Stud Life [HD]

Secret life comes to light...
`Stud' Lesbian JJ (T'Nia Miller) and her gay best friend Seb (Kyle Treslov), work as wedding photographers. Charming JJ could have her pick of women but when she meets sexy Elle (Robyn Kerr) at a bar one night, she is smitten. Soon, JJ and Elle are head over heels in love and spending all their time together.

As Elle becomes more demanding, Seb is left neglected on the sidelines and JJ is torn between her beautiful new partner and her best friend. Elle however, hasn't been completely honest with JJ and when her dark secret comes to light, their relationship is thrown into crisis.

Director Campbell X examines London England's queer culture with stark realism, in this debut film. Stud Life explores the nature of love, sexuality, gender and the limits of tolerance within the LGBT community.

T'Nia Miller is amazing as the tough but softhearted JJ searching for love in the backstreets of London. Gorgeous Robyn Kerr admirably portrays Elle, caught between...

Real
i liked this movie because it was something i could relate to! it was entertaining, funny, and real. I would suggest any "stud" or butch should watch! kudos to the director and actors all great jobs!

Stud Life
The movie is a definite keeper. Not at all what I expected. One of the best black lesbian movies to come out in a very long time. I have to tell more people about this! Great story, acting and cinematography.

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Nobody Gets Out Alive

This is a Bad Movie... No Seriously...
I'm with the Young and Thebooksbrother. The 5 star reviewers on here sound like they were involved with the movie and are trying to fake their way to success. It's sad and pathetic. DON'T BE FOOLED!

It should be obvious from the synopsis alone, "A group of partying teenagers out in the woods..." that this movie is going to suck. And it does. Aside from some ridiculously bloody deaths, there is nothing intriguing about this movie. The acting is horrible. The script is worse. Even the camera angles and the way the movie is put together seem amateurish. This strikes me as something some college students might have made for an end-of-class film school project, but as far as entertainment value... it has none. I've seen more entertaining horror on the sci-fi channel--"Sharktopus" anyone?

FAKE REVIEWS
All of these highly rated reviews are fake! they're totally made up by the people who probably were in this crappy movie just to make cheap bucks. so sad. low budget, made in some woodland/forest so you know it's going to be budget friendly movie. lol.

Relies on an Idiot Plot + Not Very Cohesive Near the End
I had high hopes for this movie when I purchased it at Walmart because the blurb sounded good. It sounded like I was going to have some B-movieish, shoestring budget fun (I'm . . . really not that difficult to please when it comes to horror movies.)

Jeez, such potential wasted on an idiot plot.

Possible SPOILERS ahead!

The story opens up with a man's daughter being killed by a drunk driver. Later, we learn that the father went "crazy" after she was killed and reportedly spends his days in the woods now. Those who go into the woods don't make it out.

Cut to a group of friends going out for a party in the woods. The woods the psycho lives in. Yeah, that one.

From there, the plot devolves into an idiot plot. These characters had multiple chances to get the heck out of the woods to go get help. Instead, they stagger around until it's too late. At one point, most of them are together in their vehicle when the psycho-murderer-slasher...

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Girls Against Boys

HOW WAS YOUR WEEKEND?
Shae (Danielle Panabaker) is a student who studies male fantasies and how they view women as objects. She is hurt by an older male boyfriend who patches things up with his separated wife for the sake of his three year old daughter. Distraught, Shae is taken under the wing of a somewhat psychotic Lulu or Lu (Nicole LaLiberte) a woman straight out of a Billy Joel song..."She can carelessly cut you and laugh while you're bleeding."

On the rebound, she goes out with Lu and gets involved in a situation where "No" doesn't carry any meaning. With the aid of Lulu, they go on a killing spree, after which you wonder where this movie will go. Unlike so many films in this genre, it smartly brings it home.

The film brought to mind "Shame" and "Compliance" two recent films sold as being "disturbing and thought provoking" which are nothing more than perv films. This one is the opposite. It is sold as a perv film, but is really more thought provoking as it looks into psyche of...

