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Ninja Review.
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Ninja Review.
Compare & Purchase Ninja at Amazon by clicking here! List Price: —- Amazon Price: $9.99 |
Ninja Description:
- Amazon Sales Rank: #1543 in Movie
- Released on: 2010-03-02
- Rating: R (Restricted)
- Running time: 87 minutes
Customer Reviews:
One of the better Ninja Films in recent times
This review will be broken down into two sections: 1) The quality of the movie itself, and 2) The BD Disc quality.
First up, the film itself:
Plot (WARNING, MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD!!!!)
The time is present day, and somewhere in a rural region of Japan, a dojo carries on the tradition of the Koga Ninja by training students in the ninja arts. The head of the school, called the Soke, is nearing retirement age and must choose his successor. His top two students are fierce rivals and both are leading candidates to inherit the title of Soke. However, before the Soke can appoint his successor, one of the top two students disgraces himself in a training duel against his rival and is banished from the school. Predictably, the banished student becomes a freelance assassin, and we see him employ his ninja skills to deadly effect in a very cool assassination sequence.
We soon learn that the Soke is the keeper of some ancient Koga weapons which, legend has it, grants the wielder extraordinary abilities. The banished ninja comes calling to claim the weapons, but only after they’ve been shipped elsewhere for safekeeping. A vicious battle ensues between the bansihed ninja and the Soke, and at the conclusion of this battle, the chase is on for the Koga weapons, with the film culminating in a showdown between, you guessed it, the two rival ninja students. In this climactic battle, only one survives.
As an added bonus, the beautiful daughter of the Soke is thrown into the mix, but sadly, she serves as little more than window dressing. While she demonstrates some ninja skills, she is mostly helpless in a fight and is relegated to the role of damsel in distress more often than not, despite having trained all her life in the ninja arts. Though in her defense, she’s fairly useful with a bow and arrow, and she’s nice to look at.
The plot is better than most straight to video flicks, and in this case, serves as the thin thread tying the action scenes together, which are themselves well choreographed and well filmed.
The Action:
The action scenes feature the generous use of ninja weapons, including some impressive sword battles, as well as some decent hand to hand fight scenes. Aside from three fairly intense one-on-one fight scenes (all featuring liberal use of the katana), most of the battles feature one of the top ninjas in the film dispatching a multitude of lesser skilled opponents. The star of the film, Scott Adkins (caucasian actor and good guy ninja), demonstrates impressive martial arts and acrobatic ability, and it appears that he performed most of his own stunts. Keep your eyes open for a scene where he uses his acrobatic ability to evade an oncoming car. The ninja villain (asian actor and bad guy ninja, read into that what you will) also seemed to be well versed in martial arts and the use of ninja weapons, and I dare say that the fight scenes in this movie were more impressive than those in “Ninja Assassin” due in equal part to good choreography (far better than a Van Damme or Seagal flick, though don’t expect anything as energetic or creative as what you’d see from Hong Kong legends like Yuen Woo Ping, Corey Yuen, Jet Li or Jackie Chan), the actors in this film being experienced martial artists, and an editing style that lingers just long enough on the action (as opposed to the hyper-quick cut aways used in Ninja Assassins, which is the norm for a film featuring actors who aren’t very adept at performing the action featured in the film) so you can appreciate the skill of the actors pulling off the moves.
The Acting:
Nothing to write home about. The actors look and play their parts well enough as far as action films like this go, but none of them deliver performances that will leave a long lasting impression on you. That’s a good thing though, because the acting isn’t horrible either. It’s just good enough to move the story along, as threadbare and full of plotholes as it is.
The special effects:
There is liberal use of blood splattering, sometimes into the camera, when a katana is used to lethal effect. The blood didn’t look overly cartoony to me, but your tolerance/appreciation of these effects will vary depending on how much of a gorehound you are.
The pyrotechnics are good. Swords clashing generate sparks at the appropriate times, and I recall two separate vehicle explosions also being impressively done.
