Jarhead (Widescreen Edition)

Amazon.com

Based on Anthony Swofford's excellent memoir about his experiences as a Marine Sniper in Gulf War I, Jarhead is a war movie in which the waiting is a far greater factor upon the characters than the war itself, and the build up to combat is more drama than what combat is depicted. To some viewers hoping for typical movie action, this will seem like a cruel joke. But it's not. It's just the story as it was written, and if you liked the book, you will probably like the movie. If you didn't, then the movie won't change your mind.

The movie follows the trajectory of Swofford (played with thoughtful intensity by Jake Gyllenhaal) from wayward Marine recruit (he joined because he "got lost on the way to college") to skilled Marine sniper, and on into the desert in preparation for the attack on Iraq. No-nonsense, Marine-for-life Staff Sgt. Sykes (Jamie Foxx), the man who recruited Swofford and his spotter Troy (Peter Sarsgaard) into the sniper team, leads them in training, and in waiting where their lives are dominated by endless tension, pointless exercises in absurdity (like playing football in the scorching heat of the desert in their gas masks so it will look better for the media's TV cameras), more training, and constant anticipation of the moment to come when they'll finally get to kill. When the war does come, it moves too fast for Swofford's sniper team, and the one chance they get at a kill--to do the one thing they've trained so hard and waited so long for--eludes them, leaving them to wonder what was the point of all they had endured.

As directed by Sam Mendes (American Beauty), the movie remains very loyal to the language and vision of the book, but it doesn't entirely work as the film needs something more than a literal translation to bring out its full potential. Mendes's stark and, at times, apocalyptic visuals add a lot and strike the right tone: wide shots of inky-black oil raining down on the vast, empty desert from flaming oil wells contrasted with close-ups of crude-soaked faces struggling through the mire vividly bring to life the meaning of the tagline "welcome to the suck." But much of the second half of the movie will probably leave some viewers feeling disappointed in the cinematic experience, while others might appreciate its microcosmic depiction of modern chaos and aimlessness. Jarhead is one of those examples where the book is better than the movie, but not for lack of trying. --Dan Vancini

Description

Academy Award winner Jamie Foxx and Jake Gyllenhaal star in this critically acclaimed, brilliantly unconventional war story from Oscar-winning director Sam Mendes.

Jarhead (the self-imposed moniker of the Marines) follows Swoff (Gyllenhaal) from a sobering stint in boot camp to active duty, where he sports a sniper rifle through Middle East deserts that provide no cover from the heat or Iraqi soldiers. Swoff and his fellow Marines sustain themselves with sardonic humanity and wicked comedy on blazing desert fields in a country they don't understand against an enemy they can't see for a cause they don't fully grasp.

Customer Reviews:

WASTE OF TIME.......2007-09-10

It is easy to manipulate Anti American fanatics and all anti militarists in this way- the way make a movie to clearley insult Marines.Especially humiliate every single soldier in the movie each has been loaded with a negative character, the reason that shows them brutal without a cause or violent ,sex obsessed etc. is so artificial -this case is over exaggerated

Of course between the soldiers there are some jokes but not like the pimp behaviours.

Secondly,there is a strict discipline mentality in the USMC which makes them hard, tough and keep ready to combat this is an indisputable reality,in the movie you can not see any soldiers except in a few boot camp scene which has a standardized discipline! It is so ridiculous especially at the front line!

As a result this movie typically freak chield of Hollywood's thickheaded people and absolutely does not represents the USMC or the USARMY in the right and realistic way the guy who wrote the book is a complete incapable soldier a real life 'UPHAM' character-SO BAD AND ONE SIDED STORY WASTE OF TIME

A SELF INDUNGENT LOAD OF COW MANURE.......2007-09-07

This movie doesnt even closely resemble reality in the Marine Corps. It brings dishonor to his service as a MARINE.

Inferior DVD.......2007-08-07

Halfway through the DVD it started to stop and start throughout the second half. I will not buy anything else from Amazon.

A bit slow.......2007-07-23

This movie describes the war in Iraq, how the Marines behave and the problems they face. However it is a bit slow and sometimes tedious.

Ollie North said it sucks.......2007-07-08

Well, Lt.Col North didn't actually use the word 'sucks.' But he said it was a waste of his money, and he extorted his listeners to save 2 hours of their life. He actually had hoped it would portray Marines in a good light, but said he found nothing redeeming about this movie.

Average customer rating:

What plot?
Please note this is full screen, *not* widescreen
Stupid plot...
Okay, but not as exciting as Dawn of the Dead
Horrific Zombies!

