Sneakers (Collector's Edition)
Director: Phil Alden Robinson
Average Customer Review:
DVD (28 December, 2004)
list price: $9.99 -- our price: $9.99
(price subject to change: see help)
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Editorial Review

This enjoyable thriller, written and directed by Phil Alden Robinson (the screenwriter of Field of Dreams), follows a raggedy group of corporate security experts who get in over their heads when they accept an assignment poaching some hot hardware for the National Security Agency. Robert Redford plays the group's guru, an aging techno-anarchist who has been hiding from the feds since the early 1970s; his companionable gang of freaks includes Dan Aykroyd, David Strathairn, Mary McDonnell, the late River Phoenix, and Sidney Poitier, as a veteran CIA operative turned "sneaker." The technological black box that everybody is after, an array of computer chips that can decode any encrypted message, isn't a very plausible invention, but it's a serviceable McGuffin, and the megalomania of the master plotter played by Ben Kingsley has more resonance than most. Modest inferences can be drawn about the very latest high-tech threats to civil liberties. --David Chute ... Read more

Features

• Color
• Closed-captioned
• Widescreen

Reviews (61)

THIS ISN'T ABOUT A RUNNING MAN!!! OR IS IT?
SNEAKERS is such a polite film, with its concentration on its cast and its seemingly hopeless obstacle overshadowing hot action scenes or torrid love scenes.Written and directed by FIELD OF DREAMS Phil Alden Robinson, this movie charms with its array of colorful characters and the cast's obvious understanding of what they were intended to do.A then middle-aged Robert Redford, still maintaining that boyish handsomeness, has a field day as Martin Bishop, a man who has been on the run since avoiding capture in an earlier computer hacking scam.His crew of "sneakers" includes Sidney Poitier, Dan Aykroyd, River Phoenix and the marvelous David Strathairn.Mary McDonnell from DANCES WITH WOLVES is also along for the ride, and she is a joyful addition to the cast.Ben Kingsley shows up as the real villain, and we even get THIRTY SOMETHINGS Timothy Busfield as one of the villains.The ubiquitous James Earl Jones shows up for the climax which is hilarious as each team member tells him what they want from him before they give him the valued box.SNEAKERS is smart, witty and suspenseful, and is a wonderful little film that should have gotten more notice when released.Maybe DVD fans will latch on to this one and make it more appreciated.

"Cattle mutilations are up."
That first time I used my credit card to buy something online, I did so with quite a bit of trepidation, as I had concerns about how easily some hacker type could steal my card number and rack up my debt...since then I've realized many sites do utilize some sort of protection against that kind of thing, but still, the thought of vulnerabilities lingers in my mind...and movies like Sneakers (1992) certainly don't help to quell those concerns...written and directed by Phil Alden Robinson (Field of Dreams), the film stars Robert Redford (Three Days of the Condor) and Sidney Poitier (Guess Who's Coming to Dinner).Also appearing is David Strathairn (Dolores Claiborne), Dan Aykroyd (Grosse Pointe Blank), the late River Phoenix (My Own Private Idaho), Mary McDonnell (Independence Day), and Ben Kingsley (Gandhi).

In the film, Martin Bishop (Redford) and his colleagues operate a security company who other businesses hire to break into their companies, exposing where their security may be lacking.Each member of the small team has their own, unique background (many involving past criminal activities), but after the group is approached (blackmailed) by a gooberment agency with a proposition to recover a mysterious device (it involves the use of computers and cryptography), it's discovered that Bishop has the most to lose if they don't accept the job.The group manages the acquisition easy enough, but soon find themselves in a heap of trouble as the device turns out to be something of extreme value, a device many would kill to possess.As the web of conspiracy and deceit grows, as does the level of danger (various individuals wind up getting killed), the group must use all their abilities to outwit those intent on stealing the device for themselves, using it for their own, nefarious purposes, and seeing Martin and his co-workers in jail, or even dead.