As for the BLU-RAY itself:
Picture quality on my 1080P Phillips is excellent, though not quite reference material. The image is generally sharp, colors are well delineated with little crush evident in day or night scenes, and there is very little to no film grain, leading me to believe the film was shot digitally, with some grain retained for a film-like appearance.
I can’t provide a detailed review of the audio, as I utilize only the speakers on my tv itself, but from what I heard, I can say the audio came across clearly, with dialogue being easy to pick up and louder foley effects, such as swords clashing, gun fire, and explosions, coming in crisply as well.
There is nothing in the way of special features, unless you count previews of other movies.
All in all, if you’re not too critical when it comes to martial arts themed movies, and you have an interest in seeing ninjas fighting ninjas and killing people in bloody fashion without an overuse of rapid cut editing, you may be pleasantly surprised. I recommend “Ninja” to viewers who are nostalgic for films like American Ninja (the first and best of the series) and Sho Kosugi films like Revenge of the Ninja.
Is Ninja worth a blind buy though? I’d say for the $15 price tag, it is if you’re a fan of violent and bloody ninja films. If you’re just a casual fan, a rental is the safest bet.
Either way, whether you rent or buy, there are far worse films in this genre out there, so happy viewing!
Simple and good
This movie is very good despite the poor reviews. I thought the acting was very believable as well as the story. The story was simple and seriously done, which to me was refreshing. I am so tired of martial arts movies with elaborate plots that end up leaving you more confused than when the movie started. To me martial arts movies tend to get too bogged down with heavy plot and cheapen the action. This was not the case with this film. Instead the director seem focus on the action and choreography and keep the story concise enough the keep the audience engaged. I thought this was the best movie about the Ninja I have ever seen, however, the new Ninja Assassin movie has not come out yet on Blu-ray. At least when it does I will have something to compare it to.
You already know the story–But the action is spectacular
I am appalled by the negative reviews of this movie. Compared to Ninja Assassin, a big budget, over hyped movie, and over rated in amazon stars, this one, is better in many ways.
Ok so the story may be very typical. I used to play action figues as a child and would conjure up the same story, rival pupils, jealosy, and the love of his beautiful daughter….. anyways, this move on blu ray is sleek, fast paced (boy was ninja assassin sloooowww) , and down right badass. No excessive (unrealistic) blood like ninja assassin–although it was sweet, but they show you what it would really look like when someone gets chopped up by kitana. Oh and let me say the arsenal used is so sick!!
This movie had be out of my seat at least 4 times in excitement, all the while i am saying to myself how under the radar this movie was and how overly blown away i was by its production value. Sure there are no superstars, but the acting is far from terrible. Besides, its all about the action here.
I can confidently say this is the best action movie of 2010 so far and maybe even 2009 and beyond… definately worth $17 for the blu ray.
Watch Sesame Street: Vol. 2 – Old School Online
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Watch Sesame Street: Vol. 2 – Old School Online.
Movie Title: Sesame Street: Vol. 2 – Old School Sesame Street: Vol. 2 – Old School is available for streaming or downloading. Click Here to Stream or Download Sesame Street: Vol. 2 – Old School |
This DVD area, released on my 40th birthday, proved the appropriate gift!
Buy,Download, Or Stream Sesame Street: Vol. 2 – Old School! Click Here
But let’s gain the negatives out of the draw first, to elaborate why I gave it four stars rather than five:
1) One reviewer for Volume 1 complained that there was too minute material extracted from a six-year period of broadcasts. Unfortunately, Volume 2 presents the same limits.
Buy,Download, Or Stream Sesame Street: Vol. 2 – Old School! Click Here
2) If a Volume 3 is ever released, please omit the Falling Baker skit for the Number Two. With the modern two volumes, it’s been repeated to death. Give us more variety — at least treat us to that elusive Number One skit (Baker falling with a wedding cake) .
3) Same packaging is faded as in Volume 1, with two of the three discs annoying stacked on top of each other.
