Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience

The Jonas Brothers head to the big screen in a high-energy Walt Disney Pictures rockumentary feature film event from director Bruce Hendricks (“Hanna Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert”). The film blends excerpts from the Brothers’ red-hot “Burning Up” concert tour, including guest performances from Demi Lovato and Taylor Swift, with exclusive behind-the-scenes footage, off-the-wall segments, a never-before-heard song (“Love Is On Its Way”), swarming fans and lots of JB-style humor—giving fans never-before-seen insights into the lives of KEVIN, JOE and NICK. Jonas Brothers: A 3D Concert Experience has been digitally re-mastered into the unparalleled image and sound quality of The IMAX Experience®.

Welcome to Random Roles, wherein we ask actors for memories about roles that defined their careers. The catch: They don't know beforehand what roles w

The movie business is in the midst of a phenomenal roll, with the astounding box-office success of "Friday the 13th" helping Hollywood to its biggest three-day Presidents Day weekend of all time. But it was another lackluster weekend for the other movies that are supposed to be in the spotlight at this time of year--the Oscar best picture nominees. In fact, the whispers you hear everywhere around town are asking the same hushed question: What happened to the fabled Oscar bounce?

The Academy Awards' best picture nominees were announced Jan. 22, an event quickly commemorated by a blitzkrieg of expensive full-page ads in the trades, the New York Times and my newspaper, designed to use the cachet of a best picture nomination to nudge reluctant moviegoers into the theaters. But at the time when the rest of the movie business is booming, the best picture nominees--with the obvious exception of the crowd-pleasing "Slumdog Millionaire--are doing a slow fade. Only one of the five best picture nominees, "The Reader," has made more of its overall box-office take after it earned a best picture nod.

It's no surprise that "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" made the vast majority of its money before the Oscar nominations, since it was always viewed as a mainstream commercial picture, featuring a big Hollywood star, Brad Pitt, and an A-list director, David Fincher. Still, considering how much extra money Paramount has spent pushing "Button" for a best picture win, it's hard to determine whether the Oscars have made any real difference at all for the film, which grossed $104.3 million before the nominations, only $17.9 million after. Even though "Slumdog" has won virtually every major award known to man, it's still made more money ($44.7 million) pre-nominations than after ($41.8 million). Even "Milk," a film that seemed entirely dependent on a lift from the Oscars, actually had its biggest grossing weekend way back in early December, when it did $2.6 million, a weekend figure it hasn't equaled since.

Here's one perspective on how little the best picture nominations have meant this year. Even without a best picture nod, "Doubt" has outgrossed three of the five best picture nominees, while "Defiance" and "Vicky Cristina Barcelona," which barely registered with Oscar voters--earning one major nomination between them--have outgrossed both "The Reader" and "Frost/Nixon." The latter film is the most striking commercial failure of the season. Losing more theaters each week, "Frost/Nixon" only made a paltry $473,000 this weekend, giving it a total of $16.3 million after 11 weeks in the market, nearly 60% of its overall grosses coming before the Oscar nominations were announced.

What's going on here? Keep reading:

One big factor in the evaporation of the Oscar bounce has less to do with the Oscars and more to do with the commercial marketplace. January and early February used to be a dumping ground for mainstream movies, full of dregs and dreck that the studios wanted to dump into the theaters and get off their books. But in the first six weeks of this year, the theaters have been full of box-office dynamos. Most observers believe that moviegoing has been spurred by all the depressing economic news, but if so, moviegoers have clearly preferred escapist fare to Oscar pictures, which have found themselves on the margins, for the most part losing theaters every week to higher-performing pictures.

Even the upscale moviegoers who would've normally sought out "Frost/Nixon" or "Milk" have simply had too many other appealing movies to choose from. In fact, the box-office tsunami of January and early February has exposed the huge chasm between "Big Audience" films (horror, comedy and upbeat romances) and "Small Audience" films ("Frost/Nixon," "Milk" and "The Reader" all being essentially historical dramas of one sort or another). There is still a narrow niche of adults--mostly critics and movie lovers like me--who love challenging or evocative stories set during extraordinary periods of history. But in an age of economic tribulation, those films are clearly unable to provide the cozy escapism that today's audiences crave. Let's face it, there's nothing reassuring about films whose leading characters are murdered, kill themselves or slink away in disgrace.

"Slumdog" is really the only movie that you could convincingly argue has been aided by award season, though it's also benefited from Fox Searchlight's shrewd, brightly colored, cheerfully upbeat ad campaign. Every time it scooped up another armful of awards, it looked less like a forbidding movie set in the grim slums of a faraway country and more like an exotic confection that promises uplift and redemption. But it's a sign of how little the best picture nominations have meant this year that the movie that needed them perhaps the most of all--"Frost/Nixon"--simply got no bump at all.

Universal knew it had a challenge on its hands. Even though it earned largely favorable reviews, the film was essentially an obscure media fable, featuring two characters--Richard Nixon and David Frost--who are hardly beloved or even resonant names, one a disgraced former president, the other (for audiences under 40) a largely forgotten talk-show host. "Everyone knew going in that, even in the best-case scenario, this was going to be a substantial challenge," Universal marketing chief Adam Fogelson told me the other day. "Our hope was that if we could possibly do really well with the Golden Globes, the Oscars and BAFTA [the British film awards], that it would give us enough momentum to really reach a bigger audience. And of course, every one of those things happened--except for the momentum part."

"Frost/Nixon" started out with a bang, earning the biggest opening-weekend platform release of the year when it arrived in early December. But Universal was clearly discouraged by the film's second-weekend performance. "In those same original platform theaters, we saw drops that were north of 30 and 40%, which was far bigger than we had expected," says Fogelson. "What it told us was that the people who loved the film came out on opening weekend, but they weren't able to convince many of their friends to go see it. I think people were interested in the story, but they didn't feel the need to see it in a theater."

Fogelson says it's "entirely fair" for people to second-guess the studio's rollout strategy. "But I can't imagine anything that we did--going faster, wider, earlier, later--really making more than a 15 or 20% difference in the overall theatrical outcome," he says. "The film simply hasn't gotten any traction."

