Collection ID 84
Director: Ron Howard
Starring: Alden Ehrenreich, Joonas Suotamo, Woody Harrelson, Emilia Clarke, Donald Glover
Genre: Action, Adventure, Science Fiction
Studio: Lucasfilm   Release date: 2018   Rated: PG-13   
Language (Country): English (USA)
Summary: With the emerging demand of hyperfuel and other resources, Han Solo finds himself in the middle of a heist alongside other criminals, where they meet the likes of Chewbacca and Lando Calrissian in an adventurous situation exposing the criminal underworld.
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Collection ID 62
Director: Howard Deutch
Starring: Eric Stoltz, Mary Stuart Masterson, Lea Thompson, Craig Sheffer, John Ashton
Genre: Drama
Studio: Hughes Entertainment   Release date: 1987   Rated: PG-13   
Language (Country): English, French (USA)
Summary: A young tomboy, Watts, finds her feelings for her best friend, Keith, run deeper than just friendship when he gets a date with the most popular girl in school. Unfortunately, the girl's old boyfriend, who is from the rich section of town, is unable to let go of her, and plans to get back at Keith.
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My Review: A classic 80s film from writer-producer John Hughes (Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, Pretty In Pink) and director Howard Deutch (The Replacements, Pretty In Pink). The story. Keith (Eric Stoltz) and Watts (Mary Stuart Masterson) are best friends from working class families. When Keith falls for a girl on the wrong side of the tracks (Lea Thompson), it takes him places his heart has never been, and opens his eyes to the reality his been ignoring. A fantastic if somewhat simple teen romance. The casting was outstanding and the editing excellent. The best part about this movie, like so many of John Hughes' films - The characters. Easily recognizable, intimately identifiable and highly believable. Somehow, whenever I watch his movies, I always find myself identifying with the characters. Another bonus? The soundtrack. An 80s soundtrack from some less than stellar names, yet perfectly matched to the story being told. I give it a 5 out of 5.

Collection ID 846
Director: Howard Deutch
Starring: Eric Stoltz, Mary Stuart Masterson, Lea Thompson, Craig Sheffer, John Ashton
Genre: Drama, Romance
Studio: Hughes Entertainment   Release date: 1987   Rated:   
Language (Country): English (USA)
Summary: A young tomboy, Watts, finds her feelings for her best friend, Keith, run deeper than just friendship when he gets a date with the most popular girl in school. Unfortunately, the girl's old boyfriend, who is from the rich section of town, is unable to let go of her, and plans to get back at Keith.
My Rating:
My Review: A classic 80s film from writer-producer John Hughes (Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, Pretty In Pink) and director Howard Deutch (The Replacements, Pretty In Pink). The story. Keith (Eric Stoltz) and Watts (Mary Stuart Masterson) are best friends from working class families. When Keith falls for a girl on the wrong side of the tracks, it takes him places his heart has never been, and opens his eyes to the reality his been ignoring. A fantastic if somewhat simple teen romance. The casting was outstanding and the editing excellent. The best part about this movie, like so many of John Hughes' films - The characters. Easily recognizable, intimately identifiable and highly believable. Somehow, whenever I watch his movies, Another bonus? The soundtrack. An 80s soundtrack from some less than stellar names, yet perfectly matched to the story being told. I give it a 5 out of 5.

Collection ID 89
Director: Ridley Scott
Starring: Tom Berenger, Mimi Rogers, Lorraine Bracco, Jerry Orbach, John Rubinstein
Genre: Action
Studio: Columbia Pictures Corporation   Release date: 1987   Rated: R   
Language (Country): German, English, French, Italian, Spanish (USA)
Summary: In Queens, Mike Keegan is celebrating with his wife Ellie, his son Tommy and friends his recent promotion to detective in a precinct in Manhattan. Meanwhile, in a fancy club, the socialite Claire Gregory witnesses the murder of the owner of the place by the powerful mobster Joey Venza. Mike is assigned to protect her in the night shift in her apartment in Manhattan. When Venza threatens Claire, the contact of Mike with Claire gets closer and conflicts him, dividing between the love for his family and the heat passion for Claire and the fascination for her world.
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My Review: Someone to watch over me is a dramatic thriller directed by Ridley Scott. While the direction was very good, the writing was lackluster and the acting sub-par. The story: (spoiler) Wealthy upper-class trophy wife (Clair Gregory - played by Mimi Rogers?) witnesses a murder. Unfortunately for her, the murderer is a well connected criminal (Joey Venza - Played by Andreas Katsulas?). The police assign protection - a 'bodyguard'. The bodyguard (Mike Keegan - played by Tom Berenger) is married, but falls in love with the victim. There are threats on Clair's life. That brings plenty of action into the movie. There's plenty of social tension as the bodyguard's family life implodes. Unfortunately, the story lacks any twists or unexpected turns. Tom Berenger was the only actor worth noting, and his range isn't all that great. If it wasn't for the direction, this would have been an amazing dud. The editing and pacing created excellent flow and tension. I give it a 3 out of 5.

