Collection ID 1308
Director: Nimród Antal
Starring: Sándor Csányi, Zoltán Mucsi, Csaba Pindroch, Sándor Badár, Zsolt Nagy
Genre: Art House & International
Studio: Velocity / Thinkfilm   Release date: 2004   Rated: R   
Language (Country): English (Hungary)
Summary: The setting of "Kontroll" is the Budapest subway system, one of the largest and oldest in the world, and a place that becomes an omniscient character in an ambitious film that jumbles dark comedy, slick action, and horror-movie conventions. The other main character is Bulcsú (Sándor Csányi), part of a team of disheveled ticket inspectors--controllers--who roam the grimy, fluorescent-lit city-under-the-city in a soul-destroying ritual. The job has become such a part of Bulcsú that he never leaves the underground. He has taken to sleeping on empty platforms and getting progressively more unkempt as he accumulates more bruises, bloody noses, and bitterness from his scraps with a variety of unseemly creatures of the night (and day). Among the post-punk, post-communist habitués of this subterranean metropolis are a cute girl in a teddy-bear suit, a rival gang of ticket inspectors who like to play a deadly game of chicken with express trains, and a hooded specter who may or may not be pushing people under subway wheels at crowded stops. First-time director Nimród Antal keenly juggles black comedy, character types, and genre styles, making the most of the weird angles and inherent dark creepiness of his chosen backdrop. "Kontroll" keeps pace as a hip, flashy, fast-moving set piece by any international measure. "--Ted Fry"
My Rating:
My Review: Wow! I was blown away. What a great movie! Written in part, and directed by Nimród Antal, this movie is a character based drama, with a little romance and a murder mystery mixed in. Filmed on location in the subways of Budapest and starring complete unknowns (to American audiences); the main characters are subway 'Kontroll' officers. Their job, eject the freeloaders and control the flow of passengers and trains. The subways are a place where all the citizens converge. It's a melting pot of drama where the characters range the gamut from mundane to murderous. I found myself riveted to the screen as this dark subterranean cinema careened past my retinas. My second time watching this movie - I have no idea why I waited so long! and now I realize a depth to this movie that escaped me the first time through. The characters here are far more complex, subtle and powerful than I first imagined. In the scripts refusal to reveal all, we are presented with an amazing opportunity to speculate on the identity of the killer, the fate of the primary character, and the true identity of the bear that turns into an angel. I will definitely look for more movies from Nimród Antal.

Collection ID 153
Director: Robert Benton
Starring: Dustin Hoffman, Meryl Streep, Jane Alexander, Justin Henry, Howard Duff
Genre: Drama
Studio: Columbia Pictures   Release date: 1979   Rated: PG   
Language (Country): German, English, French, Italian, Spanish (USA)
Summary: A just divorced man must learn to care for his son on his own, and then must fight in court to keep custody of him.
My Rating:
My Review: A late 70s drama about something that was tearing the American family apart. Divorce was on the rise and child custody battles were no longer a seldom seen issue. The movie won five Oscars in 1980. Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Director, Best Picture, Best Writing/Screenplay. Unfortunately, the movie hasn't aged well. The subject matter has become mundane and dated. The story - Ted (played by Dustin Hoffman) is a career man, doing his best to provide for his family. Joanna, his wife (played by Meryl Streep) aspires to do more with her life, and can't seem to get out from the shadow of her career man. Between them is little Billy (played by Justin Henry). When Joanna has had enough she leaves Ted and their 6 year old son. Ted struggles in his new relationship with Billy. He learns what it means to be a father. Billy learns who his father is. They grow to love each other. Later Joanna returns and demands to see Billy. Eventually she sues Ted for custody of Billy. It's a tragic tale of love lost, divorce, the legal system, and the impact of adult decisions on children. The direction (by Robert Benton) was o.k. Dustin Hoffman and Meryl Streep made this movie. Their acting felt real, genuine and affected. Dustin Hoffman was in the middle of a bitter divorce while filming the movie, and Meryl Streep was recovering from the death of John Cazale (her lover at the time). The pacing was a little bit off, and I'm not sure if it was editing or direction that accounted for some of the poor timing. I give it a 4 out of 5.

