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Film & TV on DVD - John Doe News & Reviews

 
Greetings Film Fiends and welcome to John Doe's Film Blog. 30 years of dedicated celluloid obsession has meant that I have seen a few films. Drawing attention to some of the lesser discussed gems that I love. Cult classics, obscure curios and quality genre pictures. This blogs purpose is to translate some of my passion for these films and with luck, inspire you the reader to go check em out.
JD’s favourite films of the decade - From Number 40 to 21


Click HERE to see John Doe’s picks for numbers 41-60

in bruges, colin farrell, crime comedy, hitman
A hitman, a dwarf and an actress walk into a bar...




Continuing on from the previous post, here is “John Doe’s Favourite Films of the Past Decade” from 40 to 21. No easier to mold and still questionable in rank.




21. Mullholland Drive (2001)
"She's letting me stay here while she's working on a movie that's being made in Canada. But I guess you already know that. Well, I couldn't afford a place like this in a million years... unless, of course, I'm discovered and become a movie star. Of course, I'd rather be known as a great actress than a movie star. But, you know, sometimes people end up being both. So that is, I guess you'd say, sort of why I came here."Betty Elms

Mullholland drive, david lynch, naomi watts, art film, mystery, trippy
Director David Lynch and his pair of corruptible nymphs.



22. Narc (2002)
"You two had better get a goddamn groove going, 'cause you're in a life and death struggle as of right fucking now!" – Henry Oak

narc, jason patric, ray liotta, joe carnhan, cop films, action films
All hail the French Connection



23. American Psycho (2000)
"There is an idea of a Patrick Bateman; some kind of abstraction. But there is no real me: only an entity, something illusory. And though I can hide my cold gaze, and you can shake my hand and feel flesh gripping yours and maybe you can even sense our lifestyles are probably comparable... I simply am not there." – Patrick Bateman

american psycho, christian bale, movie, horror film, novel
Christian Bale begins his reign of dark terror.


24. The Dark Knight (2008)
"Oh, you. You just couldn't let me go, could you? This is what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object. You are truly incorruptible, aren't you? Huh? You won't kill me out of some misplaced sense of self-righteousness. And I won't kill you because you're just too much fun. I think you and I are destined to do this forever". – The Joker

dark knight, batman, joker, harvey dent, aaron eckhart
Aaron Eckhart shines as Harvey Dent



25. The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)
"Why would a reviewer make the point of saying someone's *not* a genius? Do you especially think I'm *not* a genius? You didn't even have to think about it, did you?" - Eli

royal tenenbaums, wes anderson, gene hackman, anjelica huston
The family that lacks perspective.



26. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
"Look at it out here, it's all falling apart. I'm erasing you and I'm happy!" - Joel

eternal sunshine of the spotless mind, jim carrey, kate winslet
A science fiction comedy? A romantic drama? A Jim Carrey film that made the cut?



27. Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2002)
"I know. It's all wrong. By rights we shouldn't even be here. But we are. It's like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger, they were. And sometimes you didn't want to know the end. Because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But in the end, it's only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you. That meant something, even if you were too small to understand why. But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn't. They kept going. Because they were holding on to something." - Sam

lord of the rings trilogy, two towers, return of the king
JD won't argue. It's the Star Wars of the new millenium.



28. District 9 (2009)
"He was an honest man, and he didn't deserve any of what happened to him."Fundiswa Mhlanga

district 9, science fiction, peter jackson, prawns
This human likes prawns.



29. Casino Royale (2006)
"I would ask you if you could remain emotionally detached, but that's not your problem, is it, Bond?" - M

casino royale, james bond, daniel craig, action film, 007
007 returns with Steve McQueen as Bond.



30. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005)
"Do not play detective. This is not a book. This is not a movie." - Perry

kiss kiss bang bang, val kilmer, robert downey jnr, shane black
Shane Black gives Robert Downey Jnr and Val Kilmer the secret code to chemistry.



