Blue Ray Movies

The Ghost Writer (Single-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo)

When a gifted ghostwriter (Ewan McGregor) is hired to write the memoirs of former British Prime Minister Adam Lang (Pierce Brosnan), he quickly finds himself trapped in a web of political and sexual intrigue. Lang is implicated in a scandal over his administration’s harsh tactics, and as the ghostwriter digs into the politician’s past, he discovers secrets that threaten to jeopardize international relations forever. Co-starring Olivia Williams and Kim Cattrall, it is a taut and shocking thriller from acclaimed director Roman Polanski (The Pianist).

DVD Features;
An Interview with Roman Polanski,
The Ghost Writer: Fiction or Reality?,
The Cast of The Ghost WriterOscar-winning director Roman Polanksi (The Pianist) teams up with author-screenwriter Robert Harris (Enigma) for this twisty political thriller. Ewan McGregor plays an unnamed ghostwriter who signs on to pen the memoirs of former British prime minister Adam Lang (Pierce Brosnan). The money is good, but there’s a catch: the ghost’s predecessor perished under mysterious circumstances (his body washed up on the shore in an apparent suicide). Being the adventurous sort, the ghost puts that information aside and travels to Lang’s austere compound on Martha’s Vineyard, where he meets Lang’s efficient personal secretary, Amelia (Kim Cattrall, good but for an inconsistent accent), and acerbic wife, Ruth (An Education’s Olivia Williams). Just as he’s wading through Lang’s dull text, the PM’s ex-cabinet minister accuses him of handing over suspected terrorists to the CIA, fully aware that torture would be on the agenda. The next thing the ghost knows, he’s working for a possible war criminal, and the deeper he digs, the more convinced he becomes that Lang is lying about his past. After exchanging a few words with a sharp-eyed old man (Eli Wallach) and a tight-lipped professor (Tom Wilkinson), he realizes his life may also be at risk. Then, while Lang hits the road to proclaim his innocence, the ghost gets to know Ruth better–much better. If the conclusion feels a little glib, Polanksi tightens the screws with skill, McGregor enjoys his best role in years, and Williams proves she’s fully prepared to carry a movie of her own. –Kathleen C. Fennessy

User Ratings and Reviews

1 Stars I am starting to believe that there is a conspiracy…..
I’ve now rented a number of movies that did not do well at the box office, but got amazing and rave reviews from amazon customers.

This movie was horrible. Terriby story points and dialogue “I don’t stay with clients so I can keep a professional distance.” Then he sleeps with the guys wife just because he got in his bed. He’s on the phone with someone he doesn’t know after being chased by unknown assailants, and is told not to give the person on the phone any details about where he is, then they ask him for the room number and he gives it! He tells someone he’s a novelist, not an investigative reporter, then goes on to search for clues - literally on a bike in a storm. Really? Seriously?

About being paranoid that there is a conspiracy…. I had someone tell me, just because I’m paranoid, doesn’t mean that they’re not after me….

1 Stars Pity
The Ghost Writer is a propaganda film by Roman Polanski in the form of a triller. The film makes two points: one is that the CIA and the USA are ruthless, evil and criminal; and the other that the British Prime Minister is a CIA plant since his early twenties. Were it not for the PM doing the CIA’s bidding, Britain would not have been America’s ally in foreign policy matters, including the Missile Defense Initiative.

Although the premise that a top government official is a plant and working against his own country is interesting, the persistent CIA/USA bashing gets tiresome. The acting is OK, there is some suspense, but it is not a clever story. The CIA is clever enough to control a country’s leader and thus, policy, yet their agents can be found on Google. There are other very dumb things. There is no escaping the feeling that Polanski, who co-wrote the screenplay with Harris, hates America and will use his position to brainwash people.

