Topic: DSigs What I'm Watching

[DSig]

Secret Window (2004/United States) IMDb | Wikipedia Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment (United States) Director: David Koepp Writing: Stephen King (1947) (Original Material By), David Koepp (Screenwriter) Length: 96 min. Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 2.40:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 5.1, French: Dolby Digital: 5.1, Commentary: Dolby Digital: Dolby Surround Subtitles: English, French

Stars:
Johnny Depp as Mort Rainey
John Turturro as Shooter
Maria Bello as Amy Rainey
Timothy Hutton as Ted Milner
Charles S. Dutton as Ken Karsch

Plot:
Academy Award® nominee Johnny Depp (2003 Best Actor, Pirates of the Caribbean) gives his most riveting performance in this action/suspense thriller featuring a top-notch cast including John Turturro, Maria Bello, Academy Award® winner Timothy Hutton (1981 Best Supporting Actor, Ordinary People) and Charles S. Dutton.

Following a bitter separation from his wife (Bello), famed mystery writer Mort Rainey (Depp) is unexpectedly confronted at his remote lake house by a dangerous stranger named John Shooter (Turturro). Claiming Rainey has plagiarized his short story, the psychotic Shooter demands justice. When Shooter's demands turn to threats - and then murder - Rainey turns to a private detective (Dutton) for help. But when nothing stops the horror from spiraling out of control, Rainey soon discovers he can't trust anyone or anything. A shocking psychological thriller from the writer of Panic Room, David Koepp.

** Complete Plot (with spoilers) from Wikipedia **

(click to show/hide)

Successful author Mort Rainey (Johnny Depp) suffers a psychotic break when he catches his wife, Amy (Maria Bello) having an affair. He procrastinates finalizing the divorce by retreating to his secluded cabin in the rural town of Tashmore Lake in upstate New York. Depressed and suffering from writer's block, Mort is confronted one day by the mysterious John Shooter (John Turturro), a Mississippi dairy farmer who accuses him of plagiarism. Shooter leaves his manuscript "Sowing Season" which he alleges was copied. Mort dismisses Shooter as mentally ill and throws the book away, but his cleaning lady digs it out of the trash and presents it back to him. With his curiosity piqued, Mort reads the story and is surprised to discover its resemblance to his own story "Secret Window".

During his walk the following day, Mort is accosted by Shooter when he explains his story was published years before Shooter's existed. He is given a three-day ultimatum by Shooter to provide the proof. That night, Mort finds Chico, his Australian Cattle Dog, stabbed to death with a screwdriver in his neck. Mort immediately suspects Shooter and reports the incident to Sheriff Dave Newsome (Len Cariou), who reacts with little enthusiasm. Mort then drives to his house where his estranged wife Amy is living to obtain a copy of the book and stews outside as he watches her leave with her new lover Ted Milner (Timothy Hutton). In New York City, Mort contacts Ken Karsch (Charles S. Dutton), a private investigator he used before. Ken travels to Tashmore Lake to watch over the cabin and to interview Tom Greenleaf (John Dunn Hill), the only witness to Mort and Shooter's conversation. Amy later calls saying their house was burned down, consequently destroying the copy of the book to prove his case against Shooter. He begins to suspect Ted of hiring Shooter to harass him because of their shared animosity towards one another.

Shooter shows up again, this time demanding Mort fix the story's ending, and Mort feigns agreement. The next morning, Mort is perplexed to find his Jeep Cherokee idling in his driveway (with Pall Mall cigarette butts smoldering in the ashtray) when he leaves for his appointment with Ken. He shows up late to the diner where they planned to meet, but learns from a cashier that Ken never showed up at all. Back at the cabin, Mort receives a call from Shooter requesting a private meeting in the woods and when he arrives he finds Ken and Tom dead in Tom's truck. Shooter indicates he has implicated Mort in the murders, requiring Mort to cover up the crime by running the truck into a water-filled stone quarry, losing his watch in the process.

Mort's literary agent sends a copy of the magazine with his published story via UPS and Mort picks it up at the post office. When he arrives home with the magazine he opens it to find that the specific pages containing the story have been cut out. Mort's "inner voice" tells him that since the magazine was in a sealed package, Shooter couldn't have tampered with it. Prompting from his own conscience leads Mort to realize that Shooter is merely a figment of his imagination; brought to life through Mort's dissociative identity disorder and created to carry out malevolent tasks like killing Chico, Ken and Tom and burning down the house.

Just as Mort comes to realize his psychosis, Amy coincidentally arrives to get his signature to finalize the divorce settlement. She finds the cabin disheveled, with the word "shooter" carved throughout and suspects Mort's drinking as the cause. Mort suddenly reveals himself and Amy is struck by fear when she spots a carving explaining that "shooter" actually implies Mort's desire to "shoot her." Mort, now wearing Shooter's hat and speaking with a southern accent, chases Amy outside to her car and stabs her in the ankle to prevent her from leaving. Ted arrives shortly afterwards and Amy watches helplessly as Mort ambushes and beheads him with a shovel. Mort then recites the ending in Shooter's version of the story as he murders Amy.

With Amy and Ted dead, Mort recovers from his writer's block and becomes less reclusive, even though he is now the town pariah, a fact he seems blissfully unaware of despite obvious rebuffs. Dave stops by the cabin to advise Mort he is the prime suspect of Amy and Ted's disappearance and will be arrested once the bodies are found, but Mort nonchalantly dismisses the threat. Dave leaves and Mort again recites the "perfect" ending to his story as he dines on an ear of fresh corn from his garden, hinting that Amy and Ted's bodies are buried in the ground beneath the corn crops, and that the corn is breaking down the nutrients from the bodies so they will decompose and the police will never find them.

Extras:

• Scene Access
• Audio Commentary
• Feature Trailers
• Bonus Trailers
• Deleted Scenes
• Featurettes
• DVD-ROM Content
• Closed Captioned
• Animatics

My Thoughts:

Genre: Suspense Drama / Thriller
Rating: PG-13
Have I seen it before: Yes
Do I Like it as much: Yes
Last Watched: 06/30/2012

Review: 4/5
"Secret Window" (2004) is Horror / Psychological Thriller film

• directed by David Koepp (as director "The Trigger Effect" (1996), "Stir of Echos" (1999), "Secret Window" (2004) )
• produced by Gavin Polone ("Zombieland" (2009), "Panic Room" (2002) )
• produced by Ezra Swerdlow ("Too big to Fail" (2011), "Zombieland" (2009), "Enchanted" (2007), "Secret Window" (2004), "Head of State" (2003), "Wag the Dog" (1997), "Cop Land" (1997), "The First Wives Club" (1996), "Waiting to Exhale" (1995), "The Good Son" (1993), "Alien3" (1992), "Life Stinks" (1991), "The January Man" (1989), "Spaceballs" (1987), "Radio Days" (1987) )
• screenplay by David Koepp (as writer "Bad Influence" (1990), "Toy Soldiers" (1991), "Death Becomes Her" (1992), "Jurassic Park" (1993), "Carlito's Way" (1993), "The Shadow" (1994), "Mission: Impossible" (1996), "The Trigger Effect" (1996), "The Lost World: Jurassic Park" (1997), "Snake Eyes" (1998), "Stir of Echos" (1999), "Panic Room" (2002), "Spider-Man" (2002), "Secret Window" (2004), "Zathura" (2005), "War of the Worlds" (2005), "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" (2008), "Angels & Demons" (2009), "The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3" (2009), "Men in Black 3" )

It stars

• Johhny Depp (Mort Rainey) ("A Nightmare on Elm Street" (1984) not noticable, "Platoon" (1986), "Edward Scissorhands" (1990), "Benny & Joon" (1993), "What's Eating Gilbert Grape" (1993), "Ed Wood" (1994), "Don Juan DeMarco" (1995), "Nick of Time" (1995), "Donnie Brasco" (1997), "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas", (1998), "The Ninth Gate" (1999), "Sleepy Hollow", (1999), "The Astronaut's Wife" (1999), "Chocolat" (2000), "From Hell" (2001), "Once Upon a Time in Mexico" (2003), "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl" (2003), "Secret Window" (2004), "Finding Neverland" (2004), "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" (2005), "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" (2006), "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" (2007), " Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" (2007), "Public Enemies" (2009), "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" (2011), "The Rum Diary" (2011), "Dark Shadows" (2012) )
• John Turturro (John Shooter) ("The Flamingo Kid" (1984), "Desperately Seeking Susan" (1995), "Hannah and Her Sisters" (1986), "The Color of Money" (1986), "Gung Ho" (1986), "Mo' Better Blues" (1990), "Miller's Crossing" (1990), "Barton Fink" (1991), "Being Human" (1993), "Fearless" (1993), "Quiz Show" (1994), "Clockers" (1995), "The Big Lebowski" (1998), "Cradle Will Rock" (1999), "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" (2000), "Monkeybone" (2001) voice of Monkeybone, "Collateral Damage" (2002), "Mr. Deeds" (2002), "Anger Management" (2003), "Secret Window" (2004), "The Good Shepherd" (2006), "Transformers" (2007), "Don't Mess with Zohan" (2008), "The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3" (2009), "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" (2009), "Cars 2" (2011) voice only), "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" (2011) )

The film also features Maria Bello (Amy Rainey), Timothy Hutton (Ted Milner), Len Cariou (Sheriff Dave Newsome), Charles S. Dutton (Private Investigator Ken Karsch), John Dunn Hill (Tom Greenleaf).

"Secret Window" to me is more of a psychological Thriller than a horror movie. That being said, this is a great example of Johnny Depp's depth as a character actor. He is one of a handful of actors who can play serious thriller roles, drama roles and comedic roles. Rolls such as Sam in "Benny & Joon" and Captain Jack Sparrow in "Pirates of the Caribbean" quadrilogy simply take a different type of timing than those roles like Mort Rainey in "Secret Window" and Dean Corso in "The Ninth Gate". But Johnny Depp has great timing.

Now that I have gushed over the brilliance of Johnny Depp I have to admit there are a few roles that I haven't like him in. Films like "Public Enemies", "The Rum Diary" and "Cry-Baby" are not my favorite. I believe it is because they don't give him the depth that his characters should have.

John Turturro is also very good in this film. Again, like Johnny Depp, I really like most everything John Turturro does. He plays quirky characters. And his delivery makes him a stand out in every film he does. His portrayal of Herb Stempel in "Quiz Show" I think was brilliant. He did a much better job than Ralph Fiennes did .. and that is saying something.

For "Secret Windows" I think that direction, filming and all of the acting were very well done. The film didn't telegraph a lot of what was to happen. Some twists and turns from the script kept me involved.

I really like this film. I strongly recommend this film to anyone.

[Piffi]

I really like this film. I strongly recommend this film to anyone.

Cool! I've been curious about that movie. Havent bought it yet. But i think i will give it a try.

[DSig]

I will be very interested in what you think.  I see a lot of 'slasher' type horror films here and that is why i try to specify it as a psychological thriller.  Very little gore but lots of suspense.

let me know what you think of it

Dsig

[DSig]

Identity: Special Edition (2003/United States) IMDb |  Wikipedia Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment (United States) Director: James Mangold Writing: Michael Cooney (Writer) Length: 91 min. Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 2.40:1, Pan & Scan 1.33:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 5.1, French: Dolby Digital: Dolby Surround, Commentary: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo Subtitles: English, French

Stars:
John Cusack as Ed
Ray Liotta as Rhodes
Amanda Peet as Paris
John Hawkes (1959) as Larry
Alfred Molina as Doctor

Plot:
What if every choice we ever make was already made for us? What if there really were no coincidences in life and our destinies were already predetermined?

Ten strangers with secrets are brought together in a savage rainstorm: A limo driver (John Cusack), an '80s TV star (Rebecca DeMornay), a cop (Ray Liotta) who is transporting a killer (Jake Busey), a call girl (Amanda Peet), a pair of newlyweds (Clea DuVall and William Lee Scott) and a family in crisis (John C. McGinley, Leila Kenzie, Bret Loehr), all take shelter at a desolate motel run by a nervous night manager (John Hawkes). Relief in finding shelter is quickly replaced with fear as the ten travelers begin to die, one by one. They soon realize that, if they are to survive, they'll have to uncover the secret that has brought them all together.

** Complete Plot (with spoilers) from Wikipedia **

(click to show/hide)

Malcolm Rivers (Pruitt Taylor Vince) is awaiting execution for several vicious murders that took place at a motel. His psychiatrist, Doctor Mallick (Alfred Molina), has discovered his journal that may explain why he really committed the murders. With this late evidence brought forth, a new hearing takes place.

