Collection ID 432
Director: Ronald F. Maxwell
Starring: Tom Berenger, Martin Sheen, Stephen Lang, Jeff Daniels, Richard Jordan
Genre: Drama
Studio: TriStar Television   Release date: 1993   Rated: PG   
Language (Country): English (USA)
Summary: In 1863, the Northern and Southern forces fight at Gettysburg in the decisive battle of the American Civil War.
My Rating:
My Review: Screenplay and direction by Ron Maxwell (based on a novel (The Killer Angels) by Michael Shaara. Starring Tom Berenger, Martin Sheen, Stephen Lang, and many others. This epic (director's cut = 271 minutes) film includes some battle scenes that were actually filmed inside the Gettysburg Battlefield national military park. The film was originally designed as a made-for-tv miniseries, but ABC producers didn't pick it up. Instead Ted Turner (Turner Pictures/Entertainment) funded its production. The movie is a bit of an odd vehicle. Not quite standard motion picture, still feeling like a made-for-tv mini-series, yet playing out in one sitting. This movie is a fantastic telling of one small-piece (epic in scale) of the American Civil War. The movie mixes narration, maps, excellent timing and editing to tell the tale in various sequences of battle sets. The casting was very good (consistent with production). Tom Berenger did a very good job, as did Martin Sheen, Stephen Lang and Jeff Daniels. I felt that the acting was done in period and felt consistent with the overall tone of the movie, which speaks to excellent direction. The characters are unforgettable, the settings and costumes (aside from makeup and hairpieces) superb. Unfortunately, at times, some of the egotism and over-acting was a bit much to bear. Martin Sheen can't really act (keep him on a stage please, he doesn't come across well on the screen). The massive battle scenes and musical score mark this epic as a must-see for history buffs. Despite it's weakness in production, I give it a 5 out of 5 for its historical importance, scale, scope and ambition.

Collection ID 866
Director: Ronald F. Maxwell
Starring: Tom Berenger, Martin Sheen, Stephen Lang, Jeff Daniels, Richard Jordan
Genre: Drama
Studio: TriStar Television   Release date: 1993   Rated: PG   
Language (Country): English (USA)
Summary: In 1863, the Northern and Southern forces fight at Gettysburg in the decisive battle of the American Civil War.
My Rating:
My Review: Screenplay and direction by Ron Maxwell (based on a novel (The Killer Angels) by Michael Shaara. Starring Tom Berenger, Martin Sheen, Stephen Lang, and many others. This epic (director's cut = 271 minutes) film includes some battle scenes that were actually filmed inside the Gettysburg Battlefield national military park. The film was originally designed as a made-for-tv miniseries, but ABC producers didn't pick it up. Instead Ted Turner (Turner Pictures/Entertainment) funded its production. The movie is a bit of an odd vehicle. Not quite standard motion picture, still feeling like a made-for-tv mini-series, yet playing out in one sitting. This movie is a fantastic telling of one small-piece (epic in scale) of the American Civil War. The movie mixes narration, maps, excellent timing and editing to tell the tale in various sequences of battle sets. The casting was very good (consistent with production). Tom Berenger did a very good job, as did Martin Sheen, Stephen Lang and Jeff Daniels. I felt that the acting was done in period and felt consistent with the overall tone of the movie, which speaks to excellent direction. The characters are unforgettable, the settings and costumes (aside from makeup and hairpieces) superb. Unfortunately, at times, some of the egotism and over-acting was a bit much to bear. Martin Sheen can't really act (keep him on a stage please, he doesn't come across well on the screen). The massive battle scenes and musical score mark this epic as a must-see for history buffs. Despite it's weakness in production, I give it a 5 out of 5 for its historical importance, scale, scope and ambition.

