DVDs When Tom Cruise Became A Superstar

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ENTERTAINMENT CELEBRITY MEDIA COMEDY MUSIC TV CELEBRITY KIDS MOVIEFONE Michael Giltz Freelance writer GET UPDATES FROM MICHAEL GILTZ Follow Tom Cruise , Movies , TV Shows , Blu-Ray , Dvds , Entertainment News 1 32 0 2React Inspiring Funny Hot Scary Outrageous Amazing Weird CrazyDVDs: When Tom Cruise Became A Superstar TOP GUN ON BLURAY ($24.99; Paramount) -- Tom Cruise became a star with Risky Business , a September 15, 2011 EDITION: U.S. Like 43 Posted: 9/14/11 01:55 AM ET SHARE THIS STORY Submit this story Get Entertainment Alerts Sign Up PHOTO GALLERIESCONNECT FRONT PAGE POLITICS BUSINESS ENTERTAINMENT TECH MEDIA LIFE & STYLE CULTURE COMEDY HEALTHY LIVING WOMEN LOCAL MORE Like 40KTelevision Mad Men Jersey Shore Scarlett Johansson Smarter Ideas More Log inclassic that has endured as both an entertaining comedy and a wicked satire of the go-go Eighties. (That studio-enforced ending actually makes the satire perfect because Joel Goodson only gets into Princetonbecause he runs a brothel.) But Tom Cruise became a superstar with Top Gun, a hokey melodrama of the most contrived sort. It fails on almost every level -- as an action film, as a romance, as a coming of agestory, as a music video. On almost every level but one. It is a star vehicle of the first order, the sort oftailor-made movie that the studio system used to create for rising talent they believed in. Here the film is crafted by director Tony Scott to showcase Cruise to perfection. His smile, his sexiness, his easy camaraderie with his male pals. It's all cannily designed to make America weak in the knees for Maverick, right down to the mistiness in his eyes when his best friend must be sacrificed... so that Maverick can get a little misty eyed and then push past that momentary weakness to kick a little Russian ass. It's a spectacle and this new BluRay makes the most of it. Turn up the volume as loud as possible; the less thinking you do, the more you'll enjoy it. WIN WIN ($39.99 BluRay or $29.99 DVD; FOX) -- Here's one of the treats of the year, a movie that restored my faith in writer-director Tom McCarthy. He broke out with the quirky, very good film TheStation Agent. Then he made the maudlin, hatefully open-minded movie The Visitor, which clearly annoyed the heck out of me. Was Station Agent a fluke? Far from it. Win Win is a thoughtful, genuinely independent movie with a quiet focus and dignity that allows this simple story to breathe and becomereal to us. Paul Giamatti is a down-on-his-luck lawyer who also coaches high school wrestling.Unquestionably a good guy, he makes a questionable decision that allows him to receive income for aclient that he doesn't deserve. That one choice spirals out of control for him. But at the same time his loser of a team is blessed by the unexpected arrival of a natural, a kid also tied into that fateful decision. It all becomes deliciously complicated and funny and raw, with sterling supporting work from Amy Ryan,Bobby Cannavale, Jeffrey Tambor and Alex Shaffer as the kid. Don't miss it. THE TWILIGHT ZONE SEASON 5 ON BLURAY ($99.98; Image) -- For its combination of terrific remastering and sound plus a wealth of pertinent and revealing and just plain desirable extras, TheTwilight Zone on BluRay from Image is the gold standard of classic TV reissues. It just doesn't get any MOST POPULAR ON HUFFPOST 1 of 2 'Web Cam 101 For Seniors' Turns Oregon Oldsters Into YouTube Celebrities Scarlett Johansson Nude Photos Prompt Investigation SHOCK VIDEO: Debate Audience Says Uninsured Patient Should Be Left To Die Celestrellas: Angola named Miss Universe 2011 - show recap (PHOTOS & VIDEOS) AOL TV: Jon Cryer, Ashton Kutcher & Angus T. Jones Talk 'Two and a Half Men' Season 9 (VIDEO) Ten Signs Your Marriage is Headed for Divorce Mark Blankenship True Blood Sucker Punch: Season 4, Ep. 12 Engadget: Windows 8 for tablets hands-on preview (video) AOL Jobs: Spelling Errors Send Red Flags To Employers DON'T MISS HUFFPOST BLOGGERS 1 of 5FOLLOW US9 Signs Your Husband Is GAY, According To...PHOTOS: Kirstie Alley Makes Her Runway Debut Christina Ricci At Alexander Wang: Hit Or Miss?Keira Knightley: Sexually