UPCOMING GUESTS ON THE “LATE SHOW with DAVID LETTERMAN” ON THE CBS TELEVISION NETWORK (Oct. 21-Nov. 3)
October 21, 2010 by J!-ENT · Leave a Comment
Monday through Friday, 11:35 PM-12:37 AM, ET/PT
(*Denotes changes and/or additions to previous schedule
(n) Denotes new broadcast)
Thursday, Oct. 21 Actor Bruce Willis; musical guests will.i.am and Nicki Minaj
Friday, Oct. 22 Actor Joaquin Phoenix; musical guest Tom Jones
Monday, Oct. 25 NBA commentator Charles Barkley; radio personality Garry Dell’Abate; musical guests Kings of Leon (n)
*Tuesday, Oct. 26 Musician Taylor Swift; comedian Seth Meyers (n)
Wednesday, Oct. 27 Comedian Dana Carvey (n)
Thursday, Oct. 28 Actor Will Ferrell; musical guest Kid Cudi; musician Slash (n)
Friday, Oct. 29 Actor Michael J. Fox; snowboarding star Shaun White (n)
Monday, Nov. 1 Actor Robert Downey Jr.; musical guest Elvis Costello (n)
*Tuesday, Nov. 2 Guests TBA
*Wednesday, Nov. 3 Actress Tina Fey; musical guest Brad Paisley (n)
RATING: TV-PG (Rating may change on day of broadcast due to specific subject matter.)
Official CBS website: http://www.cbs.com/late_night/late_show/
UPCOMING GUESTS ON THE “LATE SHOW with DAVID LETTERMAN” ON THE CBS TELEVISION NETWORK
September 27, 2010 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment
Monday through Friday, 11:35 PM-12:37 AM, ET/PT
(*Denotes changes and/or additions to previous schedule
(n) Denotes new broadcast)
Monday, Sept. 27 Actress Katherine Heigl; actor Daniel Dae Kim from the new CBS drama series, “Hawaii Five-0″; musical guest Runner, Runner (n)
Tuesday, Sept. 28 Comedian/talk show host Jon Stewart; musical guests N.E.R.D. (n)
Wednesday, Sept. 29 New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg; actor Jesse Eisenberg (n)
Thursday, Sept. 30 Actor Tom Selleck from the new CBS drama series, “Blue Bloods”; author Janet Elder; musical guests Tired Pony (n)
Friday, Oct. 1 Actress Blake Lively; actor Michael C. Hall; musical guest Drake (n)
Monday, Oct. 4 Actor Bruce Willis (n)
Tuesday, Oct. 5 Musical guests Mavis Staples with Jeff Tweedy (n)
Wednesday, Oct. 6 Actor John Malkovich; Julie Chen, co-host of the new CBS daytime talk show, “The Talk”; musical guests Antony & the Johnsons (n)
Thursday, Oct. 7 Comedian/talk show host Stephen Colbert; actor Johnny Knoxville; musical guests Gorillaz (n)
*Friday, Oct. 8 Comedian Allen Havey; musical guest Gordon Lightfoot (n)
*Monday, Oct. 11 Actor Jim Parsons from the CBS comedy series, “The Big Bang Theory”; educator/documentary film subject Geoffrey Canada; musical guests Mark Ronson with Q-Tip and MNDR (n)
RATING: TV-PG (Rating may change on day of broadcast due to specific subject matter.)
Official CBS website: http://www.cbs.com/late_night/late_show/
Bruce Willis attends the Sobieski Press Conference in Spain
June 21, 2010 by J!-ENT · Leave a Comment
Actor Bruce Willis attends Sobieski press conference at Hotel Ritz on June 21, 2010 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images). Content © 2010 Getty Images All rights reserved.
Armageddon (a J!-ENT Blu-ray Disc Review)
April 14, 2010 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment
Over a decade later and “Armageddon” is a film that just shines on Blu-ray. Gorgeous visuals, immersive lossless audio… I was definitely impressed! But if you are a owner of the original Criterion Collection DVD release, you may not want to discard it just yet as this Blu-ray release skimps on the special features.
Image courtesy of © WDSHE. All Rights Reserved. All Rights Reserved.
