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Reviews Written By: A39CX0EE4BZCZC

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	Up (4 Disc Combo Pack with Digital Copy and DVD) [Blu-ray]
	"How Good Is The Blu-Ray? Wow!!"	2009-11-14
Like an another reviewer intimated here, watching animated films the past five years, I have often shook my head and wondered, "How does it get any better than this?" Then an animated film like this comes out and shows me. Overall movies may not be better today than "in the old days," but there is no dispute there are two areas in which films keep getting better and better: special-effects and animation. This is another example of that. The colors and the detail in here are almost beyond description. The artwork ranges from bold to subdued, but always stunning. I lost track how many times I wanted to just pause and admire the picture for a few minutes. From super-sharp closeups of the old man's face to lush jungle scenery, this high-definition disc is worth every penny (and it's cheaper here at Amazon) to anyone who appreciates art. By the way, this is not "a funny cartoon" but a suspenseful and sentimental adventure story, with a few laughs along the way. I would think adults would like this more than kids. Meanwhile, everyone - regardless - will have their jaw drop more than once - viewing the incredible-looking scenes. Finally, if you like extras, sit back and enjoy: there are tons of them in this four-disc set.
	You Gotta Have Wa (Vintage Departures)
	"Fascinating.....And Shocking"	2009-09-23
Wow, this book is a real eye-opener. I had no idea Japanese baseball mentality was this extreme. Since this book is 20 years old, I'm curious if anything has changed. I sure hope so because the players go through hell and the people are portrayed as extremely racist. The bias against "gaijins" (any player who isn't Japanese) will have your blood boiling if you believe in fair play. However, there are a lot of laughs in here, too, and a lot of fascinating looks at baseball in Japan, from the owners, to the front office to the players and to the fans. Frankly, at least prior to 1990, most of them sounded like crazy people and generally mean-spirited. Then again, there have been crazy people in Major League Baseball, too! However, it's nothing like reported here by author Robert Whiting. Some of these accounts are absolutely shocking, and you'd think it was all exaggeration. But it isn't, and Whiting always gives both sides of every controversy. The players who have gone over to Japan and played say this is the way it was....and they either adapt or come home bitter and angry. Most of them wound up the latter. Overall, this book is absolutely fascinating reading.
	Looney Tunes - Golden Collection
	"The Start Of Something Good"	2009-08-07
It's nice to see that there are over 400 reviews of this collection, and it explains why there have been a handful of sets following this one. These are classic cartoons which made people laugh a half century ago and will do the same a half century from now. A well-written and drawn sight gag will never go out of style. The restoration process makes these animated shorts look fabulous. The colors are bolder than Daffy Duck's brashness. Which episodes were selected for this initial set seemed to bother some people but there are enough good ones on here to make it worth a purchase for anyone and, for those with patience, the next few "Golden" sets covered most that were missed here. In other words, if you like Looney Tunes, you save your money and buy all the Golden collections because each one is valuable in its own right. Personally, I thought this Volume One was fantastic. Any collection that includes "Duck Amuck," is worth it on that alone!
	Leave It to Beaver - The Complete Second Season
	"Still Great After All These Years"	2009-08-06
Despite airing over 50 years ago, I still get the same chuckles and good feelings watching these TV episodes today. They are timeless and priceless and usually give good life lessons, without shoving anything down your throat. The older you are, the more you appreciate this show and the great writing in it. Anyway, new friends come and go in a few of these second season episodes, people like "Chuey," who Beaver unintentionally hurts by telling the Hispanic boy, "You have a face like a pig" when he meant something else. Guess who was behind that insult? Yup, the evil "Eddie Haskell," who "teaches" Beaver some Spanish. Then there is old Gus, at the Fire Hall, the quirky "Gilbert," the loser Larry Mondello, the tattletale "Judy" and a bunch of others as well as reliable older brother Wally and Beaver's two solid parents, Ward and June. Who can forget these names? There are 39 episodes so you can a lot of material, making the set a good buy at almost any price. I enjoyed this so much that I've been almost heartbroken that no DVDs have been issued since. My guess is there were not enough people like me who loved this show enough to buy these first two DVD sets. Still, "Leave It To Beaver" is one of the more famous TV shows in history it would be nice to have them available to anyone who wants a complete history of it.