Dangerous Like 120K Like 104 Like 64K Like 2K Like 466 Like 3K Like 113 Like 3K Like 1Kbetter than this. The show was shot with care by top cinematographers but no one saw exactly how good it looked until now. You get all 36 episodes, with dozens of new commentaries, 22 radio dramas, all theprevious extras from regular DVD and much more. Season four was the boondoggle of the hour-longepisodes. Season five happily returned to the half hour format, but creator Rod Sterling was burned out, a new producer alienated other writers and the quality was patchy. The writing was on the wall, though not before some final classic episodes like "Nightmare At 20,000 Feet," "Living Doll" and the savvy use of a French short film called "An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge" that is one of the show's very best and even won an Academy Award. JANE EYRE ($34.98 BluRay or $29.98 DVD; Universal) -- How do you possibly tackle a classic that has been filmed (and quite well) so many times before? With intelligence and restraint and some very fine actors, notably Mia Wasikowska as the strong-willed governess, Michael Fassbender as a convincinglybrooding object of desire, Judi Dench amusing as a housekeeper with airs and Jamie Bell compelling asalways playing a determined man of the cloth. Director Cary Fukunaga previously made the notable indieSin Nombre (about young lovers escaping gang violence on a trek to a new life in the US) and he brings a similar intelligence to this oft-told tale. No one tries to reinvent the wheel or give the story some modernangle. Like a solid Broadway revival of a classic play, it moves swiftly and smartly and satisfies. DEXTER THE FIFTH SEASON ($64.99 BluRay or $54.99 DVD; Showtime/Paramount) -- Why oh why do American networks wait to release the last season just weeks or days before the new seasonbegins? (Yes, the new season of Dexter begins October 1 on Showtime.) Let me make another plea that they release a TV show on DVD as soon as possible after the season ends. They're usually shooting all thebonus material while the show is in production anyway. Except for the audio commentaries (which couldbe one more chore the creative team would do during production), everything else can be worked on and ready to go as soon as the season is over. That way fans could jump on episodes right away and newcomers would have as much time as possible to jump in before a new season begins. As it is now, it'salmost impossible to catch up without gorging on the most recent episodes right before a new seasonbegins. I'd love to have more people appreciate the almost remarkable, convention-defying job thatMichael C. Hall and the show has done by making a serial killer the star of a series. It's truly astonishingand if you haven't been watching, get cracking. You don't want Dexter angry at you. P.S. There's a Dexterboard game? Sick. I love it! Kumi Naidoo Don’t Make a Wave: Greenpeace at 40 Candy Spelling iPads and Social Media in the Classroom? TOP VIDEO PICKS 1 of 12 Halle Berry's Flawless Bikini Bod Olsen Sister Flashes HerBra Scarlett's naked pics, TylerPerry is highest paid MOST DISCUSSED RIGHT NOW 1 of 2 More Entertainment News at THR.com More Celebrity News at People.com Missoni For TargetMerchandise Floods eBay Scarlett Johansson Contacts FBI AboutHacked Nude Images Scarlett Johansson Becomes A Twitter Trending Topic Mark Ballas and Pia Toscano Split READ MORE America's Got Talent Picksa Winner READ MORE Michaele Salahi Was NotKidnapped as Husband Claimed READ MORE Cher Lashes Out OnPOLICE, ADJECTIVE ($29.99; Zeitgeist/Kimstim) -- Director Corneliu Porumboiu's last film was the droll but dagger sharp 12:08 East Of Bucharest. His art-house reputation should solidify further with Politist, Adjectiv . In it, a Romanian detective is investigating three teenagers (two guys and a girl) who smoke pot once a day in a courtyard. One kid has turned into a narc and reported his friend but not the girl. Though it's officially a case of "drug dealing," the one boy seems to get pot from his brother and he and his friends just smoke a joint. He doesn't sell it to them or anyone else and their lives are thoroughly unremarkable otherwise. They're just kids and the detective is