Collection ID 195
Director: Kevin Costner
Starring: Kevin Costner, Mary McDonnell, Graham Greene, Rodney A. Grant, Floyd 'Red Crow' Westerman
Genre: Adventure
Studio: Tig Productions   Release date: 1990   Rated: PG-13   
Language (Country): English (USA)
Summary: Lt. John Dunbar, exiled to a remote western Civil War outpost, befriends wolves and Indians, making him an intolerable aberration in the military.
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Collection ID 692.5
Director: Charles de Lauzirika
Starring: Daryl Hannah, Michael Deeley, Harrison Ford, Joanna Cassidy, Rutger Hauer
Genre: Documentary
Studio: Blade Runner Partnership   Release date: 2007   Rated:   
Language (Country): English (USA)
Summary: The definitive three-and-a-half hour documentary about the troubled creation and enduring legacy of the science fiction classic Blade Runner (1982), culled from 80 interviews and hours of never-before-seen outtakes and lost footage.
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Collection ID 1382.5
Director: Charles de Lauzirika
Starring: Daryl Hannah, Michael Deeley, Harrison Ford, Joanna Cassidy, Rutger Hauer
Genre: Documentary
Studio: Blade Runner Partnership   Release date: 2007   Rated:   
Language (Country): English (USA)
Summary: The definitive three-and-a-half hour documentary about the troubled creation and enduring legacy of the science fiction classic Blade Runner (1982), culled from 80 interviews and hours of never-before-seen outtakes and lost footage.
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Collection ID 787
Director: Wes Anderson
Starring: Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody, Jason Schwartzman, Amara Karan, Wallace Wolodarsky
Genre: Adventure, Comedy, Drama
Studio: Fox Searchlight Pictures   Release date: 2007   Rated: R   
Language (Country): English, Hindi, German, Tibetan (USA)
Summary: A year after the accidental death of their father, three brothers -- each suffering from depression - meet for a train trip across India. Francis, the eldest, has organized it. The brothers argue, sulk, resent each other, and fight. The youngest, Jack, estranged from his girlfriend, is attracted to one of the train's attendants. Peter has left his pregnant wife at home, and he buys a venomous snake. After a few days, Francis discloses their surprising and disconcerting destination. Amid foreign surroundings, can the brothers sort out their differences? A funeral, a meditation, a hilltop ritual, and the Bengal Lancer figure in the reconciliation.
My Rating:
My Review: Another one of those quirky adventures by Wes Anderson (The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, The Royal Tenenbaums, Rushmore, Bottle Rocket). Unfortunately, this one isn't quite as entertaining as his other movies. Starring Adrien Brody, Owen Wilson, Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, Anjelica Huston, and others; this movie had a great cast, awesome locations (shot primarily in India), excellent sets, costumes and props. The music was exceptional as well. The story - Three estranged brothers embark on a mystic journey across india aboard the 'Darjeeling Limited'. They're on a mystic, healing journey, to reunite with each other, their feelings, and their last remaining parent. This comic drama features some great acting, and typically (per Wes Anderson) witty dialog. The characters are quirky, and the plot pleasingly disjointed. The story was the only problem with this movie. It was far too long and drawn out. A very slow moving affair. Pleasing to the eye, amusing, and touching. At the same time, the film's overall impact is unremarkable and not very satisfying. 3 out of 5. Included on the disc is a prequel titled 'Hotel Chevalier'. Starring Jason Schwartzman and Natalie Portman. This 13 minute short featured a nude Natalie Portman and some great music. This short, like the feature length movie itself, is extremely languid, slow, pointless and numbing to watch. On the other hand, you get to see Portman naked, and that is well worth it.

Collection ID 1575
Director: Wes Anderson
Starring: Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody, Jason Schwartzman, Amara Karan, Wallace Wolodarsky
Genre: Adventure, Comedy, Drama
Studio: Fox Searchlight Pictures   Release date: 2007   Rated: R   
Language (Country): English, Hindi, German, Tibetan (USA)
Summary: A year after the accidental death of their father, three brothers -- each suffering from depression - meet for a train trip across India. Francis, the eldest, has organized it. The brothers argue, sulk, resent each other, and fight. The youngest, Jack, estranged from his girlfriend, is attracted to one of the train's attendants. Peter has left his pregnant wife at home, and he buys a venomous snake. After a few days, Francis discloses their surprising and disconcerting destination. Amid foreign surroundings, can the brothers sort out their differences? A funeral, a meditation, a hilltop ritual, and the Bengal Lancer figure in the reconciliation.
