The Golden Compass (Widescreen Single-Disc Edition)

In a wondrous parallel world where witches soar the skies and Ice Bears rule the frozen North, one special girl is destined to hold the fate of the universe in her hands. When Lyra Belacqua (Dakota Blue Richards) becomes the keeper of the Golden Compass, she discovers that her world – and all those beyond – is threatened by the secret plans of Mrs. Coulter (Nicole Kidman). With the help of Lord Asriel (Daniel Craig) and a group of unlikely allies ready to stand at her side, Lyra embarks on an extraordinary quest that celebrates friendship and courage against all odds. Based on author Philip Pullman's bestselling and award-winning novel, The Golden Compass tells the first story in Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy.

Product Details

• Brand: Warner Brothers
• Released on: 2008-04-29
• Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Formats: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English, Icelandic, Russian
• Subtitled in: English, Spanish
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: 1.00 pounds
• Running time: 113 minutes

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
A fantasy epic with more than a passing resemblance to the Lord of the Rings and Chronicles of Narnia film franchises, The Golden Compass takes place in an alternate universe where each human's soul is embodied in a companion animal called a daemon. Lyra (Dakota Blue Richards), an orphan who's lived most of her life among the scholars at Oxford, is intrigued when her uncle, Lord Asriel (Daniel Craig), announces his plans to travel north to investigate the source of some mysterious particles called Dust. Lyra has little hope of following her uncle until a mysterious woman named Mrs. Coulter (Nicole Kidman, at her most icily beautiful) asks Lyra to travel north as her personal assistant. All is not as it seems, however, and the disappearance of Lyra's friend Roger (Ben Walker) sets her on a dizzying adventure. She does have an alethiometer, or golden compass, that can help her see the truth, and a number of companions, including her shape-shifting daemon, Pantalaimion (voiced by Freddie Highmore of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory), polar-bear warrior Iorek Byrnison (voiced by Ian McKellen), Texas aeronaut Lee Scoresby (Sam Elliott), and witch queen Serafina Pekkala (Craig's Casino Royale co-star, Eva Green). Even before its release, The Golden Compass was the subject of controversy over its perceived anti-religious themes. While it does involve an oppressive institution called the Magisterium, it's not overtly religious, particularly to a young viewer. The movie's PG-13 rating should be taken seriously, however. Suitable for an older audience than Narnia (though younger than The Lord of the Rings), it deals with complex concepts, violence (though largely bloodless) and implied death, children and animals in peril, and an unrelentingly ominous and unsettling mood.

Despite a few changes and rearrangements, the overall plot of the movie is remarkably faithful to its source material, the first installment of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy. It doesn't finish the book, however, and--much like The Fellowship of the Ring did--leaves the viewer hanging in anticipation of the next film, The Subtle Knife, due in 2009. So even though The Golden Compass is impressive--especially with its spot-on cast and terrific visual effects--we probably won't know its full emotional impact until the story is complete. --David Horiuchi

Customer Reviews

A Big Nothing...
I am a devout, strict Roman Catholic, so this movie, and the others to follow in the series...along with the books that accompany it, are garbage to me.
The author has said that the theme is about killing God, so I would not support him even in the slightest way.

Yawn
As a fan of fantasy/action movie I had high hopes for this movie but actually fell asleep watching it. The story was the Achilles Heel of this movie. It was all over the place and just didn't hold together. An allstar cast could not pull this out. I am guessing this is yet another case where the movie does not do the book justice.

The two things that really stood out were some of the atmospheric special effects and the acting of Dakota, who was excellent as the young heroine.

But nothing can save a wandering story with lots of holes that leave way too many questions.

The Golden Compass (Full-Screen) Book 1
All I can say is "WOW"!!!
Anyone who loves good storytelling and max animation should see this movie and guess what?
This is only part one so imagine the other 2 :)

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Rambo [Blu-ray]

Product Description

The next chapter finds Rambo recruited by missionaries to protect them during a humanitarian aid effort on behalf of the persecuted Karen people of Burma. After the missionaries are taken prisoner by Burmese soldiers Rambo gets a second impossible job: rescue the missionaries in the midst of a civil war.System Requirements:Running Time: 93 minutesFormat: BLU-RAY DISC Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE/HEROES Rating: R UPC: 031398232995

Product Details

• Brand: LION'S GATE ENTERTAINMENT
• Released on: 2008-05-27
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
• Formats: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, Special Edition, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Original language: Burmese, English, Thai
• Subtitled in: English, Spanish
• Number of discs: 2
• Dimensions: 1.00 pounds
• Running time: 91 minutes

Blu-ray



DVD

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
If you've been wondering what ever happened to ex-Green Beret superwarrior John Rambo since he singlehandedly shot up a Pacific Northwest town (First Blood, 1982), returned to the jungles of 'Nam to free U.S. POWs held long after war's end (Rambo: First Blood Part II, 1985), and interrupted the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan long enough to blow lots of stuff up and rescue his old commandant from the Reds (Rambo III, 1988), then Rambo (2008) is for you. Without so much as a IV to dilute the brand name, Rambo--which is what most of us called the second, most iconic film in the series--may aspire to open a new era for a pop legend. But it's a thoroughly mechanical attempt to reanimate a franchise that, absent the anger, frustration, and self-loathing of the post-Vietnam years, has no meaning or purpose. For some time now Rambo (Sylvester Stallone) has been putt-putting along the Thai-Burmese border in a longboat, catching exotic snakes to sell. As for the 60-year civil war in Burma between the brutal government and the Karen independence movement, he ignores it. Enter a party of American missionaries whose dewy blond spokeswoman (Dexter's Julie Benz) asks Rambo to haul them upriver so that they can bring medical aid to the insurgents. After the requisite number of monosyllabic refusals, he does. Soon afterward the do-gooders are in a world of hurt, and he's summoned to lead a squad of mercenaries on a rescue mission.