Collection ID 1161
Director: Ronald F. Maxwell
Starring: Tom Berenger, Martin Sheen, Stephen Lang, Jeff Daniels, Richard Jordan
Genre: Drama
Studio: TriStar Television   Release date: 1993   Rated: PG   
Language (Country): English (USA)
Summary: In 1863, the Northern and Southern forces fight at Gettysburg in the decisive battle of the American Civil War.
My Rating:
My Review: Screenplay and direction by Ron Maxwell (based on a novel (The Killer Angels) by Michael Shaara. Starring Tom Berenger, Martin Sheen, Stephen Lang, and many others. This epic (director's cut = 271 minutes) film includes some battle scenes that were actually filmed inside the Gettysburg Battlefield national military park. The film was originally designed as a made-for-tv miniseries, but ABC producers didn't pick it up. Instead Ted Turner (Turner Pictures/Entertainment) funded its production. The movie is a bit of an odd vehicle. Not quite standard motion picture, still feeling like a made-for-tv mini-series, yet playing out in one sitting. This movie is a fantastic telling of one small-piece (epic in scale) of the American Civil War. The movie mixes narration, maps, excellent timing and editing to tell the tale in various sequences of battle sets. The casting was very good (consistent with production). Tom Berenger did a very good job, as did Martin Sheen, Stephen Lang and Jeff Daniels. I felt that the acting was done in period and felt consistent with the overall tone of the movie, which speaks to excellent direction. The characters are unforgettable, the settings and costumes (aside from makeup and hairpieces) superb. Unfortunately, at times, some of the egotism and over-acting was a bit much to bear. Martin Sheen can't really act (keep him on a stage please, he doesn't come across well on the screen). The massive battle scenes and musical score mark this epic as a must-see for history buffs. Despite it's weakness in production, I give it a 5 out of 5 for its historical importance, scale, scope and ambition.

Collection ID 292
Director: Stephen Hopkins
Starring: Michael Douglas, Val Kilmer, Tom Wilkinson, John Kani, Bernard Hill
Genre: Action
Studio: Constellation Entertainment   Release date: 1996   Rated: R   
Language (Country): German (USA)
Summary: Sir Robert Beaumont is behind schedule on a railroad in Africa. Enlisting noted engineer John Henry Patterson to right the ship, Beaumont expects results. Everything seems great until the crew discovers the mutilated corpse of the project's foreman, seemingly killed by a lion. After several more attacks, Patterson calls in famed hunter Charles Remington, who has finally met his match in the bloodthirsty lions.
My Rating:
My Review: Starring Val Kilmer and Michael Douglas. This story is based upon the true story of two African lions that killed 130 people over a nine month period. Val Kilmer stars as Lt. Col. John Paterson, a British military engineer, sent to Africa in order to build a bridge over the Tsavo river in Uganda. Set in the late 1800s, the British East African railway is competing with the Italians and Germans, and Paterson is the man sent to take charge of the operation. After the lions begin killing workmen, the project slows down, virtually coming to a dead stop, before Remington, the great white hunter (played by Michael Douglas) is called in. Together they hunt down and destroy these man killers. Excellent acting by Val Kilmer., fantastic location shots, and superbly mastered sound, marks this oscar winning movie as a wonderful adventure into the fierce and dangerous heart of Africa.

Collection ID 1002
Director: Stephen Hopkins
Starring: Michael Douglas, Val Kilmer, Tom Wilkinson, John Kani, Bernard Hill
Genre: Action
Studio: Constellation Entertainment   Release date: 1996   Rated: R   
Language (Country): German (USA)
Summary: Sir Robert Beaumont is behind schedule on a railroad in Africa. Enlisting noted engineer John Henry Patterson to right the ship, Beaumont expects results. Everything seems great until the crew discovers the mutilated corpse of the project's foreman, seemingly killed by a lion. After several more attacks, Patterson calls in famed hunter Charles Remington, who has finally met his match in the bloodthirsty lions.
My Rating:
My Review: Starring Val Kilmer and Michael Douglas. This story is based upon the true story of two African lions that killed 130 people over a nine month period. Val Kilmer stars as Lt. Col. John Paterson, a British military engineer, sent to Africa in order to build a bridge over the Tsavo river in Uganda. Set in the late 1800s, the British East African railway is competing with the Italians and Germans, and Paterson is the man sent to take charge of the operation. After the lions begin killing workmen, the project slows down, virtually coming to a dead stop, before Remington, the great white hunter (played by Michael Douglas) is called in. Together they hunt down and destroy these man killers. Excellent acting by Val Kilmer., fantastic location shots, and superbly mastered sound, marks this oscar winning movie as a wonderful adventure into the fierce and dangerous heart of Africa.

