Collection ID 10
Director: Michael Winner
Starring: Charles Bronson, Jill Ireland, Vincent Gardenia, J.D. Cannon, Anthony Franciosa
Genre: Action
Studio: Cannon Films   Release date: 1982   Rated: X   
Language (Country): English (USA)
Summary: Paul Kersey, the vigilante, now lives in LA with his daughter, who is still recovering from her attack. He also has a new woman in his life. One day while with them, Kersey is mugged by some punks, Kersey fights back, but they get away. The leader, wanting to get back at Kersey, goes to his house, but Kersey and his daughter Carol are not there. The muggers rape his housekeeper, and when Kersey and his daughter arrive, they knock him out and kidnap her. After they assault her, she leaps out of a window to her death. Kersey then grabs his gun and goes after them. When the LA authorities, deduce they have a vigilante, they decide to consult with New York, who had their vigilante problem. Now the New York officials, knowing that Kersey lives in LA, fears that he's back to his old habit. Fearing that Kersey, when caught will reveal that they let him go instead of prosecuting him send Inspector Ochoa to make sure that doesn't happen.
My Rating:
My Review: Charles Bronson may have rugged good looks (arguably), but he can't act. That didn't stop producer's from casting him in a series of marginally rated movies throughout the 70s. One of those movies was a series based on the vigilante character Paul Kersey. In this movie, Charles Bronson reprises his role as the urban vigilante. Here the plot is superficial and redundant. Criminals target Kersey and his family for some good old fashioned crime. Rape, murder, robbery - The usual fare for mid 70s thugs of Los Angeles. In reprisal fashion, Kersey hunts down and kills the guilty bastards. This movie/this series played upon societal fear of escalating crime, and may have led to more than one instance of violence patterned after the vigilante justice framed by the movies. Exceedingly violent and brutal in its depiction of inner city violence, this movie has very little to redeem it. The soundtrack features guitar work by Jimmy Page (former Led Zepplin lead guitarist). The direction, pacing and editing were all well done. I give this movie a 2 out of 5.

Collection ID 1526
Director: Michael Cimino
Starring: Michel Subor, Benjamin Boyer, Philippe Torreton, Denise Aron-Schropfer, Léna Breban
Genre: Drama
Studio: EMI Films   Release date: 1978   Rated: R   
Language (Country): English (USA)
Summary: An in-depth examination of the way that the Vietnam war affects the lives of people in a small industrial town in the USA.
My Rating:
My Review: A 1970s (1978) film about the Vietnam war. An Oscar-winning film about the Vietnam war. An awesome movie about war, its consequences, the personal toll it takes on one group of young men from the tiny steel town of Clairton, Pennsylvania. Michael (played by Robert De Niro), Steven (John Savage) and Nick (Christopher Walken) are best of friends in this tiny workers slum of middle-class America. Filled with patriotic fervor, the group enlists in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam war. They're all sent into the shit together, and they eventually end up captured by the Vietcong. After enduring torture and psychological terror they escape, but they carry the scars with them from that day forward. Michael and Steven make it back to the U.S., but both are damaged goods. Nick is A.W.O.L, but eventually Michael figures out that Nick is still back in Vietnam. With Saigon on the verge of collapse, Michael travels back to the hell hole they escaped and seeks out Nick. He finds him, and the two must endure the horrendous events of their POW experience in order to escape from the nightmares that have trapped them forever in their own personal hells. The movie is a triumph of acting, writing and direction. Despite the length of this film (180+ minutes), the time flies by as you watch the raw emotion of this powerful drama unfold in a glorious display. Outstanding movie of epic proportions. I give it a 5 out of 5.

Collection ID 9
Director: Michael Cimino
Starring: Michel Subor, Benjamin Boyer, Philippe Torreton, Denise Aron-Schropfer, Léna Breban
Genre: Drama
Studio: EMI Films   Release date: 1978   Rated: R   
Language (Country): English (USA)
Summary: An in-depth examination of the way that the Vietnam war affects the lives of people in a small industrial town in the USA.
My Rating:
My Review: A 1970s (1978) film about the Vietnam war. An Oscar-winning film about the Vietnam war. An awesome movie about war, its consequences, the personal toll it takes on one group of young men from the tiny steel town of Clairton, Pennsylvania. Michael (played by Robert De Niro), Steven (John Savage) and Nick (Christopher Walken) are best of friends in this tiny workers slum of middle-class America. Filled with patriotic fervor, the group enlists in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam war. They're all sent into the shit together, and they eventually end up captured by the Vietcong. After enduring torture and psychological terror they escape, but they carry the scars with them from that day forward. Michael and Steven make it back to the U.S., but both are damaged goods. Nick is A.W.O.L, but eventually Michael figures out that Nick is still back in Vietnam. With Saigon on the verge of collapse, Michael travels back to the hell hole they escaped and seeks out Nick. He finds him, and the two must endure the horrendous events of their POW experience in order to escape from the nightmares that have trapped them forever in their own personal hells. The movie is a triumph of acting, writing and direction. Despite the length of this film (180+ minutes), the time flies by as you watch the raw emotion of this powerful drama unfold in a glorious display. Outstanding movie of epic proportions. I give it a 5 out of 5.