As storytelling, the latest Rambo is the most bare-bones of the bunch. Rambo has little to say, so it's especially galling that Stallone, as director and co-writer, obliges him to have essentially the same conversation at three different points (the final distillation: "Live for nothing or die for something"). The Burmese army goons seem in competition to commit the most hideous atrocity (e.g., child skull-crushing underfoot), the better to justify the eventual, lovingly protracted spectacle of them being eviscerated by high-powered weaponry. Although shot in Thailand, the movie has mostly been photographed in brown, reducing any particular sense of place but, perhaps, perversely increasing our gratitude for the splashes of purple whenever hot metal tatters flesh. --Richard T. Jameson

Complete list of Rambo movies on DVD and Blu-ray

Soundtrack

Rambo: The Complete Collector's Set

Stills from Rambo (click for larger image)

Customer Reviews

Action! Explosions! Rambo!
My roommate's girlfriend made him watch Legally Blonde: The Musical, perhaps the most emasculating movie of all time, now turned into a musical. In exchange for this, she had to come with us to see Rambo in theaters; the absolute antipode to anything blonde, legal or otherwise. Being in the targeted 18-24 male demographic, I was ecstatic the entire time.

The critics basically hit this movie on two fronts. I'll try to offer a defense of each aspect. First, it's outrageously violent. Parents, don't buy this for your kid; that R rating is there for a very good reason. The violence does escalate past necessarily realistic levels, however Stallone [as the director] frames the violent actions of his character against the antagonist Burmese militants. Rambo's mercenary warfare is much more tolerable when the contrasted with the images of genocide. The second critical hit that this movie will take is the fact that the plot is shallow. In one sentence, Christian missionaries are captured in a warzone, Rambo must go save them. That's it. This definitely isn't No Country for Old Men. In the film's defense, there's some subtle elements that I didn't notice the first time, however, I'll have to agree that the plot is mostly just a vehicle for Stallone's character to blow things up.

Some quick cons: this version of the DVD doesn't contain any special features except for the trailer. To get any of the cool goodies, you need to get the special edition. It's also too bad that Stallone has so few lines in this movie. Yes, his dialog tends to sound absolutely butchered, but half the time he's shouting over gunfire anyway.

This is the epitome of guy movies and deserves to be viewed by anyone who enjoys action flicks.

Rambo goes home!!! Will he stay there???
No B.S. in this movie and it is loaded with great action. Rambo is living in a hell hole and he is still a lost, dark figure. Critics bashed this movie, but I felt it was very effective. Although the film is obviously fiction it opens your eyes to events and dilemas going on in this world. Sly based all of the torture, violence and horrific images on what really happens in that country. Thanks to all the real Rambo's out there. Live for something, die for nothing! Your choice!

The Best Rambo Movie
Rambo 4 is an incredibly violent yet entertaining action adventure. It's the best of them all actually. It's short but sweet but certainly not cuddly sweet. Rocky Balboa was a bit better but still this turnt out better than I expected since I'm not a big Rambo fan.

I just felt like everyone but Rambo's life was in danger in the movie. He was too much of an animal here, I mean he's like Michael Myers type strong. While it's so violent and even some-what disturbing that you'd think Rob Zombie was directing it. Performance wise though Stallone still does Rocky way better than he does Rambo. Rocky at least has a personality. Stallone handles the action great but when he's not violently destroying his enemies he's frowning like he has a stomach ache.

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There Will Be Blood

Product Description

A sprawling epic of family faith power and oil THERE WILL BE BLOOD is set on the incendiary frontier of California s turn-of-the-century petroleum boom. The story chronicles the life and times of one Daniel Plainview (Daniel Day-Lewis) who transforms himself from a down-and-out silver miner raising a son on his own into a self-made oil tycoon. When Plainview gets a mysterious tip-off that there s a little town out West where an ocean of oil is oozing out of the ground he heads with his son H.W. (Dillon Freasier) to take their chances in dust-worn Little Boston. In this hardscrabble town where the main excitement centers around the holy roller church of charismatic preacher Eli Sunday (Paul Dano) Plainview and H.W. make their lucky strike. But even as the well raises all of their fortunes nothing will remain the same as conflicts escalate and every human value love hope community belief ambition and even the bond between father and son is imperiled by corruption deception and the flow of oil.System Requirements:Running Time: 158 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA/HISTORICAL EPIC Rating: R UPC: 097363479246

Product Details

• Brand: PARAMOUNT PICTURES
• Released on: 2008-04-08
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Formats: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, French, Spanish
• Dubbed in: French, Spanish
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: 1.00 pounds
• Running time: 158 minutes