	Lance Armstrong's War: One Man's Battle Against Fate, Fame, Love, Death, Scandal, and a Few Other Rivals on the Road to the Tour de France
	"A Little Of This, A Little Of That"	2009-08-03
This is an interesting book for a person to learn a little bit about everything connected with pro cyclists, the Tour de France and particularly Lance Armstrong. Regarding the latter, I expected a biased account but the author was good at just giving us information and having us make up our own mind about the famous athlete. However one feels about Lance, this book gives us a good insight on what it's like to be him. It's pretty amazing. Interesting insights on other riders, the crowds, directors, doctors, bike and fitness maintenance, Sheryl Crow.....it's all here, and with a touch of humor here and there, too. The only reason I didn't give it five stars is some agenda items author Daniel Coyle needlessly injects in the story on occasion (i.e. like Armstrong, he has little use for religion but why would I care what the author thinks on the topic?) Still, this is a good read whatever your knowledge of cycling.
	Defiance [Blu-ray]
	"Another Amazing WWII Story; Looks Great On B-D"	2009-07-30
First of all, this was a very pretty film on Blu-Ray, probably because most of the shots were in beautiful forests. The colors and the details on the thousands of trees was astounding. Secondly, the two lead performances were excellent. Daniel Craig and Liev Schreiber, who played Jewish brothers ("Tuvia and Zus Bielski," respectively) with different outlooks on how to survive and/or fight the Nazis, were riveting. It reminded me of "Munich," where you also hear two points of view on how to react to terrorists. The story offered a good mix of action, drama and even some romantic touches. In addition to the two male leads, the women in here were interesting, too. Although about two hours, 20 minutes in length, I was never bored. Only one short segment in the film - a battle scene with Nazis and a tank out in the middle of a forest - lacked credibility. Otherwise, there were no complaints. It was an amazing based-on-a-true story picture and well done with good production values.
	Changeling [Blu-ray]
	"This Story Will Hook You In"	2009-07-28
Wow, is this an involving story. It hooks you in fast and really grabs hold. It's very good in that aspect because it really makes you care about what happens. The story involves a parent's worst nightmare, so I would expect moms and dads to be particularly horrified. The movie manipulates, no doubt being overdone here and there, but it's generally effective. Angelina Jolie does a superb job of portraying a Los Angeles woman ("Christine Collins") in the late 1920s whose boy is kidnapped. Five months later, the "proud" police department brings her kid back, making it a good PR session. Unfortunately, it's not her kid and stupidly, although she's naturally upset about, she poses with the kid and takes him home. (Would that really happen?). Then she begins her quest of finding her real "Walter." Further twists and turns make the story increasingly horrifying. In all, you won't be able to keep your eyes off the screen wondering if justice will ever prevail in the end and who exactly is involved in what. It's not particularly a fun ride - you'll have a frown on your face for quite some time - but it sure is interesting and an excellent two hour-plus of entertainment. By the end, you'll be emotional exhausted. Kudos to all the actors in here for riveting performances and to the production and design team for a great period piece. Where else can you feel you're back 75-80 years in time with the boxy cars and flapper hats than in movies? (Note: the Blu-Ray is not that much sharper than the regular DVD, but at $19.99 it's still a good deal.)
	Austin Powers - International Man of Mystery (New Line Platinum Series)
	"First, And Still The Best In The Series"	2009-07-22
Sometimes I'm embarrassed to admit this one-and-a-half hours of hedonistic humor was so enjoyable, but it was, and the two sequels weren't bad, either, but not as good as this one. This is stupid; this is corny; it has way too many sexual innuendos, particularly for the millions of teens who saw this film.....but it is undeniably funny. It's also extremely colorful and the '60s clothing is a hoot to see once again (yeah, I remember it well.) This is the like the TV-program "Laugh-In," but with a dumb story. I have no complaints looking at Elizabeth Hurley ("Vanessa Kensington") and Michael Myers ("Austin Powers"), with his crooked teeth, stupid grin and ridiculous sayings made me laugh. This is a very fast-moving film, a spoof of James Bond and a spoof of the crazy '60s. The 90 minutes of running time just fly by.
	Austin Powers - International Man of Mystery
	"First, And Still The Best In The Series"	2009-07-22
Sometimes I'm embarrassed to admit this one-and-a-half hours of hedonistic humor was so enjoyable, but it was, and the two sequels weren't bad, either, but not as good as this one. This is stupid; this is corny; it has way too many sexual innuendos, particularly for the millions of teens who saw this film.....but it is undeniably funny. It's also extremely colorful and the '60s clothing is a hoot to see once again (yeah, I remember it well.) This is the like the TV-program "Laugh-In," but with a dumb story. I have no complaints looking at Elizabeth Hurley ("Vanessa Kensington") and Michael Myers ("Austin Powers"), with his crooked teeth, stupid grin and ridiculous sayings made me laugh. This is a very fast-moving film, a spoof of James Bond and a spoof of the crazy '60s. The 90 minutes of running time just fly by.
	Animal Crackers
	"Typically-Unique Marx Brothers"	2009-07-22
Once again, this Marx Brothers film is different from most comedies in that is features rapid-fire gags, either verbal or sight, constant silliness and some music thrown in the mix. All of it run the gamut from very clever to stupid. However, if it gets stupid hang around another minute or so and you'll find something to laugh at. One thing of not about this film: some of the humor is dated and/or topical, meaning what was funny back then isn't necessarily now or the subject Groucho or Chico is talking about was big news back then but unknown now. Nonetheless, I still enjoyed this and found a lot of funny material. I enjoy the Marx Brothers clever stuff and their slapstick. I particularly appreciated Groucho apparently ad-libbing one scene. In a few others he acted like he was ad- libbing, turning his head and talking to the camera. You don't see much of that stuff, and it's funny. Two of the three songs were instrumentals, and they seemed to take away from the pace of the story. Groucho's song, "Hooray For Captain Spaulding," however, is a classic. Some consider this to be the best Marx Brothers movie but I found several others I liked a lot more, such as "Horse Feathers" and "Duck Soup," to name two.
	Austin Powers - International Man of Mystery
	"First, And Still The Best In The Series"	2009-07-22
Sometimes I'm embarrassed to admit this one-and-a-half hours of hedonistic humor was so enjoyable, but it was, and the two sequels weren't bad, either, but not as good as this one. This is stupid; this is corny; it has way too many sexual innuendos, particularly for the millions of teens who saw this film.....but it is undeniably funny. It's also extremely colorful and the '60s clothing is a hoot to see once again (yeah, I remember it well.) This is the like the TV-program "Laugh-In," but with a dumb story. I have no complaints looking at Elizabeth Hurley ("Vanessa Kensington") and Michael Myers ("Austin Powers"), with his crooked teeth, stupid grin and ridiculous sayings made me laugh. This is a very fast-moving film, a spoof of James Bond and a spoof of the crazy '60s. The 90 minutes of running time just fly by.
