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Kate del
 The Open Road $9.99 I am a big Jeff Bridges fan and appreciate everything he has done and such, but I didn't feel grabbed by this one at all. Not that there were horrible performances or bad film making, it just had a slew of little things peppered throughout that made me not give this the above average recommendation. The story follows a minor league ball player (Timberlake) suffering a slump, who has to get his famous big league dad (Bridges) to make a final visit to his estranged and dying ex-wife. Through some poorly staged events, they have to make it a road trip together across several states (instead of flying) to make this union happen. The scenery is quite beautiful in some of the sequences, and it even upstages some of the sparse dialogue as the long-parted kin find a way to re-connect. Kate Mara is the tag-along friend who offers the love interest of Timberlake, but the chemistry never materializes in ways it should have. The Blu quality is average to below average, with the strong showing being the opening aerial shot of the baseball game (must have used a different camera - they usually seem to in those kinds of scenes). Some of the color/contrasts in the open road shots shine nicely, but the amount of indoor and dark sequences show several weaknesses. The 5.1 is uneventful, and the only supplement offers little insight other than some typical fluff. Did not get to the commentary as I could not venture sitting through this twice. Three for the film content and Mr. Bridges (the supporting cast of Steenburgen and Harry Dean Stanton are not present enough to warrant dissecting their screen time). I love road films so maybe this will give you some light entertainment on a slow night.  King Of The Gypsies $9.99 This movie was just outstanding and an overlooked and forgotten classic. The movie was just a fascinating look at the world of the Gypsies in America. A very young Eric Roberts shines as the grandson of the King of the Gypsies brilliantly played by the legendary Sterling Hayden. Judd Hirsh of Taxi fame is great as Roberts buffoon of a father who's jealous and brutish ways tear his family apart. You will also see Susan Sarandon and a very young Brooke Shields. This movie ranks right up there with the best of the best in my opinion. The costumes, the cinematography and the casting was tops. Combine all that with an interesting and compelling story and you have a classic film. |
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