Collection ID 1419
Director: Clint Eastwood
Starring: Ken Watanabe, Kazunari Ninomiya, Tsuyoshi Ihara, Ryo Kase, Shidô Nakamura
Genre: Drama, History, War
Studio: DreamWorks SKG   Release date: 2006   Rated: R   
Language (Country): Japanese Dolby Digital 5.1 (USA)
Summary: The island of Iwo Jima stands between the American military force and the home islands of Japan. Therefore the Imperial Japanese Army is desperate to prevent it from falling into American hands and providing a launching point for an invasion of Japan. General Tadamichi Kuribayashi is given command of the forces on the island and sets out to prepare for the imminent attack. General Kuribayashi, however, does not favor the rigid traditional approach recommended by his subordinates, and resentment and resistance fester among his staff. In the lower echelons, a young soldier, Saigo, a poor baker in civilian life, strives with his friends to survive the harsh regime of the Japanese army itself, all the while knowing that a fierce battle looms. When the American invasion begins, both Kuribayashi and Saigo find strength, honor, courage, and horrors beyond imagination.
My Rating:
My Review: Based on a book (by Tadamichi Kuribayashi), screenplay written by Iris Yamashita and Paul Haggis, directed by Clint Eastwood, and starring Ken Watanabe, Kazunari Ninomiya, Tsuyoshi Ihara and many others. Of the two movies (this one and Flags of our Fathers), this one is by far the better movie. The writing is much better as is the acting, the setting and the story is original. We've never seen this side of the battle before, and I for one appreciated it. I won't turn this into a debate on the atrocities of war, or which side did what to whom. As a movie, this was an outstanding accomplishment. Eastwood's directing seems better in this movie, but the acting and quality of the actors was also visibly better. I really liked the 'letters' aspect as well. Throughout the movie, there is a focus on correspondence with loved ones. Each side had families back home, and we were shown a side of the soldier we are rarely allowed to see. The side that wants to survive, the side that wants to make it through to the other side. The pacing, lighting and camera work were all outstanding. Bravo Mr. Eastwood. This one is outstanding. 5 out of 5.

Collection ID 287
Director: Tom Shadyac
Starring: Jim Carrey, Maura Tierney, Justin Cooper, Cary Elwes, Anne Haney
Genre: Comedy
Studio: Imagine Entertainment   Release date: 1997   Rated: PG-13   
Language (Country): German, English, French, Italian, Spanish (USA)
Summary: A fast track lawyer can't lie for 24 hours due to his son's birthday wish after the lawyer turns his son down for the last time.
My Rating:
My Review: Jim Carrey plays a Fletcher Reede, professional Liar - Umm 'Lawyer', in this outstanding comedy. When his son (played by Justin Cooper) Max makes a birthday wish, this neglectful father is unable to lie for 24 hours. That sets the foundation for this extremely funny movie. Maura Tierney plays Max's mom / Fletcher's ex-wife, and Cary Elwes plays the more recent love interest. The premise is extremely simple - A defense lawyer who can't lie. Jim Carrey jazes it up as the fast talking lawyer caught in a moral predicament. He's a habitual liar, a schemeing, shmoozing, hypocrite who's on the verge of losing his son. Everything changes when his son makes that fateful wish. Watching Carrey scramble is pure joy. Lies have gotten him to where he is, but can he turn a new leaf in time to save his relationship with his son? Carrey is funny as hell!

Collection ID 997
Director: Tom Shadyac
Starring: Jim Carrey, Maura Tierney, Justin Cooper, Cary Elwes, Anne Haney
Genre: Comedy
Studio: Imagine Entertainment   Release date: 1997   Rated: PG-13   
Language (Country): German, English, French, Italian, Spanish (USA)
Summary: A fast track lawyer can't lie for 24 hours due to his son's birthday wish after the lawyer turns his son down for the last time.
My Rating:
My Review: Jim Carrey plays a Fletcher Reede, professional Liar - Umm 'Lawyer', in this outstanding comedy. When his son (played by Justin Cooper) Max makes a birthday wish, this neglectful father is unable to lie for 24 hours. That sets the foundation for this extremely funny movie. Maura Tierney plays Max's mom / Fletcher's ex-wife, and Cary Elwes plays the more recent love interest. The premise is extremely simple - A defense lawyer who can't lie. Jim Carrey jazes it up as the fast talking lawyer caught in a moral predicament. He's a habitual liar, a schemeing, shmoozing, hypocrite who's on the verge of losing his son. Everything changes when his son makes that fateful wish. Watching Carrey scramble is pure joy. Lies have gotten him to where he is, but can he turn a new leaf in time to save his relationship with his son? Carrey is funny as hell!

