Fracture (Widescreen Edition)

Amazon.com

Anthony Hopkins plays a brilliant, pathologically serene killer outwitting the good guys at every turn and taking a shine to a twentysomething law enforcer who can't conceal a rural accent and rugged origins. Could it be...? No, not The Silence of the Lambs, but an original mystery, Fracture, which plays a little like Lambs as an episode of Columbo, minus Columbo. Which means the film tells us from the get-go that Hopkins' character, a wealthy engineer, shoots his philandering wife (Embeth Davidtz) and leaves her in a vegetative state. From there, it should be a simple matter for young, assistant District Attorney Willy Beachum (Ryan Gosling) to nail Crawford, who provides a full confession and even eschews counsel. That's good for Beachum, a slick winner with a vague background of deprivation, rapidly on his way out of public service after attracting the attention of a deep-pocket, private firm. What he doesn't know, however, is that Crawford has masterminded more than vengeance against his wife, and that the state's case against him is full of pre-arranged holes and a huge time-bomb that will send Beachum scrambling to keep the pieces together.

The story, conceived and co-scripted by Daniel Pyne (Doc Hollywood), goes down easily with a minimum of blood and violence, and should easily appeal to mystery buffs as well as old fans of Hopkins and new admirers of Oscar nominee Gosling (Half Nelson). The latter holds his own in multiple, two-character scenes with the masterful portrayer of Hannibal Lecter, pacing Beachum's reactions to Crawford's polite provocations so everything spills onto his youthful face: torn loyalties, confusion, gullibility. Director Gregory Hoblit (Hart's War), still best-known for decades of distinguished television work (NYPD Blue), brings the necessary intimacy to make the stars' chemistry work effectively. His noirish atmosphere is a little over the top, sometimes pushing the audience to a level of expectation that the film isn't really ready to deliver, but this, overall, is an enjoyable work. --Tom Keogh

Description

Academy Awardï¿½ winner Anthony Hopkins and Academy Awardï¿½ nominee Ryan Gosling are brilliant in this "exceptionally suspenseful nail-biter" (Rex Reed) that's so smart it "doesn't let go, even after the final twist" (Gene Shalit, "Today"). Ted Crawford (Hopkins) brutally murders his wife and calmly waits for the police to arrest him. With the weapon and a signed confession in hand, Deputy D.A., Willy Beachum (Gosling), believes a conviction is a slam dunk; that is until the case completely unravels. Now, with little evidence, Beachum goes head to head with the cunning Mr. Crawford in a desperate search for the truth and the answer to one burning question: How is this guy getting away with murder?

Customer Reviews:

Overly Tricky Plot Makes for Glib Entertainment Thanks Mainly to the Two Leads.......2007-09-17

There's a familiar bag of tricks at work in this 2007 courtroom-driven suspense thriller, and it goes beyond Anthony Hopkins' deliberate echo of Hannibal Lecter in his malevolently amusing performance as Ted Crawford, a wealthy and cuckolded industrial engineer. It involves the intricately plotted, marginally credible screenplay by Daniel Pyne and Glenn Gers, which reminds me of an old episode of Columbo. That's not necessarily a bad thing since those Sunday night shows could be entertaining whodunits, but the derivative veneer of this movie purposefully shortchanges logic for contrived twists. In fact, the central conceit of the film is that we know Crawford shot his beautiful, adulterous wife point blank. The film is really about how he plans to get away with it and how young Willie Beachum, an ambitious and unflagging assistant D.A. bucks the odds and seeks the truth in this case.

Giving away any more is unnecessary, as director Gregory Hoblit is no stranger to the courtroom giving us the equally twist-infested Primal Fear eleven years ago. While the twists are not as pronounced here, they also don't feel as hard-earned here primarily because Crawford and Beachum feel more like archetypes than flesh-and-blood characters. This is where casting helps considerably since Hopkins can evince menace with minimal effort - a blank stare, veiled smirk, the delusion of befuddlement in the courtroom - before you can say The Silence of the Lambs. Impressive in last year's Half Nelson, Ryan Gosling plays Beachum in a likeably braggadocio manner with a heavy Southern accent and a variety of idiosyncratic tics. It is his character that goes through something of an arc from accepting a high-paying job at an exclusive private firm to a personal catharsis over his crusade for justice.

The two principal actors are well matched in their scenes together, even though one is a virtual replay of the one between Hopkins and Jodie Foster in Lambs. The rest of the actors aren't given much leeway to provide any meaningful depth to their characters - David Strathairn, in a complete role reversal from this year's Bourne Ultimatum, as Beachum's moral conscience and current boss, D.A. Joe Labruto; Billy Burke particularly lackluster as the indiscreet detective caught in the middle; Embeth Davidtz making her precious few moments count as Crawford's dissatisfied wife Jennifer; and former Bond girl Rosamund Pike as Nikki Gardner, Beachum's boss at his new firm. Her romantic relationship with Beachum seems like a particularly absurd plot convenience given the impropriety of a senior partner bedding an associate.

The twisty ending satisfies for the obvious reason but is tethered in legal precedents that seem strangely arbitrary (pardon the pun). As part of its set of extras, the 2007 DVD contains two alternatives to the final ending, both making the inevitable a more Baroque-level experience that borders on silly. The other deleted scenes are of marginal interest including two extended variations on the romantic coupling between Gardner and Beachum. While a trailer is included, there is surprisingly no commentary track from either the director or the two principals. For what it's worth, the film is a fun ride for the undemanding because a moment's thought afterward will inevitably spoil your memory of it.

Different Kind of Murder/Suspense Movie!.......2007-09-15

I enjoyed watching this movie a lot as it had some twists and turns in it that I haven't seen in other movies.... this way you won't have figured out the ending before it happens!!

In "Fracture", Anthony Hopkin's character attempts to kill his wife for having an affair with another man. It is no secret that he has attempted to kill his wife as he admits to shooting her to the police. He gets rid of nearly all the evidence, including the murder weapon.

So, now the movie in turn, focuses on how the police and district attorney's office go about making a case for attempted murder. The case seems to be straight forward ENOUGH and SHOULD PROVE TO BE AN EASY TO PROVE..... BUT PROVES TO BE OTHERWISE! Watch Anthony Hopkin's character play cat and mouse with a young, hot shot attorney from the district attorney's office!