Collection ID 926
Director: Robert Benton
Starring: Dustin Hoffman, Meryl Streep, Jane Alexander, Justin Henry, Howard Duff
Genre: Drama
Studio: Columbia Pictures   Release date: 1979   Rated:   
Language (Country): German, English, French, Italian, Spanish (USA)
Summary: A just divorced man must learn to care for his son on his own, and then must fight in court to keep custody of him.
My Rating:
My Review: A late 70s drama about something that was tearing the American family apart. Divorce was on the rise and child custody battles were no longer a seldom seen issue. The movie won five Oscars in 1980. Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Director, Best Picture, Best Writing/Screenplay. Unfortunately, the movie hasn't aged well. The subject matter has become mundane and dated. The story - Ted (played by Dustin Hoffman) is a career man, doing his best to provide for his family. Joanna, his wife (played by Meryl Streep) aspires to do more with her life, and can't seem to get out from the shadow of her career man. Between them is little Billy (played by Justin Henry). When Joanna has had enough she leaves Ted and their 6 year old son. Ted struggles in his new relationship with Billy. He learns what it means to be a father. Billy learns who his father is. They grow to love each other. Later Joanna returns and demands to see Billy. Eventually she sues Ted for custody of Billy. It's a tragic tale of love lost, divorce, the legal system, and the impact of adult decisions on children. The direction (by Robert Benton) was o.k. Dustin Hoffman and Meryl Streep made this movie. Their acting felt real, genuine and affected. Dustin Hoffman was in the middle of a bitter divorce while filming the movie, and Meryl Streep was recovering from the death of John Cazale (her lover at the time). The pacing was a little bit off, and I'm not sure if it was editing or direction that accounted for some of the poor timing. I give it a 4 out of 5.

Collection ID 640
Director: Stephen Chow
Starring: Stephen Chow, Xiaogang Feng, Wah Yuen, Zhi Hua Dong, Kwok-Kwan Chan
Genre: Action & Adventure
Studio: Sony Pictures   Release date: 2005   Rated: R   
Language (Country): Cantonese, Dolby Digital 5.1, English, Dolby Digital 5.1, French, Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround (China)
Summary: Movie-kinetics genius. "Kung Fu Hustle" takes the gleeful mayhem of Hong Kong action movies, the deadpan physical humor of silent comedies, and the sheer elasticity of Wile E. Coyote cartoons and fuses them into a spectacle that is simple in its joys and mind-boggling in its orchestration. A run-down slum has been poor but peaceful until a bunch of black-suited gangsters called the Axe Gang show up to cause trouble--and discover that, hidden among the humble poor, are three kung fu masters trying to live an ordinary life. But after these martial artists repulse the gang with their flying fists and feet, the gang leader hires a pair of assassins, whose arrival leads to the unveiling of more secrets, until both the screen and the audience are dizzy with hyperbolic fight artistry (choreographed by Yuen Wo Ping, who also choreographed "The Matrix"). Weaving through this escalating fury is a loudmouthed loser (writer/director/actor Stephen Chow) who suddenly finds himself having to live up to his bragging. "Kung Fu Hustle" more than lives up to the promise of Chow's previous film, "Shaolin Soccer"--it's a movie made by an imagination unfettered by the laws of physics. Hugely entertaining. "--Bret Fetzer"
My Rating:
My Review: Incredible! Xmen meets Mystery Men in a Hong-Kong kung-fu spectacular. An amazing comedy. Dancing, singing, kung-fu! Directed by Stephen Chow. I laughed hysterically. This reminded me a lot of Katakuri-ke no kôfuku (Happiness of the Katakuri's) and Tampopo. At times it seemed like a western, a play, a drama, a Japanese Shogun movie, a comedy and more. A group of misfit kung-fu masters are trying to lead a 'normal' life in a Shanghai slum. Along comes a local gang, intent on shaking things up. As the locals defend themselves I entered a fit of laughing unlike anything since 'The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra'.