Land of the Dead (Unrated Edition)
Starring: Asia Argento , Eugene Clark , Phil Fondacaro , John Leguizamo , and Dennis Hopper
Director: George A. Romero
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Horror | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( L ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

ASIN: B00005JO16
Release Date: 2005-10-18

Amazon.com

Bolstered by the success of 28 Days Later, Shaun of the Dead, the Resident Evil movies and the hit remake of his own Dawn of the Dead, George A. Romero returns to the horror subgenre he invented with Land of the Dead. The fourth installment in Romero's zombie cycle (and the first since 1985's Day of the Dead) presents a logical progression of events since 1968's horror classic Night of the Living Dead: Zombies (also known as "stenches" for their rotting odor) are the dominant population, and they've begun to show signs of undead intelligence and gathering power. The wealthiest survivors live comfortably in a luxury high-rise within a barricaded safe zone, ignoring the horrors of the outside world while armed scavengers stage raids in the zombie-zone to gather much-needed food and supplies. Simon Baker and John Leguizamo play mercenaries-for-hire; Dennis Hopper is their nefarious boss; and horror favorite Asia Argento (daughter of Suspiria director Dario Argento) plays a former hooker recruited into Baker's scavenger squad. While none of this seems particularly fresh or inspired, Land of the Dead benefits from hints of the social satire that made Romero's earlier zombie films so memorable. Not so much funny as gruesomely peculiar, Romero's plot isn't as inventive as it could've been, but as a big-scale B-movie, Land of the Dead delivers a handful of shocks and horror-celebrity cameos (including gore-masters Tom Savini and Greg Nicotero) that should keep horror buffs happy until the next zombie opus comes along. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

What plot?.......2007-08-14

Land of the Dead has to be the worst out of all of Romero's "Dead" films. There is no plot hardly at all, and a lot of plot holes at that. Why are the zombies after Dennis Hopper? How do they know who he is? Those are just a couple of question out of the movie that are left unanswered. The only reason to watch the movie is to see zombies eat and destroy, but how many movies have we seen that are like that? This movie offers nothing new and is the same old thing that has been done a million times. We have even seen a zombie figure out how to use weapons on Day of the Dead, so zombies using weapons on here was nothing new either. Good special effects and a cameo by Tom Savini are the only thing that this movie worth watching. Everything else is very forgettable and not really worth watching again

Please note this is full screen, *not* widescreen.......2007-08-13

I assumed this DVD was widescreen, but when it arrived it said full screen on the case. Please take note of the aspect ratio before you order this disc!

Stupid plot..........2007-08-03

I will give this movie 2 stars solely based on the cool graphics. I was really hoping that this movie would be as fun as other zombie movies that I love like 28 days later, Resident Evil, and of course the previous "dead" movies. I'm sorry to say that it did not measure to any of the aforementioned flicks. If you are the type that gets entertained solely with visual effects, then you might enjoy this movie as it has alot of gore and realistic sequences. However, the conversations between the characters are completely idiotic and unrealistic, and the plot really leads you nowhere. I was quite dissapointed with this movie, and if I had the chance to do it again I would definitley not purchase it again.

Okay, but not as exciting as Dawn of the Dead.......2007-07-27

First, let me get out of this out of the way. If you've seen Dawn of the Dead (the newer version with Ving Rhames in it) and you're expecting Land of the Dead to be just as good, you're going to be disappointed. This film isn't nearly as action packed or as crazy fun as Dawn was.

That's not to say it's a bad film. The plot is decent, although not without a few "why the hell?" sorts of questions, and John Lequizamos' acting is spot on I think for this kind of film. Th problem I think is that given the plot and the whole world the characters are living in, there aren't many action scenes & when you do get one, it still isn't as thrilling as Dawn because the Zombies here are a lot slower. Instead of running towards someone to kill and eat, they shuffle, or at best walk at a fast pace.

So just to sum it up since I don't like long reviews, this movie is worth a rental. I'm not a big George Romero follower, so I wasn't expecting too much. If you are a George fan, you'll probably see this movie anyway, but like I said, give it a rental.

Horrific Zombies!.......2007-07-22

While this is somewhat of a departure from other zombie flicks, it has lots of gore, guns, and action.

