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Before churning out big budgeted Hollywood productions, John Woo carved out for himself a cult following with his Hong Kong productions. These glossy action extravaganzas were a breath of fresh air for fans of the action genre as Woo employed novel filmmaking techniques that highlighted the raw beauty of chaos itself. Fierce gunfights became as graceful as ballet performances and criminals became as suave as fashion models. Yet, Woo's films did not sacrifice substance in light of its overflowing style. His characters and stories always had a moral center where even the worst of villains were bound by strict codes of virtue, honor, and loyalty.

"The Killer" is about two men on opposite sides of the law: Jeffrey (Chow Yun-Fat), a professional hit-man, and Inspector Li (Danny Lee), a cop determined to bring Jeffrey to justice. Jeffrey is on the run after the mob places a price on his head for making a mess out of a nightclub hit. The botched hit also haunts Jeffrey on a personal level because his conscience refuses to let him forget about the innocent nightclub singer who was blinded in the shootout. The extent of this guilt surprises Li when he finally catches up with Jeffrey and the two men eventually develop a mutual respect for one another when they discover they both are fuelled by the same lust for justice. When the mob finds the pair hiding out in a church, the new buddies team up to battle their mutual foe and light up the night with a firestorm of bullets.

"The Killer" was a fitting film to end a decade that was saturated with brainless shoot-'em-up films. It infused a new sense of style and complexity into a genre run into the ground by the un-ending parade of Rambo clones. This not only revived the action film but set the foundation for other inspired works to follow. Both Chow Yun-Fat and Danny Lee distinguish themselves as well as polished Hollywood actors and deserve much credit for helping to develop living, breathing three-dimensional characters that do not fire guns just for the sake of firing guns. Logic sometimes doesn't bother to intervene into the story of "The Killer," but its kinetic energy helps to compensate for its outrageousness. Pull up a chair and have a good time with this film. Subtle it is not. Entertaining it is.

This movie is by far the most entertaining shoot-em up I have ever seen. I have seen some pretty violent Hollywood movies, but none of them match up to this. The movies almost 2 hours long and there are several slow parts. The action sequences are by far the highlight of this movie. Unlike Hollywood movies, the hero is not some muscle-bound Austrian who simply dispatches bad guys with a few shots and then says some sarcastic remark. In The Killer, Chow yun fat is a normal looking person who pumps an entire clip into some thug, who then crashes through a plate glass window or flies over a railing. The battle at the church and the first assassination scene are some of the greatest fight scenes on film. The camera work is great and the subtitles are okay. One of the things you have to realize that the violence is supposed to be over the top and outrageously violent, but the violence is never ridiculous. I dont think that people should complain about violence in Hollywood without noting that other countries make far more violent and explicit movies than the U.S. does.

When I saw hard boiled, I thought, it couldnt get any better than this, but boy I was dead wrong.

I bought this movie, and hard boiled(As a combo), and recieved it today. With all the reviews, I was expecting something simmilar to hard boiled, but I got more.

Right when the first shootout started, I knew I was gonna like this movie. Man I watched it untill the end just amazed. I had to watch it twice to understand the story, because at first I dind't care about the story, I just loved the stylish action I was looking at.

Chow Yun Fat is just one of the best actors alive, and John Woo is just a brilliant director. If anyone loves action movies, has got to pick this up, and hard boiled. Those 2 movies are perhaps the greatest action movies ever made.

Peace

Take a group of good ol boys from WW11, add a mad scientist (he must be mad wearing a yachting jacket in the Arctic); a wisecracking dame cup size D; isolate them; throw in some snappy dialogue, a rampaging blood sucking monster that doesn't mind the cold, winces a little when set alight, and is a threat to the world as we know it; and top it off with a scene stealing prop - a geiger counter with a flashing light; and you have one hell of a movie. If you willingly suspend disbelief, turn the lights off, and watch it uninterrupted, it will also give you a thrill or three.

OK! we all know the plot. We all know the Hawks-Nyby controversy.
We were all scared out of our wits when we were eight years old and saw this in neighborhood theaters (Circa 1951-1954)
Why?... It's all about that "Door" scene. When that door is opened, The Thing actually looks Ken Tobey in the face for a scant second before he swings. That's when we lost it kids! It's that eye contact we can't forget.