Sneakers is a deceptive film.I've seen it a few times, the first time I saw it, it appeared to be a light movie (I've read that the makers of the film injected a modest amount of profanity into the script to avoid a `G' rating, for fears the movie would have been perceived as a film for children) with a few, gaping plot holes, but subsequent viewings (for me, at least), reveal it to be a very rich, complex, intelligent, enjoyable thriller with an excellent cast and a tight storyline with little or no mistakes, and the plot holes I originally perceived actually dealt with, many times in very subtle ways, hence the need for repeat viewings (it's important to pay attention to many of the little details provided throughout).Redford and Poitier are the strongest cast members in the film, but they don't necessarily come off that way, as they seem to understand the importance of their parts within the whole of the film, instilling a subtleness within their performances, allowing for the focus to be on the story rather on themselves.This seems to be an obvious sign of their experience, and I found myself appreciating this, as often starring actors tend to be full of themselves, and their efforts on screen show it...originally it seemed to me that the character development was a bit light, but I've since come to feel we're given just exactly what's needed for the story, and anymore would have bordered on the extraneous and unnecessary.Also, it's nice to see a film where Dan Aykroyd plays a relatively minor part, doing what he's told, having nothing to do with the writing or directing (he not only wrote but directed the one of the worst films I've ever seen in 1991's Nothing But Trouble).Also, I usually tend to like women with the longer hair, but I thought Mary McDonnell, with her short hair and all, looked very attractive and added a wonderful, feminine element to this nearly all male cast with her role as Liz, a former lover of Bishop, now assisting the group seemingly out of appreciation of Bishop's past.Director Robinson keeps the pacing tight, and uses the talent within the film well (I supposed this is helped by the fact he also wrote the screenplay, so he has an intimate understanding of the visuals he wants to present in accordance with the story).The McGuffin (a term invented by Alfred Hitchcock to describe the element of the film the plot centers on...he would often present, but rarely elaborate on it, as its' specifics were never important, in his mind, only its' use in providing focus for the story and progressing the plot) seems a bit farfetched, but the smart story and the talented performances do well in creating a level of believability that got through this aspect.Another important feature of the film is the musical score, provided by legendary and prolific composer James Horner (Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan, Aliens).Usually I neglect mentioning the music within a film unless it's either really bad or really good (the latter being the case here).I wonder how many people are aware that he started out composing for low budget producer Roger Corman, working on films like Battle Beyond the Stars and Humanoids From the Deep, both released 1980. A couple of minor appearances worth looking for are Donal Logue (Blade, The Tao of Steve), James Earl Jones (Clear and Present Danger), and Timothy Busfield (Revenge of the Nerds).Favorite line from the film?When Bishop is talking to the NSA guys and responds, "I could have been in the NSA, but they found out my parents were married."

The widescreen anamorphic picture (1.85:1) looks reasonably fair, and the Dolby Digital Surround 2.0 tracks (available in English, French, and Spanish) sound decent.Special features include an original theatrical trailer for the film, subtitles, informative production notes, background and filmographies of some of the cast and crew, a `making of' featurette, and commentary track by the director.All in all a decent release of a really good film.

Cookieman108

"Sneaking" Around
Robert Redford and Sidney Poitier head a fine cast in SNEAKERS, a solid 1992 thriller with a robust sense of humor directed and co-written with good skill by Phil Alden Robinson (FIELD OF DREAMS).In it, Redford, who has been on the run since 1969 for computer hacking in that politically turbulent time, heads up a team of security experts known as "sneakers", whose job it is to penetrate the security set-ups of their respective clients to give them tips whenever those companies' security systems are lacking.Then two guys (Timothy Busfield; Eddie Jones) claiming to be from the National Security Agency give Redford the biggest task of all: to recover a "little black box" from a Czech scientist visiting in the San Francisco Bay Area.

But when they find out what this little black box does, they realize that they could be marked for death.For this box is actually a machine that can break any security codes to every single system on the planet.And when Busfield and Jones turn out NOT to be NSA representatives and renege on the arrangement they made with him, Redford is forced to confront an old friend (Ben Kingsley) from his past who is now out to take revenge.