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Unmistakably a shot at greatness, Paul Thomas Anderson's There Will Be Blood succeeds in wild, explosive ways. The film digs into nothing less than the sources of peculiarly American kinds of ambition, corruption, and industry--and makes exhilarating cinema from it all. Although inspired by Upton Sinclair's 1927 novel Oil!, Anderson has crafted his own take on the material, focusing on a black-eyed, self-made oilman named Daniel Plainview (Daniel Day-Lewis), whose voracious appetite for oil turns him into a California tycoon in the early years of the 20th century. The early reels are a mesmerizing look at the getting of oil from the ground, an intensely physical process that later broadens into Plainview's equally indomitable urge to control land and power. Curious, diverting episodes accumulate during Plainview's rise: a mighty derrick fire (a bravura opportunity that Anderson, with the aid of cinematographer Robert Elswit, does not fail to meet), a visit from a long-lost brother (Kevin J. O'Connor), the ongoing involvement of Plainview's poker-faced adoptive son (Dillon Freasier). As the film progresses, it gravitates toward Plainview's rivalry with the local representative of God, a preacher named Eli Sunday (brimstone-spitting Paul Dano); religion and capitalism are thus presented not so much as opposing forces but as two sides of the same coin. And the worm in the apple here is less man's greed than his vanity. Anderson's offbeat take on all this--exemplified by the astonishing musical score by Jonny Greenwood--occasionally threatens to break the film apart, but even when it founders, it excites. As for Daniel Day-Lewis, his performance is Olivier-like in its grand scope and its attention to details of behavior; Plainview speaks in the rum-rich voice of John Huston, and squints with the wariness of Walter Huston. It's a fearsome performance, and the engine behind the film's relentless power. --Robert Horton

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Customer Reviews

Blood on the tycoon's hands
Although it's pretty much a given that there is violence in this film, "There Will Be Blood" actually starts off pretty innocently. Yet, the entire film eventually skyrockets into extremely emotional performances, with a crazy ending that is brilliant as well.

"There Will Be Blood" is set in the early 1900s, with Daniel Plainview, a prospector who hits paydirt with his first oil platform. Soon enough, he builds an oil derrick, and eventually builds a strong company. After one of his workers dies, he adopts the man's son.

Daniel becomes a big oil tycoon, and begins to build up an empire with the help of a man named Paul Sunday. Paul informs him of the oil below the surface of Signal Hill, California. Daniel builds a stable oil company, after paying Paul's brother, Eli, for his church.

Then things go wrong. Daniel's son, H.W., is left deaf after an oil derrick explosion. Daniel also meets a strange man who says that he is Daniel's brother. And, of course, Eli keeps asking for more money. And where is H.W's mother?

There are many strange conspiracies left unsaid in the artsy film "There Will Be Blood." Daniel Day-Lewis pulls off a great performance as the ultimate evil tycoon, who is flawed in every way possible. He is hollow. He is empty. And he won't settle down at any time.

Similarly, Paul Dano pulls off a stunning performance as the fanatical evangelical preacher, Eli. Speaking of which, this isn't a movie for heavily religious people. There is lots of rotten talking, and strange confessions.

The ending, however, is an awesome array of excellent back talking between Dano and Day-Lewis. And while I never imagined that these characters would make such creative use of bowling balls and bowling pins, I enjoyed watching how overly fanatical the two tycoons were.

This is a crazy film where nothing ever ends happy. This is a film about greed, greed and greed. Most of all, this is a film that really shows what happens when men are left unaccompanied with their greed, with no sign of sensitivity at all. It's fantastic and devilish, but it is also an extremely brilliant character study on masculine corporate power, which I've seen far too much of in the last few years.

Most of all, this is Daniel Day-Lewis in what could be his best performance ever.

Lives up to the hype
Almost invariably, movies that garner a lot of hype get very polarized reviews; the same applies to this movie, as evidenced by it's rough inverse bell curve of ratings (a greater proportion of extremely bad or good ratings than middling ones than most movies usually receive). Oftentimes, the much-hyped movies often deserve a lower rating than the hype merits. However, this is not the case with "There Will Be Blood".

This film really does live up to the hype, and in some ways exceeds it. I was astonished that there were so many 1- and 2- (and even 3) star ratings. Many of the lower ratings complained that the plot was choppy, and that the main character was essentially bad the whole way through, and didn't change his nasty ways. Others complained that the story was too moralistic (railing against the evil capitalist), or that it was incomprehensible. It is none of those things, however.

Not all characters, even protagonists, are supposed to come to a change-of-heart, or even a shocking self-realization that they are bad and that their ways have hurt others. In real life (as is so beautifully portrayed in this film), people don't always find the error of their ways. However, Daniel Plainview does have inner struggles (contrary to the opinion of some reviewers) in trying to reconcile his actions and their effects on his own life, the life of his son, and his relationship with his son, even if they aren't a large focus of the film or are not loudly and colorfully proclaimed. Ultimately, Daniel Plainview chooses (if that is the proper word), at the end of his struggle, to entirely shut himself off from others and from having any close or meaningful personal relationships; but this doesn't mean that the struggle wasn't there.