I still want to see movies like "Frost/Nixon" get made. But I think Hollywood needs to take a long look at its obsession with Oscardom, since it seems increasingly clear that the awards no longer deliver the guaranteed marketing bounce that smaller films need to find an audience. As I've said before, the Oscars have turned into a demolition derby. Burdened with the enormous costs of running an Oscar campaign, there are simply too many serious, adult-oriented films all being released at the same time of the year, only because of the intoxicating allure of a golden statuette.

It's time for filmmakers to grasp the new reality: The Oscars have become a hollow brass ring. They may be the ultimate status symbol to everyone inside the industry, but outside--in the real world, where Oscar ratings have been steadily dropping--the awards have less and less impact. In the 1970s, during the glory days of Hollywood, filmmakers like Francis Ford Coppola, William Friedkin, Hal Ashby, Martin Scorsese and Robert Altman were making movies because they were dying to tell great stories. I'm sure they were just as eager to win an Oscar as anyone, but it wasn't the initial spark that fueled their ambition. Their goal was to connect with an audience. And the best way to do that is to offer a spellbinding vision that captures our imagination, not relying on the Oscars, whose bounce these days is as ephemeral as the jolt you get from a double espresso and a jelly doughnut.

Photo of the Oscar statuette by Albert Watson / AMPAS

Tim Matheson

Welcome to Random Roles, wherein we ask actors for memories about roles that defined their careers. The catch: They don't know beforehand what roles we'll ask them to talk about.

The actor: Tim Matheson, who began his career in the ‘60s as a teenager in sitcoms, cartoons, and TV melodramas, then blossomed as a comic actor in the late ‘70s, thanks to his central role in National Lampoon’s Animal House. Matheson has worked steadily as a film and TV actor for five decades now, and has also branched out into directing, helming such action-driven shows as Burn Notice and NUMB3RS. Matheson’s latest film as a director (and actor) is Behind Enemy Lines: Colombia, the third movie in the series.

Behind Enemy Lines: Colombia (2009)—“Dodd”

Tim Matheson: My character is sprinkled through this, but I actually shot the entire part in two days.

The A.V. Club: As a director, you’ve been drawn to more action-oriented projects, which seems strange, given your background.

TM: I just love genre. Action is one of the genres. Comedy-action is something I like to do too. Burn Notice is kind of comedy-action. I love horror films. And I like chick flicks! [Laughs.] I like to approach the different genres of moviemaking and explore them. And you get a little better the more you do them, so that’s probably why I’ve focused mostly on action and comedy over the last couple of years.

Leave It To Beaver (1962-63)—“Mike Harmon”

TM: I was so star-struck, meeting Jerry Mathers. He invited me to his house for a party after I did like three episodes over the course of a season, and I remember thinking, “This is it, man. This is the Hollywood life! I’m an actor and I’m going to Jerry’s party. This is how it begins!” I was 13 or 14, and I thought this was the beginning of something. And I kept thinking that with all those first jobs, “This is the beginning of something!” And then nothing would happen. That’s the real Hollywood. [Laughs.]

AVC: Were you already living in California when you got into the business?

TM: I was born and raised in L.A. My father was born and raised in L.A. So we’re old hands here.

AVC: Was acting something you wanted to pursue, or did your parents push you to get into it?

TM: I always wanted to be an actor. I was one of those lucky kids—or cursed kids—who always knew what he wanted to do. My wife too. She’s a ballet dancer, and she’s known what she wanted to do since she was 5. My mother used to tell this story about how our TV set had been taken to be repaired, and back then, they took the set out of the console. So there was this empty console with an empty TV screen in it, and I would climb inside and be like, “I’m on TV!”

Jonny Quest (1964-65)—“Jonny Quest”

TM: That was one of the most fun things I ever did, and I gotta tell you, I worked with some of the best actors I’ve ever worked with: Mel Blanc and Don Messick. They could play a scene against themselves. Think of the characters that Mel created, and they’re as good or better than any performance anyone has ever given. I mean: Daffy Duck! Think of the specific voice Mel gave Daffy Duck or Bugs Bunny or Porky Pig… It’s just astonishing. When I did Jonny Quest, I was in that gawky stage between kid and adult. I wasn’t working much. So I focused on studying, and I really learned what it means to be an actor. And here I was on Jonny Quest,working with all these great people from back in the golden age of Hollywood, who came up doing radio. These were journeymen, working actors. It made me proud, and gave me some insight into what acting was really about if you weren’t a star. Though you know, they used to send a car for Mel and Don every day. Don lived up here in Santa Barbara. They would drive him down and he would go from studio to studio and job to job all day long. Then the limo would drive him home at night, because he was such a valuable commodity. Mel was equally as talented or even better. It was a great education.

AVC: You’ve done a fair amount of voice work over the years. Is there a different kind of craft involved when it comes to acting with your voice? Do you prepare in a different way?

TM: It’s a little… bigger. It’s interesting. There is something about the vocal quality of the actors who can really do it. Jim Burrows, the great sitcom director who directed Will & Grace and Cheers, when an actor comes in to audition for him, he never looks at them. He just listens. Because funny is funny. You can be fooled by the eye, but if your performance is funny to the ear, it will be funny. I think it’s that if you don’t have the visual, you have to infuse the full personality into the voice. Again, think of Daffy Duck. I mean, what the heck? I was playing around with the Daffy Duck voice today when I was coming back from driving my kid to school. Where did Mel come up with that? What are those things? It boggles the mind.

The Quest (1976)—“Quinton Beaudine”

TM: I learned a hell of a lot from my co-star, Kurt Russell. He’s one of my closest friends and was one of my best teachers. He was the pro. He approached it like a baseball player. Acting is a contact sport to him. He’s one of the most optimistic, fun, wiseacre type of guys I’ve ever have run into. You can’t be pompous around him. I used to take acting so seriously, but after we did the Quest pilot and the show sold, Kurt said, “You know, you work too hard. You’ll make yourself sick. You can’t work that hard doing a series, because it goes on so long. It’s like a baseball season. You’ve got 162 games. You can’t just go all-out the first week or two. You can’t maintain that pace.” And it’s true. Then he said another brilliant thing. He had starred in umpteen movies by that point. And he said, “Generally speaking, in every film I’ve done, there are only about three or four scenes that I can really do something with. For the rest of it, it’s not so much that you don’t have to prepare, but there’s not much you can really do. You just do what is asked of you in those scenes. You don’t want to do too much.” He’s so smart. It was a great insight. You don’t hear technical stuff like that taught in acting school. It’s the kind of sage wisdom coming from a guy who was 25 at the time, but already had 20 years of experience. He’s a wonderful actor and a great guy. The Quest was a treat.