TITLE: Armageddon
DURATION: 151 Minutes
BLU-RAY DISC INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition (2:35:1 Widescreen), English 5.1 DTS-HD MA (48 kHz, 24-bit), Spanish and French 5.1 Dolby Digital, Subtitles: English SDH, French and Spanish
COMPANY: Touchstone Pictures
RATED: PG-13 (For Sci-Fi Disaster Action, Sensuality and Brief Language)
RELEASE DATE: April 27, 2010
Directed by Michael Bay
Screenplay by Jonathan Hensleigh, J.J. Abrams
Adaptation by Tony Gilroy, Shane Salerno
Story by Robert Roy Pool and Jonathan Hensleigh
Music by Trevor Rabin
Cinematography by John Schwartzman
Edited by Mark Goldblatt, Chris Lebenzon, Glen Scantlebury
Casting by Bonnie Timmermann
Production Design by Michael White
Art Direction by Geoff Hubbard, Lawrence A. Hubbs, Bruton Jones
Set Decoration by Rick Simpson
Costume Design by Magali Guidasci, Michael Kaplan
Starring:
Bruce Willis as Harry Stamper
Billy Bob Thornton as Dan Truman
Ben Affleck as A.J. Frost
Liv Tyler as Grace Stamper
Will Patton as Grace Stamper
Will Patton as Chick
Steve Buscemi as Rockhound
William Fichtner as Colonel Willie Sharp
Owen Wilson as Oscar
Michael Clarke Duncan as Bear
Peter Stormare as Lev Andropov
Ken Hudson Campbell as Max
Jessica Steen as Co-Pilot Jennifer Watts
Keith David as General Kimsey
Chris Ellis as Flight Director Clark
Jason Isaacs as Ronald Quincy
Grayson McCouch as Gruber
Clark HEathcliffe Brolly as Noonan
Marshall R. Teague as Colonel Davis
Anthony Guidera as Co-Pilot Tucker
Greg Collins as Halsey
J. Patrick McCormack as General Boffer
Ian Quinn as Astronaut Pete Shelby
From the blockbuster-making team who produced and directed Pearl Harbor and The Rock (Jerry Bruckheimer and Michael Bay) comes Armageddon, available for the first time on Blu-ray™ High- Definition! Starring the explosive talents of Bruce Willis, Ben Affleck, Billy Bob Thornton, Liv Tyler, Owen Wilson, Michael Clarke Duncan, and Will Patton, Armageddon is a meteor storm of action adventure moviemaking that has you on the edge of your seat forgetting to breathe! When NASA’s executive director, Dan Truman (Thornton), realizes the Earth has 18 days before it’s obliterated by a
meteor the size of Texas, he has only one option – land a ragtag team of roughneck oil drillers on the asteroid and drop a nuclear warhead into its core. Spectacular special effects, laugh-out-loud humor,
great characters, riveting storytelling, and heartfelt emotion make Armageddon an exhilarating thrill ride you’ll want to experience like there’s no tomorrow!
In 1998, the summer blockbuster “Armageddon” from director Michael Bay (“Transformers”, “The Rock”, “Pearl Harbor”) featuring a screenplay by Jonathan Hensleigh (“Die Hard: With a Vengeance”, “The Punisher”, “Next”) and J.J. Abrams (“LOST”, “Star Trek”, “Cloverfield”) became a tremendous success in the box office. Making over $553 million worldwide, the film was loved by viewers despite being panned by film critics.
Starring Bruce Willis (“Die Hard” films, “Surrogates”, “Lucky Number Slevin”), Billy Bob Thornton (“Sling Blade”, “Monster’s Ball”, “Friday Night Lights”) and Steve Buscemi (“Pulp Fiction”, “Desperado”, “Fargo”), “Armageddon” would launch the careers of many talent such as Ben Affleck (“Good Will Hunting”, “Chasing Amy”, “Pearl Harbor”), Liv Tyler (“Lord of the Rings” films, “The Incredible Hulk”), Owen Wilson (“Bottle Rocket”, “Marley & Me”, “Drillbit Taylor”), and Michael Clarke Duncan (“The Green Mile”, “The Whole Nine Yards”, “Daredevil”). The film would also star a good number of talents such as William Fichtner, Will Patton, Keith David, Peter Stormare, Ken Hudson Campbell and many more.
