DVD Releases September 23, 2008: The Anderson Tapes

The Anderson Tapes
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Anderson Tapes is a 1971 crime film. It was directed by Sidney Lumet and stars Sean Connery, Martin Balsam and Dyan Cannon. The screenplay was written by Frank Pierson, based upon a best-selling 1970 novel of the same name by Lawrence Sanders. The film is distinctively scored by Quincy Jones.

It was the first major motion picture for actor Christopher Walken, who appears as "The Kid."

Revolving around a bold robbery, the film addresses the influence of surveillance on modern times, as well as the lack of co-ordination between government agencies.

A remake has been announced

Plot Synopsis

Burglar John "Duke" Anderson is released after ten years in jail. He renews his relationship with his old girlfriend, Ingrid. She lives in a high-class apartment block (1 East 91st Street) in New York and Anderson, almost instantly, decides to burglarize the entire building in a single sweep — filling a furniture van with the proceeds. He gains financing from a nostalgic Mafiosi boss and gathers his four-man crew. Also included is an old ex-con drunk, "Pop", whom Anderson met in jail, and who is to play concierge while the real one is bound and gagged in the cellar.

Less welcoming is a man the Mafia foists onto Anderson: the thuggish "Socks". "Socks" is a psychopath who has become a liability to the mob and, as part of the deal, Anderson must kill him in the course of the robbery. Anderson is not keen on this since the operation is complicated enough, but is forced to go along.

However Anderson has entered a world of pervasive surveillance — the agents, cameras, bugs, and tracking devices of numerous public and private agencies see almost the entire operation from the earliest planning to the execution. As Anderson advances the scheme he moves from the surveillance of one group to another as locations or individuals change. These include a private detective hired to eavesdrop on Anderson's girlfriend who is also the mistress of a wealthy man; the BNDD who are checking over a released drug dealer; the FBI investigating Black activists; and the IRS which is after the mob boss who is financing the operation.

Yet, because the various federal, state and city agencies doing the surveillance are all after different things, none of them are able to "connect the dots" and anticipate the robbery.

The robbery proceeds over a Labor Day weekend. The crew cut phones and alarms and move up through the building, gathering the residents as they go and robbing each apartment.

(The scenes of the residents being seized, and in some cases assaulted, are shown in contrast to them giving statements to the police after the robbery, which appears to indicate that it succeeded.)

However, the son of two of the residents is a paraplegic and asthmatic who is left behind in his air-conditioned room. Using his amateur radio equipment, he calls up other radio amateurs, based in Hawaii, Portland, Maine and Wichita Falls, who contact the police. (There is an obvious goof as Wichita Falls is said to be in Kansas, not Texas, obviously the screenwriter confused it with Wichita, Kansas). The alarm is thus raised, after some problems as to which side (callers or emergency services) should take the phone bill.

As the oblivious criminals work, the police array an enormous amount of force outside to prevent their escape and send a team in via a neighbouring rooftop.

In the shootout that follows, Anderson kills "Socks" but is himself shot by the police. The other robbers are killed, injured or captured, but none get away with it. One of them, "Pop", gives himself up after a while of letting the police believe that he is the real concierge. Having never adapted to life on the outside he looks forward to going back to prison.

In the course of searching the building, the police discover some audio listening equipment left behind by the private detective who was hired to check up on Ingrid. While organising the robbery Anderson met various people who were under similar surveillance for other reasons by various government agencies. To avoid embarrassment over the fact that they failed to realise what was going on and that some of the tapings were illegal, the agencies order the tapes to be erased.

Cast

* Sean Connery - John Anderson
* Dyan Cannon - Ingrid
* Martin Balsam - Tommy Haskins
* Ralph Meeker - Captain Delaney
* Alan King - Pat Angelo
* Christopher Walken - The Kid
* Val Avery - "Socks" Parelli
* Stan Gottlieb - "Pop"
* Garrett Morris - Police sergeant.

The Anderson Tapes
From Sony Pictures
Average customer review:

Product Description

A habitual criminal, looking for a big score immediately upon leaving prison, goes to the syndicate seeking funds for a massive robbery. He intends to ransack a posh East Side New York apartment building. Rounding up a gang of top-flight thieves, he proceeds to plan and carry out his caper unaware that he is being taped.

Product Details

* Amazon Sales Rank: #1005 in DVD
* Released on: 2008-09-23
* Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
* Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
* Formats: Color, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
* Original language: English
* Subtitled in: English, French
* Dubbed in: French
* Number of discs: 1
* Running time: 99 minutes

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
An early example of the techno-thriller, The Anderson Tapes--sharply directed by Sidney Lumet from the novel by Lawrence Sanders--follows just-out-of-jail Duke Anderson (a balding Sean Connery) as he plots the heist of an entire New York apartment building, enlisting a crew that includes Martin Balsam as a vintage 1971 gay stereotype and a very young Christoper Walken in perhaps the first of his jittery crook roles. The gimmick is that Anderson has been out of circulation so long that he doesn't realizse his mafia backers are only supporting him because they feel nostalgic for the days before they were boring businessmen and that the whole set-up is monitored by a criss-crossing selection of government and private agencies who don't care enough to thwart the robbery, which instead becomes unglued thanks to a spunky handicapped kid-cum-radio ham. With a cool Quincy Jones score, very tight editing, a lot of spot-on cameo performances from the likes of Ralph Meeker as a patient cop, The Anderson Tapes hasn't dated a bit: it's wry without being jokey and suspenseful without feeling contrived. --Kim Newman

Customer Reviews

Anderson and Watergate
The Anderson Tapes -- like The Conversation -- is amusingly a precusor to the Watergate scandal, the Plumbers Unit, etc. Those the electronic eavesdropping isn't central to the caper, it is all illegal! The end -- I don't wanna spoil it for anyone who hasn't seen this movie. Walken's film debut, this movie (and Diamonds Are Forever) put Sean Connery back in the top ten box office stars for 1971.