Furthermore, this film is not too choppy or abstract. It follows through an all the main themes and problems of the film and the characters and comes to a satisfactory conclusion for each (whether good or bad for the characters in question, or whether a traditional or non-traditional conclusion, is irrelevant). This is *not* an art film or some random abstraction piece made by an artsy, purposively (or even unconsciously) abstruse screenwriter or director. To say so implies that you have never seen a truly abstruse or incomprehensible film, such as the barely comprehensible (but interesting, yet in my opinion lesser) film "Pi". "There Will Be Blood" is one of the finest works of cinema an American has put out in years, and while it is not the Second Coming of Christ for cinema, it certainly ranks as a pretty darn holy event.

Deeply flawed, overhyped rubbish
Somehow, writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson can never get it right, and when he's combined with producer Scott Rudin ("The Addams Family Values"), the result is profoundly worse. Anderson's fetishist tendencies tend to prevent him from any real human understanding (call it "Quentin Tarantino Disease"). In this movie about an ambitious oil wildcatter, the audience is never given a reason to care about the main character, Daniel Plainview (histrionically played by Daniel Day-hyphenation), or to understand the roots of his unbridled ambition. He is evil, and so what? That he is contrasted with an equally unlikable evangelical preacher is totally without dramatic effect. If the oilman character is intended to be emblematic of mindless, ruthless capitalism, then "There Will Be Blood" is yet another boring morality play. Why not turn the same lens to Hollywood, where soulless accountants (Scott Rudin) produce "art" by investing in bankable comic book characters and movies by Anderson, whose deeply flawed works inevitably look cartoonish?

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Jillian Michaels - 30 Day Shred

Product Description

Jillian Michaels winning trainer on NBC's "The Biggest Loser" helps you lose big--up to 20 pounds in 30 days! Her 30-Day Shred DVD includes three 20-minute circuit-training workouts that burn mega calories and build strong lean muscle. Each workout is progressively harder so start with the Level 1 and when you are ready progress to Level 2 and then Level 3. Each level contains a 20-minute workout based on Jillian's exclusive 3-2-1 Strength/Cardio/Ab training circuit: 3 minutes of strength 2 minutes of cardio and 1minute of ab work. There's also a brief warm-up session and a cool-down stretch. Follow Jillian's program for 30 days and you will see amazing results!System Requirements:Running Time: 60 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: HEALTH/FITNESS/EXERCISE Rating: NR

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #7 in DVD
• Brand: LION'S GATE ENTERTAINMENT
• Released on: 2008-03-18
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, Full Screen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: 1.00 pounds
• Running time: 60 minutes

Customer Reviews

Hard and fast workout DVD
Jillian Michaels - 30 Day Shred
this is one great DVD---some base ability is needed even to start the beginner level though!!!! yes, Jillian will make you work although the first and last 4 minutes are warmup/cooldown; so only 22 minutes, but all work!!!
Made it a 4 star because you can't skip through the intro or change from 1 level to next workout level easily.

Holy Cow!
I had been using Jillian's Biggest Winner set for 2 months, so I felt this would be a good addition to it. I have already lost 45 pounds, so I was looking for something to help tone up. Oh my gosh!! I was able to get through the other workouts no problem. When I did this one I was sore for 3 days (the good kind of sore). I'm currenly on Level 1, Day 5 and I can already tell the difference in my ability to keep up with the workout, and in the way I look. Trust me, just push though it; and just as she promises, you will get results! I would reccomend not doing this for 30 days straight though. Give yourself about 6 weeks to complete the "30 days" because you will be very sore the first week.

Laura's Review of Shred
I'm in pretty good shape - I run Marathons. However, these 20 minute workouts KICKED MY BUTT!!! They are awesome! The only thing I would improve about this video is to have more workouts on it. I would have paid more to have more of a variety to choose from. Three workouts is good, but will get boring quickly. It would have been cool to have 3 different workouts at each of the 3 levels. Other than that, this DVD is GREAT.

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Untraceable

Product Description

Within the FBI there exists a division dedicated to investigating and prosecuting criminals on the internet. Welcome to the front lines of the war on cybercrime where special Agent Jennifer Marsh (Diane Lane) and Griffin Dowd (Colin Hanks) have seen it all?until now. A tech-savvy internet predator is displaying his graphic murders on his own website and the fate of each of his tormented captives is left in the hands of the public: the more hits his site gets the faster his victims die. When this game of cat and mouse becomes personal Marsh and her team must race against the clock to track down this technical mastermind who is virtually untraceable.System Requirements:Running Time: 101 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE/PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER Rating: R

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Untraceable fuses Saw with The Net in a perverse yet moralistic story about a psychopath who broadcasts acts of torture over the internet--all to better reveal the twisted underbelly of the American public, who hasten the victims' deaths simply by looking at the website. FBI agent Jennifer Marsh (Diane Lane, her mature-sexy mojo tamped down but still simmering in the corners of her eyes and the nape of her neck) launches a cyberhunt for the killer, only to find herself and her team caught up in his murderous scheme. It's hard to make tapping on a keyboard and staring at a computer screen exciting, but Untraceable does its best by making Marsh and her cybercrimebusting partner (Colin Hanks, King Kong) rattle off cascades of jaunty techno-jargon and do impressive bits of long-distance surveillance. The movie aims for the audience that flocked to see Ashley Judd in thrillers like Kiss the Girls and Double Jeopardy, but it's hard to say if fans of Lane's romantic fare like Under the Tuscan Sun or Must Like Dogs will enjoy the queasy violence. Nonetheless, the cast--including Mary Beth Hurt (The World According to Garp) as Marsh's mother--does a solid job and the movie clips along at an aggressive pace, maintaining tension throughout. --Bret Fetzer

