Knocked Up - Unrated (Two-Disc Collector's Edition)

Customer Reviews:

Details on the different versions of this DVD release.......2007-09-12

Loved the movie. That said, I was confused on what the differences were on the 3 DVD versions, but found some details that I've posted below. As for me, I'm going with this two-disc unrated version.

Basic extras -- available on all (both R-rated and Unrated Editions):

- Deleted and Extended Scenes
- Gag Reel
-"Directing the Director" (Capote director Bennett Miller stops by to help Apatow get the job done)
- Line-O-Rama (Tons of alternate takes)
- Audio commentary with Judd Apatow, Seth Rogen and Bill Hader
- Roller Coaster Featurette

Goodies available only on the Unrated releases:

- MORE Deleted and Extended Scenes (some pretty raunchy ones, reportedly)
- Topless Scene: "Web Design"

And finally, extras available only on this 2-disc Unrated version:

- Judd Apatow's Video Diaries
- Finding Ben Stone (A mock casting session)
- Stripper Confidential (Rogen and Paul Rudd wade through some Sin City salaciousness)
- Even MORE Deleted and Extended Scenes / Gag Reel Footage!
- Another topless Scene: "Restaurant"
- Katherine Hiegl's Audition Tape
.. "and more" (I'm really hoping for another "You know how I know you're gay?" extended scene like in 40-year-old Virgin)

Many guys would run a mile.......2007-09-10

There are too many children being born into the world at the moment, where the mother, barely out of school herself, can't remember the name of the father. There are children being born who will never know their father, cos their mother had too much to drink to ask him to wear some protection. Or take her pill. Many boyfriends would run a mile and then keep running if their girlfriend turned round and said they were pregnant. Imagine what they would do if it was a one night stand who said they were pregnant?!

Here's a film that turns all that on its head. The girl who should have been out of his league, has a few too many and sleeps with the guy who has 'moobs' and a mop of curly hair. He thinks he's scored, they part ways. She discovers she's pregnant eight weeks later, just as she gets a promotion at work, hunts him down to tell him, and he agrees to stick by her, thankfully without asking the question that would get him a slap: "Is it mine?"

That's the basic premise of the movie, starring Katherine Heigl and Seth Rogen in the lead roles. It's an absolutely brilliant movie, dealing with various relationship problems, sometimes a bit too much, as I found some scenes difficult to deal with. Maybe I was feeling a bit insecure that night, who knows? The bit where she threw him out the car in the middle of nowhere gave me shivers up my spine. A lot of the jokes about the roommate with the beard, and ever growing hair went straight over my head.

I never got into The 40 Year Old Virgin, so I can't really comment on the comparisons to that. I think I switched it off as I couldn't concentrate on it. But this definitely kept my attention, although it could have been cut down slightly, as it was overly long for a comedy, but only by about 15 minutes or so.

The supporting cast are absolutely terrific, and the cameos are also funny too. Look out for Ryan Seacrest playing a totally different 'character' to the one he plays on American Idol! Steve Carrell also makes a cameo, along with Jessica Simpson & Jessica Alba.

An 18 year old guy I work with also went to see this movie the same night I did, and we were discussing it the next day, and he admitted to being scared stiff at the birth scene at the end. Oh dear, that's the wool been lifted from his eyes! You do see EVERYTHING unfortunately, including a reflection in a mirror of a baby's head crowning. It's a fleeting glimpse, but enough to make me want to cross my legs!

Knocked Up is an excellent movie, about a true to life topic, and has a happy ending when it all works out. I think I was close to tears. I'll definitely pick up the DVD of this, and see if there's any good extras on it.

Big Disappointment.......2007-09-02

Perhaps I'm too old for movies like this. Perhaps I should have known better - I gave up on 40 year virgin after 15 minutes. But the reviews were good so I watched it. The movie (to me) was utterly boring. I found little to laugh at, but perhaps the jokes belonged to a different culture. The characters were amiably pleasant but a bad situation was made worse by the continuous stream of bad language. Is this how young people talk nowadays - I doubt it.

Dire .......2007-08-28

This aint no comedy. A foul mouthed tepid load of rubbish. Lazy drugged up slob impregnates drunken beauty queen. She obviously traumatised by the experience tries to bond with her childs father. But he is a lazy useless monosyllabic bore.

There is no chemistry between the leads, the main male character is particularly reprehensible, an introverted immature layabout. The script is terrible, not a single person laughed in the theatre I was in watching this dribble.

How any one could call this a comedy is beyond me, movie making at its worst, one of the most horrible theatre experiences of my life.

When Homer met Marge, for adults.......2007-08-27

I thought the movie had some hilarious moments...but you have to remember one thing: It's only a movie!!!

In real life there would probably be some ugly consequences involved for constantly smoking pot, not having a job and sleeping with any bloke you meet in a club. Ie. you can end up a nutcase,get AIDS,become homeless on the street, etc.

But if you just watch it for what it is (a movie) then it can be really hilarious at times.

Hope this review helped.

Average customer rating:

Filthy minded? Yup. Infantile? Yup. Funny as hell? Absofrigginlutely!
Knocked Up
Something for everyone
The latest odd couple
One of the Year's Best! - No Really!

Knocked Up (Unrated Widescreen Edition)
Starring: Seth Rogen , Katherine Heigl , Joanna Kerns , Loudon Wainwright III , and Harold Ramis
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

ASIN: B000TZJBPQ
Release Date: 2007-09-25

Customer Reviews:

Filthy minded? Yup. Infantile? Yup. Funny as hell? Absofrigginlutely!.......2007-09-10

With this film, I just became a Seth Rogen fan. Just right now, I did. I've been peripherally aware of this guy, having seen him in miniscule parts in ANCHORMAN: THE LEGEND OF RON BURGUNDY, YOU, ME & DUPREE, and, most notably, THE 40 YEAR OLD VIRGIN. But, here in KNOCKED UP, he takes lead actor honors and he's simply awesome. Yes, see this movie for the other actors, as well - Katherine Heigl, Paul Rudd, and Leslie Mann all shine - but, in my eyes, this is a cinematic coming out party for Seth Rogen. And, if nothing else, this chubby guy gives hope to uncool, unhandsome, just plain folks like me.