“Armageddon” was previously released as a standalone DVD which was then followed up by a director’s cut (featuring two minutes extra footage), special features heavy DVD release from the Criterion Collection and over a decade later, we are treated with an HD version of the film on Blu-ray.
“Armageddon” revolves around an asteroid (the size of Texas) which hurling towards Earth in 18 days. Several smaller asteroids have bypassed Earth’s atmosphere and have caused destruction in various cities worldwide. But this huge asteroid and its collision on Earth can easily destroy humanity.
The only option that NASA can give is by detonating a nuclear bomb inside the asteroid (800 feet deep) and splitting it into two and hoping that the asteroid will miss Earth. And the only one with the expertise to drill that deep is offshore oil driller Harry Stamper (played by Bruce Willis) and his crew which include A.J. (played by Ben Affleck) who has a secret relationship with Grace (played by Liv Tyler), the daughter of Harry. A.J. has a problem of taking orders and the fact that he was secretly dating Grace does not put him in the best position with Harry.
The US government and NASA depend on Harry and his crew which includes Chick (played by Will Patton), Rockhound (played by Steve Buscemi), Oscar (played by Owen Wilson), Bear (played by Michael Clarke Duncan), Max (played by Ken Hudson Campbell), Noonan (played by Clark Heathcliffe Brolly) and a few others including the NASA pilots to prepare for the drilling on the asteroid. NASA head Dan Truman (played by Billy Bob Thornton) is the person responsible in making sure they are trained quickly and also responsible in leading the NASA operation on Earth.
Earth’s survival depends on these individuals. Can they get to their location, drill 800 feet and detonate the bomb in time?
VIDEO:
Having owned the previous releases of “Armageddon”, I can easily tell you that “Armageddon” looks absolutely awesome on Blu-ray! “Armageddon” is presented in 1080p High Definition (2:35:1) with colors that are vibrant and a film that sports many colors that simply, I was impressed by the picture quality. Granted, some video stock footage will look slightly dated but those sequences are very short and if anything, your eyes are just in awe of how awesome and colorful this film is. From the detail of the character’s skin to the lighting inside NASA as we see the lighting on the characters from green, to blue and of course the overall look of the asteroid and special effects are still wonderful to look at. Over 12-years-later and the film manages to hold up extremely well! Strong contrast, solid backs and I don’t recall seeing any major compression, edge enhancement or DNR.
So, for those who loved the film and were so upset with the non-Anamorphic release back in 1999, fortunately we have a 1080p (2:35:1) version of the film and also a version that just looks absolutely fantastic on Blu-ray.
AUDIO & SUBTITLES:
“Armageddon” is absolutely immersive. The film features an English 5.1 DTS-HD MA (48 kHz/24-bit) and Spanish and French 5.1 Dolby Digital soundtrack. But as you can expect from a Michael Bay film, he manages to utilize audio and in this film, with all the action, you can expect an immersive audio soundscape. There are just so many times throughout the film where you hear the audio coming from the fronts, especially from the surround channels but then you can also detect LFE throughout.
Needless to say, when the Criterion Collection DVD release of “Armageddon” was released in 1999, a lot of us who reviewed the film were going crazy about how awesome the Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack was but after listening to this lossless soundtrack, I was absolutely floored. “Armageddon” is a film that truly belongs on HD and the soundtrack is just impressive!
Subtitles are presented in English SDH, French and Spanish.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
This is probably where “Armageddon” on Blu-ray is not too awesome. As the first DVD release was barebones, the Criterion Collection had audio commentary tracks, gag reel, production gallery, featurettes and many, many more special features. Needless to say, the Criterion Collection version was truly a complete package when it was released in 1999 but in 2010, the Blu-ray Touchstone Pictures release, while not barebones, has very few special features. Included are:
- Aerosmith’s MTV Award-Winning Music Video “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing”
- Theatrical Trailer
- Teaser Trailer
I know that many critics and reviewers have a problem with Michael Bay films but I love sci-fi action films, I love being entertained by films that feature continuous action and Michael Bay is a master of it. Granted, when I watch a Michael Bay film, for me “Armageddon” is a popcorn action flick in which I expect nothing deep, nothing too intellectual and when it comes to disaster films, you want to see devastation and see humanity overcome all obstacles.