Stills from Untraceable (click for larger image)

Beyond Untraceable

On Blu-ray

UMD for PSP

Soundtrack CD

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Customer Reviews

not what expected
when i first saw this movie i was expecting something more on the line of saw with alot of gory detail in the killings but what this movie is to all who have not seen it with expectations of gore you will not get it from this movie. this movie is more on the lines of seven with brad pitt. one thing that this movie hits on is how simple it is to get people online to come to you, i see now why so many people are missing lol.

B Grade Thriller Which Almost Pulls It Off
I had no idea what to expect from this movie. But with the first scene in which the killer takes the life of a kitten, I figured it would get even more disturbing as the movie progressed. I was correct. Interesting concept nonetheless. The son of a man who commits suicide avenges his father's death which was exploited by the media. He does this by selecting people involved in reporting his father's suicide and proceeding to torture them for all to see via his web site. The more people who watch, the quicker the death. There's social commentary being made but first you need to get through the creative methods of killing people. There is an ironic twist at the end which I'll leave for you to see and ponder. Not a bad movie and certainly not for the squeamish. BnB Beatles Depot

Wait a minute...what are you trying to say....are you blaming us for loving violence!?1?
Untraceable seems like the perfect thriller. And it deals with something that not a lot of thrillers have yet dealt with and that's the idea of cyber crimes and a very disturbing cyber-crime at that. Untraceable could have been the perfect set up for a very disturbing, gory thriller with homages to Silence of The Lambs, Saw, and other thrillers. Unfortunately where the idea was great the execution was awful. I think many mistakes were made with this dud and done differently it could have been great. The unfortunate part is that director Gregory Hoblit is not lacking experience. In fact he has directed some fantastic thrillers and should have been able to make this a far more worthwhile cause. Not only that but he has years of experience of TV Cop Drama and yet fails miserably in creating any sort of character arc or real thrill to the story. Its not a complete wash I mean there are moments where you slide forward on the front of your seat as they dangle this murder in front of you and you think "All right, here we go" and then the next scene sends you slouching back into 'this is boring' mode. Its the perfect collection of the wrong elements.

One reason being Miss Diane Lane. She's a pretty good actress and I like her in a couple of films though I never been a major fan of hers and always seen her in mostly supporting roles. In here I find her boring and just with no emotion to her and that's exactly what she brings to the table. She leads the film in a boring manner without ever really getting into the case besides showing a lot of perseverance. Colin Hanks, probably the most talented on board, does show a lot of potential but they never give him enough to work with so he mostly is just there. Billy Burke is the hot detective who shows up to help out the single Lane. Burke barely is a blip on the radar other than being some sort of lame romantic contact for Lane that never really pans out.

Perhaps given a better, more dynamic script this cast could have pulled together and done something but I think they were an unfortunate ingredient because there was no chemistry no spark, except for maybe a slight connection between Hanks and Lane as partners. Now the real key to this film should have been the murders. The idea was the more people that visited a web site where someone was strung up and dying in a different way, the faster they died. This could have opened up a huge door for being diverse and interesting and they do a half decent job and the murders are grisly and disgusting but everything else around it is so tame and boring that you can easily forget about this film.

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Lars and the Real Girl

Lars, a sweet but quirky-to-delusional guy, has found the girl of his dreams?a life-sized doll named Bianca. Wen he develops feelings for Margo, an attractive co-worker, Lars finds himself lost in a hilariously unique love triangle.

Customer Reviews

Not what I expected - and that's a good thing!
I expected this movie to be another shock humor type of comedy (like American Pie or 40 Year-Old Virgin), especially considering that all I knew was that it was about a guy who orders an inflatable bride.

It turns out, though, the reason he gets the doll isn't because he's a pervert but because he suffers from acute social anxiety. The doll serves to midwife him back into society.

Despite the serious subject matter, the movie is still very funny; not in a raunchy way but rather more in a genuine, wholesome, guilt-free way. Also, the citizens of the town are incredibly redeeming and really make the audience feel good.

Surprisingly good movie. Highly recommend.

Lars and the Real Girl
This underrated film never hit a market because it is so different, but with Ryan Gosling one of the most promising young actors today, you can't go wrong (watch for Kelli Garner as the girl who is in love with him, she is an up and coming actress). He is very careful about choosing his roles that say something to the public in his films that Lars will have you laughing and crying at the same time; it is compassionate, about love, tolerance, understanding and very, very funny. It was nominated for best screenplay and really should have been nominated for Best Actor. Compare this to this Oscar nominated role of the year before (Half-Nelson) and you will wonder why the Academy didn't nominate for this film. You go Ryan!

Lars Scores with everyone
A lovely thought provoking movie that brings a plastic woman to life with skill, wit and craft.

