Directed by Dennis Hopper, Colors is a superior 1988 action movie set among the street gangs of LA that teams up Robert Duvall as Hodges, the elder cop, with young hothead partner Danny McGavin (Sean Penn). Investigating a murderous feud between the Bloods and the Crips, Duvall attempts to impress upon the impetuous Penn the value of a more cautious, easy-going approach in dealing with gang members, rather than trying to charge in among them. The film as a whole was one of the first to take a serious, unromantic and unstereotypical look at gang culture, at how youngsters are sucked into it, how few options are actually open to these macho hoodlums and how little they have in the way of family, community and stability other than the gangs. The partnership between Penn and Duvall by contrast, though well played, is pretty much the standard old cop/young cop set-up, right down to Duvalls frequent, ominous remarks about how close he is to retirement. While the action is sometimes disjointed and the relationships between the gangs at times confused, it at least helps to dispel the usual Hollywood good vs. evil dynamic. Instead, theres a more ambient sense of violence, desperation, retribution and recrimination. Penns doomed relationship with a homegirl indicates that while the LAPD may capture a few felons, theyve little chance of capturing the hearts and minds of the criminalised poor. Later films such as John Singletons Boyz 'n the Hood (1991) would go further in exploring how life looks from the gangsta perspective.On the DVD: The films is presented in an anamorphic 16:9 widescreen version, with the usual chapter and language selections. The only other feature is the original, detailed but run-of-the-mill trailer. --David Stubbs
In this action thriller, Sean Penn stars as former special-ops agent James Terrier, who is suddenly targeted by some of the world's best hit men. Terrier must dig into his top-secret past to figure out who wants him dead, and why.
Assassins are on Nicole Kidman's trail after she hears something she shouldn't have in this tense thriller.
All The King's Men
Life has pushed him into a corner and he's coming out fighting! After being sent to reform school after accidentally killing a fellow youth Chicago crime wave Mick O'Brien is forced to confront the victim's brother who wants deadly revenge...
Sean Penn and Don Cheadle star in this drama that follows the life of a disillusioned salesman who takes extraordinary measures to make his presence felt.
The Definitive Dance Collection! 4 Discs of pure dancing magic... Footloose: Teenager Ren MacCormack sends ripples through Bomont a small Midwestern town that could stand some shaking up when he arrives from Chicago with his mother Ethel to settle with her relatives. The adults tend to view him with suspicion as a possible contaminant from the outer world. Some of his male peers eye him as a threat and most of the girls just plain eye him. It's a tough time for Ren
Hailed by critics as a masterpiece Casualties of War is based on the true story of a squad of soldiers caught in the moral quagmire of wartime Vietnam. Witness to a vile crime Private Eriksson (Michael J. Fox) is forced to stand alone against his fellow soldiers and commanding officer Sergeant Meserve (Sean Penn). A powerful and charismatic man pushed over the edge of barbarism by the terror and brutality of combat. With sweeping scope action and raw power master filmmake
21 Grams: A freak accident brings together a terminally ill mathematician (Penn) a grieving mother (Watts) and a born-again ex-con (Del Toro) in Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's fantastic multi-layered follow up to his debut 'Amores Perros' a gripping story that takes them to the heights of passion the depths of obsession and sees the promise of revenge... Taps: this compelling drama a cadet major (Timothy Hutton) leads his fellow military students in an armed revolt to prevent authorities from turning their school into a condominium complex. His surrogate father who is also the academy's commander (George C. Scott) vows to fight the closing as well. But when an unexpected accident leads to the school's demise military discipline goes haywire and tragedy results. Sean Penn Tom Cruise and Ronny Cox co-star in this thought-provoking film that questions the values and morals of today's society. Dead Man Walking: Inspired by the true story of a nun's relationship with a condemned man this provocative examination of crime punishment and redemption earned Susan Sarandon the 1995 Oscar for Best Actress and Sean Penn an Oscar nomination for Best Actor. Sister Helen Prejean (Sarandon) a compassionate New Orleans nun is the spiritual advisor to Mathew Poncelet (Penn) a vicious angry and complex murderer awaiting execution. Her dedication is to help others like Mathew find salvation. But as she attempt to navigate Mathew's dark soul she encounters a depth of evil that makes her question how far redemption can really go. Can she stave off the fateful day of execution long enough to save Mathew or will she discover a truth that will rock the very foundations by which she lives? Colors: In the `hood all that matters are your colors... Academy Award winner Robert Duvall and Sean Penn sink their teeth into grimy hard-edged heart-thumping action in a film that captures the vivid mark that gang life has left upon Los Angeles. Bob Hodges (Duvall) is a seasoned street cop who has learned a lot from long experience while his young partner Danny McGavin (Penn) has learned nothing - and knows it well. Forced to work together in the LAPD's renowned CRASH anti-gang unit they set out to investigate a brutal gang murder. Hated and hunted by both sides the cops soon find themselves trapped in the middle of a turf war. With nowhere to turn they are ambushed double-crossed and shot at in a take-no-prisoners street battle. As the violence escalates these two diametrically opposed men must come to terms with one important fact - to stay alive they must come together! State Of Grace: Having been away for several years Terry Noonan (Sean Penn) is reunited with his gangland friends the ruthless Jackie Flannery (Gary Oldman) and his brother Frankie (Ed Harris) - the Kitchen's most powerful racketeer. Terry grew up in Hell's Kitchen he's streetwise and knows the rules. But returning as an undercover cop to the squalor of his childhood haunts leads him deep into a dark underworld of deceit corruption betrayal and murder. He's been assigned to put Frankie Flannery out of business forever and if he makes one false move he won't even live to regret it...