Average customer rating:

Not bad... only tip of the iceberg
The Whole Truth
What's the point of this war
Very one sided
The Ground Truth

The Ground Truth
Starring: Herod Noel , Charles Anderson , Kelly Dougherty , Robert Acosta , and Aidan Delgado
Director: Patricia Foulkrod
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Documentary | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( G ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

ASIN: B000HA4WSY
Release Date: 2006-09-26

Amazon.com

Shocking and heartbreaking, The Ground Truth is an Iraq war documentary that is truly essential viewing. A story of the U.S. battle against an often-phantom insurgency, told from the perspective of ordinary Americans who found themselves participating in a daily slaughter of innocent Iraqi civilians, The Ground Truth is the view kept off American televisions since 2003. The bombings, shootings, scenes of mistreatment of civilians, and countless, bloodied bodies of children, women, and unarmed men specifically targeted by U.S. troops, should rattle anyone with eyes to see. But the film's many interviews with veterans, in which they describe an American war machine that chews up young people and abandons them to their physical and psychological wounds, are also stunning in their emotional clarity and intensity. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews:

Not bad... only tip of the iceberg.......2007-08-24

In this video only several people were interviewed.
If many more veterans were interviewed as well, we would produce a series of hundreds of episodes, which would be more beneficial for the society than "sex and the city", "seinfield", "O.C", and the rest of the junk put together.
Somehow, people are more inclined not to listen to the fact, but rather safely close their ears and eyes, and live in imaginary world of Hollywood.
Another interesting thing I found, is that general public is happy to know that the death toll of US soldiers is not that great (compared to other wars in the past, etc), while ignoring HUGE number of people who are disabled. As if being disabled is ok...

Mostly very good (there is a little part when one man talks about "our species" assuming evolutionary assumption. This is pretty much what I didn't like)
Very interesting video.
Very educational.
Nobody can express how bad war is except those who have been there.
So, if interested, you may listen to the actual veterans whe have been at war.

The Whole Truth.......2007-08-16

The Ground Truth is one of the most powerful media pieces I have experienced on the Iraq War. It makes it clear that it is just like Vietnam. The language used by the victims is identical to that used by friends and relatives on their return from Vietnam. Must be viewed by all.

kamau mposi

What's the point of this war.......2007-07-30

Though it is very painful to see this video, it is greatly worth it. Even if one is very well informed about Iraq and some of the abuses of American soldiers such as repeated services, the true stories of individual soldiers on how they became disillusioned is wrenching. The deepest insight I got was that killing innocents in the war tortures returning soldiers and is integral to the post traumatic stress syndrome so many of the soldiers are suffering. The film makes you question this kind of war--especially in Iraq. This is because a soldier can't ever know for sure who is the enemy, that is who is shooting at them so they kill a whole lot of people in the direction from which the soldier was shot at. When they kill a lot of innocent people they create e.g. 500 new fervid enemies (the famiies of those shot) What's the point! This is emotionally created in the viewer.

Very one sided.......2007-06-14

The Ground Truth tells the story of a few veterans who came away from the Iraq War very discontented, mentally disturbed or psychologically damaged in some major way. The stories reflected in the movie are real, but the packaging is designed to bias people into thinking that everything about the war is bad, which is simply not true. Many people are killed, maimed and injured - that is the case in every war (I am one of the veterans in question.) Many bad decisions are made and many lives are ruined when wars are fought, invasions launched and weapons brought to bear. But not every veteran walks away from war as disturbed in the head as the people portrayed here.

The Ground Truth is sobering, realistic and flawed, because it only shows one third of the picture. That is OK, as long as the viewer understands going in that the movie is slanted towards convincing people of how awful and wrong the entire thing is by showing all the bad and none of the good. We should all know that war does bad things to the people who participate in it, and that sometimes the living suffer more than the dead, or at least longer. We should also know that in wars, human beings commit some of the greatest acts of selflessness that have ever been displayed. Those stories are not told here.

The Ground Truth.......2007-05-11

I came across this show on the Sundance channel and I couldn't stop watching it. I think everyone in the US should watch this video. It was so amazing to hear the stories from troops that have actually been in combat and come home. They ALL have injuries, whether they have lost their limbs, or are mentally scarred due to what they have seen and have had to do. Many of them are in a state of turmoil and angst because of what they have seen and done to protect their country. They are making the biggest sacrifice and we owe it to them to become politically aware and involved. To know what they endure in Iraq would make everyone think twice about this war. To understand what they face when they come home would make everyone think twice about their government. It was truly an eye opener and I am seriously considering sending this to everyone I know (especially the one's who support the war).

Average customer rating:

WOW DANG ONE OF THE BEST MOVE FOR SHORE
BEST EDITION
van damme and lundgren make this worthwhile
If you like this movie, you'll love the Special Edition DVD!
Universal Soldier

Universal Soldier (Special Edition)
Starring: Jean-Claude Van Damme , Dolph Lundgren , Ally Walker , Ed O'Ross , and Jerry Orbach
Director: Roland Emmerich
Manufacturer: Lions Gate
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

Sci-Fi Action | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

Robots & Androids | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

4-for-3 Action & Adventure | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

4-for-3 Science Fiction & Fantasy | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

4-for-3 All DVDs | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( U ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Special Editions | Fully Loaded DVDs | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