Collection ID 762
Director: Jim Jarmusch
Starring: Forest Whitaker, John Tormey, Cliff Gorman, Dennis Liu, Frank Minucci
Genre: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Studio: Pandora Filmproduktion   Release date: 1999   Rated: R   
Language (Country): English, French (France, Germany, USA, Japan)
Summary: In Jersey City, an African American hit man follows "Hagakure: The Way of the Samurai." He lives alone, in simplicity with homing pigeons for company, calling himself Ghost Dog. His master, who saved his life eight years ago, is part of the local mob. When the boss' daughter witnesses one of Ghost Dog's hits, he becomes expendable. The first victims are his birds, and in response, Ghost Dog goes right at his attackers but does not want to harm his master or the young woman. On occasion, he talks with his best friend, a French-speaking Haitian who sells ice cream in the park, and with a child with whom he discusses books. Can he stay true to his code? And if he does, what is his fate?
My Rating:
My Review: Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai - 1999 (Action, Crime, Drama) Directed by Jim Jarmusch (Stranger than Paradise, Dead Man, Z-Channel A Magnificent Obsession, Broken Flowers, The Limits of Control), starring Forest Whitaker, John Tormey, Frank Minucci, Richard Portnow, Isaach De Bankole and many others. This is a masterpiece. A surprising movie; filled with power and energy, but lacking in explosions and action. The acting was excellent, the casting superb. The story - Classic, twisted, introspective, well directed, thoughtful. The story is one of 'Ghost Dog' an African American assassin living in Jersey City. He's dedicated himself to the Italian American mobster who saved his life. Following a very strict Bushido code, 'Ghost Dog' goes about his duty with precision, finesse and unflinching loyalty. Life throws a curve ball at Ghost Dog when his master's acquaintances decide to 'take him out'. The character development is superb. Jarmusch could easily stretch this one movie into an entire television series with several seasons worth of fresh exploration around the characters alone. The story is complicated, challenging and less predictable than any action flick in the typical 'mobster' genre. The camera work and music were instrumental in building an outstanding atmosphere and mood, establishing a setting that felt foreign, ancient, mystic and honorable in the midst of a decaying New Jersey slum, crack addicts, and mobsters who's code of honor extends only as far as their petty personal grievances. The contrast of mobsters - traditionally depicted as following a code - vs this Bushido grounded assassin makes for a fantastic movie. The dialog between Ghost dog and the ice-cream vendor was magnificent. Compelling, tragic and original. This movie pays homage to whole genres with it's outstanding pacing, performance, direction, dialog and writing. I give it a 5 out of 5.

Collection ID 1445
Director: Jim Jarmusch
Starring: Forest Whitaker, John Tormey, Cliff Gorman, Dennis Liu, Frank Minucci
Genre: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Studio: Pandora Filmproduktion   Release date: 1999   Rated: R   
Language (Country): English, French (France, Germany, USA, Japan)
Summary: In Jersey City, an African American hit man follows "Hagakure: The Way of the Samurai." He lives alone, in simplicity with homing pigeons for company, calling himself Ghost Dog. His master, who saved his life eight years ago, is part of the local mob. When the boss' daughter witnesses one of Ghost Dog's hits, he becomes expendable. The first victims are his birds, and in response, Ghost Dog goes right at his attackers but does not want to harm his master or the young woman. On occasion, he talks with his best friend, a French-speaking Haitian who sells ice cream in the park, and with a child with whom he discusses books. Can he stay true to his code? And if he does, what is his fate?
My Rating:
My Review: Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai - 1999 (Action, Crime, Drama) Directed by Jim Jarmusch (Stranger than Paradise, Dead Man, Z-Channel A Magnificent Obsession, Broken Flowers, The Limits of Control), starring Forest Whitaker, John Tormey, Frank Minucci, Richard Portnow, Isaach De Bankole and many others. This is a masterpiece. A surprising movie; filled with power and energy, but lacking in explosions and action. The acting was excellent, the casting superb. The story - Classic, twisted, introspective, well directed, thoughtful. The story is one of 'Ghost Dog' an African American assassin living in Jersey City. He's dedicated himself to the Italian American mobster who saved his life. Following a very strict Bushido code, 'Ghost Dog' goes about his duty with precision, finesse and unflinching loyalty. Life throws a curve ball at Ghost Dog when his master's acquaintances decide to 'take him out'. The character development is superb. Jarmusch could easily stretch this one movie into an entire television series with several seasons worth of fresh exploration around the characters alone. The story is complicated, challenging and less predictable than any action flick in the typical 'mobster' genre. The camera work and music were instrumental in building an outstanding atmosphere and mood, establishing a setting that felt foreign, ancient, mystic and honorable in the midst of a decaying New Jersey slum, crack addicts, and mobsters who's code of honor extends only as far as their petty personal grievances. The contrast of mobsters - traditionally depicted as following a code - vs this Bushido grounded assassin makes for a fantastic movie. The dialog between Ghost dog and the ice-cream vendor was magnificent. Compelling, tragic and original. This movie pays homage to whole genres with it's outstanding pacing, performance, direction, dialog and writing. I give it a 5 out of 5.