TELEPHONE POLICE DISPATCHER IN THIS MOVIE.
I BOUGHT THIS DVD,THE ANDERSON TAPES, BECAUSE MY BROTHER WAS A POLICE OFFICER IN ONE OF THE SCENES IN THIS MOVIE.

Post James Bond!! Love this movie
I have to say that Connery really made his mark and separting himself from the James Bond series. This is a good action crime thriller.

The Anderson Tapes

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DVD Releases September 23, 2008: Leatherheads

Leatherheads
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Leatherheads is a 2008 American sports comedy film from Universal Pictures directed by and starring George Clooney. The film also stars Renée Zellweger and John Krasinski. The DVD was released on September 23, 2008.

Plot

Clooney plays Dodge Connolly, captain of a struggling professional American Football team during the 1920s, the Duluth Bulldogs. Dodge is determined to save both his team and pro football in general when the players lose their sponsor and the league is on the brink of collapse. He convinces a college football star, Carter "the Bullet" Rutherford, to join the Bulldogs, hoping to capitalize on Carter's fame as a decorated hero of the First World War (like Alvin York, he singlehandedly captured a large group of German soldiers).

In addition to his legendary tales of combat heroism, Carter has dashing good looks and unparalleled speed and skill on the field. As a result of his presence, both the Bulldogs and pro football in general begin to prosper.

Zellweger provides a romantic interest as Chicago newspaper reporter Lexie Littleton, who becomes the object of the affections of both Dodge and Carter. One knows but the other doesn't that Lexie has been assigned to find proof that Carter's war heroics are bogus. Indeed, Carter confesses that the surrender of the Germans was a lucky accident and in no way heroic.

Meanwhile, Dodge's attempts to legitimize pro football start to backfire, as rules are formalized, taking away much of the improvisational antics that made the game fun for many of its players.

With his own playing career near an end, Dodge gets to play in one last big game. This time it will be against Carter, who has changed sides to the Chicago team. Their rivalry for Lexie's affection spills over onto the football field for one last day.

Cast

* George Clooney as Jimmy "Dodge" Connolly
* Renée Zellweger as Lexie Littleton
* John Krasinski as Carter Rutherford
* Jonathan Pryce as CC
* Stephen Root as Suds
* Wayne Duvall as Coach Frank Ferguson
* Keith Loneker as Big Gus
* Malcolm Goodwin as Bakes
* Matt Bushell as Curly
* Tim Griffin as Ralph
* Robert Baker as Stump
* Nick Paones as Zoom
* Nick Bourdages as Bug
* Jeremy Ratchford as Eddie
* Alex Via as Scoreboard Guy
* Max Casella as Mack Steiner
* Jack Thompson as Harvey

Production

Leatherheads began filming on February 12, 2007. Filming locations mainly included locations in and around upstate South Carolina and western North Carolina around Statesville, in Winston-Salem, specifically at [[Hanes Magnet School and the mellinium center.]. Filming wrapped in mid-May 2007. After initially being set for release in December 2007, the studio moved the release date to April 4, 2008. On March 24, George Clooney and Renée Zellweger premiered the movie in Maysville, Kentucky, birthplace of Clooney's father and aunt, Nick Clooney and Rosemary Clooney.

The setting of most of the film is Duluth, Minnesota, but was filmed in the Carolinas. In late March 2008, Clooney and Zellweger visited Duluth to promote the film.

The piano player bent over the tack piano with eyes glued to music really didn't need to concentrate so. He is the composer of the original music in this movie, Oscar-winning songwriter Randy Newman. He is the cousin of famous film composer David Newman and nephew of David's father, the prolific movie composer Alfred Newman.

Critical reception

The film received mixed reviews from critics. As of April 5, 2008, the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported that 54% of critics gave the film positive reviews, based on 108 reviews. Metacritic reported the film had an average score of 57 out of 100, based on 32 reviews.
Box office performance

In its opening weekend, the film grossed $12.6 million in 2,769 theaters in the United States and Canada, ranking #3 at the box office behind Nim's Island, below the expectations of Universal Studios. Viewers in their 50s to 80s were the main audience for the film. As of May 1, 2008, the movie has made about $29.7 million from the domestic box office and $6 million from the foreign box office making a total of $35.8 million.



Leatherheads (Widescreen)
From Universal Studios
Average customer review:


Product Description

Academy Award® winners George Clooney and Ren e Zellweger team up in this fun-filled comedy set against the beginnings of pro football. Dodge Connelly (Clooney) captain of a struggling squad of barroom brawlers has only one hope to save his team: recruit college superstar Carter Rutherford (John Krasinski The Office). But when a feisty reporter (Zellweger) starts snooping around she turns the two teammates into instant rivals and kicks off a wild competition filled with hilarious screwball antics! Critics are cheering Leatherheads as a real winner (Claudia Puig USA Today).System Requirements:Running Time: 114 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: COMEDY/BUDDY FILMS Rating: PG-13 UPC: 025195012935 Manufacturer No: 61101581

Product Details

* Amazon Sales Rank: #251 in DVD
* Brand: LEATHERHEADS - WIDESCREEN (DVD MOVIE)
* Released on: 2008-09-23
* Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
* Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
* Formats: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
* Original language: English
* Subtitled in: English, French, Spanish
* Dubbed in: French, Spanish
* Number of discs: 1
* Dimensions: .20 pounds
* Running time: 114 minutes

Customer Reviews

Middle of the pack look at the early days of pro football
It's hard to determine what was really needed to make this a better film, but something... that one magic ingredient... surely is missing and without it this movie finds itself solidly in the middle of the pack. It's not bad, but far from great, leaving a 3 star recommendation for those that want to know if this film is worth nearly 2 hours of their time.

Leatherheads was promoted (in trailers) as a screwball comedy and I suppose it tries to achieve that on some levels, but it never quite delivers on that promise as it tries to include a love story and a story of a hero that perhaps shouldn't be a hero at all, and oh, yeah, it also tries to tell a story about football back in the days of leather helmets being played in front of few fans in places that wouldn't be thought of as being historically significant to the game. In some ways this seems to be a football version of the Will Ferrell film: Semi-pro. It's got the screwed up players, the faltering league, the guy with the plan, and other formulaic elements that were simply transferred from the basketball story over to a story about professional football.

Clooney does well, and John Krasinski isn't bad either. Rene Zellweger is ok in the obligatory role as the femme fatale reporter that is looking for the real story behind Krasinski's would be hero. Outside of those characters, and Jonathan Pryce's role, the rest of the performances and players are ok though none really stand-out.

George Clooney directed this film and seems to have achieved an apparent goal of delivering a nostalgic experience, though the images are often what some would call bland, dusty or muddy. There's plenty of detail, but the color palette is meant to present a nostalgic appearance and oh, yeah, also is often focused on a football field where players are getting muddy and dirty.

Worth a rental, but the buy-it recommendation would seem to be outside the value that seems to be delivered here.

Worth a look
I'm giving this 5 stars to make up for the 1 star reviews given this movie. It certainly is not the best movie of the year......but it's worth the hour & a half. It's an entertaining story with a satisfying ending. There's a few "laugh out loud" moments and a lot of heart in most scenes. I agree that it's quickly forgotten, but you will enjoy the time spent.

"Play by the Rules"
George Clooney must like making vintage movies because when left to his own devices, that's what he does. Besides the noir must be back. `Married Life,' `The Black Dahlia (Full Screen Edition),' and `The Good German' all point in that direction.

Put all the components of `Leatherheads' together: a screwball comedy, old fashioned brawls, and a sassy female reporter looking for the best scoop, and you're in for a good, old-fashioned time.

For this outing George Clooney plays Dodge Connelly, an aging football player, barely financing The Bulldogs, his Duluth, MN team. When his business goes belly up, he and his fellow players go back to manual labor. Until one day while listening to the radio, he hears a broadcast of a Princeton game that draws a crowd of 40,000. Persuasively, he talks "The Warrior Hero," Carter "Bullet" Rutherford (John Krazinski) and his agent C.C. Frazier (Jonathan Pryce) into a lucrative offer to join his team and take a college leave of absence. At the same time, savvy newspaper reporter, Lexie Littleton (Renée Zellweger is assigned to investigate Carter on a rumor that his legendary story in "The Great War" is a hoax.

Clooney directed this film, and his skills to transport us to another era are spot on. Speakeasy bars, vintage press scenes, and old-fashioned meeting rooms are done well without lingering over every detail. Some of the movie's best lines are given in the Spencer Tracy-Katherine Hepburn exchanges between Clooney and Zellwiger (or make that Cary Grant and Mae West). Maybe the final football game scenes won't be the most exciting in cinema history, but some of the wittiest dialogue of the year have come from this film, giving the comedy genre a much needed boost. If that's not reason enough to see this movie, then nothing else is.

A J.P.'s Pick 3*'s = Good

Leatherheads

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DVD Releases September 23, 2008: Blow

Blow
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Blow is a 2001 drama/biopic film about the American cocaine smuggler George Jung, directed by Ted Demme. David McKenna and Nick Cassavetes adapted Bruce Porter's 1993 book Blow: How a Small Town Boy Made $100 Million with the Medellin Cocaine Cartel and Lost It All for the screenplay. It is based on the real life stories of George Jung, Pablo Escobar, Carlos Lehder, and the Medellín Cartel. The film's title comes from a slang term for cocaine.

Plot:

The film opens to a young George and his parents Fred (Ray Liotta) and Ermine (Rachel Griffiths). The boy's father supports his family in Weymouth, Massachusetts by running a small plumbing company. His mother is constantly complaining that the family has no money and badgers her husband, asking him what they are going to do. Finally, despite Fred's relentless efforts to keep the family afloat, they eventually have to file for bankruptcy and lose everything. The boy decides then that he will not let the same fate befall him.

A grown-up George (Johnny Depp) moves to Southern California with his friend "Tuna" (Ethan Suplee) and they get a beachside apartment and make friends with all the locals. They don't want to get real jobs so Tuna comes up with the idea of selling marijuana. George's new girlfriend, Barbara Buckley (Franka Potente) sets them on the path to do just that by introducing them to her friend/entrepreneur Derek Foreal (Paul Reubens), who is the main dealer in the area. With Derek's help, George and Tuna make a lot of money selling to all the people in the area. Their other friend, Kevin Dulli (Max Perlich) who is a college student back in Boston visits them while on vacation. He begins to tell George and Tuna about the shortage of quality pot and the enormous demand given all the colleges in that area. With the help of Barbara, an airline stewardess, they start bringing the drugs to Boston.

The demand continues to grow beyond what Barbara can carry in her suitcases twice a week to Boston. They decide to start buying the drugs directly from Mexico. They meet a few Mexican druglords and set up a system for importing the drugs via small airplanes. Things are going well, and they buy a mansion in Acapulco. The entire group relishes in the luxurious lifestyle.

George brings his now fiancee, Barbara, to meet his parents. While Fred and Ermine are bickering with each other over the manner in which George acquired the wealth to buy Barbara such a beautiful ring, Barbara gets a nosebleed and has to leave. George then proceeds on to Chicago to do business, but is caught trying to import 660 pounds of marijuana. He makes an amusing statement to the judge in an attempt to convince her that he didn't commit any real crime, but she is not amused and he is sentenced to two years. Barbara tells him she can't wait that long since she is dying of cancer. George skips bail to care for her but she eventually dies. After her death, the group breaks apart.

While hiding from the authorities George visits his parents back in Massachusetts. Both reveal that they know exactly what is going on with George's life and are less than pleased. He is having a heart to heart with his father when suddenly the police show up and arrest him. His mother has turned him in, stating that he needs to straighten his life out, which disgusts his father.

George is now sentenced to 3 years in a Federal prison. His cellmate is Diego Delgado (Jordi Molla) who is involved in the cocaine trade in Colombia. He convinces George to change from pot to cocaine and when he gets out of prison, he violates parole and heads down to Colombia to meet up with Diego. They meet with Cesar Rosa, who represents Pablo Escobar, and negotiate the terms for smuggling 15 kilograms for "good faith". George isn't satisfied with the way negotiations are going because he feels that they are having to work too hard for too little money. George then goes to a hotel to pick up 50 kilos of cocaine from Escobar's men on Diego's behalf. George is accosted and told to tell Diego that he must pay them by that Friday. However, Diego quickly gets arrested and jailed in Colombia, leaving George to find a way to sell the drugs and get the money in time. He reconnects with Derek in California, and the two successfully sell all of it in 36 hours, amassing a $1 million + profit. George is then whisked off to Colombia, where he finally meets Pablo Escobar (Cliff Curtis).

Soon, Pablo agrees to go into business with George and Diego. With the help of main middleman Derek, the pair becomes Pablo's #1 importer. George narrates that at one point, 85% of the cocaine going into the US came through him. He then sets up an account with a bank in Panama where he hides all his wealth.

George is living higher on the hog than ever and even marries a Colombian beauty named Mirtha (Penélope Cruz). He brings his parents to his southern California mansion. His mother's infatuation with money and nice things seems to override her previous concerns about his career choice. It's during this tour of the household that his father indicates that he's aware of how George made his fortune, but he'll look the other way since his son has become successful at it and is doing what makes him happy. His father says that even if he wanted to change things, he knows he wouldn't be able to.

George eventually meets up with Diego in order to finish a drug deal at a motel. While at the motel, Diego starts a fight with George concerning the identity of his "California Connection", Derek. During the course of the fight, the drug buyers are watching them and asking what is wrong. While George tries to calm them, Diego's erratic behavior makes them believe something is wrong and they shoot George in the shoulder. At this point, George calms the situation by saying everything is okay and he's not hurt. George and Diego finish the deal at which time George finally reveals his connection. Diego, having become increasingly paranoid and edgy from his cocaine addiction, then double crosses him and deals directly with Derek, keeping George out of the loop.

When George discovers that he has been cut out of the business, he pays a visit to Diego at Norman's Cay, where he has set up his own business. After a tense dispute in which Diego insists that he is solely entitled to everything that he and George built, Diego has his men brutally beat George. Upon returning home to a very pregnant Mirtha, George decides to quit the business and live off of the $60 million he earned. However, George's cocaine addiction comes to a head when he goes into cardiac arrest in the hospital, seconds after daughter Kristina is born.

Encouraged by his doctor, George completely gives up cocaine and happily commits himself to the duties of sobreity and fatherhood. A montage of Kristina's birthday parties indicate that George is thoroughly enjoying his opportunities to bond with his daughter just as he did with his own father. Mirtha, on the other hand, appears increasingly restless and bored with this domesticated lifestyle. After 5 years of laying low and avoiding the authorities, Mirtha decides that she needs to have some fun and throws George a birthday party, inviting many of his old drug friends. Erich is there and tells George that Diego eventually double crossed him and kept him out of the loop too. They happily reconcile. Mirtha, having never been able to break the coke habit, breaks out a huge dish of cocaine and the waiters eventually reveal themselves as FBI and DEA agents and bust everyone. George cuts a deal, takes the rap, and posts bail in return for his wife and daughter to remain free. In the same way he did when he was busted in Mexico, he becomes a fugitive on the run.

He visits his parents one last time to tell them that he would be disappearing for a while. He finds that his mother is furious over what her son has gotten himself into and refuses to acknowledge him when he arrives. He leaves after speaking with his aging and ailing father only briefly. In a scene eliminated from the final cut, George returns to his mansion only to discover that the millions in cash and all his luxury cars and valuables have been seized by the DEA and FBI. Fearing that the family will no longer have anything to live on, he travels to Panama City to withdraw his savings from his hidden account. He arrives only to discover that the Panamanian government had long since nationalized the banks and re-appropriated all his money. This discovery leads to a tense battle between Mirtha and George about their dire financial situation in front of their daughter, just like his mother did with his father 30 years earlier. He reassures Kristina that things will be okay and that the family will never be separated. Eventually, during an extremely heated argument with Mirtha while driving on the highway, George swerves the car nearly causing an accident, and is pulled over. Mirtha goes into a rage and screams that George is hiding a kilo of cocaine in his trunk even as they speak. It is discovered, and George is sent to prison--this time for a three-year term.

During a visit with his Mirtha at the end of his prison term, George finds out that she is divorcing him, will get custody of Kristina, and that she will be seeking child support payments. Upon his release, he dedicates himself to rebuilding his relationship with a very angry Kristina, and slowly starts doing so by walking her to and from school. She tells him that her one dream is to go to California. One day, after walking Kristina home, he finds Mirtha waiting outside. The two seem to be at ease with each other and George brings up the fact that he would like to have custody of their daughter. Mirtha, however, points out that George has yet to make any child support payments and that if he did, she would think about it.

Having lost all of his money, George makes a few calls and sets up one last big score. He tells his daughter to wait for him after school in a few days and he will take her to California. She doubts him at first and it's only after she asks him to swear on her life that she believes him. Mr. Jung meets with his longtime friend from Boston to realize that he'll be doing his last deal with him. Grade A 100% pure cocaine was flown into Florida and delivered to a home where George and his buddies triumph in what they have done. As George leaves the table and uses the restroom the audience is awed to realize it was a setup. A setup by one of his longtime friends, the DEA and the FBI. He currently faces a 60-year prison sentence. Meanwhile, Kristina waits for her dad to arrive and take her to California.

In prison, George reflects on his life and how he let his daughter down. While tending to the prison garden, a guard calls him over to see a visitor. There standing in front of him is his now grown up, very beautiful daughter (Jaime King). They talk a little and then have a long tearful hug. Suddenly the guard calls again, indicating that George is just imagining this. The film ends as the guard walks George, now a crazy old man, out of the garden. Two statements appear on the screen: that George is sentenced to Otisville Correctional Facility until 2015; and that his daughter has never visited her father. The screen fades to black, features a photo of the real George Jung, and the credits roll.

Cast:

* Johnny Depp as George Jung
* Jordi Mollà as Diego Delgado
* Penélope Cruz as Mirtha Jung
* Ray Liotta as Fred Jung
* Paul Reubens as Derek Foreal
* Franka Potente as Barbara Buckley
* Rachel Griffiths as Ermine Jung
* Ethan Suplee as Tuna
* Cliff Curtis as Pablo Escobar
* Miguel Sandoval as Augusto Oliveras
* Kevin Gage as Leon Minghella
* Max Perlich as Kevin Dulli
* Jesse James as Young George
* Miguel Pérez as Alessandro
* Dan Ferro as Cesar Toban
* Tony Amendola as Sanchez
* Bob Goldthwait as Mr. T
* Michael Tucci as Dr. Bay
* Monet Mazur as Maria
* Emma Roberts as Kristina Jung

Reception:

Blow was a minor box office success. With a budget of roughly $53 million, it managed to rake in just under $53 million domestically, but raised just over $30 million internationally for a grand worldwide total of $83,282,296. It gained a greater fan base when released on DVD in late 2001.

Reviews for Blow were decidedly mixed. According to Rotten Tomatoes, the film has received a rating of 55%, which is rotten]. Many critics were quick to compare Blow to previous films such as Scarface, Goodfellas, and Boogie Nights, which contained similar plot lines and took place in approximately the same time period (i.e. late '70s, early '80s). Peter Travers of Rolling Stone gave the film a glowing review, praising the directing of Ted Demme, the bold performance by Johnny Depp, and the screenplay that tells a story without placing any sort of moral judgment on Jung.

Roger Ebert noted the film for its good acting and direction as well, but questioned the value about making Jung the subject of this film: "That's the thing about George [Jung]. He thinks it's all about him. His life, his story, his success, his fortune, his lost fortune, his good luck, his bad luck. Actually, all he did was operate a toll gate between suppliers and addicts. You wonder, but you never find out, if the reality of those destroyed lives ever occurred to him."



Blow [Blu-ray]
From New Line Home Video
Average customer review:

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #626 in DVD
• Released on: 2008-09-23
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Widescreen
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 123 minutes

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
A briskly paced hybrid of Boogie Nights and Goodfellas, Blow chronicles the three-decade rise and fall of George Jung (Johnny Depp), a normal American kid who makes a personal vow against poverty, builds a marijuana empire in the '60s, multiplies his fortune with the Colombian Medellín cocaine cartel, and blows it all with a series of police busts culminating in one final, long-term jail sentence. "Your dad's a loser," says this absentee father to his estranged but beloved daughter, and he's right: Blow is the story of a nice guy who made wrong choices all his life, almost single-handedly created the American cocaine trade, and got exactly what he deserved. As directed by Ted Demme, the film is vibrantly entertaining, painstakingly authentic... and utterly aimless in terms of overall purpose.