ASIN: B0002S94CK
Release Date: 2004-10-19

Customer Reviews:

WOW DANG ONE OF THE BEST MOVE FOR SHORE.......2007-05-08

NOW I COULD EASYLY SAY THIS WILL GO DOWN AS ONE OF THE GRATEST MOVE EVER MADE IN THE WORLD THAT IS SO FOR SHORE & THAT IS PUTTING IT LIGHTLY

BEST EDITION.......2007-01-09

This edition is really perfect. It is anamorphic widescreen. You can see the movie as you were in the theater. Veryyyyyyyyyyy Gooooooooooooood. Excellllllllllllent!!!!!!!!

van damme and lundgren make this worthwhile.......2006-09-03

Universal Soldier is a pretty cool idea that is executed well, by taking dead soldiers of the military and bringing them back to life, specifically, the very muscular guys. This is where Van Damme and Lundgren fill in, and we even get to see the massive Ralph Moeller several times (also played the villain Brakus in Best of the Best 2 and a fighter in Gladiator). For the reborn soldiers, old Vietnam War memories resurface from the beginning of the film, and once again the Van Damme character becomes the good guy and the Lundgren character becomes the villain.

There isn't a huge amount of action in the film, but in between scenes we get to see a lot of Lundgren's bad guy one-liners and attitude. Van Damme doesn't have many fights either until the end, when he goes up against the Lundgren character. The 6 minute fight between the 2 is easily the best part of the movie. They both get to kick some serious you know what on each other. Its a great fight scene.

Universal Soldier's plot and acting may not be great, but its the concept and supersized muscles that make the movie pretty sweet. If you are a fan of Van Damme or Lundgren, this is definetly a must see.

If you like this movie, you'll love the Special Edition DVD!.......2006-02-10

Well, most people who are going to buy the DVD are probably familiar with the movie anyway, so I won't repeat the plot. Watching it again after several years, I really have to say it's one of the better movies of the action genre, especially when you consider that you have people doing the stunts instead of lots of CGI like in today's movies.

As for the entire Special Edition DVD itself -- it has some great extras! Much better than some of the offerings I've seen on other DVDs of movies that were released in the era of VHS and you just didn't get extras, period. A "making of" featurette, interviews with Lundgren & Van Damme, and an alternate ending to the movie -- all fairly substantial material, too --not just tacked on afterthoughts. I was surprised to get so much on this DVD for such a great price!

Universal Soldier.......2006-02-01

My kind of movie, mindless violence. Lots of explosions and action scenes. It seemed a little dated, special effects have come a long way since 1992. Van Damme plays his usual role (macho man), so you know what to expect. Not a great movie, but if you just want to escape for an hour and a half, it will do the job.

Average customer rating:

Funny
Dame Dash makes great movies...........
"Classic Hood Flick"
R. O. C.
Silly but fun

Paper Soldiers
Starring: Kamal Ahmed , Memphis Bleek , Kevin Carroll , Jason Cerbone , and Stacey Dash
Director: David Daniel
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

Comic Criminals | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

4-for-3 Comedy | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

4-for-3 Drama | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

4-for-3 All DVDs | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

All Deals | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( P ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

ASIN: B000089729
Release Date: 2003-03-18

Amazon.com

The excellent Paper Soldiers shifts fluidly from comedy to serious drama as it follows an overeager burglar named Shawn (Kevin Hart) through the ups and downs of his short, stressful career. Already on parole but faced with the power being turned off and his child forced to eat nothing but cereal, Shawn convinces an older thief (Derrick "Capone" Lee) to train him. He soon finds himself caught between his angry girlfriend (Tiffany Withers), his incompetent would-be-criminal friends, and a neighborhood sociopath with a hair-trigger temper (Beanie Sigel). Paper Soldiers always feels real, which makes the humor genuine and lets the movie shift gears into high tension. The performances are compelling throughout--Hart makes you care about Shawn without ever letting him off the hook for his foolish decisions. Smartly written and skillfully directed, Paper Soldiers deserves to be seen. Featuring cameos by Jay-Z, Memphis Bleek, and others. --Bret Fetzer

Customer Reviews:

Funny.......2007-06-30

Kevin Heart did his thang in this movie...it was so funny and had me cracking up. One of the best Rocafella flims yet...along with Paid In Full.

Dame Dash makes great movies..................2006-10-31

By far one of the funniest movies ever. The whole cast is great from beginning to end. One of the funniest parts is when Kev's co-worker home boy wants to get in on the B & E action and noids out and leaves them while they are robbing a house. Hilarious!

Kev Hart could be as big as Chris Tucker someday.

If Dame wants to make it on his own he needs to stick his strengths, IE (Dash Films and possibly starting another clothing line.) Dame get on your grizzly and do Dame Dash.

