Blunt Review

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(More customer reviews)I second the other reviewer. This is a very good movie about a very dark time in British intellingence. The acting is top notch and the story is dead on. The biggest critisism is that this version on DVD is VERY POOR. It is a bargain bin quicky that was thrown on a DVD to exploit the popularity, at the time, of Anthony Hopkins who had hit it big as Hannibal Lechtor. I will seek out a quality copy because I really find the story fascinating. That said, if you are looking for James Bond or some kind of comic book spy movie you will be disappointed. This is the real deal, with real people in a true story. John LeCarre' fans will enjoy.

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Abandoned (2010) Review

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(More customer reviews)When a celebrity passes away it seems we focus on the good that the person did while on Earth and not the bad. A noble thought and one that should be so, but when the case in point is an actor, we then have to deal with the work they left behind, the final films that were yet to be released. Such is the case with ABANDONED and actress Brittany Murphy who was found dead last year. Already completed, the film has just been released on DVD with little or no promotion. Perhaps that's for the best as the film offers nothing new to the thriller genre and a performance that seems phoned in rather than well done by the late Ms. Murphy.
Murphy stars as Mary, a young bank executive on the way to the hospital with her new boyfriend Kevin (Dean Cain) who is due for orthopedic surgery. The hospital is in the process of closing and moving to a new location, but this outpatient surgery shouldn't take more than an hour or so. At least that's what the nurse who takes Kevin's forms tells Mary as she heads to the lounge to wait.
While waiting she meets a nice older man named Cooper (Tim Thomerson) and they talk about his wife and her chemo as well as the hospital. He gives her a few words of reassurance and moves on. After a few hours, Mary heads upstairs concerned that she hasn't had word on Kevin. To her surprise, the nurses on that floor inform her that there according to the computers Kevin is not a patient in the hospital.
After doing a search of the facility on her own while observed by security, Mary is directed to the head of the hospital Mrs. Markham (Mimi Rogers) who gets security to run the tapes of the cameras throughout the hospital for Mary. The only inkling of Kevin walking in is a shoulder shot that could or could not be him. When a police detective named Franklin (Jay Pickett) is called on the scene, they find that Mary is on anti-depressants and suddenly we're left to wonder if perhaps Kevin was imaginary or not.
Taken to be interviewed by the hospital psychiatrist on staff, Dr. Bensley (Peter Bogdanovich), he diagnoses her as mental and in need of observation. But Mary is certain that she's not losing her mind. She knows that Kevin is real. But if so, who is behind his disappearance and why? Is the entire staff of the hospital involved in some major conspiracy or is Mary just not quite all there?
Yes, this sort of story has been done before and better to boot. Rather than offer effective pacing that holds your interest, this movie crawls along at a snails pace and never offers the clues needed to make it an effective mystery. Instead it tries to build up the idea that Mary could be mad, but never does so convincingly or with enough support to make the viewer think that that is the case. We've seen this before, we know she can't be!
Murphy offers little to make this movie believable as well. Her performance seems one note, as if she were walking through it in a daze. The character would have come off better had she not seemed so out of it from the first scene until the last. And her appearance seems more like that of a groupie on the strip than a banking executive, making her even more unbelievable.
I would talk about Dean Cain here but why bother? He seems like a nice, likeable guy but this movie won't do much to raise his star level above direct to video titles. Rogers, a talented actress, is wasted here with nothing more than a few lines. Thomerson (who I think has always been much better than the roles he's been given) does a solid job here but again, the movie itself waste everyone's time and effort.
The film is dedicated at the end to Ms. Murphy. One would do better to revisit the other films she made like CLUELESS or SIN CITY than to remember her for this film.


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Mary Walsh delivers boyfriend Kevin to a hospital for routine outpatient surgery. But when Mary returns to take him home, he's mysteriously vanished. An administrator can find no record of him, and a police search turns up nothing. Increasingly frantic, Mary's taken to staff psychiatrist Dr. Bensley, who pronounces her unstable. Now she must not only find her missing boyfriend, but prove her own sanity as well. When a stranger informs her he knows Kevin's whereabouts and demands a $10 billion ransom, she has one hour to comply and her boyfriend's life hangs in the balance. Forced to embezzle the money from the bank where she works, Mary soon discovers the shocking truth behind the disappearance. Now time is running out and she must take matters into her own hands to save herself.