Women Kick Arse!
I really liked this movie I also loved Kill Bill so let's face it I just love to see females get their bloody revenge on the men that done 'em wrong,lol The lead actress is cool , sexy and very creepy Her sidekick is a little more shy but she gets in on the carnage too.I love the scene wear she's dressed up in a kimono type outfit with a samurai sword (a hatori honzo no doubt) and creepy geisha mask at the party.. trust me it does not end well. All in all I loved it It was totally not the run of the mill film you see everyday.

EXCELLENT
i have watched this 3x already - kept me very i nterested throughout the whole movie and on the edge of my seat

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Bottle Rocket

Quirky, delightful start to two great careers.
Released in 1996, this is Wes Anderson's first feature movie and the beginning of a great career that has also included the fantastic quirky comedy-dramas "Rushmore" and "The Royal Tenenbaums." "Bottle Rocket" isn't the equal of those films, but it is a great start to Anderson's career, and a fine little comedy. It also marked the beginning of the stardom of Owen Wilson, who co-wrote the script with Anderson and plays the most noticeable and memorable part. The film was shot in Texas, Anderson and Wilson's home state, based on a short film they had made two years earlier.

The movie has the type of laid-back and character-driven humor that won't appeal to everyone. This is comedy that doesn't target laughs or build up elaborate set-ups as most comedies do. Instead, the humor is continuously slow-pitched to you in the form of weird but likeable characters, off-center attitudes, and situations that seem familiar to us but are played in unreal ways and thus...

Great set--but keep the old disc, too!
The Criterion 2-disc Bottle Rocket is outstanding, but don't toss your original disc just yet... the new edition is a slightly different edit that loses one laugh and adds another. I couldn't find any reference to these changes in the supplementary material at all.

MISSING: Originally, during the book store robbery, Anthony grabs a random book off the shelf and opens it, revealing the title page "Job Opportunities in Government - 1995" which always gave me a little chuckle. Now for some reason the book opens to a black and white photograph of a military plane (it goes by so fast you'd have to freeze frame to make it out.)

ADDED: Originally, when Bob hands his earnings over to Future Man to cover his attorney fees, he asks if he can keep a few bucks for gas, and the scene ends. Now the scene plays a few seconds longer, and we hear Future Man's reply: "No, you can't."

In addition to these minor (and somewhat baffling) changes, I was also unable to find...

Subtle, Cerebral Humor, A Classic Film From The 1990's!
This movie grabbed my attention the first time I rented it at my local videostore for it's low key atmosphere and entertaining storyline. The highly persistent (if not entirely insane) Dignan, played by Owen Wilson has got to be one of the most memorable character portrayals in any movie I've ever seen. The slow pace of the movie makes everything just right (you won't be blown away by special effects, unless you consider an altogether cerebral script pyrotechnic) but you will come away from this movie with a sense of adventure and a deep desire for one yourself. The fact that this movie is practically a remake of an earlier project adds even more to its appeal. The caper scenes are hilarious, the dialogue will make you think as well as laugh, and you will come away from this movie with a new appreciation for film making in general. It's not all about explosions after all. And you will find yourself scaring the hell out of your friends when for no reason at all you...

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Monsters, Inc.

Beautiful in Bluray
Before anyone starts saying this has not been released yet and there cannot be a review of the Bluray edition let me tell you this, this movie has been available in Japan and Mexico for quite some time now, and I was able to get a copy of the Mexican edition, which was at one time, identical to the one to be released in the US. It is a 3 disc edition (2 BD plus DVD copy of the movie), this has now been changed to a 4 disc set in the US to include the additional digital copy.

Disc one starts with an intro by director Pete Docter, in which he pretty much explains all the contents in this 'glorious' high definition version of the movie. A mini documentary on the 'Monsters, Inc: Ride & Go Seek ' ride in Disney Japan is also included. The highlight to me was the creators 'Round table' in which they talk about the process of creating the movie, some deleted scenes not included in prior DVD versions are shown here and they finally explained to me why is it so difficult to get a...