Structured with elements of techno-thrillers, spy thrillers, and fears of Big Brother, and combined with goodly amounts of humor, SNEAKERS moves quite briskly through its 125-minute running time.Suspenseful moments, including Redford having to move ultra-slowly through a highly secured area to recover the box in Kingsley's complex, are juxtaposed with moments of political humor, including Dan Aykroyd's conspiracy-obsessed technician, and in the film's introductory scene, in which the younger versions of Redford and Kingsley think of transfering the money in Richard Nixon's personal checking account to the National Association to Legalize Marijuana.As rightly mentioned in Amazon's review of the film, that little black box that can break every code functions as what Hitchcock calls a "McGuffin", a plot device that may not mean much to us until we realize why people want it so badly they'd kill for it.This, combined with fears of the government functioning as "Big Brother", make SNEAKERS every bit as relevant today as when it was released in 1992, perhaps even more so. ... Read more

Asin: B00008OE4W
Subjects:  1. Feature Film-action/Adventure   

The Jack Ryan Special Edition Collection (The Hunt for Red October/Patriot Games/Clear and Present Danger/The Sum of All Fears)
Average Customer Review:
DVD (06 May, 2003)
list price: $41.99 -- our price: $33.59
(price subject to change: see help)
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Features

• Color
• Closed-captioned
• Widescreen
• Box set
• Dolby

Reviews (6)

Mixed bag
I was initially very excited to see four films based on works by Tom Clancy gathered into one package.I find Clancy's books to be absolutely riveting (as people have noted before, he is a one trick pony, but MAN what a trick!), and I have never seen any of these movies before.It did not turn out as I expected, so I will review each individually:

Hunt for Red October (****): Definitely an excellent movie, with a strong performance by Sean Connery.The Jack Ryan of this movie is a little uninspiring, but hey, Sean Connery is the real story here.Plenty of excitement, great suspense, superb acting, so high marks all around.Sadly (or not), cutting-edge computing is not what it used to be, so the film seems terribly dated whenever some calculation is called for.

Clear and Present Danger (***)
Patriot Games (***) These both qualify as good flicks, somthing you might watch late at night if there was nothing better on.The action is so-so, but the plots are okay, so it bears watching more than once.Nice filler.Harrison Ford is just right as Jack Ryan, but Ford has a deadly shortcoming in all of his movies... he mumbles.At first I thought it was just a bad dvd, when he was in "What Lies Beneath", but every movie I see him in, he mumbles.I can't ever get the darn volume right and it drives me nuts.If you like Harrison Ford or Tom Clancy, these are worth watching.

Sum of All Fears (*): This made a new entry into my list of Movies That Should Not Be Watched By Anyone (joining such stinkers as "Anaconda" and, um, I'm thinking here).Leaving aside the alterations to Tom Clancy's story, which was half science thriller (building the nuclear bomb) and half psychological thriller (dealing with an irrational President as the world teeters on the brink of war) UNTIL the director turned it into some bizarre ego trip for a young incompetent guy whose relationship to the CIA is never explained.Again, leaving aside the alterations to the storyline, I was still profoundly unmoved by the characters themselves.Motivation, motivation, motivation!Character behaviors never seemed authentic, and no one acted in a realistic way.I feel like less of a human being for merely having watched this ... (I suppose you can figure out that I didn't like it)

My recommendation: buy "Red October", rent "Patriot Games" and "Clear and Present Danger", give yourself a lobotomy if you've ever seen "Sum".

Got guys?
These movies are just testosterone paydirt!

What a great set to own altogether.Fabulous movies and all in one set.This one is a "gotta have" ASAP.

All but one are mindless Rambo pictures....
Paramount now owened by the Viacom Company has put out one bad movie after another and have tried to pass them off as great film making which they are not.Patriot Games, Clear and Present Danger, and The Sum Of All Fears all have bad scripts under use of better actors, and gun fire and numbing violence to pass along as cinema.Really patheic.Only The Hunt For Red October is good.That was a movie that depends more on the strength of the screenplay and the actors to move the story along and they did not need gore flying all over the place.But then again, that was made at an earlier time when Paramount was still interested in making good movies.rate the actors;Alec Baldwin was the best Jack RyanHarrison Ford was not.Ben Affelick killed the films all together. ... Read more

Asin: B00008K76X
Sales Rank: 3003
Subjects:  1. Feature Film-action/Adventure   

The Shawshank Redemption
Director: Frank Darabont
Average Customer Review:
DVD (03 February, 2004)
list price: $19.97
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Editorial Review