A group of 10 strangers find themselves stranded in the middle of a storm in a remote motel, run by manager Larry Washington (John Hawkes). The 10 strangers are a limo driver, Ed Dakota (John Cusack); an 80's movie star, Caroline Suzanne (Rebecca De Mornay); a cop, Officer Rhodes (Ray Liotta), who is transporting a serial killer, Robert Maine (Jake Busey); a prostitute, Paris Nevada (Amanda Peet); a pair of newlyweds, Lou (William Lee Scott) and Ginny (Clea DuVall) Isiana; and a family in crisis, George (John C. McGinley), Alice (Leila Kenzle) and Timmy (Bret Loehr) York. The group prepares to spend the night; however, they quickly find that there is an unknown murderer present, killing off each of the guests. Caroline is the first to be killed. Ed thinks that Maine killed her and when they check the convict, they discover he has escaped.

All the others become worried, and Ginny runs to her room. Her husband Lou chases after her but is also murdered. Ed and Rhodes find the con, knock him out, and put Larry on duty guarding him. However, he is later found dead. Paris discovers a dead body in Larry's freezer. Larry attempts to escape in his truck, claiming he did not kill anybody. He then accidentally runs over George, killing him. The survivors tie up Larry, who tells them his story. The others believe that he really did not kill anyone. Ginny and Timmy both die when their car blows up, but their bodies are nowhere to be seen. The remaining four discover that all the bodies have disappeared and that all 10 share the same birthday. Paris also discovers that Rhodes is a convict as well, having killed the corrections officer transporting him and Maine across state and assumed his identity as a police officer. Rhodes attempts to kill her, but she is saved by Larry, who in turn is shot dead by Rhodes.

At the hearing, the contents of Malcolm's journal are revealed, indicating the prisoner suffers from an extreme case of dissociative identity disorder, harboring 10 distinct personalities. Mallick is able to bring forth one of Malcolm's personalities, Ed, revealing that the events at the motel are occurring inside Malcolm's mind, each personality being a distinct person. Mallick informs "Ed" that he must eliminate the hostile personality in order to prevent Malcolm from being executed. In the motel setting, Ed believes that Rhodes is the murderer, and sacrifices himself to kill Rhodes, leaving only Paris alive. When Mallick demonstrates that the homicidal personality is dead, the Judge decides to place Malcolm in a mental institution under Mallick's care.

As Malcolm is driven along with Mallick to the institution, in Malcolm's mind, Paris has driven away from the motel to her hometown, Frostproof, Florida. As she tends an orange grove, she discovers the Room 1 motel key, and finds Timmy behind her. Timmy, the true homicidal personality, had orchestrated all the deaths at the motel, and made it appear that he had been killed as well; he finishes his task by killing Paris. Now driven only by Timmy, Malcolm strangles Mallick, and the van runs off the side of the road.

Extras:

• Scene Access
• Audio Commentary
• Feature Trailers
• Deleted Scenes
• Featurettes
• Gallery
• Production Notes
• Closed Captioned
• Branched Version with Alternate Ending & Additional Scenes

My Thoughts:

Genre: Suspense/Thriller
Rating: R
Have I seen it before: Yes
Do I Like it as much: Yes
Last Watched: 6/30/2012

Review: 4/5
"Identity" (2003) is Psycological Thriller / Mystery film

• directed by James Mangold (as director "Cop Land" (1997), "Girl, Interrupted" (1999), "Kate & Leopold" (2001), "Identity" (2003), "Walk the Line" (2005), "3:10 to Yuma" (2007) )
• produced by Cathy Konrad ("3:10 to Yuma" (2007), "Walk the Line" (2005), "Kate & Leopold" (2001), "Scream 3" (2000), "Girl, Interrupted" (1999), "Scream 2" (1997), "Cop Land" (1997), "Scream" (1996), "Citizen Ruth" (1996) )
• screenplay by Michael Cooney (as writer "Identity" (2003), "Jack Frost" (1997) )

It stars

• John Cusack (Edward "Ed" Dakota) ("Sixteen Candles" (1984), "Stand By Me" (1986), "One Crazy Summer" (1986), "Hot Pursuit" (1987), "Broadcast News" (1987), "Eight Men Out" (1988), "Say Anything..." (1989), "True Colors" (1991), "Bob Roberts" (1992), "Money for Nothing", (1993), "The Road to Wellville" (1994), "Grosse Pointe Blank", (1997), "Con Air" (1997), "Pushing Tin" (1999), "Being John Malkovich" (1999), "High Fidelity" (2000), "America's Sweethearts" (2001), "Serendipity" (2001), "Adaptation" (2002), "Runaway Jury" (2003), "Must Love Dogs" (2005), "The Ice Harvest" (2005), "The Contract" (2006), "Martian Child" (2007), "1408" (2007), "War, Inc." (2008), "2012" (2009) )
• Ray Liotta (Samuel Rhodes) ("Dominick and Eugene" (1988), "Field of Dreams" (1989), "Goodfellas" (1990), "Unlawful Entry" (1992), "No Escape" (1994), "Corrina, Corrina" (1994), "Operation Dumbo Drop" (1995), "Unforgettable" (1996), "Turbulence" (1997), "Cop Land" (1997), "Hannibal" (2001), "John Q" (2002), "Identity" (2003), "Wild Hogs" (2007), "Charlie St. Cloud" (2010) )
• Amanda Peet (Paris Nevada) ("One Fine Day" (1996), "Simply Irresistible" (1999), "The Whole Nine Yards" (2000), "Saving Silverman" (2001), "High Crimes" (2002), "Changing Lanes" (2002), "Identity" (2003), "Something's Gotta Give" (2003), "The Whole Ten Yards" (2004), "Syriana" (2005), "2012" (2009) )
• John Hakes (Larry Washington) ("D.O.A." (1988), "Scary Movie" (1989), "Congo" (1995), "Night of the Scarecrow" (1995), "From Dusk Till Dawn" (1996), "'Til There Was You" (1997), "Rush Hour" (1998), "I Still Know What You Did Last Summer" (1998), "The Perfect Storm" (2000), "Identify" (2003), "The Amateurs" (2005), "Wristcutters: A Love Story" (2006), "Miami Vice" (2006), "S. Darko" (2009), "Contagion" (2011) and lots of TV)
• John C. McGinley (George York) ("Sweet Liberty" (1986), "Platoon" (1986), "Wall Street" (1987), "Talk Radio" (1988), "Born on the Fourth of July" (1989), "Point Break" (1991), "Highlander II: The Quickening" (1991), "Article 99" (1992), "Hear No Evil" (1993), "On Deadly Ground" (1994), "Wagons East!" (1995), "Se7en" (1995), "Nixon" (1995), "The Rock" (1996), "Nothing to Lose" (1997), "Office Space" (1999), "Any Given Sunday" (1999), "Get Carter" (2000), "The Animal" (2001), "Stealing Harvard" (2002), "Identity" (2003), "Wild Hogs" (2007) and lots of TV)
• Bret Loehr (Timothy "Timmy" York) ("Identity" (2003) and TV )
• Pruitt Taylor Vince (Malcolm Rivers) ("Red Heat" (1988), "K-9" (1989), "Wild at Heart" (1990), "Jacob's Ladder" (1990), "JFK" (1991), "China Moon" (1994), "City Slickers II: The Legend of Curly's Gold" (1994), "Natural Born Killers" (1994), "Dr. Dolittle" (1998), "Mumford" (1999), "Dr. Dolittle" (1998), "The Cell" (2000), "Constantine" (2005) and lots of TV )

The film also features Clea DuVall (Ginny Isiana), Leila Kenzle (Alice York), Alfred Molina (Dr. Mallick), Carmen Argenziano (Marty), Marshall Bell (the district attorney), Matt Letscher (the assistant district attorney), Holmes Osborne (Judge Taylor), Frederick Coffin (Detective Varole), Joe Hart (Bailiff Jenkins), Michael Hirsch (the naked businessman), Terence Bernie Hines (a bailiff), Stuart M. Besser (Larry), Jake Busey (Robert Maine), William Lee Scott (Lou Isiana), Rebecca De Mornay (Caroline Suzanne).

The film starts with ...
"As I was going up the stair
I meant a man who wasn't there.
He wasn't there again today
I wish, I wish he'd go away"

"Identity" is an excellent mind bending psycho thriller. I doubt if you can figure out what is really going on before things start getting worked out.

The script/story is strong and the direction is very good. The film has the ambiance of terror which is what you want from a good thriller. Good cinematography and script.

Then there is the acting. John Cusack is very good in this. He is another actor who I think can do most everything. Like Johnny Depp, John Cusak can do comedic roles such as "Grosse Point Blank" and then turn and do a horror like "1408" and finally turn and do a romantic film like "Serendipity". This takes real timing for an actor and John Cusack seems to have it. He has a vast library of roles in many genres.

This film also has a great set of supporting actors. They all do a very good job. I don't think there is a weak performance in the group.

This is another Strong Recommendation for anyone who likes Psycho Thrillers

And the film ends ...
"As I was going up the stair
I meant a man who wasn't there.
He wasn't there again today
I wish, I wish he'd go away"

[DSig]

Copycat (1995/United States) IMDb | Wikipedia Warner Home Video (United States) Director: Jon Amiel Writing: Ann Biderman (Writer), David Madsen (Writer) Length: 123 min. Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35:1, Pan & Scan 1.33:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 5.1, French: Dolby Digital: 5.1, Commentary: Dolby Digital: Dolby Surround Subtitles: English, French, Spanish

Stars:
Sigourney Weaver as Helen Hudson
Holly Hunter as MJ Monahan
Dermot Mulroney as Ruben Goetz
William McNamara as Peter Foley
Harry Connick, Jr. as Daryll Lee Cullum

Plot:
One of the best-reviewed thrillers of recent years is 'COPYCAT', an adrenaline pumper about the desperate hunt for a mass murderer who copies serial killers of the recent past. An ambitious San Francisco homicide detecive (Holly Hunter) and a noted criminal psychologist (Sigourney Weaver) piece together a jigsaw puzzle of crime as they close in on a fiend with a knack for staying a step ahead... and leaving a body behind.

Jon Amiel ('SOMMERSBY') directs and Dermot Mulroney, William McNamara, Harry Connick, Jr. and Will Patton co-star in "the smartest and most gripping thriller since 'THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS" (Jack Mathews, 'NEWSDAY').

** Complete Plot (with spoilers) from Wikipedia **

(click to show/hide)

After giving a guest lecture on criminal psychology at a local university, Dr. Helen Hudson (Weaver), a respected field expert on serial killers, is cornered in a lavatory by one of her previous subjects, Daryll Lee Cullum (Harry Connick, Jr.), who kills a police officer and brutally attacks her. Helen becomes severely agoraphobic as a result, sealing herself inside an expensive hi-tech apartment, conducting her entire life from behind a computer screen and assisted by a friend, Andy (John Rothman).

When a new series of murders spread fear and panic across her home city of San Francisco, detective M.J. Monahan (Hunter) and her partner Reuben Goetz (Dermot Mulroney) solicit Helen's expertise. Initially reluctant, Helen soon finds herself drawn into the warped perpetrator's game of wits.

As the murders continue Helen realizes the elusive assailant draws inspiration from notorious serial killers including Albert DeSalvo, The Hillside Strangler, David Berkowitz, Peter Kürten, Ted Bundy, Edmund Kemper and Jeffrey Dahmer. When the murderer begins contacting - and even stalking - Helen, she and M.J. realize that he is after them, and they enlist the aid of Cullum, who tells them what he knows about the killer. Helen soon realizes that the Copycat killer has been following the list of serial killers in the same order she'd presented at the university the night of her attack, and the two work to figure out where and when he will strike next.

After Andy is killed in a manner reminiscent of Jeffrey Dahmer, M.J. deduces the killer's identity as Peter Foley (William McNamara). After leading a failed attempt to catch Foley at his house, M.J. discovers that he has kidnapped Helen and taken her back to the scene of Daryll Lee's attempt at killing her - the restroom of the lecture hall. Once she gets there, M.J. finds Helen bound and gagged in the same manner that Cullum did before, but she is ambushed and shot by Foley, rendering her unconscious. As Foley prepares to kill M.J., Helen desperately attempts to save her by ruining Foley's carefully replicated crime scene the only way she can - by attempting to hang herself. Foley panics and cuts Helen down, and Helen is able to get away and escape to the building's roof. Her agoraphobia kicks in again, and Helen finds herself cornered. Accepting her fate, she turns to face Foley. However, just as he is about to kill her, M.J. shoots him in the brachial nerve, giving him one last chance to surrender. When he pulls his gun back on her, however, she shoots him dead.

