Broken City (Blu-ray / DVD + Digital Copy)

Nothing You Don't See Coming
Broken City (2013) - Russell Crowe (Gladiator, A Beautiful Mind), Mark Wahlberg (Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch, The Fighter), Catherine Zeta-Jones (Chicago, Zorro), Jeffrey Wright (Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace), Kyle Chandler (Super 8, Friday Night Lights)

This is a corruption drama. Mark Wahlberg plays a former cop turned private investigator hired by the Mayor of New York City (Crowe) to investigate the mayor's cheating wife (Zeta-Jones). It's a pretty standard story set against the backdrop of a mayoral race. It proceeds as you would expect - there are very few twists and turns in this paint by the numbers mystery. That said, is it a bad film? No. It's worth watching once - that said, I don't think this is a must have. Everyone gives a solid performance, though some come off a bit more hammy than others (Z-J/R.C. in their "dick measuring" contest scene). If you are a fan of Wahlberg and any of the actors listed, I recommend a rental.

A very entertaining movie that keeps you guessing right up until the end. Very much worth watching, I liked it. I say B+
"If you think you're investigating adultery Mr. Taggart you don't know Nicholas Hostetler very well." Private investigator Billy Taggart (Wahlberg) is struggling to make money. When Mayor Hostetler (Crowe) hires him to follow his wife to see if she is having an affair Billy is offered an amount of money he can't turn down. After his findings lead to a murder Billy isn't sure who to believe anymore. I have to admit that I wasn't all that excited about this movie going in. Not a big Russell Crowe fan and the movie looked a little too generic from the preview. While the movie isn't really anything that new I really did enjoy this and was entertained the entire time. There were enough twists and double-crossing going on that it kept me guessing who was telling the truth the entire time. That to me is the sign of a good movie. This is not a movie that will become a classic or win a bunch of awards but it is very much worth seeing and is very entertaining. I recommend this. Overall, a good...

Less Words Please
A former cop with the New York City Police Department had been double-crossed and framed; seven years later he is hired by the mayor to track a (possibly) unfaithful wife.... Why does this sound so familiar?

...Sigh...There is nothing new in this l-o-n-g (109 minutes) R-rated action-filled mess. Dirty cops, corrupt politicians, unfaithful wives, deadbeat customers, you know the drill. My biggest problem was finding someone I could root for! Maybe that darling secretary? Maybe the lover?

I watched:
* Mark Wahlberg ("The Fighter") is Billy. We want to root for him, but we can't forget those first scenes.
* Russell Crowe ("Les Misérables") is Mayor Hostetler. His phony smile can't disguise that little twitch under his left eye when he is tense.
* Jeffrey Wright ("Source Code") is Police Commissioner Fairbanks, who has me confused: is he clean or is he dirty?
* Catherine Zeta-Jones ("Rock of Ages") is Cathleen, the Mayor's wife. Is...

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The Oranges

Surprisingly pleasant family drama/comedy
"The Oranges" (2012 release; 90 min.) brings the story of two married couples living across the street from each other. There is Terry and Cathy Ostroff (played by Oliver Platt and Allison Janney). Terry and Cathy are best friends with David and Paige Walling (played by Hugh Laurie and Catherine Keener), whose marriage is not going well and whose twenty-something yr. old daughter Vanessa still lives with them. This is in sharp contrast with Terry and Cathy's daughter (and Vanessa's childhood friend) Nina (played by Leighton Meester), who is living "la vida loca" in San Francisco. Things go unexpectedly sour for Nina who, tails between her legs, moves in with her parents. The two families are enjoying their time together, until Nina and David develop a crush on each other (despite their significant age difference). At that point we are about one-third into the movie, and to tell you more of the plot would simply ruin your viewing experience. But as you can well imagine, all kinds of...

Definitely Worth a Look
While this wasn't the greatest movie ever made, it definitely was solid. With a lot of movies I watch, I find myself stopping and starting the DVD every once in awhile as I get distracted by something else. So, for me to watch a movie from start to finish without interruptions is a rarity. This was one of those movies.
The plot is solid and believable, the dialogue is solid and believable, the characters are (for the most part) solid and believable, and the acting is strong from start to finish. Again, definitely "worth a look."
No real weaknesses anywhere, which sounds like "faint praise," but really isn't, because so many movies these days have glaring weaknesses. So it really is nice to watch a movie that doesn't have any weak spots - makes it very enjoyable and satisfying to watch.

IT'S NOT ABOUT BEING HAPPY
This is another feel good, feel awkward, sometimes humorous indie. The beginning of the film establishes the characters of the six main players. Two families are best friends. They do everything together, but not all is well. David Walling (Hugh Laurie) has been sleeping on the couch. His daughter Vanessa (Alia Shawkat) does some first person narration. Growing up she was best friends with Nina (Leighton Meester) who is part of the second family. Unlike Vanessa, Nina is a free spirit and Vanessa sees her as the antagonist.