	Bataan
	"An Unusual War Movie"	2009-07-13
For a war movie, this was a bit unusual in that almost the whole film took part in one place. You could almost make a play out of this. A group of men stay in one area trying to sabotage a bridge so the Japanese can't use it to transport supplies. Meanwhile, they have to fend off constant attacks by the enemy. Some are quite brutal. At least half of the story is not action but melodramatic looks at the soldiers, particularly of the squad's sergeant leader Robert Taylor and Lloyd Nolan, one of his men who has an attitude problem: We also get some shorter profiles of combat men played by Robert Walker, Thomas Mitchell and Desi Arnez (yes, Lucy's husband). The special effects are more than passable considering they weren't too advanced in the film industry compared to today's technology. However, credibility was a little thin as those Japanese soldiers died awfully fast in those combat scenes at the end. I swear I saw several of them drop over before anyone hit them! Taylor was the best in this tough, no-nonsense war movie.
	15 Minutes (Infinifilm Edition)
	"Interesting Characters"	2009-07-13
This a rough, edgy film and the interesting characters make it entertaining for the full two hours. For some reason, I don't believe this film got a lot of publicity. Karol Roder doesn't get any billing but he's as much a star in this movie as big-names Robert Redford and Edward Burns. Another actor who also has a key role, Oleg Taktarov, has no billing! Wow, they really hosed the Eastern European actors in here. The film is partially another indictment against the tabloid press. Playing the villain in that regard is good 'ole "Frasier" from TV: Kelsey Grammar. He plays a foul-mouthed tabloid television sleazoid "Robert Hawkins. Sometimes this got a bit too edgy for me, but I enjoyed some of the black humor in here.
	Bad Lieutenant
	"Depravity & Forgiveness"	2009-07-13
* This comment may contain spoilers * Human beings don't come much worse than this New York City police officer, aptly played by Harvey Keitel, an actor who has never cared who he offended in any role or never backed off from a challenging role. Keitel reaches new depths of depravity in this role, which you can see in either an R-rated or a NC-17 rated version. That should tell you something about this movie, so be forewarned and read some of these other reviews, many of which are well- written. The NC-17 version probably is there because of Keitel pulling a female motorist over and then masturbating on her driver side's windshield (no, they don't actually show it). Nice, huh? At least - and this turned off the sickos who loved Keitel's immoral character - he repents near the end, hallucinating that he sees Jesus and begging for forgiveness. As bad as he is, he's always aware of his sins. Speaking of forgiveness, there is a nun in this movie who gives a demonstration of forgiveness that is astounding and is a great "witness" to the "bad lieutenant." I did get one big laugh out one scene in the film, the one where Keitel loses a big baseball bet and shoots his car radio in frustration. Some viewers think he should have shot the people who made this film! On the other hand, I know a lot sports bettors who know the feeling. Thus, even though the movie is extremely sordid, there are some a few very redeeming qualities here....but so many of the opposite that I can't recommend this. Yet, it's a unique story so, you decide, as long as you know what to expect.
	Absent-Minded Professor/Slip Sleeve
	"A Bit Dated But Has Its Good Moments"	2009-07-13
Some parts of this are very funny, some parts are silly stupid and all parts are very dated and make little sense. Maybe that's why someone figured a re-make was appropriate. That, and the fact that it's still a very entertaining movie, almost a classic. The re-make was done in 1997 with the movie, "Flubber." Fred MacMurray, Nancy Olson, Keenan Wynn, Tommy Kirk......wow, there are some familiar names from the '50s and '60s Kids of today would still laugh at this film, although they have dead spots in here which are not prevalent in modern-day films.
	Bad Influence
	"'Alex:' One Of The More Evil Characters Of The '90s"	2009-07-13
"Bad Influeince:" Yup, that's a good title for one of the main characters in this movie: "Alex," played by Rob Lowe. His grin alone is pure evil! In fact, Lowe's character is one of the lowest I've encountered in these modern-day thrillers. This also could be called a modern "noir," because it has a lot of that genre's qualities. It's different from the normal cops-vs.- crooks film. As bad as "Alex" was, I couldn't root for the other main character, either: "Michael Boll" (James Spader). Spader is one of these actors that seems to play very snotty, unlikeable people. Maybe he's just good at play annoying characters. An odd character, and one that added to this film, was the guy (Christian Clemenson) who played Spader's older, stoned-out brother "Pismo." What a loser.....but an interesting person. Overall's it's recommended for crime fans, or people who just plain like evil characters.