Collection ID 570
Director: John Boorman
Starring: Jon Voight, Burt Reynolds, Ned Beatty, Ronny Cox, Ed Ramey
Genre: Action & Adventure
Studio: Warner Studios   Release date: 1972   Rated: R   
Language (Country): German, English, Spanish (USA)
Summary: One of the key films of the 1970s, John Boorman's Deliverance is a nightmarish adaptation of poet-novelist James Dickey's book about various kinds of survival in modern America. The story concerns four Atlanta businessmen of various male stripe: Jon Voight's character is a reflective, civilized fellow, Burt Reynolds plays a strapping hunter-gatherer in urban clothes, Ned Beatty is a sweaty, weak-willed boy-man, and Ronny Cox essays a spirited, neighborly type. Together they decide to answer the ancient call of men testing themselves against the elements and set out on a treacherous ride on the rapids of an Appalachian river. What they don't understand until it is too late is that they have ventured into Dickey's variation on the American underbelly, a wild, lawless, dangerous (and dangerously inbred) place isolated from the gloss of the late 20th century. In short order, the four men dig deep into their own suppressed primitiveness, defending themselves against armed cretins, facing the shock of real death on their carefully planned, death-defying adventure, and then squarely facing the suspicions of authority over their concealed actions. Boorman, a master teller of stories about individuals on peculiarly mythical journeys, does a terrifying and beautiful job of revealing the complexity of private and collective character--the way one can never be the same after glimpsing the sharp-clawed survivor in one's soul. --Tom Keogh
My Rating:
My Review: One of the few great movies to make it out of the 70's. This gripping story of man against nature against man's nature is a classic tale of caution, risk, and adventure. Absolutely perfect pacing and sensational acting carry this movie forward through the rapids of an adventure based drama. Burt Reynolds, Jon Voight, and a Ned Beatty (In a debut role) all deliver unforgettable performances. The dueling banjos segment is a great introduction to the tense journey ahead. The location was as raw as it gets. This wasn't shot on a sound stage with some jury rigged rapids, this was real backwaters footage from the deep woods of Georgia. Places that no longer exist stand as the backdrop to a masterful movie, directed by Roger Boorman. This movie will make you 'squeal like a pig'. I give it a 5 out of 5. I'm glad I bought it.

Collection ID 1271
Director: John Boorman
Starring: Jon Voight, Burt Reynolds, Ned Beatty, Ronny Cox, Ed Ramey
Genre: Action & Adventure
Studio: Warner Studios   Release date: 1972   Rated: R   
Language (Country): German, English, Spanish (USA)
Summary: One of the key films of the 1970s, John Boorman's Deliverance is a nightmarish adaptation of poet-novelist James Dickey's book about various kinds of survival in modern America. The story concerns four Atlanta businessmen of various male stripe: Jon Voight's character is a reflective, civilized fellow, Burt Reynolds plays a strapping hunter-gatherer in urban clothes, Ned Beatty is a sweaty, weak-willed boy-man, and Ronny Cox essays a spirited, neighborly type. Together they decide to answer the ancient call of men testing themselves against the elements and set out on a treacherous ride on the rapids of an Appalachian river. What they don't understand until it is too late is that they have ventured into Dickey's variation on the American underbelly, a wild, lawless, dangerous (and dangerously inbred) place isolated from the gloss of the late 20th century. In short order, the four men dig deep into their own suppressed primitiveness, defending themselves against armed cretins, facing the shock of real death on their carefully planned, death-defying adventure, and then squarely facing the suspicions of authority over their concealed actions. Boorman, a master teller of stories about individuals on peculiarly mythical journeys, does a terrifying and beautiful job of revealing the complexity of private and collective character--the way one can never be the same after glimpsing the sharp-clawed survivor in one's soul. --Tom Keogh
My Rating:
My Review: One of the few great movies to make it out of the 70's. This gripping story of man against nature against man's nature is a classic tale of caution, risk, and adventure. Absolutely perfect pacing and sensational acting carry this movie forward through the rapids of an adventure based drama. Burt Reynolds, Jon Voight, and a Ned Beatty (In a debut role) all deliver unforgettable performances. The dueling banjos segment is a great introduction to the tense journey ahead. The location was as raw as it gets. This wasn't shot on a sound stage with some jury rigged rapids, this was real backwaters footage from the deep woods of Georgia. Places that no longer exist stand as the backdrop to a masterful movie, directed by Roger Boorman. This movie will make you 'squeal like a pig'. I give it a 5 out of 5. I'm glad I bought it.