This is the story of Ben and Alison. Ben (Seth Rogen) is a laid-back, unemployed teddy bear of a guy who whiles away his time smoking weed and, with his slacker buddies, striving to construct a celebrity skin website (these guys are obviously unaware of the online site Mr. Skin, already in place). In a club, he bumps into way-out-of-his-league Alison (Katherine Heigl), a gorgeous career girl celebrating a promotion. Booze is poured, sparks are ignited, and Alison and Ben hook up. As sometimes happen, the next morning opens with hangovers and regrets and a butt-crack. Alison gets a good sober look at Ben, who then doesn't help his case by throwing up and then championing the merits of post-drunk vomiting. Disgusted, Alison departs, with Ben knowing he goofed and philosophically assuming that that was that. But, 8 weeks later, Ben hears from Alison, who drops the news that she's expecting. And, because Ben is innately a good guy and Alison a fairly open-minded girl who doesn't want to do this alone, they make a go of being together.

This flick is a cheerful, very funny 2-hours-plus worth of sit down time. It definitely offers more than its ANIMAL HOUSE tendencies would have you initially believe. My gut feeling is that the folks involved in the making of this film had true affection for it, especially Director/Writer Judd Apatow. KNOCKED UP lays down consistent humor foraying into occasional bawdiness. I must admit that the film startled me with its display of genuine emotion and heart. I was prepared to be content with cardboard people and cheap laughs. Instead, underneath the crass trimmings, the unaffected, heartfelt core of the film surfaced and made me invest in the characters beyond a superficial level. I really liked the characters. Too, the rampant crudity and lewdness are balanced out by a humorous yet sensitive depiction of a marriage quietly on the rocks. With all the insights given, it actually feels like a real marriage.

Alison's older sister Debbie and Pete have been married for a while now and are raising two beautiful daughters. But life isn't like the movies, and Debbie and Pete, well-meaning people both, have problems. Debbie as played with delirious, high-strung brittleness by Leslie Mann is one of those pushy, righteous people who eventually gets under your skin, but she's not a bad person. Paul Rudd is comic gold as Pete, the fount of masterfully sly and dry comments, who can mostly tolerate Debbie's harangues but only if he gets the occasional alone time. Their not-quite-rosy relationship is plentifully plumbed, giving rise to spousal suspicions and bickerings and possibly previewing what the future holds for Alison and Ben. Too, Alison and Ben end up choosing sides as Alison is strictly with her sister while Ben espouses Pete's side. This puts a decided crimp in their own relationship.

Of course, this movie hinges on the leads' ability to generate interest and invoke sympathy from the viewer. And, let's face it, who wouldn't want Ben Stone for a buddy? Or Seth Rogen, for that matter? Ben is so good natured and easy going that I challenge anyone to not root for him and his maturation process. One of my favorite scenes is when he finally confronts Debbie. His chemistry with Heigl is apparent on screen; I can actually see this smoking hot girl being pals with and then falling for the prospectless, chubby but appealing loser, although, naturally, beer and possibly many shots of tequilla would have to be involved. Katherine Heigl had already turned my head with her performances in ROSWELL and THE RINGER. Here, much respect goes to Katherine as she shrugs off dignity and dives right into the thick of things. But, you know what, even when ignominiously suffering thru morning sickness, throwing hormonal hissy fits, or giving alarmingly painful birth, she maintains her full babefulness. As Alison,she comes across as an authentic person with an array of valid fears and insecurities. Katherine Heigl's good. And smoking hot.

The supporting players sparkle. Credit as a whole goes to Ben's insult-tossing cast of nowhere-headed pals, who may be hapless but are there for Ben. Two standouts are Ken Jeong as the strict and precise Asian doctor and SNL-er Kristen Wiig as some sort of network executive, she of the snide and off-the-wall verbal asides ("This is Hollywood. We don't like liars."). Because Alison works for the E! network, we're treated to several cameos of famous folks playing themselves. Ryan Seacrest's lampooning of himself is a blast and it makes me like him a bit better.

I like to laugh and KNOCKED UP doled out laughter in multiple servings. Much of the humor is of the juvenile sort as a sizable chunk of the film is dedicated to the slacker amigos mercilessly bagging on each other. Your enjoyment of these jokes will depend on your pop-culture I.Q. (for example, do you know who Serpico is?). One guy who undertakes a shaving bet is incessantly strafed with facial hair insults ("Scorcese on coke" "Your face is like Robin William's knuckles."). Be advised that there are moments here of THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY or AMERICAN PIE proportions. But, in the midst of the pot humor, the DeNiro impressions, and the scatalogical stuff, let me reiterate that there's an unfeigned sweetness and moments of honest soul searching which resonate clearly, and, gullible goofball that I am, I was charmed. Don't be fooled by the raunchy and "modern" conventions here; this film is firmly centered on family values. Ben Stone might be an adult at 23 years old, but this is still a coming of age story. And, yes, he does grow up here.

In his first lead role, Seth Rogen emerges as the genial, scruffy heart of the film. Now that he has it, here's hoping he can sustain his leading man status. If the ungainly Jack Black can do it, why not Seth, who's more lovable and cuddly? But there are other actors in the film. Heigl, Rudd, and Mann do great being witty and poignant, argumentative and loving, and real. KNOCKED UP allows both genders to have their moments. In terms of who's funny, Rogen and Rudd definitely come through, but Heigl and especially Mann deliver their ample share of levity. Just wait for the scene with the stressed Debbie having a brutal yet uproarious conversation with the nightclub doorman. The movie also has that something which lesser films would kill for, which is rapport among its stars. Chemistry abounds, between Rogen and Heigl, between Mann and Rudd, and between Rogen and Rudd. So, yeah, there are all sorts of reasons to go see KNOCKED UP. The fellas can latch onto the dirty, smutty humor and the smoking hot babes; for the girls, there are the pregnancy arc and the nice, unforced romance, as well as the sibling relationship of Alison and Debbie. Oh, and, apparently, Paul Rudd is a clever hunk and Seth Rogen is immensely huggable. But, me, I saw this to learn the dice move. I'm building up my dance repertoire.