'I shot my wife. Prove it.' .......2007-09-13

It has been quite a while since I've seen such a great thriller. This is just a fabulous movie with Anthony Hopkins and Ryan Gosling playing battling characters who engage in a battle of wits. Hopkins plays a husband who discovers his wife having an affair, shoots her, confesses the same night and then has things cleverly arranged where it's almost impossible to convict him. Gosling plays a young, hotshot prosecuting attorney on his way to bigger and better things with a change of scenery to corporate law but gets stuck with this open-and-shut case right before he switches firms. The trouble is, it's a lot more than he figured and he isn't used to losing. Hopkins knows this, of course, and plays on his vanity.

Gosling evolves from a me-only lawyer to someone who really wants justice, even if it costs him. Both characters are cocky and smart and the twists and turns just add to the fun.

I could have watched this story unfold for another two hours and would have been happy to do so, am I'm not one to sit still for long periods these days. That's how good this was. Highly recommended.

Who's the good guy?.......2007-09-06

This film was entertaining, but it was conflicting to see the cat and mouse being played between Gosling and Hopkins. Every time Hopkins was on screen he dominated the dialog, but it was Gosling who managed to portay his own character growth from a disinterested prosecutor with one foot out the door to act like the great lawyer he was supposed to be. My main issue with the movie is that Hopkins is consistently portrayed as a maniacal killer, craftily outsmarting police, and essentially evil incarnate. The fact is that yes, he killed his wife; he killed his cheating wife after having conclusive proof that she was guilty of having an affair. He also managed to ruin the cop who was her lover, and he did so brilliantly. He should have been the hero of this movie, not the villian.

Classy, Entertaining Battle-Of-Wits Story.......2007-09-05

If you like courtroom dramas, appreciate excellent acting and an expertly-filmed movie this is for you. Only once, I think, have I ever proclaimed something "best movie of the year" and all that, because it's all too subjective and also a cliché but that's how I feel about this movie unless something better comes along the last few months of 2007.

This is just a fabulous movie with Anthony Hopkins and Ryan Gosling playing characters who engage in a battle of wits. Hopkins plays a husband who discovers his wife having an affair, shoots her, confesses the same night and then has things cleverly arranged where it's almost impossible to convict him. Gosling plays a young, hotshot prosecuting attorney on his way to bigger and better things with a change of scenery to corporate law but gets stuck with this open-and-shut case right before he switches firms. The trouble is, it's a lot more than he figured and he isn't used to losing. Hopkins knows this, of course, and plays on his vanity.

Gosling evolves from a me-only lawyer to someone who really wants justice, even if it costs him. Both characters are cocky and smart and the twists and turns just add to the fun.

I enjoyed watching all the actors performances and was very impressed. The camera-work by Director Of Photography Kramer Morgenthau should also be recognized, along with director Gregory Hoblit, who seems to direct very entertaining films ("Frequency," "Fallen," etc.)

I could have watched this story unfold for another two hours and would have been happy to do so, am I'm not one to sit still for long periods these days. That's how good this was....just Grade A film-making and storytelling.

Average customer rating:

A Tale of Twin Obsessions
ONE OF THE BEST FILMS I'VE SEEN IN A LONG TIME.
Too long makes this film forgettable.
I expected more
Like the book, like the movie

Zodiac (Widescreen Edition)
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal , Robert Downey Jr. , Mark Ruffalo , Brian Cox , and Chloe Sevigny
Manufacturer: Paramount
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ASIN: B000QUCNP4
Release Date: 2007-07-24

Amazon.com

Closer in spirit to a police procedural than a gory serial-killer flick, David Fincher's Zodiac provides a sleek, armrest-gripping re-invention of the crime film. It surveys the investigation of the Zodiac killings that terrorized the San Francisco Bay area in the late -60-early -70s; Zodiac not only killed people, but cultivated a Jack the Ripper aura by sending icky letters to the newspapers and daring readers to solve coded messages. But the film's focus isn't on the killer. We follow the reporters and detectives whose lives are taken over by the case, notably an addictive crime writer (a sartorially splendid Robert Downey Jr.), an awkward editorial cartoonist (Jake Gyllenhaal), and a hard-working cop (Mark Ruffalo). Fincher and his brilliant cinematographer Harris Savides are deft at capturing the period feel of the city, without laying on the seventies kitsch, and James Vanderbilt's script doles out its big moments to major and minor characters alike. Fincher's confidence is infectious; the movie glides through its myriad details with such dexterity that even the blind alleys and red herrings seem essential. The well-chosen cast includes unexpected people popping up all over: Anthony Edwards as a lunch-bucket homicide cop; Charles Fleischer as a mysterious suspect; Elias Koteas and Donal Logue as small-town policemen whose districts are hit by Zodiac; Chloe Sevigny as Gyllenhaal's sweet-natured wife; Brian Cox as the media-friendly lawyer Melvin Belli, so famous he once appeared on Star Trek; and the mighty John Carroll Lynch, as a supremely creepy suspect. The film is based on non-fiction books by Robert Graysmith (he's portrayed by Gyllenhaal), although Fincher and co. did extensive research on their own. The result is a propulsive whodunit without (thus far) an ending, but the uncertainty makes the film even more intriguing. --Robert Horton

Beyond Zodiac

The Zodiac (2005)
Curse of the Zodiac (2007)
The Novel

Stills from Zodiac (click for larger image)

Customer Reviews:

A Tale of Twin Obsessions.......2007-09-15

David Fincher invites his viewers on a nearly three hour journey into obsession in Zodiac. Two obsessions ,really, one the story of a person with a obsession for killing and the second of the police and journalists on an obsessive quest for the truth.

Zodiac is a departure from normal Fincher fare. The film is more a tight police procedural than a gory serial killer film. The story is the stuff of urban legend and needs no real explanation. The three principal leads in the film Jake Gyllenhaal as cartoonist Robert Graysmith, Mark Rufallo as Inspector David Toschi and Robert Downey, Jr. as reporter Paul Avery are excellent. The film offers insights into all of its characters great and small that are not usually found in films of this type. We go on an emotional ride with these people and begin to care about what the strain of the case is doing to them both professionally and personally.