Has anyone ever noticed that about one or two seconds before the door is opened, a round "Soft Focus" effect covers The Thing's face? Even when the door is closed, the soldier's guns gleam in Soft Focus.

I rate this DVD 4 stars, only because there are no extras...However, the Lost scenes have been restored very nicely.

The Thing is finally complete (for now.) Perhaps in the future it will be re-issued with all the "Extras" it deserves.

Despite a no-name cast and several scenes shot in a Los Angeles meat locker, this fx-deprived film remains a science fiction classic. Modern moviemakers should take lessons from Howard Hawks in how not to lose the human element while letting your imagination take over. And though I am skeptical of the film's underlying message, at least the conflicts are plausibly posed and intelligently handled. Then too, there's the dialogue, long a Hawks trademark, that at times flows so effortlessly the rhythms approach the poetic as they underscore a free and easy banter among military professionals. Seldom has camaraderie under pressure been more persuasively portrayed, or the responsibilities of command more democratically depicted. Having seen the movie on first release, I am glad to say the highlights have lost little over the years, though I still puzzle over a super space-traveler who communicates only in grunts. And while flying saucers and nuclear-age mutants have passed into yesterday's lore, the clarity of the Lederer script and the excitement of the Hawks staging still happily endure, especially when compared with the muddled, over-fx'ed remake. All of which shows once again why more is so often less, and less is so often more. As the studio hosts at TCM like to say : this is a movie Essential.

this ones got the groove, the drama, the comedy. nice swing music and sometimes the actors are a little bit cheesy but it works out in the tearjerker end, not that I cryed. the cast includes Robert Sean Leonard(My Best Friend is A Vampire,The Last Days Of Disco), Christian Bale(American Psycho, Laurel Canyon), Frank Whaley(Swimming With Sharks, Pulp Fiction), Jayce Bartok(Spider-Man, Suburbia), Barbara Hershey(Beaches), Kenneth Bragnagh(Rabbit Proof Fence, Much Ado About Nothing), Noah Wyle(tvs E.R., The Myth Of Fingerprints). a good old fashioned movie

This movie gives a new angle on Pre - WW2 German society. The title's 'Swing Kids' are German youngsters who were interested in British and American slag & fashions. Since Germany's official policy towards America & Britain wasn't very sympathetic at the time (to say the least), Swing hangouts were routinely searched for by HJ's ("Hitler Junged" - Hilter's Youths), Swing Kids were targeted by them, and Swing music was hard to find.

The movie's three main characters are caught in the struggle between Swing music and the pressureto join the HJ's. Arvid, who is partially paralized, and is therefore 'unacceptable' by the Nazis, is a rabid Swing fan (which a large part of is a rebellion against the people who won't accept him). Peter is struggling with his father's 'disappearance' (he was taken by the Nazis a few years before the events of the movie). Thomas is just looking for acceptance, which he doesn't seem to get from his family or friends, so he willingly turns into a HJ - just to satisfy his need. The friends split up, turn against each other, and each goes towards his tragic end.

The story in itself is predictable, but since the performances of the actors are quite good, and the period and subject matter of the films are not your obvious WW2 movies, it is a very enjoyable one (even just for knowldge's sake).

Swing Kids is a phenomenal movie. As a person who loves both swing/jazz music, and is fascinated by the effectiveness of nazi propaganda, this movie addresses both issues, whilst submerging it against the back drop of pre-war germany and it's effect on Germany's youth. It tests the friendship of two long time buddy's, and is both inspirational as it is moving. Although old, it is one of the few movies that is worth watching these days.

This was sneaked out onto release on region 2 disc ages ago in England (minus commentary). Although the film is visually stunning and has some nice set pieces it lacks warmth and, with some small exceptions, has no compelling characters. The extras are as dry as sticks and smack of the pompous. If you want a special edition Disney disc stick to 'The Lion King' or 'Beauty and the Beast'.

