Rating: 
Summary: MUDDY OLD NON-ANAMORPHIC DVD-DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY!
Review: The order page describes this DVD was anamorphic widescreen. It is not. Amazon refuses to make things good. We definitely would not have bought it. Now, we're stuck with it after having sold our original copy for next to nothing. We would have rated this a zero but it wouldn't let us. Two thumbs down to Amazon. I think a class action suit is in order against a business that has no class where their orders are concerned.
Rating: 
Summary: THE ONLY GOOD THING ABOUT THIS DISC IS THE EXTRAS!
Review: "Ransom" is the taut thriller about one man's desperation and determination to get back his kidnapped son. Mel Gibson headlines as Tom Mullen - a man whose seemingly perfect world is shattered when his son, Sean (Brawley Nolte) is stolen from him during a science fair in Central Park. Rene Russo, Gary Sinise and Lily Taylor add genuine weight to their roles. As far as suspence and deception go - they don't get much better than "Ranson".
TRANSFER: Unfortunately, no one at Touchstone seems to care. The quality of this transfer is, pending a few truly horrific digital transfers that I have seen in my life time, really nothing to get worked up about. This DVD is NOT ANAMORPHICALLY ENHANCED for 16:9 displays. Colors are generally weak and often muddy and on occasion tend to bleed. Fine detail is completely lost in the darker scenes and contrast levels are way, way too low. Black levels register as more of a dirty brown than black. Aliasing, shimmering of fine details and edge enhancement are all present for a very uneven visual presentation. There is NO EXCUSE for the barrage of "age related" nicks, chips and scratches that are all over this visual presentation. Some films from the 1950s don't look this bad!!! The audio is Stereo Surround. Apart from the extras, this is virtually the same DVD as previously released by Buena Vista. What a crock!
EXTRAS: Deleted scenes, an audio commentary, a really brief making of featurette and the original theatrical trailer.
BOTTOM LINE: If this is Buena Vista's idea of a Special Edition I'd hate to see what their idea of bare bones is. Oops! Almost forget. I have seen it on "Beaches", "I Love Trouble", "Pretty Woman", "Can't Buy Me Love", "Adventures In Babysitting"...
Rating:
Summary: WATCH OUT! This title is NOT anamorphic!
Review: While I think the movie is great, I thought everyone should be warned that this is the exact same non-anamorphic transfer as the previous release. Amazon's technical details are in error. The back is absent of any 16x9 markings. Popping the movie in confirmed this. Stay away if you're looking to upgrade from the first disc.
Rating: 
Summary: new dvd coming
Review: This is one of Mel Gibsons best movie's ranking up there with Braveheart, but a new 2 disc dvd will be released on march 23, so wait for it and get the good edtion.
Rating: 
Summary: Very Entertaining
Review: The main reason why this film was so good is mainly because of Gary Senise who is one of the best actors in modern films. Do you notice how his eyebrows are perfect for the vilain character he plays. The eyebrows make him look really mean and always pissed off. lol. He was also great in reindeer games with Charlize Theron and Ben Affleck. The other actors were great in Ransom, such as Liev Shreiber and Lili Taylor. The only flaw was the occasional overacting by Mel and Rene. And they could have upped a notch on the excitement level as far as grattiude when they got Sean back. After all they thought he was dead. But to find him alive again, is like a second chance kinda like a miracle. And all they did was hug him and get teary eyed with an I LOVE YOU. But when he was kidnapped they were hysterical and Rene threw up and screamed, and Mel looked like he was gonna jump off the roof when they thought the kidnapper shot Sean over the phone during the argument causing him a little fit of rage so he pretended to shoot him. The ending was fun and added some more tension and wonder. It was pretty clever to shoot the kidnappers and pretend to be the hero to save the boy and get the ransom at the same time and not get caught. Too bad Sean heard his voice and peed his pants. It gave him away obviously, and in the end the bad guys lose and no one got hurt!