Knocked Up.......2007-09-08

You could throw a rock at a video shop and hit a movie about the joys of parenting, but very few of those gooey family flicks deal with the actual business of making the baby. That's where Knocked Up comes in. Delving fearlessly beneath the duvet of taboo, Judd Apatow's superb comedy follows the relationship between slobby stoner Ben (Seth Rogen) and go-getting TV exec Alison (Katharine Heigl) from a drunken one-night-stand to nursery shopping and labour pains.

Apatow is best known for his rollicking sex farce The 40 Year Old Virgin, but Knocked Up is pitched at a considerably lower key. While the subject matter is bawdy and the language extremely saucy, most of the laughs (and there are lots of them) spring from conversations rather than gross-out set pieces. Rogen's likeable slacker and his no-hoper pals can discuss the finer points of celebrity nudity until your eyes are watering, while on the other side of the partnership, Alison's sister (Leslie Mann) and her husband (Paul Rudd) provide a spot-on portrait of an arid marriage.

"YOU'LL BE SNORTING POPCORN OUT OF YOUR NOSE"

Like its central character's life, Knocked Up has a messy story, but one imbued with such sweetness that it's impossible not to love. It's a romance with the cutest of twists - imagine if Romeo and Juliet had nine months to fall in love before Julie Jr arrived - told with the laconic charm of a good stand-up routine and laced with moments of genuine insight. It's an adult comedy - not smutty (well OK, it is kinda smutty) but a comedy for and about adults. Most importantly, it's so funny that you'll be snorting popcorn out of your nose before the end.

Something for everyone.......2007-08-27

In the movie Knocked Up, Katherine Heigl plays Alison Scott, a twenty-something career gal who has just been promoted to an on-air position with E! Entertainment Television. The day she receives her promotion Alison goes out to celebrate with her older sister, Debbie, at a nightclub. It's there that she meets Ben, an unmotivated pothead who lives with four roommates and doesn't have a job "per se." Ben and his roommates are working on creating a Web site that will allow you to search for your favorite actress's nude scenes. When Ben and Allison meet, even though she's gorgeous and he's a pudgy, hairy mess, there's something about his personality and charm that wins her over. Eventually they wind up back at her place and you can guess from the title what happens next.

Knocked Up is the story of the way that Alison and Ben have to navigate an unplanned pregnancy and what it will mean for their individual futures, the future of their unborn child, and their collective relationship. It goes over every aspect of an unplanned pregnancy: do we or don't we have it?, what's going to happen to my career?, is this the right person for me? All of these questions are tackled in an honest and humorous fashion. And, even if you aren't into it for the pregnancy angle, there's so much more to the movie. Alison's sister has been married with children for a few years and feels that her relationship is stagnating. Her husband, played by Paul Rudd, is in no such rut and instead manages to be completely oblivious to his wife's concerns. Ben's roommates, also unmotivated potheads, have to figure out what to do if their planned celebrity sex scene Web site doesn't pan out the way they'd planned. As a whole, Knocked Up was just an all around interesting and multifaceted romantic comedy. And it doesn't hurt that the movie was downright hilarious.

Knocked Up is the sort of movie you can see with a friend, family member, or significant other and everyone will have something to laugh about. I can't remember the last time I was at a movie where every seat was filled and everyone laughed pretty much the whole time. It's definitely going to top the list of one of the funniest movies of the summer.

The latest odd couple.......2007-08-26

I never did like that Paul Anka song, but it came to mind when watching this movie.

Havin' a baby
What a perfect way of proving
When you've been easy
Havin' a baby
What a simple way of knowing
You were drunk and crazy
I can see it, nausea's growing
I can see it in your eyes
You're not happy to know it
That you're havin' a baby.

Yep, as the title of the movie will confirm, one night of drunken partying can lead to a barely remembered episode of making unprotected whoopee, which in turn can lead to the predicament of Alison Scott (Katherine Heigl of Grey's Anatomy).

Recently promoted at work, Alison hopes that the camera will hide the pounds she's beginning to pack as she tries to deal with the new developments in her life. Unfortunately, the father-to-be (Seth Rogen) isn't exactly ideal family material, being a stranger to details like work and responsibility, but to his credit he doesn't break the record for the 100 meter sprint and tries to do the right thing.

They have so little in common that it's a wonder that the little cells managed to get together in the first place, but then again, Alison's sister (Leslie Mann) and her husband (Paul Rudd) aren't doing so great either.

Funny in places, but long and drawn out in others, this could have been a really good one hour sitcom episode, but at more than two hours, you may experience birthing pains before the credits begin to roll.

Rated 3.5 stars

(Note: Profanity laden, with adult situations, and may be traumatic to people who are pregnant for the first time.)

Amanda Richards, August 26, 2007

One of the Year's Best! - No Really!.......2007-08-20

"Knocked Up" is truely one of those films that creeps up from behind you and really surprises you in every sense of the word. What could have easily been a dumb, forgettable, raunchy sex-comedy turns out to be a smart, memorable, raunchy sex/romantic comedy. It's a well balanced high wire act of potty mouthed humor and "cute" elements that is pulled off brilliantly by the writing and direction of Judd Apatow as well as the acting from actors Seth Rogen, Katherine Heigl, Paul Rudd, and the under appreciated Leslie Mann (not to exclude the supporting roles from Jonah Hill, Jason Sigel, and a few other "Freaks and Geeks"/"Undeclared" alumni).
"Knocked Up" is a pretty simple story, a likable under achiever/slacker/stoner/unemployed goof has a one night stand with a gorgeous woman who was drunk celebrating a promotion she earned at work. The couple's hot night turns out to be a nine week "getting to know you and your friends" bit before the baby pops out. Of course there are moments where the boy must grow up which is truely what the film is about. The running time is 129 minutes which may be a little too long for some but honestly, I hardly noticed it and I've seen this in the theater twice! From start to finish Apatow pulls the audience in with his great sense of humor and scene after scene the laughs keep rolling in til the end just as fresh as the begining.
Though "Knocked Up" is pretty fowl mouthed, (the "F" word is thrown around a lot as well as a whole avalanche of naughty words) the film has the amazing ability to become extremely sensitive and even sweet. I love that! In fact, "Knocked Up" is surprisingly my favorite film of 2006 by far!

Average customer rating:

Funniest movie of 07
Hilarious Movie, Great Actors
Funny movie, great characters, highly pro drug-use
Excellent depiction of good humor, Never once tried to be nice
What Makes Blondie So Great?

Knocked Up [HD DVD]
Starring: Seth Rogen , Katherine Heigl , Joanna Kerns , Loudon Wainwright III , and Harold Ramis
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | HD DVD | Formats | DVD | Video

Comedy | HD DVD | Formats | DVD | Video

Drama | HD DVD | Formats | DVD | Video

Television | HD DVD | Formats | DVD | Video
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ASIN: B000TZJBP6
Release Date: 2007-09-25

Customer Reviews:

Funniest movie of 07.......2007-09-15

I cannot wait to receive this HD-DVD I had to go see it twice in theatres.

Hilarious Movie, Great Actors.......2007-09-13

Please note, this movie has note yet come out on HD DVD. I do not know what the PQ, AQ, or Extras will be like on the HD DVD itself. My review is entirely done with the movie/story in mind.

Knocked Up is a HILARIOUS movie. In short if you liked SuperBad, 40 Year Old Virgin, Accepted or even Wedding Crashers you will more than likely love this movie. It is by far the best comedy of the summer, and probably even the year. The story follows around the life of two people who were just out for a fling when their lives are inextricably thrown back together by an unexpected pregnancy. I'll spare you the rest of the synopsis, as you can read that almost anywhere. However, I will say that there are few movies that provide these kinds of laughs so many times during the film.

Also worth noting is that this movie is NOT FOR CHILDREN. It has a lot of drug usage within the movie, as well as many sexual jokes. Please don't think this is a good children's comedy. Thanks for reading my review.

Funny movie, great characters, highly pro drug-use.......2007-09-10

Knocked Up is a new movie from Judd Apatow, the man behind The Forty Year Old Virgin. I'm almost ashamed to admit I enjoyed the crude but surprisingly sweet "Virgin." Knocked Up gives you more of the same. It stars Seth Rogan, who had a hilarious supporting part in "Virgin", and Katherine Heigle, the beautiful current star of Grey's Anatomy. Heigle, playing E! reporter Allison Scott, goes out on the town to celebrate a big promotion. At the bar, she meets Ben (Rogan). Allison is beautiful (I can't emphasize that enough) and Ben is basically a slob. With shades of Notting Hill, they end up sleeping together. Eight weeks later Allison finds out she is pregnant.

What is she going to do? She turns to her sister Debbi, played by Leslie Mann, for advice. Allison has a great career, and Ben is a pothead loser. She decides to keep the baby, and willingly allows Ben to be a part of the future baby's life. Ben thus gets closer with Allison and Debbie and Debbie's husband Pete (played by Paul Rudd.) This movie is crude yet sweet, raunchy yet traditional. At the heart of the film is a romantic comedy. Yet it is filled with scenes with comically crass dialogue and all the anguish associated with having a baby.

I'm not one of those people that think everything Apatow does is the greatest. I liked "Virgin" better than this, and I've never watched Freaks & Geeks, the 90s TV show whose cast plays a large part in this film. Knocked Up is a good movie with funny moments and emotional moments. It had a lot of good cameos too.

I'll recommend this movie to anyone that enjoys a good raunchy comedy, but I do have a few complaints. First, this is a romantic comedy. In every romantic comedy, the leads get together, then conflict tears them apart, then they get back together. Usually, the getting back together is what makes or break the movie. In Knocked Up, Ben and Allison slowly grow to care about each other, but the conflict tears them apart. Pete and Debbie also have conflict. The movie is incredibly weak in showing how the conflict is resolved, and so I left the movie not totally buying into Ben and Allyson's relationship. My second complaint is that this movie is very very very pro drug use. Quite disappointing since smoking weed is ILLEGAL. Some might say it took an anti drug turn at the end, but I don't buy it. That was really disappointing and irresponsible in my opinion. I'm mature enough to enjoy a movie yet not buy into the message it is preaching. The movie could have been just as good without all of the promoting of illegal drug use.

Excellent depiction of good humor, Never once tried to be nice.......2007-09-06

Knocked Up. A 23 year old unemployed slightly overweight guy goes to a club with his crazy 20 something group of friends. He helps this lady buy a Corona and they exchange small talk and end up spending the night together. She is a TV anchor for a famous channel. Circumstances continue, she wakes up in the morning and regrets her pick but doesn't seem overtly rude about it. The central character doesn't seem like the kind of guy you would ever get angry at. Few weeks down the line, the same girl realizes she's pregnant. Now what? Now Knocked Up.

The humor in the film is the reason it is one of the best films I've seen this year. Some dialogues tickle your bone in a very unconvential smart way. There is no toilet humor and it doesn't hurt your intelligence. The acting is very good and it is easy to relate to all characters without them seeming corny or ridiculously exuberant for any reason.

Loved it.

Why not 5 stars? I don't know, there's nothing wrong with it but it just isn't a classic, really. Watch it for the humor, watch it for Seth Rogen. Excellent acting, production and sense of emotion but comedy made this film,really.

What Makes Blondie So Great?.......2007-09-06

The whole movie involves this guy bending over backwards to please the princess that got pregnant. She's supposed to be so great that he can't believe that she's willing to be with him for the sake of the child. Come on!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This boozed up tart is trolling Hollywood clubs looking for anything with pants on and a pulse. She sure wasn't very picky. This nerdy looking character looks to be at least 250 to 280 pounds of soft tissue - probably needs a bra worse than her. How are we supposed to believe that she is little Miss Pure? The producers should have included a scene of Seth Rogen having a test for STD's at the health department. If she'd pick him up, she'd do anything.

Average customer rating:

Powerful, poetic violence
Metacinema
wild!!!!
Brutal and Brilliant
Shallow plot

Oldboy
Starring: Min-sik Choi , Ji-tae Yu , Hye-jeong Kang , Dae-han Ji , and Dal-su Oh
Director: Chan-wook Park
Manufacturer: Tartan Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0009S2T0M
Release Date: 2005-08-23

Amazon.com

In the realm of revenge thrillers, you'd be hard pressed to find more ultra-violent vengeance and psycho thrills than in the creepy story of Oldboy. This Korean import made a pop splash at the Cannes Film Festival and during its limited theatrical run thanks to the imprimatur of Quentin Tarantino, who raved about it and its visionary director, Chan-wook Park, to anyone who would listen. It's easy to see why QT fell in love with the grindhouse attitude, fast-paced action, violent imagery, and icy-black humor, but it's a disservice to think of Oldboy as another Tarantino homage or knockoff. The darkly existential undercurrent in the themes that Oldboy traces over its life-long narrative arc is much more complex and deeply disturbing than anything of its kind. The movie's tagline is, "15 years of imprisonment... 5 days of vengeance." The imprisonee is Oh Dae-Su, an ordinary Joe who is snatched off a Seoul street corner and locked away in a dank, windowless fleabag hotel room for the aforementioned 15 years. Just as abruptly he is released, and thus the five days begin. Why did this happen to Oh Dae-Su? Ah, but that would be telling, and in fact we don't know ourselves until the final wrenching scenes.

Oldboy breaks into a classic three-act saga, the first of which details the hallucinatory period of imprisonment in which Oh Dae-Su wades from mild insanity to outright psychosis in the hands of unseen yet attentive captors. Act 2 is the revenge, when an entirely different tone takes over and Oh Dae-Su moves with single-minded purpose and clarity. It's this section that has gained the most notoriety, primarily for the claw-hammer dentistry scene, the one-man-army tracking shot, and the wriggling octopus that Oh Dae-Su consumes in a sushi bar (he's been dead so long he simply needs life back inside him in any way possible). In act 3, answers finally start to emerge and the sinister atmosphere grows even more profound--not without a healthy dose of extra bloodletting, of course. Oldboy is an undeniably poetic masterpiece of tension, fury, and dynamic craft. Ultimately, its epic cycle of tragedy is of the sort that mankind has been inflicting upon itself for all time. Some of the images may be gruesome, but all converge into a kind of beauty. It's in the telling of this lurid tale that these details become one and the memories of pain ultimately heal. --Ted Fry

Description

Oh Dae-su is an ordinary Seoul businessman with a wife and little daughter who, after a drunken night on the town, is abducted and locked up in a strange, private prison. No one will tell him why hes there and who his jailer is and his fury builds to a single-minded focus of revenge. 15 years later, he is unexpectedly freed, given a new suit, a cell-phone and 5 days to discover the mysterious enemy who had him imprisoned. Seeking vengeance on all those involved, he soon finds that his enemys tortures are just beginning.

Customer Reviews:

Powerful, poetic violence.......2007-09-10

Easily the best of the director's "Vengeance" trilogy. While all three films give us memorable characters and poweful emotions, OLDBOY carries us through a cohesive and thrilling story, including a great ending. A dark, fantastic puzzle.

Metacinema.......2007-09-01

References to "Oldboy" abound with words such as ultra-violent and gory. And yet, in the end, the gore is psychological rather than physical (though cutting out your own tongue with scissors is an admittedly bloody feat). "Oldboy" is a film entirely in a class of its own, mixing mystery, violence, and a plot that mind-bendingly unravels to a surprising conclusion. "Oldboy" plays well, it looks great, and is satisfying at every level; plot, action, story, and twist. The helping hand lent by the New Zealand Film Unit ensures crisp cine and those jagged, snow-topped Korean hills are as sharply captured as claw-hammer dentistry or the ingestion of a live octopus. Bon Apetit!

wild!!!!.......2007-08-24

This movie was not what I expected. It kept you guessing til the end. It wasn't my cup of tea but if you like gore you'll enjoy it.

Brutal and Brilliant.......2007-08-08

This film is not for the faint of heart. And even for those who think they can handle it...man oh man. It's brutal, violent, gory, messy, messed-up...and absolutely brilliant. Dont let the subtitles scare you, this is a Korean masterpiece.

Shallow plot.......2007-07-09

Shallow plot offering plenty of occasions for gratuitous graphic violence. Nevertheless, acting and aesthetics are rather good.

Knocked Up (Unrated Full Screen Edition)

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Knocked Up (Unrated Full Screen Edition)
Starring: Seth Rogan , Katherine Heigl , Joanna Kerns , Loudon Wainwright III , and Harold Ramis
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

ASIN: B000TZJBPG
Release Date: 2007-09-25

Average customer rating:

Knocked Up (Widescreen Edition)
Starring: Seth Rogan , Katherine Heigl , Joanna Kerns , Loudon Wainwright III , and Harold Ramis
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

ASIN: B000U71692
Release Date: 2007-09-25

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Seven Swords
Finally a Wuxia film that sacrifices all the flying and art for epic characters and battles!
Seven Swords (WOW)
AN EXCELLENT PERIOD FILM
Sorry

Seven Swords
Starring: Donnie Yen , Leon Lai , Charlie Yeung , Liwu Dai , and Chia-Liang Liu
Director: Hark Tsui
Manufacturer: Weinstein Company
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ASIN: B000ICLU7C
Release Date: 2007-01-16

Amazon.com

As the title indicates, Seven Swords is in the epic spirit of The Seven Samurai and its American cousin, The Magnificent Seven. A grittier enterprise, it may not surpass Tsui Hark's 1990s classics like Once Upon a Time in China, but offers its own unique pleasures--like non-stop action (for which it received a coveted Golden Horse Award). Based on the book Seven Swordsmen from Mountain Tian, the action begins in rural China in the 1600s. The Ching Dynasty has just banned martial arts, and in response seven dissidents band together to fight against Fire-Wind (Honglei Sun) and his minions. The septet includes Hong Kong superstars Charlie Young (Wu Yuan Yin), Leon Lai (Yang Yun Chong), and Hero's Donnie Yen (Chu Zhao Nan). One of the mountain villagers they save is pretty Korean refugee Green Pearl (So-yeon Kim), who falls for the moody Chu. Filmed on location in scenic Xinjiang, Seven Swords is a feast for the eyes. Though some critics have taken Hark to task for the army's anachronistic goth-punk garb, it sure looks menacing. Originally four and a half hours long, this version clocks in at 153 minutes. Hark's soft-spoken commentary, along with Hong Kong cinema expert Bey Logan, is on the first disc. Deleted scenes and other extras are on the second. Because of the cuts, the complex narrative isn't always easy to follow--and the film still feels long--but the gold-tinged visuals and fight choreography by Kar-Leung Lau (The Legend of Drunken Master) helps to compensate. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Description

In the early 1600's, the Manchurians have taken over sovereignty of China and established the Ching Dynasty. The newly set-up government immediately imposes a Martial Arts Ban, forbidding the practice of martial arts altogether in order to gain control and order. A group of soldiers travel the country seeking out those who would flout the law. A swordsman and his disciples decide to take the fight to the enemy, following a plea from a group of villagers. The SEVEN SWORDS is formed and their heroic journey begins. As they lead the entire village to the road of a safer place, they discover there is a trator amongst them. Between this narrow gap of life and death, the situation is further complicated by the blossoms of love.

Customer Reviews:

Seven Swords.......2007-09-10

It was not that good. I expect more fight if I know it was the way it I never buy it.

Finally a Wuxia film that sacrifices all the flying and art for epic characters and battles!.......2007-09-03

Seven unique swordsmen (including one swords-woman)band together to save a village and its people from the evil General Fire-Wind. And that's about all you need to know about the plot... and that's what is so great about this film! Although two and a half hours long it has so many fantastic characters and battles you won't find yourself checking the timer on the DVD player once. For those who find Wuxia films like Hero, House Of Flying Daggers, and Curse Of The Golden Flower to be perfect you may lose interest in this quickly. Gone is alot of the "beautiful" and artistic fights only to be replaced with more brutal swordplay action that leaves heads split and limbs detached... and thankfully next to zero flying! Many reviewers have blasted the movie for cutting its original runtime of over four hours to the aforementioned two and a half, and although I am one of the fans who would love to see the full version I can't knock the reasoning for the edits (although a second disc with the full-length film would have been nice Dragon Dynasty!) and they seem to have been done as well a possible. You don't get to know all of the characters as well as you would like but you get enough to keep you interested in them until the very end. Another knock is the stylish garb of the villains, who look like they have been displaced from a Mad Max movie more than ancient China. But still, once you see just how vicious and ruthless they are, the costumes seem like a perfect choice. This is a must see for fans of Asian cinema, epic action films, or just plain old good movies.

Seven Swords (WOW).......2007-07-24

This is a great martial arts movie. We need more of these. The price that I paid for this move is good as well. I received from my seller in the stated time.

AN EXCELLENT PERIOD FILM.......2007-06-03

This is one of the better period films that I have enjoyed recently. It involves all the things that made people love CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON and CURSE OF THE GOLDEN FLOWER and more than enough action to keep an action buff like me entertained. I think that when Asian directors try to stay true to their own history, legends and myths, it presents a special concern for them. They want the film to be as true as possible and still be recieved well be American audiences. I think this director pulled it off very well. I would highly recommend this film to anyone.

Sorry.......2007-05-13

I was not impressed with this movie at all, it had too many slow boring moments and I didn't like the ending.

Average customer rating:

This was a fun new look into the old-style martial-arts movie.
Do the Hustle.
Kung Fu Hustle Review
Great
This is hilarious!

Kung Fu Hustle (Widescreen Edition)
Starring: Kwok Kuen Chan , Chi Ling Chiu , Xiao Lung Ding , Zhi Hua Dong , and Xiaogang Feng
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
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ASIN: B0009S4IHY
Release Date: 2005-08-09

Description

Stephen Chow (director and star of Shaolin Soccer) is at it again with his newest action-packed and comedic martial-arts adventure, KUNG FU HUSTLE. From wildly imaginative kung fu showdowns to dance sequences featuring tuxedoed mobsters, you've never seen action this outrageous and characters this zany! With jaw-dropping fight sequences by Yuen Wo Ping (famed action choreographer of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and The Matrix), KUNG FU HUSTLE will blow you away! In a town ruled by the Axe Gang, Sing (Stephen Chow) desperately wants to become a member. He stumbles into a slum ruled by eccentric landlords who turn out to be kung fu masters in disguise. Sing's actions eventually cause the Axe Gang and the slumlords to engage in an explosive kung fu battle. Only one side will win and only one hero will emerge as the greatest kung fu master of all.

Customer Reviews:

This was a fun new look into the old-style martial-arts movie........2007-09-12

The Axe Gang goes where it wants, does what it wants, and harrasses and oppresses whoever it wants. One day the gang shows up in a small town -- a town which tried to stay out of trouble -- to see about a small disturbance. Instead of imposing its will, the Axe Gang discovers the town's secret: Three Kung Fu masters have taken refuge there, unbeknownst even to each other. With damaged pride and reckless determination, the Axe Gang sets out to eliminate the three masters and take over the town. While the war wages, one enterprising young man tries to gain membership with the Axe Gang.

The movie was made in an entertaining style that is satirical of decades of martial-arts movies. Consider it Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon with a sense of humor (I hate to use CTHD as an example, but it seems to be the most well-known movie to use the exagerated fight scenes).

This was so close to being a great movie to me. I really liked it and only have one complaint, and it is minor. One of my favorite elements to the movie was the dancing. It was a perfect element to a martial arts movie. Here was another choregraphed scene, dancing not fighting. And can't we get philosophical and say that in many ways fighting could be viewed as a crude form of dance? (Maybe I'm reaching a little bit there.) But the dancing occurs only when the Axe Gang has its confidence and as soon as it sees there is a legitimate challenger to its power, the dancing stops. And that disappointed me, but like I said before, it is only minor.

The plot is completely outrageous. If you do not like live-action movies with ridiculous story lines, Kung Fu Hustle is not a movie for you. If you want an atypical martial-arts movie that might make you laugh, check it out. I really liked Kung Fu Hustle.

Do the Hustle........2007-06-06

Inventive. Action-packed. Absurd. Hilarious. Touching. Violent. Lively. Smart. And above all else- Superb.

You don't need all of those adjectives to describe a great movie, but you do when describing Stephen Chow's masterpiece Kung Fu Hustle. Taking place in 1940s China, our story involves the hundreds-strong Axe Gang, their efforts to take over the impoverished and dilapidated Pig Sty Alley, and the effects on Pig Sty's tenants. The gang believes taking or Pig Sty will be a cakewalk, but a few of the residents aren't about to let that happen.

