It was directed with energetic skill by Top Gun Tony Scott, but this breathtaking 1993 thriller (think of it as an adolescent crime fantasy on steroids) has Quentin Tarantino written all over it. True Romance is really part of a loose trilogy that includes Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction, with a crackling Tarantino screenplay that rides a fine line between raucous comedy and violent excess. Christian Slater plays Clarence, the comic-book lover who meets a beguiling prostitute named Alabama (Patricia Arquette), confronts her vicious pimp (Gary Oldman), and embarks on a cross-country odyssey with $5 million worth of Mafia cocaine. Mayhem ensues, culminating in a favorite Tarantino climax--the "Mexican standoff"--in which a roomful of guys are pointing guns at each other, waiting to see who shoots first. Brutal, profane, and totally outrageous, True Romance is not for everyone, but with a supporting cast that includes Dennis Hopper, Christopher Walken, Brad Pitt, and Val Kilmer (as the ghost of Elvis!), you can be sure this movie will never be boring. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

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• DTS Surround Sound

Asin: B00006FDCF
Subjects:  1. Feature Film-action/Adventure   

It was directed with energetic skill by Top Gun Tony Scott, but this breathtaking 1993 thriller (think of it as an adolescent crime fantasy on steroids) has Quentin Tarantino written all over it. True Romance is really part of a loose trilogy that includes Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction, with a crackling Tarantino screenplay that rides a fine line between raucous comedy and violent excess. Christian Slater plays Clarence, the comic-book lover who meets a beguiling prostitute named Alabama (Patricia Arquette), confronts her vicious pimp (Gary Oldman), and embarks on a cross-country odyssey with $5 million worth of Mafia cocaine. Mayhem ensues, culminating in a favorite Tarantino climax--the "Mexican standoff"--in which a roomful of guys are pointing guns at each other, waiting to see who shoots first. Brutal, profane, and totally outrageous, True Romance is not for everyone, but with a supporting cast that includes Dennis Hopper, Christopher Walken, Brad Pitt, and Val Kilmer (as the ghost of Elvis!), you can be sure this movie will never be boring. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

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• Closed-captioned
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Asin: 6304602979
Subjects:  1. Feature Film-action/Adventure   

Tarantino changed the race of Jackie and Ordell, a move that means little except that it allows Tarantino to heap on black culture and language, something he has a gift and passion for. He said this film is for an older audience although the language and drug use may put them off. The film is not a salute to Grier's blaxploitation films beyond the musical score. Unexpectedly the most fascinating scenes are between Grier and Forster: two neo-stars glowing in the limelight of their first major Hollywood film after decades of work. --Doug Thomas ... Read more

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Asin: B000068DBD
Subjects:  1. Feature Film-action/Adventure   

Oliver Stone would like to have the last word on America's media culture of voyeurism and violence, but whatever he's trying to say in this grisly, unconventional movie comes across terribly garbled. Woody Harrelson and Juliette Lewis play traveling serial killers who become television celebrities when a Geraldo-like personality (Robert Downey Jr.) turns their madness into the biggest story in the country. Stone extensively rewrote an original script by Quentin Tarantino, and he employs a mosaic of different film stocks, video, and pop pastiches to create a sense of blurred lines between visual phenomena. (The background on Lewis's character's life as an abused child, for instance, is presented as a sitcom starring Rodney Dangerfield.) But the result of these experiments is a pompous, even amateurish effort at grasping the reins of a real-life national debate. One almost wants to tell Stone to sit down and raise his hand next time if he thinks he has something to say. The controversial director would like Natural Born Killers to be nothing less than a monumental achievement, but it's one of the emptier entries in his filmography. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

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Asin: B0000542DH
Subjects:  1. Feature Film-action/Adventure   

Martin Scorsese's brutal black-and-white biography of self-destructive boxer Jake LaMotta was chosen as the best film of the 1980s in a major critics' poll at the end of the decade, and it's a knockout piece of filmmaking.Robert De Niro plays LaMotta (famously putting on 50 pounds for the later scenes), a man tormented by demons he doesn't understand and prone to uncontrollably violent temper tantrums and fits of irrational jealousy.He marries a striking young blond (Cathy Moriarty), his sexual ideal, and then terrorizes her with never-ending accusations of infidelity.Jake is as frightening as he is pathetic, unable to control or comprehend the baser instincts that periodically, and without warning, turn him into the rampaging beast of the title. But as Roman Catholic Scorsese sees it, he works off his sins in the boxing ring, where his greatest athletic talent is his ability to withstand punishment. The fight scenes are astounding; they're like barbaric ritual dance numbers. Images smash into one another--a flashbulb, a spray of sweat, a fist, a geyser of blood--until you feel dazed from the pummeling. Nominated for a handful of Academy Awards (including best picture and director), Raging Bull won only two, for De Niro and for editor Thelma Schoonmacher. --Jim Emerson ... Read more

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Asin: 0792833236
Subjects:  1. Feature Film-drama   

After Martin Scorsese went to Hollywood in 1972 to direct the low-budget Boxcar Bertha for B-movie mogul Roger Corman, the young director showed the film to maverick director John Cassavetes and got an instant earful of urgent advice. "It's crap," said Cassavetes in no uncertain terms, "now go out and make something that comes from your heart." Scorsese took the advice and focused his energy on Mean Streets, a riveting contemporary film about low-life gangsters in New York's Little Italy that critic Pauline Kael would later call "a true original, and a triumph of personal filmmaking." Starring Robert De Niro and Harvey Keitel in roles that announced their talent to the world, it set the stage for Scorsese's emergence as one of the greatest American filmmakers. Introducing themes and character types that Scorsese would return to in Taxi Driver, GoodFellas, Casino, and other films, the loosely structured story is drawn directly from Scorsese's background in the Italian neighborhoods of New York, and it seethes with the raw vitality of a filmmaker who has found his creative groove. As the irresponsible and reckless Johnny Boy, De Niro offers striking contrast to Keitel's Charlie, who struggles to reconcile gang life with Catholic guilt.More of an episodic portrait than a plot-driven crime story, Mean Streets remains one of Scorsese's most direct and fascinating films--a masterful calling card for a director whose greatness was clearly apparent from that point forward. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

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Asin: 6305047499
Subjects:  1. Feature Film-drama   

Martin Scorsese does not sound like the logical choice to direct an adaptation of Edith Wharton's novel about manners and morals in New York society in the 1870s. But these are mean streets, too, and the psychological violence inflicted between characters is at least as damaging as the physical violence perpetrated by Scorsese's usual gangsters. At the center of the tale is Newland Archer (Daniel Day-Lewis), a somewhat diffident young man engaged to marry the very respectable May Welland (Winona Ryder). But Archer is distracted by May's cousin, the Countess Olenska (a radiant Michelle Pfeiffer), recently returned from Europe. As a married woman seeking a divorce, the countess is an embarrassment to all of New York society. But Archer is fascinated by her quick intelligence and worldly ways. Scorsese closely observes the tiny details of this world and this impossible situation; this is a movie in which the shift of someone's eyes can be as significant as the firing of a gun. The director's sense of color has never been keener, and his work with the actors is subtle. That's Joanne Woodward narrating, telling us only as much as we need to know--which is one reason why the climax comes as such a surprise.--Robert Horton ... Read more

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Asin: B00003CX8S
Subjects:  1. Feature Film-drama   

If Turner's frail character echoes real-life ex-pats like Bud Powell and LesterYoung, director Bertrand Tavernier's insistence upon casting the role withveteran tenor player Dexter Gordon breathes startling authenticity into thefigure. Gordon's own drug arrests and an extended idyll abroad give him directaccess to Turner's isolation, and Tavernier elicits a natural but compellingperformance that earned Gordon (who died in 1990) an Academy Award nomination.Likewise, the director cast his cinematic band with world-class musicians,including Herbie Hancock, Freddie Hubbard, Wayne Shorter, and Ron Carter, andshot these sequences as live performances. Hancock's score deservedly won bothBritish and American Academy Awards, as well as a French César. --SamSutherland ... Read more

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Asin: B000053V7O
Subjects:  1. Feature Film-drama   

