Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country Description:

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4079 in Movie
• Released on: 2009-12-16
• Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Running time: 110 minutes

Customer Reviews:

This is Actually the third version of Star Trek VI.
Let me explain

-Spoiler Warning-

The first version of the film was shown in theaters.

The second version was shown on all home video formats. This version includes a couple of additional footage to certain key scenes, and a few new scenes all together.
- Spock has more Dialogue in the top brass meeting.
- A scene taking place in the President’s office where Col. West presents his plan to sneak into Klingon territory and rescue Kirk and McCoy.
- Spock and Scotty checking the torpedo inventory before Valeris informs them that the Chancellor’s Daughter is now the current klingon chancellor.
- The klingon assassin at the climax of the film turns out to be Col. West.

The Third version of the film is shown on this Special Collector’s Edition DVD. This version includes all the material from the second version, and a few minor changes to certain scenes and effects.
- When Martia gets shot, a disruption sound effect is removed to make her scream more apparent.
- Valeris’s interrogation scene has been entirely reedited. There are now close up shots of Kirk and McCoy when they speak their lines instead of being in wide shots. When Spock and Valeris name a particular conspirator, the face of that person briefly appears in a flashback like style.

Do I prefer this version of the film? Sure. I personally believe that Valeris’s interrogation scene is much more dramatic with the flashback shots. It really helps the viewers who aren’t good with names understand who Spock and Valeris are talking about, and adds a little more tension near the end of the film.

I hoped this information helps you out in spotting what has been changed. If there is anything I missed, please feel free to contact me.

Star Trek gives Kirk, crew, a fitting sign-off…..
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, released in 1991 a few months after the Silver Anniversary of the original television series and the death of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry, is a suspenseful and adventure-packed “final voyage” for Capt. James T. Kirk and the Starship Enterprise.

Coming on the heels of the less-than-stellar Star Trek V: The Final Frontier and the resignation of Harve Bennett as producer of the feature films, Paramount turned to actor/producer Leonard Nimoy and director/screenwriter Nicholas Meyer (Time After Time, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan) to save the foundering franchise and give fans something worthy of a 25th-anniversary celebration. After looking at various options, they decided on a Star Trek version of the end of the Cold War.

The Undiscovered Country (the title is a Shakespearean reference to death and was Meyer’s first choice for the title of Star Trek II) capitalizes on the similarities of the U.S.-Soviet standoff to the long-standing not-quite-war between the Federation and the Klingon Empire. Fittingly, the film begins with a bang when, in a Chernobyl-like accident, the Klingon’s main energy production source on the moon of Praxis explodes.

The explosion sends both literal and political shock waves across the galaxy. The physical subspace wave buffets the USS Excelsior, now commanded by former Enterprise helmsman Hikaru Sulu (George Takei). Capt. Sulu, in the tradition of good Starfleet captains, offers assistance but is rebuffed by the Klingon High Command.

Nevertheless, three months later, Sulu’s former shipmates, including Capt. Kirk (William Shatner), Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy (the late DeForest Kelley), Capt. Montgomery Scott (James Doohan) and Cmdrs. Uhura (Nichelle Nichols) and Pavel Chekov (Walter Koenig) are summoned to a top secret level meeting. “The Klingon Empire,” they are told by Starfleet’s commanding admiral, “has less than 50 years to live.” Praxis’ explosion has depleted the ozone layer of the Klingons’ homeworld and polluted the atmosphere. Heavy expenditures on weapons and bases has weakened the Klingon economy and the cleanup is beyond their means. A special envoy has been appointed by the Federation to begin negotiations with Chancellor Gorkon, leader of the Klingon High Council. To the shock of Kirk and his officers, that envoy is Enterprise first officer Spock (Leonard Nimoy).

And when Kirk is assigned to escort Gorkon’s ship into Federation space for a summit on Earth with the Federation president (That 70′s Show’s Kurtwood Smith), he’s shocked and angry. Not only are the senior officers due to retire in a few months, but Kirk is still bitter about his son’s death at the hands of the Klingons several years before. But the good captain has been issued his orders, and like it or not, he will do his duty.

Little does he know that a massive conspiracy to undermine the peace negotiations is underway, planned by those in the Federation and the Klingon Empire who have a lot to lose if peace breaks out. And soon, Kirk and the Enterprise crew are caught in a web of deceit and intrigue that will place their lives in jeopardy….and shatter the last best hope for galactic peace.

The film features a fine performance by Sex in the City’s sultry Kim Catrall as Lt. Valeris, Spock’s full-Vulcan protege with a hidden agenda of her own, as well as a wonderfully over-the-top appearance by Christopher Plummer as a dastardly, Shakespeare-quoting Klingon general. The Undiscovered Country also acknowledges the legitimacy of Star Trek: The Next Generation, and with an appearance by ST-TNG actor Michael Dorn as Col. Worf (the grandfather, one surmises, of the Enterprise-D’s Lt. Worf, Dorn’s “regular” role), the two generations are bridged on the silver screen. (“Unification, Parts I and II,” guest starring Leonard Nimoy, had aired a few weeks before the film’s premiere and included a few subtle references to its storyline.)

Star Trek VI’s home video, laserdisc and first DVD releases contain the longer edited-for-home-viewing version which includes two deleted scenes featuring Rene Auberjonois (who would later be cast as Odo in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine) as Col. West. Paramount has released a barebones DVD since 1998, but a 2-disc Collector’s Edition is forthcoming.

A great sendoff!
Star Trek VI The Undiscovered Country, no better way to finish the movies with all of The Original Series characters. In my opinion, this was the best of their movies. The writers and producers really did a wonderful job with this one. It was great to see Sulu become Captain Sulu and get his own ship. Which later helped Voyager do an anniversary episode with Lt. Cmdr Tuvok having been a member of his crew. Kim Cattral as a Vulcan. Michael Dorn (Lt. Worf), playing his grandfather. Rene Auberjunous (Odo) as Col West, a couple years before Deep Space Nine. Many other notable Star Trek names making appearances in this great movie. Everything was great about this movie, from the state dinner with the Romulan ale, to the search of the Enterprise for the assassins. The space battle was one of the best treks ever put on screen. If you’re one of the ten or less people on the planet who’ve not seen this, buy it, rent it or borrow it. This is the finest example of what Gene Roddenberry intended Star Trek to be.

The Perfect Man Description:

• Amazon Sales Rank: #20826 in Movie
• Released on: 2009-12-10
• Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Running time: 101 minutes

Customer Reviews:

The perfect date movie…
The Perfect Man is a movie of wit and the heart. It has a little bit of humor in it and a lot of heart breaking situations… and some embarassing moments.

Holly Hamilton is your average teen… except she moves around… A LOT! As she describes to her best friend she meets in Brookland Amy, after another failing romance, “my mom starts out hopeful to find the perfect man but when he dosen’t come along in about two weeks, she becomes desperate and hooks up with some loser and I can’t do anything about it. When the relationship comes to an end, and it always does, we pack up and move again. I can’t even run away because that’s what she does.”

Those are the words from Holly, mad how she always makes friends and then has to pack up and move when her mom, Jean, has another failed romance. Jean is a hard-working baker that has raised two girls, and had landed a job at Dolorus’s bakery in New York. So Holly has a plan to make the perfect man, even if he didn’t exist, so she could boost her mom’s shaky self esteem and show her mom that you don’t need a man to be the “perfect you”

Holly first leaves the most romantic flower, the orchid, and leaves it on the apartment door.

