Collection ID 1303
Director: Francis Ford Coppola
Starring: Gene Hackman, John Cazale, Allen Garfield, Frederic Forrest, Cindy Williams
Genre: Action & Adventure
Studio: Paramount Studio   Release date: 1974   Rated: PG   
Language (Country): English, French (USA)
Summary: Bleak and mysterious, Francis Ford Coppola's taut masterpiece about responsibility, privacy, alienation, and paranoia is part Hitchcockian thriller, part grim character study. Hackman plays Harry Caul, a guarded wreck of a human being whose profession as the world's greatest surveillance expert has detached him from everyday reality. Though a topnotch voyeur, amorally earning his living by bugging other people's conversations and selling the tapes to clients, Caul keeps his own life fiercely private. He has no friends, just associates in the wiretapping business, all of whom he distrusts; his love life consists of apathetic sex with what could be any woman; his apartment contains three locks but few possessions. His indifference to life extends to his attitude about his job: though he's a wiretapping genius, he accepts no responsibility for what harm his work might produce--it's merely work ... until now.
While on his latest assignment, Caul breaks his own code and becomes immersed in the latest conversation he's taped. While piecing together fragments of a lunchtime conversation (Coppola dazzles us with his repeated fetish for technology here), something stirs Caul and he begins projecting his own misery onto the discussion. He finally discerns that some evil plot may occur because of his work and is forced into the moral dilemma of whether to turn in the tapes.
Ultimately, Coppola's cynical, complex script doesn't just condemn Caul for his foolish discovery of his own conscience; it shatters him into a million pieces, during an unforgettable final image. Allusions to Watergate are impossible to ignore, and the movie is still one of the most devastating, important films in '70s American cinema. "--Dave McCoy"
My Rating:
My Review: Starring Gene Hackman, Harrison Ford, John Cazale, and an uncredited appearance by Robert Duvall. This movie is a conspiracy buffs dream. A tense suspense thriller murder mystery like no other. Keeps you guessing, gasping and clenching the edge of your seat. Gene Hackman plays a paranoid surveillance specialist who's reached a point in his career where he can no longer remain disinterested in the subjects he spies on. A great cast, superb writing and direction by Francis Ford Coppola, music that fit the movie like a glove, and a thoroughly engrossing story. I really loved the way that the movie kept you guessing, and we weren't subjected to unnecessary violence or plot revelation. Coppola made this movie between the Godfather and Godfather II, and it didn't get a lot of promotion by the production studios, so it's no surprise that so few people have heard of/or seen this movie. Once you've seen it, you'll recommend it to others – I'm sure of it. This one gets a 5 out of 5.

Collection ID 597
Director: Stuart Rosenberg
Starring: Paul Newman, George Kennedy, J.D. Cannon, Lou Antonio, Robert Drivas
Genre: Drama
Studio: Warner Studios   Release date: 1967   Rated: NR   
Language (Country): English, French, Spanish (USA)
Summary: Paul Newman gives one of the defining performances of his career, and cemented his place as a beautiful-rebel screen icon playing the stubbornly tough and independent title character in "Cool Hand Luke". And before he became familiar as a sidekick in 1970s disaster movies ("Earthquake" and the "Airport" movies), George Kennedy won an Oscar for playing Dragline, the brutal chain-gang boss who tries to beat loner Luke's cool out of him. It's a classic rebel-against-the-repressive-institution story in the line of "One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest" or "The Shawshank Redemption". Certain moments have become classics--particularly the hardboiled egg-eating contest, and the immortal line (drooled by Strother Martin, as a sadistic redneck prison officer), "What we have here is a failure to communicate." And don't forget, Luke is also the source of the oft-quoted driving ditty, "I don't care if it rains or freezes, long as I have my plastic Jesus, right here on the dashboard of my car..." He is cool, all right. The digital video disc is in anamorphic widescreen and digital stereo. "--Jim Emerson"
My Rating:
My Review: Cool Hand Luke: Magnificent film. Truly classic. Paul Newman's performance in this movie goes way beyond the standard performance. Understated and flippant; Newman plays the character like a concert pianist. The writing (Novel and screenplay) by Don Pearce was fantastic. The directing by Stuart Rosenburg (aka Alan Smithee) was outstanding. The main character is convicted of destroying public property and sent to a rural southern prison camp, where he works on a chain gang and strives to maintain his identity in a destructive atmosphere. He attempts escape on several occasions, and the warden is not happy. "What we have here is a failure to communicate." This one gets a 5 out of 5. Netflix sure has me figured out. It recommended this movie based on my rating of the following movies: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, On the Waterfront, Deliverance, The Bridge on the River Kwai, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, The Dirty Dozen, Dog Day Afternoon and Chinatown. I rated all these movies 5 out of 5. Keep up the good work NetFlix.

