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This cult film is so freakin’ cool. It’s John Carpenter’s first full-fledged theatrical feature, which he produced soon after film school and right before HALLOWEEN. The plot is simple; a small group of cops and convicts get surrounded by a multi-racial bloodthirsty gang in an abandoned police station.

Inspired by John Ford’s RIO BRAVO, attacking Indians are replaced with gang members. After cops kill six members of their gang, the Street Thunder leaders make a pact to wage war on the cops and citizen of Los Angeles. It’s New Year’s Eve and only a skeleton crew is working Precinct 9, Division 13 station, which is set to close. Newly promoted Lt. Ethan Bishop (Austin Stoker, TV’s ROOTS) is given the glamorous duty of babysitting the station over the holiday. His only company is officer Chaney (Henry Brandon, THE SEARCHERS) and secretaries Leigh (Laurie Zimmer) and Julie (Nancy Loomis, HALLOWEEN). Meanwhile, officer Starker (Charles Cyphers, COMING HOME) is transferring three prisoners to a new prison when one gets violently sick. So he orders the bus to stop at Bishop’s station. One of those prisoners happens to be notorious killer Napoleon Wilson (Darwin Joston, THE FOG). As the gang lays siege on the jail, cops must team with criminals to saves their lives.

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I must admit I have not read the book, so I can’t comment on its adherence to the novel. But as a straight fantasy adventure film it’s wonderful. The epic scope of the visuals is amazing, breathtaking. George Lucas was so right when he said we are in a time of filmmaking where any image or idea is possible.

The tale begins in the land of the hobbits, a small race that live simple lives. Bilbo Baggins (Ian Holm, THE SWEET HEREAFTER) has held onto for years a magical ring that holds great power. He hands over the responsibility to his nephew Frodo (Elijah Wood, THE ICE STORM), who has always been curious about his uncle’s adventures. Once, the wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellen, X-MEN) discovers the hobbits possess the One Ring, he travels to see Saruman (Christopher Lee, ATTACK OF THE CLONES), the leader of his order, to find out what should be done next. Now an agent of the evil Sauron, Saruman imprisons Gandalf and sends ringwraiths to kill Frodo and take the ring so Sauron can rule the world.

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Right now there is a renaissance of sorts going on in Iran. As the country becomes more liberal and moves closer to democracy, art is peaking, especially film. Some of the most successful films of late at international film fests have been Iranian. Majid Majidi, director of this film, was nominated for an Oscar for his CHILDREN OF HEAVEN in 1998, the only Iranian filmmaker to ever receive an Academy Award nod. For COLOR OF PARADISE, the simple story about a blind boy and his family is so tender and absorbing that it grips you from the first frame to the last.

The widowed father is searching for a new wife from a rich family and wants a way of “ridding” himself of the burden of his blind eight-year-old son. Mohammad (Mohsen Ramezani), the blind boy, is full of life and likes learning at the school for the blind the same things seeing children learn. Mohammad is not completely unloved, cared for by his grandmother (Salameh Feyzi), his older sister (Farahnaz Safari) and younger sister (Elham Sharifi). His father Hashem (Hossein Mahjoub) finally finds the boy an apprenticeship with a blind carpenter. While the opportunity looks good for Hashem, he underestimates what his son can do, and more so doesn’t care what he wants.

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