Some time later, Daryll Lee writes a letter to another serial killer, instructing him on how to kill Helen, revealing that he had been aiding Foley all along.

Extras:

• Scene Access
• Audio Commentary
• Feature Trailers
• Production Notes
• Closed Captioned

My Thoughts:

Genre: Suspense/Thriller, Crime, Drama
Rating: R
Have I seen it before: Yes .. Many Times
Do I Like it as much: Yes
Last Watched: 6/30/2012

Review: 4/5
"Copycat" (1995) is Psycological Thriller / Mystery film

• directed by Jon Amiel (as director "Sommersby" (1993), "Copycat" (1995), "The Man Who Knew Too Little" (1997), "Entrapment" (1999), "The Core" (2003) )
  
• produced by Arnon Milchan ("Marley & Me" (2008), "Meet Dave" (2008), "What Happens in Vegas" (2008), "Jumper" (2008), "Deck the Halls" (2006), "My Super Ex-Girlfriend" (2006), "The Sentinel" (2006), "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" (2005), "Electra" (2005), "First Daughter" (2004), "Man on Fire" (2004), "The Girl Next Door" (2004), "Runaway Jury" (2003), Daredevil" (2003), "Unfaithful" (2002), "High Crimes" (2002), "Joe Somebody" (2001), "Black Knight" (2001), "Don't Say a Word" (2001), "Joy Ride" (2001), "Big Mamma's House" (2000), "Fight Club" (1999), "Entrapment" (1999), "Midsummer Night's Dream" (1999), "Simply Irresistible" (1999), "The Negotiator" (1998), "City of Angels" (1998), "The Man Who Knew Too Little" (1997), "The Devil's Advocate" (1997), "L.A Confidential" (1997), "Murder at 1600" (1997), "The Mirror Has Two Faces" (1996), "Tin Cup" (1996), "A Time to Kill" (1996), "Heaat" (1995), "Copycat" (1995), "Empier Records" (1995), "Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home" (1995), "Under Siege 2: Dark Territory" (1995), "Boys on the Side" (1995), "Cobb" (1994), "Natural Born Killers" (1994), "The Client" (1994), "Striking Distance" (1993), "Free Willy" (1993), "Falling Down" (1993), "sommersby" (1993), "Under Siege" (1992), "Memoirs of an Invisible Man" (1992), "The Mambo Kings" (1992), "JFK" (1991), "Switch" (1991), "Pretty Woman" (1990), "The War of the Roses" (1989), "Who's Harry Crumb? (1989), "Man on Fire" (1987), "Legend" (1985), "Brazil" (1985), The King of Comedy" (1983) )
• produced by Mark Talov ("The Man Who Knew Too Little" (1997), "Copycat" (1995), "Serial Mom" (1994), "Second Sight" (1989), "White Water Summer" (1987), "Christine" (1983) )
• screenplay by Ann Biderman (as writer "Public Enemies" (2009), "Primal Fear" (1996), "Copycat" (1995) )
• screenplay by David Madsen (as writer "Coycat" (1995) )

It stars

• Holly Hunter (Inspector M.J. Monahan) ("Swing Shift" (1984), "Raising Arizona" (1987), "Broadcast News" (1987), "Always" (1989), "The Piano" (1993), "The Firm" (1993), "Copycat" (1995), "Home for the Holidays" (1995), "Crash" (1996), ""A Life Less Ordinary", (1997), "Living Out Loud" (1998), "Timecode", (2000), "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" (2000), "Levity" (2003), "Thirteen" (2003), "Little Black Book" (2004), "The Incredibles" (2000), "America's Sweethearts" (2001), "Serendipity" (2001), "Adaptation" (2002), "Runaway Jury" (2003), "Must Love Dogs" (2005), "The Ice Harvest" (2005), "The Contract" (2006), "Martian Child" (2007), "1408" (2007), "War, Inc." (2008), "2012" (2009) and great TV shows/series like "Saving Grace" (2007-2010) )
• Sigourney Weaver (Helen Hudson) ("Annie Hall" (1977), "Alien" (1979), "A Year of Living Dangerously" (1982), "Deal of the Century" (1983), "Ghostbusters" (1984), "Aliens" (1986), "Gorillas in the Mist: The Story of Dian Fossey" (1988), "Working Girl" (1988), "Ghostbusters II" (1989), "Alien 3" (1992), "1492: Conquest of Paradise" (1992), "Dave" (1993), "Death of the Maiden" (1994), "Copycat" (1995), "Alien Resurrection" (1997), "Galaxy Quest" (1999), "Company Man" (2000), "Holes" (2003), "The Village" (2004), "Infamous" (2006), "Vantage Point" (2008), "Be Kind Rewind" (2008), "WALL*E" (2008), "The Tales of Despereaux" (2008) narrator, "Avatar" (2009), "Paul" (2011) )
• Dermot Mulroney (Inspector Reuben Goetz) ("Sunset" (1988), "Young Guns" (1988), "Unconquered" (1989), "Career Opportunities" (1991), "Point of No Return" (1993), "Bad Girls" (1994), "Angels in the Outfield" (1994), "Copycat" (1995), "The Trigger Effect" (1996), "My Best Friends' Wedding" (1997), "Where the Money Is" (2000), "About Schmidth" (2002), "Must Love Dogs" (2005), "The Family Stone" (2005), "Zodiac" (2007), "Georgia Rule" (2007), "Burn After Reading" (2008), "Flash of Genius" (2008), "J. Edgar" (2011) )

The film also features Harry Connick, Jr. (Daryll Lee Cullum), William McNamara (Peter Foley), J. E. Freeman (Lt. Thomas Quinn), Will Patton (Det. Nicoletti), John Rothman (Andy), Shannon O'Hurley (Susan Schiffer)

I guess that i am on a psychological thriller bent as this is the third one today. And "Copycat" is one of my all time favorites. I have watched in many times and it still seems fresh to me. The direction, script and filming/editing are all really good. No goofs to speak of and although it is filmed in the story of 'knowing what is going on' it still builds suspense.

Now for the acting. It stars Holly Hunter and Sigourney Weaver. Two GREAT actresses. In today's group of movies I have been very lucky to watch actors that can deliver across many genres. Holly Hunter is one of those actors. From comedy like "Home for the Holidays" (a seasonal favorite every year) to drama like "Thirteen" and "Crash" to thrillers like "Copycat" and romantic movies like "Always". That is a very broad range of character types and Holly Hunter performs them all very well.

Then there is Sigourney Weaver. Another actor capable of wide scope. From humor of "Dave" and "Ghostbusters" 1&2 to drama of "Death and the Maiden" to of course the "Alien " quadrilogy. Another great breadth of work.

Finally the rest of the cast. Dermot Mulroney does a very good job as Reuben Goetz. His play against Holly Hunter and Sigourney Weaver is fascinating. And Harry Connick, Jr. is excellent as the serial killer Peter Foley. Harry Connick, Jr does surprisingly well in various characters. For example in Hope Floats" a romantic drama he plays well against Sandra Bullock. And in "Copycat" and "Basic" he plays very heavy roles.

This is another Strong Recommendation for anyone who likes Psycho Thrillers

[Piffi]

I will be very interested in what you think.  I see a lot of 'slasher' type horror films here and that is why i try to specify it as a psychological thriller.  Very little gore but lots of suspense.

let me know what you think of it

Dsig

I'll let you know what i think when i get around to buy it

[DSig]

Birds of Prey: The Complete Series (2002/United States) IMDb | Wikipedia Warner Home Video (United States) Director: 1. PilotBrian Robbins, 2. SlickMichael Katleman, 3. Prey for the HunterChris Long, 4. Three Birds and a BabyCraig Zisk, 5. Sins of the MotherJeff Woolnough, 6. Primal ScreamJim Charleston, 7. SplitJames Marshall, 8. Lady ShivaJohn Kretchmer, 9. Nature of the BeastShawn Levy, 10. GladiatrixDavid Carson, 11. ReunionChris Long, Part 1Joe Napolitano, Part 2Robert J. Wilson Writing: 1. PilotLaeta Kalogridis (Writer), 2. SlickLaeta Kalogridis (Story By), Melissa Rosenberg (Story By), Laeta Kalogridis (Screenwriter), 3. Prey for the HunterEdward Kitsis (Screenwriter), Adam Horowitz (Screenwriter), Adam Armud (Story By), Kay Foster (Story By), 4. Three Birds and a BabyDavid H. Goodman (Writer), Julie Hess (Writer), 5. Sins of the MotherMelissa Rosenberg (Screenwriter), Melissa Rosenberg (Story By), Hans Tobeason (Story By), 6. Primal ScreamEdward Kitsis (Screenwriter), Adam Horowitz (Screenwriter), Adam Armus (Story By), Kay Foster (Story By), 7. SplitAdam Armus (Screenwriter), Kay Foster (Screenwriter), Edward Kitsis (Story By), Adam Horowitz (Story By), 8. Lady ShivaAdam Armus (Screenwriter), Kay Foster (Screenwriter), Edward Kitsis (Story By), Adam Horowitz (Story By), 9. Nature of the BeastMelissa Rosenberg (Writer), 10. GladiatrixDavid H. Goodman (Writer), 11. ReunionEdward Kitsis (Writer), Adam Horowitz (Writer), Part 1Adm Armus (Writer), Kay Foster (Writer), Part 2Hans Tobeason (Screenwriter), Adam Armus (Story By), Melissa Rosenberg (Story By) Length: 542 min. Video: Widescreen 1.78:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital: Dolby Surround Subtitles: English

Stars:
1. PilotAshley Scott (1977) as Helena Kyle/Huntress
Dina Meyer as Barbara Gordon/Oracle
Rachel Skarsten as Dinah Lance
Shemar Moore as Det. Jesse Reese

Plot:
Who will stand up to villains now that a heartbroken Dark Knight has mysteriously vanished? Never fear, New Gothamites, a trio of champions is ready to take wing - and Helena, the daughter of Batman and Catwoman, is among them. She calls herself Huntress and crime is her prey. Teenaged Dinah is the youngest of the group, learning as she goes and gifted in clairvoyance. And overseeing the awesome threesome's high-tech nerve center is Batgirl. Left wheelchair-bound by The Joker, she has reinvented herself as Oracle, the team’s cyber expert. Huntress, Dinah, Oracle: They are the Birds of Prey. Fighting together. Living together. And soaring into adventure together in 13 breathtaking live-action episodes.

** Complete Plot (with spoilers) from Wikipedia **

(click to show/hide)

The series is set in New Gotham City, several years after it has been apparently abandoned by Batman. In his absence, Oracle and the Huntress have taken over his war on crime. The two are joined by Dinah (after she assists them in defeating Larry Ketterlly, a telepath with abilities similar to Scarecrow); Alfred Pennyworth, who serves Helena as she is heir to the Wayne estate; and Detective Jesse Reese, a police officer confronted with crimes and abilities he cannot explain.

A central feature of the series is the concept of metahumans: Individuals born with powers that cannot be explained. No two metahumans have the same specific ability/abilities (unless hereditary) and there exists a whole subculture of metahuman society that the outside world knows nothing about.

It is into this world that Detective Reese is drawn, reluctantly teaming up with Huntress and the Birds of Prey to defeat metahuman criminals. At first, he disapproves of Helena's vigilantism, even trying to arrest her, but eventually he realizes there is a need for the Birds of Prey to take down criminals the police cannot handle.

During the course of the show, the Birds of Prey often confront schemes masterminded by Dr. Quinzel (Harley Quinn), though they are unaware of her involvement until the final episode of the series. Quinzel's attempts to discover what Helena is hiding – and the duplicitous nature of their therapy sessions together – form a large part of the series arc, beginning in the pilot episode and being resolved in the series finale.

Cast
Helena Kyle/Huntress – (Ashley Scott)
Barbara Gordon/Oracle – (Dina Meyer)
Dinah Redmond (née Dinah Lance)/Black Canary – (Rachel Skarsten)
Detective Jesse Reese – (Shemar Moore)
Dr. Harleen Quinzel/Harley Quinn – (Mia Sara)[2]
Alfred Pennyworth – (Ian Abercrombie)

Recurring cast members
Wade Brixton – (Shawn Christian)
Gibson Kafka – (Robert Patrick Benedict)
Detective McNally – (Brent Sexton)
Bruce Wayne/Batman - (Bruce Thomas)

EPISODES:
1. Pilot
The Batman legend takes an unexpected turn when the Caped Crusader vanishes from the crime-ridden Gotham City and his legacy is taken over by a trio of beautiful and relentless heroines – the Birds of Prey. Barbara Gordon started out as Batman's protégé, Batgirl, but an attack by The Joker left her a parapalegic after being shot in the back, and she uses a wheelchair. Reinventing herself as Oracle, she takes under her wing Helena Kyle, the secret daughter of Batman and Catwoman, who quickly grows into the fierce and beautiful "Huntress". Into this group comes Dinah, a teenage runaway who is drawn to the city by meta-human visions. With the help of the only honest cop in the city now-called New Gotham, Detective Jesse Reese, the Birds of Prey fight their first battle against a mysterious madman who is bent on destruction.

2. Slick
Slick (Silas Weir Mitchell), an evil meta-human who can turn from solid to liquid, is hired by Dr. Quinzel to kill the honest cops who stand in her way. When Reese is the next intended victim, Helena comes to his aid and their mutual attraction continues to grow. Meanwhile, Barbara believes Dinah’s story that she’s just a runaway, but Helena remains suspicious.

3. Prey for the Hunter
Helena and Detective Reese clash again when they both try to track down a serial killer who destroys metahumans by taking on their powers. Meanwhile, Dinah ditches school when she learns from Helena there is a metahuman-only bar, and Barbara meets Wade’s parents who think she is not normal enough for their son.

4. Three Bird and a Baby
When Helena rescues an abandoned baby boy and brings him back to the Clocktower, Barbara and Dinah try to help, but to everyone’s surprise, the baby, "Guy", is only happy when Helena is holding him. Even more surprising is the fact that Guy wakes up from his nap as a walking, talking 5-year-old and is soon a teenager. Now in a race against time, the Birds of Prey discover that Guy is programmed to live his entire life in three days, and to kill the first person he attaches to, putting Helena in grave danger while Dr. Quinzel also races the clock to find Guy for her own nefarious plans.

5. Sins of the Mother
Dinah's mother, Carolyn (Lori Loughlin), comes to town to find her daughter, but the past comes back to haunt both women when the head of a crime family that Carolyn took down in her years as the Black Canary comes after them. Dinah must fight to save the mother she's never really known before she loses the chance completely. Helena wonders about her own mother's past, and about the secrets that the Canary could reveal to her, while Barbara tries to bring all the women together to cooperate before the past destroys them all.

6. Primal Scream
At the request of Reese, Helena goes undercover to help bring down a gang of thieves terrorizing New Gotham and quickly discovers that the gang is part of a larger infrastructure. Helena goes after the big boss until her cover is blown, putting her in grave danger. Meanwhile, Barbara has to deal with her fear of intimacy when her relationship with Wade takes a serious turn.

7. Split
Already frustrated with men thanks to her relationship with Det. Reese, Helena is none too pleased when a metahuman calling himself Darkstrike (Kristoffer Polaha) visits New Gotham to team up with her and Barbara. However, Helena warms to the enigmatic stranger when he explains his history with the Crawler (Brian Thompson) – a nefarious criminal with the nasty habit of murdering his abductees. When the fiend kidnaps an innocent teen, the crime fighters must race against the clock to ensure that the latest victim doesn't meet the fate of her predecessors.

8. Lady Shiva
Helena is thrilled when her best friend from high school, Sandra (Sung-Hi Lee), returns to New Gotham, but the Birds are troubled by a series of murders with the unmistakable mark of Batgirl’s nemesis, Lady Shiva. Determined to fight Lady Shiva as an equal, Barbara dusts off her Batgirl costume and experiments with technology that allows her to leave the wheelchair. Meanwhile, Dinah tries to use her mind-reading powers to get a boy at her school to notice her to ask her out for the school's spring dance.

9. Nature of the Beast
When a hit is put on the life of legendary mob boss, Al Hawk (Mitch Pileggi), the only person he trusts to protect him is his son, Det. Reese. Reese turns to Helena for help, but when she learns that Reese's father is the same man who killed Dinah's mother, Black Canary, her loyalties are tested.

10. Gladiatrix
When young metahuman women are abducted in New Gotham, Helena’s investigation leads her to uncover a secret club where the captive women are drugged and forced to fight each other in an arena. When Helena is also abducted, it is up to Dinah to rescue her with Reese's help.

11. Reunion
After a robber, Chris Cassius (Ian Reed Kesler), breaks into a chemical factory and drinks a mixture that gives him the power to turn people to stone, Barbara cancels her vacation with her boyfriend, Wade. Unwilling to allow Barbara to continue neglecting her personal life, Alfred the Butler brings Wade to the clock tower and exposes her secret. Meanwhile, Helena goes to Arkham Asylum and interrogates a villain named Clayface, who possesses the same abilities as Chris, and learns a shocking fact about her past. She must race to prevent Chris from killing New Gotham's most powerful people at a charity fashion show.

12. Feat of Clay
After a robber, Chris Cassius (Ian Reed Kesler), breaks into a chemical factory and drinks a mixture that gives him the power to turn people to stone, Barbara cancels her vacation with her boyfriend, Wade. Unwilling to allow Barbara to continue neglecting her personal life, Alfred the Butler brings Wade to the clock tower and exposes her secret. Meanwhile, Helena goes to Arkham Asylum and interrogates a villain named Clayface, who possesses the same abilities as Chris, and learns a shocking fact about her past. She must race to prevent Chris from killing New Gotham's most powerful people at a charity fashion show.

13. Devil's Eyes
Having discovered that Helena is Huntress, Harley Quinn uses a machine that gives her metahuman hypnotic powers. She then hypnotizes Helena and persuades her to knock Barbara unconscious and steal an access disk. Barbara recovers and uses her subneural device to enable her to stand and fight Helena, eventually neutralizing the trance. But Harley uses the disk to gain complete control of the clock tower and, after killing Wade, she broadcasts the hypnotic signal to every television set in New Gotham. Working together with Alfred, Dinah, and Reese, Helena must infiltrate the clock tower and battle Harley and her cohorts before they gain control of the entire city.


Extras:

• Closed Captioned
• Animated Series: Gotham Girls, Unaired Pilot, Booklet

My Thoughts:

Genre: Action, Science-Fiction, Television
Rating: NR
Have I seen it before: Yes
Do I Like it as much: Yes
Last Watched: 07/02/2012

Review: 3/5

"The Birds of Prey" (2002) is Superhero / Action TV series

• created by Laeta Kalogridis (including writing and production "Birds of Prey" (2002), "Alexander" (2004), "Bionic Woman" (2007), "Avatar" (2009), "Shutter Island" (2010) )
• produced by Mike Tollin ("Good Burger" (1997), "Varsity Blues" (1999), "Summer Catch" (2001), "Hard Ball" (2001), "Big Fat Liar" (2002), "Birds of Prey" (2002), "Radio" (2003), "Coach Carter" (2005), "Dreamer: Inspired by a True Story" (2005), and LOTS of TV shows/series )
• produced by Brian Robbins ("Summer Catch" (2001), "Wild Hogs" (2007), "Old Dogs" (2009), "Fred: The Movie" (2010), plus many acting, director and write credits )
• produced by Shawn Levy ("Real Steel" (2011), "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian" (2009), "What Happens in Vegas" (2008), "Night at the Museum" (2006), "Cheaper by the Dozen 2" (2005), plus acting, writing and directing credits )

It stars

• Ashley Scott (Helena Kyle/Huntress) ("AI: Artificial Intelligence" (2001), "S.W.A.T." (2003), "Walking Tall" (2004), "Into the Blue" (2005), "The Kingdom" (2007), "Birds of Prey" (2002), plus several TV Series including "Dark Angel" and Jericho" )
• Dina Meyer (Barbara Gordon/Oracle) ("Johnny Mnemonic" (1995), "Dragonheart" (1996), "Starship Troopers" (1997), "Bats" (1998), "Stranger Than Fiction" (2000), "Star Trek Nemesis" (2001), "D-Tox" (2002), "Saw" (2004), plus many TV shows )
• Rachel Skarsten (Dinah Redmond (née Dinah Lance)/Black Canary) ("Birds of Prey" (2002) plus several other TV shows/series )
• Shemar Moore (Detective Jesse Reese) ("Birds of Prey" (2002) plus several other TV shows/series )

The film also features Mia Sara (Dr. Harleen Quinzel/Harley Quinn), Ian Abercrombie (Alfred Pennyworth), Shawn Christian (Wade Brixton), Robert Patrick Benedict (Gibson Kafka), Brent Sexton (Detective McNally), Bruce Thomas (Bruce Wayne/Batman)

I really like this and am very happy that I picked this up. I remember only a couple of the shows from when it was live probably mostly because I was traveling a lot out of the country in 2002-2003.

Since this only got 13 episodes they didn't have time to really build the characters and give reasons to care about them. But in the short time I believe they displayed growth through each episode.

If you get a chance to watch this do. I think you will enjoy it.

[DSig]

The Contract (2007/United States) IMDb | Wikipedia First Look Home Entertainment, Nu Image (United States) Director: Bruce Beresford Writing: Stephen Katz (Writer), John Darrouzet (Writer) Length: 96 min. Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 5.1, English: DTS: 5.1, English: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo Subtitles: English, Spanish

Stars:
Morgan Freeman (1937) as Carden
John Cusack as Ray
Jamie Anderson as Chris
Alice Krige as Miles
Megan Dodds as Sandra

Plot:
While on a hiking trip to reconnect with his son, Ray Keene (John Cusack) stumbles into a nightmare scenario of paid assassins and ex-military guns-for-hire. Frank Cardin (Morgan Freeman) is attempting to fulfill a contract to assassinate a high profile businessman when things go awry and he ends up in the custody of the U.S. Marshalls. After an ill-fated attempt by his compatriots to free him Frank, finds himself in the custody of ex-lawman Ray and his son (Jamie Anderson). As they try to make their way back to civilization they are relentlessly pursued by Frank's friends who are intent on freeing their leader in order to collect on the contract. But one may be more foe than friend.

** Complete Plot (including spoilers) from Wikipedia **

(click to show/hide)

Morgan Freeman is Frank Carden, a professional assassin who has been hired to kill a reclusive billionaire named Lydell Hammond, Sr. Carden's plan goes awry when he gets injured in a car accident and ends up in the hospital. When hospital staff see his gun, they call the police. They are able to peel away his false identity and Federal Marshals are called in to pick him up.

John Cusack is widower Ray Keene, a high school gym teacher, ex-cop, and well-intentioned but not very able dad to Chris (Jamie Anderson). Ray belatedly realizes the need to bond with his son when the latter gets caught smoking marijuana, and takes him hiking in the wilderness. Carden is being driven through that same wilderness by the Marshals, but his men stage a rescue attempt. Most of the Marshals end up dead; the car crashed and the surviving Marshal asks Keene to take the prisoner to the authorities and then dies of his injuries. Ray and Chris have to get Carden out of the wilderness and hand him over to the authorities. Carden's men, highly-skilled ex-military thugs, track them down to try rescue Carden and kill Keenes.