Collection ID 1297
Director: Stuart Rosenberg
Starring: Paul Newman, George Kennedy, J.D. Cannon, Lou Antonio, Robert Drivas
Genre: Drama
Studio: Warner Studios   Release date: 1967   Rated: NR   
Language (Country): English, French, Spanish (USA)
Summary: Paul Newman gives one of the defining performances of his career, and cemented his place as a beautiful-rebel screen icon playing the stubbornly tough and independent title character in "Cool Hand Luke". And before he became familiar as a sidekick in 1970s disaster movies ("Earthquake" and the "Airport" movies), George Kennedy won an Oscar for playing Dragline, the brutal chain-gang boss who tries to beat loner Luke's cool out of him. It's a classic rebel-against-the-repressive-institution story in the line of "One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest" or "The Shawshank Redemption". Certain moments have become classics--particularly the hardboiled egg-eating contest, and the immortal line (drooled by Strother Martin, as a sadistic redneck prison officer), "What we have here is a failure to communicate." And don't forget, Luke is also the source of the oft-quoted driving ditty, "I don't care if it rains or freezes, long as I have my plastic Jesus, right here on the dashboard of my car..." He is cool, all right. The digital video disc is in anamorphic widescreen and digital stereo. "--Jim Emerson"
My Rating:
My Review: Cool Hand Luke: Magnificent film. Truly classic. Paul Newman's performance in this movie goes way beyond the standard performance. Understated and flippant; Newman plays the character like a concert pianist. The writing (Novel and screenplay) by Don Pearce was fantastic. The directing by Stuart Rosenburg (aka Alan Smithee) was outstanding. The main character is convicted of destroying public property and sent to a rural southern prison camp, where he works on a chain gang and strives to maintain his identity in a destructive atmosphere. He attempts escape on several occasions, and the warden is not happy. "What we have here is a failure to communicate." This one gets a 5 out of 5. Netflix sure has me figured out. It recommended this movie based on my rating of the following movies: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, On the Waterfront, Deliverance, The Bridge on the River Kwai, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, The Dirty Dozen, Dog Day Afternoon and Chinatown. I rated all these movies 5 out of 5. Keep up the good work NetFlix.

Collection ID 306
Director: James Mangold
Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Harvey Keitel, Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro, Peter Berg
Genre: Crime
Studio: Miramax   Release date: 1997   Rated: R   
Language (Country): English, French (USA)
Summary: The deaf, small town sheriff of a small town largely inhabited by the NYPD, discovers crime and corruption amidst those he looks up to and envies.
My Rating:
My Review: Written and directed by James Mangold (3:10 to Yuma (2007), Walk the Line, Identity, Kate & Leopold, Girl Interrupted), this movie features a fantastic cast - Sylvester Stallone, Harvey Keitel, Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro, Peter Berg, Janeane Garofalo, Robert Patrick, Michael Rapaport, Annabella Sciorra. This movie features (in my opinion) the best acting ever elicited from Sylvester Stallone. What would have seemed an impossible pairing - Stallone and De Niro, works well when Stallone doesn't try to play his usual dramatic, over-the-top, character. I'm very happy with the acting by everyone involved. Ray Liotta, De Niro and Stallone all gave outstanding performances. The story is one of corrupt cops in New York. Living just outside the city, a group of NYPD officers have established a community where they can raise their families in relative safety. Unfortunately, Garrison New Jersey is only as safe as the corrupt cops who live there. Stallone plays the Sheriff of Cop Land. He's expected to look the other way when he finds the residents behaving badly. At some point the fetid waters rise above this man's moral high ground - and he acts. It's a fine morality play, a classic western, dressed in blue and black. The pacing, direction, lighting, sound work, music, locations, sets, costumes, and Acting (with a capital A) are all outstanding. I can't believe it was robbed of an oscar.