“Armageddon” was a film that I really enjoyed when it was first released and had the opportunity to review the original DVD, the Criterion Collection release and now this Blu-ray release.
Needless to say, the biggest question that fans of the film are going to ask is if this release is worth it and whether or not they should toss away their DVD versions of the film. Well, for one, if you have the original barebones release, yeah, you can trade or sell that one online but if you have the Criterion Collection DVD release, you definitely will want to hold on to that release as those special features are probably not going to be seen in any future “Armageddon” release in quite some time.
But when it comes to picture quality and audio quality, this Blu-ray release of “Armageddon” is fantastic. The Criterion Collection release was not anamorphic and it was a release before the current remastering that Criterion Collection is known for in recent releases. So, Disney who have been releasing awesome Blu-ray releases have done fans a great service by giving us awesome picture quality and fantastic lossless audio. Sure, I would have loved a English 7.1 DTS-HD MA soundtrack but this 5.1 lossless soundtrack definitely brings this film to a new level.
I was comparing the Blu-ray release with the DVD releases that I had and it was like night and day in terms of PQ and AQ, this is definitely the definitive version of “Armageddon” to own. But because those Criterion Collection special features are not included on this Blu-ray, it definitely knocks a point off this Blu-ray release. I was a bit surprised not to see the commentary, gag reel and other featurettes were not included in this release and its a shame that Disney didn’t include it on this release. So, if you do own the Criterion Collection DVD release and enjoy the film, you may not want to get rid of your copy.
Overall, “Armageddon” is a film that has its share of fans who love it and those who hate it and that can be said about many disaster films that have come out since the early ’70s. I personally enjoy these type of films and the better the special effects, the better the film holds up overtime and granted, they may be farfetched (“Armageddon” is used as an actual training management program at NASA in which managers must find out how many inaccuracies the film contains) but for viewers, when it comes to these films, these are perfect “get-away” popcorn flicks. Something that Michael Bay, J.J. Abrams and Jonathan Hensleigh are very good at with their films.
But if you are a fan who really enjoyed this film, “Armageddon” on Blu-ray in terms of film presentation (PQ & AQ) is highly recommended!
STRIKING DISTANCE (a J!-ENT Blu-ray Disc Review)
June 17, 2009 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment
“At first glance, ‘STRIKING DISTANCE’ appears to be quite predictable but you start to learn that this mystery, thriller is anything but. Featuring an intriguing, fast-paced storyline… ‘STRIKING DISTANCE’ is an enjoyable popcorn flick!”
TITLE: STRIKING DISTANCE
DURATION: 102 Minutes
BLU-RAY DISC INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition (1:85:1), English, French, Portuguese Dolby TrueHD 5.1, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital, Subtitles: English, English SDH, French, Portuguese and Spanish
RATED: R (For Violence, Strong Language and a Sex Scene)
COMPANY: Columbia Pictures/Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
RELEASE DATE: June 16, 2009
Directed by Rowdy Herrington
Screenplay by Rowdy Herrington and Marty Kaplan
Executive Producer: Steven Reuther
Produced by Hunt Lowry, Arnon Milchan, Tony Thomopoulos
Co-Producer: Carmine Zozzora
Associate Producer: Martin Kaplan
Music by Brad Fiedel
Director of Photography: Mac Ahlberg
Editing by Pasquale Buba, Mark Helfrich
Casting by Pam Dixon
Production Design by Gregg Fonseca
Art Direction by Bruce Alan Miller
Set Decoration by Jay Hart
Costume Design by Betsy Cox
Starring:
Bruce Willis as Det. Tom Hardy
Sarah Jessica Parker as Jo Christman
Dennis Farina as Capt. Nick Detillo
Tom Sizemore as Det. Danny Detillo
Brion James as Det. Eddie Eiler
Robert Pastorelli as Det. Jim Detillo
John Mahoney as Lt. Vince Hardy
Timothy Busfield as Tony Sacco
Andre Braugher as Dist. Atty. Frank Morris
In Sept. 1993, a suspenseful thriller starring action star Bruce Willis (“Die Hard”, “The Fifth Element”, “The Sixth Sense) and actress Sarah Jessica Parker (“Sex and the City”, “Ed Wood”, “L.A. Story”) was released in theaters.