Collection ID 688
Director: Marco Brambilla
Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Wesley Snipes, Sandra Bullock, Nigel Hawthorne, Benjamin Bratt
Genre: Action, Crime, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Studio: Warner Bros.   Release date: 1993   Rated: R   
Language (Country): English (USA)
Summary: Frozen in 1996, Simon Phoenix, a convicted crime lord, is revived for a parole hearing well into the 21st century. Revived into a society free from crime, Phoenix resumes his murderous rampage, and no one can stop him. John Spartan, the police officer who captured Phoenix in 1996, has also been cryogenically frozen, this time for a crime he did not commit. In 2032, the former cities of Los Angeles, San Diego and Santa Barbara have merged into peaceful, utopian San Angeles. Unable to stop him with their non-violent solutions, the police release Spartan to help recapture Phoenix. Now after 36 years, Spartan has to adapt himself to the future society he has no knowledge about.
My Rating:
My Review: Demolition Man: (1993 - Action, crime, sci-fi) The direction by Marco Brambilla was horrible, but watching a ripped Stallone trade blows with Snipes was a lot of fun. 4 out of 5.

Collection ID 1378
Director: Marco Brambilla
Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Wesley Snipes, Sandra Bullock, Nigel Hawthorne, Benjamin Bratt
Genre: Action, Crime, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Studio: Warner Bros.   Release date: 1993   Rated: R   
Language (Country): English (USA)
Summary: Frozen in 1996, Simon Phoenix, a convicted crime lord, is revived for a parole hearing well into the 21st century. Revived into a society free from crime, Phoenix resumes his murderous rampage, and no one can stop him. John Spartan, the police officer who captured Phoenix in 1996, has also been cryogenically frozen, this time for a crime he did not commit. In 2032, the former cities of Los Angeles, San Diego and Santa Barbara have merged into peaceful, utopian San Angeles. Unable to stop him with their non-violent solutions, the police release Spartan to help recapture Phoenix. Now after 36 years, Spartan has to adapt himself to the future society he has no knowledge about.
My Rating:
My Review: Demolition Man: (1993 - Action, crime, sci-fi) The direction by Marco Brambilla was horrible, but watching a ripped Stallone trade blows with Snipes was a lot of fun. 4 out of 5.

Collection ID 691
Director: Akira Kurosawa
Starring: Maksim Munzuk, Yuri Solomin, Svetlana Danilchenko, Dmitri Korshikov, Suimenkul Chokmorov
Genre: Art House & International
Studio: Kino Video   Release date: 1977   Rated: G   
Language (Country): Russian (Soviet Union, Japan)
Summary: Against a backdrop of the treacherous mountains, rivers and icy plains of the Siberian wilderness, acclaimed Japanese director Akira Kurosawa (The Seven Samurai, Rashomon) stages an extraordinary adventure of comradeship and survival. Winner of the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
My Rating:
My Review: I had no idea (until recently) that this was a remake. Based on a novel (memoirs) by Vladimir Arsenyev, the Soviet film industry produced a film adaptation back in 1961. Unfortunately, that version is not available on DVD, but I would like to see it some day. Pronounced 'Dare-Sue' 'Ooze-ala') Another movie by Akira Kurosawa. Another cinematic masterpiece! Another academy award winner from my favorite director. Written (in part), and directed by Akira Kurosawa, this film was produced in Russia (with the Soviet film industry). This movie tells the tale of a Russian officer leading a group of soldiers through the Siberian wilderness on a survey expedition at the begining of the 20th century. With a native (Dersu Uzala) guide leading the way, they learn the secrets of the forest, come to respect nature, value the native peoples, overcome hardships, form bonds of friendship, and take us with them on a great journey into the unexplored Russian wilderness. Visually breathtaking, the Siberian Wilderness is untouched and beautiful. Watching this movie was more than an adventure, it was also a learning experience for me. As I took notes - Yup, I got five pages of notes, I realized how little I knew about Russia. It's people, the animals, the palces. The exploration of this movie moved me beyond the movie. Quite an experience. The acting was pretty good, the music o.k, but the story is the star here. Survival, friendship, adventure. Wonderful direction and camera work.