Pixar has done it again!
Admittedly, I am a fan of Pixar's work. Their artists have done some incredible animated features over the years. Between the "Toy Story" movies and "A Bug's Life," they have managed in a short time to build an impressive track record. Their shorts are also among the best ever produced. So my expectations going into this movie were very high.

The story concerns the monsters in your closet. The theory being that their world runs of the energy produced by children's screams. Sulley (John Goodman) is number one at getting screams. His main rival (Steve Buschemi) will do anything to gain the top spot. Oh, and they consider the touch of a human child to be toxic.

While not as instantly relatable as "Toy Story," the movie builds on the talents of Goodman and Billy Crystal (Mike) to bring you into this make-believe world as Sulley and Mike try to get little Boo back through the closet door to the safety of her bedroom.

Disney/Pixar has presented this well on DVD. Both Widescreen and...

The best movie I've seen in YEARS!
If you look at my other Amazon[.com] reviews, you will notice that I don't review movies and truth by told, I watch very few movies. Perhaps 2-4 per year, including both in the theater and at home on video or DVD. I'm just not a movie fan.

But tonight, we rented the Monsters Inc DVD and I absolutely loved it! Clever, hilarious, touching, innovative, unique, imaginative - those words don't begin to tell about this movie! You just have to see it.

It's such a pleasure to see a G-rated movie doing so well, both at the box office and also sales of the products for home viewing. This movie is totally free of sex, profanity, and substance abuse. Some of the action could be called violence, but not in the sense we usually define violence in movies! This movie might scare a 4-year-old, however. You need to know your own child to know if he's ready for this action-packed, laugh-a-minute masterpiece!

I watched this with my husband and two of our older kids (ages 19 and 21). We all...

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Intouchables (English Subtitled)

One of the best the theater-going experiences you'll have in years
I didn't know a lot about this film heading into a sneak preview in Dallas last week, but left agog at this thrilling, fantastic piece of movie-making from co-directors Olivier Nakache and Éric Toledano. It's the best film experience - no, the best theater-going experience - I've had in well some time. I saw it with a keyed-up audience of Francophiles who had clearly heard the buzz and wanted to be there to see what has been called a 'cultural phenomenon' in Europe as it first hits US shores.

Believe the hype. Nakache and Toledano have constructed their film as a Möbius Strip - starting near to the end in seat-gripping introduction as co-protagonists Driss (Omar Sy in a groundbreaking César-winning performance) and Philippe (Fran

Escape Fire: The Fight To Rescue American Healthcare

Successful Healthcare Reform Needed at the Grassroots Level
The film starts with a story about the Mann Gulch fire in 1949 in a forest preserve in Montana. As most of the crew ran away from the fire just a few yards behind them one of the few survivors lit a match setting fire to grass in front of him and successfully creating a circle of protection around him later called an "escape fire". Firefighters outside this region perished creating a metaphor for the current state of healthcare in United States. That being that the entire system will likely not be reformed and that smaller focused efforts will likely create immediate corrections in the many deficiencies in delivery of healthcare plaguing the current system.

Although the film was somewhat weak on providing supporting details, it was nevertheless, thought-provoking and insightful. It outlined multiple corporate interests including the insurance industry, the legal lobby, big pharmaceuticals, and device manufacturers who all profit from maintaining status quo. "They don't want...

The Lobbyists Are Winning
The film depicts the true state of affairs in the U.S. A publication from the National Research Council Jan. 2013 "Shorter Lives, Poorer Health" which describes the U.S. when compared to 16 peer countries. The reasons from the film is in large part:
I. Medical Industrial Complex
II. Dr.Donald Berwick recent director of Medicare/Medicaid (CMS) blamed the medical industrial lobbyists.
And the record confirms:

III. In 2005 Sept./Oct. Health Affairs, an academic journal, published 4 articles by experts about the current status of Electronic Health Care(EHR). The lead article said extensive use of EHR by physicians and hospitals would save money and improve health. At the end of the paper: "was sponsored by Cerner, General Electric, Hewlett-Packard, Johnson and Johnson".
The other 3 articles said the available EHR systems and programs were NOT capable of achieving the described goals. They did not report any conflict of interest. The federal government...

