Roger: "Well, we're in, but how the hell are we gonna get back?" .....Peter: "Who the hell cares! Let's go shopping!"

In the world of zombie films there are many greats. Night of the Living Dead, Day of the Dead, Dead Alive, Zombieland, Shaun of the Dead, Zombie!, Land of the Dead and the Resident Evil series are a good flicks, but nothing compares to Dawn of the Dead. It was George Romero's second zombie film and he hasn't made one better since. No zombie movie comes close to its gore, its thrills, its comedy, its acting and even its score.
The story is about four people, who go on the run together, during a zombie pandemic. Two of them are a couple, Stephen (David Emge) and Francine (Gaylen Ross). The other two are from a Philadelphia SWAT team, Peter (Ken Foree) and Roger (Scott Reiniger). Stephen and Francine are already friends with Roger and Roger brings Peter along. They all go on the run in a helicopter and fly around looking for somewhere that isn't full of zombies.
Once they begin to run out of fuel, they find a big indoor shopping mall. They decide to hide out in the mall, but they must deal with the hundreds of zombies that are inside. They kill all the ones inside the mall and then make a plan to barricade and lock the entrance doors. In the process of this, Roger gets bit and becomes really sick. Peter has to shot his friend, as he turns into the undead and things start to unravel between the three remaining friends.
After a while of living in the mall, they get a call on their CB-radio, from some people. They turn out to be a biker gang and they come to the mall to take what they want. Their leader is played by special effects master Tom Savini. As Stephen begins to get angry at the gang for taking things from their mall, a war begins and the zombies are caught in the middle. When everything is said it's up to the friends to get away from the biker gang and the zombies and to make it out of there alive.
This movie never stops with exciting moments and gracious gore. If your familiar with the film, the hotel room scene, the airport scene and the ending scene are all perfectly made zombie scenes. Tom Savini worked his magic when making the guts, blood and ripping flesh in this film. Only Zombie! and Day of the Dead come close to Dawn's zombie attack moments.
This movie has garnered a cult classic status, and even has certain zombies that have become popular among fans. Zombies like; The Jimi Hendrix look-a-like, the Nurse zombie, the sweater-vest zombie, the hari krishna zombie, the "i like this gun" zombie and even the zombie from the airport(who is the picture zombie of Dawn of the Dead). Probably the best Zombie ever, was acted by David Emge, when he turns it's amazing and there hasn't been one better yet.
My Dvd is the Special Divimax Series Edition and has the original airport zombie on the front. The Dvd also has 2 movie reviews on the front/back. "4 stars, Superb," says Roger Ebert and "Devastatingly Brutal....One of the Greatest Horror Movies Ever Made!," says Entertainment Weekly.
Dawn of the Dead was released in 1978 and was directed by George A. Romero. Released by Anchor Bay.

Collection#:
Dawn of the Dead: #15

"Yeah, by the time we get there, the kid won't even be dead anymore."

No question Stand By Me is one of the best movies that came from a Steven King novel, it's a classic to many movie lovers. The story is about four best friends that go on an adventure to find a body of a dead boy. They think by finding it they will get on television and perhaps be given a reward. Gordie Lachance (Will Wheaton) recently lost his older brother Denny, played by John Cusack. His mother ignores him and his dad doesn't believe in his writing talents. Chris Chambers (River Phoenix), Gordie's best friend, is a rebel and has an older brother who is in Ace Merrill's (Kiefer Sutherland) gang. Teddy Duchamp (Corey Feldman) is an unstable and weird boy, who has a father that stormed the beaches of Normandy and then went crazy. The last of the friends is Vern Tessio (Jerry O'Connell) is a shy and overweight boy, who heard is brother talking about the body.
The four friends make a plan to walk all the way to find the boy's body and bring it back to their town of Castle Rock. What they don't know is Ace, Eyeball (Chris's brother) and their gang are on there way to the body as well. Along the way the four friends have many adventures and get into some trouble as well. They have a run in with a junkyard owner and his dog, swim in a swamp that ends up being full of leeches and near get run down by a train on a train bridge. When they finally find the boy's body, they come face to face with the end of their journey and Ace's gang.
This movie is always a joy to watch, no matter what kind of a mood you are in. It has laughs, drama and even some thrilling moments. This movie shows that around this time and before it, there was a such thing as good child actors. Nowadays it's a hard thing to find and doesn't come easy. In this movie all four of the child actors do a great job, with River Phoenix being the standout of the four.
One of my favourite parts is when the four friends are sitting around the fire and Gordie tells them one of his stories. When he tells the story about "Lardass", the movie cuts to an actual "mini-movie" of Gordie's story and is actually quite funny. It is a part in the story to show Gordie's writing talents and also adds to the laughs of this film.
My Dvd is the Special Edition, even though there is too much that is special about it. It has a picture of the four main characters on the front and has some special features on the disc as well. There are also a few good reviews. " A genuinely delightful movie," says the Wall Street Journal and "Absolutely wonderful.....a film I may never forget!," says Jeffrey Lyons, from Sneak Previews Independent Network News.
I say if you haven't seen this movie yet, what are you doing with your life! Watch this now!
Stand by Me was released in 1986 and was directed by Rob Reiner. Released by Columbia Pictures, Sony Pictures and Tristar.