Thoughtful comedy that leaves many impressions
Lars lives in one of the snowed-in Northern states; his town could be next to Lake Wobegone. He's painfully shy, in an utterly literal sense of the term - he won't even visit his brother and sister in law in the house adjacent to where he lives. Maybe it's no suprise that he orders a customized, anatomically detailed love doll.

The surprise is that it comes to life for him. Everyone else sees a slightly creepy adult toy, but he brings "Bianca" everywhere - to dinner with his brother and sister in law, to a Christmas party with his co-workers, even to church. He concocts an elaborate fantasy about why she says so little, why she needs a wheelchair, even why she needs to borrow clothing. A psychologist tries to address his delusion but, while it works itself out, recommends humoring him. And so, the entire community does. If they're going to treat her as real, they're going to do it right.

Therein lies the quirky charm of this movie - an entire town rallying around one of their own, playing their part in his odd drama. If that's what's best for him and there's no harm in it, they'll do it. A few balk, of course, but only a few and not for long. They accept Bianca fully into their community, sometimes to Lars's dismay.

The happy ending (happy enough) makes this into a movie about redemption, but that over-simplifies this complex film. The premise looks like some modern-day fairy tale. Once set in motion, the movie carries itself forward with understated kindness, maybe even nostalgia for a small-town closeness, whether that closeness ever existed or not.

All the Lonely People
(4.5 *'s) Lars Lindstrom has all the foibles one sometimes associates with a ventriloquist. Socially inept and insecure, every encounter with even loved ones is full of awkwardness and fumbling. He has difficulty expressing himself and relating to others. At home he lives in the mother-in-law house (or garage as they say) next to his brother Gus (Paul Schneider) and sister-in-law Karen (Emily Mortimer). One night a well-meaning Karen tackles him on the driveway to get him to stay for dinner. Needless to say he is almost traumatized by her good intentions. Work is as pedestrian as it gets: He works in a cubicle doing work on the computer for an unknown company. Co-worker Marla (Kelli Gardner) shows an interest in him, but even her overtures leave him flummoxed. Another co-coworker is friendly, but offers him his favorite porn. That is until he introduces him to his latest offering from "Real Doll.dot.com". Anatomically correct, the life-size doll gives Lars an idea.

Coming home to dinner once again, Lars is beaming about his new girlfriend. Gus and Karen are also beaming, truly enthusiastic and proud. Until they meet Bianca, the "real doll" who is seated with a conversing Lars. Lars is transformed. His speech is confident; his cheeks are reddened; and his outlook is happy. First comes shock; then comes acceptance. Not quite knowing what to do, Lars is so believable that they start to believe it too. They have him see a therapist (Patricia Clarkson), the general practitioner in their small Northern Wisconsin town, and the pastor gathers his flock together. Everyone starts to make jokes, but eventually they go along with someone who is truly delusional. Bianca starts to become real.

Billed as a comedy, `Lars and the Real Girl' is too often sad to be funny. Though profound and heartwarming, the laughs are often embarrassing because the situations of the protagonist are awkward. They elicit our sympathy. This isn't to say the film isn't a gem because it is. In spite of all temptations to pigeon hole this movie as cheesy or a screwball comedy, all the right components come together to make `Lars and the Real Girl' a wonderful little film and truly one of the best of the year. Without serendipity, this movie could have easily been a disaster.

(The extras are short but sweet: "The Real Story of Lars and the Real Girl" (10:11) is worthy for the "real" affection the cast has for the film with reflections by Oscar nominated screenwriter, Nancy Oliver, and a specially articulate director (Craig Gillespie). 'A Real Leading Lady' (5:55) features Ryan Gosling ad libbing facetiously with his co-star Bianca about making the film. The deleted "Bathtub" scene is impossibly short, clocking in less than a minute--but the written explanation by the director is insightful. The rest are trailers.)

Angel Plasticus
Director Craig Gillespie espouses a New York state of mind, after directing very successful commercials for over 16 years. He was born in Sydney, Australia, and he graduated from a NYC Art School. His first feature film, MR. WOODCOCK (2007), tanked at the box office even though it starred Billy Bob Thornton, and Susan Sarandon. It is possible that the movie released was not his director's cut, or his vision. The LA Times reported that David Dobkin was "brought in" to direct 3 weeks of re-shoots. Considering that most comedies of this ilk are shot in a month, it makes one wonder how much of Gillespie's film was left intact. Regardless, he has sprung back with a vengeance finishing up and releasing his second feature, LARS AND THE REAL GIRL (2007). It was shot in just 31 days. Gillespie had a momentary career as an actor in 1997, doing a walk on in HOTEL DE LOVE. He presently enjoys a reputation as an "actor friendly" kind of director, and he certainly managed to get wonderful performances from his entire cast on LARS.

LARS was written by Nancy Oliver. She is a playwright, like Alan Ball another playwright that worked with her on the HBO series SIX FEET UNDER. She has what I consider an excellent ear for realistic dialogue. She has written a script for LARS where every character is important, necessary, and integral to the whole--pregnant with drama, humor, and the best kinds of human interaction. She and director Gillespie took a subject matter that easily could have lurched into a downward spiral of crudeness that would have made the Farrelly Brothers giddy. Remarkably, sensitively, no character in LARS is made a fool of, is forced to clown around or burlesque the situation, and is not ever expected to sink into a trite and crass caricature that must spew smut for smirks. Regardless of a lackluster trailer, or an "iffy" choice of plot device, understand that there is never anything scatological about LARS. Its inherent decency outshines its odd and unique turn of events.