Instant messenging Jean from the account she set up, Holly learns more about her mom than she ever knew, using lines from a romantic guy that knows a lot about woman. His name is Ben and he’s Amy’s uncle. He is a manager at a ritzy restaurant called “The River Bistro” He tells Holly everything… giving her a CD to give to her mom from the perfect man, that is nothing but happy music and before you know it… the 3 Hamilton girls are dancing in the living room.

Troubles start to come into the picture when Lenny Horton, the bread baker, comes into the picture and asks Jean out. Never laying eyes on Ben and thinking what-the-heck, she says “yes” and Lenny takes her to a tribute band from Stix.

Holly finds out that after going to Ben’s place that Ben is the perfect man for her mom. But since she sent him a picture in the mail of him and said that he was moving to China to open a restaurant, they can never meet. Ben does the New York Times crossword puzzle in blue pen, same as Jean… and dosen’t think the moon is just a rock that comes out at night, just like Jean… Ben is the perfect man…

Holly confesses to her mom that the perfect man wasn’t real after Jean gets a wedding proposal from the low life Lenny, but tells her that there is a perfect man out there that was based on the things that she said and that there is a perfect man and a perfect you.

This movie is warm hearted and funny! Don’t miss out on this one folks!

Jordan
Overall grade* A-
Oh, if you saw the movie trailer and wonder what the song is in it, it’s called “Waiting for the sun” performed by Sixpence none the richer.

The Perfect Movie
This movie was critizized harshly by reviewers, but they were obviously blind to the film’s greatness, as you may call it. Everything about this film is lovable, the story, the characters, the actors – Hilary Duff; need I say more? Yes, probably a thousand people said this movie was very fake but if all movies were relatable or true & possible, then all we would have in theaters would be documentaries. Bottom line is, I loved this film, very, very, much & I have watched it over and over & I still laugh everytime. What do I mean by all of this? BUY IT. Period.

Perfectly Okay
This is a cute enough movie with a cute enough premise. Hilary Duff plays Holly, a girl who, along with her little sister, keeps getting shuffled around the country by their mother (Heather Locklear), who leaves a town as soon as her latest relationship hits the rocks. She simply runs away, instead of actually confronting her problems. (Real good example she’s setting for the kids, huh?)

Holly is sick of moving around, especially after the latest breakup has landed them in, of all places, NYC. When her mother starts dating Lenny, whom Holly perceives to be a complete loser, she concocts a scheme to send her mother flowers and love letters from “the perfect man” to keep her mother from going out with Lenny. Holly is helped by Ben (Chris Noth, total heartthrob), a chef who feeds Holly nothing but cheesy advice about love. Holly then realizes how simple it is: Ben IS the perfect man! Now if only she hadn’t given her mom pictures of Ben and all these love letters and flowers, because all this is unbeknowst to Ben! Of course there’s a guy in there for Holly, too, but, like her mother, she’s terrified of getting her heartbroken.

Forget the perfect man. It’s not really about finding the perfect guy, it’s a movie about a mother and a daughter trying to find out who they are and what exactly they want. The whole time I was practically screaming at the TV because I just wanted the mother to give it up already and be happy by herself, at least for a while. The movie’s biggest flaw is not clearly showing how the mother feels. Does she like Lenny? Does she think he’s stupid? I wasn’t quite sure. Her actions and her words are contradicting, and I find that quite annoying. But it’s still cute, and it’s especially good if you’re hankering for some Mr. Big. RECOMMENDED.

Rosemary’s Baby Description:

• Amazon Sales Rank: #19141 in Movie
• Released on: 2010-01-12
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Running time: 137 minutes

Customer Reviews:

A “devilishly” good movie
Ira Levin’s classic tale of gothic horror in 1960′s Manhattan is wonderfully brought to life by Roman Polanski in the film version. The movie has much more depth and strength of characterization than the book, and the biggest surprise, when the movie first opened, was Mia Farrow’s absolutely great performance as Rosemary.

The movie stays very close to the book throughout, and the actors are terrific. John Cassavetes is excellent as Rosemary’s low-life actor husband who sacrifices her to his ambition without a second thought; Ruth Gordon won a well-deserved Oscar for best supporting actress as the delightfully wacky witch next door; Sidney Blackmer gives a chilling performance as her sinister husband whose name is an anagram that sends Rosemary hurtling down a spiral chute of terror and panic, and Ralph Bellamy is total perfection as the evil Dr. Sapirstein.

The two best scenes in the movie are the scene in which Rosemary, who wants a baby more than anything else in the world, finds herself being impregnated by God-knows-what, and the scene toward the movie’s end when she realizes just what she was impregnated with. The movie was shot mostly in and around the Dakota, the grand old Upper West Side co-op that lends itself remarkably well to the creepy projection of a haunted house, the cinematography and film editing are excellent, and Polanski’s direction proves that a great horror movie doesn’t have to be a slasher film to effectively scare the bejesus out of you. There’s no blood, no gore, no violence; just a great psychological horror ride, and it works.

One of my favorites. . . .
I used to play the theme song on the piano when I was a kid. . . it was haunting, just like the film.

I always loved this film. It was almost perfect in every way. My Grandma used to remind me of Ruth Gordon, so I just adored Ruth Gordon. Here she was her New York yenta-ish self, but a Satanist, too. This is exactly why the film works so well. We all get scared of monsters and psychopaths running around with knives. In this movie, though, the villians are are New York yenta and her intellectual husband.

This does follow Ira Levin’s excellent novel. Mia Farrow is perfect as gentle, almost timid Rosemary. The entire cast is wonderful.

I remember watching this movie as a child, and I’m almost certain that the ending here is changed. When Rosemary enters the neighbor’s apartment with her knife, and goes over to the bassinet, then gasps in horror, there used to be a superimposed image of cat-like eyes while Rosemary screams, “What have you done to his eyes?” That really worked well, but it’s gone here, or at least on the dvd I watched recently.

All in all, an excellent movie.

By the way, several years ago I was in the bookstore and came upon Ira Levin’s sequel to this, “The Son of Rosemary”. UGH! This is the most horrible novel EVER. Well, probably not ever, but definitely up there. What a disappointment that was!

Quite Possibly The Greatest Horror Movie Ever Made
The film is not in your face. In fact, Roman Polanski’s visionary work is more subdued than many films at this time. But it is that tameness, and peace that makes the mood of this movie so uncomfortable. Everything is fine, only the opposite. The film starts slow enough, a young couple moving in together, trying to have a baby. While they come at the mercy of strange happenings. Whether it be Rosemary’s friend ‘jumping’ to her death. Or it be her somewhat too nice neighbors. You begin to see the world through the eyes of Rosemary, and you grow terrified along with her. While the sheer horror really comes at the end, when we realize how easy evil can seduce us, the movie stays chilling until the last frame. While movies like Nightmare on Elm Street and The Thing try to capture a horrible beast in his most frightening stage, this movie teaches us that the scariest things in life may be the people we trust the most. This truly is Polanski’s best work, and it has survived the test of time.

The Pink Panther 1963 Description:

• Amazon Sales Rank: #5681 in Movie
• Released on: 2009-12-17
• Rating: Unrated
• Running time: 115 minutes

Customer Reviews:

Like Old Friends, They’re Always Great To See!
Having been a fan of “The Pink Panther” series from childhood, I was ecstatic that this set was being released, as the films are otherwise out of print on DVD (although luckily I still have my trusty VHS copies in reserve). I am tempted to give the set five stars simply because it is a wonderful day to see these films back in print, but realistically I had to take it down a notch as there a couple of negative considerations, the most obvious of which, of course, is the absence of “Return of the Pink Panther” from the collection, ostensibly because of legal hang-ups. Whatever the cause, the absence of the first of the 1970s-era “Panthers” is sorely missed. The other minor negative is the relative absence of special features on the movie DVDs, although the original “Pink Panther” has a wonderful trivia track. I would have really loved commentary tracks with Blake Edwards and some of the actors. I am somewhat ambivalent on the extremely unusual packaging the set comes in. It is hard to adequately describe the case, but suffice it to say that removing half of the DVDs is annoyingly difficult, although it looks very stylish.

On the positive end, you get four great “Panther” movies and the bodged-together “Trail of the Pink Panther”, plus a disk of extras. Some people have dismissed the extras disk as inconsequential, but I rather enjoyed it. I particularly liked the documentary “The Pink Panther Story” which was heavy on interviews and insight. I had no idea that Sellers hated “A Shot in the Dark”, whereas I (and many others) think it is a perfect movie in every way. I knew that Sellers could be somewhat Mercurial to work with, but I had no idea, for instance, that he had certain colors that he would not tolerate around him, and in fact made the producers of one of the movies once repaint a train because he couldn’t stand the color! Also on the disk is a documentary about the animated Panther, which is quite interesting, as well as several of the short subject cartoons, which seem selected at random. They did include the Oscar winning “Pink Phink”, the first cartoon short of the Pink Panther, which was an excellent choice. “Psychedelic Pink” included an annoying laugh track, and “Pinkfinger” was one of the weaker of the cartoons, which I have great recollection of from childhood. Interestingly enough, there are two related subject cartoons, one each of the Ant and the Aardvark, and The Inspector (in a fairly weak episode) to round out the extra disk.

This is a great set overall, with just a couple of things bringing it down to a four rating. I recommend it to all “Panther” fans everywhere, and to anyone who loves to laugh.

Great Collection but……
This is a great collection but there is a big problem, it did not include the best film of the series, “The Return of the Pink Panther (1974)”, with this film the collection would have been “Perfect”

Decent package, but missing essential material!
I was very excited when I heard they were releasing a Pink Panther collection on DVD. So much so that I held off on buying any of the currently available individual DVD titles. The day the set arrived I raced home to watch… and disappointment struck.

In the first place, the set does NOT contain RETURN OF THE PINK PANTHER; one of the best/funniest in the series (in my opinion). I now understand this was because of legal/copyright issues, but still a major disappointment. If you buy this set, you will need to go out and purchase Return separately to have all the Sellers’ renditions of the film.

Secondly, the other (non-Sellers) films in the series are not included. I wasn’t too disappointed about this because Peter Sellers is, in my opinion, what made the Pink Panther series so great, but the other films are pretty decent as well (and this is supposed to be a Pink Panther collection, not necessarily a Peter Sellers collection). Son of the Pink Panther was a box office dud, but one of my personal favorite non-Sellers’ Clouseau movies. Roberto Benigni, who played Clouseau’s son was just great! And the movie, in general, had the feel of one of the older Panther films. It also featured the brilliant Herbert Lom (Chief Inspector Dreyfus) and Burt Kwouk (Cato Fong); both a pleasant surprise! Curse of the Pink Panther is also not included in this set, which had a brilliant soundtrack.

Thirdly, the extra features are duds! And there’s only slight mention in the commentary of Alan Arkin’s film, Inspector Clouseau, and absolutely no mention of Steve Martin’s upcoming rendition.

I think a nice added feature would have been to maybe include a new soundtrack featuring music not included on previously released soundtracks of the films (along with the classics). For example, none of the previous soundtracks include the spectacular song Meglio Stasera, sung by the beautiful Fran Jeffries in the first film. And some of the great music from Shot In The Dark that was never included on albums. It would have been nice to have all these.

But, we are left with only a mediocre collection of Pink Panther movies and no real advantage over buying the titles separately, except that you might save a buck or two.

I give this package 3 generous stars since it’s not an ideal package and could have been MUCH better. But, it’s still the Pink Panther and the DVD’s are very good quality. Definitely an upgrade from the VHS copies. It comes in a very attractive, well-protected package and does include a few extra features. So, it’s not bad, but certainly not perfect. Fans will be disappointed that Return of the Pink Panther is not included and none of the non-Sellers Panther movies are included either, so it’s not a complete set by any means. Perhaps one day the movie studios will work out their differences and create a new (deluxe) Panther collection with ALL the movies and some better extras. For example, I know there are outtakes from the films (I’ve seen them on TV Bloopers shows). Those would have been a nice addition to the DVD’s. For now, it’s all we’ve got and it’s not too terrible. 3 Stars. Enjoy!

NOTE: See my review concerning the first Pink Panther movie too on Amazon.com

The Tale of Despereaux Product: Buy The Tale of Despereaux At Amazon! List Price: —- Amazon Price: $9.99 Click Here To See Amazon Sale Price Add to cart to see low price@ Availability: In Stock Usually ships in 24 Hours Free Shipping Available

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• Amazon Sales Rank: #12789 in Movie
• Released on: 2009-04-07
• Rating: G (General Audience)
• Running time: 94 minutes

Not Bad, Not Great
How do I describe THE TALE OF DESPEREAUX? On the one hand, it’s got top-notch animation, wonderful voice acting, and interesting characters. On the other hand, it has a few too many characters, grown-up themes, and requires the viewer’s rapt attention. On the gripping hand, it’s just not for little ones. To be clear, it’s fine for young ones to watch, it just seems that they are not the film’s intended audience. This is odd since it LOOKS like it’s a kid’s show. It was advertised as a kid’s show. But my 4-year-old only watched when Despereaux himself was on the screen, and my 11-year-old spent most of the movie telling me how different it was from the book. My husband and I liked it, but we all agreed it was simply “OK.”

THE TALE OF DESPEREAUX is actually a couple of tales, starting with the story of a sea-faring rat named Roscuro who loves soup. Through a horrible twist of fate, Roscuro’s presence results in the queen’s death (death by soup, believe it or not) and the banning of soup and rats from the kingdom. I had to wonder why no one had thought to banish the rats before but eh. Roscuro ends up in the dungeon where only the rats hang out. The second story is about Despereaux the mouse. We decided that Despereaux must be Flemish for “Dumbo” since that’s pretty much who this mouse looks like. He can even fly with his giant ears. Despereaux is literally fearless and as such is banished from mousedom for fear of the other meeses learning his bad traits. Guess where he’s banished to. That’s right, the rat dungeon. Another story is about a peasant girl who dreams of being a princess. Apparently, this was toned way down from the novel, in that the girl’s owner only sneers at her and doesn’t beat her in the movie. We see how she is sold to the king’s cook along with a herd of pigs. She eventually teaches us a lesson about jealousy. Then there’s the king’s story. He’s so sad at the loss of the queen that he bans soup and rats (as we’ve covered) and sits in his room all day plucking a mandolin. His sadness manifests itself as gray clouds and no rain – everything dies. Then there’s the princess who wishes she could fix everything, the jailer who wishes he could undo a tragic mistake, a cook who wishes he could once more make soups, an evil rat who doesn’t seem terribly evil, and, and, and… As I said, there’s a whole lot going on.

The short answer is that THE TALE OF DESPEREAUX itself is not offensive, but there are better options in this genre. Take a look at Dragon Hunters, for instance. It deals with the same themes as Despereaux (honor, courage, valor) but my family liked it a lot more.

Was a fun film
*Spoiler Alert. A request was made to add this for people who don’t like to see storyline*

My daughter wanted to see this film. Probably because the ads showed a cute mouse. We had never heard of this book so I can’t judge the story.

The qualities of the stories are simple. Mistakes, redemption, pure of heart, honor, etc.

The movie opens with a ship heading to a city. On it is Roscuro the rat. Wearing cloths and an ear ring he looks forward for the famous Soup of the day of the kingdom of Dor. Wandering through the city he accidentally finds himself in the royal hall as the royal family are first to try the soup. Too entranced with the smell; Roscuro falls into the Queens soup and she is shocked to see a Rat, suffers a heart attack and dies. The guards chase him and he eventally falls into a drainage where he lands in Ratworld. There he is discovered by Botticelli who befriends him and decides to teach him the proper ways of being a Rat.

The grieving king then declares no more soup and rats are outlawed and any who harbor them will be punished.

Despereaux is born in mouseworld. He is not a typical mouse. Smaller then normal and he has over-sized ears. What’s worst is that he doesn’t cower, run, and he likes to take the cheese from mouse traps. His parents are called into school and told he is about to fail since he does not cower from knives and he draws pictures of cats. Even names one fluffy. The school master suggests that Despereaux follow his brother who graduated and was a proper mouse and could teach by example.

They head off to the library where Despereaux is supposed to eat books but instead he starts reading them and learns about knights, honor and questing to save the fair princess. This eventually takes him to the Princess Peas room where he befriends her as she is curious by his gentlemanly ways.

Eventually, Desperaux is found out and he is punished as he has gone too far by talking to a human.

He is sent to Ratword where no mouse ever returns. The rats find him and toss him into a Colosseum where he is to be sacrificed to a cat.

Roscuro notices him and sees that he is different. He decides to save him by declaring he wants to eat him. Botticelli, leader of the rats, agrees as he had been unhappy with Roscuro since he was refusing to eat flesh.

In Roscuro’s room, Despereaux tells Roscuro about knights, chivalry and his quest to save the princess. Roscuro recognizes the princess is the very girl whose mother he caused to die and decides to help as he may get a chance of redemption by telling her he is sorry.

I could go on but I don’t want to completely spoil the film. Overall I liked the film as the hero really doesn’t solve all problems. It’s more cause and effect that guides the story. The actions of one affect another. Happiness is lost and as the narrator says a hero appears when most needed. Despereaux is the hero and he actions effects others and causes actions which cause the return of happiness.

The cast is excellent. Sigourney Weaver does a great job as the narrator. Matthew Broderick as Despereaux and Dustin Hoffman as Roscuro. Emma Watson as the princess(though I must admit I thought was Emily Watson). Tracey Ullman as Miggery Sow. Kevin Kline as Andre the soup master. Ciaran Hinds as Botticelli(though I must admit I thought Peter O’Toole would have been better).

Visually the film is beautiful and the music adds to experience in the right ways.

Violence wise it’s pretty safe. There is fighting but you don’t see things like stabbing, etc. It can be intense especially with the Rat chases and the rat gladiatorial scenes but it’s not too bad. My girl is sensitive but she only wanted a little comfort but she still kept her eyes on the screen.

My daugher wants to see it again as it’s a great film in her opinion and I think it’s was worth the theater price. My daughter has already declared we have to obtain the film when it goes to DVD.

An enjoyable adventure
I ended up enjoying this movie a lot more than I expected. The animation meets very high standards, but there’s a lot of good animation around these days. Instead, it features characters that I really like and a surprisingly complex plot.

I liked the premise, too, that the brave little mouse lives in Mouseworld society where bravery is actively discouraged. He even talks to humans – an unconscionable act of bravery. He goes through life blithely unaware that there’s anything wrong, until his antics earn exile from his timid world. That’s about when things start getting complicated. A third society, the rats, adds itself to the mouse and human worlds, with plots moving along in each and between them. Another movie might have collapsed under the weight, but this one managed to tie all the threads together and finish them off neatly.

A number of dramatic moments might be a bit much for skittish kids. Perhaps the book would help prepare your little one, but you’ll know best. The right kid will enjoy it a lot, but there’s plenty here for the grown-up buying the tickets, too.

– wiredweird

Out in the Silence Product: Out in the Silence Discount. List Price: —- Amazon Price: $1.99 Click Here To See Amazon Sale Price Add to cart to see low price@ Availability: In Stock Usually ships in 24 Hours Free Shipping Available

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• Amazon Sales Rank: #694 in Movie
• Released on: 2010-02-03
• Running time: 57 minutes

A Powerful Story
This film reminds me of an Agnes Varda documentary: you start out thinking it’s about one thing, but it turns into quite another.

The story begins when the filmmaker runs an announcement of his marriage to another man in his hometown newspaper in the small, conservative town of Oil City, PA. Not surprisingly there is quite a backlash, especially from the head of a local right-wing fundamentalist group. But instead of spending the next hour on the pros and cons of same-sex marriage, the filmmaker begins to explore what it’s like to be gay or lesbian in a rural community.
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Soon, the film evolves into a completely different set of interrelated stories about a gay youth who is being tormented at the oil City High School and his brave mom, two women who are trying to build a business, and a fundamentalist preacher who has second thoughts about the consequenceses of his religious pronouncements. Each character is wonderful in their own way, but I especially liked the mother, Kathy, who is like a lioness fighting for her cubs.

Despite the serious subject matter, the documentary has plenty of joy and humor. I was fortunate to watch a preview screening in my home town with a supportive audience, and they were alternately crying, laughing and cheering.

This is the best documentary I’ve watched in a long time. The real beauty is that it’s not just for the already enlightened. Nobody with a heart could watch this film and not be deeply moved.

Will be good for promoting discussion and understanding
I was lucky enough to catch an advance preview of this documentary, and sincerely hope it will be seen by as many groups and individuals as possible. As somebody very familiar with a similar community in Pennsylvania, I found the film an important window into small town America’s slowly changing outlook on homosexuality and tolerance. While the filmmakers are open and upfront about their own point of view, they provide a nuanced, compassionate portrait of the residents of Oil City Pennsylvania. A very human story that will serve as a useful tool in promoting discussion and understanding among different people.

Oil City, Pennsylvania
“Out in the Silence”

Oil City, Pennsylvania

Amos Lassen

Occasionally I will see a film that is a total experience and that moves me completely. “Out in the Silence” is such a film. When Joe Wilson married his lover, Dean Hamer, they put a wedding announcement in Joe’s hometown newspaper. Joe had been raised in Oil City, Pennsylvania, a small town that he had left long. When he received a letter from a resident of his hometown, a mother of a gay ten who was being mentally tortured, he decided to go back home and document what he found. The result is this beautiful film, a look at love, hate and understanding in small-town America.
Oil City is a town that had once had industry, a town that the rest of the world has passed by. It was a peaceful, quiet place until Joe Wilson put his wedding announcement in the local paper. Kathy Springer (among many others) saw it and wrote to Joe about how her son CJ was being treated at school simply because he was gay. School authorities looked the other way and Susan having nowhere to turn asked Joe for help. The two soon became fast friends and with Joe’s help, things began to change.
Diane Gramley, the head of the local American Family Association, a very conservative pressure group also saw the announcement but she saw it as an omen that the “homosexual agenda” was coming to town. She used the announcement as an opportunity to get the people of Oil City to say no to same-sex marriage and to homosexuality in general.
Joe Wilson then once again becomes part of his hometown as he looks at the cost of being different in small-town America. He meets a lesbian couple and he helps them renovate an old theater that could change the economy of the town and he becomes friendly with an evangelical pastor and we see how understanding happens. The pastor’s wife so says that we are afraid of what we do not know, something I have always felt and with knowledge comes understanding and in many cases, acceptance.
An interesting aspect of the film to me especially was the use of the American Family Association’s totally erroneous film, “They’re Coming to Your Town” as an example of what gay people can do to a town. It is all harmful and so untrue.
Joe Wilson used his camera in a unique way and this is not just a documentary. The film troubles the viewer as well as comforts him. This is a fascinating and moving look at what it is like to be gay in America and it is to be embraced and applauded. Quite simply, it is beautiful.