Extras:

• Scene Access
• Bonus Trailers
• Featurettes
• Gallery

My Thoughts:

Genre: Suspense/Thriller, Action
Rating: R
Have I seen it before: Yes
Do I Like it as much: Yes
Last Watched: 6/30/2012

Review: 3.5/5

"The Contract" (2006) is Mystery / Thriller

• directed by Bruce Beresford (as director "Breaker Morant" (1980), "Tender Mercies" (1983), "Crimes of the Heart" (1986), "Her Alibi" (1989), "Driving Miss Daisy" (1989), "Rich in Love" (1993), "Silent Fall" (1994) EXCELLENT MOVIE, "Double Jeopardy" (1999), "The Contract" (2006) )
• produced by Boaz Davidson ("American Perfekt" (1997), "Alen Hunter" (2003), "Blind Horizon" (2003), "16 Blocks" (2006), "End Game" (2006), "Lonely Hearts" (2006), "The Black Dahlia" (2006), "The Wicker Man" (2006), "The Contract" (2006), "The King of California" (2007), "88 Minutes" (2007), "Showdown at Area 51" (2007), "War, Inc." (2008) )
• produced by Avi Lerner ("Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold" (1986), "Ten Little Indians" (1989), "Journey to the Center of the Earth" (1989), "American Perfekt" (1997), "Replicant" (2001), "Alien Hunter" (2003), "Blind Horizon" (2003), "16 Blocks" (2006, "End Game" (2006), "Lonely Hearts" (2006), "The Black Dahlia" (2006), "The Wicker Man" (2006), "The Contract" (2006), "The King of California" (2007), "88 Minutes" (2007), "Showdown at Area 51" (2007), "War, Inc." (2008) )
• produced by Randall Emmett
• produced by George Furla
• produced by Andreas Grosch
• produced by Danny Lerner
• produced by Andreas Schmid
• produced by Les Weldon
• screenplay by Stephen Katz (as writer "The Contract" (2006), and several TV show/series including "L.A. Law", "Harcastle and McCormick", "Hunter", "The A-Team", and "Knight Rider" )
• screenplay by John Darrouzet
• screenplay by J.D. Zeik

It stars

• John Cusack (Ray Keene) ("Sixteen Candles" (1984), "Stand By Me" (1986), "One Crazy Summer" (1986), "Hot Pursuit" (1987), "Broadcast News" (1987), "Eight Men Out" (1988), "Say Anything..." (1989), "True Colors" (1991), "Bob Roberts" (1992), "Money for Nothing", (1993), "The Road to Wellville" (1994), "Grosse Pointe Blank", (1997), "Con Air" (1997), "Pushing Tin" (1999), "Being John Malkovich" (1999), "High Fidelity" (2000), "America's Sweethearts" (2001), "Serendipity" (2001), "Adaptation" (2002), "Runaway Jury" (2003), "Identity" (2003), "Must Love Dogs" (2005), "The Ice Harvest" (2005), "The Contract" (2006), "Martian Child" (2007), "1408" (2007), "War, Inc." (2008), "2012" (2009) ) )
• Morgan Freeman (Frank Carden) ("Brubaker" (1980), "Harry & Son" (1984), "Clean and Sober" (1988), "Driving Miss Daisy" (1989), "Glory" (1989), "Lean on Me" (1989), "The Bonfire of the Vanities" (1990), "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves" (1991), "Unforgiven" (1992), "The Shawshank Redemption" (1994), "Outbreak" (1995), "Se7en" (1995), "Chain Reaction" (1996), "Amistad" (1997), "Kiss the Girls" (1997), "Deep Impact" (1998), "Hard Rain" (1998), "Under Suspicion" (2000), "Along Came a Spider" (2001), "The Sum of All Fears" (2002), "High Crimes" (2002), "Bruce Almighty" (2008), "Dreamcatcher" (2003), "Levity" (2003), "An Unfinshed Life" (2005), "March of the Penguins" (2011) narrator, "Batman Begins" (2005), "Unleashed" (2005), "The Contract" (2006), "Lucky Number Slevin" (2006), "Evan Almighty" (2007), "Gone, Baby, Bone" (2007), "The Bucket List" (2007), "Wanted" (2008), "The Love Guru" (2008), "The Dark Knight" (2008), "The Maiden Heist" (2009), "Invictus" (2009), "Red" (2010) )
• Jamie Anderson (Chris Keene) ("The Contract" (2006) )

The film also features Megan Dodds (Sandra), Jonathan Hyde (Turner), Corey Johnson (Davis), Alice Krige (Miles), Ian Shaw (Michaels), Jonas Talkington (paramedic), Spike Dauner (helicopter pilot #1).

I really like this movie. Good suspense and chase. Great acting with Cusack and Freeman.

I strongly recommend this film to everyone

[DSig]

Witness: Widescreen Collection (1985/United States) IMDb | Wikipedia Paramount Home Video (United States) Director: Peter Weir Writing: William Kelley (Story By), Pamela Wallace (Story By), Earl W. Wallace (Story By), Earl W. Wallace (Screenwriter), William Kelley (Screenwriter) Length: 112 min. Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital: Dolby Surround, English: Dolby Digital: 5.1, French: Dolby Digital: Dolby Surround Subtitles:

Stars:
Harrison Ford (1942) as John Book
Kelly McGillis as Rachel
Josef Sommer as Schaeffer
Lukas Haas as Samuel
Jan Rubes as Eli Lapp

Plot:
When a young Amish woman and her son get caught up in the murder of an undercover narcotics agent, their savior turns out to be hardened Philadelphia detective John Book.

Harrison Ford is sensational as Book, the cop who runs head-on into the non-violent world of a Pennsylvania Amish community. The end result is an action-packed struggle of life and death, interwoven with a sensitive undercurrent of caring and forbidden love.

** Complet Plot Summary (with spoilers) from Wikipedia **

(click to show/hide)

Rachel Lapp (Kelly McGillis), a young Amish widow, and her 8-year-old son Samuel (Lukas Haas) are traveling by train to visit Rachel's sister. At the 30th Street Station in Philadelphia, Samuel inadvertently sees two men brutally murder a third. Captain John Book (Harrison Ford) is the policeman assigned to the case.

Samuel witnessed the murder, a slashing, in the restroom and escaped the killers' detection by hiding in a stall. Book and his partner, Sergeant Eldon Carter (Brent Jennings), question Samuel. He is unable to identify the perpetrator from mug shot photographs or a police lineup, but notices a newspaper clipping at the police station with a picture of highly regarded narcotics officer James McFee (Danny Glover) and recognizes him as one of the killers. Book remembers that McFee was previously responsible for a drug raid where evidence had mysteriously disappeared from the police department.

Book confides his suspicions to his superior officer, Chief Paul Schaeffer (Josef Sommer), who advises Book to keep the case secret so they can work out how to move forward with it. As Book returns home, he is confronted by McFee in a parking garage and badly wounded in the ensuing gunfight before McFee escapes. Since only Schaeffer had been told, Book realizes Schaeffer must have warned McFee and is also corrupt.

Book calls Carter and orders him to remove the Lapp file from the records. Book then hides his Dodge and uses his sister's VW to return Rachel and Samuel to Lancaster County. After the Lapp's safe arrival in rural Pennsylvania, Book collapses from loss of blood in his vehicle in front of the Lapp farm.

Impressing upon them that hospitalization will allow the corrupt officers to find him, Book is gradually tended back to health by the Amish. As Book heals, he begins to develop feelings for Rachel. The Lapps' neighbor, Daniel Hochleitner (Alexander Godunov) had himself hoped to court her and this becomes a cause of friction. Later Rachel and John are caught dancing—an affront to the conservative Amish way of life. Rachel’s father-in-law, Eli, takes her aside and warns that if she continues she could be shunned (ostracized) by the community. Rachel, in turn, feels she has done nothing wrong.

The corrupt officers intensify their efforts to find Book, who is informed via a call from a payphone that Carter has been killed. While still in town, Hochleitner and the other Amish men are harassed by local punks. Breaking with the Amish tradition of nonviolence, Book retaliates. The fight gets noticed by the local townspeople and is reported to the police. The news reaches Schaeffer.

John subsequently comes upon Rachel as she bathes, and she stands half-naked without shame before him. The two realize they are in love, but because of the publicity the fight has gotten, Book knows he must leave. Upset, Rachel removes her bonnet, and she and John run to one another, embracing with a passionate kiss.

McFee, Schaeffer, and "Fergie" Ferguson (Angus MacInnes), the second killer at the train station, arrive at the Lapp farm with pump action shotguns. Book, unarmed and in the barn with Samuel, orders Samuel to run to the neighbors for safety. The trio split up and search for Book. John tricks Fergie into the grain silo and suffocates him under tons of grain. He retrieves Fergie's shotgun and kills McFee. A crazed Schaeffer then forces Rachel and Eli out of the house at gunpoint; Eli signs to Samuel (who returned unseen upon hearing gunfire) to ring the warning bell. Although Schaeffer briefly forces Book to surrender to him, the loud clanging summons all other Amish within earshot. With so many witnesses present it is clear to Schaeffer that he cannot escape, and he gives up.

As Schaeffer is taken by local police and Book prepares to leave, he shares a quiet moment with Samuel, then exchanges a silent, loving gaze with Rachel. Eli bids Book goodbye for his return to Philadelphia, saying "You be careful out among the English [i.e., non-Amish]", as he had said to Rachel at the beginning of the film, and showing Book that he now respects him like the people of his own faith. As Book drives away from the Lapp farm, he passes Hochleitner, presumably on his way to court Rachel, and exchanges an amicable wave of farewell.

Extras:

• Scene Access
• Feature Trailers
• Interviews
• Closed Captioned

My Thoughts:

Genre: Suspense/Thriller, Romance, Drama
Rating: R
Have I seen it before: Yes
Do I Like it as much: Yes
Last Watched: 7/2/2012

Review: 3.5/5

"Witness" (1985) is Mystery / Crime drama

• directed by Peter Weir (as director "Panic at Hanging Rock" (1975), "Galliopli" (1981), "The Year of Living Dangerously" (1982), "Witness" (1985), "The Mosquito Coast" (1986), "Dead Poets Society" (1989), "Fearless" (1994), "The Truman Show" (1998), "Master and COmmander: The Far Side of the World" (2003) )
• produced by Edward S. Feldman ("K-19: The Widowmaker" (2002), "The Truman Show" (1998), "Forever Young" (1992), "Honey I Blew Up The Kids" (1992), "Green Card" (1990), "The Golden Child" (1986), "The Hitcher" (1986), "Explorers" (1985), "Witness" (1985), "Save the Tiger" (1973), "Fuzz" (1972) )
• screenplay by Earl W. Wallace (as writer "If These Walls Could Talk" (1996), "Witness" (1985) and lots of TV shows/series )
• screenplay by William Kelley
• story by William Kelly
• story by Pamela Wallace
• story by Earl W. Wallace

It stars

• Harrison Ford (John Book) ("Getting Straight" (1970), "American Graffiti" (1973), "The Conversation" (1974), "Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope" (1977), "Force 10 from Navarone" (1978), "Apocalypse Now" (1979), "The Frisco Kid" (1979), "Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back" (1980), "Raiders of the Lost Ark" (1981), "Blade Runner", (1982), "Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi" (1983), "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom), (1984), "Witness" (1985), "The Mosquito Coast" (1986), "Frantic" (1988), "Working Girl" (1988), "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" (1989), Presumed Innocent" (1990), "Regarding Henry" (1991), "Patriot Games" (1992), "The Fugitive" (1993), "Clear and Present Danger" (1994), "Sabrina" (1995), "The Devil's Own" (1997), "Air Force One" (1997), "Six Days and Seven Nights" (1998), "What Lies Beneath" (2000), "Hollywood Homicide" (2003), "Firewall" (2006), "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" (2008), "Extraordinary Measures" (2010), "Cowboys & Aliens" (2011) )
• Kelly McGillis (Rachel Lapp) ("Witness" (1985), "Top Gun" (1986), "Made in Heaven" (1987), "The Accused" (1988), "The Babe" (1992), "North" (1994), "At First Sight" (1999) )

The film also features Josef Sommer (Schaeffer), Lukas Haas (Samuel Lapp), Jan Rubes (Eli Lapp), Alexander Godunov (Daniel Hochleitner), Danny Glover (McFee), Brent Jennings (Carter), Patti LuPone (Elaine), Angus MacInnes (Fergie), Frederick Rolf (Stoltzfus), Viggo Mortensen (Moses Hochleitner).

I really like this movie. It is a good romantic drama. And in this one Harrison Ford even puts forward some emotions as he did in "Regarding Henry". The chemistry between Harrison Ford and Kelly McGillis is palatable. They create a real energy.

And it was fun to see Danny Glover in an early film for him .. just a bad guy with virtually no lines.

This is a fun movie and I strongly recommend this file to anyone

[DSig]

Just Like Heaven: Widescreen (2005/United States) IMDb | Wikipedia DreamWorks Home Entertainment (United States) Director: Mark Waters Writing: Marc Levy (Original Material By), Peter Tolan (Screenwriter), Leslie Dixon (Screenwriter) Length: 95 min. Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 5.1, English: Dolby Digital: Dolby Surround, French: Dolby Digital: 5.1, Commentary: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo Subtitles: English, French, Spanish

Stars:
Reese Witherspoon as Elizabeth
Mark Ruffalo as David
Donal Logue as Jack
Dina Waters as Abby
Ben Shenkman as Brett

Plot:
Reese Witherspoon stars in the spirited romantic comedy Just Like Heaven. When David (Mark Ruffalo) rents his new apartment, the last thing he wants is company. Then Elizabeth (Reese Witherspoon) shows up, insisting the apartment is hers...until she disappears right before his eyes. He's convinced she's a spirit. She's convinced she's still alive. As they search for the truth of Elizabeth's past, their relationship changes from resentment to romance. Also starring Jon Heder, Just Like Heaven is a delightful film that critics declare is "one of the best romantic comedies to come along in years" (JP Sarni, Sirius Satellite Radio).

** Complete Plot Summary (with spoilers) from Wikipedia **

(click to show/hide)

Elizabeth Masterson (Reese Witherspoon), a young doctor whose work is her whole life, is seriously injured in a car accident while on her way to a blind date. Three months later, David Abbott (Mark Ruffalo), a landscape architect recovering from the death of his wife, moves into the apartment that had been Elizabeth's.