Ryan Gosling soars and shines in the lead role of Lars Lindstrom. Nominated for a Best Actor Oscar last year for HALF NELSON (2006), he seems to get better with every film role that comes his way -not bad for an actor who was a Mouseketeer with Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears. His Lars is both heartfelt and gut-wrenching, done miraculously without raising his voice. His internal monologue was crystal clear to him, and the camera lens catches it all, the back story, the pain, the fear, and ultimately the joy. His eyes mirror miles of unspoken history, and he was not out of character for even a millisecond. His Lars is a laconic loner who chooses to live in the family garage, who holds down a good and solid job, who attends church regularly, who dresses well and acts appropriately in public. He was not mentally ill; rather mentally still born, wound up as tight as a Rolex mainspring, a man who would rather sit in solitude than embrace "acceptable" levels of socialization.

Lars' brother, Gus (Paul Schneider), and sister-in-law, Karin (Emily Mortimer) try repeatedly to draw Lars feet first out of his preferred loneliness. It is Karin mostly who leads the assault; tackling him in the snow to make a point, even though she is pregnant. They feel that somehow Lars' behavior reflects their "neglect", and so they toil incessantly to drag Lars into the family unit. Lars resists, making promises and then breaking them, making up excuses and lying to friends and family that offer him opportunities to socialize. He only feels "safe" within himself, alone, where his active daydreams could endeavor to counter his dark nightmares.

One day, perhaps tired of the constant cajoling, Lars announced that he now had a "girlfriend" named Bianca, from Brazil, who spoke very little English, and used a wheelchair. Then he brought her in, carrying in his arms a very expensive anatomically-correct helium-filled sex doll, a silicone Sally, and he placed it on the couch next him. He immediately began to talk to her as if she were real, imagining her verbal responses and sharing them. In one of the film's most hilarious scenes, after overcoming the initial shock of this situation, Gus and Karin feel compelled to go along with the "illusion", the fantasy; not seeing it as a ruse, which it might have been. After a few days of this pretense, Gus confronted Lars, informing him that Bianca was not "real". Lars never wavered, paid no attention to him -gave him no reaction at all. So Gus shrugged and returned to his part in the active fantasy.

Through deft direction, artful and clever writing, and terrific acting, we soon witness every character in the story "accept" Bianca as a sentient being, interact with her, and fully integrate her presence, and the notion that Lars and Bianca were a couple, into their daily lives, into the daily goings-on within the community. By virtue of this loving gesture, they soon see Lars, for the first time, reaching out and beginning to shed part of his emotional shell. The "couple" join in and attend parties, church, volunteer at the hospital, and at the school, get involved with the PTA. Children especially love Bianca. Soon she becomes the town "sweetheart", and townsfolk are picking her up for her volunteer work and appointments, like at the beauty shop, by herself. Lars is no longer required to accompany her, and at first this really incensed him. But the largest miracle of this movie is by mid-point we the viewers began to accept Bianca as real. Several times in scenes I swore I saw her head turn slightly, or her eyelashes flicker. When Lars began to realize that he, too, could relate to others without Bianca in attendance, he began to formulate a plan.

Patricia Clarkson, always reliable, was solid, engaging, warm, and lonely as Dagmar, the town doctor -who also happened to be a psychologist. "All doctors have to have a background in psychology to work this far North," Karin said early on. Kelli Garner played Margo, a lonely co-worker with ticks and needs of her own, who kept trying to get Lars interested in her, and her performance was touching and effective. Nancy Beatty played Mrs. Gruner, a nice neighbor, who stole every scene she was in as a no-nonsense loving presence. R.D. Reid was also quite good as Reverend Bock, who facilitated the entering in of the fantasy.

This film tugged hard at my heart strings. By the roll of the ending credits one could hear sniffling aplenty on all sides. We take serious all the transitions that Lars endures and induces as a 27 year old man boy; issues of when does one become "grown up", and what exactly does it mean to "be a man". We discovered what it was that created the sadness within him, that shut him off from others -and we smiled and silently cheered as he resisted it, refocused it, pushing it aside as he moved on toward a more meaningful life. Yes, we could see the "feel good" ending approaching, but alas we were happy to welcome it

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Juno (Single-Disc Edition)