4) One Super-Grover skit appears to be needlessly edited with modern material.
5) That irritating disclaimer saying the DVDs may not be appropriate teaching material for today’s kids. (Might the lobster-trap segment be too un-PC? ) My 3-year-old nephew absolutely loves watching Volume 1, so I anticipate the same reception for Volume 2.
Nonetheless, this DVD location almost earned five stars from me for two main reasons:
1) The nostalgia execute was considerable enough to nearly override the negatives.
2) There’s one absolutely can’t-miss-feature in Disc One — the test pilot extinct to pitch the reveal to PBS! It’s one of the freakiest gems in this release, with a heavy and admirable “Soul Teach” bound running through the episode, an atypically grievous Mr. Hooper, no kids singing “Sunny Day” (it took a moment for me to leer the articulate), and precious lively skits that I wish had been included in Volume 1 (notably Triangle & Square) . And is that the actor that I deem it is, playing a FOURTH Gordon??!!
As with Volume 1, I nearly cried seeing some skits that jogged bittersweet memories out of my subconscious (horseback mailman delivering an remark of “The Listless Truth” in the outskirts of Kentucky), and some that I opinion I’d never explore again but which I’m grateful to say I occupy at last (cows being fed hay in winter) . Some material almost unsettled me as a kid but I now fetch hilarious (King Minus), while some is of fair downright laugh-out-loud quality (Grover’s show-and-tell with Maria’s head) .
You’ll also acquire the following: Telephone Rock, I’m a hard-working dog, surprisingly more of Roosevelt Franklin, Cookie Monster in flamboyant Elton-John wardrobe, the moment when Woof-Woof’s name was changed to Barkley (a change I voted against as a kid, but which I now can’t imagine having occurred otherwise), and one moment when Snuffy came so finish to being discovered by David. I could go on! But you’ll have to spy for yourselves.
I must admit my hope that, if there’s a Volume 3, it’s willing to go encourage and cloak more of ’69-’74.
Genius Products picks up the reigns for this second volume of nostalgic Sesame Street episodes aimed at adults who remember the series from their childhood.
The position contains five complete, hour-long episodes from the 6th through 10th seasons, 57 bonus segments, an unaired test pilot, a 12-page booklet with behind-the-scenes information and photos, and a special collectible animation cell from the classic inspiring segment “Pinball Number Count” featuring vocals by The Pointer Sisters.
Episode speak includes the first episode with Roscoe Orman, the actor who smooth plays Gordon today. Also the first appearance of Muppet characters Rodeo Rosie, Oscar’s trashman Bruno, the Two-Headed Monster and Barkley the Dog. Famed songs include “What’s the Name of that Song? ” and “A Song From Kermit” with celebrity appearances by Judy Collins, Henry Winkler (as the Fonze), Paul Simon, Lily Tomlin, Richard Pryor, Ray Charles and others.
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Buy Pilot At Amazon!
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Pilot
Product: Buy Pilot At Amazon! List Price: —- Amazon Price: $1.99 Add to cart to see low price@ Availability: In Stock Usually ships in 24 Hours Free Shipping Available |
- Amazon Sales Rank: #1988 in TV Series Episode Video on Demand
- Released on: 2009-04-24
- Running time: 44 minutes
Shiny, shiny, more shiny, plus characters and plot!
I downloaded the Pilot for the simple reason that we had just gotten the TiVo all hooked up and registered and, at the time, the episode was free. Well, okay, it also helped that I wanted to say I’d seen it first, and I wanted to see how this whole downloadable TV thing worked.
I had seen previews for Chuck. The network had hyped it up so much, it was impossible to have missed it, but the previews did not impress me. I had no expectation of this show. I was thinking I would get halfway through the Pilot and then decide to watch something else.
The promos were wrong, wrong, wrong. They totally failed to highlight all of the wonderful things about this show — about this episode! It was smart and funny, with good performances and writing and directing, but the thing that most blew me away was the lighting and color.