Collection ID 1014
Director: James Mangold
Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Harvey Keitel, Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro, Peter Berg
Genre: Crime
Studio: Miramax   Release date: 1997   Rated: R   
Language (Country): English, French (USA)
Summary: The deaf, small town sheriff of a small town largely inhabited by the NYPD, discovers crime and corruption amidst those he looks up to and envies.
My Rating:
My Review: Written and directed by James Mangold (3:10 to Yuma (2007), Walk the Line, Identity, Kate & Leopold, Girl Interrupted), this movie features a fantastic cast - Sylvester Stallone, Harvey Keitel, Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro, Peter Berg, Janeane Garofalo, Robert Patrick, Michael Rapaport, Annabella Sciorra. This movie features (in my opinion) the best acting ever elicited from Sylvester Stallone. What would have seemed an impossible pairing - Stallone and De Niro, works well when Stallone doesn't try to play his usual dramatic, over-the-top, character. I'm very happy with the acting by everyone involved. Ray Liotta, De Niro and Stallone all gave outstanding performances. The story is one of corrupt cops in New York. Living just outside the city, a group of NYPD officers have established a community where they can raise their families in relative safety. Unfortunately, Garrison New Jersey is only as safe as the corrupt cops who live there. Stallone plays the Sheriff of Cop Land. He's expected to look the other way when he finds the residents behaving badly. At some point the fetid waters rise above this man's moral high ground - and he acts. It's a fine morality play, a classic western, dressed in blue and black. The pacing, direction, lighting, sound work, music, locations, sets, costumes, and Acting (with a capital A) are all outstanding. I can't believe it was robbed of an oscar.

Collection ID 488
Director: Kevin Reynolds
Starring: James Caviezel, Guy Pearce, Richard Harris, James Frain, Dagmara Dominczyk
Genre: Action
Studio: Touchstone Pictures   Release date: 2002   Rated: PG-13   
Language (Country): English, French (UK)
Summary: A young man, falsely imprisoned by his jealous "friends," escapes and uses a hidden treasure to exact his revenge
My Rating:
My Review:

Collection ID 1195
Director: Kevin Reynolds
Starring: James Caviezel, Guy Pearce, Richard Harris, James Frain, Dagmara Dominczyk
Genre: Action
Studio: Touchstone Pictures   Release date: 2002   Rated: PG-13   
Language (Country): English, French (UK)
Summary: A young man, falsely imprisoned by his jealous "friends," escapes and uses a hidden treasure to exact his revenge
My Rating:
My Review:

Collection ID 698
Director: Roman Coppola
Starring: Jeremy Davies, Angela Lindvall, Élodie Bouchez, Gérard Depardieu, Giancarlo Giannini
Genre: Action & Adventure
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)   Release date: 2001   Rated: R   
Language (Country): English, French (USA, Canada)
Summary: Jeremy Davies is a different kind of American in Paris. In the heady days of 1969, this aspiring director edits a silly sci-fi spy adventure by day while spending his nights obsessively filming his own life, much to the frustration of his stewardess girlfriend (Elodie Bouchez), who tires of his using his camera to avoid intimacy. First-time director Roman Coppola (son of Francis) creates a slight but fun picture steeped in 1960s movie lore: the film-within-a-film is a pop-art spectacle that recalls "Barbarella", "Modesty Blaise", and "Danger: Diabolique", while its Italian producer (Giancarlo Giannini) is a high-living Dino De Laurentiis. If the film is slight, the details are right, from the opulent and outrageous sets to the meticulously retro special effects to the groovy music by Mellow. You could think of "CQ" as Coppola's "8½", about a man so busy filming his life he forgets to live. "--Sean Axmaker"
My Rating:
My Review: Written and directed by Roman Coppola (Son of Francis Ford Coppola), this is the directorial debut (first feature film direction) for this experienced director. He's done plenty of work in other films; acting, writing co-directing, producing. Here he shines with a witty, charming and expressive film within a film. The story. In the late 60's a young American film maker is struggling to 'be' film. He works long hours, struggles to maintain a relationship with his girlfriend, and gets ignored at work. When the director of a recent b grade sci-fi production get's a bit too distracted by the movie's beautiful star, he's sacked by the producer. A flamboyant party favor takes over, but he bows out after an accident. Our aspiring directors steps in and does his best to complete the project. He too becomes distracted by the super sexy, secret agent, Dragonfly and his efforts to end the film with artistic flair are threatened. This is a movie for people who love movies, the technical aspects, the behind the scenes drama as well as those hidden gems that don't impress the teaming masses. It's quirky, filled with fantastic in period acting, some great low-tech special effects, thoughtful direction, and wonderful camera work. The sound track was excellent, as was the lighting, pacing and color work. The distorted fantasy, reality bending, slightly out of focus aspects of this film are complemented by it's 'film within a film' ethic. An instant avant-garde cult classic. Excellent acting by Jeremy Davies, Angela Lindvall, Élodie Bouchez, Gérard Depardieu and others. I will buy a copy, and expect that the rating will rise as I enjoy repeat viewings.