Collection#:
Stand By Me: #360

A look at: The 84th Annual Academy Awards

This year, the Oscars, definitely improved on the past 3 years. The show was a lot more interesting to watch and the host, Billy Crystal, was far more entertaining. It may have been a so-so year for movies, but greats that were nominated like; The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Bridesmaids, Hugo, The Descendants, The Artist, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Harry Potter, Transformers, The Iron Lady and Rango, all got their well-deserved recognition. Although I am not very happy about the other greats that missed out this year, like; 50/50, Hanna, Super 8, Sucker Punch and Drive(even though it was nominated for one Oscar), were snubbed.
The big winners tonight were Hugo and The Artist taking home 5 Oscars each. Best Picture went to The Artist, my pick, and I believe was well-deserved. Best Actor went to Jean Dujardin, from The Artist, to me this is an upset because me and many other people thought Clooney would take it. The winner I was most happy for was Meryl Streep winning Best Actress for The Iron Lady, she hasn't won since 1982 and it was a good thing to see. Best Supporting Actor went to Christopher Plummer for Beginners (another one of my picks) and became the oldest actor to win an acting award, at 82. Best Supporting Actress went to Octavia Spencer for The Help(my pick again).
This year was probably the hardest ever for me to pick Oscar winners because there were a lot, that had so many nominated people and films that could or should have won. I will not talk about every award, but here are some more that were important to me. Rango won Best Animated Film, which I thought was pretty obvious. Best Makeup went to The Iron Lady, another movie that did an amazing job in that department. Best Editing award went to The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Angus Wall and Kirk Baxter). If I would've known to check that those were the same two who won for The Social Network last year (2 years in a row!), I would've picked them because they are great at what they do.
Best Foreign Film went to A Separation, which was another obvious win, I knew this just from watching the trailer, I need to see this movie.
The only 2 upsets, other than Clooney's, were firstly Best Doc Feature went to Undefeated, which was hard for me to believe when I and almost everybody on the planet picked Paradise Lost 3 to win. Secondly, I think the biggest upset was in the Visual Effects the award went to Hugo, over Rise of the Planet of the Apes. The effects in that movie were superb and I didn't think any movie had a chance to beat it.
This year it was a tough one for picks, but I defeated my girlfriend 11 to 6.
Overall the 2012 Academy Awards were a big improvement on past years shows, except for adding Steve Jobs and Whitney Houston to the memorial slideshow. What they have to do with the Oscars and big-time movies, no one knows.

P.S. I have added to my movie tattoos with a new tat on my leg. A famous line from the great western Tombstone.

"I like it when they lie still like that."

Peter Jackson is most known for his Lord of the Rings trilogy, but what most people don't know is....he made movies before those. Jackson was into making horror movies before Lord of the Rings and one of those was The Frighteners. It stars Michael J. Fox as Frank Bannister, a man that can see and talk to ghosts. After a car accident that killed his wife and he was only injured, he developed the abilities to see ghosts and communicate with them. He starts his own business to scam people into thinking they need a ghostbuster, when really it's just the ghosts he is friends with.
When Frank starts seeing numbers on people's heads and those people start dying, he becomes determined to stop the ghost that is killing them. He meets a woman, Lucy Lynskey (Trini Alvarado), who's husband was just killed by the ghost and they begin to work together to figure everything out. They find out that a serial killer named Johnny Charles Bartlett used to carve numbers in the heads of his victims, but he had been put to death. They believe that it's his ghost, come back to add to his kill count.
When Detective Milton Dammers (Jefferey Combs), interferes with them because he believes Frank is killing all these people. With the help of Lucy and his ghosts, Frank gets Bartlett to come out of the ghost he was hiding in and they have a final confrontation, with Dammers caught in the middle.
I first saw this movie, while randomly flipping through the channels and right away I was hooked. When it was finished I loved it, thought it was a very original idea, which Jackson is very good at. The comedic relief comes from Bannister's ghost friends. There is Cyrus, played by Chi McBride; Stuart, played by Jim Fyfe and Judge, played by John Astin. All these characters have their own funny quirks and the effects used on them adds to the humor.
To me this is one of Michael J. Fox's better films, in his career he didn't have too many, other than the Back to the Future films. He does a solid job in the movie and makes a believable small town hero. The best performance in this film is done by Jeffrey Combs. The strange and creepy Dammers is a perfect character for Combs to play. In Re-Animator he played the weird and eccentric Herbert West and the character in this movie has aspects of West, but new and somewhat creepier ones as well. Combs plays his character to a T and makes the viewer somewhat like him because how different he is then the others. Also Jake Busey did a good job as being the killer. His voice and look were probably the most evil part about him.
The Dvd is the Peter Jackson Director's Cut. The cover sleeve has a 3-Dish picture on the front, of the ghost/reaper. There are no reviews on the front or back, which I think is strange, with how good this horror is. The Frighteners was released in 1996 and directed by Peter Jackson. Released by WingNut Films and Universal Studios.

Collection#:
The Frighteners: #13

"Dead or alive, you're coming with me."