Fincher has always been a director for creating atmosphere ans Zodiac is no different. Using cinematographer Harris Savides and production designer Donald Graham Burt he effectively recreates late 1960's/ early 1970's San Francisco without ever going over the top. Writer James Vanderbilt provides a complex screenplay that keeps you guessing throughout. There are more false leads and red herrings here for a film twice its length.

If there is a problem with this film it's that Paramount has decided to release a bare bones edition of the film but promises a new bonus filled Director's Edition early in 2008. Having this trailer on the film feels like a slap in the face to those of us who bought the early edition.

This is one of the better and more intelligent films of the year thus far and deserves a look. You may want to rent it now and wait for the special edition before purchasing it though.

ONE OF THE BEST FILMS I'VE SEEN IN A LONG TIME........2007-09-15

THIS FILM IS SO GOOD, I HAD TO GET THE BOOK BY ROBERT GRAYSMITH. THE BOOK IS A LITTLE DIFFERENT THAN THE FILM. NAME CHANGES, STUFF LIKE THAT. I FIRST HEARD ABOUT THE ZODIAC ON THE A&E CHANNELL. IT WAS AN INTERESTING YET FRIGHTFUL TRUE STORY THAT HAPPENED IN THE LATE 60'S AND 70'S. IT REMINDS ME OF THE SON OF SAM, WHICH I KNOW MORE ABOUT BECAUSE I AM FROM AND STILL LIVE IN NYC, THAT HIT CLOSER TO HOME, BUT THE ZODIAC IS A LITTLE BIT MORE SCARY TO HEAR AND READ ABOUT. STEVE MCQUEEN'S BULLET, WAS BASED ON THE LEAD INSPECTOR, DAVE TOSCHI. MARK RUFFALO WHO PLAYS THE POLICE DET. IS FANTASTIC. HE HAS THE ITALIAN LOOK, THE CURLY HAIR, YES HIS HAIR IS REALLY THAT CURLY. I HEARD ABOUT THE ACTOR, BUT I THINK IT'S THE FIRST TIME I SAW HIM ACT. HE IS SO BELIEVEABLE. I READ IN THE BOOK HE ACTUALLY MET WITH DAVE TOSCHI TO PICK UP THE MANNERISMS AND THE CLOTHES DET. TOSCHI WORE. JAKE G. IS ALSO BELIEVEABLE. THE ACTORS BRING HEART AND SOUL TO THE ROLES. ROBERT DOWNEY JR. BLEW ME AWAY. THE CLOTHES IN THE FILM BRING ME BACK TO THE ERA. ROBERT IS SUCH A GOOD ACTOR. I THINK THIS FILM WILL BE A CLASSIC, LIKE JFK WITH KEVIN COSTNER. I RENTED IT, AND I HAD TO BUY THE DVD, THEN I GOT THE BOOK. I BOUGHT THEM ALL ON AMAZON. I HOPE THE FILM GETS NOMINATED FOR OSCARS, IT'S THAT GOOD. THERE ARE A FEW SCENES THAT ARE HARD TO WATCH, WHEN THE ZODIAC ATTACKS HIS VICTIMS AND KILLS SOME OF THEM. THIS FILM IS WORTH RENTING AND BUYING IT. IT'S KINDA LONG, ALMOST 3 HRS, BUT IT NEVER GETS BORING. YOU FOLLOW THE STORY FROM ONE OF THE MURDERS, TO THE ENTRANCE OF THE MAIN CHARACTERS: JAKE G. RUFFALO, AND DOWNEY. ON THE DVD,COMING IN 2008, THERE WILL BE A EXTENDED VERSION OF THE FILM. DIRECTOR'S COMMENTARY, BEHIND THE SCENES. I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT VERSION. I HOPE THIS REVIEW HELPS. THANK YOU

Too long makes this film forgettable........2007-09-14

Zodiac directed by David Fincher starts off really well even though the first 30 minutes are the most violent but as the film goes on, the characters become too cluttered and the progression is a bit slow and lackluster. I have always liked Fincher's films but this one doesn't flow well and since the San Franciso Police Department never found out the identity of the Zodiac killer, you kinda expected an ambivalent ending. The use of the song, Hurdy Gurdy Man by Donovan is played many times during the film, and that song is perfect and kept me watching this film the whole way through. There are some great performances by Jake Gyllenhaal and Mark Ruffalo but sadly even their acting can't save this so-so film.

I expected more.......2007-09-09

After years of pondering the Zodiac murders, I thought that this movie was going to bring all the pieces together by placing the final piece into the puzzle. So I was really disappointed that the final piece still leads to the person the law and writers always thought it was....But with no true ending. But it's a good movie.

Like the book, like the movie.......2007-09-09

If you have problems with Graysmith you'll have them with the film - very close to the book and a fine set piece for the era. Definitely worth your time.

Average customer rating:

A weak modernized remake of Rear Window for teens
A Spooky Blend
Disturbia: Disturbingly Excellent
Suprisingly good
Disturbia

Disturbia (Widescreen Edition)
Starring: Shia LaBeouf , Sarah Roemer , Carrie-Anne Moss , David Morse , and Aaron Yoo
Director: D.J. Caruso
Manufacturer: Dreamworks Video
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B000RO6K9E
Release Date: 2007-08-07

Amazon.com

Alfred Hitchcock fans may experience déjà vu upon exposure to this voyeuristic thriller. That's because director DJ Caruso (The Salton Sea) and co-writer Carl Ellsworth (Red Eye) use Rear Window as a jumping-off point before cherry-picking from more recent scare fare, like The Blair Witch Project. In the prologue, 17-year-old Kale (Shia LaBeouf, Holes) loses his beloved father to a car crash. A year passes, and he's still on edge. When a teacher makes a careless remark about his dad, Kale punches him out, and is sentenced to house arrest. After his mom (Carrie-Anne Moss, Memento) takes away his Xbox and iTunes privileges, the suburban slacker spies on his neighbors to pass the time. In the process, he develops a crush on Ashley (Sarah Roemer, The Grudge 2), the hot girl next door, and becomes convinced that another, the soft-spoken Mr. Turner (David Morse, The Green Mile), is a serial killer. With the help of the flirtatious Ashley, practical joke-playing pal Ronnie (Aaron Yoo), and an array of high-tech gadgets, like cell-phone cameras and digital camcorders, Kale sets out to solve a major case without leaving his yard (a feat that would prove more challenging for a less affluent sleuth). In the end, it's pretty familiar stuff, but there are plenty of scares once Turner realizes he's being watched, and rising star LaBeouf, who next appears in Michael Bay's Transformers, makes for an engaging leading man--despite his character's propensity for slugging Spanish instructors. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Beyond Disturbia

Why We Love Shia LaBeouf
The Soundtrack
Rear Window

Stills from Disturbia (click for larger image)

Customer Reviews:

A weak modernized remake of Rear Window for teens.......2007-09-15

As everybody knows by now, Disturbia was pretty much a modernized remake of Hitchcocks 'Rear Window" for the teen scene.