Collection ID 1388
Director: Roman Coppola
Starring: Jeremy Davies, Angela Lindvall, Élodie Bouchez, Gérard Depardieu, Giancarlo Giannini
Genre: Action & Adventure
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)   Release date: 2001   Rated: R   
Language (Country): English, French (USA, Canada)
Summary: Jeremy Davies is a different kind of American in Paris. In the heady days of 1969, this aspiring director edits a silly sci-fi spy adventure by day while spending his nights obsessively filming his own life, much to the frustration of his stewardess girlfriend (Elodie Bouchez), who tires of his using his camera to avoid intimacy. First-time director Roman Coppola (son of Francis) creates a slight but fun picture steeped in 1960s movie lore: the film-within-a-film is a pop-art spectacle that recalls "Barbarella", "Modesty Blaise", and "Danger: Diabolique", while its Italian producer (Giancarlo Giannini) is a high-living Dino De Laurentiis. If the film is slight, the details are right, from the opulent and outrageous sets to the meticulously retro special effects to the groovy music by Mellow. You could think of "CQ" as Coppola's "8½", about a man so busy filming his life he forgets to live. "--Sean Axmaker"
My Rating:
My Review: Written and directed by Roman Coppola (Son of Francis Ford Coppola), this is the directorial debut (first feature film direction) for this experienced director. He's done plenty of work in other films; acting, writing co-directing, producing. Here he shines with a witty, charming and expressive film within a film. The story. In the late 60's a young American film maker is struggling to 'be' film. He works long hours, struggles to maintain a relationship with his girlfriend, and gets ignored at work. When the director of a recent b grade sci-fi production get's a bit too distracted by the movie's beautiful star, he's sacked by the producer. A flamboyant party favor takes over, but he bows out after an accident. Our aspiring directors steps in and does his best to complete the project. He too becomes distracted by the super sexy, secret agent, Dragonfly and his efforts to end the film with artistic flair are threatened. This is a movie for people who love movies, the technical aspects, the behind the scenes drama as well as those hidden gems that don't impress the teaming masses. It's quirky, filled with fantastic in period acting, some great low-tech special effects, thoughtful direction, and wonderful camera work. The sound track was excellent, as was the lighting, pacing and color work. The distorted fantasy, reality bending, slightly out of focus aspects of this film are complemented by it's 'film within a film' ethic. An instant avant-garde cult classic. Excellent acting by Jeremy Davies, Angela Lindvall, Élodie Bouchez, Gérard Depardieu and others. I will buy a copy, and expect that the rating will rise as I enjoy repeat viewings.

Collection ID 1667
Director: Stewart Raffill
Starring: Michael Madsen, Peter Tuinstra, Sherry Edwards, Elizabeth Healey, Scott Hazell
Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller, TV Movie
Studio: RHI Entertainment   Release date: 2007   Rated: Unrated   
Language (Country): English (USA)
Summary: A large man-eating crocodile terrorizes tourists and locals near Krabi, in Thailand. Michael Madsen plays a hunter stalking the immense reptile, while sub-plots include a rivalry between a foreigner, who owns a crocodile-farm, and a Thai man who plays a part in framing the foreigner for the crocodile's rampage.
My Rating:
My Review: