On a painfully slow day such as this, a staff pick from me is inevitable. This time, I chose to tell you about ‘Rounders‘. In the top 5 of every ‘best poker movies’ list, many think that this is the best poker movie there ever was. And I tend to agree. Almost every other movie about poker, that I’ve seen, portrays it as a game of luck and chance rather than skill and wits, and that just isn’t true. As Matt Damon put it so well: “Why do you think the same five guys make it to the final table of the World Series of Poker every year? What, are they the luckiest guys in Vegas?”. The movie is very well casted and acted out. It isn’t a feel-good comedy, and shows how life can bite you in the ass. Overall, ‘Rounders‘ is a must for every fan of the art that is poker, and an exciting watch for the casual viewer.

Synopsis: A law school student (Matt Damon) loses his tuition money and everything else he has saved in a high stakes poker game. Learning his lesson (he thinks), he vows to his girl friend (Mol Gretchen) to give up playing forever. That lasts until his best friend (Edward Norton), a notorious card shark, is released from prison and drags him back into the circuit to pay debts he has incurred to a Russian mobster (John Malkovich). John Turturro also appears as a career poker player and Martin Landau plays a law professor who understands his student’s need to be something other than what is dictated to him.

Genre: Drama
IMDB rating: 7.3 (29,852 votes)
RT rating: 72%
Directed by: John Dahl
Starring: Matt Damon, Edward Norton, John Turturro, John Malkovich, Martin Landau, Famke Janssen, Gretchen Mol

Release Name: Rounders.1998.DVDRip.XviD.AC3-DEViSE
Size: 2 CD, 1.4 GB
Quality: DVDRip, XviD, 720×304, video 1420k, audio 384kbps @ AC3
Runtime: 115 minutes
Filename: devise-rounders.cd1, devise-rounders.cd2

Links: IMDB, Trailer
NFO: Here
Torrent: IsoHunt Torrent

Comments(71) ->

Anyone in the mood for a violent, funny, innovative crime thriller that doesn’t take itself too seriously? “The Boondock Saints” is my definition of a good time. The conflict between an impressive 7.8 on IMDB by over 51,000 people and just 19% on RT must prove something. Is it that critics are full of themselves to the extent that they can’t accept a movie that doesn’t pretend to be anything more than just that? Maybe it’s just that the average viewer is able to perfectly relate to the idea of this movie? Anyway, I hope you will enjoy it. Quality of the release is very good, and samples are available.

Synopsis: Fraternal twins Conner (Flanery - SUICIDE KINGS) and Murphey (Reedus - GOSSIP) MacMannus are on a mission from God to rid Boston of crime. However, instead of signing up for the police force, these hard-drinking Irish-American brothers take the law into their own hands a la Charles Bronson in DEATH WISH. Heralded as saints by the city’s beleaguered residents, the brothers also attract the attention of Paul Smecker (Dafoe - EXISTENZ), the openly gay FBI special agent assigned to investigate the spate of killings amongst the ranks of the Russian mafia. First-time director Duffy pulls out all the breaks in this inventive, action-packed thriller sure to please fans of HARD BOILED and RESERVOIR DOGS.

Genre: Action/Crime/Drama/Thriller
IMDB rating: 7.8 (51,699 votes)
RT rating: 19%
Directed by: Troy Duffy
Starring: Willem Dafoe, Sean Patrick Flanery, Norman Reedus, Billy Connolly

Release Name: The.Boondock.Saints.1999.DVDRip.XviD.iNT-PFa
Size: 1 CD, 700 MB
Quality: DVDRip, XviD, 640×272, video 780k, 160k @ ABR MP3
Runtime: 105 minutes
Filename: boondock.saints-pfa

Links: IMDB, Homepage, Trailer
Samples: #1, #2, #3, #4
NFO: Here
Torrent: Fulldls

Comments(86) ->

It’s a slow Saturday and what better time to tell you about this cult classic crime thriller from 1993. Hell, just look at the cast. Can it get any better than that? If you haven’t seen it yet, you’re in for a treat. If you have, well, you can always watch it again, especially in this Director’s Cut version. Oh, did I mention it was written by the great Tarantino?

Synopsis: When inexperienced call girl Alabama Whitman (Patricia Arquette) is paid to seduce comic-book-nerd and Elvis fanatic Clarence Worley (Christian Slater), she doesn’t expect to fall for him. But these two lost souls seem to be made for each other and quickly pledge their love, marrying at Detroit’s city hall. Clarence discovers some newfound bravado and attempts to retrieve Alabama’s possessions from her pimp, Drexl (Gary Oldman), who isn’t exactly eager to let Alabama go. Fleeing Drexl’s apartment, Clarence not only leaves a trail of bodies, but also inadvertently mistakes a suitcase of uncut cocaine for one with his wife’s clothing, and the chase is on.