In the world of movies, the Terminator rules as everyone's favourite robot. Most likely, he's my fav too, but very close to him, is RoboCop. In my eyes, one of the best movies of the 80's for many reasons. Some of the best action, violence and comedy with some sci-fi aspects worked in as well. 
The story is about a rookie cop named Alex Murphy (Peter Weller), who gets a new partner Anne Lewis (Nancy Allen) and almost right away they are put to the test. They chase a truck full of criminals to an abandoned warehouse and in the process Murphy gets blown to pieces by at least a dozen shotgun shots. When he dies, his brain is taken and used in a program called RoboCop. A robot/police officer made the mega-corporation called Omni Consumer Products or OCP.
When he first awakes RoboCop doesn't remember that he was Murphy. All he knows is that he was made to uphold the law and follow his directives. The men that killed him are still on the loose and committing crimes on the streets, lead by Clarence Boddicker, played by Kurtwood Smith (yes, that's Red from That 70's Show). What RoboCop doesn't know is that Boddicker is secretly working for Dick Jones, senior president of OCP, who hates the RoboCop program and wants it terminated.
While RoboCop and Lewis are after these thugs, Robocop begins to remember his old life and his family that he had. He's not supposed to go near them or the house, but he does anyways, which doesn't help out his situation. When RoboCop creator, Bob Morton (Miguel Ferrer), is killed, it's up to RoboCop to remember what matters most and finish Boddicker and his men.
When this movie first came out it was huge and it still is, to most movie lovers. There isn't one bad thing about it, except for maybe Kurtwood Smith is already balding in '87 and looks like a very nerdy criminal. He makes up for it with his tough attitude and dickish lines. The effects in the movie are well done and add to all the explosions and action. The effects get even better when the blood and gore come in, like when Murphy gets killed and when Emil (one of Boddicker's thugs) gets melted by a vat of toxic waste.
Much like The Terminator, RoboCop has many one-liners that always stick with the viewers, but to me RoboCop's are more thought out and not as generic as Schwarzenegger's. Even know Peter Weller isn't really shown a lot in the movie, his voice acting for RoboCop works great with how viewers think he should sound, by looking RoboCop's build and manner.
The story in RoboCop is definitely one of the best original ideas in all of sci-fi films, and will always be on anybodies sci-fi and even action list, mine forsure.
The Dvd isn't a special edition, but has a cool cover sleeve that has a 3-D reflection picture. When you move it the picture changes from RoboCop with his mask on to RoboCop with is mask off. Then the Dvd case cover has the original Robocop movie picture. It also has one review. "The Best Action Movie of the Year!," says the Los Angeles Times. RoboCop was released in 1987 and directed by Paul Verhoeven. Released by Orion Pictures, Metro Goldwyn Mayer and 20th Century Fox.

Collection#:
RoboCop: #498

"In your view, is Gang-doo really so pathetic? ......Yup"

Most likely in my top 10 best Asian films, and a just recently added to my collection is The Host. This movie might even be one of my favourite monster movies. It's definitely up there with Cloverfield, Super 8, King Kong(remake), Orca and Jaws.
The story is about a pathetic man named Gang-Doo Park, played by Kang-ho Song, who runs a store with his father Hie-bong Park (Hie-bong Byeon). Gang-Doo has a daughter named, Hyun-seo (Ah-sung Ko), who has just came home from school. While his father and daughter are watching tv, Gang-Doo is serving some customers their food, when they see something weird attached to the bridge. It drops into the Han River and swims towards them. Gang-Doo throws a beer can at it and it snags it with it's tentacle. Then all of a sudden the monster is up on the shore attacking people. Gang-Doo and some others try to fight it off, but it is too strong. The monster gets away with Gang-Doo's daughter and they think she has died.
When Gang-Doo and his father, meet up with Gang's sister, Nam-Joo  (Doona Bae) and brother, Nam-il  (Hae-il Park), they are all very upset from the news. Then Gang-Doo gets a phone call from Hyun-seo and the family has to make it out of the hospital that they are in and past police barriers, to get to her.
It's up to the 4 family members to find Hyun-seo, but they don't know exactly where she is. They find out shes in a big open sewer, where the monster is keeping her, but there are too many sewers to look through.
The time is against them as the monster kills and eats more and more people and the government is about to release a gas called "Agent Yellow", to kill the monster.
The graphics and effects on "The Host" monster are amazing. It looks very real in most scenes, especially when it firsts arrives and chases people around. Like most Asian films, the acting is solid. Unless you watch it with the English dub, which makes the acting seem crappy, but really it's the voice actors that are bad.
The best acting job is probably done by Kang-ho Song, as Gang-Doo. He does a great job playing a dimwitted father, who will stop at nothing to get his daughter back. You can see his skills as he goes from idiot to hero, all at once.
There is even some comedy that helps pull everything in this movie together. Add that to the action, gore and scenes that make you feel for the characters, it all makes this movie very exciting to watch.
The Dvd has a creepy front cover, with the monster's tentacle grabbing a girl and dragging her into the water. It also has a lot of good reviews on the front and the back. "One of the Greatest Monster Movies Ever Made," says Logan Hill from New York Magazine. "On Par with Jaws," says Harry Knowles from Ain't it Cool News. "A Knockout Monster Movie," says Leah Rozen from People Magazine. "Wildly Entertaining," says Lisa Schwarzbaum from Entertainment Weekly and "One Helluva Monster Movie," says Jim Emerson from Chicago Sun-Times.
The Host was released in 2006 and directed by Joon-ho Bong. Released by Alliance Atlantis, Showbox, Cine Click Asia and Magnolia Pictures.