31. Syriana (2005)
"What are they thinking? They're thinking that it's running out. It's running out... and ninety percent of what's left is in the Middle East. This is a fight to the death." - Syriana

syriana, george clooney, espionage films, political thriller
Clooney wobbles and witnesses the hazzards of smoking without an ashtray



32. El Laberinto del Fauno (Pan’s Labyrinth) (2006)
"A long time ago, in the underground realm, where there are no lies or pain, there lived a Princess who dreamed of the human world. She dreamed of blue skies, soft breeze, and sunshine. One day, eluding her keepers, the Princess escaped. Once outside, the brightness blinded her and erased every trace of the past from her memory. She forgot who she was and where she came from. Her body suffered cold, sickness, and pain. Eventually, she died. However, her father, the King, always knew that the Princess' soul would return, perhaps in another body, in another place, at another time. And he would wait for her, until he drew his last breath, until the world stopped turning..." - Pan

pans labyrinth, guilermo del torro, fantasy, adult fantasy, film
Fantasy in the real world, those aren't eyeballs he has on his feet!



33. Cidade de Deus (City of God) (2002)
"A kid? I smoke, I snort. I've killed and robbed. I'm a man."Steak and Fries

city of god, foreign films, action films, crime films, rio de janero
Life and death in the slums of our world.



34.The Prestige (2006)
"Are you watching closely?"Alfred Borden

prestige, christopher nolan, christian bale, hugh jackman
When Wolverine meets Batman...abracadabra



35. Inglorious Basterds (2009)
"Actually, Werner, we're all tickled to here you say that. Frankly, watchin' Donny beat Nazis to death is the closest we ever get to goin' to the movies." Lt Aldo Raine

inglorious basterds, quentin tarantino, brad pitt, war films
The revenge fantasy to drink too..



36. Primer (2004)
"Look, everything we're putting into that box becomes ungrounded, and I don't mean grounded like to the earth, I mean, not tethered. I mean, we're blocking whatever keeps it moving forward and so they flip-flop. Inside the box it's like a street, both ends are cul-de-sacs. I mean, this isn't frame dragging or wormhole magic this is basic mechanics and heat 101". - Abe

primer, science fiction, film, time travel, shane caruth,
Time Travel IS real...and so are paradoxes



37. Spartan (2004)
"One riot, one Ranger." You ever heard that?" - Scott

spartan, david mamet, val kilmer, spy film
Now you will sit here and watch Real Genius and Top Secret till you appreciate the nuance



38. Waking Life (2001)
"The trick is to combine your waking rational abilities with the infinite possibilities of your dreams. Because, if you can do that, you can do anything."Guy Forsythe

waking life, richard linklater, ethan hawke, winnona ryder, animated film
As your brain explodes it opens



39. Kill Bill Parts 1 and 2 (2003)
"I'm calling you a killer. A natural born killer. You always have been, and you always will be. Moving to El Paso, working in a used record store, goin' to the movies with Tommy, clipping coupons. That's you, trying to disguise yourself as a worker bee That's you tryin' to blend in with the hive. But you're not a worker bee. You're a renegade killer bee. And no matter how much beer you drank or barbecue you ate or how fat your ass got, nothing in the world would ever change that." - Bill

kill bill, quentin tarantino, michael madsen, kung fu, martial arts film
Yep JD thinks the Leone style chapter 2 quickdraws the Shaw Brothers of Chapter 1



40. In Bruges (2008)
"Ken, I grew up in Dublin. I love Dublin. If I grew up on a farm, and was retarded, Bruges might impress me but I didn't, so it doesn't." - Ray

in bruges, colin farrell, crime comedy, hitman
The Hitmen with a View


Coming next Number 20 down to number 1

Click HERE to see John Doe’s picks for numbers 41-60
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A Sliming thats good for 25 years


ghostbusters DVD, ghostbusters blu ray
Ghostbusters on Blu Ray DVD


Director: Ivan Reitman
Writer: Dan Ackroyd & Harold Ramis
Starring: Bill Murray, Dan Ackroyd, Harold Ramis, Sigourney Weaver, Rick Moranis, Annie Potts, William Atherton, Ernie Hudson

“Ray. If someone asks if you are a god, you say, "yes!"Dr Peter Venkman

JD has many fond childhood memories of the year 1984, none of them Orwellian. He got a new bike for Christmas, started the emotionally scarring experience known as high school and his blossoming cinematic obsession was cemented.

Going to the movies with mum and dad was a major event and amongst others Gremlins, The Terminator, The Karate Kid, Romancing the Stone, Red Dawn and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom were all released. It was also the year that introduced us to Ectoplasm, Ectomobiles and Proton Packs with the science fiction/horror/comedy Ghostbusters.