A Bronx Tale Description:

• Amazon Sales Rank: #8996 in Movie
• Released on: 2009-08-25
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Running time: 122 minutes

Customer Reviews:

Very Satisfying!
This film is an underrated gem. If you’re looking for a bloodbath mobster movie, this is not it. A Bronx Tale is a movie with heart–and it just so happens to be about mobsters.

Kudos to Robert De Niro on his directorial debut (may he direct many more movies). He did an outstanding job of presenting a slice of life in the Bronx of the 1960s. Though his role as Lorenzo Aiello is rather small, its effect is felt profoundly throughout the movie as Lorenzo’s son Calogero struggles between right and wrong. Lorenzo, representing the upstanding, hardworking Everyman, wants the best for his son and doesn’t want him to choose life with the mob. Sonny, the neighborhood mob boss, also wants what’s best for Calogero, or C, as he nicknames him. The moment in the film where this struggle is most keenly felt is when Lorenzo and Calogero are at the boxing match sitting in the “nosebleed” section. One of Sonny’s henchmen invites Lorenzo and Calogero down front at ringside, but Lorenzo declines the offer. You can see how hard it is for Calogero to refuse those seats. But he is torn by the love he feels for his father, and wanting to be ringside with Sonny. The most poignant moment is when he apologizes to his father for wanting to sit with Sonny and tells Lorenzo that he appreciates his seat, though it’s far away from the ring.

Another interesting, though more subtle, aspect of the movie was how Rosina, Lorenzo’s wife, questioned Lorenzo’s refusal to get involved with Sonny. You could see that she wanted a better life than the wife of a bus driver, and she didn’t seem to be too concerned with how it was achieved. That would have been an interesting angle to explore, but the movie didn’t suffer because it wasn’t explored.

The element of racial tension and the inclusion of an interracial romance for C gave A Bronx Tale a more gritty feel. It wasn’t hard to boo C’s knuckleheaded friends as they harrassed blacks who passed through “their” neighborhood. The romance between Jane and C was tastefully done, and the actors who played the roles gave authenticity to the sweet, awkward relationship. Remember Sonny’s door test? Well, I was practically praying and crossing my fingers that Jane would unlock that door!

But the film belonged to Francis Capra (young Calogero) and Chazz Palminteri (Sonny). The nine-year-old Capra was so convincing as a child who was perplexed by the difference between good and bad and all the gray areas in between. Palminteri really shines as Sonny, the suave but dangerous hood. The film is based on his childhood, and I think he did a wonderful job (along with De Niro) of bringing the story to the screen. Useless bit of trivia I read on another site: Palminteri’s real name is Calogero Lorenzo Palminteri.

Real Life of Lillo Brancato has Turned Tragic
I am writing this long overdue review shortly after the real life arrest of Lillo Brancato in the connection of a murder of a New York City police officer. He played the young man in this splendid movie which deserves to be seen by everybody. It is a beautifully written and acted production. Brancato portrayed so accurately the challenges of a young Italian-America youth being raised among the gangsters in his blue collar community. I always wondered why he virtually disappeared. Brancato’s small role playing a cheap gangster on “The Sopranos” didn’t even begin to equal what had earlier been expected of him.

Robert Di Niro is fantastic as the father, a proud bus driver, trying to make sure his only son remains a law abiding citizen. Chazz Palminteri is likewise brilliant playing the role of the neighborhood Mafia chieftain. He also wrote the spellbinding script. “A Bronx Tale” apparently was only modestly successful. I simply cannot understand why it isn’t considered as one of the very best movies of that time period. This is a family movie. Anyone who is a teenager or older should enjoy it immensely. You truly feel like you are visiting the 1960s. It is a warm and loving story about choices that must be made early in one’s life. Lastly, why hasn’t Di Niro directed more films? You would think that this particular work of art might encourage the great actor to work more often behind the camera.

A First Class Story Line!!!!!! 5 Star performances by all!
What riveting performances Palminteri and De Niro Turn in on this excellently written (by Palminteri) and scripted film. Palminteri’s performance will have you spellbound from his very first scene until his tragic final one. De Niro does an excellent job of directing here. De Niro also paints a very impassioned and sympathetic picture of an Italian father (the role originally played by Palminteri on Broadway) fighting desperately to win his son back from a ruthless, but charming mobster. De Niro is truly the greatest actor of all time. Another standout is Lillo Brancato as De Niro’s confused but basically good son Callogero, torn between the mentoring of criminal Sonny and his dad, Lorenzo. One of the greatest movies of all time. Definitely worth watching and rewatching over and over again. Truly a first class movie all the way!

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan – Director’s Cut Product: Buy Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan – Director’s Cut At Amazon! List Price: —- Amazon Price: $2.99 Click Here To See Amazon Sale Price Add to cart to see low price@ Availability: In Stock Usually ships in 24 Hours Free Shipping Available

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• Amazon Sales Rank: #3178 in Movie
• Released on: 2010-01-22
• Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Running time: 117 minutes

Great movie/DVD; Star Trek 3 Director’s Edition coming soon!
I just bought this DVD…, and the verdict is in: It’s a blast!!!

THE MOVIE: Certanily one of the best Star Trek movies. Although the main plot about revenge is a bit too basic, the sub-plots, including the addition of Kirk’s ex-wife and son, makes the movie better. The action is well paced and the special effects are marevelous. Also, the “expanded director’s edition” featured on this DVD adds about 5 extra minutes to the movie. The added footage does little to help the plot, but does a great deal to flesh out more of the minor characters, such as Kirk’s son and Lt. Saavik. Also, the last 15 minutes of the film (some added dialogue was put in there to have a little bit more emotional impact at the end of the film) made me jump the grade of the film from a “B” to an “A+.”

THE DVD: In addition to having a crisp, clear picture transfer of the film with oustanding sound, the first disc has a nice audio commentary from the director and an even nicer text commentary from Michael Okuda, co-author of the Star Trek Encyclopedia. (That guy knows EVERY SINGLE LITTLE DETAIL THAT OTHER PEOPLE WOULD NOT EVEN KNOW A THING ABOUT that regards to Star Trek.) The second disc contains the following:

1) The Captain’s Log: A 27-minute documentary featuring brand new interviews with Leonard Nimoy, William Shatner, director Nicholas Meyer, Ricardo Montalban, and others. They talk about how they originally intended to put the film together, how they eventually ended up completing that task, and other things.
2) Designing Khan: A 23-minute documentary that features interviews with director Nicholas Meyers, the costume designer, and the production designer. They discuss the transitions they made in costume and production design from the ST:TMP to ST2:TWOK.
3) Visual Effects: An 18-minute featurette that has interviews with the FX crew. They explain how they executed and completed the FX shots. (Big surprise there)
4) The Star Trek Universe: A 28-minute documetary that features interviews with two Star Trek novel writers. They discuss how they fill in the gaps between the movies with their books and where they get their ideas.
5) Original Interviews: Basically 10 minutes of interviews (from 1982) featuring William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Ricardo Montalban, and Deforest Kelley.
6) Archives: The archives feature 10 original storyboard sequences. (That sure beats the storyboard archives on the ST:TMP DVD, which features a mere 3 storyboard sequences.) There is also a thatrical trailer.