For all practical purposes nothing of substance happens for the first 50 minutes of the this film, thus suspense is never really built like in Hitchcock's work.

When things start to happen, it does so in a largely irritating manner due to the two (2) criminal sins too many film makers commit today........

1) Keeping the story going by having everybody do the dumbest actions possible.

2) Ignore the laws of physics and reality.

MILD SPOILER ALERT BELOW...............................
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If you are watching a murderer thru binoculars from across the street and the very moment you set them down, you turn and find that killer standing in your 2nd floor bedroom then somehow that killer is either magical or owns a molecular transporter.
All thru this movie, the killer appears and dissapears instantaneously near our main characters even if they just saw the killer 100 yards away only 2 seconds earlier.

I suppose this was done to "surprise" the audience, but it comes across quite silly.

The young actors were actually very good and they could have done more with this movie........ it ends up just being a watered down teen flick that borrows heavily from a classic but misses the formula for what made the original Hitchcock film so good.

A Spooky Blend.......2007-09-14

I couldn't help comparing Disturbia with the Burbs and Rear Window.

There is some great humor in Disturbia along with the horror and creepiness.

With several scenes that are hard to shake from your thoughts late at night when you can't sleep and the house starts to make noises, Disturbia delivers on the suspense and thrills.

I appreciated the restraint it showed in language, gore and sex. There are some elements that parents will want to check into if they are concerned about their kids seeing Disturbia, but it's not a teen gross out movie.

Disturbia: Disturbingly Excellent.......2007-09-14

This movie was a chiller, from beginning to end! Excellent Friday night movie!

Suprisingly good.......2007-09-12

The first half of "Disturbia" is rather bland....Kale (Shia LaBeouf) is placed under house arrest for popping his teacher and he begins a three-month "incarceration" by watching videos and looking pretty bored. But after he picks up his binoculars and begins scouting the neighbors, things accelerate. Loosely based on Alfred Hitchcock's "Rear Window", "Disturbia" is an update with gizmos. One cannot imagine this film working on any level unless everyone had a cellphone. "Disturbia" is aimed at a younger crowd but an appealing performance by LaBeouf helps it to a satisfying conclusion.

Disturbia.......2007-09-09

This movie is one of those you just can't look away from when watching. It keeps you right there as if you are there. It's a great movie, must see. I highly recommend this one.

Pan's Labyrinth (New Line Two-Disc Platinum Series)

Average customer rating:

Fantasy Verses Reality
Fiction at its finest!!
A Spanish-Language Film Suited For Any Audience
Pan's Labyrinth Review
A Master Class in Cinematic Myth Weaving

Pan's Labyrinth (New Line Two-Disc Platinum Series)
Starring: Ariadna Gil , Ivana Baquero , Sergi López , Maribel Verdú , and Doug Jones
Director: Guillermo del Toro
Manufacturer: New Line Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00005JPA6
Release Date: 2007-05-15

Amazon.com

Inspired by the Brothers Grimm, Jorge Luis Borges, and Guillermo del Toro's own unlimited imagination, Pan's Labyrinth is a fairytale for adults. Ofelia (Ivana Baquero) may only be 12, but the worlds she inhabits, both above and below ground, are dark as anything del Toro has conjured. Set in rural Spain, circa 1944, Ofelia and her widowed mother, Carmen (Ariadna Gil, Belle Epoque), have just moved into an abandoned mill with Carmen's new husband, Captain Vidal (Sergi López, With a Friend like Harry). Carmen is pregnant with his son. Other than her sickly mother and kindly housekeeper Mercedes (Maribel Verdú, Y Tu Mamá También), the dreamy Ofelia is on her own. Vidal, an exceedingly cruel man, couldn't be bothered. He has informers to torture. Ofelia soon finds that an entire universe exists below the mill. Her guide is the persuasive Faun (Doug Jones, Mimic). As her mother grows weaker, Ofelia spends more and more time in the satyr's labyrinth. He offers to help her out of her predicament if she'll complete three treacherous tasks. Ofelia is willing to try, but does this alternate reality really exist or is it all in her head? Del Toro leaves that up to the viewer to decide in a beautiful, yet brutal twin to The Devil's Backbone, which was also haunted by the ghost of Franco. Though it lacks the humor of Hellboy, Pan's Labyrinth represents Guillermo Del Toro at the top of his considerable game. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Description

Following a bloody civil war, young Ofelia enters a world of unimaginable cruelty when she moves in with her new stepfather, a tyrannical military officer. Armed with only her imagination, Ofelia discovers a mysterious labyrinth and meets a faun who sets her on a path to saving herself and her ailing mother. But soon, the lines between fantasy and reality begin to blur, and before Ofelia can turn back, she finds herself at the center of a ferocious battle between good and evil.

DVD Features:
Audio Commentary:Video Prologue by Guillermo Del Toro Audio Commentary by Director Guillermo Del Toro
Featurette:The Power of Myth Featurette The Faun and the Fairies Featurette The Color and The Shape Featurette The Charlie Rose Show featuring Director Guillermo Del Toro The Director's Notebook
Production Sketches
Storyboards:Storyboard Video Prologue by Guillermo del Toro. Storyboard/Thumbnail compares
Theatrical Trailer:Theatrical teaser, Theatrical trailer, TV spots

Customer Reviews:

Fantasy Verses Reality.......2007-09-15

Bravo!! A well done movie! This is an excellent movie and I would highly recommend it.... Although, I wouldn't recommend this movie for children. It is for ADULTS ONLY due to the content of the film.