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Thriller: The Complete Series (1962) Review

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(More customer reviews)I am THRILLED that THRILLER is being released on August 31, 2010 this summer! Image Entertainment has put the entire series, which is two seasons, on 14 discs in this dvd set. All 67 one hour long chilling and some really frightening episodes will be seen in the original fantastic black and white film in all it's scary shadows and creepiness.
Thriller was originally shown on Tuesday nights in it's first 1960-1961 season on NBC from 9:00 to 10:00 p.m.. Because of parents complaints that the show was too scary for school age children, making them unable to sleep on a school night, NBC moved the show in it's second 1961 to 1962 season to Monday nights at a later time from 10:00 to 11:00 p.m.. The show began with it's host, the great Boris Karloff preparing it's audience for the great horrors and terrors that you were about to see and hear. Boris Karloff not only hosted the one hour long show, but starred in several episodes as well, adding his wonderfully brilliant performances to these extremely well written horror stories. The black and white film is perfect for the super eerie atmosphere of the scary stories and it really does add to the visual terror.
Stephen King calls Thriller the best horror series ever put on television. I call Thriller the only television series that gave me horrendous and terrifying, unable to sleep, nightmares as a child and I don't mean a few of the shows, but most of them! Most of the episodes feature the most disturbing stories of the macabre, twisted murders, terror and a few crime based episodes. The crime based episodes, though very excellent, full of twists and suspense, are not my favorites, as they are not as scary as the supernatural and macabre ones.
Image Entertainment said they have digitally restored the original black and white film and used Dolby digital sound on the recording. I remember getting goose bumps hearing the creepiest sounds and screams in some of the episodes, as if the film wasn't creepy enough with things hiding in every shadow and close ups of glaring dead eyes! In it's first season, Thriller was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Achievement In The Field Of Music For Television. It wasn't just the sounds and screams that were terrifying, but also the music! The next season, American Cinema Editors nominated Thriller for Best Edited Television Program, for the episode, A Third For Pinochle.
Thriller featured many well known actors and actresses in their episodes, some being: Boris Karloff, Leslie Nielson, silent film star Mary Astor, Rip Torn, Richard Chamberlain, Cloris Leachman, Ellen Corby, Victor Buono, Mary Tyler Moore, Jack Carson, Warren Oates, Werner Klemperer, Mort Saul, William Shatner, Donna Douglas, Susan Oliver, Ronald Howard, Robert Vaughn, Marlo Thomas, Jeanette Nolan, Tommy Nolan, Edward Andrews, Marion Ross, Brandon DeWilde, Natalie Schafer, Alejandro Rey, John Carradine, Tom Posten, Elizabeth Montgomery, Estelle Winwood, JoAnn Fleet, Bruce Dern, Richard Long, Ursula Andress, Denver Pyle, Sue Ann Langdon, Dick York, Reta Shaw, William Windom and George Kennedy.
I have to give a HUGE THANK YOU TO IMAGE ENTERTAINMENT for putting the time and effort into digitally restoring and releasing the greatest horror television series of all time! They are also including bonus materials of Audio Commentaries, Episodes Promos, Series Promos and Still Galleries. I am so looking forward to getting goose bumps and being terrified all over again with those dreaded nightmares that kept me and all my school friends awake all night and hiding deep under our covers, so afraid of the dark! This being my second time around to see these terrifying Thrillers, I have learned to never watch the supernatural or macabre episodes alone. If I have no choice and have to watch them alone, I will make sure to keep a light on, and most importantly, I'll make sure that there are no reflecting windows, glass or mirrors visible when watching THE HUNGRY GLASS! Even after 50 years, I can still remember the terrified photographer and his wife when they decided to ignore everyone telling them not to move into the haunted seaside house, but moved in anyway to live with the terrors reflected within!