The film was directed by Rowdy Herrington (“Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius” and “The Stickup”) and a screenplay co-written by Herrington and Marty Kaplan (“Max Q” and “The Distinguished Gentleman”). The film would feature music by Brad Fiedel (“Johnny Mnemonic”, “Timecop” and “True Lies”) and cinematographer Mac Ahlberg (“Good Burger”, “Ragdoll”, “The Brady Bunch Movie” and “Beverly Hills Cop III”).
“STRIKING DISTANCE” revolves around a Pittsburgh police officer named Tom Hardy who worked on homicide. He comes from a family of five generations of police officers and rats out his partner Det. Jimmy Detillo (Robert Pastorelli). This has caused friction amongst Hardy and all the police officers with the exception of his family and his father, Lt. Vince Hardy (John Mahoney).
His father tells him that he did the right thing and tries to support his son. Tom has had some difficulties, aside from him ratting out his partner and difficulties within the force, there is a serial killer that has killed a woman that was close to him.
Immediately, the two receive a call that police are chasing the suspect and a big chase scene takes place. But somehow this person manages to thwart their every move of capture. Immediately, Tom says that the way the person drives, he must be a cop.
While on the pursuit and the suspect escaping the police at every opportunity of capture, both Hardy’s are the only ones left on pursuit and manage to shoot the suspect’s tires. Both end up going over a hill and crashing. Next thing you know, Tom wakes up to find out that the suspect has escaped and his father was killed by the suspect.
Not long after, while Tom goes on the trial for his partner, his uncle Capt. Nick Detillo tells him that they captured a suspect. The suspect appears to be a short man who says he didn’t do it but a witness places him in the scene with a body. Tom does not believe it one bit that this man is the serial killer and is even capable of lifting the bodies and throwing them in a river.
And Tom insists that the killer must be a police officer. Those words will be the final words he would say as a police officer. After the court case, he finds out that his former partner and friend Det. Jimmy Detillo is threatening to kill himself and about to jump the bridge. Both Jimmy’s father Nick and Det. Danny Detillo (Tom Sizemore) try to stop him from jumping and even Tom tries his best to grab his hand but Jimmy who is distraught over his partner ratting on him and ruining his career, jumps off the bridge and kills himself. Danny blames his former friend Tom for the death of his brother.
Two years later, he is now working as an officer for the River Rescue. Because of his belligerence at his new job and not getting along with his partner, he is assigned a new partner named Jo Christman (Sarah Jessica Parker). Two years later, Danny comes back to Pittsburgh and apologizes to Tom about what happened on the bridge and for blaming him for his brother’s death.
All seems to be going OK with Tom until a body is found in the river. We then see a nurse walking into the parking lot and a stun gun was used on her. Tom receives a call with a woman crying and we see an image of a remote control police car riding on the floor. The woman is killed and the phone call is cut off.
Tom knows that the serial killer is back and he is taunting him and to make things worse, the woman is the second person that was very close to Tom and Tom knows that the killer is trying to get close to him.
Tom wants some answers and wants to catch the serial killer but with his new by-the-rules partner, will she rat him out for his un-policeman like conduct?
VIDEO & AUDIO:
For a film released in 1993, I’m going to be truthful, I was expecting a film that was going to be heavily DNR’d (Digital Noise Reduction) and look soft with less detail. This was not the case, “STRIKING DISTANCE” which received its first 1080p High Definition transfer (1:85:1 aspect ratio) looks absolutely beautiful on Blu-ray. Outdoor scenes with sunlight and multiple colors look vibrant, you can see skin tones quite well, blacks are nice and deep and blues are nice and beautiful. Also, grain is present and captures that film-like quality.
Equally impressive was the audio soundtrack for the film. The film is presented in English, French and Portuguese Dolby TrueHD 5.1 (and Spanish 5.1) and from the opening scenes, there is good use of the rear surrounds during the car chase scene and also gun shots. In fact, some scenes I detected usage of LFE which was nice.
Is it as immersive as today’s modern action films? The answer is no. But considering the age of the film, I was happy to hear a nice clean dialogue but also special effects coming nice and clear through the front channels and my surrounds.