The DOP for Chuck deserves some serious recognition. The show looks simply incredible. It’s so bright, it’s so colorful, and everything is lit in such a way that it reads beautifully on the screen. I probably got lost in just oohing and ahhing at the technical accomplishment of making a show this bright look this good a bit too much. Normally, shows seem to tend more towards dark, it seems to be somewhat easier to make dark look good.
I wasn’t too distracted by the shininess — I still had enough presence of mind to admire the characters and story. Chuck is endearing, very human, and the cast of crazy characters around him only serve to underscore how much of a person Chuck is, a person like any of us. It’s probably the show’s strongest selling point (aside from the shiny). Chuck may be in a world far beyond ours, but we can picture ourselves in his place.
Plus, the show is funny, and I laughed. It’s well worth watching every week.
Clumsy Nerdy Action
Chuck is one of the shows that I am most looking forward to with the writers strike over. It is a great blend of comedy, nerdyness, action, and smoking hot women. Chuck is the head nerd at the Buy More, a Best Buyesque big box store. He has had a great deal of secret government information downloaded into his brain. He often flashes on people or things he sees, which crank up the action in the show. The cast is great and the balance between comedy and action is great. Chuck gets himself into all kinds of trouble and he often has to find creative ways to get himself back out. Check this show out Mondays on NBC and until it comes back catch up with episode on UNBOX.
Surprisingly delightful
I didn’t expect to like this show but I do. I find it humorous that the store is named Buy More.
The romantic relationships are cute and predictable, just like they should be in a comedy.
The “spy stuff” is even comical.
I find it to be well written and an entertaining half hour.
War, Inc. Review.
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War, Inc. Review.
Compare & Purchase War, Inc. at Amazon by clicking here! List Price: —- Amazon Price: $4.99 |
War, Inc. Description:
- Amazon Sales Rank: #1376 in Movie
- Released on: 2008-10-14
- Rating: R (Restricted)
- Running time: 107 minutes
Customer Reviews:
Comedy from today’s headlines
I almost skipped this one as a political annoyance until I saw the star power supporting it: Ben Kingsley, Marisa Tomei (a personal favorite), John Cusack, Joan Cusack, and more. That cast simply won’t let a movie be bad. They couldn’t if they tried.
Despite an apparent attempt to be ordinary entertainment, this one rises above all the usual categories. Do you want a cynical mockumentary of Haliburton-style war profiteering? Got it. Do you want pointed jabs at operations funded by Congress’s “black budget?” Check. Do you want satirical assaults on simplistic sloganeering from every possible direction? It’s there. Add in a babe like a pre-meltdown Britney but with hotter hotpants and a bucket of slapstick, and you’re headed in the right direction. For example, a major character’s name is “Uckmee Fay.” Speakers of pig-Latin, please take note.
They set the tone from the very first scene. Chevy Chase delivers a “Mission Impossible” style of assignment to a high-class assassin, via video, while seated on American Standard’s finest. Later, Joan Cusack shows up in the role that she has perfected – the prim, cheery, and murderous psychopath. There’s a lot more, too. I laughed all through, even (maybe especially) when I knew that outrage would have been the “appropriate” response.
This one really grows on me the more I think about it. It doesn’t whap you upside the head with humor, politics, or even its sappy moments. Instead, it tickles you with not-quite-too-much of social commentary, current events, goofy jokes, visual gags, and enough more to hold it all together. I liked it more a few hours later than when I walked out the door, and lots of movies have the opposite effect on me.
– wiredweird, reviewing the theatrical release
PS: See it some time soon. The topical humor in this one might age badly unless the The Powers That Be keep providing background to preserve its freshness.