Elizabeth begins to appear to David at the apartment. However with ghostly properties and abilities it is clear something is not normal: She can suddenly appear and disappear, move through walls, and once takes over his actions. When they meet, they are both surprised, as Elizabeth is not aware yet of her condition. For the most part, David is the only one who can see Elizabeth, leading others to believe that he is hallucinating and talking to himself.

At first, Elizabeth does not remember anything of her life, and refuses to believe that she is dead. Her memories come back gradually. Together, assisted by Zen-like psychic Darryl (Jon Heder), she and David find out who she is, what happened to her, and why they are connected. They find that her body is in a coma in the hospital. When David discovers that in accordance with her living will, she will soon be taken off life support, he reluctantly tries to prevent this by telling Elizabeth sister that he can see her. It is then revealed that one of Elizabeth's young nieces can also sense her presence although she cannot see her. When Elizabeth's sister thinks that he is a lunatic and drives him away, David decides to prevent Elizabeth's death by stealing her body from the hospital. He asks J.J, his friend to help him and it is discovered that J.J is actually the former boyfriend of Elizabeth's sister and he had set Elizabeth's blind date with David, the night of the accident. The reason David is the only one who can see Elizabeth is that he was her blind date. He also eventually admits that he loves Elizabeth and that is the reason he doesn't want her to die. While stealing Elizabeth's body, they are eventually discovered in the hospital. The body guards soon find them, pulling David away from Elizabeth's body. He then realizes, that when he was pulled off he had her breathing tube in his hand; he then gets away from the guards, kisses Elizabeth's body and she miraculously wakes up. However, the recovered Elizabeth doesn't remember anything that happened during the coma or any of the events with David, leaving him heartbroken.

Sometime later, Elizabeth goes up to the roof of her apartment, which has been transformed into a beautiful landscaped garden. She sees David there, who had gotten in with the spare key he had kept in order to tend the garden. Just as he is about to leave, she asks for her key back. When their hands touch, her memory of the events during her coma are restored, and they kiss. Before the credits roll, Darryl is shown looking at them in a crystal ball. Darryl is proud and sighs "Righteous".

Extras:

• Scene Access
• Audio Commentary
• Bonus Trailers
• Deleted Scenes
• Featurettes
• Outtakes/Bloopers

My Thoughts:

Genre: Comedy, Romance, Fantasy
Rating: PG-13
Have I seen it before: Yes
Do I Like it as much: Yes
Last Watched: 6/27/2012

Review: 3.5/5

"Just Like Heaven" (2005) is Romantic Comedy

• directed by Mark Waters (as director "Mr. Popper's Penguins" (2011), "500 Days of Summer" (2009) as producer, "Ghosts of Girlfriends Past" (2009), "The Spiderwick Chronicles" (2008), "Just Like Heaven" (2005), "Mean Girls" (2004), "Freaky Friday" )
• produced by Walter F. Parkes (as producer "Wargames" (1983), "Volunteers" (1985), "Project X" (1987), "Awakenings" (1990), "Sneakers" (1992), "Little Giants" (1994), "To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar" (1995), "Twister" (1996), "The Trigger Effect" (1996), "The Peacemaker" (1997), "Men In Black" (1997), "Amistad" (1997), "Small Soldiers" (1998), "The Mask of Zorro" (1998), "Deep Impact" (1998), "Gladiator" (2000), "A.I. Artificial Intelligence" (2001), "The Time Machine" (2002), "Road to Perdition" (2002), "The Ring" (2002), "Minority Report" (2002), "Men in Black II" (2002), "Catch Me if You Can" (2002), "The Terminal" (2004), "Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events" (2004), "The Island" (2005), "Just Like Heaven" (2005), "The Legend of Zorro" (2005), "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" (2007), "Dinner for Schmucks" (2010), "Men in Black 3" (2012) )
• produced by Laurie MacDonald (as producer "Twister" (1996), "The Trigger Effect" (1995), "Men In Black" (1997), "The Peacemaker" (1997), "Amistad" (1997), "The Mask of Zorro" (1998), "Gladiator" (2000),"The Time Machine" (2002), "Men In Black II" (2002), "The Ring" (2002), "Catch Me If You Can" (2002), "The Terminal" (2004), "Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events" (2004), "The Island" (2005), "Just Like Heaven" (2005), "The Legend of Zorro" (2005), "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" (2007), "Dinner for Schmucks" (2010), "Men in Black 3" (2012) )
• novel by Marc Levy "If Only It Were True" (Et si c'était vrai...)
• screenplay by Peter Tolan (as writer "My Fellow Americans" (1996), "Analyze This" (1999), "Bedazzled" (2000), "America's Sweethearts" (2001), "Sealing Harvard" (2002), "Analyze That" (2002), "Just Like Heaven" (2005) and lots of TV shows )
• screenplay by Leslie Dixon (as writer "Overboard" (1987), "Outrageous Fortune" (1987), "Mrs. Doubtfire" (1993), "That Old Feeling" (1997), "The Thomas Crown Affair" (1999), "Pay It Forward" (2000), "Freaky Friday" (2003), "Just Like Heaven" (2005), "The Heartbreak Kid" (2007) )

It stars

• Reese Witherspoon (Dr. Elizabeth Masterson) ("The Man in the Moon" (1991), "Jack the Bear" (1993), "Freeway" (1996), "Fear" (1996), "Twilight" (1998), "Pleasentville" (1998), "Cruel Intentions" (1999), "Election" (1999), "Little Nicky" (2000), "American Psycho", (2000), "Legally Blonde" (2001), "The Importance of Being Earnest", (2002), "Sweet Home Alabama" (2002), "Legally Blonde2 Red, White & Blonde" (2003), "Walk the Line" (2005), "Just Like Heaven" (2005), "Rendition" (2007), "Four Christmases" (2008), "Monsters vs Aliens" (2009 voice only), "Water for Elephants" (2011), "This Means War" (2012) )
• Mark Ruffalo (David Abbot) ("The Last Castle" (2001), "Windtalkers" (2002), "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" (2004), "13 going on 30" (2004), "Collateral" (2004), "Just Like Heaven" (2005), "All the King's Men" (2006), "Zodiac" (2007), "Reservation Road" (2007), "The Brothers Bloom" (2009), "Where the WIld Things Are" (2009), "Shutter Island" (2010), "The Kids Are All Right" (2010), "The Avengers" (2012) )

The film also features Jon Heder (Darryl), Donal Logue (Jack), Dina Waters (Abby Brody), Ivana Milicevic (Katrina), Rosalind Chao (Dr. Fran Lo), Ben Shenkman (Dr. Brett Rushton), Joel McKinnon Miller (Lead Ghostbuster)

I really like this movie. Being a romantic comedy it isn't exactly rocket science but it has a nice twist to the concept.

And like most all of her movies, I like Reese Witherspoon in this very much. She is a little quirky and always carries that 'southern belle' thing. She is good in this as she was in "Legally Blonde" films, "Pleasentville", "Election" and of course "Sweet Home Alabama". I just about always like the films she is in. With the possible exception of "This is War" .. just didn't like the other 2 characters.

And Mark Ruffalo is also very good in this one. Most of the things I have seen him in are a little more dark or .. Like "Zodiac" and "The Kids are All Right", but i think he pulls of the comedy and romantic thing pretty well here. Maybe it is with the help of Reese WItherspoon.

All in all I strongly recommend this film to anyone who wants a good romantic comedy.

[DSig]

The Rock: Widescreen (1996/United States) IMDb | Wikipedia Hollywood Pictures Home Entertainment, Buena Vista Home Entertainment (United States) Director: Michael Bay Writing: David Weisberg (Story By), Douglas S. Cook (Story By), David Weisberg (Screenwriter), Douglas S. Cook (Screenwriter), Mark Rosner (Screenwriter) Length: 136 min. Video: Widescreen 2.35:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 5.1, French: Dolby Digital: 5.1 Subtitles: English, Spanish

Stars:
Sean Connery as John Patrick Mason
Nicolas Cage as Stanley Goodspeed
Ed Harris as General Francis X. Hummel
John Spencer as F.B.I. Director Womack
David Morse as Major Tom Baxter

Plot:
Hollywood Superstar Sean Connery (The Hunt For Red October) joins Academy Award™ winner Nicolas Cage (1995 Best Actor – Leaving Las Vegas) in the action-packed thriller of the year, The Rock! All of San Francisco is taken hostage when a vengeful General (Ed Harris – Apollo 13) seizes control of Alcatraz Island, threatening to launch missiles loaded with deadly poison gas! With time running out, only a young FBI chemical weapons expert (Cage) and a notorious Federal prisoner (Connery) have the skills to penetrate the island fortress and defuse the lethal situation! Edge-of-your-seat suspense and unstoppable action explode off the screen in this must-see motion picture event!

** Complete Plot Summary (with spoilers) from Wikipedia **

(click to show/hide)

A group of rogue Force Recon Marines led by disenchanted Brigadier General Frank Hummel (Harris) seize a stockpile of deadly VX gas–armed rockets from a heavily guarded military bunker, reluctantly leaving one of their men to die in the process, when a bead of the gas falls and breaks. The next day, Hummel and his men, along with more renegade Marines (Captains Frye and Darrow who have never previously served under Hummel) seize control of Alcatraz during a guided tour and take 81 tourists hostage in the prison cells. Hummel threatens to launch the stolen rockets against the population of San Francisco unless the government pays ransom and reparations to the families of Recon Marines, (using money the US earned via illegal weapons sales) who died on illegal, clandestine missions under his command and whose deaths were not honored.

The Pentagon and FBI develop a plan to retake the island with a Navy SEAL Team, enlisting the bureau's top chemical weapons specialist, Dr. Stanley Goodspeed (Cage), who initially thinks he's consulting the team, but soon learns that he has to accompany the SEALs due to his specialisation in chemical warfare. Goodspeed's confidence, already shaky as he received only minimal training in combat, is further tested when his fiancee Carla reveals that she is pregnant.

Recognizing that any surface approach will be seen by Hummel's men, FBI Director James Womack (John Spencer) is forced to turn to federal prisoner John Mason (Connery), a former MI6 Agent and SAS Captain who has been illegally detained for decades by Womack and his predecessors. Mason is the only Alcatraz inmate ever to escape through the prison's uncharted tunnels, doing so in 1963, one year after imprisonment.

Although Goodspeed manages to convince Mason to cooperate with the FBI in return for a pardon from the US Attorney General, Womack reneges on the deal. While in custody under the supervison of Special Agent Ernest Paxton (William Forsythe), Mason manages to escape to see his estranged daughter Jade (Claire Forlani), who is the only proof that he exists. Goodspeed arrives and reveals to Mason's daughter that he is aiding the FBI. Womack initially only wants Mason to consult the SEALs, as he confides to Agent Paxton that he does not want Mason loose, but the FBI have no choice but to let Mason accompany the SEALs since he has committed the maps to memory.

The team infiltrates Alcatraz, through the underground tunnels with Mason's guidance. The SEALs however are surrounded and gunned down by Hummel's marines in a shower room after SEAL Commander Anderson (Michael Biehn) refuses to surrender (the fight is provoked by Marine Captains Frye and Darrow, later revealed to be following Hummel only for the money instead of honor), leaving only Mason and Goodspeed alive. Womack plans to abort the mission, but Paxton agrees to let them them continue saying that Mason and Goodspeed are their last hope. Mason attempts to leave the prison, but Goodspeed manages to convince him to help him defuse the rockets, since Mason's daughter is at risk from the rockets. Using Mason's knowledge of the prison, they quietly eliminate several small teams of marines and disable 12 of the 15 rockets, until Hummel threatens over the loudspeaker to execute a hostage if the remaining "Navy SEALs" do not surrender and return the guidance chips from the rockets. Only Mason surrenders to Hummel, trying to buy Goodspeed some time. Though Goodspeed manages to disable another rocket, the Marines capture him shortly thereafter. With the incursion team lost, the military readies a backup plan: an air strike by F/A-18's with Thermite plasma, which will neutralize the poison gas but kill everyone on the island including the hostages.