Genre: Crime/Drama/Romance/Thriller
IMDB rating: 7.8 (49,799 votes)
RT rating: 89%
Directed by: Tony Scott
Starring: Christian Slater, Patricia Arquette, Gary Oldman, Dennis Hopper, Brad Pitt, Christopher Walken, Samuel L. Jackson, James Gandolfini

Release Name: True.Romance.DC.WS.DVDRip.XviD-AXIAL
Size: 2 CD, 1.4 GB
Quality: DVDRip, XviD, 656×272, video 1289k, audio AC3
Runtime: 116 minutes
Filename: axial-tr.dc.a, axial-tr.dc.b

Links: IMDB, Trailer
Samples: #1, #2, #3, #4
NFO: Here
Torrent: Isohunt

Comments(93) ->

We’ve had a great two days here with some top releases, but it’s been quite a slow Sunday and I thought maybe it’s time for a new pick. So, I present you with my humble staff pick to possibly introduce you to something new or at least give you a new topic for discussion. My pick this time will be appreciated by fans of Christian Bale the most. As evident by this film, Mr. Bale’s dedication to his movie roles are unsurpassed. He has gone down from 180 pounds to 120 pounds for his part in this 2004 film, before gaining it all back and then some for his buff superhero role of Batman in “Batman Begins” just a year after. Yes, the skeleton in the picture is no other than Bale himself. About the movie, it is a well received mystery thriller that has a very cool tone to it. This will be a great watch for open minded people who like the genre. For your viewing pleasure, I’ve added a torrent link for the HDRip along with the NFO. Take notice that the HDRip is 3 minutes longer, not sure why. Enjoy!

Synopsis: Trevor Reznik, a machinist, has lost the ability to sleep. But this is no ordinary insomnia. Trevor has not slept in a year. Fatigue has led to a shocking deterioration of his physical and mental health. Suspicious of his appearance, Trevor’s co-workers first shy away from him, then turn against him after he’s involved in a shop accident that costs a man his arm. They blame Trevor for the accident. He has become a liability to himself and others, and now they want him out. Plagued with guilt, Trevor’s shame becomes suspicion, then paranoia, when it appears his workmates are conspiring to have him fired –- or worse. First he finds cryptic notes left in his apartment. Next he’s told that a mysterious co-worker involved in the accident doesn’t exist. Are these mysteries part of a plot to drive Trevor mad? Or is it fatigue that’s robbing him of his reason? Determined to find an answer, Trevor investigates the strange occurrences that are turning his world into a sleepless nightmare. Yet the more he learns, the less he wants to know.

Genre: Drama/Mystery/Thriller
IMDB rating: 7.8 (36,598 votes)
RT rating: 73%
Directed by: Brad Anderson
Starring: Christian Bale, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Aitana Sánchez-Gijón, John Sharian

Release Name: The.Machinist.DVDRip.XviD-FB / The.Machinist.2004.720p.HDDVD.x264-SiNNERS
Size: 2 CD, 1.4 GB / 4.37 GB
Quality: DVDRip, XviD, 720×320, video 1678,50k, audio 448k AC3 / 720p, video 5520k, audio 640k AC3 5.1
Runtime: 97 minutes (DVDRip) / 101 minutes (HDRip)
Filename: The.Machinist.DVDRip.XviD-FB / The.Machinist.2004.720p.HDDVD.x264-SiNNERS

Links: IMDB, Homepage, Trailer
NFO: DVDRip, HDRip
Torrent: DVDRip (BTJunkie), HDRip (NewTorrents)

Comments(56) ->

Hello everyone, this is my first post in the new ‘Staff Picks’ section. I would like to mention Bleez and ReeGed, two new editors who are working hard by keeping us up to date on the latest rls, while . My staff pick is a compilation of every available scene release (12 in total) for last week’s 2008 NBA All-Star weekend. The Slam Dunk contest was exciting, I have yet to watch all of the below, it would help if users recommend their favourite event. Releases are ordered from earliest pre to latest pre in HDTV, then 720p releases followed by German language versions. Not sure if public torrents are available for all rls, so add other links if you have them. Big thank-yous go out to all the scene groups and members who made all of these tv rips available.

NBA.All-Star.Special.with.Ahmad.Rashad.2008.HDTV.XVID-BAJSKORV
XVID MP3 624 x 352 30fps - 350MB
Search Torrent - NFO
This is the behind-the-scenes/flashback special. A bit of 30 fps material mixed with 24, so no ivtc employed. Some segments are 4:3, so expect black bars on the side on them. Sample cut to show both.