4 Stars A great movie to watch!
This is a spy movie for adults, and one of the best I ever saw. That being said, this is a mixed review, because while I would not have missed seeing this movie once, I would not want to own it. The movie is a masterpiece of intrigue and atmosphere. It lacks the cheap attention getters of wild car chases, excessive foul language, needless bloody gore, and over blown, explicit sex scenes that have nothing to do with the story, for which I am very grateful. I won’t deal with the details of the plot, as other reviewers have gone into it, and both the positive and negative reviews describe the story very well. The story moves our hero, the ghostwriter, through an entire series of events, as he starts out investigating the unexpected death of the writer who had the job before him. He discovers a huge conpiracy involving the CIA, British politics, CIA sleeper agents, America placing British leaders in their postions of power, and making sure that anyone who gets in the way meets a bad end. (Personally, I think that if the CIA was really this good at their jobs, we would not be in the world state that we are in right now.) The plot is interesting and involving, and draws the watcher into it, along with the hero. You have the feeling that this could really happen to any ordinary person, to you, or someone you know. The ghostwriter finds himself swept up into events far too large for him to deal with, leaving him with no one he can trust or turn to. What is disturbing is that he is the only character in the story with good intentions. Everybody else either has their own agenda or doesn’t give a damn. Unfortunately the ghostwriter tries his best to do the right thing, and his good intentions get him killed in the end. That’s a little too close to reality for my comfort. Although I did not really like the ending, it fit the flow of the story and gave added dramatic impact to the story. VERY well worth watching, but it would not be a favorite that I would watch often.

3 Stars Bleak
The film had a good tension level, and opened well and held my interest, but at a certain point I found it to be rather bleak, somewhat flat, with a poor ending. I thought Polanski could have done much, much better.

2 Stars Left-wing fantasy piece
Somehow the British creative class have convinced themselves that the former labor Prime Minister, Tony Blair, overwhelmingly popular and elected twice, was some sort of lapdog for President Bush. Probably closer to the other way round. In fact, the American CIA was no lapdog of the former president, and never missed an opportunity to publicly undermine his policies, including issuing a ludicrous National Intelligence Estimate in 2007 arguing that Iran had suspended its nuclear weapons program in 2003 and had probably not restarted it.

The fever-swamp fantasy that Blair was Bush’s lapdog forms the basis of this leaden “thriller” from child-rapist Roman Polanski. Even in my flu-addled condition, I could see the big plot twist coming about half an hour before the ghost writer figured it out, by googling and by finding a poorly hidden cipher in a manuscript. I’m sorry, but this was not a good movie on any level. To make matters worse, they had Brits playing Americans, and Americans playing Brits, none of which worked. This would be a turkey even if the politics weren’t so wrong.

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Seems like Toshiba bit off more Blu-ray 3D than it could chew this year -- the Japanese firm's just announced that the new BDX3100KB will be its first set-top stereoscopic player, never mind the BDX3000 it announced at CES . Still, we're willing to forgive and forget if the new machine (replete with DivX and MKV playback, Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 surround, and instant playback of ...

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Time Bandits [Blu-ray]

Young Kevins daydreams burst into astonishing and hilarious life when a band of time-traveling little men come crashing through his bedroom wardrobe and carry him off on an unbelievable crime spree, weaving through the greatest and strangest moments of history. The pint-sized plunderers filch from a neurotic Napoleon (Ian Holm), a dim-witted Robin Hood (John Cleese) and a heroic King Agamemnon (Sean Connery), leading to a showdown with the dark forces of Evil (David Warner)…all while keeping just one precarious step ahead of the wrath of The Supreme Being himself!Producer/Director/Co-writer Terry Gilliam (Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Brazil) teams with many of his comic-genius cohorts from Monty Python to bring this laugh-out-loud modern fairy tale-adventure to life.