Product Description

Juno MacGuff (Ellen Page) is a cool, confident teenager who takes a nine-month detour into adulthood when she's faced with an unplanned pregnancy-and sets out to find the perfect parents for her baby. With the help of her charmingly unassuming boyfriend (Michael Cera), supportive dad (J.K Simmons) and no-nonsense stepmom (Allison Janney), Juno sets her sights on an affluent couple (Jennifer Garner and Jason Bateman) longing to adopt their first child.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Somewhere between the sharp satire of Election and the rich human comedy of You Can Count On Me lies Juno, a sardonic but ultimately compassionate story of a pregnant teenage girl who wants to give her baby up for adoption. Social misfit Juno (Ellen Page, Hard Candy, X-Men: The Last Stand) protects herself with a caustic wit, but when she gets pregnant by her friend Paulie (Michael Cera, Superbad), Juno finds herself unwilling to terminate the pregnancy. When she chooses a couple who place a classified ad looking to adopt, Juno gets drawn further into their lives than she anticipated. But Juno is much more than its plot; the stylized dialogue (by screenwriter Diablo Cody) seems forced at first, but soon creates a richly textured world, greatly aided by superb performances by Page, Cera, Jennifer Garner and Jason Bateman as the prospective parents, and J.K. Simmons (Spider-Man) and Allison Janney as Juno's father and stepmother. Director Jason Reitman (Thank You For Smoking) deftly keeps the movie from slipping into easy, shallow sarcasm or foundering in sentimentality. The result is smarter and funnier than you might expect from the subject matter, and warmer and more touching than you might expect from the cocky attitude. Page's performance is deceptively simple; she never asks the audience to love her, yet she effortlessly carries a movie in which she's in almost every scene. That's star power. --Bret Fetzer

Get to Know Juno's Cast

Ellen Page (Juno MacGuff)	Michael Cera (Paulie Bleeker)	Jennifer Garner (Vanessa Loring)
Jason Bateman (Mark Loring)	Allison Janney (Bren MacGuff)	J.K. Simmons (Mac MacGuff)

Beyond Juno

Juno Soundtrack

More from Screenwriter Diablo Cody

More from Fox

Stills from Juno

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Customer Reviews

Unbearable
I know everyone in the universe loves this movie but I found it absolutely unbearable. The dialogue was so painfully fake and unfunny, it seems like it was lifted out of a bad TV sitcom. Every single line from every single character was some witty obnoxious quip. The whole script reeks of a clueless, outdated older person trying to write like what they think hip young kids must sound like. Juno means well and the actors did their job, but it baffles me how people can sit through this movie without puking at 95% of the lines.

Juno - Great Movie
Funny, heart warming movie about teenaged girl who "knows everything" until she gets pregnant, finds adoptive partents for her unborn child, then finds somethings out about real adult life.

JUNO
I love this movie. It was on my top 10 list of 2007. Everybody did an excellent job in this movie

Best "little" movie of 2007
When I first saw the previews for Juno, I knew it would be an Oscar nominated film, and just a hint of Ellen Page's performance made me believe she would be up for best actress, maybe even win. Well 2 out of 3 ain't bad. She didn't win, but she should have. I had seen Ellen only as the third "Kitty Pride" or Shadowcat in X-Men The Last Stand ("I'm the juggernaut.. Bitch!"). Normally as a guy well past his teens (I literally have ties older than Ellen) I would probably have avoided a movie about a pregnant teen but there is something that draws you in, besides Ellen's own charm and wit, that "Indy" charm, a quirky looking dialogue driven effort by ex-stripper turned writer Diablo Cody. Besides a stellar performance from the Halifax-born Page (another reason to adore the little cutie) is the fantastic supporting cast, Michael Cera has a certain nerdy charm as Juno's boyfriend in his day-glow orange running pants and his penchant for inhaling orange tic-tacs like some stars pop Prozac. Juno, has the best parents in the world, Alison Janney and J.K. Simmons, who played J.Jonah Jameson in the Spider-Man movies and "Garth Pancake" in The Coen Brother's "Ladykillers". The couple who wants to adopt Juno's little bundle of joy are Jason Bateman (Cera's co-star from Arrested Development) and Jennifer Garner (Daredevil) who gives the performance of her career in an understated but subtlely powerful turn as the mommy wannabe. Even though I had a feeling of dread all through the movie that once all the great one-liners were exhausted that it would morph into some angst-ridden, melodrama "afterschool special of the week" I was pleasantly surprised. After a near 180 degree turn, it delivered a satisfying ending that the best of Hollywood could match. I would highly recommend this movie and I am waiting by the mailbox for the DVD to arrive, but first I have to clear out all the orange tic-tacs that someone put in there.

Juno. Greatest Indie Film Ever?

Quick answer? Yes.
This is quirky and lovable whilst remaining original and not campy.
Ellen Page is a fantastic actress years beyond her age. She manages to act adult and cute at the same time.
Michael Cera is also a fantastic addition to the film, adding awkwardness in place of suave debonair traditionally found in a leader male role.
Easily one of the best movies of 2007, complete with it's own (insatiable) indie score.

See this movie.

Humor and Romance

This movie is unbelievably funny. It's a cute story of a teenager named juno who accidently gets preggo. She decides right away to put the baby up for adoption. The movie basically follows her through her selection of a family for the baby and all the thrills of her pregnancy, not to mention her feels for the father of the baby. It's a really great movie and Ellen Page and Michael Cera play great parts.

Great condition!
I wanted the movie because i didnt get a chance to go to the movies and see it. And i just love it. Juno is very hilarious. Thanks for being the seller!

JUNO ! DVD
Everyone seems to know a good thingwhen they see it! Juno is really popular and totaly worth watching. Great Fun for the whole family! The acting is Super and the story is really captivating. I bought it because so many people couldn't wait to get a copy and now I know why.

GREAT
Loved the movie, it was a chik film, but a good movie for a tennager to watch. I am a grown mother with 3 kids and I left them watch it ....

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