Perhaps the most unique thing about the film is how our attention is shifted from one protagonist to another. The first part focuses on three Kung Fu experts (a baker who carries a wooden staff that can shatter metal guns, a hardworking laborer, and a sensitive homosexual tailor). The second part is about Pig Sty's tyrannical chain-smoking landlady and her philandering landlord husband. And the third part concerns a loser (played by Chow) who tries to take up life of crime because of a traumatic childhood incident when he tried to do good deed. I've read critics pan KFH because it lacks one true central character, but I just call it doing something different. Oh well, whatever gets those critics through those long and lonely nights.

Unconventional narrative style aside, there are plenty of other reasons to watch such as the eye popping effects and the humor. Ordinarily, I can't stand CGI, but I really love the way it was used here. Chow succeeds in using it in ways that most American filmmakers can't even dream about. A gut-busting Looney Toons inspred foot chase and a fight with two evil street musicians both have to be seen to be believed. Who needs people like Michael Bay who timidly believes he is pushing the envelope, while Chow demolishes the whole stationery store?

Kung Fu Hustle Review.......2007-06-02

This was a great movie, containing a segment from almost every genre known to man. I loved it. The best parts for me were the fighting scenes, where the action is choreographed to be almost a dance. Most prominent in theis movie is the comedy...after the first 5 or ten minutes...that had me laughing all the way through. Though there was a lot of fighting, it was light on violence. I would recommend this movie to viewers at least ten and up. Totally.

Great.......2007-04-18

As a high level martial artist I have to say this is the greatest martial arts movie since the Seven Samurai.

This is hilarious!.......2007-03-24

I rented this movie from Blockbuster, and after I watched it, I had to have it! This is a well written (of you like spoofs) hilarious movie! I'm also a huge fan of "Shaun of the Dead"! So if you like that type of "off beat" humor, you'll love this movie!

Die Another Day (Full Screen Special Edition)

Average customer rating:

You Get What You Expect
A few choice gems for Toby Stephens fans
A Very Enjoyable Bond Film!
More Hidden Racism
Bond...James Bond

Die Another Day (Full Screen Special Edition)
Starring: Pierce Brosnan , Halle Berry , Toby Stephens , Rosamund Pike , and Rick Yune
Director: Lee Tamahori
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B00008S2SF
Release Date: 2003-06-03

Amazon.com

The 20th James Bond adventure, Die Another Day succeeds on three important fronts: it avoids comparison to Austin Powers by keeping its cheesy humor in check, allows Halle Berry to be sexy and worthy of a spinoff franchise, and keeps pace with the technical wizardry that modern action films demand. Pierce Brosnan's got style and staying power as James Bond, now bearing little resemblance to Ian Fleming's original British super-spy, but able to hold his own at the box office. He's paired with American agent Jinx (Berry) in chasing a genetically altered North Korean villain (Rick Yune) armed with a satellite capable of destroying just about anything. John Cleese and Judi Dench reprise their recurring roles (as "Q" and "M," respectively); they're accompanied by weapons-laden sports cars, a hokey cameo by Madonna (who sings the techno-pulsed theme song), and enough double-entendres to keep Bond-philes adequately shaken and stirred. With clever nods to 007's cinematic legacy, Die Another Day makes you welcome the familiar end-credits promise: James Bond will return. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

You Get What You Expect.......2007-09-06

This is a typical James Bond flick which means a lot of good things and some bad ones but at least, if you're a fan of the series, you get what you expect.

In other words, you get outrageous action scenes, Rambo--like mentality, a wild and fun villain, a "hot" female lead helping Bond, a bunch of sexual innuendos, a hokey-but- interesting story and some outstanding opening credits. I never had any complaints with Pierce Brosnan playing Bond. I thought he very credible in the role, sincerely macho and debonair at the same time. Halle Berry was at her peak, so male viewers had no complaints watching here. She wasn't in here just for looks; she was in fighting shape, too.

Is the story far-fetched? Yeah, a little! Ludicrous? You bet. Entertaining? Sure. Who watches these films for their intelligence?

A few choice gems for Toby Stephens fans.......2007-04-25

As a movie per se, this one is incredibly stupid even by James Bond standards. But, those of us who have become Toby Stephens fans after Masterpiece Theatre's "Jane Eyre" can fast-forward through to enjoy the parachuting-into-London scene and especially the swordfight scene, which features Toby in a sleeveless tight-fitting outfit that shows off his fantastic body (yum!). Toby's physique looks something like Gene Kelly's (except Toby's arms and shoulders are more muscular), and his swordfighting is action-movie-worthy yet so graceful it almost looks like dancing (you can see more of it on the extra disc, which breaks down the swordfight so you can see how it was filmed -- lots of fun -- and also on the pop-up commentary on the first disc, where Toby appears in cruddy black sweatpants rehearsing the swordfight, talking about swordfighting, and looking heart-stoppingly gorgeous). The movie also includes a few examples of Toby's superb sneer -- and smile. His other mannerisms in the film appear to have been based on Richard Branson, and an excellent impersonation it is. He delivers the wooden, stupid dialog as well as anyone could (it's not his fault the movie is so ridden with idiodic puns and cliches). Really, you have to feel sorry for Pierce -- he looks so old and lame next to the sparkling Toby. The movie itself isn't worth buying, but the great extras on this edition may tip the balance for us Toby fan-atics.

A Very Enjoyable Bond Film!.......2007-04-12

Ok, so it's not "Tomorrow Never Dies" but Die another Day impresses more than people give it credit for. The action is amazing, the special effects are also very impressive, the acting is great, the music is wonderful, the scenery and backrdrops are stunning... You get the point. Die Another Day really is classic cinema, and it should be apprieciated as so. Pierce Brosnan pulls of a stunning performance as James Bond, and Halle Barry is very good as Jinx.

My only reservation is reccomending this film is some sexual content (much like any other Bond film.)

More Hidden Racism.......2007-03-03

It's interesting that Halle Berry's character , a government agent , would end up bed with James Bond after a 15-20 second conversation. This is the first time "Bond" has gotten a female ally into bed with him so quickly and Halle Berry , the standard of Black beauty , wastes no time jumping in bed with the "great' James Bond. Hidden racism at it's very best.

Bond...James Bond.......2007-02-07

This is a welcome addition to my video collection. It arrived quickly and was as described.