When this popular prison drama was released in 1994, some critics complained that the movie was too long (142 minutes) to sustain its story. Those complaints miss the point, because the passage of time is crucial to this story about patience, the squeaky wheels of justice, and the growth of a life-long friendship. Only when the film reaches its final, emotionally satisfying scene do you fully understand why writer-director Frank Darabont (adapting a novella by Stephen King) allows the story to unfold at its necessary pace, and the effect is dramatically rewarding. Tim Robbins plays a banker named Andy who's sent to Shawshank Prison on a murder charge, but as he gets to know a life-term prisoner named Red (Morgan Freeman), we realize there's reason to believe the banker's crime was justifiable. We also realize that Andy's calm, quiet exterior hides a great reserve of patience and fortitude, and Red comes to admire this mild-mannered man who first struck him as weak and unfit for prison life. So it is that The Shawshank Redemption builds considerable impact as a prison drama that defies the conventions of the genre (violence, brutality, riots) to illustrate its theme of faith, friendship, and survival. Nominated for seven Academy Awards including Best Picture, Actor, and Screenplay, it's a remarkable film that signaled the arrival of a promising new filmmaker--a film that many movie lovers count among their all-time favorites. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Features

• Color
• Closed-captioned
• Widescreen
• Dolby

Reviews (757)

The Shawshank Redemption: Fantastic Movie
This movie is one that I rent and look forward to seeing every time.It is one of those special movies that never gets old, and is such great quality.The music is one of the reasons I have loved it so much. The composer, Thomas Newman, also did The Horse Whisperer, which had the same kind of haunting, gorgeous music throughout it too.It helps to tell the story and is, in my opinion, perfect.

The good parts by far outweigh the at times hard to watch prison life.This is because the story is so inspirational and moving, that by the end, you forget about those bad times.It examines and is a testament to the human spirit, and is told/portrayed so well that the end result is powerful.The good times consist of the friendships between the men in the prison and the way they try to still hope and have good lives dispite of their situations.Tim Robbins plays Andy Dufresne, the main charcter who makes the prison break.The times in the movie when he quietly, but at the same time loudly, defies the corrupt authority at the prison are very moving.There is a scene where he broadcasts an opera record over the intercome of the prison, then everyone stops and listens, its really a beautiful moment and a powerful thought, that every human has to have hope to keep going in life.This thought is the driving force of the movie and is worked to perfection.Every aspect of the movie, the music, the circumstances, the dialogue, all confirm this notion and stand out throughout the film.

Morgan Freeman plays Red, his friend he meets in prison.His performance is just as good and his character just as important to the story as Robbins'.The movie is narrated throughout using his voice, such a good choice for narration dont ya think?The deep friendship between the two of them is another driving force for this movie.It shows the bonds that can form between two people in these kinds of circumstances.These two exceptional actors make this movie a real stand out in the films over the years.

Bottom line, this is a wonderful piece of cinema that I am glad is so highly acclaimed and remembered.It ranks very high up there in my favorites of all time.

Intense and unforgettable prison film
This film is based on a Stephen King story and stars Tim Robbins as Andy, an innocent man who is sent to prison for life. AtShawshank Prison, the cruel warden (Bob Gunton) and guards treat the convicts like animals. Their lives are filled with misery and hopelessness.Andy's only relief comes from his friendship with fellow inmate, Red (Morgan Freeman), an old-timer who never expects to get out. Andy gradually adjusts to life at Shawshank, working in the warden's office and helping to get a prison library. Resourceful Andy has also been secretly working for years on a wild escape plan.

With all the prison cruelty, this is a very painful movie to watch, but it has a hopeful and heartwarming ending. Robbins and Freeman have a great chemistry and are a pleasure to watch. James Whitmore has a small but touching role as a convict who gets released after spending most of his life behind bars. Although there are many scenes that make me cringe, I do like the movie and heartily recommend it.