Collection#:
The Host: #558

"How do you fuck that up?"

I don't think David Cronenberg can make a bad movie. Just added A History of Violence to my collection, which I've seen before, another awesome film. From one of the captains of "fucked up film", in my books, comes an epic, gripping and graphic movie. Starring Viggo Mortensen as Tom Stall, a regular family man, who lives in the town of Millbrook and owns his own diner. Him and his wife (Maria Bello) have a great relationship and everything is going great for them. Until one night when Tom is closing up at the diner, two men walk in and pull guns on Tom and his staff. (One of them being actor Stephen McHattie, I call him the Lance Henriksen look-a-like.) Tom jumps into action and saves everyone, by killing the 2 men. Tom is a hero, but it seems like he didn't want to be.
Soon after the reporters and recognition go away, three men come into his diner, one of them being Carl Fogarty (Ed Harris). They say they know him and keep calling him Joey Cusack. Tom and his family are puzzled by this, but they keep coming back and continue to harass them. Fogarty says Tom is really from Philadelphia and that he has a brother name Richie, who in charge of the Mob back east. Even Tom's wife begins to doubt him, when he saves the family again, by killing Fogarty and his men. Tom only has one choice to go east and face the people who have been looking for him and end things once and for all. But is Tom really who he says he is or has he been keeping a secret this whole time?
This movie is filled with great performances from Viggo Mortensen, who is perfect at making you think he's some normal guy and then going all out like he was always an action star. Then there's Ed Harris, who makes Carl Fogarty look like someone you would never wanna cross. His accent is done well too.
Lastly, my favourite actor in this movie, William Hurt, who plays Richie Cusack. He did a thrilling job as a Mob boss, who is really pissed off and has the best line in the movie. (it's the title of this blog) He was even nominated for a Best Supporting Oscar, but loss to George Clooney in Syriana, which I still need to see.
The Dvd is part of the New Line Platinum Series and has the original cover art with Tom Stall( Viggo) holding a gun and his fam in the background. It has 2 good reviews from critics, as well. "The Best Movie of the Year," says Lisa Schwarzbaum from Entertainment Weekly and "You Won't Know What Hit You!," says Peter Travers from Rolling Stone.
A History of Violence was released in 2005 and directed by David Cronenberg. Released by Alliance Films and New Line Cinema.

Collection#:
A History of Violence: #556

"They never fight?"

Another recently purchased Dvd, that I have added to my collection is Lars and the Real Girl. When I first heard of this movie I was kinda skeptical, but then when I finally watched it, I was really glad that I did. To me this is probably Ryan Gosling's best performance.
Gosling plays Lars Lindstrom, a strange and shy man, who lives in his brothers garage. His brother Gus (Paul Schneider) lives with his wife Karin (Emily Mortimer), who tries to get Lars to be more social with them and other people. One day when Lars tells them he has a visitor over, they both become real excited to here this, until they see who it is. A fully proportional and anatomically correct, life-sized woman doll, his who they meet and are stunned to see it in front of them. The next day they take Lars and Bianca (the dolls name), to the doctors. Dr. Dagmar, played by Patricia Clarkson, tells Gus and Karin that they have to go along with Lars' delusion, until he snaps out of it. Gus doesn't like the idea, but Karin says they will try and they let their little town know what's going on. It seems the town is eager to help Lars and go along with it as well.
As the months go by Lars and Bianca become closer and the town gets more and more used to her being around. She becomes very popular and has her own job, friends and even reads in front of a class at the local school. (with the help of a tape recorder). As Lars has more meetings with Dr.Dagmar, it seems like he is becoming less afraid of being touched and shy to women. He hangs out with a fellow co-worker Margo (Kelli Garner) and has a connection. This soon leads to his feelings changing and him maybe not needing Bianca anymore.
I've seen a lot of people thinking this was supposed to be a Comedy, well they are definitely wrong. It may some comedy and some funny moments, but it is absolutely a Drama. There are a few moments that really make you feel for Lars and make you hope that he'll get over his delusion. This is a really heart-felt film, with a few really great performances. Of course, Gosling is amazing and did a perfect job at playing a man who is a bit disturbed and trapped in a delusion, brought on by his lack of a mother. Emily Mortimer is probably the other standout performance. She does a great job at being a soon to be mother who just wants her brother in law to feel wanted and a part of the family.
The Dvd has the original artwork from the first release and promotional poster. It also has a few reviews on the backside. "4 stars!....A Life-Sized Miracle of a Movie," says Jan Stuart from Newsday. "Critics Agree 'Lars' is the Real Deal!," says Pete Hammond, MAXIM, and "...Will Sweep You Off Your Feet!...The Most Completely Enjoyable Film Around," says Kenneth Turan from the Los Angeles Times.
Lars and the Real Girl was released in 2007 and directed by Craig Gillespie. Released by Equinoxe Films, Sidney Kimmel Entertainment and Sony Pictures.

Collection#:
Lars and the Real Girl: #555

"They raped him to death?"

