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At its core, Munich is a straightforward thriller. Based on the book Vengeance: The True Story of an Israeli Counter-Terrorist Team by George Jonas, it's built on a relatively stock movie premise, the revenge plot: innocent people are killed, the bad guys got away with it, and someone has to make them pay. But director Steven Spielberg uses that as a starting point to delve into complex ethical questions about the cyclic nature of revenge and the moral price of violence. The movie starts with a rush. The opening portrays the kidnapping and murder of Israeli athletes by PLO terrorists at the 1972 Olympics with scenes as heart-stopping and terrifying as the best of any horror movie. After the tragic incident is over and several of the terrorists have gone free, the Israeli government of Golda Meir recruits Avner (Eric Bana) to lead a team of paid-off-the-book agents to hunt down those responsible throughout Europe, and eliminate them one-by-one (in reality, there were several teams). It's physically and emotionally messy work, and conflicts between Avner and his team's handler, Ephraim (Geoffrey Rush), over information Avner doesn't want to provide only make things harder. Soon the work starts to take its toll on Avner, and the deeper moral questions of right and wrong come into play, especially as it becomes clear that Avner is being hunted in return, and that his family's safety may be in jeopardy.

By all rights, Munich should be an unqualified success--it has gripping subject matter relevant to current events; it was co-written by one of America's greatest living playwrights (Tony Kushner, Angels in America) and an accomplished screenwriter (Eric Roth); it stars an appealing and likeable actor in Eric Bana; and it was helmed by Steven Spielberg, of all people. While it certainly is a great movie, it falls just short of the immense heights such talent should propel it to. This is due more to some questionable plot devices than anything else (such as the contrived use of a family of French informants to locate the terrorists). But while certain aspects ring hollow, the movie as a whole is a profound accomplishment, despite being only "inspired by true events," and not factually based on them. From the ferocious beginning to the unforgettable closing shot, Munich works on a visceral level while making a poignant plea for peace, and issuing an unmistakable warning about the destructive cycle of terror and revenge. As one of the characters intones, "There is no peace at the end of this." --Daniel Vancini

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The first Robocop was thrilling, hilarious, and totally original--none of which has as much to do with the film's spawning two sequels (plus two separate television shows) as its $50 million-plus take at the box office. Though the Law of Diminishing Returns inevitably applies to the theatrical trilogy, the central premise is so strong that each of the lesser sequels has at least a few moments worth catching. That's because the original (wherein Detroit cop Peter Weller, killed in the line of duty, gets transformed into a crime-fighting cyborg) set up an entire world. Director Paul Verhoeven spends as much time lampooning television news, commercial products, and big business as he does on the story; however violent or gory things get (and they get quite icky), the tone throughout is comic, even giddy. Robocop 2, helmed by Irvin Kershner of The Empire Strikes Back fame, sobers up considerably. The film is rather underrated; sure, there are fewer ads and newsbreaks this time around, but there are several inventive touches--Robocop is briefly reprogrammed into a homily-spouting Dudley Do-Right; drug dealers step in to bail out the financially strapped city--and the villains (including the most foul-mouthed, amoral 12-year-old in movie history) are less outrageous than in the first installment. Robocop 3, however, is profit-driven hash. Having Robocop (now acted by Robert John Burke) join a citizens' uprising is a nice idea, and even the ninja android could have been fun, but the movie tries too often to be heartwarming, an emotion thoroughly out of place in this wickedly satirical series. --Bruce Reid

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Don't throw that Criterion DVD out just yet...

Since I've already reviewed the single-disc versions of RoboCop (Criterion Collection edition, dated July 18, 2002 at www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1559408898/qid%3D1090823802/sr%3D11-1/ref%3Dsr%5F11%5F1/002-5229942-8183256), RoboCop 2 (July 25, 2004 at www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0001VTPW2/ref=cm_aya_asin.title/002-5229942-8183256?%5Fencoding=UTF8&v=glance) and RoboCop 3 (July 26, 2004 at www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0001VTPWC/ref=cm_aya_asin.title/002-5229942-8183256?%5Fencoding=UTF8&v=glance), I'm gonna spend the vast majority of this review covering the RoboCop 1 extended edition disc and its extra features, and make comparisons and contrasts between it and the Criterion Collection version DVD.

And away we go...