Paid in Full, State Property 2 and Paper Soldiers are classics.

"Classic Hood Flick".......2006-06-03

This is by far one of the funniest movies I have EVER seen in my life. I would put it right up there with Friday. I know every line and I'm always in the mood to watch it.

R. O. C........2006-02-23

This movie Roc-a-fella films production different their other recent movies because this one was funny as hell! Roc-a-fella recording artists such as Beanie Sigel, Memphis Bleek, Noreaga, Jay-Z, Damon Dash & more were great to see acting but, Kevin Hart was the man in this funny comedy!

Silly but fun.......2005-08-09

I realy did not get the point of this but it was fun to watch

George A. Romero's Land of the Dead (Unrated Director's Cut)

Average customer rating:

What plot?
Please note this is full screen, *not* widescreen
Stupid plot...
Okay, but not as exciting as Dawn of the Dead
Horrific Zombies!

George A. Romero's Land of the Dead (Unrated Director's Cut)
Starring: Asia Argento , Eugene Clark , Phil Fondacaro , John Leguizamo , and Dennis Hopper
Director: George A. Romero
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Horror | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( G ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

ASIN: B000B2YR7Y
Release Date: 2005-10-18

Amazon.com

Description

Legendary filmmaker George A. Romero returns to unleash his new zombie masterpiece! Starring Simon Baker, Dennis Hopper and John Leguizamo, Romero's latest undead epic finds humanity's last remnants battling to survive the unspeakable truth: The ravenous zombie hordes besieging their fortified city…are evolving!

Customer Reviews:

What plot?.......2007-08-14

Please note this is full screen, *not* widescreen.......2007-08-13

I assumed this DVD was widescreen, but when it arrived it said full screen on the case. Please take note of the aspect ratio before you order this disc!

Stupid plot..........2007-08-03

Okay, but not as exciting as Dawn of the Dead.......2007-07-27

Horrific Zombies!.......2007-07-22

While this is somewhat of a departure from other zombie flicks, it has lots of gore, guns, and action.

Average customer rating:

WASTE OF TIME
A SELF INDUNGENT LOAD OF COW MANURE
Inferior DVD
A bit slow
Ollie North said it sucks

Jarhead (Full Screen)
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal , Scott MacDonald , Peter Sarsgaard , Lo Ming , and Jamie Foxx
Director: Sam Mendes
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Action & Combat | Military & War | Genres | DVD | Video

Drama | Military & War | Genres | DVD | Video

Iraq War | Military & War | Genres | DVD | Video

( J ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

ASIN: B000DZIGE4
Release Date: 2006-03-07

Amazon.com

Description

Academy Award winner Jamie Foxx and Jake Gyllenhaal star in this critically acclaimed, brilliantly unconventional war story from Oscar-winning director Sam Mendes.

Customer Reviews:

WASTE OF TIME.......2007-09-10

A SELF INDUNGENT LOAD OF COW MANURE.......2007-09-07

This movie doesnt even closely resemble reality in the Marine Corps. It brings dishonor to his service as a MARINE.

Inferior DVD.......2007-08-07

Halfway through the DVD it started to stop and start throughout the second half. I will not buy anything else from Amazon.

A bit slow.......2007-07-23

This movie describes the war in Iraq, how the Marines behave and the problems they face. However it is a bit slow and sometimes tedious.

Ollie North said it sucks.......2007-07-08

Land of the Dead (Combo Format: HD DVD & DVD)

Average customer rating:

A very enjoyable zombie flick
stupid
Darn good zombie flick... with a message!?
A fitting sequal for the Dead series
George A. Romero proves that zombies still creep us out

Land of the Dead (Combo Format: HD DVD & DVD)
Starring: Asia Argento , Eugene Clark , Phil Fondacaro , John Leguizamo , and Dennis Hopper
Director: George A. Romero
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: HD DVD

General | Horror | Genres | DVD | Video

Action & Adventure | HD DVD | Formats | DVD | Video

General | HD DVD | Formats | DVD | Video

Horror | HD DVD | Formats | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

ASIN: B000GFLEGI
Release Date: 2006-09-26

Customer Reviews:

A very enjoyable zombie flick.......2007-06-30

As zombie flicks go this one was, in my personal opinion, very thought out and executed. Okay, so you can't really grab someone by the hair and rip their head off along with their spinal chord, but that's what the fiction genre is all about.

If there's going to be a sequel somewhere down the road, I hope it's not by some fly by night 'B' company who just slaps any old thing together.

5 stars for great affects, acting, and all around entertainment.

stupid.......2007-01-20

This movie is so stupid. Ok... Zombies are already dead and that means their brains are not much use for being smart. But for some reason the zombies are trying to be smart. So freakin' stupid.