User Ratings and Reviews

4 Stars First reactions while viewing TIME BANDITS: It’s amazingly well-produced
The historic locations are jammed with character and detail. This is the only live-action movie I’ve seen that literally looks like pages out of Heavy Metal magazine, with kings and swordsmen and wide-eyed little boys and fearsome beasts. But the movie’s repetitive, monotonous in the midst of all this activity. Basically, it’s just a kid and six dwarfs racing breathlessly through one set piece after another, shouting at one another. I walked out of the screening in an unsettled state of mind. When the lights go up, I’m usually fairly certain whether or not I’ve seen a good movie. But my reaction to TIME BANDITS was ambiguous. I had great admiration for what was physically placed on the screen; this movie is worth seeing just to watch. But I was disappointed by the breathless way the dramatic scenes were handled and by a breakneck pace that undermined the most important element of comedy, which is timing.

TIME BANDITS is the expensive fantasy by Terry Gilliam, one of the resident geniuses of Monty Python’s Flying Circus. It is not a Monty Python film. It begins with a little boy who goes up to bed one night and is astonished, as we all would be, when a horseman gallops through his bedroom wall and he is in the middle of a pitched battle. Before long, the little kid has joined up with a band of six intrepid dwarfs, and they’ve embarked on an odyssey through history. The dwarfs, it appears, have gained possession of a map that gives the location of several holes in time–holes they can pop through in order to drop in on the adventures of Robin Hood, Napoleon, and King Agamemnon, and to sail on the Titanic’s maiden voyage.

As a plot gimmick, this sets up TIME BANDITS for a series of comic set pieces as in Mel Brooks’s HISTORY OF THE WORLD–PART 1. But TIME BANDITS isn’t revue-style comedy. It’s more of a whimsical, fantastic excursion through all those times and places, and all of its events are seen through the wondering eyes of a child. That’s where the superb art direction comes in–inspired work by production designer Milly Burns and costume designer Jim Acheson. I’ve rarely, if ever, seen a live-action movie that looks more like an artist’s conception. And yet, admiring all of these good things (and I might also mention several of the performances), I nevertheless left the screening with muted enthusiasm. The movie was somehow all on the same breathless, nonstop emotional level, like an overlong Keystone Kops chase. It didn’t pause to savor its delights, except right near the end, when Sir Ralph Richardson lingered lovingly over a walk-on as the Supreme Being. I had to sort things out. And I was helped enormously in that process by the review of TIME BANDITS by Stanley Kauffmann in The New Republic. He describes the film, unblinkingly, as a “children’s movie.” Of course.

There have been so many elaborate big-budget fantasies in recent years, from RAIDERS to SUPERMAN to CLASH OF THE TITANS, that we’ve come to assume that elaborate costume fantasies are aimed at the average eighteen-year-old filmgoer who is trying to recapture his adolescence. These movies have a level of (limited) sophistication and wickedness that is missing in TIME BANDITS. But perhaps TIME BANDITS does work best as just simply a movie for kids. I ran it through my mind that way, wondering how a kid would respond to the costumes, the panoply, the explosions, the horses and heroic figures, and, of course, the breathless, nonstop pacing. And I decided that a kid would like it just fine. I’m not sure that’s what Gilliam had in mind, but it allows me to recommend the movie–with reservations, but also with admiration.

5 Stars It’s not by Sean Connery. It’s by Terry Gilliam
movie was in terrific shape. want a review of the movie? why trust me on that? watch it yourself.

5 Stars Time Bandits: a children’s film
I LOVE this movie. I first saw it in the theatre when I was 5 years old. God knows what my parents were thinking when they took my sister and I to see it–I KNOW it wasn’t what they were expecting. I, being 5, had no expectations, and was able to just go with it (though I still cringe when Vermin bites into the rat). I always loved the Evil Genius; he was so incompetent and petulant, he could never be really scary, and you can tell David Warner is having a great time playing him.

Though it can drag here and there (the Agamemnon section is my least favorite part), I have very fond memories of watching it as a child. I always see something “new”, every time I watch it. Plus, it was, in a way, my introduction to Monty Python–you can’t beat that.

The DVD is pretty cool; I like the photo gallery, and all the little bits and extras. Though it is informative (Jonathan Pryce was Gilliam’s first choice to play Evil; and I love the bit where Gilliam expresses his disdain for child actors), my gripe about the commentary is, all the actors and Gilliam are recorded on separate tracks–there is no sitting in a room and interacting, here.