Collection ID 878
Director: Ridley Scott
Starring: Tom Berenger, Mimi Rogers, Lorraine Bracco, Jerry Orbach, John Rubinstein
Genre: Action
Studio: Columbia Pictures Corporation   Release date: 1987   Rated: R   
Language (Country): German, English, French, Italian, Spanish (USA)
Summary: In Queens, Mike Keegan is celebrating with his wife Ellie, his son Tommy and friends his recent promotion to detective in a precinct in Manhattan. Meanwhile, in a fancy club, the socialite Claire Gregory witnesses the murder of the owner of the place by the powerful mobster Joey Venza. Mike is assigned to protect her in the night shift in her apartment in Manhattan. When Venza threatens Claire, the contact of Mike with Claire gets closer and conflicts him, dividing between the love for his family and the heat passion for Claire and the fascination for her world.
My Rating:
My Review: Someone to watch over me is a dramatic thriller directed by Ridley Scott. While the direction was very good, the writing was lackluster and the acting sub-par. The story: (spoiler) Wealthy upper-class trophy wife (Clair Gregory - played by Mimi Rogers?) witnesses a murder. Unfortunately for her, the murderer is a well connected criminal (Joey Venza - Played by Andreas Katsulas?). The police assign protection - a 'bodyguard'. The bodyguard (Mike Keegan - played by Tom Berenger) is married, but falls in love with the victim. There are threats on Clair's life. That brings plenty of action into the movie. There's plenty of social tension as the bodyguard's family life implodes. Unfortunately, the story lacks any twists or unexpected turns. Tom Berenger was the only actor worth noting, and his range isn't all that great. If it wasn't for the direction, this would have been an amazing dud. The editing and pacing created excellent flow and tension. I give it a 3 out of 5.

Collection ID 615.5
Director: Andrea Chia, Jerry Henry
Starring:
Genre: Short
Studio: Cactus Eyelash   Release date: 2005   Rated:   
Language (Country): English (USA)
Summary: New parents Jerry and Andrea have endured their fair share of discrimination growing up. They hope their new son can grow up identifying as something other than "other". 'Something Other than OTher' examines the question of racial identity from the parents of a multi-racial child.
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Collection ID 1314.5
Director: Andrea Chia, Jerry Henry
Starring:
Genre: Short
Studio: Cactus Eyelash   Release date: 2005   Rated:   
Language (Country): English (USA)
Summary: New parents Jerry and Andrea have endured their fair share of discrimination growing up. They hope their new son can grow up identifying as something other than "other". 'Something Other than OTher' examines the question of racial identity from the parents of a multi-racial child.
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Collection ID 624
Director: Takeshi Kitano
Starring: Tadanobu Asano, Takeshi Kitano
Genre: Action & Adventure
Studio: Miramax   Release date: 1998   Rated: R   
Language (Country): Japanese (Japan)
Summary: ZATOICHI: THE BLIND SWORDSMAN stars Japanese screen legend Beat Takeshi in an action-packed, award-winning film that has been compared to "Kill Bill Volume One." SONATINE also stars Beat Takeshi in a fast and furious gangland thriller with an edgy "Pulp Fiction" attitude. Both of these films include bonus DVD features, including an introduction to SONATINE by Quentin Tarantino, acclaimed director of such film favorites as "Pulp Fiction" and "Kill Bill" Volumes One and Two.
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My Review: Usually, I'm not much of a fan for the violent Japanese gangster genre. However, this is an exception to the genre, an exception to my sensibilities and an exceptional film. At first it appears as if I'm about to be subjected to a stylized gangster movie with stereotyped characters, a typical plot of gangster tit-for-tat turf wars, and poor direction (aka John Woo style). However, that's not what happened. While the movie starts out that way, the characters start evolving, developing before your eyes. The plot coalesces into something that's off the beaten track, and the direction turns into an outstanding effort. At the begining of this movie, I could care less about the stone faced Japanese Yakuza killers who form the focal point of the movie. As the plot begins to diverge from the typical beaten track, the characters start coming into focus. With direction that punctuates the mundane with absurd, we're drawn into the personal worlds of the characters. Instead of focusing on an inane gangland style conflict, the story focuses on the characters. The result, a group of characters that feel so real that you actually begin to feel for them by the end of the movie. Another success for the Japanese Director: Takeshi 'Beat' Tikano.