Darn good zombie flick... with a message!?.......2007-01-05

Land of the Dead is the spiritual successor of Romero's previous Zombie films, ending with Day of the Dead too many years ago.

When I learned they would be using computer generated imagery for some of the special effects, I sort of cringed. Computer created blood and gore effects I've seen in other releases have left me with a bad taste in my mouth. I can happily report that with a few exceptions the CG created imagery works really well. The only scene I can think of as being slightly disappointing is the scene involving the zombie in the liquor store. I don't want to spoil the surprise for anyone, but I'll leave it at there is a scene that involves some bloody spray that just looked unnatural to me. All of the other effects, such as zombie heads being removed from their bodies and so on looked about as realistic as normal effects. In fact I'd say the scenes that involved disembodied parts worked better this way given that the body parts were real; helped by the creative use of blue/green screen effects.

As with Romero's previous zombie works, this movie can be enjoyed for the gorey simplicity it contains or for those looking for something with a deeper meaning, something that requires some thought, you can glean deeper meanings on many of the things presented here as well. Romero says it best when he calls Dennis Hopper's character the zombie infested world's equivalent of Donald Rumsfeld.

So if you're looking for a film with a creepy atmosphere and plenty of gore, or are looking for an action oriented film with a message, Land of the Dead is worthy of a viewing.

Being given the HD version, as well as the SD version on a single disc is certainly a bonus over purchasing the DVD only version, despite the price difference. I don't have an HD-DVD player yet so my views concentrate on the SD version which looks good (but certainly no replacement for HD) for an SD release.

A fitting sequal for the Dead series.......2007-01-04

Land of the Dead is a very good sequal to the original Dead trilogy. In HD it looks really good plus you get the film in regular definition on the other side which is a very cool thing. The extras are the same as the DVD version and none of them are in HD which is a bummer but 90% of the HD discs out there are like that.

George A. Romero proves that zombies still creep us out.......2006-08-07

We should have known that if George A. Romero was going to go back to the well of the living dead another time he was going to come up with something different. What "George A. Romero's Land of the Dead" (the director's name goes up top so you know this is not merely another remake of one of his zombie films, like last year's "Dawn of the Dead") offers is two variations on the familiar theme. The first is in this brave new world humanity has found a way of perpetuating the old divide between the "haves" and "haves not," even when there are all those zombies out there suggest it should now be "us" versus "them." Kaufman (Dennis Hopper) has set up Fiddler's Green, a luxury high rise on an island between a couple of rivers (think the location of Three River Stadium in Romero's old stomping ground of Pittsburgh even though the movie is shot in Toronto). There the "haves" live while the rest of the island has the "have nots," some of whom are hired as mercenaries to go out into the world and bring back "necessities." Apparently money still matters in the "Land of the Dead," or perhaps people are merely trying to hold on to the old way of life, because the poor are not listening to those advocating going and taking away from the rich.

Consequently, humanity has found a way to survive. You can compare the more active approach of "Land of the Dead" with the mall rats of "Dawn of the Dead," who found a passive means of existence. Kaufman has built Dead Reckoning, a gigantic armored vehicle that leads foraging parties out into the world. These parties are led by Riley (Simon Baker), whose primary goal is getting everybody back alive, which does not always happen. That is because he works with Cholo (John Leguizamo), who has a different idea of necessities, one attuned to the fine tastes of Kaufman. Both men believe they are on their last mission at the start of this 2005 film, Riley because he will have now earned enough to pay for a car to get out of town and Cholo because he believes he has now earned the chance to move on up to Fiddler's Green. Both are wrong and that sets up the conflict to come.

This is where the second variation comes into play. Kaufman not only created a high rise where the "haves" are protected from that "have nots," some of whom actually help the "haves" have even more, but the entire island is zombie proof. This forces Romero to change the zombie part of the equation, and so we are introduced to Big Daddy (Eugene Clark), who runs a gas station and has a moment akin to when the ape looks at the thigh bone in "2001: A Space Odyssey." Just to help us along the voice over at the start of the film warn us that if the zombies ever develop anything approaching rudimentary thinking skills that would be a bad thing, a very bad thing indeed. So, of course, that is what happens. After all, if you can have bad humans, then you can have good zombies (Joss Whedon has convinced me being dead does not make a character inherently bad).

Having a zombie to root for is quite a different experience, but Romero also delivers on the guts and gore when the zombies go into their patented feeding frenzy. The narrative can offer all the sly social satire it wants, we watch these movies to be disgusted by the bloody scenes of cannibalism. The people Romero hires to do makeup and special effects are clearly on the cutting edge when it comes to this type of work. Even when you watch the DVD special features and you see what they are doing in bright light most of it will still creep you out, so the scenes in the film shot at night or in the shadows with the liberal application of blood and other things it is even worse (which is a good thing in a zombie movie).