While the picture in the MGM box set version of `Robo 1' is not quite as grainy as the Criterion edition, it's also a fair deal darker-- which doesn't help out the nighttime and low-lit scenes, `natch. The remastered 5.1 soundtrack mix adds a few new layers of sound to the movie that have never been heard before. I noticed the sound difference when I did a side-by-side comparison of the Murphy death scenes on both DVDs. The MGM box set version featured more screams of agony from our ill-fated hero than what could be heard in the Criterion rendition. And before you ask: yes, doing side-by-side comparisons of my fave DVD movies is something I consider "fun". Hey, you didn't think I attained my status as a Top 100 reviewer (as of this writing) by having any sort of social life, did'ja? Let's get real here, folks...


Anyway, let's get back on the track. The MGM version also contains a new secondary commentary track with most of the same guys who did the Criterion commentary track, including director Paul Verhoeven, executive producer John Davison, and co-writer Ed Neumeier. Most of the stuff covered in the new track was not discussed in the old one, which means you'll inundated with a whole new set of info and anecdotes that ya didn't hear on the old track. The weird thing is, the guys talk about the scenes that they had to shorten for the theatrical release-- which were restored to this DVD-- as if they hadn't been restored to the DVD at all. Kinda makes me wonder if MGM was originally going to include just the cut-down version of the movie to this box set, but then thought better of it without getting the guys to record a new commentary track. Eh, like it really matters all that much...

The MGM version also includes a wide array of special features that weren't on the Criterion release, such as deleted scenes like an extra vignette with Bix "I'd Buy THAT For A Dollar!" Snyder, a Q&A press conference with Bob Morton (Miguel Ferrer) about RoboCop, and a couple other excised bits that look like they were recorded on that film they use to film actors testing for screen roles. I think it's called "B-roll" film or something.

Also included is a slo-mo look at the initial ED-209 stop-motion scene and corresponding storyboards featuring commentary with stop-motion man Phil Tippett. I found myself zoning out about halfway through this piece out of sheer boredom, and bailed on it as soon as I could. Topping things off is a trio of behind-the-scenes/"Making-Of" featurettes that give ya a peek at the effects, stunts, and other things that went into the production of the movie. I found these featurettes reasonably interesting, but I'd get a bit wacky when the director and actors would talk a little too seriously about the "depth" and "significance" of the production and the characters they play. If I wanted to hear about that stuff, I'd have hit the local sci-fi con where Peter Weller is the keynote speaker, thank you very much. Oh yes, we mustn't forget the obligatory theatrical trailers and a fairly cool TV spot.

Unfortunately, the Criterion version of the DVD contains extra features that aren't available in the MGM release. Such Criterion-exclusive extras include film-to-storyboard comparisons, storyboards of unfilmed scenes, and a text article on the making of `RoboCop'. So needless to say, if you're a completist Robo-fan DVD-phile who's just GOT to have every single `RoboCop'-related bit of bonus material available on digital video, you're gonna hafta grab both this set AND the Criterion Collection DVD (available at www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1559408898/qid%3D1090823802/sr%3D11-1/ref%3Dsr%5F11%5F1/002-5229942-8183256) if ya wanna have it all...

`Late

Product Description

There's no getting around a simple, basic truth: watching Lawrence of Arabia in any home-video format represents a compromise. There's no better way to appreciate this epic biographical adventure than to see it projected in 70 millimeter onto a huge theater screen. That caveat aside, David Lean's masterful "desert classic" is still enjoyable on the small screen, especially if viewed in widescreen format. (If your only option is to view a "pan & scan" version, it's best not to bother; this is a film for which the widescreen format is utterly mandatory.) Peter O'Toole gives a star-making performance as T.E. Lawrence, the eccentric British officer who united the desert tribes of Arabia against the Turks during World War I. Lean orchestrates sweeping battle sequences and breathtaking action, but the film is really about the adventures and trials that transform Lawrence into a legendary man of the desert. Lean traces this transformation on a vast canvas of awesome physicality; no other movie has captured the expanse of the desert with such scope and grandeur. Equally important is the psychology of Lawrence, who remains an enigma even as we grasp his identification with the desert. Perhaps the greatest triumph of this landmark film is that Lean has conveyed the romance, danger, and allure of the desert with such physical and emotional power. It's a film about a man who leads one life but is irresistibly drawn to another, where his greatness and mystery are allowed to flourish in equal measure. --Jeff Shannon

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The Original Kings of Comedy achieves the seemingly impossible task of capturing the rollicking and sly comedy routines of stand-up and sitcom vets Steve Harvey, D.L. Hughley, Cedric the Entertainer, and Bernie Mac and the magic of experiencing a live concert show. Director Spike Lee and his crew plant a multitude of cameras in a packed stadium and onstage (as well as backstage, as they follow the comedians) to catch the vivid immediacy of the show, which is as much about the audience as it is about the jokes. And the jokes are funny.

All four riff fast and furiously (and with much swearing) on the world in terms of race, family, sex, and in one routine, outer space. Hughley takes comedic aim at extreme sports and eating disorders, while Cedric harks back to the day when gang fights meant calling opponents out onto the dance floor. Bernie Mac, the self-confessed id comedian of the group, presents a routine that is simultaneously offensive and hilarious--an apt reminder that comedy can and should be vicious if we are ever to learn to laugh at ourselves and hopefully be the better for it. Harvey, who acts as the MC for the show, has some transcendent moments with the crowd (a '70s slow jam sing-along, anyone?) that have to be seen to be believed. There's no doubt as to why Kings was a hit with concert and movie audiences; the laughs keep coming, in the tradition of Richard Pryor and Eddie Murphy, with a sharp eye on the nuances of today's racially affected culture. --Shannon Gee

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Here's how director Sam Peckinpah described his motivation behind The Wild Bunch at the time of the film's 1969 release: "I was trying to tell a simple story about bad men in changing times. The Wild Bunch is simply what happens when killers go to Mexico. The strange thing is you feel a great sense of loss when these killers reach the end of the line." All of these statements are true, but they don't begin to cover the impact that Peckinpah's film had on the evolution of American movies. Now the film is most widely recognized as a milestone event in the escalation of screen violence, but that's a label of limited perspective. Of course, Peckinpah's bloody climactic gunfight became a masterfully directed, photographed, and edited ballet of graphic violence that transcended the conventional Western and moved into a slow-motion realm of pure cinematic intensity. But the film--surely one of the greatest Westerns ever made--is also a richly thematic tale of, as Peckinpah said, "bad men in changing times." The year is 1913 and the fading band of thieves known as the Wild Bunch (led by William Holden as Pike) decide to pull one last job before retirement. But an ambush foils their plans, and Peckinpah's film becomes an epic yet intimate tale of betrayed loyalties, tenacious rivalry, and the bunch's dogged determination to maintain their fading code of honor among thieves. The 144-minute director's cut enhances the theme of male bonding that recurs in many of Peckinpah's films, restoring deleted scenes to deepen the viewer's understanding of the friendship turned rivalry between Pike and his former friend Deke Thornton (Robert Ryan), who now leads a posse in pursuit of the bunch, a dimension that adds resonance to an already classic American film. The Wild Bunch is a masterpiece that should not be defined strictly in terms of its violence, but as a story of mythic proportion, brimming with rich characters and dialogue and the bittersweet irony of outlaw traditions on the wane. --Jeff Shannon

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Incredible movie, horrible DVD

Does anybody at Warner DVD care about Sam Peckinpah? This movie deserves much better than this edition. One disc? With two sides you have to flip halfway through? Very distracting! Decent scene selection guide. Terrible menu. No commentary. Very disappointing to say the least. But you've gotta have Wild Bunch on DVD, so this will have to do.

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Fans of Armageddon might see one or two resemblances between that 1998 box office hit and Hellfighters, a 1968 action film by Andrew V. McLaglen, one of John Wayne's favorite directors in his late career. (Their joint ventures included Chisum, Cahill: United States Marshal, and McLintock!) Wayne plays an oil well firefighter in the mold of Red Adair, turning up anywhere in the world where a geyser of fire is shooting up from a once-profitable gusher. His right-hand man (Jim Hutton) has questionable judgment about safety matters and is a scoundrel with the ladies--and neither fact is lost on Wayne when Hutton's character marries his long-lost daughter (Katharine Ross, a mere year after The Graduate). The film is an early entry in the disaster-meets-soap-opera genre that flourished in the '70s with such titles as The Towering Infernoand The Poseidon Adventure. McClaglen gets a lot of crackle out of his action scenes (many of the firefighting sequences are still startling in their intensity) and turns twin love stories (Hutton and Ross, Wayne and Vera Miles) into frothy studies of adult manners, with equal hints of Howard Hawks and Sidney Sheldon. The widescreen image on DVD offers viewers a chance to see what was then a developing vogue for gratuitous breadth and scope in all its goofy, self-congratulatory glory. (Is it necessary to look at a golf course the way one might look at an African veldt? Hellfighters says yes!) The DVD also includes production notes and written bios on the stars, plus optional French and Spanish subtitles and an optional Spanish soundtrack. The cast and sundry thrills make this film highly enjoyable, and easily forgivable for indulging in such inanities as a subplot concerning--hold on--Venezuelan terrorists! The Duke lives! --Tom Keogh

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The Spirit of Qi Gong video is an inspiring instructional journey into the Chinese art of self healing. These simple yet powerful exercises combine breath, gentle movements and visualization to increase health, reduce stress and slow aging. Unlike yoga or Tai Chi, the benefits of a regular qi gong practice are experienced immediately and are easy to learn for beginners of all fitness levels. Viewers report better sleep, less stress, more energy, greater stamina and mental clarity, enhanced memory and a revitalized sex life. Women find the practice helpful in dealing with a variety of common conditions, like headaches, fatigue, PMS and menopause.

The video is filmed in beautiful natural settings, reflecting the essence of the 5 Elements in Chinese medicine. Since understanding ones' connection with nature is an integral part of qi gong, this is not intended to be a linear presentation of the exercises as seen in studio videos. "The Spirit of Qi Gong" captures the Qi (healing energy) of each element and explores the emotions, health imbalances and the healing sounds associated with the organs/energy systems of the body. A booklet is included which helps the viewer design their own practice according to their health needs and challenges. With only a 15 minute daily practice, viewers experience increased energy and vitality, enhanced performance and inner peace.

Director/Producer Deborah Davis is a licensed acupuncturist, herbalist and medical intuitive. She teaches qi gong nationally and specializes in women's qi gong.

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Breathing and feeling longer!

After I do this video it is like a massage to my whole body. It's funny. You can choose to sit on the couch and watch tv, or you can take another path so cheap and easily. This video for my body Singing lessons on CD- Voice Lessons To Go by Vaccarino -because I just always wanted to sing, Berlitz language CDs for my car to keep my brain working and learning, New Sex Now video for my relationship, and the Artist Way by Cameron for my creativity. All off of Amazon- Amazing.

Favorite Qi Gong Video

I have purchased and tried many qi gong, tai chi, and yoga tapes. This tape is my favorite and the one I continue to practice. Deborah's combination of exercises, the knowledgeable and relaxed way she presents them, along with the beautiful and peaceful scenery, make this video a must have for anyone looking to enhance their emotional, spiritual, and physical well being. This video is appropriate for beginners as well as those that have been practicing qi gong for years.

Excellent self-healing instruction

As an acupuncturist and qi gong practitioner I thought this an excellent instructional tool. In addition to the obviously great production value, the exercises are presented in a clear and easy to follow/learn format. I have often taught patients qi gong exercises as part of their treatment but now I generally just refer them to this video. They then have an at home reference and practice guide. Usually they quickly experience enough benefits to make their practice self-motivated. Anyone interested in building their energy, increasing their immunity and/or just generally increasing their sense of well-being and vitality would do well to invest the small cost of this video. And then--practice!

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Quentin Tarantino came out of nowhere (i.e., a video store in Manhattan Beach, California) and turned Hollywood on its ear in 1992 with his explosive first feature, Reservoir Dogs. Like Tarantino's mainstream breakthrough Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs has an unconventional structure, cleverly shuffling back and forth in time to reveal details about the characters, experienced criminals who know next to nothing about each other. Joe (Lawrence Tierney) has assembled them to pull off a simple heist, and has gruffly assigned them color-coded aliases (Mr. Orange, Mr. Pink, Mr. White) to conceal their identities from being known even to each other. But something has gone wrong, and the plan has blown up in their faces. One by one, the surviving robbers find their way back to their prearranged warehouse hideout. There, they try to piece together the chronology of this bloody fiasco--and to identify the traitor among them who tipped off the police. Pressure mounts, blood flows, accusations and bullets fly. In the combustible atmosphere these men are forced to confront life-and-death questions of trust, loyalty, professionalism, deception, and betrayal. As many critics have observed, it is a movie about "honor among thieves" (just as Pulp Fiction is about redemption, and Jackie Brown is about survival). Along with everything else, the movie provides a showcase for a terrific ensemble of actors: Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Steve Buscemi, Michael Madsen, Christopher Penn, and Tarantino himself, offering a fervent dissection of Madonna's "Like a Virgin" over breakfast. Reservoir Dogs is violent (though the violence is implied rather than explicit), clever, gabby, harrowing, funny, suspenseful, and even--in the end--unexpectedly moving. (Don't forget that "Super Sounds of the Seventies" soundtrack, either.) Reservoir Dogs deserves just as much acclaim and attention as its follow-up, Pulp Fiction, would receive two years later. --Jim Emerson