Animal House (1978)—“Eric ‘Otter’ Stratton”

TM: That wasn’t too long after The Quest. I was just dying to get out of the constraints of television, and the constraints of the parts I’d been playing. I had taken a bunch of improv classes and was performing with The Groundlings. I wanted to get into more adult, risky stuff. I had read the Animal House script, and by hook and crook, I finally got an audition. I’d been turned down by them a couple of times, and offered a lesser role as one of the asshole Omegas. I said, “No way.” Then I finally got the audition, and it was a great one. John Landis followed me out into the hallway afterward and said, “I’ve never done this before, but you’ve got the job. Now don’t tell anyone!” [Laughs.] I’ve never had a director do that. It was one of those Hollywood-dream-come-true stories. They saw me as a surfer or cowboy, not a preppie, but someone begged and borrowed me an audition, and I went in and got it. And it was one of those dream jobs where the cast came together and you looked around and were like, “Wow, this is great.”

AVC: So you knew right away this wasn’t going to be just another teen sexploitation comedy?

TM: Yeah, because it was so singular. John Belushi infused it with this spirit of guerilla filmmaking. Landis came from that world too, and all the National Lampoon writers were from that world. It was just chaos on film. Controlled chaos, though. We stayed very close to the script. It was a very formal kind of movie, if you look at it. Formally photographed and structured, with certain elements of improv. It was the best thing John Landis ever did. It was a brilliant script.

AVC: You mentioned the visual style. You’ve since become a director yourself, but were you paying attention back then to how scenes were constructed visually?

TM: Always, because I grew up on a set. The guys I hung around with were crew guys: the camera department, the prop guys. I was like the third kid through the door when I was a kid actor on Leave It To Beaver. I was always one of five guys who would have a couple lines. I was a journeymen actor in my first career, so I was appreciative of the journeymen on the set. I hung with them and got to know the jobs. That makes it easier for me now as a director, because I know everybody’s job, and I know how to do it. I can smell bullshit when someone’s telling me it can’t be done, because I’ve seen it done a hundred thousand times. [Laughs.] I’ve always noticed what camera we were shooting with, what kind of film we were using. Animal House was the first time I had seen HMI lights, which is standard now. They’re very cool lights. You put one or two in a room and bounce it off a board, and that’s lit. I thought, “What kind of bullshit is this? What is this movie about? They’re walking through this one!” [Laughs.]

AVC: What’s the advantage of the cool lights?

TM: Speed. It was the new technology at the time. I’d been working on more traditional movie sets and TV shows at Universal. All of a sudden, here we’re on location, and it’s down and dirty and quick. It was the way the new commercial world was shooting; the way the indie world was shooting. These were lighter, faster cameras. It was a generational change.

Against the Dark

Product Description

Katana master Tao (Steven Seagal) leads a special ops squad of ex-military vigilantes on a massacre mission, their target: vampires. On the post apocalyptic globe, sucked dry by bloodthirsty vampires, a few remaining survivors are trapped in an infected hospital. Tao is their only hope and he knows the only cure is execution. Now it's time for the last stand against the flesh-eating vampires and there's nothing left to lose but the last of humanity.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2932 in DVD
• Released on: 2009-02-10
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Formats: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, French
• Dubbed in: French
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 94 minutes

Customer Reviews

He lives by the sword. You will be bored by it.
As if he was a rather large and sweaty product on the Generation Game, The Fat Lord returns on his own personal conveyor belt of mediocrity with this new direct to video stinker. Anyone still reeling from the sheer lunacy of his last effort ''Kill Switch'' (which to be fair I actually enjoyed in a ''what the hell?'' kind of way) will come down to earth with a fast, large thud as Seagal's latest is nothing more than an overly long dull pseudo horror flick which barely has any running time with our favorite pony tailed video master.

The story has the world (well, Bulgaria or some other non american location) engulfed by a plague which has turned us humans into low rent extras from '28 Days Later'. The rest of humanity are huddled into small groups attempting survival and escaping the marauding vampire/zombie combo. Into the fray, comes our leather jacketed hero, brandishing a sword which would normally take 3 blokes to carry and ''swooshing'' everything in sight. The Fat Lord's acting style consists of two levels of expression: Silent grimace as if he was stuck on the toilet or a quick piff paff puff - he's swooshed his sword again. Then, back to grimace.

Anyway, I digress. Back to the story. Our hero The Fat Lord leads a team of hunters who travel with him across the scorched landscape taking out the undead and trying to help the remaining survivors and bring them to safety. Across another part of the city, a team of survivors have banded together in a disused hospital where they attempt to make their way out and survive the night, dodging being attacked by the undead and trying to emote any form of emotion out of a one note script which asks nothing more of them except to look attractive whilst screaming or run away from a stunt man covered in blood with large rubber fangs. To be fair to the cast, they all do try to make the best of their roles (lead Jenna Harrison is really good in her role and you do at points want to follow her character), its just that the script is so 'been there, done that' and very sneakily for us fans - The Fat Lord is hardly in the movie! I counted his sporadic running time only adding up to a total 10 minutes - the rest of the movie is split between the human survivors caught in the hospital and a pointless military base sequence with a bored Linden Ashby and a pay cheque cashing Keith David squabbling over who to bomb first. (Note to the film makers; you missed a trick. You should have had the Fat Lord 'swooshing' the bomb away with his sword. Might have made a rather amusing ending. Just a thought).

All in all, another direct to video dud which will surely disappoint his legion of fans. Granted, The Lord is hardly in this one so I guess we can't fully blame him again - but, he did produce the thing and those damn distributor's trade off his name stating he is indeed the star whereas in reality, it's merely an extended cameo. So, to sum up: The cast are quite good for this kind of thing, the script is pedestrian and Richard Crudo's direction is slick but obviously hampered by a dollar ninety five budget and another dull, uninspired location.

Obviously, if you are a fan - you will have no choice but to watch The Lord's latest epic, but for casual viewers drawn in by the horror/action style scenario depicted on the cover (looking like a 'Blade' for the middle aged, if you will) then maybe its wise if you approach with caution. Or, just rent 'Out for Justice'. Again.