So, there you have it. A great movie with a packed DVD equals a great purchase. Buy as soon as possible.

1982; 116 minutes; Rated PG for mild obscenity, some sequences of sc-fi action/violence, and brief shots of the aftermaths of brutal murders.
(I DO think this movie should have been rated PG-13, but the rating didn’t exist then. See and judge for yourself.)…

The royal treatment comes to the most famous TREK film
In the wake of Robert Wise’s “director’s edition” of STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE, it was only a matter of time before Nicholas Meyer’s STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN was awarded the same treatment. Half a year later, KHAN does indeed get the royal treatment with a 2-disc set loaded with extras and fan tidbits galore. The package includes a slightly extended “director’s cut” of KHAN that restores a critical plot point (namely, the young cadet who dies in Scotty’s arms is actually Scotty’s nephew) and a few brief clippings of dialogue (mostly back-and-forth exchanges among the main cast); a commentary by Meyer in which he discusses both the film and his approaches to filmmaking; a text commentary by STAR TREK’s long-time technical point man Michael Okuda that’s packed with more fanboy knowledge than a game of Trivial Pursuit; cast interviews from 1982 (in which Leonard Nimoy wears a pink and white striped suit that makes him look like a pimp); three documentaries covering the making of the film; “A Novel Approach,” a documentary where TREK authors Julia Ecklar and Greg Cox discuss how KHAN’s plot elements spun off into the TREK novels; the film’s FX storyboards; and of course, the theatrical trailer. Let’s look at each of these:

THE DIRECTOR’S CUT OF KHAN – the film makes a bit more sense now that the scenes establishing the doomed cadet as Scotty’s nephew have been restored, and the restored dialogue adds a little extra kick to the proceedings (it’s especially funny to hear Spock respond to Kirk’s telling him about his son with a disinterested “Fascinating”). But the film is still as tightly structured and fast-paced as it’s ever been; the added footage does nothing to slow the film down or to harm the story (although some nit-pickers will make the hilarious claim that the whopping THREE minutes restored to the film “butcher” it and ruin the pace-how can this be when the added three minutes are spread out over the whole film?). Rather, it gives it a bit more punch. As for the look of the film, it’s certainly a lot cleaner and brighter than most other prints, but even with the digital re-mastering, there’s still a lot of visible film grain. Like STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE before it, KHAN looks its age regardless of the print quality. But this is a minor detail. Overall the film looks pretty good.

COMMENTARIES – both interesting and enjoyable. Meyer’s regular guy vibe and insights into the making of the film are engaging, and Okuda’s trivia-heavy text comments are a joy for anyone who thrives on knowing useless fanboy tidbits.

CAST INTERVIEWS – a unusual time capsule in which the film’s leads plug the film. But let’s face it; the coolest thing about this insert is seeing Leonard Nimoy dressed like a pimp. Spock in a pink suit is perhaps the greatest source of laughs you’ll ever find.

DOCUMENTARIES – by far, the coolest of these is “Where No Man Has Gone Before,” which covers the stylish FX work ILM did on the film. The giddiness with which the film’s FX crew recalls their work on the film is enormously contagious. “Designing KHAN,” about the film’s costume and set designs, is pretty good, too. “Captain’s Log,” about the overall making of the film, is uneven though. Where Meyer, producer Harve Bennett, and Ricardo Montalban are discussing what went into the making of the film, William Shatner spends his time being a total wiseacre, either mercilessly razzing his pal Nimoy (“I think the death scene would have been better if we DIDN’T see him thru the glass!” and “Oh, he knew he was coming back, he set me up to think he was leaving…I’ll get him one day!”) or joking about how he used women’s cosmetics to look younger. And Nimoy is no better, cracking wise about how much older Shatner is than he. (For those of you wondering, this is how they act around each other all the time.) The insight/clowning-around mixture simply doesn’t jell. But to be fair, at least Nicholas Meyer is finally acknowledged as the author of KHAN’s shooting script, not Jack Sowards as has been erroneously credited. “A Novel Approach” is interesting, but dry; it bogs down when the authors recite passages from the novels. The moments where they discuss how KHAN formed the backbone of their work and display their fan knowledge are the most enjoyable, even if the supertitles used during the film clips steer too much into jokiness.

STORYBOARDS – mind-blowing. We’re treated to the conceptual sketches of the film’s FX shots (including the combat sequences, which match those in the finished film almost exactly), as well as some terrific concepts for the opening title sequence and the “Spock monologue” finale that really should have been used in the film. Illustrated by the late Mike Minor, these storyboards read like a really good comic book.

THEATRICAL TRAILER – pretty dramatic for a teaser, and it gives a good idea of what the film was going to be.

Despite a couple of rocky patches, the “director’s edition” of STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN is a worthy package to a really good film. Highly recommended.

KHAAAAAAAN! KHAAAAAAAAN!
Considered the best Star Trek film to date. The film is a virtual Horatio Hornblower in outer space. Wrath Of Khan is a gripping adventure reminisent of a 1957 WWII film “The Enemy Below.” Ricardo Montalban is superb at Khan Noonan Singh, genetically modified super madman from the late 20th century. Awoken on a sleeper ship in the 23rd century by Capt Kirk and crew, only to be exiled on unstable planet. Khan seeks revenge on Kirk in the worst way, as he hijacks a Federation starship as well as a device that could literally destroy the galaxy. The best line in the film:

Admiral James T. Kirk: Khan, you bloodsucker! You’re gonna have to do your own dirty work now, do you hear me? Do you? Khan: Kirk! You’re still alive, old friend! Admiral James T. Kirk: Still, “old friend!” You’ve managed to kill everyone else but like a poor marksman, you keep missing the target. Khan: Perhaps I no longer need to try, Admiral. [beams the Genesis device away] Admiral James T. Kirk: Khan… Khan, you’ve got Genesis, but you don’t have me. You were going to kill me, Khan. You’re gonna have to come down here. You’re gonna have to come down here. Khan: I’ve done far worse than kill you, Admiral. I’ve hurt you. And I wish to go on hurting you. I shall leave you as you left me, as you left her: marooned for all eternity in the center of a dead planet, buried alive. Buried alive. Kirk: KHAAANNNN! KHAAANNNN!

Wrath Of Khan also stars Kristie Alley (of Cheers, and Veronica’s Closet). It was Krisitie’s 1st roll on the big screen, playing Lt. Saavik, Spock’s protegee. Great acting by Montalban and terrific over-acting by Shatner. Star Trek II is a tour de force. A must have for the Trekkie and sci-fi collector.

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs Description:

• Amazon Sales Rank: #137 in Movie
• Released on: 2010-02-02
• Running time: 91 minutes

Customer Reviews:

Buyer Beware – not standard Digital Copy
Very good movie, liked it in the theater. I wanted to post this right away, though. Buyer Beware, digital copy works only on PS3 to download to PSP. I’m very disappointed. This is in fine print on the back of the case. Deceptive on Sony’s part. Really reduces value of Blu ray in my book.