Here Are All 67 Macabre, Horrifying And Terror Filled Episodes:
SEASON 1:
(09-13-1960) THE TWISTED IMAGE- Psycopath mail clerk.(Leslie Nielson)
(09-20-1960) CHILD'S PLAY- Deadly imagination.
(09-27-1960) WORSE THAN MURDER- Strange diary.
(10-04-1960) THE MARK OF THE HAND- Child with a gun.
(10-11-1960) ROSE'S LAST SUMMER- Old movie actress.(Mary Astor)
(10-18-1960) THE GUILTY MEN- Crime boss wants out.
(10-25-1960) THE PURPLE ROOM- Haunted mansion.(Rip Torn)
(11-01-1960) THE WATCHER- Psychotic killer.(Richard Chamberlain)
(11-15-1960) GIRL WITH A SECRET- Spys.(Cloris Leachman, Ellen Corby and Victor Buono)
(11-22-1960) THE PREDICTION- Magician's predictions.(Boris Karloff)
(11-29-1960) THE FATAL IMPULSE- Bomb planted in purse.(Mary Tyler Moore)
(12-06-1960) THE BIG BLACKOUT- Lost memory of murder.(Jack Carson)
(12-13-1960) KNOCK THREE-ONE-TWO- Arranged murder.(Warren Oates)
(12-20-1960) MAN IN THE MIDDLE- Overhearing murder plan.(Werner Klemperer and Mort Sahl)
(12-27-1960) THE CHEATERS- Strange Eyeglasses.
(01-03-1961) THE HUNGRY GLASS- Haunted seaside home.(William Shatner and Donna Douglas)
(01-10-1961) THE POISONER- Easy money by killing.
(01-17-1961) MAN IN THE CAGE- Intrigue in Morocco.
(01-24-1961) CHOOSE A VICTIM- Beach bum fall guy.(Susan Oliver)
(02-07-1961) HAY-FORK AND BILL-HOOK- Witchcraft.
(02-14-1961) THE MERRIWEATHER FILE- Murder mystery.
(02-21-1961) THE FINGERS OF FEAR- Child murderer.
(02-28-1961) WELL OF DOOM- Sorcerer.(Ronald Howard)
(03-07-1961) THE ORDEAL OF DR. CORDELL- Murderous rage.(Robert Vaughn and Marlo Thomas)
(03-14-1961) TRIO FOR TERROR- Occult; Odd bed; Museum hideout.
(03-21-1961) PAPA BENJAMIN- Voodoo melody.
(04-04-1961) LATE DATE- Murder confession.
(04-11-1961) YOURS TRULY, JACK THE RIPPER- Jack is back.
(04-18-1961) THE DEVIL'S TICKET- Artist and pawn shop ticket.
(04-25-1961) PARASITE MANSION- Dark mansion secrets.(Jeanette Nolan and Tommy Nolan)
(05-02-1961) A GOOD IMAGINATION- Cheating wife.(Edward Andrews)
(05-09-1961) MR. GEORGE- Invisible child protector.
(05-16-1961) TERROR IN TEAKWOOD- Severed hands play piano.
(05-23-1961) THE PRISONER IN THE MIRROR- Evil sorcerer.(Marion Ross)
(05-30-1961) DARK LEGACY- Book of spells.
(06-06-1961) PIGEONS FROM HELL- Terrifying manor house.(Brandon DeWilde)
(06-13-1961) THE GRIM REAPER- Cursed painting.(William Shatner and Natalie Schafer)
SEASON 2:
(09-18-1961) WHAT BECKONING GHOST?- Funeral dreams.
(09-26-1961) GUILLOTINE- Executioner.(Alejandro Rey)
(10-02-1961) THE PREMATURE BURIAL- Buried alive.(Boris Karloff)
(10-16-1961) THE WEIRD TAYLOR- Special suit for the dead.
(10-23-1961) GOD GRANTE THAT SHE LYE STILLE- Witch haunting.(Ronald Howard and Victor Buono)
(10-30-1961) MASQUERADE- Vampires.(John Carradine, Tom Posten and Elizabeth Montgomery)
(11-06-1961) THE LAST OF THE SOMMERVILLES- Scheming couple.(Boris Karloff)
(11-13-1961) LETTER TO A LOVER- Intrigue.
(11-20-1961) A THIRD FOR PINOCHLE- Nosy spinsters.(Edward Andrews)
(11-27-1961) THE CLOSED CABINET- Ancient curse.
(12-04-1961) DIALOGUES WITH DEATH- Conversing with the dead; Colonel's revenge.(Boris Karloff and Estelle Winwood)
(12-11-1961) THE RETURN OF ANDREW BENTLEY- Fear of evil sorcerer.
(12-18-1961) THE REMARKABLE MRS. HAWKS- Prize pigs.(John Carradine, JoAnn Fleet and Bruce Dern)
(12-25-1961) PORTRAIT WITHOUT A FACE- Dead artist's painting.
(01-01-1962) AN ATTRACTIVE FAMILY- Murder plans.(Richard Long)
(01-08-1962) WAXWORKS- Frightening figures.
(01-15-1962) LA STREGA- Witchcraft.(Ursula Andress, Jeanette Nolan and Alejandro Rey)
(01-22-1962) THE STORM- Alone with a murderer.
(01-29-1962) A WIG FOR MISS DeVORE- Mysterious wig.
(02-12-1962) THE HOLLOW WATCHER- Town scarecrow.(Warren Oates and Denver Pyle)
(02-19-1962) COUSIN TUNDIFIER- Murdering in the past.(Edward Andrews and Sue Ann Langdon)
(02-26-1962) THE INCREDIBLE DR. MARKESAN- Uncle's scary mansion.(Boris Karloff and Dick York)
(03-05-1962) FLOWERS OF EVIL- Screaming skeleton.
(03-12-1962) TIL DEATH DO US PART- Burying your wife.(Reta Shaw)
(03-19-1962) THE BRIDE WHO DIED TWICE- Desire and death.
(03-26-1962) KILL MY LOVE- Mistress murder.
(04-02-1962) MAN OF MYSTERY- Intrigue.(Mary Tyler Moore and William Windom)
(04-09-1962) THE INNOCENT BYSTANDERS- Body snatchers.(George Kennedy)
(04-16-1962) THE LETHAL LADIES- Couple fights to death; Clever librarian.
(04-30-1962) THE SPECIALISTS- Jewel thieves.(Ronald Howard)