Collection ID 1381
Director: Akira Kurosawa
Starring: Maksim Munzuk, Yuri Solomin, Svetlana Danilchenko, Dmitri Korshikov, Suimenkul Chokmorov
Genre: Art House & International
Studio: Kino Video   Release date: 1977   Rated: G   
Language (Country): Russian (Soviet Union, Japan)
Summary: Against a backdrop of the treacherous mountains, rivers and icy plains of the Siberian wilderness, acclaimed Japanese director Akira Kurosawa (The Seven Samurai, Rashomon) stages an extraordinary adventure of comradeship and survival. Winner of the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
My Rating:
My Review: I had no idea (until recently) that this was a remake. Based on a novel (memoirs) by Vladimir Arsenyev, the Soviet film industry produced a film adaptation back in 1961. Unfortunately, that version is not available on DVD, but I would like to see it some day. Pronounced 'Dare-Sue' 'Ooze-ala') Another movie by Akira Kurosawa. Another cinematic masterpiece! Another academy award winner from my favorite director. Written (in part), and directed by Akira Kurosawa, this film was produced in Russia (with the Soviet film industry). This movie tells the tale of a Russian officer leading a group of soldiers through the Siberian wilderness on a survey expedition at the begining of the 20th century. With a native (Dersu Uzala) guide leading the way, they learn the secrets of the forest, come to respect nature, value the native peoples, overcome hardships, form bonds of friendship, and take us with them on a great journey into the unexplored Russian wilderness. Visually breathtaking, the Siberian Wilderness is untouched and beautiful. Watching this movie was more than an adventure, it was also a learning experience for me. As I took notes - Yup, I got five pages of notes, I realized how little I knew about Russia. It's people, the animals, the palces. The exploration of this movie moved me beyond the movie. Quite an experience. The acting was pretty good, the music o.k, but the story is the star here. Survival, friendship, adventure. Wonderful direction and camera work.

Collection ID 1715
Director: Alexander Payne
Starring: George Clooney, Shailene Woodley, Amara Miller, Nick Krause, Patricia Hastie
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Studio: Fox Searchlight Pictures   Release date: 2011   Rated: R   
Language (Country): English (USA)
Summary: Matt King's family has lived in Hawaii for generations. His extended family - namely he and his many cousins - own 25,000 acres of undeveloped land on Kauai held in trust, which ends in seven years. The easiest thing for the family to do is sell the land before the seven years is up, which is all the talk in the state, as, to whom they sell the property could very well change the face of Kauai. Despite the vast wealth that comes with the land, Matt has decided to live solely on what he earns as a Honolulu lawyer. However, Matt has not had a perfect life living in Hawaiian paradise as many believe. He and his wife Elizabeth were having problems in their marriage. She recently got into a boating accident which has placed her in a coma. Their seventeen year old daughter Alex is in boarding school on the big island since they couldn't handle her rebellion, which was made all the worse by an argument of an unknown nature between mother and daughter during Alex's last visit home. And their ...
My Rating:
My Review: A great family drama, directed by Alexander Payne (Election, About Schmidt, Sideways, Paris je t'aime). Starring George Clooney, Shailene Woodley, Amara Miller and others. The best part of this movie is the direction. The story is a typical drama, set in Hawaii (which makes for great location shots) with some excellent acting (for the young cast (not counting Clooney as he's the cornerstone for these emerging young actors). Clooney plays 'Mat King', something of a corporate land deal broker /lawyer who's got ancestral roots going way back in the islands. When his wife ends up in a coma, the family problems come out into the open. Matt doesn't know how to relate to his young daughters, they don't know how to related to him, and then there's the really big issue - His wife was cheating on him, or so he's just learned from his seventeen year old daughter. It's a complicated family drama, punctuated by angst and other feelings. Very well done. Thankfully the direction was handled masterfully, and Clooney does a good job portraying the solid, stoic, anchor of a family in turmoil.