I recommend this highly for any fans of Monty Python, or of Terry Gilliam’s work as a director–or to anyone looking for a truly offbeat “children’s movie” for ages 6 and up.

5 Stars Time Bandits VHS purchase
The product arrived in a timely manner and even better condition than described…even the box was like new. I would definitely do business with this seller again in a heartbeat!

5 Stars Time Bandits VHS
I bought this VHS tape as an addition to my collection of videos that I can show to my Grandchildren. It is a fun movie that should be seen by all! It is one of those movies that you can watch over and over again!

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In December the 3D version of the "Avatar" Blu-ray disc will be made available exclusively to purchasers of Panasonic 3D plasma TVs.

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La Mission [Blu-ray]

Set in the colorful, seedy streets of the San Francisco district that bears its name, La MISSION is a haunting story of healing and transformation: the healing of a broken man, of a father s relationship with his son, and of a neighborhood struggling to break the chains of violence.For this affecting labor of love, Peter Bratt focuses on a Latino widower with rigid views on masculinity. A bus driver covered in tattoos, Che Rivera (the filmmaker’s brother, Benjamin Bratt) lives in San Francisco’s Mission District with his son, Jes (Jeremy Ray Valdez). A recovering alcoholic who customizes low-riders on the side, Che takes pride in the high school senior’s academic achievements, but he doesn’t take kindly to homosexuals–and has no clue about Jes’s secret life until he finds the photographic evidence. As expected, he gets upset, but Jes’s insulting defense only makes matters worse and leads Che to kick him out. While Jes stays with relatives until things cool down, Che tries to resist the bottle, but word travels fast in a close-knit community, and the personal becomes political when bullies hassle the Riveras, leaving Che to consider revenge. Lena (the radiant Erika Alexander), a concerned neighbor who works at a women’s shelter, tries to help father and son mend fences, but there’s only so much she can do. She’s also interested in Che, and he in her, but their personalities present a more significant obstacle than race or culture. In less adept hands, La Mission could’ve become a preachy soap opera, but despite a few creaky plot mechanics, Bratt’s attention to detail ensures that his characters register more as sympathetic individuals than stereotypes. He’s aided in his efforts by strong performances, flavorful old-school funk, and camera work that celebrates the beauty of a rapidly gentrifying region. –Kathleen C. Fennessy

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Powerful. well-acted film is a must-see!
“La Mission” refers to the Mission District of San Francisco, home to Che (Benjamin Bratt) and his 17 year old son Jesse (Jeremy Ray Valdez). Che is a macho, reformed ex-convict and recovered alcoholic who raised Jesse alone, after the death of his mother when he was very young. He works as a city bus driver, and lives for his hobby of restoring old car, turning them into “low riders” he takes cruising with his friends on weekend nights.

Jesse is a good boy, and a good student, planning to attend UCLA in the fall. He is also gay, a secret he has kept from his father and extended family, and has been dating a young man from a wealthy family. When Che finds photos of the two of them together, Jesse is initially thrown out of the house, and goes to live with his uncle, who tries to get the stubborn Che to reconcile with him. Che goes on a self-destructive binge, perhaps believing God is punishing him for his earlier misdeeds. Ultimately, fate forces Che to examine his reactions and attitudes, remembering that family and his son were once so important to him.

An emotionally devastating film, “La Mission” paints a realistic portrait of the knee-jerk reactions of many lower-class Latino men to homosexuality, as well as the clash between traditional values and modern realizations. The film also features a unique musical score, ranging from Aztec folk music to some great, mellow classic R&B. The acting is first rate, especially Bratt, young Valdez, and Erika Alexander as Lena, Che’s African-American neighbor who tries to make him realize what he is risking to lose. Absolutely a “don’t miss” film, with 5 low-rider stars out of 5.

