy in common, but "Wrong" is otherwise a completely different animal for Dupieux to add to his resume. With all of its robe mocking, its pet kidnapping service, its squeaky turkey dog toys, and most of all its turd memories, "Wrong" is one of the most unique films you'll ever sit through.

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If you enjoyed Rubber, you will enjoy this movie too. Full of great music and imagery, dreamlike atmosphere,and funny absurdity. A breath of fresh air.

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Chocolate

Chocolate is the perfect "acid test" to determine who are fans of action movies and who are not. How so? Let me explain. A true fan of action movies has the ability to overlook some flaws in film-making (e.g., script, acting, character development, etc.) if the action sequences are exceptional enough to make up for them. This is no different from fans of art-house dramas who can overlook minimal content if the film can portray everyday life in interesting ways. With that said, Chocolate is one of the best examples of an action movie that has such extraordinary fight sequences that they easily overpower any deficiencies in the script.

An autistic girl with martial arts skill attempts to collect on the debts of her sick mother. This movie is not well written, and requires some patience from the viewer to slug through the early moments. Once the 30 minute mark arrives, however, the viewer is treated to one of the most amazing displays of asskicking by a female protagonist in the history of action cinema. Virtually all of the remaining 50 minutes is devoted to high quality choreography and bone-crunching maneuvers. The settings and scenarios change frequently, thereby avoiding any feel of repetition or monotony. This is brainless action at its very finest. JeeJa Yanin an amazing specimen with her fluid moves and hard strikes catapults herself into the upper echelon of female action stars with this single movie. Her punches and kicks start off rather basic, but get increasingly more complex until they peak during the jaw-dropping finale that lasts a whopping 20 minutes. Lots of fun to be had here.

Now, a snobby moviegoer will cry about the negatives without even considering the positives. Anyone who does not enjoy the action in this movie seriously needs to get their pulse checked, or at least schedule for a re-alignment of their action movie tastes. There's nothing more scintillating than watching a cute girl kick the living hell out of hundreds (quite literally) of stuntmen in a variety of environments. Basically, if you're not entertained by this, you're not a fan of action movies. (You probably didn't like So Close or Azumi either, right?) Stop fooling yourself and go watch another Tsai Ming-liang film.

Some critics have claimed that this movie "ripped off" other movies. It didn't. There are a few homages that last a few minutes at most (a few Bruce Lee references, a locker scene reminiscent of Jackie Chan, and some footage from Tony Jaa's movies). These few scenes are only a drop in the bucket, because 95% of the action is independent of any references to other movies. The sign-post battle on the apartment complex balconies is one glaring example of a completely novel (and breathtaking) sequence that pays homage to no one but itself.

This is definitely worth a blind buy. True fans of martial arts mayhem will end up re-watching the action scenes about a thousand times.

My rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

Premise

*An autistic girl learns martial arts through imitation, and uses her skills to collect money from some unsavory people who owe her mother, who is is need of medication (and was formerly associated with the Yakuza). Then the Yakuza retaliates, and all heck breaks loose.

The Good Things

*Video quality is almost perfect; it's very clean, sharp, and colorful, with only a couple of grainy scenes. The sound quality is pretty good.

*Includes a short 8-minute making-of featurette and a few trailers for other movies.

*Includes both English dubbing and the original Thai language track with optional subtitles.

*The movie has a lot of phenomenal fight scenes. They are extremely well-choreographed and distinctive. Judging from the outtakes, it also looks like they were made to be completely authentic, and the actors sustained some serious injuries in the process. Even though the fighting is fantastic, it's also very real.

*The movie is also very well-filmed, with lots of good camera angles and unique colors.

*Production design is good. Sets are interesting, costumes are good, props are good. Look out for one or two unique motifs.

*It looks like there were one or two homages to earlier films by Prachya Pinkaew ("Ong Bak" and "The Protector").

*The storyline is good and easy to follow. Aside from the action, it has some drama and emotional parts, but it's nothing too sappy. It's actually quite invoking, and seems to carry a strong message about love (believe it or not).

*The characters are excellent. The main character, aside from performing so many amazing stunts, shows some good compassion and emotion and makes the character believable. Other characters are great too.

*Music is good.

The Bad Things

*Not very many special features; it's especially dissapointing since the region-free British import seems to have deleted scenes and featurettes and other stuff. Oh well...

*Not for the squeamish; contains brutal violence, some blood, and some brief sensuality.