I don't know why this film just doesn't do it for me. But it doesn't. My daughter likes it though. There's not too much here to be concerned about. Some scary scenes, but not the worst offender by far. A lot of people have fond associations with this film. I just don't happen to be one of them. But I wouldn't hesitate to let my kids watch it.

This DVD is a "must have" for any animation fans. The Special Edition has the widescreen version as it was originally shown in 1959. This was the first animated movie shot in 70 mm. I couldn't believe how much of a difference it made from having the sides croped off for television.

The 2nd disc has great extras showing the main artist's involvement and the black and white acting for the fight scene.

It's amazing that this guy gets overlooked as much as he does. He has an outstanding pedigree, and it shows-- he's better and faster than Jet Li! In my book, Donnie Yen is the best kung fu stylist in show business today!

That being said, Iron Monkey is one of the better films that I've seen him in. Nice cinematogrpahy that highlights the gorgeous fight scenes, an interesting storyline, and best of all, Donnie Yen featured in over half the scenes-- choreographed by him!

There is wirework in the fight scenes, but it does not overshadow them. There isn't any strobe-effects, or a lot of cutaways to make the actors seem quicker than they are.. the fight scenes are dynamic, with some nice camerawork that actually enhances. There are elements of Hong Kong kung fu B movies that work, and the action isn't so ridiculously fast that you can't keep up with it. You can appreciate Donnie Yen's form-- he bases his chroegraphy for his character on the real historical hero-- who studied hung gar. Except for the "Shadow Kick" technique, which has to be seen to be believed. Remember Bruce Lee throwing three fast roundhouse like kicks to Chuck Norris' face in Return of the Dragon, and thinking that was fast? Slow motion, folks. And Donnie gives us the impression of more internal power. Smokin!

The basis for this story is Robin Hood in China-- not quite as sappy as old kung fu B movies, not nearly as "revolutionary" in terms of storyline quality as "Crouching Tiger/Hidden Dragon" or "Hero." But solid.

I'd like to see Donnie get features more often. I'd like to see more quality movies that feature kung fu action. Here's a good one.

Okay, I'm behind the times. I'm just now catching "Iron Monkey" and feel pretty much like a Johnny-Come-Lately. I never really cared much for martial arts films but was amazed by Ang Lee's "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon". I read a few things about "Iron Monkey" after it was released due to "Crouching Tiger's" success but never got around to seeing it or buying a copy of the dvd. Recently, however, I found the movie at a pre-owned cd/dvd store and purchased it. I'm glad I did because it ranks right up there with "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon". Yuen Woo-ping's chinese take on Robin Hood is done with great style, incredible fight choreography and filled with charming actors and actresses. Yu Rong-gang plays the Iron Monkey and Dr. Yang, a humble doctor that basically practices the same tactics as the Iron Monkey---helping the poor who are sick for free and charging the rich for his help. The rest of the cast is filled with interesting characters such as Dr. Yang's helper and romantic interest, Miss Orchid, and Wong Fei-hung, a young boy who's fighting skills are as remarkable as many adult men. The fight scenes in this film are a pleasure to the eye and well worth the purchase of the dvd alone. If you are a martial arts fan, you will NO DOUBT want this movie in your collection. If you are not a fan, I dare you not to enjoy it!

This movie IS the Matrix of Martial Arts movies. Beautiful cinematic shots, amazing lighting and choreography. The story as well is an Asian take on Robin Hood that is well written and performed. Beautiful production.

In 1983, Bob and Doug McKenzie (Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas -- but not the Dave Thomas from Wendy's) introduced the world to the mysterious land of Canada -- a place overflowing with beer and donuts. A place where everyone wears flannel and toques while they're playing hockey. A place where they use words like "hoser" and "eh."

When Bob and Doug try to scam the Elsinore brewery out of a free case of beer, they end up with jobs instead. There, they get stumble upon Brewmeister Smith (Max von Sydow), who's planning to take over the beer-drinking world with his mind-altering chemicals.

At the beginning of Strange Brew, the brothers announce that their movie was filmed in 3-B -- "Three beers and it looks good." I'd say that's pretty accurate. Strange Brew is a fabulously brainless movie -- full of bad jokes, bad acting, and bad effects. It's a must-see for any college student -- preferably after a long night of drinking. But if you're sober, be warned that it takes a special sense of humor to enjoy this one. Those with that special sense of humor, however (you know who you are), will love this one.