You can read the description of this movie's storyline above, so won't rehash it here. I will however share my impressions of the movie below: The cinematography is brilliant & so was the computer graphics in this movie. I also enjoyed the acting and storyline of this movie as well. It was all so captivating. I found myself wanting to know how the story was going to unfold/end. No Hollywood ending here. This movie is anything but predictable, which is quite refreshing!

Fiction at its finest!!.......2007-09-14

This movie is the perfect combination of fantasy and reality!! I just finished watching it on HBO and now I want to see it again.

A Spanish-Language Film Suited For Any Audience.......2007-09-14

Firstly, and most importantly, everyone must know that this film is Spanish language with English subtitles. Quick, before you go and vote this review unhelpful for stating the obvious, let me tell you this; most people don't READ Amazon's product info. They skip right to the reviews. The thing I first came here to look for is if the fact that it's in a different language take away from the film.

After seeing the entirety of "Pan's Labyrinth", the answer is quite simply 'no.'

What we've got here is a visual and graphic masterpiece of a story. The fantasy elements mingle seamlessly with the real-life portions, bringing up questions that will leave you thinking about the movie for hours. Is the fantasy aspect of the story really happening, or is it all in Ofelia's mind? What does it mean when the fantasy monsters (which are quite horrifying) not even a fraction as frightening as the evil of the human characters? This isn't just one of those films you can watch. It's bloody violent, while also managing to be visually astounding. The deepness and the heart of the story leaves such an emotional impact, which is only expanded by the simple yet effective use of music.

This is a movie one can truly get involved in; you root for the characters, you relate to and cry with them, and--from the way the film is shot--you go on the fantastic journey with them. There is nothing negative to say about this film at all, except for the fact that even the least squeamish of viewers may wince at some of the most violent scenes. This is no child's fairy tale.

10/10 Classic.

Pan's Labyrinth Review.......2007-09-13

Although this is a subtitled film, it is a wonderful movie. Time well spent.

A Master Class in Cinematic Myth Weaving .......2007-09-12

Take note, Spielberg and Lucus! Del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth is a master class on how to go about capturing real magic on film. In order to have true resonance, cinematic myth weaving requires soul, and this film bleeds it with each ensorcelled frame.

Average customer rating:

The Final Installment Of "Prime Suspect" Is A Great Tribute To One Of TV's Best Characters And The Incomparable Helen Mirren
Jane Tennison's Last Hurrah
Just fantastic

Prime Suspect 7 - The Final Act
Starring: Helen Mirren , Stephen Tompkinson , Laura Greenwood , Eve Best , and Gary Lewis (III)
Director: Philip Martin (IV)
Manufacturer: Acorn Media
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B000R349HU
Release Date: 2007-09-11

Amazon.com

Detective Superintendent Jane Tennison (Helen Mirren) has dedicated her life to pursuing criminals and, as she nears retirement, the stresses of the job and of proving herself in the man's world of law enforcement have taken their toll: she has virtually no life of her own as well as a serious alcohol problem. Ever dedicated to her job, Tennison is determined to solve one final case, that of a 14-year old girl Sallie Sturdy (Maxine Barton) who's gone missing, before she retires. Even as Detective Superintendent Tennison's father takes seriously ill and alcohol-induced blackouts hinder her investigative capabilities, Tennison remains resolute in her determination to solve the case. As the investigation progresses, Tennison develops an unusually close relationship with the missing girl's young friend Penny Phillips (Laura Greenwood), seeing much of her younger self in the headstrong girl, and struggles to maintain her focus and use her crime-solving instincts and sharp eye for detail to bring Sallie's killer to justice. In the end, Tennison must also find a way to come to terms with her own alcoholism and impending retirement.

Prime Suspect was a groundbreaking British television series because of its portrayal of a powerful woman who dared to aspire to a leadership role in the man's world of police detective work. In the 15 years the series ran (1991-2006), every season tackled politically volatile subject matter, from sexism to racism and homophobia, while maintaining an intense attention to detail and a steadfast commitment to the accurate portrayal of law enforcement's investigative process. It was, one could argue, the precursor to modern crime series like CSI and Law and Order. Fittingly, these final episodes in the Prime Suspect series deal head-on with the controversy of inappropriate relationships between minors and adults. Oscar-winner Helen Mirren gives an incredibly strong performance and is backed by the considerable talents of Laura Greenwood, Stephen Tompkinson (as Sean Phillips), and the rest of the cast. Bonus features include a 45-minute behind the scenes featurette about the entire series, photo gallery, and cast filmographies. --Tami Horiuchi

Beyond Prime Suspect 7: The Final Act

Essentials by Actress: Helen Mirren
British Mystery Theater
The Prime Suspect series

Stills from Prime Suspect 7: The Final Act (click for larger image)

Product Description

"Perhaps the greatest role and performance of a female police detective, ever"--San Francisco Chronicle

In yet another subtle, powerful performance, Oscar® winner Helen Mirren truly inhabits the role of Detective Superintendent Jane Tennison. The Final Act finds her searching for Sallie Sturdy, a 14-year-old girl presumed murdered. Facing the hospitalization of her father, descending deeper into alcoholism, and resisting pressure to retire quietly, Tennison vows to bring Sallie's killer to justice before ending her career. Along the way she forges a surprising friendship with Penny Philips (Laura Greenwood), the missing girl's best friend. In the teenager's longing and fierce independence, the aging cop sees something of her younger self.

Jane Tennison emerges as a deeply flawed but ultimately sympathetic human being--one who accepts responsibility for her choices, knowing full well the price she and others have paid for each. The Final Act serves as the perfectly fitting conclusion to what some critics have called the best crime series ever televised.

DVD SPECIAL FEATURES INCLUDE 50-minute behind-the-scenes feature, photo gallery, and cast filmographies.

Some coarse language and graphic content

Customer Reviews:

The Final Installment Of "Prime Suspect" Is A Great Tribute To One Of TV's Best Characters And The Incomparable Helen Mirren.......2007-07-14

"Masterpiece Theater" has long been a benchmark in bringing quality British TV to American viewers. With a prestigious history, some legendary programs--including "Upstairs, Downstairs" and "I, Claudius"--have found acclaim, awards, and international audiences. Of late, "Masterpiece Theater" has been showcasing some ambitious literary adaptations with mixed results. Last season's high point, and a must for any lover of film, was the flawless adaptation of Charles Dickens' "Bleak House." A triumph in every regard, and featuring Emmy nominated turns by Charles Dance and Gillian Anderson, this program should be essential viewing for those that value literate, classy and wildly entertaining TV. This season's offerings have included "To The Ends Of The Earth" (an adaptation of William Golding's seafaring trilogy--'Rites Of Passage,' 'Close Quarters' and 'Fire Down Below'), a robust new version of Charlotte Bronte's "Jane Eyre," a reimagining of Bram Stoker's "Dracula," and the swan song of Helen Mirren's Jane Tennison in "Prime Suspect 7-The Final Act."

Unlike most entries in the "Masterpiece Theater" library this year, "Prime Suspect 7" is not a literary adaptation of a classic work. Instead, it is the final installment of the wonderful "Prime Suspect" series which began 15 years ago. In 1992, audiences were introduced to Detective Chief Inspector Jane Tennison who was the only woman in a London homicide squad. Passed over for promotion due to her gender, her big break came when another DCI suffered a heart attack. Stepping up as the leader of the squad, she encountered disdain and ridicule from the men of the unit--but through the years has garnered a grudging respect due to her investigative skills. Now, in "Prime Suspect 7-The Final Act," Tennison faces her final case and her impending retirement after a cumulative 30 years working for the police.

When a high school girl goes missing, police are quick to question possible suspects--from her parents, to a coach she may have been involved with, to a secret boyfriend. Learning more about the girl, it seems as if she was not the innocent most people believed her to be. Tennison befriends another young girl, a potential witness in the case who happens to be the victim's best friend. As Tennison faces retirement, she is still battling many demons--an estrangement from her family, a father in the hospital, and her alcoholism. Her friendship with the girl is a way for her to grasp the remaining part of her humanity, and to get some kind of understanding for the hard choices that she has made to further her career. Not to be dismissive of the actual police procedural--but in all honesty, it's not that hard to figure out. But you know what? Doesn't matter in the slightest.

This program, more than any other in the "Prime Suspect" series, is a love letter to Helen Mirren. Tennison is easily one of TV's most difficult female characters--she is a mass of flaws and an absolute mess in most regards. Mirren has evolved with this character, so it's fitting that the final installment features Tennison at her most vulnerable. In a year where Mirren has won every award conceivable for both "Elizabeth I" on TV and "The Queen" at the movies--this, to me, (although not a royal) is her crowning achievement! It's a fitting tribute to a complex character and an opportunity for Mirren to grace us with another tour de force performance (she has previously won Emmy accolades for prior "Prime Suspect" installments). Recommended highly (but 4 stars due to the rather routine resolution of the film's central mystery), I will miss not having Jane Tennison to look forward to any more. A great series, a great good-bye. Buy them all right now! KGHarris, 02/07.

Jane Tennison's Last Hurrah.......2007-06-10

The best Prime Suspect was definitely saved for last. In Prime Suspect 6, Jane Tennison rose to an entirely new level as she fought insubordination and calls to retire, while solving a complex international murder. In Prime Suspect 7, Jane Tennison faces new challenges, but most of these challenges come from within, as she struggles with alcoholism and the death of her father, all while trying to solve her most challenging case yet. The drama and suspense of Prime Suspect 7 is as great as we have seen in the past, but what makes this Prime Suspect the best yet is the extraordinary depth of Jane Tennison. Helen Mirren delivers yet another brilliant and masterful performance in the role that has defined her career.

Just fantastic.......2007-06-10

I've just seen this episode in french and it's fantastic.Helen Mirren is a gem.The suspense is gripping.I'm looking forward for the release on DVD.I have the other six episodes.It's a shame this is the last one.Bravo Dame Helen.

Average customer rating:

WHY??????
Perfect Stranger with Halle Berry, Bruce Willis
Crap...............what more can I say.........
Not perfect by far, but better than you've heard
Wha-Huh?

Perfect Stranger (Widescreen Edition)
Starring: Halle Berry
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000RO9Q7W
Release Date: 2007-08-21

Product Description

When her friend's affair with married ad exec Harrison Hill (Bruce Willis) ends in the woman's murder, investigative reporter Rowena Price (Academy Award® winner Halle Berry; Best Actress, Monster's Ball, 2001) vows to bring the killer to justice. Suspecting Hill of the crime, she goes undercover by posing as two highly alluring women: Katherine, a sexy temp who works within his agency, and Veronica, a seductive temptress he chats up online. Engaging in a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse, both Rowena and Hill begin to realize things may not be what they seem. For some people will go to great lengths to protect their secrets, even if it means risking everything.

Customer Reviews:

WHY??????.......2007-09-10

Until this I thought Derailed was the worst film EVER. Boy was I WRONG. Dialogue, Direction, Acting... HORRIFIC. A Giant mess from first to last. Hitchcock was turning in his grave. And the ending? WHY

Perfect Stranger with Halle Berry, Bruce Willis.......2007-09-09

Oh my goodness this is a MUST SEE MOVIE! It was a great thriller, story line, keep you on edge of your seat. It was very well done, had great plot. You will be glued to the screen!

Crap...............what more can I say................2007-09-08

This movie was crap, crap and more crap. Oh, and did I mention it was crap. I would give this movie zero stars if I could.
From Halle Berry's over-acting, numerous close-ups, to Bruce Willis' stoic face. This movie should never have left the editing room except in the trash can.
Berry's performance in Catwoman was worth an Oscar compared to her portrayal in this forgetable farce.
It's like the writers got together and said who is the person you least expect to have committed the murder? Well, of course, the person you have investigating it.......lets make them the killer.
Just plain dumb.