My Rating:
My Review: Another one of those quirky adventures by Wes Anderson (The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, The Royal Tenenbaums, Rushmore, Bottle Rocket). Unfortunately, this one isn't quite as entertaining as his other movies. Starring Adrien Brody, Owen Wilson, Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, Anjelica Huston, and others; this movie had a great cast, awesome locations (shot primarily in India), excellent sets, costumes and props. The music was exceptional as well. The story - Three estranged brothers embark on a mystic journey across india aboard the 'Darjeeling Limited'. They're on a mystic, healing journey, to reunite with each other, their feelings, and their last remaining parent. This comic drama features some great acting, and typically (per Wes Anderson) witty dialog. The characters are quirky, and the plot pleasingly disjointed. The story was the only problem with this movie. It was far too long and drawn out. A very slow moving affair. Pleasing to the eye, amusing, and touching. At the same time, the film's overall impact is unremarkable and not very satisfying. 3 out of 5. Included on the disc is a prequel titled 'Hotel Chevalier'. Starring Jason Schwartzman and Natalie Portman. This 13 minute short featured a nude Natalie Portman and some great music. This short, like the feature length movie itself, is extremely languid, slow, pointless and numbing to watch. On the other hand, you get to see Portman naked, and that is well worth it.

Collection ID 767
Director: Alex Proyas
Starring: Rufus Sewell, William Hurt, Kiefer Sutherland, Jennifer Connelly, Richard O'Brien
Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Studio: Mystery Clock Cinema   Release date: 1998   Rated: R   
Language (Country): English (Australia, USA)
Summary: John Murdoch awakens alone in a strange hotel to find that he has lost his memory and is wanted for a series of brutal and bizarre murders. While trying to piece together his past, he stumbles upon a fiendish underworld controlled by a group of beings known as The Strangers who possess the ability to put people to sleep and alter the city and its inhabitants. Now Murdoch must find a way to stop them before they take control of his mind and destroy him.
My Rating:
My Review: Dark City - 1998 (Drama, fantasy, sci-fi, mystery) I’ve seen this movie before (back in the late 90s - when it originally came out), but I certainly don't remember it being this good. It kept showing up on my Netflix recommended list, so I figured I'd give it another viewing. Wow! I'm blown away. I'm a fan of sci-fi, and the dark versions make for great tension and suspense. Here's a movie with plenty of dark tension, suspense, horror, mystery and odd alien life forms. It's a twisted tale of a Dark City. The story - John Murdoch (played by Rufus Sewell) wakes up in a strange hotel room. He has no idea who he is, or why there's a dead woman in the bedroom. He quickly gets dressed and makes a run for it. He's got no idea why he's wanted for murder, and who's this woman who says she's his wife? Then there's the men in black! As his memories begin to trickle in he realizes that reality isn't all that he thought it was. Written and directed Alex Provas (The Crow; I, Robot), the story is an outstanding dark and stylish, film-noir, sci-fi mystery with elements of horror and a mixed up cast of dark characters. The special/visual effects were excellent, the casting and acting top notch, the direction, lighting and camera work superb. I liked it so much that I bought a copy - I give it a 5 out of 5.

Collection ID 1574
Director: Alex Proyas
Starring: Rufus Sewell, William Hurt, Kiefer Sutherland, Jennifer Connelly, Richard O'Brien
Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Studio: Mystery Clock Cinema   Release date: 1998   Rated: R   
Language (Country): English (Australia, USA)
Summary: John Murdoch awakens alone in a strange hotel to find that he has lost his memory and is wanted for a series of brutal and bizarre murders. While trying to piece together his past, he stumbles upon a fiendish underworld controlled by a group of beings known as The Strangers who possess the ability to put people to sleep and alter the city and its inhabitants. Now Murdoch must find a way to stop them before they take control of his mind and destroy him.