Collection ID 1323
Director: Takeshi Kitano
Starring: Tadanobu Asano, Takeshi Kitano
Genre: Action & Adventure
Studio: Miramax   Release date: 1998   Rated: R   
Language (Country): Japanese (Japan)
Summary: ZATOICHI: THE BLIND SWORDSMAN stars Japanese screen legend Beat Takeshi in an action-packed, award-winning film that has been compared to "Kill Bill Volume One." SONATINE also stars Beat Takeshi in a fast and furious gangland thriller with an edgy "Pulp Fiction" attitude. Both of these films include bonus DVD features, including an introduction to SONATINE by Quentin Tarantino, acclaimed director of such film favorites as "Pulp Fiction" and "Kill Bill" Volumes One and Two.
My Rating:
My Review: Usually, I'm not much of a fan for the violent Japanese gangster genre. However, this is an exception to the genre, an exception to my sensibilities and an exceptional film. At first it appears as if I'm about to be subjected to a stylized gangster movie with stereotyped characters, a typical plot of gangster tit-for-tat turf wars, and poor direction (aka John Woo style). However, that's not what happened. While the movie starts out that way, the characters start evolving, developing before your eyes. The plot coalesces into something that's off the beaten track, and the direction turns into an outstanding effort. At the begining of this movie, I could care less about the stone faced Japanese Yakuza killers who form the focal point of the movie. As the plot begins to diverge from the typical beaten track, the characters start coming into focus. With direction that punctuates the mundane with absurd, we're drawn into the personal worlds of the characters. Instead of focusing on an inane gangland style conflict, the story focuses on the characters. The result, a group of characters that feel so real that you actually begin to feel for them by the end of the movie. Another success for the Japanese Director: Takeshi 'Beat' Tikano.

Collection ID 768
Director: Duncan Jones
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan, Vera Farmiga, Jeffrey Wright, Michael Arden
Genre: Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Studio: Vendome Pictures   Release date: 2011   Rated: PG-13   
Language (Country): English (USA, Canada)
Summary: Colter Stevens, a US Army helicopter pilot whose last memory is flying in Afghanistan, wakes up on a commuter train. However, he discovers that he has assumed the identity of another man. 8 minutes later, the train explodes and Stevens finds himself in some kind of pod. He then talks to someone named Goodwin, who tells him he has to go back and find out who the bomber is. He is sent back to go through the whole thing again and attempts to find who the bomber is but fails. The bomb goes off and Stevens finds himself in the pod again. He is sent back another time, yet still cannot find out anything. When he returns, he asks what is going on. Goodwin and Rutledge, the scientist in charge, tell him that he is part of a project that can put someone in another person's consciousness during the last 8 minutes of their life. Stevens then asks why he cannot just stop the bomb. He is told that he is not going back in time but placed in the moment so he can find out who the bomber is and if ...
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My Review: Source Code - 2011 (Mystery, sci-fi, thriller) Kim and I had a 'Date Night' the other day. Twice in as many weeks, you'd think we were trying to set a record or something. One movie was on both our lists, so the choice wasn't all that difficult. This movie featured an excellent cast (Jake Gyllenhaal and Vera Farmiga) and a story line that was right up my alley. The story is quite unique. Colter Steven (played by Jake Gyllenhaal) is a member of the military, part of a super secret team fighting terrorists. This team combats terrorism using a rather interesting weapon - Time Travel. Colter has been recruited to work on this super secret team, and he's doing his best to find the man responsible for the slaughter of hundreds of people packed into a commuter train as it makes its way across the american countryside. If Jake and the team can't stop this terrorist, his next target will be far more dangerous, devastating, and 'dirty'. Can time travel change the present? Or will Captain Colter be doomed to repeat this 'no-win' scenario for all eternity? An awesome mind-bending plot with parallel dimensions and time travel plastered all over it. A sci-fi, mystery with excellent writing, editing, direction and technical detail. I loved it so much I bought a copy. 5 out of 5.