A Must See to understand US Health Care: engaging and informative
Beyond the political one liners, here is an engaging film from US experts and journalists on the fact of our US health care system which is not improving health or care. It demonstrates the complex issues of health care. It shows how our US system incentivises volume over health care. It shows what could be done, what has been done elsewhere and in innovative centers throughout the US. It shows how all these models can be used to REFORM the organizational and payment system to provide a system that improves health. Within the Accountable Care Act that is so complex and misunderstood are the incentives for these new models. Rather than incentivize hospitals to put heads in beds, they need to ensure appropriate, timely, safe and patient oriented care when needed as part of a team of health care professionals working to improve health. Once the system of care teams are paid and reorganized to improve health, service to patients is the focus, prevention of what is preventable, rapid...

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Chicken With Plums

Offbeat French film from creators of Persepolis Only less animation.
This is a review of the DVD version of the film:

This is a fine example of the difference between well-made French films as most US films, including small "independent films". The Director makes you think and entertains you at the same time. When I saw that this film was from the same filmmakers as Persepolis - the wonderful animated graphic novel - I wanted to see it. I wasn't expecting as much live action as is here but there is animation included this time as well. Both were based on graphic novels by Marjane Satrapi and co-directed by her and Vincent Paronnaud. The plot sounds boring. A violinist's wife breaks his violin and he decides he wants to die. So he sits in his room and waits for the Angel of Death to come. And he waits for days. That's I'll I'm telling you. As my fellow reviewer Paul Allaer has written in his review, to tell you more will spoil the fun. But if you like to put yourself in the hands of creative French filmmakers you will enjoy the "tale" of...

Bittersweet and deeply moving
This movie was originally released at the 2011 Venice film festival and I have no idea how or why this movie only now finds its way to the movie theatre here in Cincinnati. I went to see it right away this past weekend, as I doubt this will be playing a long time in the theatre.

"Chicken With Plums" (2011 release from France; 90 min.) is based on the graphic novel of the same name. It brings the story of violinist Nasser Ali, set in Tehran in 1958. It takes a while to figure out what exactly is happening but eventually a picture emerges: Nasser Ali, upset with things in life (we will later in the movie learn what exactly), has decided to die. After considering his options (all of which he finds too gruesome), he simply retires to his room, inviting the Angel of Death to come and take him. But the Angel of Death apparently is busy with other things, and as the days go by, Nasser Ali reflects on his life, and we learn of his erstwhile true love, a woman named Irane...

Dark, light, and romantic surrealism in a French film reminiscent of Amelie
Although it took several months from when I first heard about this movie until I got around to actually watching it, I now know that it was a mistake. The review that caught my interest said that it was a film good for people who liked the 2001 movie Amelie; it is a claim that I would now fully endorse. Other reviewers have been comparing the film to Persepolis. This makes sense as the filmmakers are the same for both, but to me the Amelie comparison is more telling.

The setting is Iran in the late 1950's, and the movie is rather colorless. However, it has a fanciful, and romantic, yet dark, quality that comes from a story of a man looking back on his life after deciding to commit suicide because of a broken violin. A film that would be easy to give up on at first, the slow start soon gives way to a heart-breaking story revealed bit-by-bit.

I rated it four stars because, despite being...

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Funeral Kings [HD]

Worth your time
They really captured teenage boy antics. Thoroughly enjoyed this. Language was a bit strong but, well, it was teenage boys.

Funny, Original, Entertaining, Relatable!!
Funeral Kings is such a great movie! the child actors are fantastic, the plot is strong and relateable for kids in the same age group. The language will offend children under 15 or 16 but it's to be expected, these are teenagers after all! Fantastic performances are delivered by every member in the cast adult and child. Plotline is consistent throughout and manages to not falter, this is a must see!