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While 2003's Daredevil was a conventional superhero movie, the 2005 spinoff, Elektra, is more of a wuxia-styled martial arts/fantasy flick. Elektra (Jennifer Garner) has returned to her life as a hired assassin, but she balks at an assignment to kill a single father (Goran Visnjic, ER) and his teenage daughter (Kirsten Prout). That makes her the target of the Hand, an organization of murderous ninjas, scheming corporate types, and a band of stylish supervillains seeking to eliminate Elektra and tip the balance of power in the ongoing battle of good vs. evil.

As the star of Alias, Garner has proven that she can kick butt with the best of them, and some of the visual effects are impressive, but the action sequences tend to be anticlimactic, and there's not much to the story. Fans will notice numerous references to Frank Miller's comic books, but there's very little resemblance to Miller's cold-blooded killer (Elektra with an agent? Elektra referring to herself as a "soccer mom"?).

Is Elektra better than Daredevil? Not really, even with the distinct advantage of having all Garner and no Ben Affleck. That could be the spinoff's greatest disappointment: after Spider-Man 2 raised the bar for comic-book movies, Elektra lowered it back to Daredevil's level. Directed by Rob Bowman (the X-Files movie), and featuring Terence Stamp as the mysterious mentor Stick, Will Yun Lee (Die Another Day) as the chief villain, and NFL-player-turned-mixed-martial-arts-champion Bob Sapp as the immovable Stone.

DVD features
Ben Affleck's much-rumored cameo is one of the deleted scenes on the Elektra DVD. It's a one-minute throwaway, and while he's supposedly appearing as Matt Murdock (who romanced Elektra in Daredevil), the barrage of celebrity gossip makes it impossible to see him as anything other than Jennifer Garner's real-life boyfriend. There's also a making-of featurette, which is mostly promotional hype other than a few interesting effects shots; four editing featurettes; and Jennifer Garner's videotaped message to ComicCon. --David Horiuchi

More on Elektra

Elektra: The Album (Soundtrack CD)	Elektra: The Movie (Comic Adaptation)	Frank Miller Comic Books
Daredevil (Director's Cut) (DVD)	Jennifer Garner stars in Alias (DVD)	More Superhero DVDs

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"The Bride" (Uma Thurman) gets her satisfaction--and so do we--in Quentin Tarantino's "roaring rampage of revenge," Kill Bill, Vol. 2. Where Vol. 1 was a hyper-kinetic tribute to the Asian chop-socky grindhouse flicks that have been thoroughly cross-referenced in Tarantino's film-loving brain, Vol. 2--not a sequel, but Part Two of a breathtakingly cinematic epic--is Tarantino's contemporary martial-arts Western, fueled by iconic images, music, and themes lifted from any source that Tarantino holds dear, from the action-packed cheapies of William Witney (one of several filmmakers Tarantino gratefully honors in the closing credits) to the spaghetti epics of Sergio Leone. Tarantino doesn't copy so much as elevate the genres he loves, and the entirety of Kill Bill is clearly the product of a singular artistic vision, even as it careens from one influence to another. Violence erupts with dynamic impact, but unlike Vol. 1, this slower grand finale revels in Tarantino's trademark dialogue and loopy longueurs, reviving the career of David Carradine (who plays Bill for what he is: a snake charmer), and giving Thurman's Bride an outlet for maternal love and well-earned happiness. Has any actress endured so much for the sake of a unique collaboration? As the credits remind us, "The Bride" was jointly created by "Q&U," and she's become an unforgettable heroine in a pair of delirious movie-movies (Vol. 3 awaits, some 15 years hence) that Tarantino fans will study and love for decades to come. --Jeff Shannon

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