Taxi Driver is the definitive cinematic portrait of loneliness and alienation manifested as violence. It is as if director Martin Scorsese and screenwriter Paul Schrader had tapped into precisely the same source of psychological inspiration ("I just knew I had to make this film," Scorsese would later say), combined with a perfectly timed post-Watergate expression of personal, political, and societal anxiety. Robert De Niro, as the tortured, ex-Marine cab driver Travis Bickle, made movie history with his chilling performance as one of the most memorably intense and vividly realized characters ever committed to film. Bickle is a self-appointed vigilante who views his urban beat as an intolerable cesspool of blighted humanity. He plays guardian angel for a young prostitute (Jodie Foster), but not without violently devastating consequences. This masterpiece, which is not for all tastes, is sure to horrify some viewers, but few could deny the film's lasting power and importance. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

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Asin: 0767830555
Subjects:  1. Feature Film-drama   

Martin Scorsese's 1990 masterpiece GoodFellas immortalizes the hilarious, horrifying life of actual gangster Henry Hill (Ray Liotta), from his teen years on the streets of New York to his anonymous exile under the Witness Protection Program. The director's kinetic style is perfect for recounting Hill's ruthless rise to power in the 1950s as well as his drugged-out fall in the late 1970s; in fact, no one has ever rendered the mental dislocation of cocaine better than Scorsese. Scorsese uses period music perfectly, not just to summon a particular time but to set a precise mood. GoodFellas is at least as good as The Godfather without being in the least derivative of it. Joe Pesci's psycho improvisation of Mobster Tommy DeVito ignited Pesci as a star, Lorraine Bracco scores the performance of her life as the love of Hill's life, and every supporting role, from Paul Sorvino to Robert De Niro, is a miracle. ... Read more

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Asin: 0790729725
Subjects:  1. Feature Film-drama   

Director Martin Scorsese reunites with members of his GoodFellas gang (writer Nicholas Pileggi; actors Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, and Frank Vincent) for a three-hour epic about the rise and fall of mobster Sam "Ace" Rothstein (De Niro), a character based on real-life gangster Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal. (It's modeled after on Wiseguy and GoodFellas and Pileggi's true crime book Casino: Love and Honor in Las Vegas.)Through Rothstein, the picture tells the story of how the Mafia seized, and finally lost control of, Las Vegas gambling. The first hour plays like a fascinating documentary, intricately detailing the inner workings of Vegas casinos. Sharon Stone is the stand out among the actors; she nabbed an Oscar nomination for her role as the voracious Ginger, the glitzy call girl who becomes Rothstein's wife. The film is not as fast paced or gripping as Scorsese's earlier gangster pictures (Mean Streets and GoodFellas), but it's still absorbing. And, hey--it's Scorsese! (Additional note: the digital video disc has a "layer switch," allowing you to watch the entire film without interruption.) --Jim Emerson ... Read more

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Asin: 0783225792
Subjects:  1. Feature Film-drama   

Winner of five Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director, The Deer Hunter is simultaneously an audacious directorial conceit and one of the greatest films ever made about friendship and the personal impact of war. Like Apocalypse Now, it's hardly a conventional battle film--the soldier's experience was handled with greater authenticity in Platoon--but its depiction of war on an intimate scale packs a devastatingly dramatic punch. Director Michael Cimino may be manipulating our emotions with masterful skill, but he does it in a way that stirs the soul and pinches our collective nerves with graphic, high-intensity scenes of men under life-threatening duress.Although Russian-roulette gambling games were not a common occurrence during the Vietnam war, they're used here as a metaphor for the futility of the war itself. To the viewer, they become unforgettably intense rites of passage for the best friends--Pennsylvania steelworkers played by Robert De Niro, John Savage, and Oscar winner Christopher Walken--who may survive or perish during their tour through a tropical landscape of hell. Back home, their loved ones must cope with the war's domestic impact, and in doing so they allow The Deer Hunter to achieve a rare combination of epic storytelling and intimate, heart-rending drama. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

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Asin: 0783225997
Subjects:  1. Feature Film-drama   

Director Martin Brest rocketed to the top of Hollywood's A list with the blockbuster success of Beverly Hills Cop, and this 1988 follow-up is even better. Midnight Run is a genuine rarity--an action comedy that's dramatically satisfying--thanks to a sharp script by George Gallo, the superb teaming of Robert De Niro and Charles Grodin, and Brest's consummate skill in combining suspense and humor with well-developed characters. De Niro plays a maverick bounty hunter whose latest assignment is Grodin, an accountant accused of embezzling from the Mob. De Niro thinks he's in for an easy job, transporting Grodin (who's afraid to fly) from New York to Los Angeles, but soon discovers that both the FBI and the Mafia are hot on Grodin's trail. Equal parts road trip, action thriller, and a quirky character study, Midnight Run moves at a breakneck pace but still gives De Niro and Grodin time to create rich, memorable performances as two men who seem to be opposites, but gradually develop mutual respect and admiration. Mainstream entertainment at its best. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