As Mason uses his unique experience to escape from their cells, he reveals why he was held there for so many years — for stealing a microfilm of the United States' most closely guarded secrets, including the Roswell UFO incident and the John F. Kennedy assassination (Womack revealed this to Paxton, earlier). Mason states he didn't return it, because he knew the FBI would "suicide" him, if he did. While Goodspeed and Mason search for the final two rockets, Hummel fires one of them but changes the coordinates at the last second causing the rocket to crash harmlessly out to sea. Facing Captains Frye and Darrow's (Gregory Sporleder and Tony Todd) frustration, Hummel explains that their bluff failed and that he refuses to harm innocent civilians. He orders them to exit Alcatraz with a few hostages and the remaining VX rockets to cover their retreat, while he'll stay, personally assuming blame. Realizing that they will not be paid their $1 million apiece, Frye and Darrow, along with Sergeant Crisp (Bokeem Woodbine), decide mutiny against Hummel and his second-in-command, Major Tom Baxter (David Morse). With Mason and Goodspeed watching from afar, Crisp attempts to secure Hummel on Darrows orders, but fails as the General is able to hold the NCO at gunpoint. When Baxter is asked to take a side, he appears to side with Frye, Darrow and Crisp. The Major says what a privilege it was serving with Hummel, then fires at the three rogues. In the ensuring firefight, Crisp is killed by Hummel but Baxter is killed while Hummel is fatally wounded and pulled away by Mason. Darrow and Fyre proceed with the plan to fire on San Francisco. With his last breath, Hummel tells Goodspeed the location of the last rocket. As the jets approach, Darrow is killed when Goodspeed fires the last disarmed rocket into him, launching the Marine outside where he falls and is impaled on a fencepost. Goodspeed stows the last gas pearls from the warhead and takes a loose one, but is then attacked by Frye who begins to strangle Goodspeed to death. Using the VX to defend himself, Goodspeed shoves the gas pearl into Frye's mouth and gives him an uppercut to the jaw, breaking the pearl and exposing both of them to the gas. Goodspeed injects himself in the heart with atropine as Frye dies from the VX gas. Goodspeed then lights green flares to signal that the threat is over, but only after one of the pilots fires, sending Goodspeed flying into the sea. The early detonation hits the back of the island and harms no one else.

Mason reappears to pull the unconscious Goodspeed to shore. When he recovers, Goodspeed tells Mason that Womack tore up his pardon, which Mason expected. When radioed, Goodspeed states that Mason is dead. Goodspeed tells Mason to go to his hotel room, take a change of clothes and $200 he stashed and run. Mason thanks Goodspeed, and gives him a note that holds the location of where he had stashed the microfilm. When the FBI arrives, Goodspeed is asked about Mason and says the man was "vaporized." Paxton simply grins, suspecting otherwise as he, too, sympathizes with Mason.

Goodspeed and his pregnant bride Carla (Vanessa Marcil) visit Fort Walton, Kansas, recovering the microfilm with a half-century of state secrets, including who actually killed John F. Kennedy.

Extras:

• Scene Access
• Feature Trailers
• Closed Captioned

My Thoughts:

Genre: Action, Adventure
Rating: R
Have I seen it before: Yes
Do I Like it as much: Yes
Last Watched: 6/28/2012

Review: 3.5/5

"The Rock" (1996) is Action film

• directed by Michael Bay ("Bad Boys" (1995), "The Rock" (1996), "Armageddon" (1998), "Mystery Men" (1999), "Coyote Ugly" (2000), "Bad Boys II" (2003), "The Amityville Horror" (2005), "The Island" (2005), "The Hitcher" (2007), "The Transformers" (2007), "The Unborn" (2009), "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen", "I Am Number Four" (2011), "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" (2011) )
• produced by Don Simpson ("Cannonball" (1976), "Flashdance" (1983), "Beverly Hills Cop" (1984), "Top Gun" (1986), "Days of Thunder" (1990), "The Ref" (1994), "Bad Boys" (1995), "Crimson Tide" (1995), "Dangerous Minds" (1995), "The Rock" (1996), "Bad Boys II" (2003) )
• produced by Jerry Bruckheimer ("The Culpepper Cattle Co." (1972), "Cat People" (1982), "Flashdance" (1983), "Beverly Hills Cop" (1984), "Top Gun" (1986), "Berverly Hills Cop II" (1987), "Days of Thunder" (1990), "The Ref" (1994), "Dangerous Minds" (1995), "Crimson Tide" (1995), "Bad Boys" (1995), "The Rock" (1996), "Con Air" (1997), "Enemy of the State" (1998), "Armageddon" (1998), "Remember the Titans" (2000), "Coyote Ugly" (2000), "Gone in Sixty Seconds" (2000), "Black Hawk Down" (2011), "Bad Company" (2002), "Bad Boys II" (2003), "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl" (2003), "Kangaroo Jack" (2003), "National Treasure" (2004), "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" (2006), "Deja Vu" (2006), "National Treasure: Book of Secrets" (2004), "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" (2007), "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" (2010), "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" (2011) )
• story by David Weisberg
• story by Douglas S. Cook
• screenplay by David Weisberg
• screenplay by Douglas S. Cook
• screenplay by Mark Rosner
• uncredited screenplay by Qurnin Tarantino
• uncredited screenplay by Aaron Sorkin
• uncredited screenplay by Johathan Hensleigh

It stars

• Sean Connery (John Patrick Mason) ("Darby O'Gill and the Little People" (1959), "The Longest Day" (1962), "Dr. No" (1962), "From Russida with Love" (1963), "Marnie" (1964), "Goldfinger" (1964), "Thunderball" (1965), "A Fine Madness" (1966), "You Only Live Twice" (1967), "The Molly Maguires", (1970), "The Anderson Tapes" (1971), "Diamonds are Forever" (1971), "The Offence" (1973), "Zardoz" (1974), "Murder on the Orient Express" (1974), "The Man Who Would Be King" (1975), "Robin and Marian" (1976), "A Bridge Too Far" (1977), "The FIrst Great Train Robbery" (1979), "Meteor" (1979), "Outland" (1981), "Time Bandits" (1981), "Never Say Never Again" (1983), "Highlander" (1986), "The Name of the Rose" (1986), "The Untouchables" (1987), "The Presidio" (1988), "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" (1989), "Family Business" (1989), "The Hunt for Red October" (1990), "The Russia House" (1990), "Highlander II: The Quckening" (1991), "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves" (1991), "Medicine Man" (1992), "Rising Sun" (1993), "Just Cause" (1995), "Frist Knight" (1995), "Dragonheart" (1996) voice only, "The Rock" (1996), "The Avengers" (1998), "Entrapment" (1999), "Finding Forrester" (2000), "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" (2003) )
• Nicolas Cage (Dr. Stanley Goodspeed) ("Brubaker" (1980)uncredited, "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" (1982), "Rumble Fish" (1983), "Peggie Sue Got Married" (1986), "Raising Arizona" (1987), "Moonstruck" (1987), "Vampire's Kiss" (1989), "Honeymoon in Vegas" (1992), "Amos & Andrew" (1993), "Guarding Tess", (1994), "It Could Happen to You" (1994), "Trapped in Paradise", (1994), "Kiss of Death" (1995), "Leaving Las Vegas" (1995), "The Rock" (1996), "Con Air" (1997), "Face/Off" (1997), "City of Angels" (1998), "Snake Eyes" (1998), "8mm" (1999), "Bringing Out the Dead" (1999), "Gone in Sixty Seconds" (2000), "The Family Man" (2000), "Captain Corelli's Mandolin" (2001), "Windtalkers" (2002), "Adaptation" (2002), "Matchstick Men" (2003), "Lord of War" (2005), "The Weather Man" (2005), "The Wicker Man" (2006), "Ghost Rider" (2007), "Next" (2007), "National Treasure: Book of Secrets" (2007), "Bangkok Dangerous" (2008), "Knowing" (2009), "Astro Boy" (2009) voice only, "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" (2010) )
• Ed Harris (Brigadier General Francis X. (Frank) Hummel) ("Creepshow" (1982), "The Right Stuff" (1983), "Places in the Heart" (1984), "The Abyss" (1989), "State of Grace" (1990), "Glengary Glen Ross" (1992), "The Firm" (1993), "Needful Things" (1993), "Milk Money" (1994), "The Stand" (1994), "Apollo 13" (1995), "Just Cause" (1995), "Eye for an Eye" (1996), "Absolute Power" (1997), "Stepmom" (1998), "The Truman Show" (1998), "Pollock" (2000), "A Beautiful Mind" (2001), "Enemy at the Gates" (2001), "Catch Me If You Can" (2002), "Radio" (2003), "The Human Stain" (2003), "Empire Falls" (2005), "A History of Violence" (2005), "Gone Baby Gone" (2007), "Cleaner" (2007), "National Treasure: Book of Secrets" (2007) )

The film also features John Spencer (FBI Director James Womack), William Forsythe (FBI Special Agent Ernest Paxton), David Morse (Major Tom Baxter, USMC Force Recon), John C. McGinley (Marine Captain Hendrix), Tony Todd (Captain Darrow), Gregory Sporleder (Captain Frye), Bokeem Woodbine (Sergeant Crisp), Jim Maniaci (Private Scarpetti), Greg Collins (Private Gamble), Steve Harris (Private McCoy), Brendan Kelly (Private Cox), Michael Biehn (Commander Anderson), Danny Nucci (Lieutenant Shephard), Vanessa Marcil (Carla Pestalozzi), Claire Forlani (Jade Angelou), Anthony Clark (Paul), Todd Louiso (Marvin Isherwood), Sam Whipple (Larry Henderson), David Bowe (Dr. Ling), John Laughlin (General Peterson), Jim Caviezel (F/A-18 Pilot).

This is another great action movie. It does have some cliches and some easy to figure out bits but over all it is a very good movie. The script if fun with some puns here and there.

The acting is very good. Sean Connery and Nicolas Cage shine in this type of action film. Men doing manly things to save the world. And Ed Harris, who i always like, is also good as the General gone astray.

The supporting cast is also good. John Spencer and William Forsythe are good as FBI agents that you love to hate.

If you are capable of "suspending disbelief", as all good film buffs must, then you will like this movie.

I highly recommend this film to everyone.

[DSig]

Catch .44 (2011/United States) IMDb | Wikipedia Anchor Bay Entertainment (United States) Director: Aaron Harvey Writing: Aaron Harvey (Writer) Length: 94 min. Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 2.40:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 5.1, Commentary: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo Subtitles: English, Spanish

Stars:
Malin Akerman as Tes
Nikki Reed as Kara
Deborah Ann Woll as Dawn
Forest Whitaker as Ronny
Bruce Willis as Mel

Plot:
Academy Award® winner Forest Whitaker (The Last King of Scotland), Bruce Willis, Malin Akerman (Watchmen), Nikki Reed (The Twilight Saga), and Deborah Ann Woll ("True Blood") star in the tough, sexy story of three hit women sent to rural Louisiana to intercept a big money dope deal. But when they get to the near-empty roadside cafe, bullets blast apart what was supposed to be a simple transaction. It could be a huge, bloody misunderstanding but it might also be a deadly double-cross. Shea Whigham ("Boardwalk Empire") and Academy Award® nominee Brad Dourif (One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest) co-star in this intense crime thriller with a killer twist.

Extras:

• Scene Access
• Audio Commentary
• Bonus Trailers

My Thoughts:

Genre: Action, Crime, Suspense/Thriller
Rating: R
Have I seen it before: No
Do I Like it as much:
Last Watched: 7/2/2012

Review: 3/5 .. but it is growing on me

"Catch .44" (1996) is Action drama that becomes a shoot fest

• directed by Aaron Harvey ("Catch .44" (2011) )
• produced by Megan Ellison ("True Grit" (2010), "Catch .44" (2011) )
• produced by Michael Benaroya ("Catch .44" (2011) )
• screenplay by Aaron Harvey ("Catch .44" (2011) )