The bottom line is that Romero delivers just what his fans want with this movie so that there is not a problem with failing to meet expectations. No, "Land of the Dead" is not the best of the bunch, but for my money nothing will surpass the original "Night of the Living Dead." The important thing is that here we are four films into the series, limiting ourselves to just the Romero helmed ones, and the series is certainly going a lot strong than the other comparable horror series, all of which have been abandoned by their creators (which is either a cause or effect). Final Note: Look for Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright of "Shaun of the Dead" fame as the photo booth zombies in one of the classic cameos of the early 21st century.

Universal Soldier 2/ Universal Soldier 3 (Double Feature)

Average customer rating:

Universal Soldier 2/ Universal Soldier 3 (Double Feature)

ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

ASIN: B00062TRNS

Average customer rating:

[Two and a half stars out of five] Average from the word go; musclehead Bill Goldberg, the ex-Pro DLm ends his movie career here
Don't waste your precious lifetime on this
False Advertisement illeagle Business Practices
Oh the humanity!
Van Damme still has it

Universal Soldier - The Return
Starring: Brent Anderson , Maria Arita , Xander Berkeley , James Black (II) , and Karis Paige Bryant
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

Sci-Fi Action | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

Robots & Androids | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

4-for-3 All DVDs | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

( U ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

All Deals | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

ASIN: B000022TSJ
Release Date: 1999-12-28

Amazon.com

Universal Soldier Luc Deveraux is back. Jean-Claude Van Damme gallantly attempts to resurrect interest in his tepid career with this action-riddled roller-coaster ride. Set in the not-too-distant future, Deveraux has been employed by the government to oversee the new UniSol project. What is UniSol? It's a military plan to turn dead soldiers into invincible fighting machines (see the first Univeral Soldier for more details). It's also the scheme that went horribly wrong when the soldiers turned psycho, killing the scientists who created them. Not deterred by this early setback, the government replicates the project. This time they figure that they can control the soldiers through a supercomputer called SETH (kind of like HAL in 2001, but smarter). But, as we all know, machines frequently break down. Pretty soon the computer comes to the conclusion that it's superior to humans and therefore it must destroy them. Uh oh.

Van Damme to the rescue. The muscles from Brussels heroically leap into action confronting the dangerous soldiers led by Bill (WCW) Goldberg and Michael Jai White (last seen in Spawn). The action is impressive and the stunts are engrossing. Goldberg is charismatic as the cartoonish villain who sneers and snouts while muttering macho things like, "I'm gonna kill that guy." Van Damme looks more at home in a production that he is not directing, and for once he lets his fists do the talking. Ironically, the movie is missing the gloss and big-budget pathos of its predecessor (created by Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich), making the original decidedly better. --Jeremy Storey

Customer Reviews:

[Two and a half stars out of five] Average from the word go; musclehead Bill Goldberg, the ex-Pro DLm ends his movie career here.......2006-08-01

I know, Goldy got another movie later,
but here we see why he ISN'T THE next
'Rock'. Supoorting cast is pretty bad
and belgian kickboxing Champ Van Dam
just isn't Schwarzenegger (that says
a lot!) and movie night filming doesn't
help! Props and fake US army set up
looks like something out of a Return
of the Living Dead set! Not really any-
thing to right home about unless you're
into Bill Goldberg, "Next stop, intensive
care...", just like Van Dam and B.G.'s
careers after this movie. Can you beleive
Van Dam did (another) sequel?!

Don't waste your precious lifetime on this.......2006-02-02

One of the worst sci-fi movies ever. Pitiful scenario, a shoot'em with no joy stick!

False Advertisement illeagle Business Practices.......2005-07-02

This Dvd Packaging on the back says Side A is a widescreen 1.85.1 aspect ratio and side B is full frame fitted format. But there is no side a or no widescreen the disc is only full frame. And this is not the first time columbia tri star has done this. False Advertisement is illeagle and can lead to lawsuites. Buyers BEWARE

Oh the humanity!.......2005-02-27

There are bad movies, and then there are BAD movies. "Universal Soldier: The Return" is a cosmically bad movie, a movie so poor in every aspect of its execution that one would have to look to "Manos: The Hands of Fate" for comparison. The first "Universal Soldier" film was a moderately entertaining shoot 'em up flick starring action stars Jean-Claude Van Damme and "Rocky" refugee Dolph Lundgren that essentially accomplished what it set out to do: people perished in violent ways, stuff exploded, and Van Damme and Lundgren beat each other into bloody pulps at the end of the film. Even the presence of the charming Ally Walker as Van Damme's female sidekick greatly helped the film. The movie garnered enough attention and fans to merit the release of a special edition DVD some time back. It unfortunately also garnered enough attention and fans to merit this unredeemable piece of trash sequel. The second, and one hopes final, installment in a franchise that should never have become a franchise achieves such heights of utter banality and stupidity that I sat in open-mouthed awe watching it. I think I can safely say I am less of a person for having sat through this atrocity. Expect to spend a few days in a coma after the credits roll.

