DVD Collectors Online

Inside Man, a review by Tom

Inside Man (2006/United States) IMDb | Wikipedia Universal Pictures (Germany) Director: Spike Lee Writing: Russell Gewirtz (Writer) Length: 123 min. Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35 Audio: English: Dolby Digital 5.1, German: Dolby Digital 5.1, Italian: Dolby Digital 5.1, Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 Subtitles: Croatian, English, German, Italian, Portuguese, Slovenian, Spanish, Turkish

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Stars:
Denzel Washington as Detective Keith Frazier
Clive Owen as Dalton Russell
Jodie Foster as Madeleine White
Christopher Plummer as Arthur Case
Willem Dafoe as Captain John Darius

Plot:
A police detective, a bank robber, and a high-power broker enter high-stakes negotiations after the criminal's brilliant heist spirals into a hostage situation.

Awards:
Won:

American Film Institute Awards (2006)

Movie of the Year

Extras:

• Scene Access

The last time I watched it, I remember enjoying it much more. This time around the movie seemed to drag. Nevertheless it is a good bank heist movie which I can recommend.

(From Tom's Random Reviews on January 1st, 2014)

Up, a review by Dragonfire

I went to see the new Pixar movie Up today. 

After a long, mostly happy life with his wife Ellie, Carl is trying to deal with being alone and the changes going on around their home.  He decides to finally go to South America like they had planned for years, though he uses an unique mode of transportation.  Russell, a young Wilderness Explorer ends up along for the trip.  Once in South America, their adventure continues as they try to get to a specific spot.  Along the way, they encounter Dug, a talking dog, a goofy bird that Russell names Kevin, and Charles Muntz, an explorer that had been the hero of Carl and Ellie in their childhood.

My Thoughts

I loved this movie.  The plot is a bit different, especially for an animated movie, but it works so well and makes for a wonderful movie.  Time is taken at the beginning to introduce Carl and even show highlights of his relationship with Ellie.  Only glimpses of their life together are shown, but it is enough to know how strong their marriage was.  Those few minutes lay the foundation for the heart and emotion that the movie has.  There are a few sad scenes in the movie that might make some people cry.  The movie is incredibly touching and has more emotion than the live action movies I've seen this year. 

Some of what is going on during the movie is silly, but it works and blends perfectly with the more serious moments.  The balance between silliness and sweet, touching things is just right.  There is a lot of humor in the movie, much of which is provided by Dug and Kevin.  That bird is just so goofy that I can't help but crack up.  The movie didn't resort to gross humor like many other animated movies do.  The plot is interesting and makes for a very enjoyable movie.  The animation is stunningly beautiful.

This is the first Pixar movie to be done in 3D.  It is the first movie that I've seen in 3D..the theater here finally upgraded or whatever to show 3D movies.  I have seen the normal versions of some other movies that were also available in 3D, and with those other movies, I usually could pick out things that were done specifically because of the 3D to make the audience jump.  That wasn't done in Up and Pixar didn't use the 3D as a gimmick.  The 3D just ...enhanced things without distracting from the plot.  I did enjoy the 3D stuff.  Even the trailers before the movie were in 3D.

Overall, this is an excellent movie that deserves to be seen. 

 

I did get a review posted on Epinions if anyone wants to take a look.

Up

(From Up on May 30th, 2009)

NCIS Marathon, a review by addicted2dvd

5. LEAP OF FAITH
Suicide can be murder for the NCIS team. While attempting to talk a Naval officer from jumping to his death, Gibbs and his team discover a connection between the officer and a murder.

My Thoughts:
This is a good... but somewhat standard episode. We do meet a new recurring character in this episode. At least I don't remember seeing her before... and I have been watching a lot of NCIS lately.

My Rating:

6. CHIMERA
While investigating a mysterious death aboard a top-secret naval research ship, Gibbs and the NCIS team discover an abandoned ship in the middle of the sea and a killer secret that could cost them their lives.

My Thoughts:
While not really a Halloween episode. This episode which originally aired on October 30, 2007 was made to be a bit on the spooky side. Though not overly spooky. More like just an eerie feeling to it. It is a very good episode... one I enjoyed quite a bit.

My Rating:

7. REQUIEM
Gibbs finds himself at the center of an emotional journey into his past after he agrees to help the childhood friend of his late daughter. The soul-searching situation takes a deadly turn that leads to a shocking and heart-stopping conclusion.

My Thoughts:
This is an excellent episode. And I like how much we get to find out about Gibbs' past. Another one of my favorites!

My Rating:

8. DESIGNATED TARGET
The NCIS team meets an African political refugee searching for her husband while investigating the assassination of a Navy admiral.

My Thoughts:
This is one episode I never cared too much about. It is no more then a filler episode... plus the storyline never really grabbed me. Kinda boring storyline in my opinion.

My Rating:

(From NCIS Marathon on December 29th, 2009)