In my mind there is no one better, to play a Hunter S. Thompson character, than Johnny Depp. In Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, he did a wonderfully hilarious job and in his latest film, The Rum Diary, he shows why he was chosen to portray a second Hunter S. Thompson character.
The movie starts off with Paul Kemp (Depp) waking up, in a hotel room, in Puerto Rico. It is easy to tell that he is hungover and most likely an alcoholic, by the way he looks and the state of his room. He is in Puerto Rico to take a freelance job at the local paper. He meets Bob Sala (Michael Rispoli) and Lotterman (Richard Jenkins), who is the Editor in Chief. He get's the job and is told to write stories on tourist things like bowling and slots. Kemp soon moves in with Sala and finds out that the crazy and always drunk Moberg (Giovanni Ribisi), lives there as well. He also runs into Sanderson (Aaron Eckhart), who is in PR work and owns a lot of land on Puerto Rico. Sanderson wants Kemp to write for him, a few articles on the hotels they plan to build, on the island that has recently come up for sale.
Kemp falls for Sanderson's girlfriend Chenault (Amber Heard) and has to hide this, during meetings with Sanderson and his associates.
During all his reporting and writing, Kemp, Sala and Moberg go on drunken adventures. Some dealing with a car chase that ends up with Sala and Kemp getting arrested. Others involve cock fighting, a hermaphroditic witch doctor and a hallucinogenic drug.
Before the 3 of them know it, the paper is being shut down and they are all out of a job. They try one last scheme, so they can make enough money to put one last paper out!
This movie has a bit of everything. There's some drama, romance and a ton of comedy. While it doesn't come close to the greatness of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, it is still a funny and interesting movie to watch.
Johnny Depp is great, as always, his portrayal of Thompson characters is always near perfect and he can always make you laugh with his zaniness. The way he uses his voice and expressions when being these types of characters, is hilarious.
Giovanni Ribisi was also awesome. His drunken, crazy and outspoken Moberg character worked perfectly and was some of the best acting he's ever done. In this movie he might have even done a better job than Depp did. Two well done performances.
The Dvd which I just bought on Tuesday, is a fairly normal Dvd. The front is a picture of Depp awaking in his hotel room and looking very puzzled. There are 2 reviews on the Dvd. "Sublime!," says Tim Grierson from Screendaily and "Hilarious, Sexy and Intoxicatlingly Entertaining," says David Noh from Film Journal International. The Rum Diary was released in 2011 and directed by Bruce Robinson. Released by GK Films, Infinitum, Film Engine and Entertainment One.

Collection#:
The Rum Diary: #554

"I suppose a smaller-caliber pistol would have to fire baby teeth. "

The most recent new edition to my collection is from one of my favourite directors, his name is David Cronenberg. A movie that is most likely in my top 3 Cronenberg films along with The Fly and Videodrome is.....eXistenZ. I just received this movie, as a 1 year anniversary present, and was really happy when I got it. The only bad part was, on Ebay it was advertized as the 2011 Special Edition and when I received it, it turned out to be the original Dvd release. It is still a great Dvd and movie as well. Anyone who watches this movie will be intrigued right away about the spelling of the title, with the capital "x" and "z". Not many movies have strange titles like this. The story is about Allegra Geller (Jennifer Jason Leigh), a video game designer, who is on the run from deadly assassins. She is on the run with a young marketing trainee named Ted Pikul (Jude Law), who has been dubbed her security guard. They end up having to play her virtual reality game to make sure it isn't damaged. The game is played by using meta-flesh pods, which look like N64 controllers made of skin. Inside the game they must maneuver through the world of eXistenZ and make sure everything is working properly. Also, at the same time they must keep away from assassins that are on their tail and in plain sight, like Gas, played by Willem Dafoe.
As things get weirder and weirder they find out, while in the game, that the meta-flesh pods are made from trout organs. They also learn that it is a group called the "realists", who are after Allegra and her game. As the game and the chase goes on, it's hard for the two of them to determine, if they are in the real world or still playing the game.
From start to finish it is easy to tell that this is a Cronenberg flick and that his imagination, never ends. From the characters, to the story and even the legendary "tooth gun", it's all obvious that he is a genius. This movie definitely makes you think, which is one things I love about it. Sometimes only you can tell if they're in the real world or still playing the game.
Also like any good Cronenberg movie there is plenty of gore, gross moments and just creepy scenes. These kind of "F-ed up" movies are the most fun to watch and I love having them in my collection. The acting in this movie is pretty good as well, from the main characters to supporting acting from; Ian Holm, Don McKellar, Christopher Eccleston, Sarah Polley and a Cronenberg fav, Robert A. Silverman.
The Dvd is the original release and has the original cover art, the same as the movie poster. It also includes a lot of great reviews, such as, "Makes the Matrix look like Child's Play," says San Francisco Chronicle. "Thumbs Up!," says Roger Ebert. "A Great Film!," says The New Yorker and " David Cronenberg At His Reality-Bending Best!," says NBC-TV. eXistenZ was released in 1999 and directed by David Cronenberg. Released by Dimension Films, Alliance Atlantis and Serendipity Point Films.