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Now available for the first time ever in any format, experience the complete series hailed as the most frightening ever created for television. Horror legend Boris Karloff (Frankenstein) guides you through 67 unforgettable episodes of suspense, murder and relentless terror, featuring a stellar cast of stars from the golden age of TV. These tales from the minds of such masterful writers as Edgar Allan Poe, Robert Bloch (Psycho), and Cornell Woolrich (Rear Window) include a murderous cursed painting, a supernatural mirror, a demonic tailor's suit, and much more. Now remastered and packed with hours of exclusive, fascinating extras, Thriller is the ultimate must-have collection for any horror or classic television fan.Featured stars include: William Shatner, Leslie Nielsen, Mary Tyler Moore, Elizabeth Montgomery, Rip Torn, Richard Chamberlain, Cloris Leachman, Alan Napier (Batman), Robert Vaughn (The Man from U.N.C.L.E.), Werner Klemperer Hogan's Heroes), Russell Johnson (Gilligan's Island), Donna Douglas (The Beverly Hillbillies), Richard Kiel (Moonraker), Marlo Thomas (That Girl), Edward Platt (Get Smart), Marion Ross (Happy Days), Tom Poston (Newhart), Natalie Schafer (Gilligan's Island), Richard Long (The Big Valley), Ursula Andress (Dr. No), and many more.