Collection ID 1596
Director: Rupert Sanders
Starring: Scarlett Johansson, Pilou Asbæk, Takeshi Kitano, Juliette Binoche, Michael Pitt
Genre: Action, Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Studio: Paramount Pictures   Release date: 2017   Rated: PG-13   
Language (Country): English, Japanese (UK, China, India, Hong Kong, USA)
Summary: In the near future, Major Motoko Kusanagi (Scarlett Johansson) is the first of her kind: A human saved from a terrible terrorist attack, who is cyber-enhanced to be a perfect soldier devoted to stopping the world's most dangerous criminals. When terrorism reaches a new level that includes the ability to hack into people's minds and control them, Major Kusanagi is uniquely qualified to stop it. As she prepares to face a new enemy, Major Kusanagi discovers that she has been lied to: her life was not saved, it was stolen. She will stop at nothing to recover her past, find out who did this to her and stop them before they do it to others.
My Rating:
My Review:

Collection ID 32
Director: Ivan Reitman
Starring: Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver, Harold Ramis, Rick Moranis
Genre: Sci-Fi
Studio: Columbia Pictures Corporation   Release date: 1984   Rated: PG   
Language (Country): English (USA)
Summary: Three unemployed parapsychology professors set up shop as a unique ghost removal service.
My Rating:
My Review: A classic comedy from the 80's. I own this one. The more I watch it, the more I realize the comic genius of Bill Murray. Starring Bill Murray, Dan Akroyd, Sigourney Weaver (after Alien), Harold Ramis, and Rick Moranis. Sure the 'special effects' were crap. The costumes, make-up and hair were attrocious (it was the 80's). Yeah it was corny. But oh my god, the lines! Very funny writing by Dan Akroyd and Harold Ramis. Akroyd's enthusiasm played against Murray's sedate comic come-ons quite well. The story was preposterous, but it was original. That, and the comic mastery of Bill Murray made this movie a gem to watch. Murray can get a smile by simply starring at a fellow actor. I give it a 5 out of 5.

Collection ID 838
Director: Ivan Reitman
Starring: Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver, Harold Ramis, Rick Moranis
Genre: Sci-Fi
Studio: Columbia Pictures Corporation   Release date: 1984   Rated: PG   
Language (Country): English (USA)
Summary: Three unemployed parapsychology professors set up shop as a unique ghost removal service.
My Rating:
My Review: A classic comedy from the 80's. I own this one. The more I watch it, the more I realize the comic genius of Bill Murray. Starring Bill Murray, Dan Akroyd, Sigourney Weaver (after Alien), Harold Ramis, and Rick Moranis. Sure the 'special effects' were crap. The costumes, make-up and hair were attrocious (it was the 80's). Yeah it was corny. But oh my god, the lines! Very funny writing by Dan Akroyd and Harold Ramis. Akroyd's enthusiasm played against Murray's sedate comic come-ons quite well. The story was preposterous, but it was original. That, and the comic mastery of Bill Murray made this movie a gem to watch. Murray can get a smile by simply starring at a fellow actor. I give it a 5 out of 5.