Collection#:
eXistenZ: #553

"Now it's dark... "

One of the newest Dvds that has been added to my collection is the American classic, Blue Velvet. What a dark and strange, but amazing and gripping film this is. It's impossible to turn away from this movie, filled with great acting, disturbing scenes and perfectly put together story. It stars Kyle MacLachlan as Jefferey Beaumont, who comes home from school, to see his father in the hospital. On the walk home Jefferey finds a severed ear in a field and brings it to the police. He finds out it has something to do with a lady named Dorothy Vallens (Isabella Rossellini). So, then Jefferey and his new friend, Sandy Williams (Laura Dern), make a plan to sneak into Dorothy's apartment. The plan doesn't go so well and Jefferey gets caught and begins to be trapped in the whole mystery. He finds out that Dorothy's husband and son are being held captive by a mad man named Frank Booth (Denis Hopper), who uses Dorothy for weird sexual pleasures. Sandy thinks Jefferey should tell the police, but he knows if he does something will happen to Dorothy's family.
He begins to want to help Dorothy and starts to have feelings for her, while also falling for Sandy. Things get even crazier when Jefferey gets caught by Frank and his gang, and they all go on a wild car ride.
By the end of the movie you will have witnessed a mesmerizing ride of a movie with a grand ending. Every actor and actress in this movie did a wonderful job with Hopper being the standout. His maniacal and crazy character is over-top, but just enough to make you glad he isn't a real person. David Lynch is in the group of directors that are perfect at making the best F-ed up movies, I've ever seen and I love those kind. This movie even has some good gore in a few scenes, add some funny lines and tense moments, and what else could you ask for?
The Dvd is a Special Edition and I was very happy to find it when I was shopping at HMV. The only problem with it was when I looked inside and found a mini-booklet, all the words were in French for some reason? Made me a little annoyed, but oh well. The cover features the original Blue Velvet picture and there is also one review on the back.
"An American Masterpiece," says Rolling Stone.
Blue Velvet was released in 1986 and Directed by David Lynch. Released by De Laurentis Entertainment Group and Metro Goldwyn Mayer.

Collection#:
Blue Velvet: #552

"Okay, first things fuckin' last!"

It was Quentin Tarantino's first feature film and to me it's his best, if your not counting True Romance which he only wrote. Reservoir Dogs is the pinnacle of how an action/drama should be made. There isn't many movies that compare to its writing, its acting or its tense scenes. The story deals with a group of criminals that are hired by a mob boss named Joe Cabot (Lawrence Tierney) and his son Nice Guy Eddie (Chris Penn). To keep identities hidden, they are all given code names. Mr.White (Harvey Keitel), Mr.Blonde (Michael Madsen), Mr.Pink (Steve Buscemi), Mr.Orange (Tim Roth), Mr.Blue (Edward Bunker), and Mr.Brown (Quentin Tarantino). The group are supposed to rob a diamond store and the plan is pretty much perfect. But what the group doesn't know is that Mr.Orange is actually an undercover cop. His real name is Freddy Newandyke and has worked his way into Joe's trust. When the diamond heist goes wrong, everyone is to meet at an abandoned warehouse, so they can figure out what happened. Arguments and fighting starts because no one can tell who the rat is. Things get even more crazy when Mr.Blonde brings a kidnapped police officer back with him and begins to torture him. This movie is great from start to finish and I don't get how Tarantino wasn't nominated for his amazing script. The action is super and the film is directed beautifully. It has a few twists along the way, which makes the story even better. The famous "ear" scene will make your eyes widen, but still keep you watching. My Dvd is the Ten Years Special Edtion, which had 4 different front covers that were released. I could only find the Mr.Orange one, but there is also Mr.White, Mr.Pink and Mr.Blonde. There is a front cover sleeve, that opens up to show some info on Mr.Orange (Tim Roth) and a booklet, both with Mr.Orange on the front. Then the case has all 4 of the main characters on it as well. This edition is also a two-disc edition, and is probably the best Reservoir Dogs Dvd out in stores. This is definitely a great edition to any true movie lover's collection. Reservoir Dogs was released in 1992 and directed by Quentin Tarantino. Released by Miramax and Artisan Entertainment.

Collection#:
Reservoir Dogs: #04

"Oh no, robbers!" ........."Robbers? I thought we were kidnappers."

Can you say nostalgia? 3 Ninjas is definitely one of the best kids/comedy/action movies ever made, only ones that are better are the TMNT films. What could be better than kids kicking everyone's ass and hilarious one-liners at the same time? The movie stars Michael Treanor as Rocky, Max Elliott Slade as Colt and Chad Power as Tum Tum. Three kids that, with the help of their grandpa (Victor Wong), learn to defend themselves with martial arts. The story of this movie is that after a summer spent with grandpa, training and practicing, the kids come home and have to go back to school. Their Dad (Alan McRae), who works for the FBI, is dealing with a tough case which involves crime lord Snyder (Rand Kingsley). One night when the parents go out and the three kids are left with a babysitter, Snyder sends three of his men to kidnap them. They use their fighting skills to defend themselves from the kidnappers, but Snyder sends more henchmen to get them. When their grandpa finds out where they've been taken, he sneaks in to try and save them. The 3 kids have already began escaping and fighting their way out, by the time he gets there. At the end it's up to grandpa to defeat Snyder in a one-on-one match, to save the day. This movie never stops with the laughs. From beginning to end it will have you chuckling at the one-liners and funny traps they set for their kidnappers. (In the style of Home Alone) The best of the series of 4 movies, with the third  in a close second place, this movie is always fun to watch. By far the best parts are during the attempted kidnapping. All three kidnappers are perfect at being dumb and clumsy criminals. There is always one part that makes me "die of laughter" every time I see it. Near the beginning of the movie, Colt is walking around looking for something. He stops and asks his mom "Where is my Backpack?" His mom turns him around and it's on his back. I don't know why, but this always kills me. My Dvd is just the regular Dvd, probably the only version that anyone can find. It has the nostalgic picture on the front and also has a lot of good reviews. "Crosses Teenage Muntant Ninja Turtles and Home Alone!," says Boston Globe. "The Laughs Neve Stop!," says New York Newsday. "Terrific," says ABC TV. Lastly, New York Post, says "A Kick!" 3 Ninjas was released in 1992 and was directed by Jon Turteltaub. Released by Touchstone Pictures.