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24: Season 6 Premiere (First 4 Episodes) (2001) Review

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(More customer reviews)For a suspense-driven TV show that attracts fans as polarizing as Dick Cheney and Barbra Streisand, "24" has sustained an impressive amount of momentum for the past five seasons based on its timely, post-9/11 premise of covering 24 hours in the derring-do life of federal agent Jack Bauer in his constant attempt to avert terrorist attacks in Los Angeles. The just-aired sixth-season premiere carries the same propulsive creative energy forward, and 20th Century Fox smartly seized a marketing opportunity to release the first four hours on DVD this week.
The action picks up twenty months after the end of season five when Jack was kidnapped and tortured by the Chinese for his role in killing the consulate dramatized in the prior season. A bedraggled Jack, looking like a palsied, late-period Howard Hughes, emerges from a plane looking and acting most fragile. An interesting plot development that has been dismissed for now, this vulnerability lasts roughly ten minutes as the old Jack comes back to form when it becomes clear that the country is being bombarded by small-scale terrorist attacks. As the key negotiating pawn, Jack has been freed to be the sacrificial lamb to terrorist Abu Fayed in return for mastermind al-Assad. After the departure of dastardly Charles Logan last season, the new U.S. President is David Palmer's callow young brother Wayne, who has haltingly brokered the deal. Meanwhile, complications occur when Jack finds out that al-Assad has decided to forsake terrorism for a pivotal role in his country's new government.
The first two hours are better than the next two, primarily because the set-up is so intriguingly far-fetched that the execution can't help but get somewhat perfunctory. The most egregious storyline involves a suburban family who get caught up in the day's activity through their connection with their seemingly innocent Islamic-American neighbor. Part of the problem is casting actor Kal Penn, star of "Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle", as the poker-faced neighbor. The White House meetings also have a bit of a by-the-numbers feel to them, though a new character, White House Chief-of-Staff Thomas Lennox, livens the proceedings with his aggressive moves toward racial profiling, a most timely and controversial topic for the show to cover.
Familiar characters return - Bill Buchanan now officially heads up the CTU and is married to National Security Adviser Karen Hayes; and CTU analyst Chloe O'Brian, glammed up a bit more, is surrounded by a new supervisor and a co-worker who happens to be his ex-husband. New characters look promising, such as Lennox (an ideal part for Peter MacNichol's weasel-like persona) and Palmer's self-righteous sister Sandra, a civil rights attorney partnered with the head of the legal counselor for the Islamic-American Alliance. There is also a new CTU second-in-command, Nadia Yassir, who is helpfully fluent in Arabic. None of the actors particularly stand out, but Kiefer Sutherland's otherwise stoic turn is leavened by peeks into a more complex ambiguity this season. The rest of season looks promising especially with the sudden detonation at the climax. The DVD's sole extra is an extended preview of the fifth episode.

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Big Mountain Extreme Ski Movies: Respect and The Waiting Game (Home Use) Review

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(More customer reviews)If you have ever fantasized about quitting your day job and making downhill skiing the main priority of your life, you can get a taste of that fantasy by watching this ski movie. Filled with beautiful scenery, extreme skiing, skier profiles, and a fitting soundtrack, The Waiting Game will have you feeling the anticipation for ski time.
The movie opens itself up with several skiiers sitting around a campfire telling about a ski fantasy or goal that they are waiting to have or had to wait for to happen. This theme of anticipation stories ties each scene of the film together. There are more skiiers in this film than should be listed in an article, with each one having their own action scene in a beautiful and famed ski location.
The film takes the viewer to several Utah locations, Haines and Valdez Alaska, and Jackson, Wyoming. Shots from the road travel are included, giving a sense of what the travel time must be like. The filmmakers also include some of each ski towns' scenic backdrop other than it's ski slopes. For example, the port of Valdez is shown before the Alaska ski scenes.
The soundtrack adds to the mood of each ski scene. Without music, an adrenaline rush trip down a slope would look like peaceful lines being drawn on a nice snowy background of your tv. The soundtrack of this film effectively helps the viewer to step into the mindset of the skier on screen.
Narration of the thoughts and reflections of these different people who have dedicated their lives to skiing peppers throughout the movie. Interview footage of Bill Briggs, the legendary Jackson Hole skiier who was the first to ski the Grand Tetons in 1971, shows that for those who make this lifestyle choice, it will be a choice without regret.
Briggs also plays his banjo and sings about skiing in the opening campfire scene. This turns into one of the films drawbacks. Skiiers are telling about what they are or have waited for at the same time, so you can't really understand Briggs or the skiiers.
The Waiting Game comes with a second disc of special features, including a music video of Briggs song. The video doesn't have the skiiers talking, so at least you get the opportunity to hear just the song. There is also an action only version of the film. My favorite on the second disc was the history of heliskiing in Alaska's Chugach mountains. A few product and company promos are included on the second disc. Overall the second disc really does add to the set - it isn't just a few things thrown together to make a set without adding anything worthy of viewing.
I am giving this film a four out of five. I am glad I took the time to check it out from my local library and watch it.