Collection ID 1336
Director: Stephen Chow
Starring: Stephen Chow, Xiaogang Feng, Wah Yuen, Zhi Hua Dong, Kwok-Kwan Chan
Genre: Action & Adventure
Studio: Sony Pictures   Release date: 2005   Rated: R   
Language (Country): Cantonese, Dolby Digital 5.1, English, Dolby Digital 5.1, French, Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround (China)
Summary: Movie-kinetics genius. "Kung Fu Hustle" takes the gleeful mayhem of Hong Kong action movies, the deadpan physical humor of silent comedies, and the sheer elasticity of Wile E. Coyote cartoons and fuses them into a spectacle that is simple in its joys and mind-boggling in its orchestration. A run-down slum has been poor but peaceful until a bunch of black-suited gangsters called the Axe Gang show up to cause trouble--and discover that, hidden among the humble poor, are three kung fu masters trying to live an ordinary life. But after these martial artists repulse the gang with their flying fists and feet, the gang leader hires a pair of assassins, whose arrival leads to the unveiling of more secrets, until both the screen and the audience are dizzy with hyperbolic fight artistry (choreographed by Yuen Wo Ping, who also choreographed "The Matrix"). Weaving through this escalating fury is a loudmouthed loser (writer/director/actor Stephen Chow) who suddenly finds himself having to live up to his bragging. "Kung Fu Hustle" more than lives up to the promise of Chow's previous film, "Shaolin Soccer"--it's a movie made by an imagination unfettered by the laws of physics. Hugely entertaining. "--Bret Fetzer"
My Rating:
My Review: Incredible! Xmen meets Mystery Men in a Hong-Kong kung-fu spectacular. An amazing comedy. Dancing, singing, kung-fu! Directed by Stephen Chow. I laughed hysterically. This reminded me a lot of Katakuri-ke no kôfuku (Happiness of the Katakuri's) and Tampopo. At times it seemed like a western, a play, a drama, a Japanese Shogun movie, a comedy and more. A group of misfit kung-fu masters are trying to lead a 'normal' life in a Shanghai slum. Along comes a local gang, intent on shaking things up. As the locals defend themselves I entered a fit of laughing unlike anything since 'The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra'.

Collection ID 1468
Director: Curtis Hanson
Starring: Kevin Spacey, Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce, James Cromwell, Kim Basinger
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Studio: Regency Enterprises   Release date: 1997   Rated: R   
Language (Country): English (USA)
Summary: 1950's Los Angeles is the seedy backdrop for this intricate noir-ish tale of police corruption and Hollywood sleaze. Three very different cops are all after the truth, each in their own style: Ed Exley, the golden boy of the police force, willing to do almost anything to get ahead, except sell out; Bud White, ready to break the rules to seek justice, but barely able to keep his raging violence under control; and Jack Vincennes, always looking for celebrity and a quick buck until his conscience drives him to join Exley and White down the one-way path to find the truth behind the dark world of L.A. crime.
My Rating:
My Review: Outstanding acting in this academy award winning (x2) film noir, thriller. Police corruption, murder and romance in 1950's L.A. 5 of 5.

Collection ID 1473
Director: Curtis Hanson
Starring: Kevin Spacey, Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce, James Cromwell, Kim Basinger
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Studio: Regency Enterprises   Release date: 1997   Rated: R   
Language (Country): English (USA)
Summary: 1950's Los Angeles is the seedy backdrop for this intricate noir-ish tale of police corruption and Hollywood sleaze. Three very different cops are all after the truth, each in their own style: Ed Exley, the golden boy of the police force, willing to do almost anything to get ahead, except sell out; Bud White, ready to break the rules to seek justice, but barely able to keep his raging violence under control; and Jack Vincennes, always looking for celebrity and a quick buck until his conscience drives him to join Exley and White down the one-way path to find the truth behind the dark world of L.A. crime.
My Rating:
My Review: Outstanding acting in this academy award winning (x2) film noir, thriller. Police corruption, murder and romance in 1950's L.A. 5 of 5.