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Asin: B00008O38F
Subjects:  1. Feature Film-comedy   

The Hollywood Reporter is one of the most un-Hollywood-like magazines being published today. You won't find any of the chatty gossip or full-page flash of Peoplemagazine, nor will you find the same range of topics (with the occasional lack of depth) of Entertainment Weekly. Rather, this magazine is the definitive source for information on the entertainment industry in the U.S. (there's an international issue published weekly), including movie, TV, theater, and DVD reviews; casting calls; box office rankings; and weekly MPAA ratings; as well as overviews of everything from the music industry to the commercial real estate market. While the entertainment industry itself is clearly the intended audience, anyone who wants to see the Hollywood that exists beneath the surface glitz that has become synonymous with Hollywood will find this magazine well worth the money.
--Bill Hummel ... Read more

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Asin: B00005Q7ED
Subjects:  1. Entertainment    2. Movies (Movie, Films, Film, Cinema)   

Wondering which pics will score big with auds at the B.O.? Or what the crix say about the new net skeds? Variety has the answers, but if you can't make sense of the lingo, you may not be ready for the movie industry's essential rag. Founded in 1905, Variety speaks as the insider voice of the entertainment biz. It offers movie, television, and theater reviews, but places more emphasis on predictions, trends, and insider scoop. The tone is "movers and shakers only, please!" Heck, the headline writers are so on-the-go they only have time for abbreviations: "Bull Market for Syndies," "Saggy Sudsers Go After Younger Aud," and "B'Casters Set Skeds to Fight Digital Rivals." Critics are "crix," a movie is always a "pic," the box office is the "B.O.," and "H'Wood" is, well, if you have to ask.... If you're looking for the latest celebrity gossip, you're out of luck. But if you're seeking cutting-edge news from the heart of Tinseltown, this is your mag. --Brangien Davis ... Read more

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Asin: B00005Q7DW
Subjects:  1. Literary    2. Entertainment    3. Movies (Movie, Films, Film, Cinema)   

The brainchild of Andy Warhol back in the heyday of the '70s club culture, Interview magazine has morphed from newsletter and photo essay of the Studio 54 set to the arbiter of what defines cutting edge for the nation (well, at least those in the nation who believe New York to be the center of the universe). It's magazine chic at its highest. When you pick up the magazine, don't look for Julia Roberts; look for the woman who will eclipse Julia in the next five years. The concept of the magazine couldn't be simpler--Q&A format, accompanied by photographs--but the Q is often provided by celebrity interviewers, and the A is usually extremely insightful, intriguing, and candid. And the photographs are the crème de la crème, by A-list lensers like Bruce Weber, Herb Ritts, and Annie Leibovitz (if you don't know them by name, this is definitely not the magazine for you). Nudity and profanity may put off some readers; others will be pleasantly titillated. --Mark Englehart ... Read more

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Asin: B00005N7NY
Subjects:  1. Entertainment    2. General    3. Periodicals    4. Movies (Movie, Films, Film, Cinema)   

It may share the same ZIP Code as its Tinseltown cousin Entertainment Weekly, but Premiere is a far different magazine, focusing less on gossip and more on the nuts and bolts that have helped Hollywood become a gigantic industry. Premiere tackles the big picture through articles like "Women in Film," "The Ultimate Summer Movie Guide," and "The Power List" of who's who in Hollywood. Premiere also offers a great variety of profiles, from movie stars to behind-the-scene players like grips and gaffers. Smart, unbiased reviews accompany each month's top movie releases, and the "In the Works" and "Home Guide" sections track films from creation to video release. Libby Gelman-Waxner adds humor with her indelible look at film from the fan's point of view. --Doug Thomas ... Read more

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Asin: B00005N7NT
Subjects:  1. Literary    2. Entertainment    3. Movies (Movie, Films, Film, Cinema)