Coraline on DVD

Loved it ... even though the original story is darker and scarier. Rent it! ... I'm gonna have to flip to side B and try it in 3D.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Though it does not portray the entire book (and there's no way it ever could), it does capture the emotional intensity of the story ... their world has been turned upside down and the war is brewing ... get ready!

The Hurt Locker

This is the best action film I'll see this summer! You must see this film after reading this!

Landmark Theatres: "The Hurt Locker is a riveting, suspenseful portrait of the courage under fire of the military’s unrecognized heroes: the technicians of a bomb squad who volunteer to challenge the odds and save lives doing one of the world’s most dangerous jobs. Three members of the Army’s elite Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) squad battle insurgents and one another as they search for and disarm a wave of roadside bombs on the streets of Baghdad—in order to try and make the city a safer place for Iraqis and Americans alike. Their mission is clear—protect and save—but it’s anything but easy, as the margin of error when defusing a war-zone bomb is zero. This thrilling and heart-pounding look at the psychology of bomb technicians and the effects of risk and danger on the human psyche is a fictional tale inspired by real events by journalist and screenwriter Mark Boal, who was embedded with a special bomb unit in Iraq. In Iraq, it is soldier vernacular to speak of explosions as sending you to “the hurt locker.” Acclaimed director Kathryn Bigelow brings together groundbreaking realistic action and intimate human drama in a landmark film starring Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie and Brian Geraghty, with cameo appearances by Ralph Fiennes, David Morse, Evangeline Lilly and Guy Pearce." Official Web Site

A letter from The Hurt Locker director, Kathryn Bigelow

Greetings Film Club members –

Often times, after a movie opens, folks will come up to me and ask a question or two, wanting to know how I managed this or that shot, or why I chose this or that approach to the film as a whole. But usually, they get around to what’s really on their minds, and they say something like, “What’s the most challenging part of the job of being a director?” They want to know about the tough stuff, the hard stuff.

We’re all like that, I guess.

We’re all interested in challenge.

The truth is, once you’ve decided on the material—and that’s the first tough call—all the rest of directing, from the camera work, to creating a visual grammar for the film, to post-production, fall into place on their own, at least for me.

But there’s a big if.

If…you survive the one fork in the road that you absolutely cannot back track on.

And that’s casting. Pick the wrong actor and it doesn’t matter how dazzling your camera work is, or how great the movie sounds, you’ll still end up toast.

For The Hurt Locker, I was lucky enough to work with a brilliant screenwriter, Mark Boal, whose direct, vivid writing about the inner life of men in the bomb squad had the ring of truth and honesty that can only come from first-hand observation. Mark is also a journalist, and he’d been in Baghdad with the Army, and seen with his own eyes the intense bravery and fear these men live with on a daily basis. In William James, he’d created an extremely complex fictional character rife with vivid paradoxes—both a thrill-seeking cowboy and a calm professional, at once a hero and a man adrift in his own isolation.

My problem? Finding an actor with shoes big enough to fill such a nuanced role. I needed a young Sean Penn or a young Russel Crowe. I needed, in other words, a miracle.

I looked and looked for quite some time and then happened to see a small independent movie called Dahmer, in which this terrific actor named Jeremy Renner gave an incredibly nuanced performance, eliciting compassion and revulsion in almost equal measure. It was an arresting display of major talent, and from that moment forward I was determined to work with him. I cast Jeremy as James.

Some folks involved in the financing of the movie were a bit concerned by the choice because Jeremy wasn’t (yet) a household name. They felt they’d have to work extra long hours to bring this bright new star to the public’s attention. But to be perfectly honest, I wasn’t all that worried. Though I still had to go and actually film the movie—and spend six months in the Jordan heat and sand—the hardest part of my job was done.

– Kathryn Bigelow, director

The International on DVD

Jacket: "Interpol agent Louis Salinger (Clive Owen) is determined to expose an arms dealing ring responsible for facilitating acts of terrorism around the globe. But as his investigation leads Salinger and his partner, Manhattan District Attorney Eleanor Whitman (Naomi Watts), deeper into the secret world of greed, corruption and murder, they become targets of a deadly conspiracy so vast, they soon find the only people left to trust ... are each other."

Tried as I hard as I might, I couldn't get into this. The dialogue is sometimes fantastic, but the story is choppy and the country hopping a little distracting.

Defiance on DVD

Jacket: "Daniel Craig stars as Tuvia Bielski, an ordinary citizen turned hero, in this action-packed epic of family, honor, vengeance and salvation. Defiance is a riveting adventure that showcases the extraordinary true story of the Bielski brothers, simple farmers - outnumbered and outgunned - who turned a group of war refugees into powerful freedom fighters. Tuvia, along with his unyieldig brother, Zus, (Liev Schreiber), motivate hundreds of civilians to join their ranks against the Nazi regime."