Kona

A best example for persisting human efforts at odd condit...
This movie is a gift to mankind I would say. Freeman and Robbins have shared a plot that has honor for every character involved. A great story of irony of human society and its laws, and the people who lost their wild-side to the emotions of behavioral causes.~

This movie spreads that magic of consistent effort of life to bounce-back at odd conditions and a phenomenon called friendship!~ ... Read more

Asin: B0000399WI
Subjects:  1. Feature Film-drama   

The Tick - The Entire Series
Director: Danny Leiner, Barry Sonnenfeld, Mel Damski, Dean Parisot, Craig Zisk, Boris Damast, Andrew Tsao, Bo Welch
Average Customer Review:
DVD (30 September, 2003)
list price: $29.95 -- our price: $23.96
(price subject to change: see help)
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Editorial Review

He's the Wild Blue Yonder, and The Tick is back to show why this outlandishly funny TV series should never have been canceled! After proving his mettle in comic books and animated TV, creator Ben Edlund's blue-insect superhero made his auspicious debut on Fox (in November 2001), portrayed in live action (in a buff-muscled rubber suit) by Patrick Warburton, the popular Seinfeld guest star (as "Puddy"), who instantly perfected the role he was born to play. In his appreciative commentary track, co-executive producer (and Men in Black director) Barry Sonnenfeld calls the pilot episode "the best thing I've ever directed," and it's easy to agree: wide-angle lenses, stylized sets, hilarious dialogue, and a comedically gifted cast make the episode (and the entire series) a perfect summation of Sonnenfeld's wacky style. Edlund concurs, observing that The Tick is "something you get or you don't," and the impatient Fox executives obviously didn't get the show's expert blend of absurdity, stupidity, and good-natured irreverence. They axed the series after eight of these nine episodes aired, only proving that The Tick was too hip for their bean-counting mentalities.

In the title role, Warburton (with highly expressive antennae) hits all the right notes of dimwitted innocence and brute-force gallantry, aided immeasurably by his moth-costumed sidekick Arthur (David Burke), wannabe lothario Batmanuel (Nestor Carbonell), and buxom beauty Captain Liberty (Liz Vassey). Attentive to the more mundane aspects of superheroism, The Tick offers outrageous villains (like the nefarious "Destroyo") and eccentric allies (like Ron Perlman's hilarious "Fiery Blaze") while showing that even crimefighters have everyday problems and desires. Brilliantly conceived and executed, The Tick can now be enjoyed by an audience it never had a proper chance to cultivate. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Features

• Color
• Closed-captioned
• Widescreen

Reviews (73)

The Character Patrick Warburton was Born to Play...
I have to say, I really don't understand those vociferous reviewers who complain about THE TICK making an appearance in a live television series, and why they're upset said television series has already been released on DVD.Truly, the animated show that aired on FOX back in the mid-nineties was excellent fare, but that in no way takes away from the near-genius that was the THE TICK's live-action series.All credit for such, of course, must go to Ben Edlund, creator of THE TICK and the conceptual mastermind behind the vast majority of his television exploits.

Therefore from comic page to animated cel to dimwitted flesh-and-blood superhero, THE TICK always retains his ignoramus charm; yet the colorful and vastly emotionally-crippled fellows that people his adventures often change in form, as well as personality.Mild Arthur (David Burke) is always at his side, but in this latest incarnation of THE TICK, the female lead as played by Liz Vassey is the lonely, male-supported feminist "Captain Liberty"; and Nestor Carbonell plays the equivalent of the animated show's Die Fladermaus, the Hispanic would-be Romeo, "Batmanuel".

Yet it is THE TICK, himself, who carries the show.Patrick Warburton is at his absolute best here: his character of "Putty" on TV's SEINFELD throws vague shadows toward the greatness he would play as THE TICK.Encapsulated in a giant blue rubber suit with fully mobile antennae, Warburton captures all the innocent charm, comic antics, and loveable stupidity that have endeared the nigh-invulnerable TICK to so many fans.

It is a great pity the live-action THE TICK survived only nine episodes; it really was starting to come into its own toward the end."Couples" in particular was an excellently executed and scripted episode, with a wonderful array of additional superhero characters making cameo appearances from the likes of both the comic and the animated show.And while the DVD options are indeed on the slimmer side, and the commentaries a bit cryptic at times as well as difficult to maneuver, anyone with any sense of intelligent humor would do well to pick this series up at their first opportunity.

Why oh why was this show cancelled?
It's a crime that only 9 episodes of this amazing, hilarious show exist.

Release the Animated Series already !!!!!!
The live action tv series did its best to capture the essence of the Tick. But the concept truely blossomed in animated form, closer to its comic book origins. So release the cartoon in DVD season sets already !!!!!!! ... Read more

Asin: B0000AUHQE
Subjects:  1. Television