	The Absent-Minded Professor (Full Screen Colorized)
	"A Bit Dated But Has Its Good Moments"	2009-07-13
Some parts of this are very funny, some parts are silly stupid and all parts are very dated and make little sense. Maybe that's why someone figured a re-make was appropriate. That, and the fact that it's still a very entertaining movie, almost a classic. The re-make was done in 1997 with the movie, "Flubber." Fred MacMurray, Nancy Olson, Keenan Wynn, Tommy Kirk......wow, there are some familiar names from the '50s and '60s Kids of today would still laugh at this film, although they have dead spots in here which are not prevalent in modern-day films.
	Bad Influence
	"'Alex:' One Of The More Evil Characters Of The '90s"	2009-07-13
"Bad Influeince:" Yup, that's a good title for one of the main characters in this movie: "Alex," played by Rob Lowe. His grin alone is pure evil! In fact, Lowe's character is one of the lowest I've encountered in these modern-day thrillers. This also could be called a modern "noir," because it has a lot of that genre's qualities. It's different from the normal cops-vs.- crooks film. As bad as "Alex" was, I couldn't root for the other main character, either: "Michael Boll" (James Spader). Spader is one of these actors that seems to play very snotty, unlikeable people. Maybe he's just good at play annoying characters. An odd character, and one that added to this film, was the guy (Christian Clemenson) who played Spader's older, stoned-out brother "Pismo." What a loser.....but an interesting person. Overall's it's recommended for crime fans, or people who just plain like evil characters.
	Above the Law
	"Seagal Unfairly Criticized As Actor"	2009-07-13
This was Steven Seagal's first movie and pretty much summed up the way his films were going to go: marital arts-crime stories with overly despicable villains and our hero saving the women by out-fighting everyone. Jean Van Damme and others followed with the same recipe which, by and large, has been pretty successful. Before I saw this, I had read national critics blasting Seagal's acting talents but that was unfair; he's not a bad actor. It was also a surprise to see Sharon Stone playing a nice role and without makeup! That certainly changed quickly with her Basic Instinct-type persona. It was fun to see Henry Silva again. As a kid growing up in the '50s and '60s, I used to see Silva on television a lot. He always played a bad guy, and played the part well....as he still does. . Overall, a decent action flick but not one of Segal's more memorable films. He make a big upgrade with his next film, "Hard To Kill."
	The Absent-Minded Professor (Widescreen Edition)
	"A Bit Dated But Has Its Good Moments"	2009-07-13
Some parts of this are very funny, some parts are silly stupid and all parts are very dated and make little sense. Maybe that's why someone figured a re-make was appropriate. That, and the fact that it's still a very entertaining movie, almost a classic. The re-make was done in 1997 with the movie, "Flubber." Fred MacMurray, Nancy Olson, Keenan Wynn, Tommy Kirk......wow, there are some familiar names from the '50s and '60s Kids of today would still laugh at this film, although they have dead spots in here which are not prevalent in modern-day films.
	15 Minutes
	"Interesting Characters"	2009-07-13
This a rough, edgy film and the interesting characters make it entertaining for the full two hours. For some reason, I don't believe this film got a lot of publicity. Karol Roder doesn't get any billing but he's as much a star in this movie as big-names Robert Redford and Edward Burns. Another actor who also has a key role, Oleg Taktarov, has no billing! Wow, they really hosed the Eastern European actors in here. The film is partially another indictment against the tabloid press. Playing the villain in that regard is good 'ole "Frasier" from TV: Kelsey Grammar. He plays a foul-mouthed tabloid television sleazoid "Robert Hawkins. Sometimes this got a bit too edgy for me, but I enjoyed some of the black humor in here.