(Read the article)

Comments(31) ->

Heed this warning… this movie is so dark and dreary that it could suck you into deep depression. Without giving too much away, the movie deals with the consequences of drug addiction, knowingly or otherwise. It does it in a justifiably cold and ruthless way, accompanied by a chilling score. Directed by the brilliant Aronofsky (”Pi“, “The Fountain“) and acted out by a superb cast led by Ellen Burstyn, who was oscar nominated for her role, “Requiem For A Dream” is one of the best movies of the decade so far and is a must watch for all film buffs.

Synopsis: For his follow-up to his darkly brilliant debut, PI, director Darren Aronofsky chose to adapt a tough and meaty piece of work: Hubert Selby’s 1968 novel REQUIEM FOR A DREAM, a dark spiral into the abyss of barren fantasies doomed to extinction. However, in Aronofsky’s frenetic, visionary, unique, and disturbing style lies the perfect setting for this story of four people whose intertwined lives are filled with eternally hopeful despair.

This is a different sort of horror film. Harry Goldfarb (Jared Leto) and Marion Silver (Jennifer Connelly) are lovers in Brooklyn with dreams of setting up a small business and spending the rest of their lives in love–their version of the American dream. The two are also desperate heroin addicts, a compulsion that darkens their lives and leads Harry to repeatedly pawn his mother’s television. His mother, Sara Goldfarb (Ellen Burstyn), is addicted to television, which is why she keeps replacing the stolen set. One day she receives a call from her favorite show, the surreal TAPPY TIBBONS SHOW, and learns that she has been selected to appear on an upcoming broadcast. When she can’t fit into her best red dress, her doctor prescribes diet pills (uppers), to which she swiftly and painfully becomes addicted.

Genre: Crime/Drama
IMDB rating: 8.5 (113,184 votes)
RT rating: 78%
Directed by: Darren Aronofsky
Starring: Ellen Burstyn, Jared Leto, Jennifer Connelly, Marlon Wayans

Release Name: Requiem.For.A.Dream.2000.iNTERNAL.DVDRip.XviD-TURKiSO
Size: 1 CD, 700 MB
Quality: DVDRip, XviD, 560×304, video 839k, audio 160k @ MP3
Runtime: 98 minutes
Filename: turkiso-rfad.xvid

Links: IMDB, Homepage, Trailer
NFO: Here
Torrent: NewTorrents

Comments(111) ->

The “staff pick” is back to rescue you from a slow scene day with another top notch film. Christian Bale portrays a psychotic murderer in this horror thriller from 2000. The rest of the cast includes Willem Defoe, Reese Witherspoon, Jared Leto and Justin Theroux, all of which give great performances. Personally, I didn’t know Christian Bale before “American Psycho”, but have seen all of his movies since. What an incredible actor. I fondly remember many quotes and scenes from this one, and it’s one of those movies you can just watch again every couple of years.

Torrent: About the torrent, I’m sorry to provide you with quite a slow one, but it’s the best I could find. If anyone knows of a faster public torrent, post it in comments and I will change the link. And no, I have no idea why the filename is td-* while the group name is MF.

Synopsis: Mary Harron (I Shot Andy Warhol) and Guinevere Turner’s (Go Fish) adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis’s controversial novel distills the critically maligned book down to its ironic, satirical core. Wisely situating most of the novel’s grisly action off-screen, Harron employs violence as a metaphor for the spiritually vacant materialism and corporate machismo of the Reagan ’80s. Christian Bale (Velvet Goldmine) delivers a shining performance as the status-obsessed, psychotic broker Patrick Bateman–self-proclaimed expert in “murders and executions.” Traveling amongst narcissistic, misogynistic, barely discernable corporate clones, Patrick spends his workdays obsessing over tasteful business cards, designer suits, and prime reservations at trendy restaurants. After hours, he dismembers prostitutes, models, transients, and literally gives a co-worker the axe in a series of increasingly surreal episodes, all prefaced by demented lectures on the virtues of Phil Collins, Whitney Houston, and Huey Lewis.

Genre: Drama/Horror/Thriller
IMDB rating: 7.2 (56,195 votes)
RT rating: 65%
Directed by: Mary Harron
Starring: Christian Bale, Justin Theroux, Reese Witherspoon, Jared Leto, Willem Defoe

Release Name: American.Psycho.2000.DVDRip.XviD.iNT-MF
Size: 2 CD, 1.4 GB
Quality: DVDRip, XviD, 640×272, 1522k, 448k @ AC3 6ch
Runtime: 101 minutes
Filename: td-american.psychoa, td-american.psychob

Links: IMDB, Homepage, Trailer
NFO: Here
Torrent: Isohunt

Comments(95) ->