Subtitles are presented in English, English SDH, French, Portuguese and Spanish.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
There are no special features but trailers for upcoming Sony Pictures Home Entertainment releases. The Blu-ray disc is BD-Live Enabled.
“STRIKING DISTANCE” was an enjoyable, suspenseful thriller. Back in 1993, Bruce Willis who had such a wonderful rise to fame with both “Die Hard” films returned with several action films that people either loved or hated. From “Hudson Hawk”, “The Last Boyscout” and even his lighthearted roles as the voice for films such as “Look Who’s Talking” and his role as David Addison on the popular TV show “Moonlighting” was still fresh on the minds of many people who enjoyed his work.
Personally, I felt that Bruce Willis is an “everyman”, an actor who can play a variety of roles in his career (which he has demonstrated quite well in the last 25 years) but around that time, many people were basing everything that he did and comparing it with “Die Hard”.
“STRIKING DISTANCE” is no die hard. Bruce Willis may be playing a cop and he may go a bit gung ho at times but his character as Tom Hardy is scarred. From the death of his father and women he was romantically with, having to wear a brace on his leg and so he is not exactly mobile. The character is flawed but for me, that’s what made his character so appealing.
Sarah Jessica Parker (many years before “Sex and the City” made her a huge star) was an actress that caught our attention in the 1991 romantic comedy “L.A. Story” but previous to that, most of us connected through Parker from her role in the 80′s show “Square Pegs”, so to see her in an action film and being the main love interest opposite to Bruce Willis was quite interesting. And she provides that necessary balance between her character and Willis’s character of Tom Hardy.
The film is a fun popcorn flick and it does have its farfetched moments. But I watched the film having low expectations (considering many critics did n0t enjoy it) and by the end of the film, actually enjoying it. In fact, there were times that I felt the film was becoming too predictable. Actually, in the first half hour, I felt I figured out the film but it was nice to see how the writers played with the storyline and gave us a pretty interesting and surprising reveal of the killer’s identity at the end.
“STRIKING DISTANCE” also has the benefit of receiving a pretty good transfer from Sony but again, another classic release that is barebones with no commentary or special features whatsoever. Not even the film’s trailer is included.
In the end, for those who enjoyed the film and own it on DVD, the double dip is worth it if you are wanting it for the improved picture and audio quality. For those not familiar with the film and are wondering if it’s an action film they can enjoy, it’s worth checking out.
Overall, “STRIKING DISTANCE” is not the best suspenseful, thriller and by no means does it match the action of a “Die Hard” film but it does have an intriguing, suspenseful storyline with a surprising reveal at the end.
Bruce Willis leaving the set of his upcoming film “Surrogates”
April 13, 2009 by J!-ENT · Leave a Comment
Bruce Willis leaves the set of Surrogates after his scene is complete. The film is set in a futuristic world where humans live in isolation and interact through surrogate robots. Photograph: Gaz Shirley,PacificCoastNews.com. Content © 2009 Pacific Coast News . All rights reserved.
The Fifth Element (A J!-ENT DVD Review)
September 27, 2003 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment
MOVIE COMPANY: Columbia Pictures
CAST: Bruce Willis, Milla Jovovich, Gary Oldman, Ian Holm, Chris Tucker, Luke Perry and more.
DIRECTED BY: Luc Besson
PRODUCED BY: Patrice Ledoux
RATING: PG-13
INTERNET MOVIE DATABASE URL: http://us.imdb.com/Title?0119116
TYPE OF TV SHOW: Action, Sci-Fi
Bruce Willis, Milla Jovovich and Gary Oldman star in acclaimed director Luc Besson’s outrageous sci-fi adventure, an extravagantly styled tale of good against evil set in an unbelievable twenty-third century world. All aboard for “A Futuristic , Eye Popping Adventure!” – Bill Diehl, ABC Radio Network.
DVD EXTRAS:
• Region 1 encoding (US and Canada only)
• Color, Closed-captioned, Widescreen, Dolby, HiFi Sound, Surround Sound, Digital Sound, DTS Stereo
• Full-screen and widescreen anamorphic formats
KNOWN DVD SECRET: None that I know of at this time.