Digital Copy Only Works on PSP
First, I loved the movie. My complaint is not with the film but with the so called digital copy that is indicated as included on the cover. The “Digital Copy” included with this blu-ray can only be used on a Sony PSP when installed via a Sony PS3. I often preorder these family movies because I want to have the digital copy for my son to watch on my laptop or iPod. Had I known that this digital copy would not work like every other digital copy I’ve purchased; I would not have paid retail. I will certainly be thinking twice before purchasing another Sony blu-ray with a “Digital Copy.”

Cloudy with a chance of awesome, more like it.
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (Phil Lord and Chris Miller, 2009)

There are some movies where you come out of the theater talking about the camerawork and the acting, discussing plot points, picking things apart, arguing whether it was really the seventy-eighth best movie you’ve ever seen. And there are some movies where you exit the theater and say “Dude. That was AWESOME.” Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs is very much of the latter variety; no matter how silly and/or stupid the final half-hour may be (as the few critics who didn’t like it have pointed out), it’s still a blast.

Flint Lockwood (voice of Bill Hader, recently of Tropic Thunder) is a bumbling inventor who comes up with things that are kind of useful (“The Hair-Unbalder!” is the movie’s first big laugh), but generally stupid. He lives on a small island just off the coast, the entire economy of which is derived from the sardine industry. It collapses, we learn, when the rest of the world realizes that sardines taste horrible. Inspired, Flint turns his attention to devising a machine that can turn water into food (in order to give the islanders some respite from eating three meals a day of sardines). Meanwhile, his father (voice of James Caan) wants him to go into the family business (bait and tackle, naturally), the local cop (voice of, yes, Mr. T) has an eye and a half on Flint thanks to previous experiments, and the Mayor (voice of Bruce Campbell) has staked the island’s meager savings on the construction of an amusement park, which he hopes will begin a tourism industry. A station from the mainland has sent an enthusiastic weather girl (voice of Anna Faris, recently of The House Bunny) to cover the story. Flint’s machine looks promising, but needs more power than he can get at home, so he decides to take it down to the power station on the day of the unveiling. Mishaps occur, the machine ends up shooting into the atmosphere, and just as inventor and weather girl meet, cheeseburgers begin raining from the sky. Oh, yes, there will be tourism.

My favorite thing about Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs is that the obvious social-consciousness implications (without which, of course, one cannot make a kids’ movie these days) aren’t shoved into your face (unlike such recent movies as Cars and Wall-E). Yes, they’re there, but they’re played with the same humor as everything else. More to the point, Lord and Miller, adapting Judi and Ron Barrett’s classic childrens’ book, trust their audience, young as it is. They figure the kiddies will pick up on the “overeating is bad, mmkay?” subtext, and just give it to us in sight gags (none of which feel mean-spirited). Even the “uncommunicative father” stereotype, which normally grates on me so hard, didn’t really bug me here, maybe because Flint’s father is usually seen and not heard; they take the stereotype and make him into an almost silent-film character for most of the film’s length, conveying emotion with facial expressions (which is pretty darned hard when… oh, you’ll see) and body language. They obviously put a lot of thought into this, and a lot of right thought at that. Add in the voice talent (which I’ve barely touched on; you can add Benjamin Bratt, Lauren Graham, Al Roker, Neil Patrick Harris, and a couple of others you’ll recognize in cameos) and some really appealing animation and you’ve got yourself a bang-up kids’ movie. I haven’t seen too many of this year’s offerings in that vein, so I don’t know how it stacks up against, well, Up, but I liked this one very, very much. ****

Empress and the Warriors Description:

• Amazon Sales Rank: #10381 in Movie
• Released on: 2009-07-21
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Running time: 95 minutes

Customer Reviews:

Decent Action…But the Uninspired Script Can’t Match the Best Wuxia Epics!
2008 seems to be the year for Chinese epic dramas. “An Empress and the Warriors” was released before the “Romance of Three Kingdoms” related films by Daniel Lee (Three Kingdoms) and John Woo (Red Cliff). The film is helmed by Tony Ching Siu Tang (Naked Weapon) and if you are familiar with this director’s past works, you’ll know that he is a good action director. However, I do believe the skill of good storytelling eludes him–”An Empress and the Warriors” is pure brainless fun, with decent production values and may well be a good “date” movie.

After the kingdom of Yan is mortally wounded after a battle with the Zhao army, the king chooses to leave command to an orphan, named Muyong Xuehu (Donnie Yen) who is not related to the royal family. This bold decision raises the ire of Hu Ban (Guo Xiao-Dong), the king’s nephew who is ready and willing to lead. Yan Feier (Kelly Chen) is the king’s daughter and was bestowed the sacred “Swallow sword” (I know!) as her father’s dying wish, to give to Muyong. However, when the time came to announce Muyong’s promotion, Hu Ban and Diao Erbao renounces the claim saying that the king should not be one with no royal blood in his veins. To keep the peace and avoid mutiny, Feier seizes power with Muyong’s support–and undergoes military training to prove her worthiness to lead. Hu Ban plots to discredit the princess before she is crowned as the empress, assassination is even an option –a power struggle threatens to weaken the foundations of the Yan Kingdom.

I’m not sure how to begin, the film’s plot is so flimsy and uninspired. It abandons the potentials of a conspiracy during a period when leadership is important in favor of a budding romance between Feier and Duan (played by Leon Lai) which makes rather fun but definitely predictable and boring. The character of Feier does look like a princess but the way she is portrayed by the script is rather silly and lacks credibility. Kelly Chen does look like a beautiful princess, but the kind that would act in a disney movie. The script by James Yuen Sai-sang is also very light, the threat of destruction is overshadowed by romance? I’m not sure, Feier and Muyong kept on referring to her as the “one to unite the country” but just what is this “Yan Kingdom”? All that came to view are buildings and shacks and aside from the ninjas and Duan, no common folk is visible. I do feel that the war backdrop is just meant as a plot device to gain sympathy and to set up the scenes of overdone sentimentality.

While I also disliked its use of the usual histrionics, the film does have some charm. However, unbelievable and stylish Kelly Chen’s training sequences with Donnie Yen, it has somewhat diverting. However, the film abandons this device rather quickly and falls to the usual romantic gimmicks. The romance between Duan and Feier may be nice to the female species but it just kills the film’s overall impact. I thought I was in a dumb teen flick, and while the screenplay has the usual elements of loyalty, sacrifice, duty, compassion and betrayal, it never executed them well enough and opted for a perfunctory romance to add complications to its premise of a “threatened kingdom”. The storyline just wasn’t interesting and lacked inspiration, the film isn’t compelling and interesting.

The acting for the most part is a mixed bag. Kelly Chen is very pretty and charismatic but I had some reservations as to how convincing she was as a strong-willed princess. I would give her the benefit of a doubt since the script is so dry that it gave her so little to work with. Her acting is very cute and charming, her interactions with the tree-dwelling Duan may appeal to the female audience, but it suffers from a lack of consistency that doesn’t fit into the film’s plot. The film does have huge continuity issues and feels undercooked. Donnie Yen will be Donnie Yen–complete with his overacting.

Now as for the action sequences, there are quite a good number of them. Director Tony Ching knows his stuff when shooting action sequences. He uses multiple camera angles and the moves are visually impressive. The ninja-like assassins and the chase sequences were very cool. The assault in the tree-home of Duan is fast-paced and stylish, complete with cool close-ups with attitude. The battle scenes were decent but not in the same caliber as other Chinese epics of this kind. There is some blood as folks are stabbed and impaled in some very sensitive places. The action has a lot of posturing with attitude complete with the wind blowing strands of hair. Donnie Yen is a very showy actor but none can deny that he does have a presence as a martial artist. Yen is complete with bone-crushing machismo as he fights hundreds of Hu Ban’s foot soldiers in the final act. Truly exaggerated and unrealistic appeal for an epic but good enough for an action movie.