Collection#:
3 Ninjas: #397

"Well, my name is Jim, but most people call me... Jim. "

During the 70's and 80's there was nobody who could do comedy movies better, than Mel Brooks. Classics like Young Frankenstein, The History of the World and Spaceballs, made millions of people laugh. To me the best movie Brooks made was Blazing Saddles. This movie pushed the limits and didn't care what barriers it broke, and it was still hilarious. It stars Gene Wilder, Cleavon Little, Slim Pickens, Harvey Korman, Madeline Kahn and of course Mel Brooks. Little plays a slave worker named Bart, who is about to be hung, but gets a break when a town in trouble needs a new sheriff. What he doesn't know is that Hedley Lamarr (Korman), Taggart (Pickens) and Governor William J. Lepetomane (Brooks) are just using him because they believe the townspeople will hate him as their new sheriff. To their surprise, Bart is great sheriff and with the help of his new Deputy, Jim (Wilder), Bart is keeping the town safe. Even when Hedley gets Lili Von Shtupp (Kahn), to seduce Bart, it seems like nothing can keep the new sheriff down. This movie keeps everyone who watches it, laughing till the end. With so many classic scenes and classic lines, it's impossible not to like this movie. The first scene with Wilder, his drunkenness and his story about his past, is iconic. Also Little's scene when he first arrives as the new sheriff is unforgettable. My Dvd of Blazing Saddles is the 30th Anniversary Special Edition and is another good find in the cheap bin. It has the famous Blazing Saddles original picture on the front with Bart riding his horse. There isn't any reviews on the back or front, but does have something that is better. It says "...making Blazing Saddles the #6 choice among the American Film Institute's Top 100 Comedies of all time." (Which is a big honor for any comedy movie.) There aren't many comedy movies that compare to Blazing Saddles' hilarious lines and it's rule breaking humour. Blazing Saddles was released in 1974 and was directed by Mel Brooks. Released by Warner Bros. Pictures.

Collection#:
Blazing Saddles: #511

"You spill Perello blood, you're deep-six invested."

Usually when I hear about or see a movie with Paul Walker, I already know that it's gonna be a stinker. There are 2 exceptions to this rule; The Fast and the Furious and 2006's Running Scared. This movie is a definite change for Paul Walker. Most of the time he's in some cheesy, horribly scripted action movie like Into the Blue, Timeline or one of the lame Fast and Furious sequels. The story is about Joey Gazelle, a mob thug with a family, who is told to get rid of a gun that killed a cop. His son's friend, Oleg, finds the gun and shoots his bastard stepfather. This starts a journey through the city to find Oleg and the gun, before Joey's mob buddies find out its the gun he was supposed to get rid of. Joey, his son Nikki, his wife Teresa and Oleg run into a pile of problems and have to keep away from the cops in the meantime. Teresa even has to save Oleg from a couple of child pornographers/killers. When I first heard of this movie, when it was released in 2006, I brushed it off because I saw that Paul Walker was in it. I just first watched this movie recently and liked it a lot and then found it cheap on Dvd. This is a hugely entertaining movie and really fun to watch. It is also a change for walker, he isn't usually in very violent movies, and this movie definitely is violent. Other good roles come from Vera Farmiga, Chazz Palminteri and Karel Roden. The Dvd comes with a super-cool mini comic book which is an adaptation of one of the scenes from the movie. It also has a couple great reviews, including; "Makes Kill Bill Look like Sesame Street.," says Pete Hammond from MAXIM and Roger Ebert says "Running Scared goes so far Over the Top. I am in Awe." Running Scared was released in 2006 and was directed by Wayne Kramer. Released by Alliance Atlantis, New Line Cinema and Media 8 Entertainment.

Collection#:
Running Scared: #546

"Is that gasoline I smell?"