My Rating:
My Review: Dark City - 1998 (Drama, fantasy, sci-fi, mystery) I’ve seen this movie before (back in the late 90s - when it originally came out), but I certainly don't remember it being this good. It kept showing up on my Netflix recommended list, so I figured I'd give it another viewing. Wow! I'm blown away. I'm a fan of sci-fi, and the dark versions make for great tension and suspense. Here's a movie with plenty of dark tension, suspense, horror, mystery and odd alien life forms. It's a twisted tale of a Dark City. The story - John Murdoch (played by Rufus Sewell) wakes up in a strange hotel room. He has no idea who he is, or why there's a dead woman in the bedroom. He quickly gets dressed and makes a run for it. He's got no idea why he's wanted for murder, and who's this woman who says she's his wife? Then there's the men in black! As his memories begin to trickle in he realizes that reality isn't all that he thought it was. Written and directed Alex Provas (The Crow; I, Robot), the story is an outstanding dark and stylish, film-noir, sci-fi mystery with elements of horror and a mixed up cast of dark characters. The special/visual effects were excellent, the casting and acting top notch, the direction, lighting and camera work superb. I liked it so much that I bought a copy - I give it a 5 out of 5.

Collection ID 1481
Director: Christopher Nolan
Starring: Christian Bale, Gary Oldman, Tom Hardy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Anne Hathaway
Genre: Action, Thriller
Studio: Warner Bros.   Release date: 2012   Rated: PG-13   
Language (Country): English, Arabic (UK, USA)
Summary: Despite his tarnished reputation after the events of The Dark Knight (2008), in which he took the rap for Dent's crimes, Batman feels compelled to intervene to assist the city and its Police force, which is struggling to cope with Bane's plans to destroy the city.
My Rating:
My Review: Another movie in the Batman franchise. The third (and final) movie in the Dark Knight trilogy. Directed by Christopher Nolan. Starring Christian Bale (as Bruce Wayne/Batman), Anne Hathaway (as Selina Kyle/Catwoman), Tom Hardy (Bane), Marion Cotillard (Miranda), Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Blake/Robin?), Michael Caine (Alfred), Gary Oldman (Commisioner Gordon), Morgan Freeman (Fox), and many others. As dark as the others in this series, this movie continues the 'City in despair rises to shake off villainous oppression with the help of Batman' theme. I can see why they're ending this series. It's getting a bit repetitive. Substitute new characters for the villains, mix up the specifics, but you've still got the same basic story. I liked the cast. In particular Christian Bale does an excellent job as Bruce Wayne, Anne Hathaway was superb as the super-hot, ass-kicking Catwoman and Joseph Gordon-Levitt is outstanding as the beat cop/detective with a sharp mind and passion to help the citizens of Gotham city. Set eight years after the events of 'The Dark Knight', Bruce Wayne is recovering from the physical and psychological damage suffered in his fight with The Joker and Harvey Dent. When a new villain enters the scene, Bruce Wayne feels compelled to act. The screen-play is well written, and the plot is tight, but once again it kept feeling like a rehash of previous Batman themes. The action is very intense and the pacing quite good (slows down when Batman isn't in the middle of hand to hand combat). Unfortunately, the Bane character returns us to the 'I can't understand what the hell he said' dilemma of some previous Batman movies. It was apparent that there was a considerable amount of post production dubbing done in order to correct some of that problem. Unfortunately, the results left me looking around, trying to figure out where Bane was. The post production work removed the sense of location from Bane's character. The performances, production work and writing were all well done, but this movie suffers at the expense of an ending. The happy ending was nice, but it felt as if it was tacked on afterward. The plot (necessarily) spent too much time tying up the loose ends. I give it a 3 out of 5.

Collection ID 1640
Director: Christopher Nolan
Starring: Christian Bale, Gary Oldman, Tom Hardy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Anne Hathaway
Genre: Action, Thriller
Studio: Warner Bros.   Release date: 2012   Rated: PG-13   
Language (Country): English, Arabic (UK, USA)
Summary: Despite his tarnished reputation after the events of The Dark Knight (2008), in which he took the rap for Dent's crimes, Batman feels compelled to intervene to assist the city and its Police force, which is struggling to cope with Bane's plans to destroy the city.