aware that possessing such a small amount of pot is legal in many European countries and probably will be soon in Romania. But if he launches a"raid" (a grand word for arresting three kids), it's likely the kid targeted won't want to turn in his brotherfor providing the drug and could be sentenced to seven years. Only fest goers and art house cineastes willget past this film's deliberate style to the heart of the film. And the heart of the film is language, funnilyenough. Slowly, subtly, the film evolves from this specific story to a universal struggle over personalresponsibility versus fealty to the state. It's fascinating, compelling, and quietly funny, though certainlynot mainstream fare. One of the best films of the past year. HOT ON FACEBOOK 1 of 3 HOT ON TWITTER 1 of 2 HUFFPOST'S BIG NEWS PAGES Energy Prices Blackberry Celebrity Crime gaming Film Gossip Buy a link here Sponsored Links College - 100% Online Be more employable! Earn a certificate up to a doctoral degree at Baker Online®. www.bakercollegeonline.com eBay® - Official Site Visit eBay for great deals on a huge selection of items.Shop eBay! www.ebay.com 10 Best Credit Cards Compare Multiple Credit Card Offers & Apply Online. As Seen on PBS TV. www.CardRatings.com 'Terrified' Chaz Bono Haters Getting Back To Her Roots? Miss Universe Is Fixed By Donald Trump: Choreographer J.B Smoove On Larry David Is A Playboy, The End Of 'Curb,' And The Ruckus Like 2K sarah_ross RetweetDear Twitter Friends pls check this out: Have We Overlooked the Most Effective Way to Prevent Terrorism & War? http://t.co/YyoQ1EIR soundcloud Retweet'Listening for the Sounds ofinnovation.", a great guest post by our own @Bougie over on @HuffPostTech http://t.co/aIT65Ox SECRET SUNSHINE ($39.95 BluRay or $29.95 DVD; Criterion) POETRY ($29.95; Kino) -- Korean director Lee Chang-Dong has crafted an impressive body of work and showcases for two incomparable actresses. In Secret Sunshine, Jean Do-yeon (who deservedly won the Best Actress prize at Cannes) is a widow who moves with her son to the hometown of her late husband and slowly, awkwardly makes a new life for herself. IN the more recent Poetry , the great Yun Jung-hee plays an even trickier role as an elderly woman who is trying to care for her grandson while strugglingwith the onset of Alzheimer's. I think Secret Sunshine is the better film (I especially love the subplot of a local mechanic who wants to woo the widow but ends up with being wooed by a new faith instead). But both are worthy watching for the terrific performances at their heart. As you might expect, Criterion has solid extras including a video interview with Lee, an on-set documentary and a substantial essay byDennis Lim about the filmmaker and this movie. THE BANG BANG CLUB ($29.98 BluRay or $24.98 DVD; eOne) -- Young photojournalists in South Africa became world famous and snag Pulitzers while documenting the last days of apartheid. I'm a fan ofRyan Phillippe (who is always underestimated and has good taste in projects) and was eager to see howTaylor Kitsch fared on the big screen after growing by leaps and bounds on the fine series Friday NightLights. The common complaint is that the story of four or five young white guys is not the best way to get insight into apartheid. But who cares about that? If the film were more effective, that wouldn't matter.But the guys behave like only journalists in movies can behave: they stride into the office like rock stars, have groupies and dodge bullets by day and down beers by night with wild abandon! What fun, and for all I know it's thoroughly authentic. It's also thoroughly earnest, my catchphrase for well-intentioned moviesthat have their heart on their sleeve and forget to tell a story. Doing their job in a war zone takes its toll,with broken relationships, danger and even suicide. It really must have been an adventure of a lifetime tobe in the Bang Bang Club. But there's a reason journalists avoid making themselves the story -- thepeople they're covering are usually a lot more fascinating. The movie does its level best by them, butthese lads are best revealed through their work, not their raucous war stories. COUNTING CROWS LIVE AT TOWN HALL ($19.98 BluRay or $14.98 DVD; Eagle