Taken from their SCTV skits, Bob & Doug McKenzie set out to make their own film. Only problem is that people hate it and they gave their last $15 to a kid who spent his allowance to see their movie. The $15.00 was meant for beer.. which they have run out of. This takes them to the Elsinore brewery where they are given jobs as "beer inspectors" At the brewery, the help brewery heiress Pam Elsinore take back what is rightfully hers. We Canadians get stereotyped so badly.. and this movie has every stereotype possible. Yes, it a stupid movie.. but it's just so funny that it's one you should have in your collection.

Ok eh, like first off this movie is great, eh. Like now these two have like shown up in the new Disney movie Brother Bear, beauty eh? Like they even make reference to thier love for beer in Brother Bear too eh (take off you hoser - no way eh, it's at the end of the movie you knob).

So like now I am ready for like a return of these guys to new movie eh. So if you think these guys are funny eh go see Brother Bear - beauty casting job eh - Moose are Loose!

As noted by other viewers, this movie is a lot of fun - sure to be on any Cary Grant or Audrey Hepburn fan's list. I am not writing about the film but about this particular DVD version by d3kfilms-- it is unwatchable, BOOTLEG quality, in my opinion. I had the misfortune of trying to rent this movie on DVD at my local video store, and this is the version they had in stock. It hadn't occured to me that a reputable video store would be stocking poor quality, unofficial versions of films, so I didn't at all expect what I saw when I watched this DVD. The image and sound quality are EXTREMELY bad-- picture is grainy and muddy-looking, with MAJOR scratches and jarring skips in the film. It was as if someone went to a revival theatre showing an extremely worn-out print of "Charade" and recorded the movie as it was playing on screen with their video camera, then burned what they recorded onto a DVD! That is how terrible the quality is, and this classic film deserves so much better. In fact, any film deserves better-- so watch out for DVDs that have this company's name (d3kfilms) on them or that do not have the original, legit studio's name on them. I noticed that amazon.com sells other versions of this movie on DVD-- try those before wasting your money on this one. I'd even recommend buying an official VHS version of the movie over this one. I was so shocked by what I saw that I got a refund of my money from the video store and then felt compelled to go online and warn people about it-- and I've never done either thing before.

Director: Stanley Donen

Stars: Audrey Hepburn, Cary Grant, Walter Matthau, James Coburn, George Kennedy, Ned Glass, Jacques Marin, Paul Bonifas, Dominique Minot, andThomas Chelimsky

Running Time: 113 minutes

Released in 1963

Reggie, played by Audrey Hepburn, finds everything in her home has been stolen and her husband murdered after she returns home to Paris after a ski vacation in the French Alps. Peter Joshua, played by Cary Grant, offers to help her solve the mystery of her husband's death. Working together they find that her husband has hid some money and a gang of his ex-cronies, who also killed him, want it and believe Reggie knows where it is. As the movie progresses and one by one the gang is killed, Reggie starts to believe that Peter might be one of the gang that is trying to murder her. Reggie also finds that she that perhaps the only one to trust is CIA agent Hamilton Bartholomew, played by Walter Matthau. Through out the film Reggie is trying to seduce Peter, but Peter feels he is too old for Reggie and wards off her attempts, while remaining close. The director Stanley Donen, who is famous for "Hitchcock imitations", fills this thriller with just enough fun chemistry between Hepburn and Grant to keep your attention from start to finish.

This is a must have for any Hepburn fan. A star studded cast and the witty dialogue make this a great movie. The Criterion series are a bit on the pricey side but well worth it. I know someone who got a non Criterion version of this movie and it was quality was terrible.

Well, Treasure Planet used to be my favorite, but now, I don`t know if I have a favorite movie! It has good characters, a good storyline, great feel-like-your-there animation, and an absolute great music (even I think the Goo-Goo Dolls are idiots!). I like the soalar-surfing parts alot. I hope you consider this reveiw.