Average customer rating:

Laugh A Minute
Hollywoodized Chop-Socky Send-up
Awesome!
Great entertainment!
A true sleeper of kung fu satire

Kung Fu Hustle (Full Screen Edition)
Starring: Kwok Kuen Chan , Chi Ling Chiu , Xiao Lung Ding , Zhi Hua Dong , and Xiaogang Feng
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B0009UVBQI
Release Date: 2005-08-09

Description

Customer Reviews:

Laugh A Minute.......2007-07-23

Wow! For a movie that is in Cantonese, it is absolutley hilarious. Two misfits, dress up and pretend they are part of the Axe Gang thast run the town. Unknown to them, they walk into a village called Pig Sty Alley, where there are three Kung Fu masters and Two Higher Kung Fu masters who live there. They try to act tough and think they can bully the people. Then the real Axe gang show up and mayhem starts from there. But one of the misfits does not realize that he is also a Kung Fu master and by the end of the movie he has to fight the ultimate evil, and he uses and becomes the Kung Fu Master that he was destined to become. A very funny movie, that has a sweet ending. Subtitles are available in most languages. Watch out for the chase scene, that ends with a big billboard.

Hollywoodized Chop-Socky Send-up.......2007-02-07

There is a local cable station where I live that, late at night, often shows these tedious kung fu films that I can only assume are or were the mainstay for Hong Kong, Taiwan and some main land China film goers. Most of the action is between one or two young assailants and one older defender made up to appear older with white hair, puffy eyebrows and beard.) Foley artists I expect were exhausted after adding loud snaps and bangs to every contact between the fighters who, except for an occasional flip or ricochet off a tree, are fairly earthbound. And it is impossible to deduce from their barely subtitled dialogue what they are fighting about. Also, these battles almost always take place in a forest or rocky glen.
Recent kung fu epics like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon; Hero; and House of Flying Daggers, to name only a few, have raised the bar both stylistically and in terms of production values. Stephen Chow, director and co-writer of Kung Fu Hustle, has taken the genre one step further: while keeping the high standards in fight choreography, special and trapeze effects, camera work and editing found in the aforementioned films, Chow produces an at first glance comedic kung fu movie that also incorporates American film genres, not only to inject this latter iconography into his story but also to expand the viewer's consciousness of the toll and meaning (or meaninglessness of) violence. It is obvious that Chow is an avid devotee of Hollywood: he appropriates 1930s musicals a la Fred Astaire in the dance Axe Gang leader Brother Sum and his mob do in their stronghold. Pig Sty Alley is a Chinese version a Bowery Boys back alley. Music, both traditional Chinese string orchestra and snippets from Western classical violin concerts, is used as a continuous underscore. And the physical comedy employed in the first half of the film - among them falls from buildings that do not injure, fist distorted features that snap back like rubber, running legs reduced to a cyclonic blur, people moved dozen of yards in less than a blink of an eye - all draw on Hollywood prototypes, especially the cartoons produced by Warner Brothers in the middle of the last century.
While the callous execution of a rival gang in the middle of the street has the expected comic twist and is nonetheless tolerated despite the carnage, the early death of the coolie, tailor and Donut the baker - the three initial defenders of the Pig Sty Alley - come, on reflection, as something of a shock. Who now is going to step up and defend Pig Sty Alley? The landlord and his wife come forward, revealing their mastery of the martial arts that is almost enough to conquer the Beast - almost, but not quite. Their salvation, and Shanghai's deliverance from the murderous tyranny of the Axe Gang is the transformation from street thug and gang wannabe (and secretly noble) Sing (played by director Chow) into a superfighter who finally vanquishes the Beast.
Throughout, the most vicious and powerful kung fu attacks barely graze the combatants, which maintains the sense of comedy even while the good guys are dying. Chow plays with this violent-comic, good-evil dichotomy with a master's touch. And yet on reflection we realize that more than good entertainment is at stake here. The violence is neutralized by the comedy, and yet the characters, who are so well drawn by this talented cast and its director, are taken from us too soon. Kung Fu Hustle plays this crafty game with us: amazing us with special effects-enhanced fight scenes, making us laugh with well timed and conceived comic bits and pratfalls, but in the end leaving us with an odd dissatisfaction, as much with the film as with the genre. Hollywood inspired images transcend the nominal crudeness of run-of-the-mill chop-socky far, but also raise the stakes in that the characters gain dimension, and in doing so leave the view bereft by their passing. While being more cartoonish, Kung Fu Hustle becomes more real.
Hung Fu Hustle comes highly recommended, and we can only hope that its sequel, due out in 2008, lives up to the standards set by this imaginative and unsettling film.

Awesome!.......2007-02-05

Kung Fu Hustle is a brilliant parody of western themes and mindblowing Kung Fu action from start to finish. Several viewings are required to digest all the action and symbolism. The ambiance made me feel like i was in China again, as the tenement house is realistic and authentic (designed by Stephen Chow) plus the music score is of traditional Chinese opera orchestra. Choreography, sets, costumes and colors are magnificent! An unforgettable comedy. The special features are fun and Ric Meyers did a great one on one interview with Stephen Chow, (this is his Masterpiece). You will not believe this (i didn't at first), but this a spiritual movie at a high level. Chow played the bad guy, but later in the movie, found enlightenment. Enjoy!

Great entertainment!.......2006-12-27

Just a blast! You'll never view martial arts the same way.

A true sleeper of kung fu satire.......2006-11-04

I first saw this movie as a rental, and my daughter and I couldn't stop laughing. Having a week on the rental, and a dull week, I watched it again a few days later- something I religiously avoid- and surprising to me, I was laughing as hard as the first time around. As that has never happened before, I heartily recommend this movie for anyone who has seen a Bruce Lee, Jet Li, Jackie Chan, or the more "sophisticated" Crouching Tiger or Flying Dagger movies. This movie has subtle and slapstick humor (e.g., the unremovable cigarette in the matriarch's mouth), but is quite intelligent, and encompasses good cinematography with subtle effects (such as the visually vibrating heat waves as the bad guys first approach the slum village). Yes, it is cartoonish in parts, but is an intelligent cartoon, if that makes sense. I plan to buy a copy now for many future viewings.

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