DVD REVIEW:
When I heard that this DVD is known as one of the best reference DVD’s out there. I must admit that it was a decision that was hard for me to decided if I wanted to buy this or not because #1) It’s known that there is no extra’s on this DVD and I heard this movie is so-so. Also, the label on the DVD is on the wrong sides, so you need to put it on the side that says full screen to access the wide screen segment. Then again, this problem maybe my DVD.
I finally saw this movie and this is what I thought. I liked it a lot! This movie is visually stunning and the computer graphics were wonderful. The storyline is good but it appeared an extra 30 minutes or an hour would have given this movie judgment because I felt there were some loose ends.
But people are not buying this DVD much for the extra’s and looking for a good story, they are buying this DVD because it’s the definitive reference DVD.
Now, what makes this DVD so much of a reference DVD? It’s the sound. I watched this movie twice now. The first just to listen to it in regular dolby surround. Then I watched it again in digital 5.1 and all I can say….oh my!
For those who are contemplating if they should upgrade their old home theater receivers for a digital 5.1 system, I have two words for you…”Heck yeah!” You don’t understand that they utilize the sound to the utmost best. I thought “Godzilla” was one hell of a reference DVD but “The Fifth Element” is definitely a reference DVD. The sounds are coming from everywhere…I mean everywhere. Very awesome!
Ah…but although the audio is the main superb highlight, the video is also pretty awesome. Check this out… the colors on the DVD are truly awesome! The colors really do come out on this DVD.
So, all in all this DVD sucks in terms for extras because there are hardly any. The movie is slightly above average because they did one hell of a job on the graphics and colors. The story for me had loose ends and was rushed. I wish they could of added deleted scenes but knowing how much DVD fanatics consider this DVD among the best, I hope a special edition DVD comes out.
I can’t give this DVD a great grade for overall because of the extra’s but as for a reference DVD, this DVD earns the highest of highest of marks.
THE MOVIE: B
THE DVD EXTRAS: D-
THE DVD OVERALL: C
The Kid (a J!-ENT DVD Review)
September 27, 2003 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment
MOVIE COMPANY: Disney
CAST: Starring Bruce Willis, Lily Tomlin, Spencer Breslin, Emily Mortimer and more.
DIRECTED BY: Jon Turteltaub
WRITTEN BY: Audrey Wells
RATING: Rated PG
INTERNET MOVIE DATABASE URL: http://us.imdb.com/Title?0219854
TYPE OF MOVIE: Comedy
DURATION: 104 minutes
Russ Duritz is a wealthy L.A. image consultant, but as he nears 40, he’s cynical, dogless, chickless, estranged from his father, and he has no memories of his childhood. One night he surprises an intruder, who turns out to be a kid, almost 8 years old. There’s something oddly familiar about the chubby lad, whose name is Rusty. The boy’s identity sparks a journey into Russ’s past that the two of them take – to find the key moment that has defined who Russ is. Two long-suffering women look on with disbelief: Russ’s secretary, Janet, and his assistant, the lovely Amy, to whom Rusty takes a shine. What, and who, is at the end of this journey? (IMDB)
DVD EXTRAS:
• Region 1 encoding (US and Canada only)
• Color, Closed-captioned, Widescreen, Dolby
• Theatrical trailer(s)
• Audio Commentary With Director Jon Turlteltaub & Spencer Breslin
• Behind-The-Scenes Featurette, “From Casting the Role of The Kid”
• Conversations with Jon Turteltaub
• Widescreen anamorphic format
KNOWN DVD SECRET(S): None that I know of
DVD REVIEW:
A very entertaining movie that the family will love. Especially for the men who work so hard and wonder where there lives are going to.
As for the children, they will love the relationship between Bruce Willis and Spencer Breslin. There was good karma making this film and you can tell Turteltaub enjoyed working with Breslin. His “From Casting the role of “The Kid” is very entertaining and a good way to get to know the child star.
So, aside from being touted as a kid’s movie, this movie is also for the working person who is busy to care about his own personal life and for other people.
I’m not sure if we will ever see Bruce Willis doing a family movie like this or if we will ever see Spencer Breslin again on film but this movie is pretty good.
As for the DVD, very good colors and the video looks great. The audio is typical for a dialogue movie and the special features are numerous with the featurette and conversations with the director. Also, there is a commentary with Turteltaub and with Breslin which is also a blast to watch the movie again and listening to the kid.