Launching a cultural phenomenon, Ghostbusters became the highest grossing comedy of its time and saw a young Doe quoting “So she’s a dog” to such excess it was deemed a punishable offence around the house.

Now 25 years later (man that makes Johnny old), this pre-CG FX gag fest extravaganza continues to utilize the latest technology with a stellar High Def Blu-Ray release teeming with extras.

Doing a synopsis seems a little redundant for one of the most popular films ever made so keeping it brief - a trio of mad scientist outcast’s band together to fight an elevating supernatural threat that is assaulting the residence of the big apple.

“What he means is Old Testament, Mr. Mayor, real wrath of God type stuff - Fire and brimstone coming down from the skies! Rivers and seas boiling! - Forty years of darkness! Earthquakes, volcanoes. - the dead rising from the grave! - Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together... mass hysteria!”Ray, Peter and Egon (The Ghostbusters)

ghostbusters DVD, bill murray, dan ackroyd, harold ramis
When Caddyshack, The Blues Brothers and Stripes meet



John Doe says:

Standing the test of time with a deft mix of old school Visual Effects, hilarious performances and largely improvised dialogue, Ghostbusters warrants the label of a holiday favourite.

Beginning its journey to the big screen in the early 80’s buddy Writers/Actors Dan Ackroyd and Harold Ramis came up with the idea of a future where Ghost Busting was just another civil service like firefighting or police work, but budgetary restraints saw them modify the concept to a modern day origins story.

ghostbusters DVD, ivan reitman, bill murray
Director Ivan Reitman with pal Bill Murray
Loaded with visual and verbal laugh inducers, the final screenplay pleased Director Ivan Reitman who was on a run with the Bill Murray vehicles Stripes and Meatballs already under his utility belt. Handling the, at the time state of the art FX with fluid staging that doesn’t disrupt the story. Most impressively, Reitman wrangled his effervescent cast by channeling their SNL friendly enthusiasm while remembering that it is the characters that would form the spinal chord of the film’s future success. Not that its blockbuster potential was guaranteed, but Reitman was determined to make it appeal to as wider audience as possible.

Packing the kind of chemistry that every comedy aspires too, the slobbery of Bill Murray’s Dr Peter Venkman, the childish verbosity of Dan Ackroyd’s Dr Raymond Stantz and overt nerdiness of Harold Ramis’ Dr Egon Spengler merge to become a nuclear accelerated triangle of zinging line delivery.

The talented co-stars like Rick Moranis (Spaceballs), Sigourney Weaver (Alien) and Annie Potts (Pretty in Pink) wring every screen moment dry with memorable shtick that is always faithful to character.

Given the thankless job of the often overlooked 4th Ghostbuster, Ernie Hudson (Oz) still manages to keep his self respect in the smaller role that was originally larger when written with Eddie Murphy in mind.

Special mention has to go to William Atherton who will forever be recognized as the smarmy yuppy villain in this and also Die Hard.

ghostbusters, ray parker jnr, music video
An iconic song forever

Unashamedly complimenting the commercial sensibilities of the project, the final nostalgic ingredient is the TV advertising inspired title song from Ray Parker Jr.

Looking and sounding better than ever in the new 5.1 sound and HD picture, the entire film is a technical achievement that can now be properly appreciated by a new generation as much as by the already passionate fan base.

Making it a fun and informative revisiting to the past for John Doe - The extra features include Deleted scenes, factoid Track, making-of and behind-the-scenes featurettes, commentary tracks and Slimer mode picture in picture.

Fun Casting Trivia:
John Belushi (Blues Brother) was the first choice to play Dr Venkman
Eddie Murphy (Beverly Hills Cop) was first choice for the role of Winston
Michael Keaton (Beetlejuice) truned down playing Venkman and Egon
Paul Ruebens (Pee-Wee) was asked to play Gozer
Anne Carlile (Liquid Sky)was asked to be Zuul
Sandra Bernhard (Hudson Hawk) was asked to be Janine
John Candy (Stripes) was also approached for the film in early development


Ghostbusters is on Blu Ray comes to jdmfilmreviews.com courtesy of Sony Pictures.

For more Sony BluRay DVD’s please visit the official site @ www.sonypictures.com
or www.experiencebluray.co.uk/


Here is a trailer for the new Blu Ray release for Ghostbusters


The original Ghostbusters trailer


Watch the first 10 minutes of Ghostbusters
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