	Above Suspicion
	"Wow, What Irony!"	2009-07-13
This is a pretty interesting crime movie that has been overshadowed by the irony of it: Christopher Reeve playing a man in a wheelchair, and he himself being paralyzed not long after this movie. This story concerns a cop who gets paralyzed and then gets revenge on his wife and brother, both of whom were having an affair behind his back which he knew about. Joe Mantegna's role, I thought, was the best, as the pursuing cop on the case, although Reeve is very good, too. Kim Cattrall's garbage-mouth helps make her a convincing villain as the cheating wife. There is one major credibility problem, however, with this film that might have you shaking your head. You'll have to check to movie to know what I mean, because I don't want to spoil it here. The film is a worth a look, however - definitely recommended. It will have you involved.
	Bad Lieutenant
	"Depravity & Forgiveness"	2009-07-13
* This comment may contain spoilers * Human beings don't come much worse than this New York City police officer, aptly played by Harvey Keitel, an actor who has never cared who he offended in any role or never backed off from a challenging role. Keitel reaches new depths of depravity in this role, which you can see in either an R-rated or a NC-17 rated version. That should tell you something about this movie, so be forewarned and read some of these other reviews, many of which are well- written. The NC-17 version probably is there because of Keitel pulling a female motorist over and then masturbating on her driver side's windshield (no, they don't actually show it). Nice, huh? At least - and this turned off the sickos who loved Keitel's immoral character - he repents near the end, hallucinating that he sees Jesus and begging for forgiveness. As bad as he is, he's always aware of his sins. Speaking of forgiveness, there is a nun in this movie who gives a demonstration of forgiveness that is astounding and is a great "witness" to the "bad lieutenant." I did get one big laugh out one scene in the film, the one where Keitel loses a big baseball bet and shoots his car radio in frustration. Some viewers think he should have shot the people who made this film! On the other hand, I know a lot sports bettors who know the feeling. Thus, even though the movie is extremely sordid, there are some a few very redeeming qualities here....but so many of the opposite that I can't recommend this. Yet, it's a unique story so, you decide, as long as you know what to expect.
	Above the Law
	"Seagal Unfairly Criticized As Actor"	2009-07-13
This was Steven Seagal's first movie and pretty much summed up the way his films were going to go: marital arts-crime stories with overly despicable villains and our hero saving the women by out-fighting everyone. Jean Van Damme and others followed with the same recipe which, by and large, has been pretty successful. Before I saw this, I had read national critics blasting Seagal's acting talents but that was unfair; he's not a bad actor. It was also a surprise to see Sharon Stone playing a nice role and without makeup! That certainly changed quickly with her Basic Instinct-type persona. It was fun to see Henry Silva again. As a kid growing up in the '50s and '60s, I used to see Silva on television a lot. He always played a bad guy, and played the part well....as he still does. . Overall, a decent action flick but not one of Segal's more memorable films. He make a big upgrade with his next film, "Hard To Kill."
	Bataan
	"An Unusual War Movie"	2009-07-13
For a war movie, this was a bit unusual in that almost the whole film took part in one place. You could almost make a play out of this. A group of men stay in one area trying to sabotage a bridge so the Japanese can't use it to transport supplies. Meanwhile, they have to fend off constant attacks by the enemy. Some are quite brutal. At least half of the story is not action but melodramatic looks at the soldiers, particularly of the squad's sergeant leader Robert Taylor and Lloyd Nolan, one of his men who has an attitude problem: We also get some shorter profiles of combat men played by Robert Walker, Thomas Mitchell and Desi Arnez (yes, Lucy's husband). The special effects are more than passable considering they weren't too advanced in the film industry compared to today's technology. However, credibility was a little thin as those Japanese soldiers died awfully fast in those combat scenes at the end. I swear I saw several of them drop over before anyone hit them! Taylor was the best in this tough, no-nonsense war movie.