A movie that can make me cry, can make me laugh and make me feel so much for its main character/main actor, The Crow is near and dear to me, probably another reason why it's my 4th favourite movie. This movie can be so dark at times, but then it can put a smile on your face with it's funny one liners. The Crow was based on the graphic novel by James O'Barr, which I am currently in the middle of reading. This is definitely my favourite comic book movie, and I'm sure is in many top comic book movie lists. It stars Brandon Lee as Eric Draven, a man killed the night before his wedding day and whose wife was also raped and killed on the same night. One year later he gets a second chance, he rises from the dead to seek revenge on the ones who stole is life from him. Brandon Lee brings us his best performance by far, probably one of the best performances in any comic book related movie. Saddest thing about this movie is that Brandon Lee's life was cut short during the filming on The Crow. While filming a scene with Michael Massee, Lee was shot by Massee's character "Funboy", and was hit by a piece that had been stuck in the gun from an earlier scene. He was hit in the abdomen, rushed to the hospital and died during surgery. I remember as a kid watching this movie I love Brandon Lee's character and couldn't wait to see his next movie. When I found out he died during the making, I got pretty upset, for how young I was. One of my life-long dreams is to go to his grave site in Seattle and leave my video tape of The Crow at his tombstone. There aren't many movies in this world that make me feel so emotional while watching them. Other than Lee, there are many great performances in this film. Michael Massee, Ernie Hudson, Micheal Wincott, Anna Levine, David Patrick Kelly, Laurence Mason, Angel David, Tony Todd and the young Rochelle Davis, all had amazing parts. The Dvd I own is the Alliance Atlantis Collector's Series Edtion, which is also a two-disc edition. The Dvd is also filled with tons of praise from reviewers. "Spectacular!," says Chicago Tribune."Thrilling!," says Los Angeles Daily News. "Action-Packed!," says WBAI Radio, New York. "A Triumph!," says Playboy. "Brandon Lee is Sensational!," says Rolling Stone. "The Best Movie of its kind since The Original Batman!," says Chicago Tribune. The Crow was released in 1994 and was directed by Alex Proyas. Released by Alliance Atlantis, Miramax and Dimension Films.

Collection#:

The Crow: #387

"Rollie! You take that diaper off your head and you put it back on your sister! "

Another new edition to my Dvd collection is the Coen Brother's Classic Raising Arizona. I hadn't seen the whole film until earlier today, only bits and pieces on satellite, but it was in the 5 dollar bin, so I bought it. It's definitely a wacky, funny, and well-directed comedy. It stars Nicolas Cage as HI, who plays a criminal, who is in and out of jail. He falls in love with a police officer named Ed, short for Edwina (Holly Hunter) and they get married. After a while Ed wants a kid, but they find out she is infertile. So they make a plan to steal one from a rich women who just had quintuplets. After they get the baby home, the wackiness goes up a notch. Their friends come over with their kids, escape convict friends come over for a visit and a police chase ensues, on a normal trip for diapers. While all this is happening the couple is being tracked down by "The Lone Biker of the Apocalypse", who is searching for the missing baby. This movie is a real fun watch and can make u laugh a lot. The 3 funniest characters/actors in this movie are; Dot (Frances McDormand), who is a friend of Ed; Evelle (William Forsythe) and Gale (John Goodman) the escape convict friends of HI. The scenes with these characters were definitely the ones that made me laugh the most. I've noticed in a lot of Coen Brother's movies they give many male characters girlish names and give many female characters boyish names. This could be a trait they use because you can see it in this movie and, in "No Country for Old Men", Josh Brolin's character is named Llewelyn. The Dvd cover has the famous pic of Cage, Hunter and the baby sitting on lawnchairs. It Also has some good reviews, like, "The Coen Brothers Deliver! A Wacky, Happy, Daring, Darkly Comic Tale!," says The Washington Post. And Joel Siegel from Good Morning America says, "One of the Most Inventive, Original, Absolutely Wacko Comedies in Years." ( I agree with most of that last review) Raising Arizona was released in 1987 and was directed by Joel and Ethan Coen. Released by 20 Century Fox and Circle Films.

Collection#:
Raising Arizona: #550

"How about this - shut your mouth or I'll kick your teeth down your throat and I'll shut it for you. "

The newest edition to my Dvd collection is one of the top 5 films of 2011, and that would be Drive. Drive has everything a movie freak like me could want, and then some. The music right off the bat is so awesome, you can't help but dance in your seat. Through the whole movie, every song and every beat makes the movie feel cooler and cooler. Then the directing is spectacular, not many movies in a year have the shots and angles that Drive does, definitely mesmerizing. The story is about a stuntman played by Ryan Gosling, who also drives a getaway car for anyone who needs one and can afford him. He meets his neighbour Irene, played by Carey Mulligan, and starts a friendship with her and her kid. Then her husband, Standard (Oscar Issac), gets out of jail, but runs into some trouble. Gosling tries to help Standard by driving for him, during a robbery. Soon everything goes to shit, Standard gets killed and Gosling has to save Irene and her kid from the mob. Gosling gives us one of his best performances in his career (another great one being Lars and the Real Girl) with other great roles by Albert Brooks, Ron Perlman and Bryan Cranston. The Dvd's front cover sleeve shows Gosling sporting his favourite jacket, carrying a bag and standing in front of one of his cars. The back of the case has 2 reviews from 2 notable reviewers. " 4 stars. A Blood Pumping Thrill Ride of a Movie," says The Times and " 4 Stars. Brilliant.," says Peter Travers from Rolling Stone. Drive was released in 2011 and directed by Nicolas Winding Refn. Released by Alliance, Film District, Bold Films and Oddlot Entertainment.

Collection#:
Drive: #551