For a host of reasons, "Treasure Planet" is sure to please the moppet audience for which it was intended. The art and animation is nothing short of sublime: the acme of the animator's art. The coloring is dazzling yet subtle. The conception of the ships is bold and original. The design of the characters - particularly Long John Silver, B.E.N., and Mr. Scroop - does not disappoint. The script (for the most part) is deft; the pace, brisk; and the voices of the characters matchlessly brought off.

So what's the problem with this movie?

Well, for the ADULT audience, at which many aspects of this movie are aimed, several hurdles come a-knockin', particularly when it comes to the way the plot stumbles storywise.

Lemme see if I understand: Dr. Dilbert Doppler is financing - exclusively commissioning - the entire ship with his "savings" (this is made clear). So how is it that his homeboy Jim gets stuck having to swab the decks and peel potatoes? The script tried to play this off as a whim on the part of our Protestant work-ethic captain, but for all that, it doesn't make a lick of sense and those upstairs knew it. I suppose Disney figured that, as I suggested, the kids in the audience wouldn't storm out of the movie-houses protesting the gross illogicality of this situation, since no sooner are we presented with it than we are introduced to the Cyborg's mesmerizing appendage. Just one of many irritating examples of how the barrel of their exposition could have used a cork or two. I had no problem believing that there were three-masted ships sailing through the ether and a dozen other ludicrous premises, but Jim's cabin-boy status posed a believability problem that nagged at me through a big chunk of the film.

And what's with Jim's pathetically trendy space-board? Is our age really so cynical that we can't simply make a movie that doesn't have a "cool and rebellious" hero at its center? Christ. Voltaire was "cool and rebellious." Jim ("prepubescent twit") Hawkins isn't. In years to come this transparent attempt to connect with today's "extreme generation" is definitely going to date the movie in an embarrassing way. God forbid Disney remake Snow White! All the dwarves would probably be into body-piercing and bungee-jumping! Definitely one thing that's great about movies like Pinocchio and The Little Mermaid compared to this kind of film: in those older films there was never any attempt to cast the events and characters onscreen in the light of recent fads, hair-dos, etc. It was possible delightfully to lose oneself in the imaginative worlds presented without being rudely summoned back to the grimy modern world we all inhabit. Even so, I had nearly forgot about that idiotic board until the end of the movie, when it returns with a vengeance. Save your popcorn bag: you'll need it for the vomit.

And what's with Morph, the ubiquitously ingratiating sidekick? Sheesh. I mean, does Disney have such a low opinion of children today that it invariably assumes none of them will want to see a movie unless there's some impossibly adorable (and scrofulous, if you watch carefully) creature thrown in there? Am I asking too much?

(Well, at least the principals didn't break into a maudlin chorus every 5 minutes; this is something of an improvement over the traditional Disney fare. Although there are a couple of sappy songs - such as shortly after Jim meets Silver - mercifully, though, they aren't sung by the characters.)

A final thing that I found annoying with this movie (am I alone?) was that, in the end, NOBODY gets the treasure. I mean, I know the treasure's just series of nicely-drawn pictures, but at the end of the movie this gigantic mountain of gold and jewels is utterly destroyed and NOBODY gets it, not even the villain! I found this immensely irritating; the audience had definitely made an emotional investment in this treasure. Finding it was the whole point of everything, and when things simply don't pan out, we are left feeling cheated and unsatisfied. Couldn't the loot at least have gone to an orphanage or something? True, Jim was tossed a few coins, but then, in the idiotic finale, we see his mother has inexplicably used them to rebuild her inn (which, we are led to understand, had been on the point of giving her a coronary), rather than using them to go to graduate school, or build a better life for herself somehow. This, also, rubbed me the wrong way.

Yes, "Treasure Planet" is an irritating letdown in every way except visually. What is clear from the film's coloring, detail, and computer-aided graphics is that animated movies are right on the cusp of really growing up, really becoming serious vehicles for art and storytelling - at least potentially. But for some reason the studios that have the power to create meaningful animated films insist instead on infantilizing the media, wasting millions of dollars cranking out dreck so laughable that even the kids it's intended for see right through it.