	Absent-Minded Professor
	"A Bit Dated But Has Its Good Moments"	2009-07-13
Some parts of this are very funny, some parts are silly stupid and all parts are very dated and make little sense. Maybe that's why someone figured a re-make was appropriate. That, and the fact that it's still a very entertaining movie, almost a classic. The re-make was done in 1997 with the movie, "Flubber." Fred MacMurray, Nancy Olson, Keenan Wynn, Tommy Kirk......wow, there are some familiar names from the '50s and '60s Kids of today would still laugh at this film, although they have dead spots in here which are not prevalent in modern-day films.
	Above the Law
	"Seagal Unfairly Criticized As Actor"	2009-07-13
This was Steven Seagal's first movie and pretty much summed up the way his films were going to go: marital arts-crime stories with overly despicable villains and our hero saving the women by out-fighting everyone. Jean Van Damme and others followed with the same recipe which, by and large, has been pretty successful. Before I saw this, I had read national critics blasting Seagal's acting talents but that was unfair; he's not a bad actor. It was also a surprise to see Sharon Stone playing a nice role and without makeup! That certainly changed quickly with her Basic Instinct-type persona. It was fun to see Henry Silva again. As a kid growing up in the '50s and '60s, I used to see Silva on television a lot. He always played a bad guy, and played the part well....as he still does. . Overall, a decent action flick but not one of Segal's more memorable films. He make a big upgrade with his next film, "Hard To Kill."
	Live from Madison Square Garden [Blu-ray]
	"The Guys Just Get Better With Age"	2009-07-11
It's great to see these old pals now in their 60s and enjoying themselves and still entertaining as much as ever, playing music as good as ever. It's scary to remember these guys when they first played together in a band about 45 years ago. The two reminisce about it at length in a bonus feature on this concert DVD. Keyboard player Chris Stainton, who was a key instrumentalist in Joe Cocker's "Mad Dogs and Englishmen" group in the `60s, belongs with Clapton and Winwood, all being about the same age. It's always good to see the three above-mentioned guys playing together, along with the rest of the group. Song-wise, that's not a lot new but I did really appreciate Clapton giving it a go on the famous Jimi Hendrix song, "Voodoo Chile." The only other guitarist I've ever seen attempt Hendrix's material was the late Stevie Ray Vaughan. Eric did just fine, too. Don't overlook the three "bonus" songs offered. For me, "Lowdown," with a great a rockabilly beat, was fantastic and another example of how you can't go wrong with these old pros.
	Apollo 13 [HD DVD]
	"Makes One Want To Study The Real Astronauts"	2009-07-09
This was a very well-done true story of a space mission that came extremely close to being a disaster, but the astronauts miraculously made it home safely. It's good storytelling and so interesting that it led me to study the real Apollo 13 astronauts. The movie is fairly long at 140 minutes and there is not much "action" but there is a lot of suspense and first-rating acting, both of which should keep anyone's interest. Knowing this was a true story makes one all the more involved with it. For such a tense story, with these astronauts lives on the line, none of the astronauts or people at NASA or anyone's family members are ever seeing praying throughout this ordeal! You can bet, in real life, a lot of prayers were answered on this mission.
	Along Came a Spider
	"Slightly Above Average"	2009-07-09
Crime story-wise, this was nothing extraordinary but was a pretty solid film. Actor Morgan Freeman does best in films where he's the likable hero-cop. He is definitely that in this film although his character, Alex Cross, is a little too sharp for believability. There were just a bit too many "oh, come on's" said by me watching this as Cross would get computer passwords with no trouble, etc. The odds of that happening are millions-to-one but not in the world of films. There were other examples, too, of him figuring out things that were almost impossible. For a tough modern-day crime story this film, for the most part, was pretty low- key with low profanity and not a lot of gore or overdone action. That was surprising considering the sordid subject matter. The tameness in here, and the quality of Freeman's acting, make this a small notch above the average thriller.