We can't sympathize with Jung's meteoric rise to wealth and the wild life, and Demme isn't suggesting that we should idolize a drug dealer. So what, exactly, is the point of Blow? Simply, it seems, to present Jung's story as the epitome of the coke-driven glory days, and to suggest, ever so subtly, that Jung isn't such a bad guy, after all. Anyone curious about his lifestyle will find this film amazing, and there's plenty of humor mixed with the constant threat of violence and paranoid anxiety. Demme has also populated the film with a fantastic supporting cast (although Penélope Cruz grows tiresome as Jung's hedonistic wife), and this is certainly a compelling look at the other side of Traffic. Still, one wishes that Blow had a more viable reason for being; like a wild party, it leaves you with a hangover and a vague feeling of regret. --Jeff Shannon

From The New Yorker
This story of the real-life cocaine dealer George Jung-a Massachusetts man who sold the Medellín cartel's dope to mainstream America in the seventies-would seem to offer a perfect star vehicle for Johnny Depp, but the unconvincing narrative doesn't allow him to shape a performance. The director, Ted Demme, and the screenwriters, David McKenna and Nick Cassavetes, tell the story of George's rise as a series of semi-comic riffs on his unwittingness-how casually he operated, how oblivious he was to risk and treachery on all sides. Apart from one scary episode with Pablo Escobar, the scenes are flimsily staged-thin and underdone. Now and then Demme throws in the towel and resorts to a rapid montage of shots meant to convey the giddy drug life, but this isn't directing, and it isn't evocation, either; it's more like flinging a loosely pasted scrapbook onto the floor and asking the audience to sort it out. -David Denby
Copyright © 2006 The New Yorker

Customer Reviews

worth watching once, I suppose
Drug movies tend to bore me, and this one was no exception. I wasn't too into the narrative style, and Penelope Cruz put forth one of her worst performance to date, in my book, but let me clarify by saying I adore Penelope. Johnny Depp was good for the role, but someone else might have been able to bring more to the character.

not closed captioned
I am a deaf person and I count on the Closed Captioning and subtitles to be able to enjoy a movie.

Even though Blow is listed as being Closed Captioned, this copy is not.
A waste of my time and money.

What are you lokking at Mrs.Crazy,your son's no prize!
Based on a true story for those of you who have lived on the moon, and it puts you on an emotional roller coaster of cocaine,money,greed,ect. I can't say too much and give spoil it for the few ppl who missed watching it but it just shows how important our children are & how we need to be careful what we say & do. This one of my Favorite movies & I watch it allot,it's in my kitchen dvd so I watch while I cook,Dinner & I just love Jonny Depp & Ray Liotta.

Blow

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DVD Releases September 23, 2008: Shrek the Third

Shrek the Third [Blu-ray]
Directed by Chris Miller
Average customer review:

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #458 in DVD
• Released on: 2008-09-23
• Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Formats: AC-3, Animated, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, French, Portuguese, Spanish
• Dubbed in: French, Portuguese, Spanish
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 92 minutes

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
When Shrek married Fiona the last thing he had in mind was becoming the next King of Far Far Away. But when Shrek’s father-in-law, King Harold, suddenly croaks, that is exactly what he faces. Recruiting Donkey and Puss In Boots for a new quest, Shrek sets out to bring back the rightful heir to the throne. Meanwhile back in the kingdom, Fiona's jilted Prince Charming storms the city with an army of fairy tale villains to seize the throne. Fiona and a band of princesses must stop him to ensure there will be a kingdom left to rule!

Amazon.com
It's not easy being an ogre, but Shrek finds it doubly difficult for an ogre like himself to fill in for a king when his father-in-law King Harold of Far, Far Away falls ill in this third Shrek movie. Shrek's attempts to fulfill his kingly duties play like a blooper reel, with boat christenings and knighting ceremonies gone terribly wrong, and to say that Shrek (Mike Myers) is insecure about his new role is a gross understatement. When King Harold (John Cleese) passes away, Shrek sets out with Donkey (Eddie Murphy) and Puss-in-Boots (Antonio Banderas) to find Arthur (Justin Timberlake), the only heir in line for the throne besides himself. Just as Shrek sets sail to find Artie (as Arthur is more commonly known), Fiona (Cameron Diaz) shocks Shrek with the news that she's pregnant. Soon after, Prince Charming (Rupert Everett) sends Captain Hook (Ian McShane) in pursuit of Shrek and imprisons Fiona and her fellow Princesses as part of his plan to install himself as King of Far, Far Away. Shrek finds an awkward Artie jousting with his high school classmate Lancelot (John Krasinski) and, while Artie is certainly no picture of kingliness, Shrek is determined to drag him back to Far, Far Away to assume the throne. Mishaps and comedy abound, including a spell gone wrong that locks Donkey and Puss-in-Boots inside one another's bodies. While Fiona and the other Princesses prove they're anything but helpless women, Artie and Shrek battle their own fears of inadequacy in a struggle to discover their own self-worth. In the end, Shrek, Artie, and Fiona each learn a lot about their individual strengths and what truly makes each of them happy. Of course, it's the pervasive humor and wit that make Shrek the Third so side-splittingly appealing. Rated PG for some crude and suggestive humor, but appropriate for most families with children ages 6 and older. --Tami Horiuchi

Customer Reviews

Shrek the third
Shrek the third: This movie on its own is very good but I prefer the first 2 Shrek movies.