This is an animated science fiction story based on Robert Louis Stevension's Treasure Island. The script is very good though, as usual with Disney, not as enlightened as one would wish or hope. The animation and design are breathtaking, the characters are fun and the songs are minimally intrusive. All-in-all, I was pleasantly surprised by this film, and look forward to re-reading the book so I can see how it compares.

Disney's forte continues to be their state-of-the-art dvd extras, and this disc is no exception. There are trailers and featurettes galore, games, music videos, deleted scenes, an alternate ending and a commentary track with the producer and two directors. Spoken language options are English, French or Spanish, and English captions are available.

If you, as I, live in the DVD region 1, don't bother with the one disc version available to us. Instead invest in this belter of a twin disc set that is all knobs and whistles. Best bits are the shorts (particularly 'Rollercoaster Rabbit'), Toon Town Confidential and Benny the Cab guiding you through the menus. Saying all this, the film is starting to show it's age a bit now with some dodgy composite shots that are magnified with sparkling DVD quality but I still prefer this to CGI!

While I am not a fan of having to buy a movie twice on DVD, but this Vista Series DVD is worth every penny. The animated menus are funny, the extras are great, and the film itself looks fantastic. I am proud to have this DVD in my collection, even if it meant having to buy the same movie twice.

This beloved 1988 fantasy masterpiece from Robert Zemeckis is set in 1949 Hollywood where Toons blend in with reality among humans. A popular cartoon Rabbit has been accused of murder, a hard boiled detective ( Bob Hoskins) who hates toons helps him find the real murderer behind the murder. This movie is a very entertaining and brilliant motion picture landmark that uses great special effects and sensentational acting abound.
The new Vista DVD is just great! the old one didn't had extras, but this one is chock-full of extras such as Audio Commentary, Widescreen and Fullscreen presentations, The original Roger Rabbit shorts, Poster Gallery, Design gallery, Documentaries and more plus a special easter egg on Disc 1 where you keep on going down to the down point on the menu to find the original theatrical trailer. So if your a fan of animation or loves this movie, buy it on this DVD and throw away your old DVD.

a stunningly beautiful film and a truly heartfelt homage to a great artist.

Amazing that such a great film could be made for only 3 million.
Bill Condon directs with elegant simplicity, thoroughly allowing the viewer to revel in the dynamics of the story and in the development and playing out of the characterizations. This is a film which allows us to become immersed in the depth and richness of the very real human beings which inhabit this poignant, affecting story. No cheap melodramatic or pat resolutions here; everything looms unerringly real and on a believable human level. It helps of course that Condon has the actors to do it justice. Sir Ian McKellen faultlessly establishes Whale's persona; the nuances and facial expressions are revealing of a whole myriad of emotions, thoughts and feelings. He brings such a charge, such a presence, he almost doesn't need words, and yet, there is no discernible "technique" at play, no self-concious "actory" mannerisms. We are aware of something extraordinary here, a near-transference of another's persona into McKellen's own. He takes us to places in a way that Olivier once did. Lynn Redgrave is fixating as Hannah, the completely off-the-wall yet endearing servant. Redgrave is always careful never to let schtick mar what could be a caricature of this severely limited character; one can see a real person behind the granite wall of unimaginative denial. Brendan Fraser is the film's most pleasant surprise. Redgrave in the Special Features section of the DVD says of Fraser, "He's a real actor," and this is certainly borne out in the finished result. With a powerhouse of artistic sagacity like McKellan, many a young actor could threaten to flounder helplessly, but Fraser not only holds his own astonishingly, he matches Sir Ian scene for scene. Most impressively, Fraser as his character appears to be paying rapt attention when McKellan's Whale speaks. His reactions are spontaneous and natural, the timing impeccably established. Moreover, Fraser declines to merely play the brooding hunk. When McKellan attacks Fraser's character in lascivious desperation, Fraser's depiction of his horror, trauma, outrage and pain is flinchingly palpable. It does not hurt either than Fraser is physically believable as the object of Whale's attraction.
Don't miss this absorbing masterpiece.

I can not say enough about this film. It was great and the acting was Oscar quality. Buy this movie and you will understand. An excellant investment.