Thailand seems to be pumping out some of the coolest martial arts films these days, and "Chocolate" is probably my favorite of them all so far. Aside from boasting some incredible fight scenes and stuntwork, it is a surprisingly emotional story with strong characters. This Blu-Ray has exceptional video quality, and would highly reccomend it to any martial arts fan.

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This film by the makers of Ong Bak, was both heartmelting, and spectacular in its choreography, featuring as centerpiece the new action star of Asia, Nicharee Yanin (Jeeja) Vistmantananda, who is nothing short of a wonder of the world. The plot of course is simple, focusing on the efforts of young Zen, (Jeeja) to recover funds owed to her cancer stricken mother from her days as a moneylender for a criminal gang, a mission which brings her into several violent confrontations with gangsters. The plot twist, which makes the whole film, is that Zen is an autistic savant, who has assimilated the techniques of the greatest martial artists whom she has watched on TV, from Bruce Lee, to Jackie Chan, Jet Li, and of course, Tony Jaa. (who helped train Jeeja for this part, a program which took her 4 years.) There are many things to criticize in this film, but these fall away quickly and are overcome with the escalating storm of adrenaline which kicks in, as Jeeja demolishes wave after wave of attackers using techniques which are right up there with the best in their execution and form. The one thing which explodes from the screen, is the ferocity and fighting ability which flows from the 5'3" 93 LB little Jeeja, who uses her lithe frame like a whip with a hammer on the end, bringing more power to bear with each kick and elbow strike than you can believe from someone so small, and so cute. She is also very authentic in her sensitive portrayal of an autistic girl, which she prepared for by spending time at a home for autistic kids to observe. For her acting debut, she is superb, and has a fantastic future ahead if she can broaden her audience to the West, and get some Michelle Yeoh type parts.

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Chocolate [Blu-ray]

I went into this movie expecting a so-so movie with a girl that can do decent fight scenes. Well, the girl can do some awesome fight scenes. Using no stunt doubles and no wires, the only fake stuff in this move are the baseballs she catches (you can tell that it's 3D effects there). If she makes another movie, she could become as big of an icon as Tony Jaa.

As for the fight scenes, there are mainly around 4 really good leangthy ones, with the last one being really long and nonstop, taking place in multiple areas of a building, one inside with guns and samurai swords, another on the roof against a transvestite, a couple of women (the only women who actually fight the main character), and one other sequence that has to be seen to be believed, on the side of a building where Chocolate and the never-ending bad guys (seriously, there were too many, but that can be forgiven since it's a martial arts flick) duke it out on narrow ledges, big street signs sticking out of the walls of the building, and the side of a subway line only a couple yards away from the structure, easily connected by the street signs. 3 stories of 2D fighting goodness, and the people who fall take hits that will make you cring, including, but not limited to, a guy falling 3 stories straight down, while others hit a few obstacles on the way down (ouch).

It's also funny to see scenes from Ong Bak and Tom Yum Goong (also great movies) on a television Chocolate watches, as well as hearing sound effects from Bruce Lee movies (supposedly). It's great in the first fight scene hearing her immitate Bruce Lee's hoowaaah-ooo! voice. That'll put a smile on your face.

Yanin "Jeeja" Vismistananda is good in her role, playing an autistic girl who learns from watching, fast. She was already a taekwondo practitioner before production, but then trained extensively for 2 years before the film shooting began, and another 2 years during the shoot. She is somewhere between the age of 21-24 during the filming of the movie.

For anyone who loves martial arts, they'll enjoy this. Anyone who wants to see a woman who can hold her own in these types of movies, definitely watch it. And one more thing, be ready for some bloopers at the end credits to show the real hits that the cast (including Chocolate herself) took during the shooting.

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CHOCOLATE, named for its protagonist's favorite snack, is about an autistic young Thai girl who is a martial arts savant--parallel to the compensatory abilities of Dustin Hoffman's character in RAINMAN. Early in the film she takes on and defeats a gang of nasty kids. Next, she demolishes an array of deadbeats, who owe her sick mother money. Finally, as we can easily foresee, the evil gangsters who have split up her parents are going to be no match for her. (Telling you this is not "spoiling" the story--anyone who can count to three can see it coming.)

The excellently choreographed fight scenes have a sweet and fairly touching story around them. If you enjoy watching women "kick butt," Yanin Vismitananda (Jeeja Yanin), the star of this film, is sort of a tiny female Jackie Chan. Another big plus in my view is that this film is not pretentiously artsy and "meaningful" the way the excellent CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON was.

As a bonus feature, the DVD includes a rather short "making of" piece that shows just how dangerous its stunts really were and how amazingly athletic these people are!

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