Rating: 
Summary: this movie is kind of weird
Review: mel gibson stars as a milti millionaire when him and his wife rene russo and his son sean (bradley Nolte)they thought they get it made but at the science fair sean gets kidnapped and held for ransom but his dad fights back when he turns the tables on the kidnappers and offers that ransom as a reward to anyone leading to the kidnappers thats why its kind of weird
Rating:
Summary: Not Perfect, but Close
Review: This film was a little too typical for my tastes. The characters follow too many of the same motions as have already been carried out in many other movies by many other characters. There wasn't much originality. That doesn't mean that this wasn't a good film. The cast is filled with strong actors, and they really make theis film work.
Rating:
Summary: Bad Guys Out-Act Mel and Rene
Review: First, Lili Taylor ROCKS. Second: I
think it is totally awesome that Opie put these groovalicious indie actors in
his movie as bad guys. The bad guys were the only interesting part of this
movie! Liev Schreiber, Donnie Wahlberg, Lili Taylor, Evan Handler, and Gary
Sinise. Third: Mel Gibson and Renee Russo? BO-HO-RING! YA-HAWN! Mel was Mr.
Ridiculous Macho and Rene was Ms. Passive, Powerless Wife. I mean, why was
Mel in charge of the whole ransom thing? Why didn't she drop-kick his arse to
the curb and take charge? Imagine how absurd it would seem if their roles had
been switched.
Rating:
Summary: Average
Review: Mel Gibson could hardly resist doing this picture since it not only amounts to a vehicle for him, but is exactly the kind of slightly off-beat but heroic part that he likes (cf., Conspiracy Theory 1997). He does a good job although his tendency to overact is not under consistent directorial control. But Ron Howard directing Mel Gibson is a bit like Spike Lee directing Danny DeVito. (Huh?) Or how about Oprah Winfrey directing Whoopie Goldberg? Or, John Wayne directing Clint Eastwood?Gary Sinise as Jimmy Shaker, a cop gone not just bad, but sleazy psycho bad, also does a good job although just why he is such a sickie and why nobody noticed before is not developed or even explained. Rene Russo does her best (alas) as the suffering wife and mother condemned to a dreary role of one dimension. I was thinking, how about some creative casting? Instead of Lili Taylor as the bad girl, how about having her play Gibson's trophy wife and make Russo the girl gone bad? Taylor is talented enough to pull it off with panache and Russo would be an arresting sight among the degenerates. Ron Howard clearly worked hard to hi-tech the old ransom plot with cell phones and cell phone tracers, infrared goggles, voice-distorters, helicopters and electronic homing devices. He provides plenty of shoot 'em up and gives the tale a twist with Gibson challenging the kidnappers. He also affords us a lot of satisfying revenge stuff at the end. I do have a couple of questions though. Was his portrait of the FBI inspired by the real life FBI's fine work at Ruby Ridge and Waco? I mean at no time in this movie did the FBI do anything positive. I'm not crazy about today's FBI anymore than anyone else, but was this a fair and realistic take on how they might handle such a case? Also what was police detective Jimmy Shaker's motivation for the kidnapping in the first place? After x number of years on the force he suddenly gets a yen for a lot of money and balmy climes? Finally why doesn't he just take his cleverly and murderously earned reward a couple of days down the road instead of showing up prematurely at the Mullen place and giving himself away? Bottom line: this picks up after a slow beginning, and there's some clever business along the way, but don't examine it too closely.
Rating:
Summary: Superb Thriller!
Review: Although this is actually a remake of a 1940s film in which the protagonist turns the tables unexpectedly on his child's kidnappers, this very well produced film directed by Ron Howard is quite contemporary and sophisticated. Mel Gibson shines as the controversial developer who has had shady dealings with union reps on his way to fantastic wealth, and is pursued unsuccessfully by the FBI even while they are suddenly called in to help on his son's kidnapping. When things go from bad to worst, Gibson takes control of the negotiation, and suddenly all hell breaks loose. This is an entertaining and quite suspenseful film, wth a terrific supporting cast that includes Rene Russo as Gibson's wife, Gary Senise as a duplicitous local cop, and Mark Wahlberg as one of the kidnappers. The plot takes some interesting twists and turns, and although it is nt predictable, all works out quite well in the end. Or does it. In order to see, you'll just have to watch this very well made suspense thriller for yourself. Enjoy!
|