Collection ID 46
Director: Greg Beeman
Starring: Corey Haim, Corey Feldman, Carol Kane, Richard Masur, Heather Graham
Genre: Comedy
Studio: Twentieth Century Fox   Release date: 1988   Rated: PG-13   
Language (Country): English (USA)
Summary: A teen decides to go for a night on the town with his friends despite flunking his driver's test.
My Rating:
My Review:

Collection ID 590
Director: Wes Anderson
Starring: Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, Cate Blanchett, Anjelica Huston
Genre: Comedy
Studio: Miramax Home Entertainment   Release date: 2004   Rated: R   
Language (Country): English (USA)
Summary: In "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou", director Wes Anderson takes his familiar stable of actors on a field trip to a fantasy aquarium, complete with stop-motion, candy-striped crabs and rainbow seahorses. And though Anderson does expand his horizons in terms of retro-special effects and a whimsical use of color, fans will otherwise find themselves in well-charted waters. As "The Life Aquatic" opens, Zissou (Bill Murray), a self-involved, Jacques Cousteau-like filmmaker, has just released a documentary depicting the death of his best friend Esteban, who was eaten by some sort of sea creature--possibly a jaguar shark. Zissou’s troubles also include his waning popularity with the public, and a nemesis (Jeff Goldblum) who hogs up all the grant money. Hope arrives in the form of Ned Plimpton (Owen Wilson), an amiable Kentuckian who may be Zissou’s son. Despite his lack of enthusiasm for fatherhood, Zissou welcomes Ned--and Ned in turn saves Zissou’s new documentary (in which he seeks revenge on the jaguar shark) in more ways than one.

One of Wes Anderson’s greatest achievements as a director to date has been launching the autumnal melancholy phase of Bill Murray’s career, starting with "Rushmore" in 1998, and Murray delivers a similarly comedic yet low-key performance here. Unfortunately, Zissou is one of the few characters in this ensemble to achieve multi-dimensionality. Even co-star Wilson doesn’t get to develop Ned much beyond Noble Southerner, and he ends up seeming more like a prop for illustrating Zissou’s emotional development rather than his own man. "The Life Aquatic" probably won’t be remembered as a great film, but it is still one that no Anderson (or Murray) fan can afford to miss.--"Leah Weathersby"
My Rating:
My Review: Charming, character based drama with subtle humor and great characters. I really, really, enjoyed this movie. The attention to detail is unbelievable, the fantastic creatures, the drama, the action sequences (Yes there were action sequences), everything was spectacular. An absolutely fantastic cast, great acting, awesome directing, moving music and more. I have three movies by Wes Anderson, and I've loved every one of them. This one moved from must watch to 'I bought it' as soon as it became available. Actors included: Bill Murray (Comic master), Owen Wilson (A favorite who got his start in another Wes Anderson movie), Cate Blanchett (Galadriel from 'Lord of the Rings' trilogy), Anjelica Huston, Willem Dafoe and Jeff Goldblum. The plot? A strange twisted one - Aging deep sea explorer uses the tragic demise of his partner to create a final 'last but best' documentary. While tracking down sea monster that ate his partner, he suffers a mid-life crisis, discovers a son he never had, his wide leaves him, he rescues a 'bond company stooge' from pirates, etc, etc, etc... The movie kept me glued to the couch while I was immersed in a totally self-contained magical world.