Not perfect by far, but better than you've heard.......2007-09-08

I'd heard this movie was a waste
Badly done and in poor taste
I bought it with indecent haste
(Along with staples, mints and paste)

It started oh, so very well
With people playing kiss and tell
But then something began to smell
Before the final curtain fell

Seems everybody has inside
Something that they'd rather hide
And if this movie is a guide
Be careful in whom you confide

While chatting on the internet
There's something you should not forget
Strangers are a constant threat
So don't do things you might regret

Halle Berry sifts the lies
That lead to an old friend's demise
There are some things you can't disguise
If you look deep into her eyes

I found that it was rather gripping
Though by the end the plot was slipping
I'm glad I didn't opt for skipping
But happy that I paid no shipping

Amanda Richards, September 8, 2007

Wha-Huh?.......2007-09-07

Well, holy crap. This film was perfectly decent and kept its suspense and intrigue going...right up until the last ten minutes, where an ending from a completely different movie seems to be tacked on as a "twist ending" meant to surprise. It does succeed in surprising, but that's only because it makes absolutely no sense. The ending single-handedly destroys anything this film had going for it, which wasn't a whole lot to begin with, regardless of the performances. This is honestly a decent, well-acted movie to watch...only if you stop the film at the hour and a half mark and then make up your own ending yourself. Trust me, it'll be ten times better than what transpires here.

Average customer rating:

Nothing is better
Maintains its high quality, great entertainment
They continue to drizzle these out.

Midsomer Murders Set 9
Starring: Midsomer Murders
Manufacturer: Acorn Media
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000R349IY
Release Date: 2007-09-25

Description

As seen on A&E and The Biography Channel

WHAT EVIL LURKS BEYOND THE WELL-TRIMMED HEDGES OF MIDSOMER . . .

The cozy villages of Midsomer County reveal their most sinister secrets in these contemporary British television mysteries. Inspired by the novels of Caroline Graham, modern master of the English village mystery, the series stars John Nettles (Bergerac) as the unflappable Detective Chief Inspector Barnaby with John Hopkins (Love in a Cold Climate) as his brash young assistant, Sergeant Dan Scott. Guest stars include Garry Cooper, Diana Quick, Harriet Walter, and Caroline Blakiston.

THE MYSTERIES
Things That Go Bump in the Night -- A series of grisly murders rocks the village of Fletcher's Cross and a group of controversial spiritualists fall under suspicion.
Dead in the Water -- Barnaby and Scott immerse themselves in the luxurious world of rowing after a murder mars the annual Midsomer Regatta.
Orchis Fatalis -- In the orchid-mad village of Midsomer Malham, Barnaby and Scott must discover who would kill to own an extremely rare specimen.
Bantling Boy -- Why did the owner of Bantling Hall bequeath his champion thoroughbred to four Midsomer villagers? The only person who knows doesn't live to tell the tale.

DVD SPECIAL FEATURES INCLUDE Caroline Graham biography and cast filmographies.

Customer Reviews:

Nothing is better.......2007-09-11

I have seen all these episodes on the Mystery Channel at one time or other. If you are a mystery fan who wants a quality "library" then this series is for you. It is well written, directed, and great acting performances with an adult tilt on the storyline. Not necessarily something you want to have playing on the 'tube' with the kids around as they have some sexual content although the language is OK. Quality adult, mystery,entertainment at it's best though. You can't go wrong.

Maintains its high quality, great entertainment.......2007-08-29

As a note, Borders started selling this boxed set on August 14. The quality of the disks is excellent, as are the episodes, which are very well done.

They continue to drizzle these out........2007-08-10

Midsomer Murders Set 9 is actually comprised of four episodes from Series 8:
Episode 1 - Things That Go Bump in the Night,
Episode 2 - Dead in the Water,
Episode 4 - Orchis Fatalis, and
Episode 5 - Bantling Boy.

Episode 3 - Ghosts of Christmas Past, the Christmas Special was included in the previous set.

There are three more episodes in the eighth series (Second Sight, Hidden Depths, and Sauce for the Goose), and once again, we will have to wait for another set to see them. In England these were released in sets of 10 episodes (at $100 to $200 US per set). If they want to issue fewer episodes per set in the U.S. to keep the price down on each set, they could still have issued multiple sets at one time, covering an entire series.

With that said, this is still my all-time favorite mystery series. I still haven't completely adjusted to Barnaby's new assistant, but I'm liking him better with time. Well-plotted, well-acted, with interesting guest stars.

Average customer rating:

THE MOTEL WAS BUILT FROM SCRATCH--- ITS ALL CREATED
"Deliverance" us from "Hostel" and lead us not into "Saw"
An utter waste of time
Hell hath no commercials
Motel Terror To Sheer Perfection

Vacancy
Starring: Kate Beckinsale , Luke Wilson , Frank Whaley , Ethan Embry , and Scott G. Anderson
Director: Nimród Antal
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000RGN2JI
Release Date: 2007-08-14

Amazon.com

A confined setting is a useful tool for thriller-makers, and Vacancy is definitely boxed in: a rundown motel way, way off the Interstate, the kind of place where unsuspecting movie characters go to get stabbed to death in the shower. If Vacancy doesn't quite live up to its Hitchcockian forbears, at least it provides 80 minutes of well-designed mayhem. You know somebody's paying attention just from the opening credits, a clever vortex with pounding music by Paul Haslinger. Then we meet unhappy couple Luke Wilson and Kate Beckinsale, driving along in the dark and forced to stay at the Pinewood Motel after a car breakdown. There's a night man (Frank Whaley, decadent) in the tradition of Dennis Weaver's Touch of Evil gargoyle, but the real mess of trouble is waiting in room number 4. Director Nimrod Antal, who scored a stylish international hit with the Hungarian thriller Kontroll, squeezes maximum juice out of the Route 66 atmosphere of the motel, although the movie doesn't get under your skin the way Kontroll did. Wilson and Beckinsale are a little too marquee-namish for this kind of heavy-breathing work, and the script doesn't give them much to play with. But hey, it's not that kind of movie. Where it really belongs is on the top half of a drive-in double bill, or maybe as a nightmare-scenario TV movie from the Seventies. Either way, it works. --Robert Horton

Stills from Vacancy (click for larger image)

More Vacancy on Amazon.com

Vacancy on Blu-ray
Avoid Travel Disasters
By the Director

Product Description

When David (Luke Wilson) and Amy Fox's (Kate Beckinsale) car breaks down in the middle of nowhere, they are forced to spend the night at the only motel around, with only the TV to entertain them... until they discover that the low-budget slasher videos they find in their room were all filmed in the very room they're sitting in. With hidden cameras now aimed at them... trapping them in rooms, crawlspaces, underground tunnels... and filming their every move, David and Amy must struggle to get out alive before they end up the next victims on tape.