War Inc is a must see…
War Inc has an all star cast that includes John Cusack as Hauser a troubled assassin who has accepted a job of bumping off the figure head of a rival nation. To do this he must pose as a trade show coordinator hosting a Tamerlane Brand USA Expo in recently “liberated” country Turaqistan. On top of all this and with the help of his assistant (Joan Cusack) he has to juggle a headstrong reporter (Marisa Tomei) and the impending wedding of pop superstar Yonika BabyYea (Hilary Duff). War Inc is a film that will entertain a number of different audiences. On the surface the film plays much like a guy with girl troubles film but its the underlying theme that really makes it shine. Writers Mark Leyner, Jeremy Pikser and John Cusack weave a story that draws many parallels between what is happening on screen and in America today. One could easily view these larger than life characters as allegorical representations of the American Public, Capitalism, Big Business, Government, The Media…and so on. There is of course a good bit of the absurd, including but not limited to: fighting, licking and hotsauce drinking. Overall this film is ahead of its time for its candid statements about the geo political climate and its fun enough that you can still eat popcorn too. I hope you enjoy!
A very important movie
I’ve seen this when released and I would disagree with many of the reviewers who complain of the “disjointed” script. This movie is not confusing. It is extremely fast paced and can be watched several times to get all the jokes. The special effects are brutally effective and the underlying message very disturbing. The dark humor is right on, especially the bit where the Cusack’s only friend is his Northstar roadside assistance system. The only complaint of the movie is how they fit Hillary Duff into the movie. It’s a bit corny, but hey, it’s Hollywood.
Pilot Sale-$1.99!
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Pilot Sale-$1.99!
Compare & Purchase Pilot at Amazon by clicking here! List Price: —- Amazon Price: $1.99 |
Pilot Description:
- Amazon Sales Rank: #1988 in TV Series Episode Video on Demand
- Released on: 2009-04-24
- Running time: 44 minutes
Customer Reviews:
Shiny, shiny, more shiny, plus characters and plot!
I downloaded the Pilot for the simple reason that we had just gotten the TiVo all hooked up and registered and, at the time, the episode was free. Well, okay, it also helped that I wanted to say I’d seen it first, and I wanted to see how this whole downloadable TV thing worked.
I had seen previews for Chuck. The network had hyped it up so much, it was impossible to have missed it, but the previews did not impress me. I had no expectation of this show. I was thinking I would get halfway through the Pilot and then decide to watch something else.
The promos were wrong, wrong, wrong. They totally failed to highlight all of the wonderful things about this show — about this episode! It was smart and funny, with good performances and writing and directing, but the thing that most blew me away was the lighting and color.
The DOP for Chuck deserves some serious recognition. The show looks simply incredible. It’s so bright, it’s so colorful, and everything is lit in such a way that it reads beautifully on the screen. I probably got lost in just oohing and ahhing at the technical accomplishment of making a show this bright look this good a bit too much. Normally, shows seem to tend more towards dark, it seems to be somewhat easier to make dark look good.
I wasn’t too distracted by the shininess — I still had enough presence of mind to admire the characters and story. Chuck is endearing, very human, and the cast of crazy characters around him only serve to underscore how much of a person Chuck is, a person like any of us. It’s probably the show’s strongest selling point (aside from the shiny). Chuck may be in a world far beyond ours, but we can picture ourselves in his place.
Plus, the show is funny, and I laughed. It’s well worth watching every week.
Clumsy Nerdy Action
Chuck is one of the shows that I am most looking forward to with the writers strike over. It is a great blend of comedy, nerdyness, action, and smoking hot women. Chuck is the head nerd at the Buy More, a Best Buyesque big box store. He has had a great deal of secret government information downloaded into his brain. He often flashes on people or things he sees, which crank up the action in the show. The cast is great and the balance between comedy and action is great. Chuck gets himself into all kinds of trouble and he often has to find creative ways to get himself back out. Check this show out Mondays on NBC and until it comes back catch up with episode on UNBOX.
Surprisingly delightful
I didn’t expect to like this show but I do. I find it humorous that the store is named Buy More.
The romantic relationships are cute and predictable, just like they should be in a comedy.
The “spy stuff” is even comical.
I find it to be well written and an entertaining half hour.
Sesame Street: Vol. 2 – Old School Streaming
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Sesame Street: Vol. 2 – Old School Streaming.