A pretty cool DVD for the family and your hard working dad.
THE MOVIE: A-
THE DVD EXTRAS: B
THE DVD OVERALL: B+
PULP FICTION (a J!-ENT DVD Review)
October 1, 2002 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment
CAST: John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Uma Thurman, Bruce Willis, Eric Stoltz, Rosanna Arqueete, Harvey Keitel, Ving Rhames and a lot more.
DIRECTED BY: Quentin Tarentino
WRITTEN BY: Quentin Tarentino and Roger Avary
INTERNET MOVIE DATABASE URL: http://us.imdb.com/Title?0110912
TYPE OF MOVIE: Thriller, Crime, Action
DURATION: 154 minutes
The film initiates with two small-time thieves, Honey Bunny and Pumpkin, who spontaneously decide to hold up a restaurant. The film then shifts to the story of Jules and Vincent, who hit men for the well known and feared Marsellus Wallace, who is caught up in a deal gone wrong with struggling boxer Butch Coolidge. (IMDB)
DVD EXTRAS:
• Region 1 encoding (US and Canada only)
• Color, Closed-captioned, Dolby, HiFi Sound, Surround Sound
• Widescreen letterbox format
KNOWN DVD SECRET(S): None that I know of
DVD REVIEW:
The movie is absolutely marvelous and quite violent. A slight warning that even though this movie is in many listings as a top movie of all time, if you can’t take watching violence, then pass on this movie.
The screenplay is superb and the movie is just awesome! You probably heard about this movie mentioned many times, so I’ll cut to the chase and talk about the DVD.
Unfortunately, this must be an earlier DVD release (when DVD’s first came out) because there is nothing in terms of special features. No audio selection but there are English subtitles. With a special edition VHS version out with deleted scenes and more, I don’t know why they skimped out in this DVD release. Even for an earlier release, I have seen trailers and other things added, therefore I can’t give the overall DVD a great rating until we get the special edition DVD. Colors are vibrant, audio is good but this DVD deserves a better release.
If you want to see the movie and don’t care about special features, buy this DVD. It’s very good!! But if you are a DVD fanatic, then hopefully you can wait for the special edition.
THE MOVIE: A
THE DVD EXTRAS: F
THE DVD OVERALL: C
The Siege (a J!-ENT DVD Review)
October 1, 2002 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment
MOVIE COMPANY: Twentieth Century Fox
CAST: Bruce Willis, Denzel Washington, Bruce Willis, Annette Benning, Tony Shalhoub, Sami Bouhalia and more
DIRECTED BY: Edward Zwick
PRODUCED BY: Lynda Obst, Edward Zwick
RATING: R
INTERNET MOVIE DATABASE URL: http://us.imdb.com/Title?0133952
TYPE OF MOVIE: Thriller, Action, Dorama
DURATION: 116 minutes
After the abduction by the US military of a musilm religion leader, New York City become the target of escalating terrorist attacks. Anthony Hubbard, the head of the FBI/NYPD Terrorism Task Force, teams up with CIA operative Elise Kraft to capture the organisation responsible for the terror in NYC. As bomb attacks go on, The US governement decides to send the army into the NYC streets, lead by the General Devereaux, and declares Martial Law. (IMDB)
DVD EXTRAS:
• Region 1 encoding (US and Canada only)
• Color, Closed-captioned, DTS Surround Sound, Widescreen, Dolby, Digital Sound
• Theatrical trailer(s)
• Widescreen anamorphic format
KNOWN DVD SECRET(S): None that I know of
DVD REVIEW:
While it was nice to see these three stars come together in this film, there’s something about it that reminds me of Japanese internment camps and it ticks me off to see people being put in refugee camps. Also, to have a gung ho US Army General (Willis) try to stop the terrorism because he is the law.
I really didn’t care about this movie. The DVD although it was enhanced with DTS is nice because there are a few good explosions but otherwise a trailer is not much for a special feature.
I think the only part I enjoyed about the movie was the near the end scenes.
Otherwise a below than average film in my opinion.
THE MOVIE: C-
THE DVD EXTRAS: C-
THE DVD OVERALL: C-