Rock) -- I've always had a fondness for Counting Crows. Their debut CD was the first album I got paid to review after leaving college, for the now-defunct CD Review. I was wildly enthusiastic and must admit they haven't Libya Ed Miliband Music MORE BIG NEWS PAGES »fulfilled that promise (my friend Joe will kill me for saying so). But they're still around and have a loyal following, putting out new music and giving a great live show 17 years after they began. That's anaccomplishment in and of itself. This intimate show at Town Hall (one of my favorite venues in New YorkCity ) lets the band perform that debut -- August and Everything After -- in full and in order, joined by special guests. Fans deserved a fuller show with a second set drawn from their many other albums. Butwhat's here will satisfy the faithful and maybe win a few new ones. SWORD AND SORCERY COLLECTION ($24.97; Shout) -- The new reboot of Conan The Barbarian is truly awful. But if you want to see bad B movies set in the world of sword and sorcery, check out thiscollection of four flicks from Roger Corman. Deathstalker I and II, Barbarian Queen and The Warrior and the Sorceress -- even with David Carradine in the latter, these flicks know they're drive-in fodder and are a lot more fun to watch than Conan could ever hope to be. Not that they're actually good, mind you. HOUSE SEASON SEVEN ($74.98 BluRay or $59.98 DVD; Universal) -- House was always a formulaic show. A mysterious illness pops up, the House team knocks ideas back and forth and by the end Househimself steps in by cracking the code. Sure, sometimes someone else gives him an idea, but that'sbasically it. Nothing wrong with formula, but after seven seasons it is wearing thin, even with HughLaurie as the irascible doctor. He's finally cozied up (sort of) to Lisa Edelstein's Cuddy, with predictablyon and off results. It's fine for the faithful, but the show should really have left us two seasons ago, wanting more. So few shows have the strength to say goodbye when they're on top. Why would the egotistical, self-centered House be any different? Of course he's outstayed his welcome. Thanks for reading. Michael Giltz is the co-host of Showbiz Sandbox , a weekly pop culture podcast that reveals the industry take on entertainment news of the day and features top journalists and opinionmakers as guests. It's available free on iTunes. Visit Michael Giltz at his website and his daily blog. Download his podcast of celebrity interviews and his radio show, also called Popsurfing and alsoavailable for free on iTunes. Link to him on Netflix and gain access to thousands of ratings and reviews . NOTE: Michael Giltz is provided with free copies of DVDs to consider for review. He typically does notguarantee coverage and invariably receives far more screeners and DVDs than he can cover eachweek.Paul Rudd In Playboy: Self- Loathing, Nudity And... 'Butter' Screening: Weinstein Takes On Bachmann, Garner... 'We Bought A Zoo' Trailer: Matt Damon,... Ryan Gosling In Costume At 'The Gangster...Follow Michael Giltz on Twitter: www.twitter.com/michaelgiltz Buy a link here Sponsored Links College - 100% Online Be more employable! Earn a certificate up to a doctoral degree at Baker Online®. www.bakercollegeonline.com eBay® - Official Site Visit eBay for great deals on a huge selection of items. Shop eBay! www.ebay.com 10 Best Credit Cards Compare Multiple Credit Card Offers & Apply Online. As Seen on PBS TV. www.CardRatings.com Refinance at 3.25% FIXED! Home Refinance with No Hidden Fees, Points or Costs. Free Quotes! Mortgage.LendGo.com More in Entertainment... ENTERTAINMENT CELEBRITY MEDIA COMEDY MUSIC TV CELEBRITY KIDS MOVIEFONE Advertise | Log In | Make HuffPost your Home Page | RSS | Careers | FAQ User Agreement | Privacy | Comment Policy | About Us | Contact Us Copyright © 2011 TheHuffingtonPost.com, Inc. | "The Huffington Post" is a registered trademark of TheHuffingtonPost.com, Inc. All rights reserved. Part of HuffPost News FRONT PAGE POLITICS BUSINESS ENTERTAINMENT TECH MEDIA LIFE & STYLE CULTURE COMEDY HEALTHY LIVING WOMEN LOCAL MORE

DVDs When Tom Cruise Became A Superstar

📄 DVDs When Tom Cruise Became A Superstar

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