Collection ID 1290
Director: Wes Anderson
Starring: Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, Cate Blanchett, Anjelica Huston
Genre: Comedy
Studio: Miramax Home Entertainment   Release date: 2004   Rated: R   
Language (Country): English (USA)
Summary: In "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou", director Wes Anderson takes his familiar stable of actors on a field trip to a fantasy aquarium, complete with stop-motion, candy-striped crabs and rainbow seahorses. And though Anderson does expand his horizons in terms of retro-special effects and a whimsical use of color, fans will otherwise find themselves in well-charted waters. As "The Life Aquatic" opens, Zissou (Bill Murray), a self-involved, Jacques Cousteau-like filmmaker, has just released a documentary depicting the death of his best friend Esteban, who was eaten by some sort of sea creature--possibly a jaguar shark. Zissou’s troubles also include his waning popularity with the public, and a nemesis (Jeff Goldblum) who hogs up all the grant money. Hope arrives in the form of Ned Plimpton (Owen Wilson), an amiable Kentuckian who may be Zissou’s son. Despite his lack of enthusiasm for fatherhood, Zissou welcomes Ned--and Ned in turn saves Zissou’s new documentary (in which he seeks revenge on the jaguar shark) in more ways than one.

One of Wes Anderson’s greatest achievements as a director to date has been launching the autumnal melancholy phase of Bill Murray’s career, starting with "Rushmore" in 1998, and Murray delivers a similarly comedic yet low-key performance here. Unfortunately, Zissou is one of the few characters in this ensemble to achieve multi-dimensionality. Even co-star Wilson doesn’t get to develop Ned much beyond Noble Southerner, and he ends up seeming more like a prop for illustrating Zissou’s emotional development rather than his own man. "The Life Aquatic" probably won’t be remembered as a great film, but it is still one that no Anderson (or Murray) fan can afford to miss.--"Leah Weathersby"
My Rating:
My Review: Charming, character based drama with subtle humor and great characters. I really, really, enjoyed this movie. The attention to detail is unbelievable, the fantastic creatures, the drama, the action sequences (Yes there were action sequences), everything was spectacular. An absolutely fantastic cast, great acting, awesome directing, moving music and more. I have three movies by Wes Anderson, and I've loved every one of them. This one moved from must watch to 'I bought it' as soon as it became available. Actors included: Bill Murray (Comic master), Owen Wilson (A favorite who got his start in another Wes Anderson movie), Cate Blanchett (Galadriel from 'Lord of the Rings' trilogy), Anjelica Huston, Willem Dafoe and Jeff Goldblum. The plot? A strange twisted one - Aging deep sea explorer uses the tragic demise of his partner to create a final 'last but best' documentary. While tracking down sea monster that ate his partner, he suffers a mid-life crisis, discovers a son he never had, his wide leaves him, he rescues a 'bond company stooge' from pirates, etc, etc, etc... The movie kept me glued to the couch while I was immersed in a totally self-contained magical world.

Collection ID 733
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Starring: Terence Stamp, Lesley Ann Warren, Luis Guzmán, Barry Newman, Joe Dallesandro
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Studio: Artisan Entertainment   Release date: 1999   Rated: R   
Language (Country): English Dolby Digital 5.1, Commentary by director Steven Soderbergh and writer Lem Dobbs Dolby Digital 2.0, Commentary by actors Terence Stamp and Peter Fonda Dolby Digital 2.0 (USA)
Summary: An ex-con, fresh out of prison, goes to L.A. to try to learn who murdered his daughter. However, he quickly finds that he is completely out of place with no understanding of the culture he finds. His investigations are helped by another ex-con. Together they learn that his daughter had been having an affair with a record producer, who is presently having an affair with another young woman. An aging actress, who also knew his daughter, forces him to look at his own failures as a father. The movie does focus on the drama of the situation and the inter-relationships of the characters and seldom slips into an action piece.
My Rating:
My Review:

Collection ID 1421
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Starring: Terence Stamp, Lesley Ann Warren, Luis Guzmán, Barry Newman, Joe Dallesandro
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Studio: Artisan Entertainment   Release date: 1999   Rated: R   
Language (Country): English Dolby Digital 5.1, Commentary by director Steven Soderbergh and writer Lem Dobbs Dolby Digital 2.0, Commentary by actors Terence Stamp and Peter Fonda Dolby Digital 2.0 (USA)
Summary: An ex-con, fresh out of prison, goes to L.A. to try to learn who murdered his daughter. However, he quickly finds that he is completely out of place with no understanding of the culture he finds. His investigations are helped by another ex-con. Together they learn that his daughter had been having an affair with a record producer, who is presently having an affair with another young woman. An aging actress, who also knew his daughter, forces him to look at his own failures as a father. The movie does focus on the drama of the situation and the inter-relationships of the characters and seldom slips into an action piece.
My Rating:
My Review:

Collection ID 735
Director: Jim Jarmusch
Starring: Isaach De Bankolé, Alex Descas, Jean-François Stévenin, Óscar Jaenada, Luis Tosar
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Studio: Focus Features   Release date: 2009   Rated: R   
Language (Country): English, Spanish, Arabic, French, Japanese (USA, Japan)
Summary: A solitary man who does not speak Spanish is an underground courier. Two men who are both thuggish and philosophical send him to Madrid with cryptic instructions. Over the course of a few days, he receives his instructions from a series of distinctive individuals who provide words of philosophy or of warning and also give him a matchbox with a tiny piece of paper, which he reads then eats, accompanied by espresso served in two cups. He is quiet, self-contained, focused on his work. He has rules. He encounters and at times transmits a violin, diamonds, a guitar, and a map. Is he a smuggler? Merely an independent conduit? Or, something else?
My Rating:
My Review: Isaach de Bakolé plays an enigmatic assassin in this art-house release from Jim Jarmusch (Stranger than Paradise, Night on Earth, Broken Flowers, Z-Channel - A Magnificent Obsession). An very odd/unconventional film. Isaach is a hired assassin, but he doesn't know who he's supposed to kill, and neither do we. He doesn't know where he's supposed to be, and neither do we. As he goes about his day, various shady figures/interesting characters approach him, engage him in conversation (even though they know that he doesn't speak Spanish) and provide him with his next clue - A short five letter cipher; which he looks at, then eats. Filled with odd characters, amazing camera work, perfect pacing, editing, lighting, color and sound. Wonderful architecture, rich location shots, a great soundtrack and a puzzle as twisted as they get. The nude scenes with Tilda Swinton were unexpected but appreciated! and the quiet introspective primary character was a joy to puzzle over. This serene, sublime movie contained no narrative, no exposition, and very little dialogue. If you love cerebral mystery, art, and independent film, you'll find a gem in this amazing work. 5 out of 5. Not for everyone. This movie is rated quite low on Netflix, but I give it high praise. If you know me, you'd understand what's going on here. You couldn't force me to watch Transformers II. As a matter of fact, I'd rather watch grass growing! 5 outof 5.

Collection ID 1422
Director: Jim Jarmusch
Starring: Isaach De Bankolé, Alex Descas, Jean-François Stévenin, Óscar Jaenada, Luis Tosar
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Studio: Focus Features   Release date: 2009   Rated: R   
Language (Country): English, Spanish, Arabic, French, Japanese (USA, Japan)
Summary: A solitary man who does not speak Spanish is an underground courier. Two men who are both thuggish and philosophical send him to Madrid with cryptic instructions. Over the course of a few days, he receives his instructions from a series of distinctive individuals who provide words of philosophy or of warning and also give him a matchbox with a tiny piece of paper, which he reads then eats, accompanied by espresso served in two cups. He is quiet, self-contained, focused on his work. He has rules. He encounters and at times transmits a violin, diamonds, a guitar, and a map. Is he a smuggler? Merely an independent conduit? Or, something else?
My Rating:
My Review: Isaach de Bakolé plays an enigmatic assassin in this art-house release from Jim Jarmusch (Stranger than Paradise, Night on Earth, Broken Flowers, Z-Channel - A Magnificent Obsession). An very odd/unconventional film. Isaach is a hired assassin, but he doesn't know who he's supposed to kill, and neither do we. He doesn't know where he's supposed to be, and neither do we. As he goes about his day, various shady figures/interesting characters approach him, engage him in conversation (even though they know that he doesn't speak Spanish) and provide him with his next clue - A short five letter cipher; which he looks at, then eats. Filled with odd characters, amazing camera work, perfect pacing, editing, lighting, color and sound. Wonderful architecture, rich location shots, a great soundtrack and a puzzle as twisted as they get. The nude scenes with Tilda Swinton were unexpected but appreciated! and the quiet introspective primary character was a joy to puzzle over. This serene, sublime movie contained no narrative, no exposition, and very little dialogue. If you love cerebral mystery, art, and independent film, you'll find a gem in this amazing work. 5 out of 5. Not for everyone. This movie is rated quite low on Netflix, but I give it high praise. If you know me, you'd understand what's going on here. You couldn't force me to watch Transformers II. As a matter of fact, I'd rather watch grass growing! 5 outof 5.