Nina breaks up with her boyfriend and comes home for Thanksgiving after two years. The parents hope to fix her up with Toby Walling (Adam Brody), but Nina has suddenly developed a taste for older men, older married men who sleep on the couch. They are quickly discovered and the film goes into a mild disaster mode with crude comments from Nina's mom (Allison Janney) and snarky remarks from the hurt Vanessa.

The film had some funny parts, but for...

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The Verdict [Blu-ray]

Newman's Best Work
During the first 25 years of his career, Paul Newman played characters who were confident and self-assured. Being a great actor, Newman was always able to infuse his characters with frailties and vulnerabilities that made them well-rounded and three dimensional. From Rocky Graziano to Cool Hand Luke to Doug Roberts (The Towering Inferno), Newman played self-confident characters who were strong and took charge of a situation. Perhaps this lack of frailty is the reason why Newman was able to play much younger characters well into his 50's (in 1981's Absence of Malice, the audience fully accepted that the then 56 year old Newman could be romantically involved with the then 35 year old Sally Field).

In The Verdict, however, Newman is almost shocking in his hesitancy and self doubt. As attorney Frank Galvin, life has beaten him down so much, he seems like a man far older than his years who is afraid to do anything for fear that tragedy and bad luck will once again crush him. For...

A Monumental Cinematic Treasure
THE VERDICT may date back to 1982, but few courtroom films since then can come close to matching the powerful production in this near perfect film written by David Mamet and directed with tension, grit, and tenderness by Sidney Lumet. Paul Newman's performance as the alcoholic has-been lawyer called upon to try a case of medical malpractice is one of the finest acting performances in history. He is more than ably abetted by his sidekick Jack Warden. The lawyer for the defense is the haughty and evil James Mason and the real surprise in the cast is Milo O'Shea in a terrifyingly real role of a smarmy Judge. Charlotte Rampling, still one of today's finest actresses, plays the understated love interest. Minor roles become major when they are in the hands of such gifted actors as Lindsay Crouse and Julia Bravasso. But one unsung hero of this fine film is the cinematographer who manages to make every shot appear like a Renaissance painting, so sensitive is he to light and shadow and...

Paul Newman's Finest Performance, in Tale of Redemption...
In a career of unforgettable portrayals, "The Verdict" stands as Paul Newman's pinnacle; as a shattered idealistic lawyer, on an alcoholic road to self-destruction, finding a chance at redemption, he is absolutely perfect. With respect to Ben Kingsley, Newman SHOULD have won the 'Best Actor' Oscar in 1982!

Directed by Sidney Lumet, from a remarkably candid screenplay by David Mamet, this is a film that never makes a wrong step. Newman's 'Frank Galvin' is not heroic, or even likable, in the film's opening scenes, but he finds, in a simple malpractice suit, an injustice so blatant that he sees an opportunity to redeem himself...but he'll have to defeat a rich, duplicitous law firm (headed by legendary James Mason), argue before an indifferent judge (Milo O'Shea), and, worst of all, face betrayal from within his tiny circle of friends, if he has any hope of rising out of his personal 'hell'.

With a superb cast, including the remarkable Jack Warden as his...

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The Ultimate War Blu-ray Bundle (The Great Escape, Patton, Tora Tora Tora, Twelve O'Clock High, The Longest Day)

Ultimate WWII Blu-Ray Bundle
This is a bundle of five war movies. Each of these films deal with the second World War, including major events such as D-Day and the attack on Pearl Harbor. Together, the five films would give a decent experience of what the war was like from multiple points of view. Of course, we should be cautious about turning to movies to get our factual history of the war... but these films are an entertaining way to appreciate what an event like WWII meant for our country, our soldiers, our allies, our adversaries, and our world.

Now, these films are older, so they aren't necessarily going to have the same level of spectacle as more recent films like "Saving Private Ryan" or "Pearl Harbor". But they have just as much heart, and there are a variety of fantastic performances across the five films.

Please note that this is not a box set, it is just the five movies sold together - each movie comes in its own separate blu-ray case. If you're a fan of these films, then...

Awesome!
Great bundle! We loved all the movies, especially 12 o'clock high. It makes a great "war movie weekend", just make sure to get some popcorn!

The Ultimate War Blu-ray Bundle.
This is one of the best specials I have ever bought (I bought 3 each of these) @ around $35.00 at the time I received an email stating the % off. You can never go wrong with these War movies (some of the best ever made) in Blu-ray. I believe it is around $120.00 now.

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