After years serving the government, Valerie (Naomi Watts) - a mother, a wife and a field officer with an impeccable record - will struggle to save her reputation, her career and her family.
Carlito (Al Pacino) is a Hispanic drugs boss just released from prison. Determined to go straight and move to the Bahamas with his girlfriend, Gail (Penelope Ann Miller), Carlito is tempted back to the wrong side of the law by his lawyer, nerdish coke-head David Kleinfeld (Sean Penn), for 'one last job'. Brian De Palma directs this visually eloquent film about a man's inevitable tragic demise with his familiar penchant for the big set piece and violent action. Special Features: Exclusive Artwork and Artcard
Hell hath no fury... A century-old double murder haunts Jean (Catherine McCormack) a photographer who travels to Smuttyhouse Island the scene of the crime to investigate. Attempting to save her troubled marriage to renown poet Thomas (Sean Penn) she invites him along with his brother Rich (Josh Lucas) and his girlfriend Adaline (Elizabeth Hurley). As Jean delves deeper into the old case files she finds evidence that the man convicted and put to death for the killings may not have been the murderer. The sole survivor of the slaughter was a woman (Sarah Polley) whose unhappy marriage mirrors Jean's. Past and present collide when a cataclysmic storm burgeons into jealousy and suddenly it becomes clear to Jean who the real killer is...
Life has pushed him into a corner and he's coming out fighting! After being sent to reform school after accidentally killing a fellow youth Chicago crime wave Mick O'Brien is forced to confront the victim's brother who wants deadly revenge...
The Game (Dir. David Fincher 1997): Nicholas Van Orton (Michael Douglas) is a shrewdly successful businessman who is accustomed to being in control of each facet of his investments and relationships. His well-ordered life undergoes a profound change however when his brother Conrad (Sean Penn) gives him an unexpected birthday gift that soon has devastating consequences. There are no rules in The Game. The Gingerbread Man (Dir. Robert Altman 1997): Successful Savannah lawyer Rick Magruder (Kenneth Branagh) becomes obsessed with a mysterious seductive waitress Mallory Doss (Embeth Davidtz) who is being stalked by her fundamentalist father Dixon Doss (Robert Duvall). When Magruder tries to protect Mallory he is drawn into a web of deceit and danger his life falling apart as he peels away the layers of intrigue and mystery that surround her.
After his father (Pat Hingle) finds him a job at the CIA, Christopher Boyce (Timothy Hutton) discovers the less reputable side of the American government through handling classified documents. As he grows increasingly disillusioned, Boyce decides to sell the information to the Russians in an act of defiance. A drug-addicted friend of Boyce's, Daulton Lee (Sean Penn), becomes involved in the plot and acts as a middleman between Boyce and the Soviets but the erratic Lee fails to cover his tracks.