It stars

• Bruce Willis (Mel) ("Blind Date" (1987), "Sunset" (1988), "Die Hard" (1988), "In Country" (1989), "Look Who's Talking" (1989), "Die Hard 2" (1990), "Look Who's Talking Too" (1990), "The Bonfire of the Vanities" (1990), "Mortal Thoughts" (1991), "Hudson Hawk", (1991), "Billy Bathgate" (1991), "The Last Boy Scout", (1991), "Death Becomes Her" (1992), "Loaded Weapon 1" (1993), "Striking Distance" (1993), "North" (1994), "Color of Night" (1994), "Pulp Fiction" (1994), "Nobody's Fool" (1994), "Die Hard with a Vengeance" (1995), "12 Monkeys" (1995), "Last Man Standing" (1996), "The Fifth Element" (1997), "The Jackal" (1997), "Mercury Rising" (1998), "Armageddon" (1998), "The Siege" (1998), "Breakfast of Champions" (1999), "The Sixth Sense" (1999), "The Story of Us" (1999), "The Whole Nine Yards" (1995), "Disney's The Kid" (2000), "Unbreakable" (2000), "Bandits" (2001), "Hart's War" (2002), "Tears of the Sun" (2003), "Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle" (2003), "The Whole Ten Yards" (2004), "Ocean's Twelve" (2004), "Hostage" (2005), "Sin City" (2005), "16 Blocks" (2005), "Lucky Number Slevin" (2006), "Over the Hedge" (2006) voice only, "The Astronaut Farmer" (2007), "Perfect Stranger" (2007), "Grindhouse" (2007), "Live Free or Die Hard" (2007), "Surrogates" (2009), "The Expendables" (2010), "Red" (2010), "Catch .44" (2011) )
• Forest Whitaker (Ronny) ("Fast Times at Ridgemont High" (1982), "The COlor of Money" (1986), "Platoon" (1986), "Stakeout" (1987), "Good Morning, Vietnam" (1987), "Bird" (1988), "Article 99" (1992), "The Crying Game" (1992), "Body Snatchers" (1993), "Blown Away" (1994), "Species" (1995), "Phenomenon" (1986), "Battlefield Earth" (2000), "Panic Room" (2002), "Phone Booth" (2002), "First Daughter" (2004), "The Last King of Scotland" (2006), "Vantage Point" (2008), "Where the Wild Things Are" (2009), "Repo Men" (2010), "Catch .44" (2011) )
• Malin Akerman (Tes) ("The Skulls" (2000), "The Invasion" (2007), "The Heartbreak Kid" (2007), "27 Dresses" (2008), "Watchmen" (2009), "The Proposal" (2009), "Couples Retreat" (2009), "Catch .44" (2011) )
• Nikki Reed (Kara) ("Thirteen" (2003), "Lords of Dogtown" (2005), "Twilight" (2008), "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" (2009), "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse" (2010), "Catch .44" (2011), "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1" (2011) )
• Deborah Ann Woll (Dawn) ("Aces 'n' Eights" (2008), "Catch .44" (2011) )

The film also features Deborah Ann Woll (Dawn), Brad Dourif (Sheriff Connors), Michael Rosenbaum (Brandon), Shea Whigham (Billy), Edrick Browne (Devon), Jill Stokesberry (Francine), P.J. Marshall (Deputy Elmore), Ivory Dortch (Waitress).

I don't know why .. but i *like* this movie. Maybe like is not the right word. But it is one that I will watch again AND i am happy to have it in my collection.

The story line is a little hard to follow as it is one of those .. start that the end and keep going back to what got you there. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. I am not sure here if it is working but on first watch it is kind of hard to follow.

But Bruce Willis, who i almost always like, is very good playing Mel a sleaze ball drug lord. And Forest Whitaker is very good as the crazy Ronny, another druggie and associate of Mel.

Malin Akerman, Deborah Ann Woll and Nikki Reed are sufficient to good in their parts. Maybe it is the script or direction or maybe it is just Willis and Whitaker but I do like this.

I am only giving it a 3of5 but i think this one will grow on me and that rating will improve.

I recommend this film to anyone who likes a good

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'all things go wrong and we have to kill everybody'

movie

[DSig]

Tin Man: 2 Disc Collector's Edition (2007/United States) IMDb | Wikipedia Genius Products, RHI Entertainment (United States) Director: Nick Willing Writing: Craig Van Sickle (Screenwriter), Steven Long Mitchell (Screenwriter), Jill Blotevogel (Screenwriter), Craig Van Sickle (Story By), Steven Long Mitchell (Story By), L. Frank Baum (Original Material By) Length: 265 min. Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.78:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 5.1 Subtitles:

Stars:
Zooey Deschanel as DG
Alan Cumming as Glitch
Neal McDonough as Cain
Kathleen Robertson as Azkadellia
Raoul Trujillo as Raw

Plot:
Follow a new yellow brick road with Tin Man, the unforgettable science fiction update of L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. When small-town waitress D.G. (Zooey Deschanel) unexpectedly lands in the dangerous wasteland known as The O.Z., she'll need the help of three unlikely friends and the great Mystic Man (Academy Award© Winner Richard Dreyfuss*) to escape cruel sorceress Azkadellia (Kathleen Robertson). Featuring "all the goodness of the classic" (TV Guide), TIN MAN doesn't just go over the rainbow... it goes way beyond.

*1977 Best Actor, The Goodbye Girl.

** Complete Plot (from Wikipedia) with spoilers **

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DG (Zooey Deschanel) is a small-town waitress who feels that she does not fit into her Kansas farm life and has visions of a lavender-eyed woman (Anna Galvin) warning her that a storm is coming. Her visions are realized when the sorceress Azkadellia (Kathleen Robertson), tyrannical ruler of the O.Z. (Outer Zone), sends her Longcoat soldiers through a "travel storm" to kill DG. DG escapes through the storm into the O.Z. and befriends several of its inhabitants: Glitch (Alan Cumming), who had half of his brain removed by Azkadellia; Wyatt Cain (Neal McDonough), a former "Tin Man" law enforcer who was locked in an iron suit for years as punishment for opposing Azkadellia; and Raw (Raoul Trujillo), a "viewer" whose people have been enslaved by Azkadellia. DG receives a magical symbol on her palm and learns that her Kansan parents are androids and that her real mother is the lavender-eyed woman of her visions. Visiting the Mystic Man (Richard Dreyfuss) in Central City and continuing on to the Northern Island, the group learns that Glitch was once the advisor to the Queen of the O.Z. and that DG and Azkadellia are actually sisters and the daughters of the Queen. DG remembers that Azkadellia killed her using dark magic when they were children, but their mother revived her by light magic and gave her secret instructions on how to find the Emerald of the Eclipse, which Azkadellia now seeks. Azkadellia confronts the group with her Longcoats and mobats, capturing DG and Raw. Cain fights the Longcoat captain Zero (Callum Keith Rennie) and learns that his wife and son, whom he thought Zero had killed, are still alive. Zero shoots Cain, sending him falling into a lake of ice.

Glitch rescues and revives Cain, and they journey to Azkadellia's castle to rescue DG. Azkadellia interrogates DG, learning that the Emerald of the Eclipse is protected by the "Gray Gale". The Mystic Man is killed by Azkadellia after advising DG to head south. DG is freed by a small dog who is revealed to be a shape-shifter named Tutor (Blu Mankuma), her childhood teacher who is also nicknamed Toto. DG, Glitch, Raw, and Cain head south with Tutor, not knowing that he is marking their path for Azkadellia's mobats to follow. Along the way DG rediscovers some of her magical abilities—restoring a withered fruit tree in the fields of the Papay—and Cain discovers his wife's grave. More of DG's memories return in the lake country of Finaqua: As children she and Azkadellia were very close, but that changed when DG accidentally released the spirit of an ancient, evil witch (Karin Konoval) from a cave. The sisters' magic would have protected them if they stayed together linking hands, but DG fled and the witch possessed Azkadellia. DG realizes that all of the tragedies which have befallen the O.Z. are the result of that mistake she made as a child.

The party heads farther south in search of DG's father Ahamo (Ted Whittall). Tutor's treachery is discovered but he is allowed to stay with the group in his canine form. In the Realm of the Unwanted they are led into a trap: Glitch, Raw, and Cain are captured by Zero, but are freed by resistance fighters led by Cain's son Jeb (Andrew Francis). Zero reveals the scope of Azkadellia's plan, which is to use the Emerald of the Eclipse in combination with a machine called the Sun Seeder to lock the O.Z.'s two suns in place behind the moon during an upcoming eclipse, covering the land in permanent darkness. The Sun Seeder had been designed by Glitch during his time as the Queen's adviser, and the removed portion of his brain is being used to control it. Meanwhile, DG meets Ahamo and the two travel by hot air balloon to the hidden mausoleum of the O.Z.'s royal line. DG learns that the Gray Gale is Dorothy Gale, her "greatest great-grandmother" and "the first slipper" to travel to the O.Z. from Earth. She enters Dorothy's tomb, finding herself in a black-and-white representation of her Kansas farm and receiving the Emerald from Dorothy. Azkadellia arrives, capturing both Ahamo and the Emerald and leaving DG trapped in a sarcophagus. DG escapes using magic and is reunited with her friends, and together they infiltrate Azkadellia's fortress as she locks the suns in place. DG clasps hands with Azkadellia, freeing her from the witch's possession just as her companions reverse the Sun Seeder's pulse, destroying the witch. DG and Azkadellia are reunited with their parents as the suns emerge from behind the moon, shedding their light on the O.Z.

Extras:

• Scene Access
• Bonus Trailers
• Featurettes
• Interviews
• Outtakes/Bloopers

My Thoughts:

Genre: Television, Science-Fiction, Adventure
Rating: NR
Have I seen it before: Y
Do I Like it as much:
Last Watched: 8/16/2012

Review: 3.5/5
"Tin Man" (2007) is Sci-Fi, Fantasy re-telling of "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" by L. Frank Baum

• created by directed by Craig Van Sickle
• created by Steven Long Mitchell
• produced by Robert Halmi, Jr
  
  • produced by Robert Halmi, Sr
    
    • produced by Steven Long Mitchell
    • produced by Matthew O'Connor
    • produced by Michael O'Connor
    • written by Steven Long Mitchell
    • written by Craig Van Sickel
    
    It stars
    
    • Zooey Deschanel (DG) ("Mumford" (1999), "Almost Famous" (2000), "Big Trouble" (2002), "ELF" (2003), "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" (2005), "Tin Man" (2007), "The Happening" (2008), "(500) Days of Summer" (2009), and TV shows )
    • Neal McDonough (Wyatt Cain) ("Angels in the Outfield" (1994), "Star Trek: First Contact" (1996), "Fire Down Below" (1997), "Minority Report" (2002), "Timeline" (2003), "The Guardian" (2006), "The Hitcher" (2007), "88 Minutes" (2008), "Captain America: The First Avenger" (2011) plus TV roles )
    • Alan Cumming (Glitch) ("Golden Eye" (1995), "Romy and Michele's High School Reunion" (1997), "Eyes Wide Shut" (1999), "Annie" (1999), "The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas" (2000), "Get Carter" (2000), "Spy Kids" (2001), "Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams" (2002), "X2" (2003), "Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over" (2003), "Son of the Mask" (2005), "Tin Man" (2007), "Riverworld" (2010) )
    • Raoul Trujillo (Raw) ("Scanners II: The New Order" (1991), "Highlander III: The Final Dimension" (1994), "La Femme Nikita" (1999), "Tin Man" (2007), "Cowboys & Aliens" (2011) and various TV shows )
    • Kathleen Robertson (Azkadellia) ("Blown Away" (1992), "Scary Movie 2" (2001), "Tin Man" (2007) and various TV shows )
    • Richard Dreyfuss (Mystic Man) ("American Graffiti" (1973), "Jaws" (1975), "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" (1977), "The Goodbye Girl" (1977), "The Big Fix" (1978), "The Competition" (1980), "Whose Life Is It Anyway" (1981), "Down and Out in Beverly Hills" (1986), "Stand By Me" (1986), "Tin Men" (1987), "Stakeout" (1987), "Nuts" (1987), "Moon Over Parador" (1988), "Let it Ride" (1989), "Always" (1989), "Postcards from the Edge" (1990), "What About Bob?" (1991), "Another Stakeout" (1993), "Silent Fall" (1994), "The American President" (1995), "Mr. Holland's Opus" (1995), "James and the Giant Peach" voice only (1996), "Krippendorf's Tribe" (1998), "The Crew" (2000), "Tin Man" (2007), "Red" (2010) )
    • Anna Galvin (Lavender-Eyed Woman) ( lots of TV shows )
    • Callum Keith Rennie (Cpt. Zero) ("Time Cop" (1994), "Unforgettable" (1996), "Masterminds" (1997), "eXistenZ" (1999), "Memento" (2000), "Paycheck" (2003), "The Butterfly Effect" (2004), "Blade: Trinity" (2004), "Code Name: The Cleaner" (2007), "Silk" (2007), "The X Files: I Want to Believe" (2008), "Case 39" (2009) )
    • Blu Mankuma (Tutor/Toto) ("Stakeout" (1987), "Malone" (1987), "Shoot to Kill" (1988), "Look Who's Talking" (1989), "Bird on a Wire" (1990), "The Russia House" (1990), "Another Stakeout" (1993), "That Old Feeling" (1997), "Bone Daddy" (1998), "The Santa Clause 2" (2002), "Tin Man" (2007), "2012" (2009) and LOTS of TV )
    
    This was a GREAT re-interprutation of "The Wizard of Oz".  I really like the Sci-Fi and Steampunk bits in the film.  The characters all work well and I think the script is tight.  I really like the characters and actors for this.  Although critically it wasn't well received .. almost all of the criticism seemed to be based against the original "The Wizard of Oz".  This was not trying to be that film and I think they did a good job.
    
    I strongly recommend this film to anyone.