Stick with the first
Nothing like the first Shrek. Boring and lame made fall sleep while I was watching. I'm someone who laughs in all movies, but Shrek third was incapable of steal a laugh from me. If you don't want to get disappointed, stick with the first, because neither the second or the third is worth your time.

Relatively pathetic
Well, one star might be harsh, but I feel it's appropriate given the comparison to its 2 predecessors. Both Shrek and Shrek 2 were outstanding movies, and I had similar expectations for this one. But wow, what a dropoff. It felt like someone kidnapped the original writers and brought in some bad amateurs. This movie is a cheap ripoff of the first 2, with rehashed jokes and gags and a pathetically weak story. My kids didn't think it was so bad, but I felt taken advantage of when it was over. Not worth buying and not worth renting, either.

Shrek the Third [Blu-ray]

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DVD Releases September 23, 2008: Madagascar

Madagascar [Blu-ray]
Directed by Eric Darnell, Tom McGrath, Conrad Vernon
Average customer review:

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #214 in DVD
• Released on: 2008-09-23
• Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Formats: AC-3, Animated, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Original language: English, Spanish, French
• Subtitled in: English, French, Portuguese, Spanish
• Dubbed in: French, Portuguese, Spanish
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 86 minutes

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
The penguins steal the show. In the sprightly Madagascar, a mid-life crisis inspires Marty the Zebra (voiced by Chris Rock) to escape from his lifelong home, a New York zoo. His equally pampered friends--Alex the Lion (Ben Stiller), Gloria the Hippo (Jada Pinkett Smith), and Melman the Giraffe (David Schwimmer)--then escape to bring him back. Unfortunately, their attempt at damage control persuades zoo officials that the animals are unhappy, so all four get shipped to an animal preserve in Kenya...only a squad of maniacal penguins change the destination to Antarctica. The quartet end up on an island where, in addition to meeting some hedonistic lemurs, they learn about the food chain--and that Alex is a different link on the chain from the other three. Madagascar doesn't achieve the snappy perfection of a Pixar movie, but it tops most other computer-animated efforts; the collision of friendship and predator instincts makes for an unusually gripping conflict. The vocal performances of the central characters is serviceable, but Sacha Baron Cohen (Da Ali G Show) provides topnotch lunacy as the lemur king, and the penguins--voiced mostly by the animators themselves--are the best thing in the movie. --Bret Fetzer

From The New Yorker
In DreamWorks' latest attempt at an animated blockbuster, four overcivilized animals from the Central Park Zoo get transported to the wilds of Madagascar. It's a good comic premise, and much of the animation is beautiful, but the filmmakers don't follow through on their ideas. When the kvetching New Yorkers hit the jungle, we hope to see how their peculiar urban skills will allow them to deal with the creeping and crawling terrors. A few cobwebs cling to them, but the chief menace, the Foosas-nasty, hyena-like creatures-turn out to be pussycats. Great visuals, lousy plot. With Ben Stiller as Alex the lion, Chris Rock as Marty, a zebra who horses around too much, David Schwimmer as a hypochondriacal giraffe, and Jada Pinkett Smith as a commonsensical hippo. Directed by Eric Darnell and Tom McGrath. -David Denby
Copyright © 2006 The New Yorker

Customer Reviews

I'm crazy about this movie
I saw the trailers for Madagascar II, started singing "I like to move it, move it" all over the place and knew I had to rent the original. I mostly watched it to see the song acted out and wasn't expecting much. I made my sister watch it with me, my husband being out of town.

From the beginning, it seemed pretty clever and involving, but when they got to the island, it really picked up! King Julian is hilarious! My sister and I were laughing like loons. When the movie was over, we watched all the extras, and then over the next few days, we talked and and laughed over our favorite scenes. When my husband came home, we watched it again with him and laughed even harder and saw things we hadn't seen the first time. This movie takes multiple watchings to get all the funny parts, because when you're watching the main characters, other, funnier things are happening in the background. After we watched it with my husband, we went back and played our favorites scenes AGAIN. Yes, it was THAT funny! I love this movie and now I have to buy it.

I can't wait until Madagascar II comes out.

slightly entertaining animal cartoon
I must admit to not being a fan of the Dreamworks animations. They don't look particularly inventive, the voice talent is often at best distracting, or at worst, poor, and the stories are very sparse. Madagascar really is no exception to the rule. We first meet the heroes of the film - the animals - at the New York Zoo. Marty (voiced by Chris Rock) is a zebra bored with captivity and longing for the freedom of the wild. Alex (voiced by Ben Stiller) is a vain yet cowardly lion, happy to pose for the public in his cage, and so full of himself that he buys Marty little icons of himself as birthday presents. Melman (voiced by David Schwimmer) is a hypochondriac giraffe, while Gloria the hippo (voiced by Jada Pinkett Smith) is an earth momma, keeping her pals in check. There is a also a small mafia of penguins in the zoo who want to go to Antarctica. These are funny and inventive characters, but a little at odds with the rest of the film. This film has its moments - the animals going on the subway to Grand Central Station; the squirrels and chipmunks who rule the island of Madagascar (the wild Marty is so keen on); and the film and TV references - Hawaii Five O, Born Free, Chariots of Fire, American Beauty, and more. But the characters are two-dimensional, the script is needlessly childish (yes, I know it is for kids, but give them some credit for having brains), and the film is pretty pointless, other than the same old 'you've got a friend' theme that pervades almost every film from the studio. The voice talent is just OK (and Ben Stiller in particular makes Alex irritating) and the animation is boring. Not one I'd rush to see again.

