The Insider

Heat
$12.98
Heat offers textured characters in what otherwise would be a a "cops and robbers" movie. The networking of criminals and police is interesting in itself. Add the emotional toll taken on Al Pacino, Robert DeNiro, Val Kilmer, and Dennis Haysbert and their women, and the viewer sees the police and criminals as real people with real emotions. Even the coldest melt. Pacino's and DeNiro's characters meet one-on-one over coffee, and the arch-enemies reveal their mutual respect for one another--and their dedication to their craft. A classic scene.

All the President's Men (Two-Disc Special Edition)
$26.98
As many others American Movies, as self criticism is great, but, this one don't show very much, obviously when was made, still the political pressure was on.

The Insider
$14.99
It is 2.35 Anamorphic

The only thing I noticed unusual is that the horiz. black bars are uneven, 33% on top and 66% on bottom. Its not 50/50 or horiz. centered as with most other 2.35:1. It's NOT a BIG DEAL, just a little horiz. offset.

Great Movie, still worth purchasing !!

Quiz Show
$9.99
Over the years director Robert Redford has made a number of splendid motion pictures.
Redford won an Academy Award in his very first stab at directing with 1980's "Ordinary People". Likewise, he was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Director for 1992's magnificent "A River Runs Through It" and the 1998 film "The Horse Whisperer".
While these were all terrific flicks my favorite Robert Redford-directed film always has been 1994's "Quiz Show". Now in the 1950's quiz shows were all the rage on network television. Shows like "21" and "The $64,000 Question" drew upwards of 50 million viewers each week. It is difficult to imagine those kinds of numbers in this day and age where the audience is so fragmented In any event, there was enormous pressure on network executives to keep these shows fresh and interesting to the audience. The networks quickly discovered that one of the best ways to achieve this end was to manipulate the results. In that way a certain number of these contestants would be sent packing before audiences grew tired of them. This strategy was quite successful for a number a years before one estranged contestant decided to blow the whistle on all of it. "Quiz Show" recalls in a very compelling way the people and events surrounding this scandal. This is a film that commands your undivided attention from the outset and simply never lets go!
There are really three principal charactors in "Quiz Show". John Turturro stars as Herb Stempel, the thirtysomething Jewish contestant who was the reigning champion on "21". To be kind, despite winning for several weeks in a row Herb proved to be about as charismatic as a mortician. The sponser was calling the network demanding that Herb be "replaced". Enter one Charles Van Doran (played by Ralph Fiennes), a handsome, highly educated and captivating young man who possessed all of the charactoristics that both the sponser and the network were looking for. Would he be willing to "play the game" and be fed the answers? At first he resisted but the allure of fame and fortune proved to be too much.
In order to make this all happen producer Dan Enright (David Paymer) must convince Stempel to deliberately miss a question. Stempel is outraged but reluctantly agrees and Van Doran would become the new champion. In the ensuing weeks the ratings would go through the roof and Charles Van Doran would become a household name. Meanwhile, Herb Stempel, who is now nothing more than yesterday's news is seething. His celebrity is gone and the network has refused to make good on a deal he struck with them to throw that question and end his reign as "21" champion. Totally frustrated, Stempel goes to the authorities and tells all.
It is at this point that Redford introduces us to the third major player in this saga. Dick Goodwin finished at the top of his class at Harvard Law School. Although he realized that he was one day destined for big things on Wall Street he decided that he wanted to pursue other avenues first. He goes to work as an investigator for a Congressional subcommitee and finds the work to be rather mundane. All of that changes rather dramatically when Goodwin (played by Rob Morrow) begins to suspect there just might be something fishy about some of these TV quiz shows. Goodwin is a feisty and persistant son-of-a-gun who relentlessly pursues the investigation. Eventually, he catches up with both Stempel and Van Doren and the whole tangled web slowly and painfully begins to unravel. All three men are conflicted about their roles in this drama and soon Goodwin discovers that there are forces at the highest levels of both the government and corporate America that are out to discredit him.
Although the film was criticized for taking some "artistic license" Robert Redford stands by his portrayal of these historic events. "Quiz Show" features outstanding acting and a terrific script. In my opinion this was one of the finest films made in the 1990's. Very highly recommended!