The script for Fast Times at Ridgemont High is based on filmmaker Cameron (Jerry Maguire, Almost Famous) Crowe's time as a reporter for Rolling Stone. He was so youthful looking that he was able to go undercover for a year at a California high school and write a book about it. The film launched the careers of several young actors, including Jennifer Jason Leigh, Judge Reinhold, Phoebe Cates and, above all, Sean Penn. The story line is episodic, dealing with the lives of iconic teen types: one of the school's cool kids, a nerd, a teen queen and, most enjoyably, the class stoner (Penn), who finds himself at odds with a strict history teacher (a wonderfully spiky Ray Walston). This is not a great film but very entertaining and, for a certain age group, a seminal film experience.--Marshall Fine, Amazon.com On the DVD: Amy (Clueless) Heckerling and Cameron Crowe's commentary is revealing and indicative of a time where nudity on celluloid was shocking rather than the norm as they talk about the issues which contributed to the film's original X-rating, as well as all the actors who originally auditioned for the roles. The transfer quality is high with little grain, and although the soundtrack is in mono rather than Dolby 5.1 it is not detrimental to the film. There's a retrospective documentary called "Reliving Our Fast Times at Ridgemont High" featuring new interviews with most of the cast and crew, plus a highly original feature about the locations used in the film, how they looked in 1982 and how they look now. For fact buffs there's the usual mix of biographies, theatrical trailer and production notes.--Kristen Bowditch
Scarface (Dir. Brian De Palma 1983): In the spring of 1980 the port at Mariel Harbour was opened and thousands set sail for the United States. They came in search of the American Dream. One of them found it on the sun-washed avenues of Miami... wealth power and passion beyond his wildest dreams. He was Tony Montana. The world will remember him by another name - Scarface! Al Pacino gives an unforgettable performance as Tony Montana one of the most ruthless gangsters ever d
A century old double murder haunts Jean a photographer who travels to the scene of the crime to investigate. The sole survivor of the slaughter was a woman whose unhappy marriage mirrors Jean's. Past and present collide when a cataclysmic storm burgeons into jealousy and suddenly it becomes clear to Jean who the real killer is...
The Tree of LifeThe long front lawns of summer afternoons, the flicker of sunlight as it sprays through tree branches, the volcanic surge of the Earth's interior as the planet heaves itself into being--you certainly can't say Terrence Malick lacks for visual expressiveness. The Tree of Life is Malick's long-cherished project, a film that centres on a family in 1950s Waco, Texas, yet also reaches for cosmic significance in the creation of the universe itself. The Texas memories belong to Jack (Sean Penn), a modern man seemingly ground down by the soulless glass-and-metal corporate world that surrounds him. We learn early in the film of a family loss that happened at a later time, but the flashbacks concern only the dark Eden of Jack's childhood: his games with his two younger brothers, his frustrated, bullying father (Brad Pitt), his one-dimensionally radiant mother (Jessica Chastain). None of which unfolds in anything like a conventional narrative, but in a series of disconnected scenes that conjure, with poetry and specificity, a particular childhood realm. The contributions of cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki and production designer Jack Fisk cannot be underestimated in that regard, and it should be noted that Brad Pitt contributes his best performance: strong yet haunted. And how does the Big Bang material (especially a long, trippy sequence in the film's first hour) tie into this material? Yes, well, the answer to that question will determine whether you find Malick's film a profound exploration of existence or crazy-ambitious failure full of beautiful things. Malick's sincerity is winning (and so is his exceptional touch with the child actors), yet many of the movie's touches are simultaneously gaseous (amongst the bits of whispered narration is the war between nature and grace, roles assigned to mother and father) and all-too-literal (a dinosaur retreats from nearly killing a fellow creature--the first moments of species kindness, or anthropomorphic poppycock?). The Tree of Life premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and won the Palme d'Or there after receiving boos at its press screening. The debate continues, unabated, from that point. --Robert Horton The Thin Red LineOne of the cinema's great disappearing acts came to a close with the release of The Thin Red Line in late 1998. Terrence Malick, the cryptic recluse who withdrew from Hollywood visibility after the release of his visually enthralling masterpiece Days of Heaven (1978), returned to the director's chair after a 20-year coffee break. Malick's comeback vehicle is a fascinating choice: a wide-ranging adaptation of a World War II novel (filmed once before, in 1964) by James Jones. The battle for Guadalcanal Island gives Malick an opportunity to explore nothing less than the nature of life, death, God, and courage. Let that be a warning to anyone expecting a conventional war flick; Malick proves himself quite capable of mounting an exciting action sequence, but he's just as likely to meander into pure philosophical noodling--or simply let the camera contemplate the first steps of a newly born tropical bird or the sinister skulk of a crocodile. This is not especially an actors' movie--some faces go by so quickly they barely register--but the standouts are bold: Nick Nolte as a career-minded colonel, Elias Koteas as a deeply spiritual captain who tries to protect his men, Ben Chaplin as a G.I. haunted by lyrical memories of his wife. The backbone of the film is the ongoing discussion between a wry sergeant (Sean Penn) and an ethereal, almost holy private newcomer (Jim Caviezel). The picture's sprawl may be a result of Malick's method of "finding" a film during shooting and editing, and in some ways The Thin Red Line seems vaguely, intriguingly incomplete. Yet it casts a spell like almost nothing else of its time, and Malick's visionary images are a challenge and a signpost to the rest of his filmmaking generation. --Robert Horton
A powerful front-line cast - including Sean Penn Nick Nolte Woody Harrelson and George Clooney - explodes into action in this hauntingly realistic view of military and moral chaos in the Pacific during World War II. Nominated for seven Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Director (Terrence Malick) The Thin Red Line is an unparalleled cinematic masterpiece.
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