So what is the final verdict? Well, the usual stereotypical Hong Kong “cuteness” just would never match the tone and atmosphere of Mainland China’s Epic Wuxia films. You can tell that the film should have a more serious tone and to incorporate a cute romance into its premise just bores the heck out of me. The action choreography does prove diverting and all it all the film is just a practice of a mainstream stylish action flick. The leads are definitely photogenic and the visuals were decent; this film is definitely geared to fans of these performers who would watch anything they appear in. “An Empress and the Warriors” is just another of those stupid commercial flicks that should be watched with VERY low expectations. It is watchable for 90 minutes but definitely a forgettable experience; it just fails in comparison to the best China has to offer.

Rental [2 ½ Stars]

Under-rated
If you’re just looking for an Asian beat-em-up with shallow story and little to no character development, then watch Ong-Bak or something along those lines. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love those action-oriented movies as well. But this is not that. I feel as though most of the negative reviews are coming from people who expected something entirely different out of this movie.

That being said, this was an excellent movie. Not the greatest Chinese epic (I think Hero might be my favorite), but still a rather good one. The point of this type of movie is not to spill blood and guts all over the camera (although that is often a guilty pleasure of the viewer); it is instead to provide some sort of insight into what makes us human through a setting of violent despair. This movie does it well.

After watching the entire movie, I must say the title says it all: “An Empress and the Warriors.” I did not realize the significance going into it, but the movie is really the story of two different groups of people personified by the characters in the story. The plight of the ruler sacrificing for the prosperity of her people is told through the empress. The values of a brave, strong warrior are exemplified by the general, Donnie Yen’s character. The empress learns what it truly means to be responsible for the lives of an entire kingdom. The general gives his life so that he may end the war and bring peace and happiness to his family and nation.

So to tell these two different stories, naturally there had to be quite different subplots. People keep complaining that the love story in the movie took up way too much time, yet how could you have this beautiful work of art without it? The empress was raised to be insensitive to the lives of those outside the palace, and it is only through her newly discovered love that she realizes her true purpose. Every second of the film is critical to the work as a whole.

So if you’re looking for gratuitous amounts of death and destruction, I recommend the Rambo series. Otherwise, keep an open mind and appreciate the movie for what it is. I recommend visiting video sharing sites to perhaps see some clips from the film before buying. That way, you know what movie you’re getting. I usually try to do that before buying.

Decent Action But a Very Uninspired Script
2008 seems to be the year for Chinese epic dramas. “An Empress and the Warriors” was released before the “Romance of Three Kingdoms” related films by Daniel Lee (Three Kingdoms) and John Woo (Red Cliff). The film is helmed by Tony Ching Siu Tang (Naked Weapon) and if you are familiar with this director’s past works, you’ll know that he is a good action director. However, I do believe the skill of good storytelling eludes him–”An Empress and the Warriors” is pure brainless fun, with decent production values and may well be a good “date” movie.

After the kingdom of Yan is mortally wounded after a battle with the Zhao army, the king chooses to leave command to an orphan, named Muyong Xuehu (Donnie Yen) who is not related to the royal family. This bold decision raises the ire of Hu Ban (Guo Xiao-Dong), the king’s nephew who is ready and willing to lead. Yan Feier (Kelly Chen) is the king’s daughter and was bestowed the sacred “Swallow sword” (I know!) as her father’s dying wish, to give to Muyong. However, when the time came to announce Muyong’s promotion, Hu Ban and Diao Erbao renounces the claim saying that the king should not be one with no royal blood in his veins. To keep the peace and avoid mutiny, Feier seizes power with Muyong’s support–and undergoes military training to prove her worthiness to lead. Hu Ban plots to discredit the princess before she is crowned as the empress, assassination is even an option –a power struggle threatens to weaken the foundations of the Yan Kingdom.

I’m not sure how to begin, the film’s plot is so flimsy and uninspired. It abandons the potentials of a conspiracy during a period when leadership is important in favor of a budding romance between Feier and Duan (played by Leon Lai) which makes rather fun but definitely predictable and boring. The character of Feier does look like a princess but the way she is portrayed by the script is rather silly and lacks credibility. Kelly Chen does look like a beautiful princess, but the kind that would act in a disney movie. The script by James Yuen Sai-sang is also very light, the threat of destruction is overshadowed by romance? I’m not sure, Feier and Muyong kept on referring to her as the “one to unite the country” but just what is this “Yan Kingdom”? All that came to view are buildings and shacks and aside from the ninjas and Duan, no common folk is visible. I do feel that the war backdrop is just meant as a plot device to gain sympathy and to set up the scenes of overdone sentimentality.

While I also disliked its use of the usual histrionics, the film does have some charm. However, unbelievable and stylish Kelly Chen’s training sequences with Donnie Yen, it has somewhat diverting. However, the film abandons this device rather quickly and falls to the usual romantic gimmicks. The romance between Duan and Feier may be nice to the female species but it just kills the film’s overall impact. I thought I was in a dumb teen flick, and while the screenplay has the usual elements of loyalty, sacrifice, duty, compassion and betrayal, it never executed them well enough and opted for a perfunctory romance to add complications to its premise of a “threatened kingdom”. The storyline just wasn’t interesting and lacked inspiration, the film isn’t compelling and interesting.

The acting for the most part is a mixed bag. Kelly Chen is very pretty and charismatic but I had some reservations as to how convincing she was as a strong-willed princess. I would give her the benefit of a doubt since the script is so dry that it gave her so little to work with. Her acting is very cute and charming, her interactions with the tree-dwelling Duan may appeal to the female audience, but it suffers from a lack of consistency that doesn’t fit into the film’s plot. The film does have huge continuity issues and feels undercooked. Donnie Yen will be Donnie Yen–complete with his overacting.

Now as for the action sequences, there are quite a good number of them. Director Tony Ching knows his stuff when shooting action sequences. He uses multiple camera angles and the moves are visually impressive. The ninja-like assassins and the chase sequences were very cool. The assault in the tree-home of Duan is fast-paced and stylish, complete with cool close-ups with attitude. The battle scenes were decent but not in the same caliber as other Chinese epics of this kind. There is some blood as folks are stabbed and impaled in some very sensitive places. The action has a lot of posturing with attitude complete with the wind blowing strands of hair. Donnie Yen is a very showy actor but none can deny that he does have a presence as a martial artist. Yen is complete with bone-crushing machismo as he fights hundreds of Hu Ban’s foot soldiers in the final act. Truly exaggerated and unrealistic appeal for an epic but good enough for an action movie.

So what is the final verdict? Well, the usual Hong Kong “cuteness” would never fit into mainland China’s epic Wuxia films. You can tell that the film should have a serious tone and to incorporate a cute romance into its premise just bores the heck out of me. The action choreography does prove diverting and all it all the film is just a practice of a mainstream stylish action flick. The leads are definitely photogenic and the visuals were decent; this film is definitely geared to fans of these performers who would watch anything they appear in. “An Empress and the Warriors” is just another of those stupid commercial flicks that should be watched with VERY low expectations. It is watchable for 90 minutes but definitely a forgettable experience.

Rental [2 ½ Stars]