Van Damme returns as Luc, the reanimated soldier who triumphed over the forces of government sponsored evil in the first film. On this outing he now works for Dr. Dylan Cotner (Xander Berkeley), a scientist who reconstituted the universal soldier program with the help of his supercomputer S.E.T.H. Luc, with his female sidekick Maggie (Kiana Tom), helps design and run training missions for a new batch of super soldiers. The film opens with what the filmmakers hope is a pulse-pounding jaunt up a river, a jaunt filled with explosions, stunts, gunfire, and the briefest glimpse of Tom's incredibly fit form. As the mission grinds to a halt we learn several important things: Kiana Tom is incredibly hot but can't act her way out of a paper bag, Luc has a daughter named Hillary (Karis Paige Bryant) who you just know will get into trouble at some point, and the only soldiers we must pay attention to are Romeo (Bill Goldberg) and the one played by Michael Jai White. Frankly, turning off the film immediately after glimpsing Tom's amazing physique is probably a good thing. Everything that follows is dull, predictable, and so full of plot holes as to defy description. "Universal Soldier: The Return" feels like eighty minutes of dental surgery rather than an action film.

Sure enough, Cotner's computer goes on the fritz and unleashes the killing power of the universal soldiers. In the resulting conflagration S.E.T.H. implants its consciousness in Michael Jai White, Luc and his loved ones flee from the compound, and the military swoops in to contain the problem. An extraordinarily untalented actress named Heidi Schanz also pops in as nosy reporter called Erin who is interested in exposing the government's latest shenanigans. Predictably, Van Damme and Schanz team up to track down...er...well, track down something to defeat the supercomputer. I think they need some code to shut the system down, but in the meantime the film takes them all over the place so that a wisecracking Romeo can follow them around while absorbing all the abuse Luc can hand out. Even throwing in a few scenes set in an adult's only club can't make this turkey fly. It's dull, folks, and painfully so. By the time the film grinds to its inevitable showdown between Luc and S.E.T.H. back at the shattered compound--with an injured Hillary's life balancing precariously in the background to serve as motivation for an overwhelmed Luc (Geez, what a surprise there!)--I knew I just wasted far too much of my life with this car wreck. How bad can it be, you ask? Read on...

Plot holes in this film are innumerable, as uncountable as grains of sand on the beach or acne on a teenager's face. For example, Luc explains to Erin that he was once a universal soldier just like Romeo but Cotner "cured" him by restoring him to life; he no longer needs injections or ice or any of the other devices used by the soldiers. What the heck are we doing marveling at this amazing supercomputer when Cotner just performed a miracle of biblical implications? He brought someone back from the dead! How exactly did he accomplish this feat? We don't find out from Van Damme, who simply smirks his way through a few lines of dialogue that simply boggle the mind with their monumentally idiotic implications. I could go on, but let's discuss the performances instead--or the lack thereof. I should say I adore Kiana Tom; she's a drop dead gorgeous babe with a body that could stop the earth's rotation, but watching her stumble through dialogue is like having your appendix taken out through your mouth. Another problem is the lumbering Bill Goldberg, whose "funny" lines are anything but. And the more I think about Heidi Schanz, the less I think of her. You have to wonder about a film where Jean-Claude Van Damme is the best thespian in the cast.

You might think a movie this foolhardy shouldn't contain any bonus features on DVD. You would be wrong. Trailers for this film, "The Return," "Double Team," "Desert Heat," "Knock Off," "Maximum Risk," and "Nowhere to Run" showcase the dubious career of Jean-Claude Van Damme. A making of feature, a Van Damme career retrospective (Ha!), a Michael Jai White feature, and talent bios round out the disc. My advice to those viewers thinking of renting "Universal Soldier: The Return"? Run, my friends, run far, far away and don't look back.

Van Damme still has it.......2004-11-21

This film, though not a hit, proved to people that Van Damme was back in shape and could still the Van Damme thing, which is kick people's asses. I know this was not his best acting but it was a pretty entertaning flick, I really wish it had more success at the box office. i mean come on it wasnt meant to be an Oscar winner, its an action flick that has plenty of action nuff said.

DVD:

DVD

DVD