Collection ID 602
Director: Luc Besson
Starring: Anne Parillaud
Genre: Action & Adventure
Studio: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer   Release date: 1991   Rated: R   
Language (Country): French, Italian, English (France, Italy)
Summary: French director Luc Besson ("The Fifth Element") broke the commercial taboo against female-driven action movies with this seminal, seductively slick film about a violent street punk (Anne Parillaud) trained to become a smooth, stylish assassin. Though it amounts, in the end, to little more than disposable pop, the film has a cohesiveness in style and tone--akin to the early James Bond films--that gives it a sense of integrity. Parillaud is compelling both as a wild child and chic-but-lethal pro (trained in good manners by none other than Jeanne Moreau). Tchéky Karyo is also good as the cop mentor who develops feelings for her. "--Tom Keogh"
My Rating:
My Review: (French - Nikita) Brilliant - A masterpiece. A work of art. Directed by Luc Besson. This 80's action flick created an entire genre of action movies, an American remake (Point of no return with Bridget Fonda), and a television series. Starring Anne Parillaud, Tchéky Karyo and Jean Reno. The movie cruises along at a quickening pace, and your pulse never lets up. The action is non-stop, but this isn't a one-sided movie. There's plenty of drama and emotion as well. The plots, characters, and world that they live in are truly believable - Not like some 'Action' movies. The characters are well developed, and the acting is top notch. The music is great, well suited to the moods and properly paced as well. The direction is fantastic. Luc Besson really knows how to make it seem like the characters live in the movie, that they belong in the setting. He blends the setting, characters and story together to create a believable, wholly functioning world. The ending of this movie is beautiful and fitting. 5 out of 5.

Collection ID 1302
Director: Luc Besson
Starring: Anne Parillaud
Genre: Action & Adventure
Studio: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer   Release date: 1991   Rated: R   
Language (Country): French, Italian, English (France, Italy)
Summary: French director Luc Besson ("The Fifth Element") broke the commercial taboo against female-driven action movies with this seminal, seductively slick film about a violent street punk (Anne Parillaud) trained to become a smooth, stylish assassin. Though it amounts, in the end, to little more than disposable pop, the film has a cohesiveness in style and tone--akin to the early James Bond films--that gives it a sense of integrity. Parillaud is compelling both as a wild child and chic-but-lethal pro (trained in good manners by none other than Jeanne Moreau). Tchéky Karyo is also good as the cop mentor who develops feelings for her. "--Tom Keogh"
My Rating:
My Review: (French - Nikita) Brilliant - A masterpiece. A work of art. Directed by Luc Besson. This 80's action flick created an entire genre of action movies, an American remake (Point of no return with Bridget Fonda), and a television series. Starring Anne Parillaud, Tchéky Karyo and Jean Reno. The movie cruises along at a quickening pace, and your pulse never lets up. The action is non-stop, but this isn't a one-sided movie. There's plenty of drama and emotion as well. The plots, characters, and world that they live in are truly believable - Not like some 'Action' movies. The characters are well developed, and the acting is top notch. The music is great, well suited to the moods and properly paced as well. The direction is fantastic. Luc Besson really knows how to make it seem like the characters live in the movie, that they belong in the setting. He blends the setting, characters and story together to create a believable, wholly functioning world. The ending of this movie is beautiful and fitting. 5 out of 5.

Collection ID 580
Director: Federico Fellini
Starring: Anthony Quinn, Giulietta Masina, Richard Basehart, Aldo Silvani, Marcella Rovere
Genre: Drama
Studio: Ponti-De Laurentiis Cinematografica   Release date: 1954   Rated: Not Rated   
Language (Country): Italian (Italy)
Summary: Sad story of a waif, Gelsomina, who is sold by her mother to Zampano for 10,000 lire and a few kilos of food. Zampano is a traveling showman who exhibits feats of strength by breaking a chain wrapped around his chest. He performs in village squares and then passes the hat for whatever the normally small crowd is prepared to give. He teaches Gelsomina a drum roll as part of his introduction. He doesn't treat her well and when she tries to run away, he beats her. They eventually join a small traveling circus where they meet a tight-rope walker who convinces Gelsomina to question her choices.
My Rating:
My Review: (An Italian film) With english subtitles: It's an old movie, dating from 1954, but it's timeless. A movie directed by the Italian master Federico Fellini. The characters in this movie are haunting and memorable. A tragic story about a wandering strongman and the woman who can't help but love him. It's tragic and moving a movie packed full of emotion. I felt like I had been drawn into their personal lives, a participant and a victim. I was definitely touched by the power of this movie. No question 5 out of 5