Movie Title: Sesame Street: Vol. 2 – Old School Sesame Street: Vol. 2 – Old School is available for streaming or downloading. Click Here to Stream or Download Sesame Street: Vol. 2 – Old School |
This DVD plot, released on my 40th birthday, proved the appropriate gift!
Buy,Download, Or Stream Sesame Street: Vol. 2 – Old School! Click Here
But let’s rep the negatives out of the map first, to elaborate why I gave it four stars rather than five:
1) One reviewer for Volume 1 complained that there was too itsy-bitsy material extracted from a six-year period of broadcasts. Unfortunately, Volume 2 presents the same limits.
Buy,Download, Or Stream Sesame Street: Vol. 2 – Old School! Click Here
2) If a Volume 3 is ever released, please omit the Falling Baker skit for the Number Two. With the fresh two volumes, it’s been repeated to death. Give us more variety — at least treat us to that elusive Number One skit (Baker falling with a wedding cake) .
3) Same packaging is frail as in Volume 1, with two of the three discs annoying stacked on top of each other.
4) One Super-Grover skit appears to be needlessly edited with fresh material.
5) That irritating disclaimer saying the DVDs may not be appropriate teaching material for today’s kids. (Might the lobster-trap segment be too un-PC? ) My 3-year-old nephew absolutely loves watching Volume 1, so I anticipate the same reception for Volume 2.
Nonetheless, this DVD residence almost earned five stars from me for two main reasons:
1) The nostalgia conclude was worthy enough to nearly override the negatives.
2) There’s one absolutely can’t-miss-feature in Disc One — the test pilot mature to pitch the explain to PBS! It’s one of the freakiest gems in this release, with a heavy and admirable “Soul Exclaim” waddle running through the episode, an atypically improper Mr. Hooper, no kids singing “Sunny Day” (it took a moment for me to gaze the enlighten), and precious tantalizing skits that I wish had been included in Volume 1 (notably Triangle & Square) . And is that the actor that I contemplate it is, playing a FOURTH Gordon??!!
As with Volume 1, I nearly cried seeing some skits that jogged bittersweet memories out of my subconscious (horseback mailman delivering an recount of “The Lifeless Truth” in the outskirts of Kentucky), and some that I opinion I’d never view again but which I’m grateful to say I gain at last (cows being fed hay in winter) . Some material almost unsettled me as a kid but I now rep hilarious (King Minus), while some is of unprejudiced downright laugh-out-loud quality (Grover’s show-and-tell with Maria’s head) .
You’ll also acquire the following: Telephone Rock, I’m a hard-working dog, surprisingly more of Roosevelt Franklin, Cookie Monster in flamboyant Elton-John wardrobe, the moment when Woof-Woof’s name was changed to Barkley (a change I voted against as a kid, but which I now can’t imagine having occurred otherwise), and one moment when Snuffy came so stop to being discovered by David. I could go on! But you’ll have to view for yourselves.
I must admit my hope that, if there’s a Volume 3, it’s willing to go encourage and veil more of ’69-’74.
Genius Products picks up the reigns for this second volume of nostalgic Sesame Street episodes aimed at adults who remember the series from their childhood.
The situation contains five complete, hour-long episodes from the 6th through 10th seasons, 57 bonus segments, an unaired test pilot, a 12-page booklet with behind-the-scenes information and photos, and a special collectible animation cell from the classic curious segment “Pinball Number Count” featuring vocals by The Pointer Sisters.
Episode snarl includes the first episode with Roscoe Orman, the actor who calm plays Gordon today. Also the first appearance of Muppet characters Rodeo Rosie, Oscar’s trashman Bruno, the Two-Headed Monster and Barkley the Dog. Distinguished songs include “What’s the Name of that Song? ” and “A Song From Kermit” with celebrity appearances by Judy Collins, Henry Winkler (as the Fonze), Paul Simon, Lily Tomlin, Richard Pryor, Ray Charles and others.
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