Not just for kids
This movie is not just for kids. It is an all out family movie for ALL ages. I highly recommend it for any parents, grandparents to buy and watch this movie.

Madagascar

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DVD Releases September 23, 2008: Scooby-Doo and the Goblin King

Scooby-Doo and the Goblin King
From Warner Home Video
Average customer review:

Product Description

What a predicament! The Amazing Krudsky, whose carnival tricks are anything but, steals the light magic from Princess Fairy Willow and it’s up to Scooby-Doo and Shaggy to stop him or everyone will be turned into horrible Halloween monsters! Our heroes board the Grim Reaper Railroad bound for the fantastic world of Halloween Land to retrieve the powerful Goblin Septer from the Goblin King before Krudsky can. Along the way, the Mystery Inc. crew encounters the infamous Headless Horseman, the helpful Jack O’Lantern and a frisky broomstick that takes them on the ride of their afterlife. Your house will shake with enchanted creatures and weird worlds in this merry animated adventure where hobnobblin’ with a goblin is frightful fun!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #173 in DVD
• Released on: 2008-09-23
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Animated, Color, DVD-Video, Full Screen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 75 minutes

Customer Reviews

Can't wait to get this Scooby adventure
I love all Scooby Doo, have since the beginning when I was a child. I can't wait to add this one to my long collection of Scooby Doo

Scooby Doo and The Headless Horseman
Any DVD that has Scooby-Doo and the Headless Horseman in it has got to be good!

I want to see the gang go to Sleepy Hollow for an entire feature length "Scooby-Doo Meets the Headless Horseman" movie!

I love that this movie is set near Halloween, because that is when Scooby and his Pals are at their best.

Although, with Scooby Doo, everyday is Halloween.

My Family and I want Warner Bros. to know how much we look forward to a new Scooby Doo movie on DVD every year (usually in the Fall). We enjoy the movies and we hope that you will allow us to continue our tradition of buying a new Scooby Doo movie on DVD every Fall.

Sounds like "Scooby meets Bettlejuice".
Our family has stayed away from the new Scooby movies that are to fantastic. In "Zombie Island"- The zombies are portrayed as real. In "Alien Ivaiders"- There are "good" aliens that help the gang, that are portrayed to be real. In "The Witch's Ghost"- There are real witches and wiccan practices are discussed.
Judging by Amazon's discription we will pass on this new offering. I'm not to cool with my five year old going on a trip thru the afterlife with a magic broom, real fairys, and real gobblin kings.
We have always stuck with the episodes and movies that feature the entire gang and are ture to the original story lines.

Scooby-Doo and the Goblin King

New Releases This Week in Movies & TV

DVD Releases September 23, 2008: Peanuts Holiday Collection

Peanuts Holiday Collection (It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown / A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving / A Charlie Brown Christmas) (Deluxe Edition)
From Warner Home Video
Average customer review:

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #213 in DVD
• Released on: 2008-09-23
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Animated, Box set, Color, DVD-Video, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 3
• Running time: 75 minutes

Customer Reviews

Same Classics - All Dressed Up!
I own the "original" set of DVD Holiday Classics and this set mirrors those in content except for different "B-sides" on the Halloween and Christmas Specials, as well as small "making of" featurettes on each disc.

After reading a few reviews, I purchased this set just for the fact that they've been remastered. The're gorgeous. The colors are vibrant, the presentation and menus are updated, and the original content looks better than ever. Well worth the purchase.

Fall and Winter Holidays With The Peanuts Gang!
I'm only disappointed that the title of HOLIDAY COLLECTION does not include every holiday the Peanuts crew has assembled for. I'm still going to buy this set though, as a gift for someone special. What I also can't believe is the squabbling of inarticulate passage of correct titles to this set. I'm a total Peanuts fan, and I got it instantly. No I was not thrown off, nor am I going to crucify Amazon either. Not everything is written the same on the menu at all restaurants, but give me the dish, and I'll eat it!

Amazon Mistake
One of the other reviewers is correct - the title should be, "It's THE Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" not "It's A..."

But unfortunately, this is Amazon's mistake, not the DVD's. If you look up this exact DVD elsewhere online, you'll find news releases and other places where you can prebuy this exact item (coming out on Sept 23), and the title is correct on those sites as "It's THE great pumpkin..."

So, even though Amazon is incorrectly advertising this item, the DVD will actually be correct, at least this is my take on it.

I can't quite decide if it's ironic, comical, or merely sad that Amazon screwed up the title of such a well known classic...

Peanuts Holiday Collection (It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown / A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving / A Charlie Brown Christmas) (Deluxe Edition)

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