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The Real CIA: Enemies, Secrets and Spies Review

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(More customer reviews)I received the item in good condition. Packaging was adequate and the product was in good condition. The Label on the DVD cover was what I ordered and the Label on the DVD matched the product that I ordered. I put the DVD in to watch the show and it was the completely wrong program. It was a show called The Show of Force: Preemption Directives. I am in the process of returning this item but there was no seller contact information in "my account" section, so I have no other choice but to let other buyers beware of their order, there is a lack of quality management. If I am contacted and this problem is fixed I will update this review to reflect that service.
UPDATE: I am leaving the above comments up so that future customers can get the whole story. My money was refunded and the matter was handled very quickly and professionally. I would do business with this seller anytime. It would have been better to receive the correct item the first time, so four stars will be my final rating. But mistakes happen and they were handled well.

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Hostile Intent (1997) Review

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(More customer reviews)Good suspense, some action & surprising twist. Antiquated computer technoligy but the plot still applies to today.

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Buried (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo) (2010) Review

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(More customer reviews)You wouldn't figure a movie that spends the entire 90 minutes stuck inside a coffin with just a single actor could be anything but boring, but thanks to a real revelation of a performance from Ryan Reynolds, Buried defies the odds. The premise is simple. A civilian truck driver in Iraq wakes up and finds himself buried alive. Because it's shot in real time, every suffocating minute he fights through, we also share in the agony. I must warn you that patience is required. The movie moves along at a decent pace and there is plenty of suspense, but we as the audience experience nothing other than what this unfortunate character is going through. This includes a couple of minutes along the way of staring at a black screen as his various lights go out. Don't worry too much though, because he has a zippo, flashlight, two glow sticks and the faint light from a cell phone to help us see what is going on. The phone also come in handy for dialogue purposes. Why does he have all of these things? Well, I won't ruin it for you.
This can easily be dismissed as a gimmicky film, but unlike Open Water and Frozen, where people are trapped in one area for most of the running time, Buried never loses steam and is very believable. I never considered Ryan Reynolds to be a good actor before, though I didn't dislike him, but his acting here is near Oscar nomination worthy. He makes one guy in a box interesting and more importantly, you care about what happens to him. I read the dude got a bald spot and dislocated his shoulder during the 17 days shooting days he spent in that wooden coffin. It would take some big bucks just for me to do that alone, without the whole trying to act while extremely uncomfortable part of the equation. Hopefully this will lead him away from movies like The Proposal and down the path of quality projects in the future.
Definitely check it out on DVD, but if it's playing near you, see it on the big screen. It takes claustrophobia to a whole new level.

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Paul Conroy is not ready to die. But when he wakes up six feet underground with no idea of who put him there or why, life for the truck driver and family man instantly becomes a hellish struggle for survival. Buried with only a cell phone and a lighter, his contact with the outside world and ability to piece together clues that could help him discover his location are maddeningly limited. Poor reception, a rapidly draining battery, and a dwindling oxygen supply become his worst enemies in a tightly confined race against time; fighting panic, despair and delirium, Paul has only ninety minutes to be rescued before his worst nightmare comes true.

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