Soul Men

Product Description

Though it's been some twenty years since they have spoken with one another, two estranged soul-singing legends agree to participate in a reunion performance at the Apollo Theater to honor their recently deceased band leader.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #357 in DVD
• Released on: 2009-02-10
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Formats: Color, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, Spanish
• Number of discs: 1

Customer Reviews

Charismatic Leads Bring A Lot to The Movie
"Soul Men," a 2008 release, is a musical comedy road picture, with a template of sadness behind it. It stars more frequent action hero, Samuel L. Jackson, and the late Bernie Mac. It was written by Robert Ramsey and Matthew Stone, and directed by Malcolm Lee, noted American filmmaker Spike Lee's kid brother. Jackson plays Louis Hinds; Mac, Floyd Henderson. Together, they were once "The Real Deal," popular soul singers, and released a single record album. But it's been decades since they were together. Then the death of the supposedly legendary Marcus Hooks (John Legend), once their lead singer, gives them a very good reason to reunite: there's to be a memorial concert at New York's famous Apollo Theater, at which they've been invited to sing. It might just jump start their fallow singing careers.

So, quick as you can say Jackie Robinson, it becomes a road picture, as the quarreling ex-colleagues jump into a Cadillac in California, with four days to reach New York. There is lots of grumbling and fighting, and, be warned if it bothers you, a great deal of obscene language: with m-----f----- in almost every scene. Along the road, they will bump up against Rosalee, played by Rita Coolidge, in a distasteful sexist interlude that I could have done without. Also Cleo (Sharon Leal, Dreamgirls (Widescreen Edition), who is supposedly the daughter of one of the leads; they're initially not sure which; Lester (Affion Crockett), Cleo's none too bright, abusive boyfriend; Danny Epstein (Sean Hayes), their new manager, and Philip, (Adam Herschman) Epstein's gofer. Towards the end of the picture we meet the late great funk/soul musician Isaac Hayes, playing himself.

Hayes is very visibly ill and weak - he is used to do little more than walk across the screen. And I wish the producers had spent more money on the actors playing Philip (Herschman) and Cleo (Leal): they appear in many scenes, and granted, Leal is certainly pretty enough and sings very well; but they don't bring much to the screen.

However, the charismatic leads do bring a lot to their parts. Their coming timing is spot-on; Jackson's a good straight man, yet he can both pitch and throw. The singing is fine, and the movie boasts a nice sound track of 1970's funk/soul hits. All in all, it's an enjoyable film. And, while it is the last film appearance of Mac and Hayes, I can recommend it as worth seeing for more than curiosity. Nevertheless, at film's post script, as the final credits roll, the interviews with Mac and Hayes are likely to bring tears to your eyes: they did to mine.

" It aint over till its over"
Before I start this review you might hear hypocrites complaining about obsessive cursing in this movie while fawning over a Quentin Tarantino flick. Dont complain about cursing here if you wont complain about it elsewhere. At any rate, Soul Men is a moderately funny movie with some heart.

The story chronicles Lewis Hinds(Samuel L. Jackson) and Floyd Henderson(Bernie Mac)two members of the group "Real Deal". Floyd pays a visit to Lewis after the death of a soul singer legend Marcus Hooks(played by John Legend) to perform at an event at the Apollo because they believe they can get paid. Lewis is still bitter with Floyd about an incident involving his former wife. They reluctantly team up and go performing state to state before they reach the Apollo.

I wont say that I always laughed but there are plenty of times where I laughed especially with the interaction between Bernie Mac's character and Samuel Jackson's character. Cleo's bumbling, abusive boyfriend Lester(Affion Crockett) had some funny moments too. Both Floyd and Lewis's misadventures are humorous also. There are times when i laughed and times where I smiled. Lewis's interaction with Cleo(played by the attractive Sharon Leal who somewhat resembles Kerry Washington) was sweet. The songs Lewis and Floyd sung were cool and they seem to have a ball performing them and not phoning in their performances(like some entertainers tend to do). Its a shame that Bernie Mac passed before the release of this film. He would have been proud of the final product because the movie was pretty good.

REST IN PEACE BERNIE MAC, ISAAC HAYES and RUDY RAY MOORE!!!

Back to the Future

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2528 in DVD
• Released on: 2009-02-10
• Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Formats: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Special Edition, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, French, Spanish
• Dubbed in: French
• Number of discs: 2
• Running time: 117 minutes

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Dr. Emmett Brown: Then tell me, "future boy," who is president in the United States in 1985?
Marty McFly: Ronald Reagan.
Dr. Brown: Ronald Reagan? The actor?! Who's vice president? Jerry Lewis?

Filmmaker Robert Zemeckis topped his breakaway hit Romancing the Stone with this joyous comedy with a dazzling hook: what would it be like to meet your parents in their youth? Billed as a special-effects comedy, the imaginative film (the top box-office smash of 1985) has staying power because of the heart behind Zemeckis and Bob Gale's script. High schooler Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox, during the height of his TV success) is catapulted back to the '50s where he sees his parents in their teens, and accidentally changes the history of how Mom and Dad met. Filled with the humorous ideology of the '50s, filtered through the knowledge of the '80s (actor Ronald Reagan is president, ha!), the film comes off as a Twilight Zone episode written by Preston Sturges. Filled with memorable effects and two wonderfully off-key, perfectly cast performances: Christopher Lloyd as the crazy scientist who builds the time machine (a DeLorean luxury car) and Crispin Glover as Marty's geeky dad. Followed by two sequels. --Doug Thomas

Customer Reviews

Where is this on Blu Ray?
These are great films, but I'm not spending a dime on another DVD release. These need to be re-mastered and available on Blu Ray.

Get the whole DVD set from Amazon.co.uk if u have a region free player. they have all the extra features on that one too 1 price
Amazon.co.uk has an (ultimate edition) Back to the future trilogy set that has way more features than these 3 sets combined without paying for all three dvds seperate. also the coverart is awesome. You have to have a region free dvd player to play it on though or it will not work on anything except united kingdom but it is well worth buying a region free dvd player for future movies like this. it is going for around 25.00 to 30.00 at the moment which is well worth it only if you live in the US you have to pay shipping buying from amazon.co.uk and it takes awhile longer but for the more extra features listed, I believe its worth it. Plus you dont have to worry about 3 dvd boxes. they are displayed nicely in one dvd case. 4 discs.

The greatest fantasy film OF ALL TIME.
BTTF is the greatest fantasy film of all time and now is released in an upgraded dvd with new features which is a must buy for us the BTTF fanatic fans. How i wish for a new BTTF trilogy can not be described with words...(If only marty was not sick...damn...).

Nights in Rodanthe

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #10 in DVD
• Released on: 2009-02-10
• Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Formats: Color, Full Screen, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English, French, Spanish
• Subtitled in: English, French, Spanish
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 97 minutes

Customer Reviews

Ridiculous Sap!
Diane Lane and Richard Gere are a gem together. Beautiful to watch. Amazing scenery and locations. The plot is just syrup, sugary, unbelievable ridiculous and ludicrous drama, but you get over it because of the two stars and great back drop.

sentimental tacky crap
i barely sat through this movie. the only reason i didn't leave was because i was dragged by two friends. halfway through the movie, the three of us were laughing out loud at parts that were supposed to be so 'deep'

how miraculous they stay in a beach-house at the edge of the ocean during a nasty hurricane.....his car isnt even destroyed. and did anyone else see that 'horses' part at the end coming a mile away.

gag....what a crap movie

Tear Jerker Romantic Film
This is a real tear-jerker. The acting is fantastic and the emotions seem very real. The story line is well-considered, but it is definitely not the typical love story. The best way to describe this film is that it just feels real. You could imagine the characters being pulled off the screen and placed in the "real world" without any problem. I would definitely recommend Nights in Rodanthe to those who like a good love story with plenty of drama.

My Name Is Bruce

Product Description

Something evil is stirring in the small mining town of Gold Lick, and it's not happy. Guan-di, the Chinese protector of the dead with a strange affinity for bean curd, has been awakened by reckless teenagers, and now his bloody crusade to wipe out the town's entire population can only be stopped by one man - Bruce Campbell (the guy who starred in all three Evil Dead movies and Bubba Ho-tep), B-move star and deadbeat ex-husband extraordinaire, who's recruited to be their unwitting savior. Thinking the whole scenario's a publicity prank, Bruce is distracted from his mission by a hot mom and fan boys aplenty-- but when our hero has to face off against a dark force more fearsome than a Hollywood agent, the laughs and screams start flying!

Includes Collectible 24-page MY NAME IS BRUCE comic book inside

Special Features:
-Feature-length commentary with director/actor Bruce Campbell and producer Mike Richardson
-Documentary: Heart of Dorkness The Making of My Name is Bruce
-Featurettes: Bruce On..., Beyond Inside the Cave: The Making of CaveAlien 2, Kif s Korner, Awkward Moments with Kif, Love Birds, Hard Truth News from Hollywood The Real Bruce Campbell
-CaveAlien 2 Trailer, My Name is Bruce Trailer
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Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark

Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
Movie Information

Main Cast:
Harrison Ford
Karen Allen
Paul Freeman
Ronald Lacey
Wolf Kahler

Director:
Steven Spielberg

About the movie:

Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) is an action-adventure movie released in 1981 starring Harrison Ford. It is the first among the Indiana Jones movie series and its about a renowned archaeologist named Indiana Jones that oftens plunges into adventure to discover rare artifacts.


In this first chapter of the action-packed movie series, Indiana Jones go across the world to locate the ancient Ark of the Covenant - said to have remains of the sacred biblical item which is the Ten Commandments. However, the Nazis are also planning to hunt for the Ark of Covenant and to use it as a weapon because they believe that it carries an extremely powerful energy. Indiana Jones and his former girlfriend Marion set aboard to find the lost ark. But the mission is not that easy for them as they get involved in a series of chases and fights, and they must escape the bunch of the evil Nazis, to recover the precious artifact that could put the world in danger.

The Raiders of the Lost Ark is an adventure-filled movie with stunning special effects and a non-stop action stunts. A movie that is an epitome of real entertainment - one of the best action movies that you'll love to watch over and over again.

Hard Boiled Movie

Main Cast:
Chow Yun-Fat
Tony Leung Chiu Wai

Director:
John Woo


About the movie:

Hard Boiled, also known as Lashou Shentan in Chinese version, is an action movie directed by internationally and critically acclaimed Chinese film director John Woo. The movie was released in 1992 which stars Chow Yun-Fat and Tony Leung Chiu Wai.


The film is about Inspector "Tequila", a tough police from Hong Kong who lost his partner after a deadly encounter with a ruthless group of gun smugglers. Tequila continues his investigation on gun smuggling. He soon gets himself into more trouble by trying to arrest the right hand man of Hoi, the leader of the notorious gang in Hong Kong. He didn't know that Tony is actually an undercover cop (Tony Leung) trying to have some information about the group's activities.


Hard Boiled excels in action because of its intensity. Director John Woo uses his slow-motion trademark in gun-battle scenes, impressive action stunts and choreography and a good character development as the movie progresses.

Action Crime

Main Cast:
Uma Thurman
David Carradine
Daryl Hannah
Michael Madsen
Lucy Liu
Vivica A. Fox
Michael Parks

Director:
Quentin Tarantino


About the movie:


Kill Bill is released in two separate volumes (Kill Bill Vol. 1 in 2003 and Kill Bill Vol. 2 in 2004). The plot is adapted from a Japanese action film Lady Snowblood (1973).

It is a revenge-themed action movie about the deadliest slayer of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad (DVAS) known as "The Bride" (played by Uma Thurman). When The Bride decided to quit the group to get married because she's pregnant, Bill (their boss) and her former colleagues ruined the entire wedding ceremony and killed everyone in there including her. The Bride survived that tragic event and was in a coma for several years. As the Bride awakens from her long 'sleep', her mind is set-up to take revenge on those who betrayed her - to kill the members DVAS and Bill.

The film consist of breathtaking violent scenes with a touch of different action movie genres or elements - kung fu fighting, spaghetti westerns and samurai battle.

Quentin Tarantino just got out of the action movie standards by creating an unusual form of film that grabbed the attention of the action movie fanatics. It's a bloody and violent movie but the style, the stunts and the over-all package are truly remarkable.

Movie Informatio

Main Cast:
Mel Gibson
Michael Preston
Bruce Spence
Vernon Wells
Kjell Nilsson
Virginia Hey
Emil Minty

Director:
George Miller


About the movie:

Mad Max 2 (1981; also known as The Road Warrior), is a follow-up movie of Miller's sci-fi action movie Mad Max (1979). It's a post-apocalyptic action movie that eventually became a cult classic.

This is the continuation of Max's adventure and the summary of the events happened on the first movie that shed light on the political situation of the world - that a war has occurred. It features Max's life after the he loss his wife and son. This sequel is more intense than the predeccessor and the world's standing become worse. The highlight of this film is the pulse-pounding and breath-taking car chases, probably one of the greatest movies involving cars.

The movie has a stunning action sequences without a single ounce of computer graphics that is equally impressive by today's standards in action movies. It's a follow up movie that's even more exciting and intense than the first one and really a must-see for action buffs.

die hard movies

Considered as one of the best action movies ever made, and the prototype of a modern action film, Die Hard set a new standard for the genre. Die Hard is about John McClane of NYPD and his mission against crime and terrorists.


Die Hard movie (stars Bruce Willis) has four series: Die hard 1 (1988), Die Hard 2: Die Harder (1990), Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995), and the recent Live Free or Die Hard (2007).


All of the series is about John McClane and the difficult situations faced by a crime fighter. His action adventure starts from fighting the German terrorists in a high rise office building, to protecting the travelers in a major international airport invaded by a rebellious group of military commandos, then solving dangerous puzzle to save New York City from the hands of a revenging German terrorist he knocked down before, and the recent one where he had a battle with a group of internet hackers whose intention is to take down all the computer and technological structures (traffic control system, etc.) that supports the economy of the United States.


Every aspect in the movie is remarkable...the story, the acting, the direction, the production and of course, the impressive action scenes and pyrotechnics. Over-all it's really the best action movie.


The lead character- John McClane is one of the most distinguished action hero in Hollywood movies. Why? Because he fights without shoes, socks, or a regular shirt, armed only with a Beretta 92F pistol, and he is famous for this tagline: "Yippee-Ki-Yay Mo****Fu****".



MOVIE CRITIC REVIEW:

"The best action movie ever. You'll have a hard job finding a better one."

Gary Panton
Movie Gazette



"It's a perfect action movie in every detail..."

Christopher Null
filmcritic.com

Lethal Weapon Movie

Main Cast:
Mel Gibson
Danny Glover

Lethal Weapon Series:
Lethal Weapon 1 - 1993
Lethal Weapon 2 -(1989)
Lethal Weapon 3 -(1992)
Lethal Weapon 4 -(1998)

Director:
Richard Donner (all 4 Lethal Weapon series)


About the movie:
Lethal Weapon is a series of action movies about a quarrelling team-up of two of Los Angeles Cops played by Mel Gibson (as Martin Riggs) and Danny Glover (as Roger Murtaugh).


The movie is about the incompatibility of two cops and how they manage their team-up as crime fighter and as buddies. Martin Riggs is the rebel type with suicidal tendencies since he lost his wife from a car accident. On the Other hand, Roger Murtaugh is a family guy, a homebody and a conservative 50 year old man. In spite of being mellow, Murtaugh could be as tough as Riggs when it comes to catching criminals. They worked together to investigate the death of Riggs' wife but unintentionally unmasked a huge drug-smuggling operation run by the Shadow Company, a group of Vietnam War veterans lead by a retired General Peter McAllister.


The elements of an action movie could be seen here - chase scenes, bomb explosions, weapons, hostages, violence, heroes and villains. These are the common things that we always see on an action movie. But what sets out this movie from the others? Well, its the chemistry between Mel Gibson and Danny Glover that makes this movie more exciting and appealing than the action scenes.



MOVIE CRITIC REVIEW:

"A vivid, visceral reminder of just how exciting an action film can be."

Richard Harrington
Washington Post

Bourne Movie Series

Main Cast:
Matt Damon
Julia Stiles
Franka Potente

Director:
Doug Liman - Bourne Identity (2002)
Paul Greengrass - Bourne Supremacy (2004), Bourne Ultimatum (2007)


About the movie:

The Bourne trilogy is entirely about Bourne and how he deals with his memory loss and being hunted without knowing why.

One of the best action movie series, the Bourne trilogy is based on the #1 best selling novel by Robert Ludlum. The main character here is Jason Bourne, an amnesiac assassin who is being chased by his former employers.

Bourne movies have been an amazing and action-packed trilogy of thrillers featuring the same characters and plot. One of Matt Damon's best work of his career in this action movie.


Bourne Identity and Bourne Supremacy paced the action and drives the tension of the scenes. A non-stop action movie from beginning to end.


Movie Synopsis:

The Bourne Identity (2002)

Jason Bourne is found nearly dead and was rescued at the sea by an Italian fishing boat crew. Jason finds himself carrying a Swiss bank account but could no longer remember what happened to him.

He discovers useful information about him in a safe deposit box from Zurich.He realized that his name was Jason Bourne and he lives in Paris. He also found a hidden pile of his different passports, automatic weapon and a huge pile of cash.

It became a mystery for him that his life is in danger and unaware that he possesses extraordinary fighting abilities, linguistics and self-defense.

Then he meets Marie Kreutz in U.s. Embassy and offered her $10,000 for a ride to Paris. Marie takes the cash and went with Jason to find clues about his identity and past life and why his life is in danger, not knowing that it'll change her life forever.

Jason Bourne is clueless that he is in the middle of two assassination plots masterminded by the CIA.



The Bourne Supremacy (2004)

Two years ago since Jason Bourne was saved, he then now moved in Goa, India with his girlfriend Marie Kreutz. Jason is still haunted by his past, having bad dreams and disturbing me

Terminator Movie

Main Cast:
>The Terminator
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Michael Biehn
Linda Hamilton
Paul Winfield

>Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Linda Hamilton
Edward Furlong
Robert Patrick

>Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Nick Stahl
Claire Danes
Kristanna Loken


Director:
James Cameron - The Terminator, Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Jonathan Mostow - Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines


About the movie:

The Terminator, released in 1984, is a science fiction/ action movie about a seemingly indestructible cyborg assassin that was sent from the future for a deadly mission. The Terminator's task is to kill Sarah Conor and his unborn son because it will play a significant role in the future against the machines.


James Cameron, an Academy Award winning director and producer had created the concept of the terminator characters. Sequels of The Terminator are Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) and Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003) which stars Arnold Schwarzenegger.

It's hard to believe that the first Terminator movie has a low production cost but the quality of the movie and all its elements are well made.


The Terminator movie series were all set in a future where machines are having war against man for the desire to dominate the human race. Having the robots as one of the main characters in this movie series, made this film captivating. There is a science fiction element on each movie and the technology helped the cyborg characters to look authentic. The design of the cyborgs seem very realistic and convincing. The special effects and action sequences of the Terminator movies stands out. The theme is presented well, having the human qualities in each film, projecting what's more important than anything else.


The Terminator series are those that can be considered as classic movies...movies that never grow old. Simply one of the best action movies ever made.



MOVIE CRITIC REVIEW:

"...a science fiction action movie that astounded fans of the genre."

anonymous
TV Guide

True Lies Movie

Main Cast:
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Jamie Lee Curtis
Tom Arnold
Bill Paxton
Art Malik
Tia Carrere

Director:
James Cameron


About the movie:

True Lies is one of Arnold Schwarzenegger's best action movie, was released in 1994 and a remake of a French movie LA Totale. The casts also include Jamie Lee Curtis, Bill Paxton, Tia Carrere, Tom Arnold, Charlton Heston and Art Malik. True Lies was written and directed by James Cameron .


The movie is about Harry Tasker (played by Schwarzenegger), known as an ordinary computer salesman by his family, but he's actually the United States' top secret agent. Harry's wife began to seek for some adventure in her life dating another man because she thinks that he's dull and boring. He then found out that Helen (Jamie Lee Curtis) is having an affair with a car salesman and seduced her by a lie that he is a spy. So Harry sends his colleagues to kidnap them, but they are actually the ones that were accidentally kidnapped by a group of Arab terrorists. By this event, Helen founds out that Harry is a secret agent by night, and he need to do his job against the terrorists that posseses an atomic bomb planted in Florida.


The most exciting part of the movie is when Harry tries to track down the bomb of the terrorists. While the escape scene on the bridge that connects Florida to the mainland is one of the best shot and the thrilling part in the movie.


True Lies contain the elements of action, comedy and political thriller rolled into one pleasing entertainment movie. It's an old-fashioned yet high tech action movie with fresh ideas to deliver the excitement for the breath-taking scenes.


It has a great action stunts that was often executed by Schwarzenegger and Curtis themselves and it has an expensive special effects having a production cost of approximately $120 million in this action movie.

RoboCop Movie

Main Cast:
Peter Weller
Nancy Allen
Dan O'Herlihy
Ronny Cox
Kurtwood Smith
Miguel Ferrer

Director:
Paul Verhoeven

About the movie:

RoboCop is a 1987 action movie about a cyborg police officer created to control the Motor City known as Detroit that has been ruled by criminals and a gang of cop killers. It is both an action and science fiction movie that features advanced science and cybernetics.

The movie stars Peter Weller as RoboCop, Nancy Allen, Dan O'Herlihy, Ronny Cox, Kurtwood Smith, and Miguel Ferrer. RoboCop movie was directed by a Dutch Film director Paul Verhoeven.


Robocop movie is about a good police officer that was brought back to life after being killed by feared gang leader in Detroit. The Omni Consumer Products (OCP) that runs Detroit Police Department, offers a new solution against the well-armed criminals in the city by building an almost inexterminable ED 209 robot combining the body of Murphy with the high tech gadgets and weaponry to dispatch the city criminals. The scientists rewires Murphy's brains with computer chips for communication control and self-organization system that blocks up his memories. However, his former partner, Officer Lewis recognized RoboCop's body that started to reveal his true identity.


RoboCop movie has a well-written plot and action-packed, a very fitting entertainment for the action movie aficionados.


It also entertaining that there's a heart breaking scene in this movie where RoboCop visits his former house without the chance of getting back what he had left before.


This may be the first high-profile movie directed by Verhoeven but it was directed well with a sense of smooth style and appeal that made RoboCop a great action movie. By the movie's good remarks, it is considered as one of the best movie of its genre and it was followed by movie sequels and RoboCop TV series.

Total Recall Movie

Main Cast:
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Rachel Ticotin
Sharon Stone
Michael Ironside
Ronny Cox

Director:
Paul Verhoeven


About the movie:

Total Recall is a major box office movie that stars Arnold Schwarzenegger. This is a science fiction action movie based on the story “We Can Remember It for You Wholesale” written by Philip Dick. The movie was released on 1990 and it won a Special Achievement Academy Award for its quality visual effects. At the time of its production, Total Recall movie had the biggest authorized budget produced by Hollywood studio.

This action movie's casts are Sharon Stone, Rachel Ticotin, Michael Ironside and Ronny Cox and is directed by Paul Verhoeven.


Arnold Schwarzenegger is Douglas Quaid in the movie. He is a construction worker that is being haunted by nightmares of the planet Mars. He longs for an adventure cause he's bored with what he regularly do. One day he heard about Rekall Inc., a company that is selling and implanting false memories and he purchased a vacation to Mars as a spy. Then the procedure goes terribly wrong that Doug lost some parts of his memory and he's into another personality surface believing that he's name is Hauser and he's a former Mars Intelligence Agent and he is being chased by a group of assassins. He also battles with mutants, aliens, and alien machines from Mars and he met Melina that told him about his identity as an agent. Quaid's wife didn't believe him; and he is also confused if everything that's happening to him is real or just a dream.

Total Recall is a fascinating action movie with a few twists and unpredictable plot. A movie full of action and violence, it is highly recommended for the action movie fanatics.

Predator Movie

Main Cast:
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Elpidia Carrillo
Bill Duke
Kevin Peter Hall
Jesse Ventura
Carl Weathers

Director:
John McTiernan


About the movie:

Predator is a combination of the elements of action, science fiction and horror. It was directed by John McTiernan and starring Arnold Schwarzenegger , Carl Weathers, Elpidia Carrillo, Bill Duke, Jesse Ventura and Kevin Peter Hall. It was released in 1987 by 20th Century Fox.

The Predator is an alien humanoid creature that is fond of hunting and is capable of interstellar travelling and has a multiple visions and armoured by a light-bending suit with advance weapons. It descended on Earth, specifically in Central America, to hunt for humans. However, the US Army Special Forces unit led by Major Dutch Schaefer (Arnold Schwarzenegger) is also on the same location to rescue a cabinet minister in the hands of a rebel group. But the members of the military unit is beginning to disappear and they still don't have the idea that another enemy is attacking them - the Predator. Until they finally encounter the extraterrestrial creature and found out that it is powerful enough that their weapons are no match with this alien assassin.

This action-packed movie maintains a feeling of fear and tension all throughout with gun-fighting, explosions and hair-raising sight of the Predator.

After the success of the Predator movie (and the character as well), having a gross revenue of $60,000,000 in United States, sequels of this movie have been made. These are Predator 2 (1990) and Alien vs. Predator (2004).

free movies transpormer

The Transformers was introduced by Hasbro, an American toy and game company, and became a popular figure in 1984. Kids and the young-at-hearts are very much hooked on it since it has a variety of robot design that transforms into various vehicles. It gained much popularity when the Transformers Generation 1 animated TV series was released on the same year.


As time passed by, the Transformers transformed from a collection of action figures to cartoons, then started to be featured in comics and video games. It's a dream for those who loved these robots unconditionally (specifically the Autobots) to see these popular characters in full screen. When it was announced that the Transformers will be featured in a full-length live action movie (2007), it is expected that the Transformers fanatics will increase its numbers- as the most awaited and expected to be one of the best action movies sets-off the cinemas world-wide.


The live action movie Transformers is directed by Michael Bay (who is known more for intense action sequences) and produced by equally popular producer Steven Spielberg. The movie stars Shia LaBeouf as Sam Witwicky, who has the data that locate Allspark, an important object being the center of the war between the heroic Autobots and the evil Decepticons. Other casts of the movie are Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson, Jon Voight, John Turturro, and Hugo Weaving(voice of Megatron) and Peter Cullen (voice of Optimus Prime).


As for the other action movies, there's always a battle between good and evil. Aside from the clash between the Autobots (Optimus Prime as the head robot) against the evil Decepticons (Megatron as their leader), Transformers movie has a combination of a light comedy and action in the movie that made it more appealing to the audience. Autobots are interacting with the cast in the movie and it's like for real (CGI or Computer-generated imagery is probably the secret of designing those robots). The fight scenes between the Autobots and Decepticons is the highlight of this action-packed movie and everybody is astounded by what they see on screen. The battle between the Autobots and Decepticons will leave viewers drained but cheering.


Transformers is an action film, but surprisingly has a touching and uplifting elements. The movie isn't just about the robots, it's also about being brave to save the humanity against the dark forces. That may be the reasons why I consider it as one of the best action movies of all time.

MOVIE CRITIC REVIEW:

"There is so much action packed into every second of Transformers that by the time it's over, you may be tempted to go outside and give the box office another 10 bucks."

Elizabeth Weitzman
New York Daily News


"Transformers has some of the best action sequences you'll see all summer."

Desson Thomson
Washington Post

free movies Braveheart Movie Information

Main Cast:

Mel Gibson
Sophie Marceau
Catherine McCormack
Patrick McGoohan
Angus Macfadyen
Brendan Gleeson

Director:
Mel Gibson


About the movie:


Braveheart (released in 1995) is an epic action movie which was produced, directed and starred by Mel Gibson. This movie was awarded as Best Picture and Best Director in the Academy Awards (1995). Some of the casts include Catherine McCormack(as William Wallace's wife), Patrick McGoohan(as Edward the Longshanks), Sophie Marceau (as Princess Isabelle), Angus Macfadyen (as Robert the Bruce), and Peter Hanly (Prince Edward). The film was based on the life of legendary Scottish hero William Wallace. Gibson played the role of William Wallace, who have been recognized when he came to the forefront of the First War of Scottish Independence by opposing Edward the Longshanks, King of England .

The conflict between Wallace and Longshanks ignited when William's wife suffered and died from the cruel hands of the village Sheriff. It became the signal for his rebellion. With his fierce patriotism and determination, his fellow townsmen stand with him and built an army with a reason to have a change in their government and for territorial freedom.


William's troop were outnumbered and not as skilled as the English troops, but their determination to fight for their rights and the love for their land surpass the trials that they had encountered.


The breathtaking battle sequences is one of the most memorable scenes in this action movie - having a lot of "extras" in the set with great action choreography and an expensive production cost.



MOVIE CRITIC REVIEW:

"An explosive action movie...one of the most spectacular entertainments in years"

Caryn James
New York Times



"There's no denying `Braveheart'is an eyeful. The battle scenes are staged with enough dramatic sweep to make De Mille envious. They have a gritty bite that helps keep `Braveheart' big and boldly handsome."

Peter Stack
San Francisco Chronicle

free movies action

Main Cast:
Tom Hanks
Edward Burns
Tom Sizemore
Barry Pepper
Adam Goldberg
Giovanni Ribisi
Matt Damon
Vin Diesel

Director:
Steven Spielberg


About the movie:

This action movies could be also categorized in several genres such as war epic and war drama. The movie was released in 1998 and directed by one of the Most Accomplished Director, Steven Spielberg. The movie's main casts are Tom Hanks (as Capt. John Miller), Matt Damon (as Private First Class John Francis Ryan), Tom Sizemore (as Tech. Sgt. Michael Horvath), Edward Burns (as PFC Richard Reiben), Jeremy Davies (Timothy Upham), Vin Diesel (PFC Adrian Caparzo), Adam Goldberg (Private Stanley Mellish), Barry Pepper (Private Daniel Jackson) and Giovanni Ribisi (as Irwin Wade).

Saving Private Ryan's central story is about finding the lost paratrooper in a war held at the Omaha Beach (the codename used for principal landing points in Normandy, France that was invaded by the Allied forces during the World War II ) whose brothers were all killed in separate war actions (the two in Omaha Beach and one in New Guinea). The search for Private Ryan is a rescue mission ordered by a veteran Captain Commander John H. Miller of the 2nd Ranger Battalion to return Ryan immediately to his downhearted mother.


The first 30 minutes of this action movie is astonishing as it reveals a graphic view of an extreme war - noise of tanks, aircrafts, canon fire, bombs, machine guns, bullets, soldiers, corpses, mud and blood. It's a great opening sequence with a realistic and well-executed combat scenes.


The movie portrays the sacrificial service of the brave soldiers risking their lives to save and defend one another, and the survival depends on doing the very best that they could do - better than taking chances...


MOVIE CRITIC REVIEW:

"Steven Spielberg's best war film -- and one of the two or three best movies the director has made."

Elizabeth Weitzman
New York Daily News