My Rating:
My Review: Another movie in the Batman franchise. The third (and final) movie in the Dark Knight trilogy. Directed by Christopher Nolan. Starring Christian Bale (as Bruce Wayne/Batman), Anne Hathaway (as Selina Kyle/Catwoman), Tom Hardy (Bane), Marion Cotillard (Miranda), Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Blake/Robin?), Michael Caine (Alfred), Gary Oldman (Commisioner Gordon), Morgan Freeman (Fox), and many others. As dark as the others in this series, this movie continues the 'City in despair rises to shake off villainous oppression with the help of Batman' theme. I can see why they're ending this series. It's getting a bit repetitive. Substitute new characters for the villains, mix up the specifics, but you've still got the same basic story. I liked the cast. In particular Christian Bale does an excellent job as Bruce Wayne, Anne Hathaway was superb as the super-hot, ass-kicking Catwoman and Joseph Gordon-Levitt is outstanding as the beat cop/detective with a sharp mind and passion to help the citizens of Gotham city. Set eight years after the events of 'The Dark Knight', Bruce Wayne is recovering from the physical and psychological damage suffered in his fight with The Joker and Harvey Dent. When a new villain enters the scene, Bruce Wayne feels compelled to act. The screen-play is well written, and the plot is tight, but once again it kept feeling like a rehash of previous Batman themes. The action is very intense and the pacing quite good (slows down when Batman isn't in the middle of hand to hand combat). Unfortunately, the Bane character returns us to the 'I can't understand what the hell he said' dilemma of some previous Batman movies. It was apparent that there was a considerable amount of post production dubbing done in order to correct some of that problem. Unfortunately, the results left me looking around, trying to figure out where Bane was. The post production work removed the sense of location from Bane's character. The performances, production work and writing were all well done, but this movie suffers at the expense of an ending. The happy ending was nice, but it felt as if it was tacked on afterward. The plot (necessarily) spent too much time tying up the loose ends. I give it a 3 out of 5.

Collection ID 5
Director: Wolfgang Petersen
Starring: Jürgen Prochnow, Herbert Grönemeyer, Klaus Wennemann, Hubertus Bengsch, Martin Semmelrogge
Genre: Drama
Studio: Bavaria Film   Release date: 1981   Rated: R   
Language (Country): German (West Germany)
Summary: The claustrophobic world of a WWII German U-boat; boredom, filth, and sheer terror.
My Rating:
My Review: Das Boot - 1981 (Adventure, drama, thriller) Of course I own, and watched the director’s cut. I can’t believe that I’ve owned this movie since the 80s, and I’m just now (2016) writing a movie review about it. One of my all-time favorite movies, and one of the reasons why I own seven movies starring Jürgen Prochnow. Written and directed by Wolfgang Petersen (the NeverEnding Story, Enemy Mine, Shattered, In the Line of Fire, Outbreak, Air Force One, The Perfect Storm, Troy) this movie is based upon a novel by Lothar G. Buchheim. Starring Jürgen Prochnow, Herbert Grönemeyer, Klaus Wennemann and many others. This is (imo) the best submarine movie ever made. Far better than U-571, Hunt For Red October, Run Silent Run Deep, The Enemy Below, Crimson Tide, Below. Admittedly, I haven’t seen every submarine movie ever made, but this one tops many lists (including mine). Set in 1942, the German submarine fleet is fully engaged in the ‘Battle of the Atlantic’. Sinking as many ships as they can, they’ve also started to take heavier losses due to the recent increase in convoy escorts with heavier caliber guns. This is the story of U-96 and its crew. The crew is professional, well disciplined and their morale is high. These sailors know what they’re doing, why they’re doing it, and what the consequences are. This movie is more than a single tale, it’s a historical document, a period film, an epic film filled with many military and political themes. It explores many of the grand themes of war on a macroscopic scale. All these larger themes are crammed into the confines of a long slender metal tube, navigating the dark cold waters of the North Atlantic - In search of prey, evading hunters. Jürgen Prochnow is perfectly cast as the captain of this boat, and his expressions and mood haunt the movie like a drowned man haunts the place where the ice gave way. The movie begins slowly in the shallows, but tension soon begins to build as the crew sets out into deeper waters. The mission is clear, the consequences dire and the danger great. In mission after mission, the tension grows, the suspense builds, you’re gripping your seat - True terror is just minutes away as the depth charges continue to rain down, and the seafloor rises up like your certain and inescapable fate. The brave members of this sub are made helpless under the crushing weight of the sea, their clueless leaders and the ultimate futility of their nation’s destiny. The story feels so real. It feels like we’re watching a live event. The emotions rise quickly to the surface and you can’t help but feel everything they feel. By the end of the movie, you are one of the crew. You feel for them as if the outcome affects you personally. Perfect writing, perfect direction, perfect acting, truly amazing cinematography and no cgi! I give Das Boat a 5 out of 5. Do yourself a favor. Watch this very long movie (the Director’s cut is 209 minutes) with subtitles. The emotional cues and timing nuances are much stronger in the native language.