I was interesting in learning about this untold story further after watching this.

Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man by Steve Harvey

Jacket: "Steve Harvey, the host of the nationally syndicated Steve Harvey Morning Show, can't count the number of impressive women he's met over the years, whether it's through the "Strawberry Letters" segment of his program or while on tour for his comedy shows. These are women who can run a small business, keep a household with three kids in tiptop shape, and chair a church group all at the same time. Yet when it comes to relationships, they can't figure out what makes men tick. Why? According to Steve it's because they're asking other women for advice when no one but another man can tell them how to find and keep a man. In Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man, Steve lets women inside the mindset of a man and sheds lights on concepts and questions such as:

—The Ninety Day Rule: Ford requires it of its employees. Should you require it of your man?

—How to spot a mama's boy and what if anything you can do about it.

—When to introduce the kids. And what to read into the first interaction between your date and your kids.

—The five questions every woman should ask a man to determine how serious he is.

— And more...

Sometimes funny, sometimes direct, but always truthful, Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man is a book you must read if you want to understand how men think when it comes to relationships."

This is funny AND insightful. Every woman should read this at least once. And for the sportsfish, read again and again.

The Sky Crawlers (2008) on DVD

Anime News Network: "Kannami Yuichi is a "Kildren", a fighter pilot recently sent to Urisu Base to replace a previous one who had died in battle. Like the numerous genetically-engineered pilots before him, he does not age, only to live his life fighting and eventually dying in battle. Rostock and Lautern, 2 different companies have been engaged in a brutal war that has no beginning or end, rather the battles they create serve to "entertain" the peacetime people. Yuichi befriends the base commander, Kusanagi Suito, a woman who endures a long dark past. As their relationship grows, Yuichi learns the bittersweet moments of life, and the inescapable fate he has been placed in.errorsource

The story unfolds in another 'possible' modern age. The main characters are youngsters called "Kildren", who are destined to live eternally in their adolescence. The Kildren are conscious that every day could be the last, because they fight a "war as entertainment" organized and operated by adults. But as they embrace the reality they are faced with, they live their day-to-day lives to the full."

This was visually stunning to watch, but I got a little lost in the storyline.

Taken on DVD

Jacket: "Liam Neeson is an unstoppable force (Premiere) in this action-packed international thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. When his estranged teenage daughter is kidnapped in Paris, a former spy (Neeson) sets out to find her at any cost. Relying on his special skills, he tracks down the ruthless gang that abducted her and launches a one-man war to bring them to justice and rescue his daughter."

Although part predictable, part unrealistic, it was still thrilling to watch. Neeson still kicks ass!

Star Trek (2009)

This ain't my momma's Star Trek! While a purist trekkie at heart, I appreciate this new & fresh take on the franchise. It was a fun film to watch and made me regret having a SoBe during the show. I wasn't leaving until the very end!

Eden Log

Jacket: "A man wakes up deep inside a cave. Suffering amnesia, he has no recollection of how he came to be there, or of what happened to the man whose body he finds beside him. Tailed by a mysterious creature, this forgotten man embarks upon a journey through this strange and fantastic world, desperately struggling to find his way to the surface."

A must-see for the sci-fi buffs, just for curiosity's sake. This is a French take (read into that what you will) on the sci-fi, apocalyptic genre. The storyline is choppy, CGI is okay, but this type of film has been done so many times before. It's like Resident Evil meets an alternate Book of Genesis. We all return to the earth.

Bloody Disgusting:

"EDEN LOG is visually stunning, it's a bleak trip into a world that both mesmerizing and terrifying"

Twitchfilm.net:

"A dark, philosophical spin on the Garden of Eden"

The Wrestler on DVD

IMDb: "A faded professional wrestler must retire, but finds his quest for a new life outside the ring a dispiriting struggle."

Wow, this is a must-see. Gotta love the low-budget film which focuses on the STORY! I can't picture anyone else but Mickey Rourke playing Randy the Ram.

Notorious on DVD

Jacket: "Chronicling the extraordinary life of Christopher "Notorious B.I.G." Wallace, Notorious follows the young rapper (also known as Biggie Smalls) from the tough streets of Brooklyn to the heights of superstardom as he juggles the increasing demands of fatherhood, marriage and a music career. Amid the chaos and controversy, Biggie's remarkable talent and fierce determination help to solidify his legacy as one of hip-hop's greatest MCs."

Rent this! This was surprisingly good. It documents the best hip-hop music of the mid-90s and rise & fall of a very talented rapper.There'll never be another Biggie.