Customer Reviews:

THE MOTEL WAS BUILT FROM SCRATCH--- ITS ALL CREATED.......2007-09-16

THIS FILM NOIR DID A GOOD JOB WITH ACTION AND SUSPENSE. ITS NOT JUST ANOTHER DUM DUM HORROR FLICK. BUY IT USED YOU CANT LOSE IN MY OPINION. THE ACTOR THAT PLAYED THE NIGHT CLERK/MANAGER IS A WONDERFUL CHARACTER ACTOR.....LAUGH AND CRINGE? BE SURE YOU WATCH THE EXTRA FEATURES ON HOW THE MOTEL WAS BUILT FOR THE MOVIE.

"Deliverance" us from "Hostel" and lead us not into "Saw".......2007-09-15

A movie with so many holes they've been known to sell it at donut shops, "Vacancy" is all about nobody being home. Take for instance a couple of spoilers in this spoiler: A stack of homemade VHS tapes in the control room of our motel hell imply the trio of S&M hick-nerd antagonists have snuffed out hundreds of guests in previous bursts of exuberant torture. So why is it such a difficult task to finish off awkward, amoeba-jowled Luke Wilson when he's lying unconscious on the floor of a motel room? A sudden aversion to the sight of blood or just a real fondness for "Old School"?

We've been down this road so many times I'm starting to think that these movies are subsidized by the Department of Transportation. Rattling off a few rolling around in my head: "Jeepers Creepers," "Duel," "The Hitcher," "Dead End," "Wrong Turn," "The Hills Have Eyes" and "Texas Chainsaw Massacre." The yellow brick road allegory of stick to the path or you will die. Stephen King milked it when he wrote about the secret path to a pet cemetery. It's almost an endorsement of pack mentality.

How about this one? Does anyone believe a whitebread woman living an upscale lifestyle, given a situation in which she is stuck at the fringe of civilization at midnight with a car broken down on the side of a highway a mile from that hotel standing a mere 100 feet away, would utter, "Let's go back to the car and wait" to her husband moments after smiling comfortably while talking to the obligatory gas-station-in-the-middle-of-nowhere clerk? No. It's stupid and this kind of lazy, half-donkey dialogue shows up constantly like a renegade fly buzzing around your bedroom will occasionally ruffle your hair. I'll tell you what, though; I watched the opening titles twice, definitely the only thing I will remember about this movie in six-months' time.

An utter waste of time.......2007-09-14

Make a checklist of horror movie cliches before you watch, then check them off. They hardly miss a one. There's the guy who "fixes" their car, the creepy motel manager (they missed calling him Norman), the illogical plot - why would they watch the cop they called from a window instead of calling out? If you read this then watch it anyway, at least you can't say you weren't warned. Yawn.

Hell hath no commercials.......2007-09-13

Smile for the camera, right before I kill you.

The buildup of suspense in this movie is tremendous. A distraught couple on a road trip gets lost in the middle of nowhere. Then the car breaks down and they're forced to walk to an old creepy motel. Okay, this might not be totally original, but we're still doing okay.
When they get to their room, it gets totally freaky. They pop in some complimentary tapes in the VCR, and are totally shocked by the show. It's a smut tape, depicting some pretty savage murders, as smut tapes usually do. The worse thing is, these murders are apparently taking place in the very room they are staying. Holy potatoes! Crazy, party of two, your coffin is ready!
At this point, I'm totally drawn in, nervous, scared of the outcome...but unfortunately, Hollywood then takes over.
Vacancy then begins to revel in its own absurdity. The two hotel guests call 911 from a payphone, of course the murderer answers. Shortly after he drives his car through the phonebooth, smashing it to pieces. Thats the start of the cliched and unbelievable moments that caused my interest to spew out of my ears. How about this one--the woman makes a mad dash for a car in the parking lot, of course it starts up but the bad guy lunges at her through the moonroof as she drives frantically into the hotel wall. It's well shot and gruesomely bloody, just slightly ridiculous.
There's more where that came from, underground tunnels beneath the rooms for example. Luke Wilson and Kate Beckinsale do a pretty good job in this, but I found myself begging for their characters to die to add some realism to the story.
This idea had some major potential, but sorely disappointed. I'm gotta go stalk the screenwriter now, see ya...

Motel Terror To Sheer Perfection.......2007-09-09

"Vacancy" is riveting, frightening, and absolutely engaging from start to finish, easily one of 2007's best. A broken-down car on an isolated road that was supposed to be a short cut between the interstate highways leads Amy (Kate Beckinsale) and David (Luke Wilson) - whose marriage is crumbling away to nothingness following the accidental death of their only child some time ago - to a remote motel. Once settled in for the night, the couple tries to take their minds off their mutual discomfort by finding something to watch from among the room's large collection of videocassettes, discovering only amateurishly shot, grainy, ultra-violent films that, as becomes quickly apparant, where all shot in the same motel where Amy and David are now staying.

The motel, it seems, is run by sociopaths who use it as the staging ground for making their own snuff videos. And as the only current lodgers in the place, Beckinsale and Wilson are apparantly slated to star in the next feature. Isolated in the proverbial 'middle of nowhere' with no vehicle and no weapons.

Thankfully, "Vacancy" doesn't follow the same path as other films that have tried to be horror movies, to in some way be about horror movies or movies in general, and still be a critical indictment of horror movies. Ergo, there's no attempt to draw some ludicrous link between real-life killings or supposedly 'real-life' snuff films, and legitmate horror movies. Instead the movie keeps itself charged with enough suspense, horror and thrills to create one of the most electrifyingly watchable, white-hot tense films of the year. It comes off surprisingly plausible, and mixes mystery atmosphere with more action-oriented, high-velocity horror moments with perfect skill. That it's utterly comelling from the very beginning, long before getting to the ominous motel, is thanks in no small part to terrific performances by Beckinsale and Wilson, smart writing, and perfect pacing. It's almost inconceivable that by year's end, "Vacancy" won't still be among 2007's ten best. See it.

Average customer rating:

Finding Lost
What u should expect in LOST 2?
PLEASE Rescue These People!
Best show out there
Hooked

Lost - The Complete Second Season
Starring: Matthew Fox , and Evangeline Lilly
Manufacturer: Buena Vista Home Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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( L ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

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