5 Stars A Great Movie with outstanding performances!
I am glad that I watched this movie on the recommendation of a friend. A great movie with a whole lot of substance. This movie is as real as it gets. Benjamin Bratt did an outstanding job in playing a father who struggles with his personal demons of alcoholism and anger management as well as learning of his son’s sexual preference. This film dealt with a lot of the day by day issues facing many of us today. An enlightening movie. This movie will official become part of my personal collection. A movie that I will certainly watch again.

5 Stars Great film!
This is in my top 10 movies of the decade! Very thought-provoking movie and deeply real movie that I can’t wait to see again.

5 Stars Raw, Real, Unwilling to Sell Out: A Fine Film
Writer/director Peter Bratt had the choice in LA MISSION to make a film about the Hispanic culture in San Francisco’s Mission district to create a predictable imitation of life or a sensitive study of a culture with all of its beauty and with all of its problems: gratefully he took the latter. This is a film bursting with fantastic color from the inimitable clash of pigments used for the interiors of the homes of this culture to the fantasyland carefully restored old cars painted with religious and emotional scenes - the proud mark of the Low Riders - and the street celebrations full of lust and glamour and the intoxicating foods and dance. But it is also an internal film dealing with such realities as alcoholism, prison time, single parenting problems, pride in a child’s educational and athletic achievements - and the delicate issue of responding to the presence of same sex relationships. It is a banquet of delights and problems that Bratt handles magnificently well.

Che Rivera (Benjamin Bratt in a role that defines his fine acting abilities) has served time in prison, is an Alcoholics Anonymous member, and since his wife’s death early in their marriage is the loving father of his well-educated and well-loved son Jesse (Jeremy Ray Valdez, in a role that should mark him for an important career). Che works hard as a bus driver, spends his free time restoring old cars to ride every Friday evening - ’slow, low riding through the streets of San Francisco’s Mission neighborhood’. His family includes Rene (Jesse Borrego) and Ana (Talisa Soto) who share as much pride in Jess as Che: their only son was born with a cardiac defect that has made them more sensitive to the differences in children. Che has only one problem: Jesse is gay and has a boyfriend Jordan (Max Rosenak) and the discovery of Jesse secret life destroys Che image of his family and of himself. A neighbor Lena (Erika Alexander) befriends Jesse and eventually Che and Lena are draw together over a tragedy that occurs: Jesse is shot by a homophobic fellow student, forcing Che to face his own demons and begin to understand his son more fully. The excellent way in which Bratt handles these major crossroad confrontations is written and directed and acted with such sensitivity - nothing occurs as expected and everyone maintains dignity - a very difficult range of emotions to handle.

The entire cast is excellent, the dialogue is spicy, the characters are well conceived, the particular gifts of Erika Alexander as a woman with a history of abuse who is devoting her life to working in a women’s shelter who allows her physical needs to be met while maintaining her ownership of a wise woman of experience are extremely well utilized, and this film offers a platform deserving of the talent of Benjamin Bratt and Jeremy Ray Valdez. It is a tough story told with great sensitivity and truth. Hiro Narita’s cinematography and Mark Kilian’s musical score round out this very fine achievement in cinematic art. Grady Harp, August 10

5 Stars What A Shocker!!!
I avoided this movie like the plague. One day I was waiting for someone and I had to kill a couple of hours so I went across the street to my local movie theater. Being that I had already seen everything -and my personal rule against double dipping at the movie theater- I decided to give something new a chance. I am so glad I did. “La Mission ” was a really good movie. It’s a shame that it was so good, because I was the only person in the theater watching it. This movie is about acceptance, it’s about racial tolerance, tolerance of sexual preference, family and tradition. The dramatic elements are moving, tear jerking and powerful. The father son dynamic is very touching. The point is that the father loved his son, even if he couldn’t accept his son. Wow, I could go on forever. This was truly a fantastic movie, no wonder Benjamin Bratt was pushing it so hard, everyone needs to see this. Im glad I did. This is a movie about a gay teenager coming out to his parent.

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