An unexpected marriage of big-budget production values and low-budget instincts, The Ring offers chills to be savoured. Usually when Hollywood indulges its cash-hungry game of remaking foreign films the result sacrifices much of what made the original so special. Clearly, the supremely eerie supernatural vibe that permeated the legendary 1998 Japanese horror film must have done something to those Hollywood suits, because Gore Verbinski's remake is actually rather good. Certainly, it's not superior to the original, but it's undoubtedly a cut above most modern horror efforts, expertly wringing every drop of suspense. The impressive Naomi Watts (Mullholland Drive) plays a journalist investigating an urban myth of a videotape that kills the viewer a week after watching it. Succumbing to curiosity, she watches it herself--big mistake--and has a week to solve the mystery or fall victim to its sinister power. While transferring the action from Japan to modern-day Seattle may weaken the impact of the plot's mythological elements, and the film may be guilty of pointless padding (belying the original's lean format), Verbinski's effort is no less squirm-inducing, bolstered with a tremendous shocker of an ending. Exquisitely utilising the strong visual sense displayed in The Mexican, Verbinski creates a thick atmosphere of dread and suspense that never lets up, thankfully favouring old-fashioned scares, rather than retreating to blunt CG spectacle. In Watts, the film has a horror heroine who far exceeds the average wide-eyed scream queen, perfectly conveying the endless stream of bone-chilling moments. --Danny Graydon
Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the Enterprise-E crew find themselves on a diplomatic mission to initiate peace with the Romulans. Learning that the Romulans have undergone a political upheaval and their new Praetor Shinzon wants to discuss a peace treaty with the Federation Picard and his crew must investigate the situation and determine Shinzon's sincerity. But they learn that not only is the new Praetor not a Romulan at all but a native of Romulus' sister planet Remus they also fin
All ten of the classic Star Trek movies in one superb limited edition box set! Includes: 1. Star Trek: The Motion Picture 2. Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan 3. Star Trek III: The Search For Spock 4. Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home 5. Star Trek V: The Final Frontier 6. Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country 7. Star Trek VII: Generations 8. Star Trek VIII: First Contact 9. Star Trek IX: Insurrection 10. Star Trek X: Nemesis
Even if (when) more big-screen adventures come along, this Star Trek DVD Movies Collection will remain a fitting memento of this astonishingly long-running franchise. Containing all 10 movies from The Motion Picture (1979) to Nemesis (2003), this box set charts the voyages of the USS Enterprise(s) from the original ship's first major refit since its legendary five-year mission to the last outing for the Enterprise E in the next century. After this, there will be new ships and new crews. The most famous starship in the galaxy has finally retired. Along the way, there have been many highs and just a few lows. The Motion Picture's Director's Edition solved many of the theatrical release's problems. Its follow-up, The Wrath of Khan, is still regarded as the series' finest hour. Movies III and IV chart Spock's fall and resurrection in quasi-religious terms, but also add welcome humour in The Voyage Home. Taken together II, III and IV make for a satisfyingly self-contained trilogy, which is one reason why the next entry, The Final Frontier, seemed like a disappointment. Khan director Nicholas Meyer returned for the superior VI, The Undiscovered Country, allowing the original crew to sign-off in style. Attempting to please fans old and new, the messy Generations ended up pleasing almost no one. Thankfully, the second Next Generation film, First Contact, comes in a close second to Khan in the series-best stakes. Neither Insurrection or Nemesis could quite match what had gone before, but both were solidly entertaining adventures nonetheless. On the DVDs: The Star Trek DVD Movies Collection is a 10-disc set complete with booklet and postcard-size Nemesis film stills. However, only the first four movies are presented in their Special Edition versions--these have the same content as the feature discs of the separately released two-disc sets--and the Nemesis disc also contains a commentary, documentaries and deleted scenes. Movies V-IX are bare-bones releases, though, with no extra content to speak of. Fans will therefore not find this box set to be a substitute for the individual Special Edition versions. --Mark Walker
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