Very entertaining!!
Funeral Kings is a fun movie to watch. The language is pretty rough thus I would not recommend it for young children. The plot is based on the escapades of Altar boys and many who have been involved in the Catholic church can relate. Anyone with teenagers will relate to this film and enjoy a few laughs! I am sure we will see more from the McManus brothers and others involved in making this film. Enjoy it!

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Christiana

Christiana
I am a teacher and I saw the movie "Pilgrims Progress" many years ago and it had a great impact on my life. When searching for the original movie I came across Christiana. Even though it is an old movie I wanted to show it to my children to inspire them to want to take the road to salvation and make it into the Kingdom of Heaven.Pilgrim's Progress

Christiana
Christiana

GREAT BARGAIN! I RECOMMEND BUYING THIS DVD. SHIPPING WAS VERY FAST!

Not as good as predecessor.
After watching the Pilgrim's Progress, I was anxious to view the sequel Christiana. It just lacked the same thrill and excitement of the first. However, I would recommend purchasing if you have the first movie.

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Ugetsu

"I desire nothing but you with me."
Profound in its sadness UGETSU is the heartbreaking story of two dirt poor villagers back in 16th century Japan. Both are married and have wives who love them just the way they are, but both men are blinded to their wives' love by envy. One to be rich the other to be a great warrior. They think that if they attain these goals they will find happiness and their wives will love them more - but that is already impossible.

Both men are granted their wishes but it doesn't bring them happiness. In fact it brings them and their wives more pain and grief then they ever knew existed. In the end they realize the happiness they had to begin with, but is it too late?

Perfect in every way, I consider this not only among the greatest films, but also one of the most important. There is a great lesson to learn here about appreciating the true happiness that might be right in front of you or already inside you.

Criterion: a Mizoguchi box set please.

One of the greatest movies in cinema history.
The first time I saw this movie reminded me of my first time seeing The Passion of Joan of Arc, or Solyaris: like I had found something I had lost. Ugetsu is the story of two couples in 16th century Japan (a brother and sister and their respective spouses) and the misadventures that befall them when they set out from their village to sell pottery in the city. A hauntingly beautiful meditation on the private but universal struggle between love and greed, Ugetsu, which translates (it says here) as "Tales of a Pale and Mysterious Moon After the Rain," feels exactly like you'd expect film with that title to feel: it has the visual texture and depth of Dreyer's greatest films and the comfortable sadness of Ozu's masterpieces. Truly one of the most rewarding moviegoing experiences of my life.

What are the Important Things in Life?
Despite some disturbing scenes and issues, this is a beautiful movie. It tells the story of how the search for money and glory can destroy true happiness. What makes the story work is a lot of different things. First of all, the acting is very good. Watching in in subtitles (there wasn't any other option) helped with appreciating this facet of the movie. The scenery and costumes were pretty good as well. The directing was what was the most outstanding. I confess that I have a problem with most modern movies in that they show a heavy dependance on modern technology and declining moral standards. This enables modern films to utilize two avenues of showing more and more which leaves less and less to the imagination. The talent on display in "Ugetsu" shows how directing at its' best was a true art form; greater, often, than the acting itself. There are several scenes that come to mind. As soldiers rape and pillage, there comes a scene of a gang rape of a woman...

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Beware of Mr. Baker [HD]

An amazing film.
I loved this documentary. Ginger Baker is both a crazy genius and a train wreck. Nevertheless, this film humanizes the Cream drummer, warts and all. You end up both loving and hating him, yet you can't look away. His musical genius is readily apparent. What is unique is that the filmmaker got as close to him as anyone could. The interviews with Baker and his family and friends are wonderful. The editing of the film is superb. Great use of animation in moving the story forward plus tons of archival footage and great music. If you're a music fan of a certain age, don't miss this film!

Real and vivid portrayal of a great drummer but a flawed personality
This documentary does not hold back; you get to see the man himself just the way he is and was (I met him once myself and would prefer not to repeat that experience). By far the most influential drummer in Rock of all time, even though he is not a "rock" drummer. His Jazz credentials alone are stellar and equal to the best of his generation, and when you mix that with his astounding intuitive understanding of African rhythms, he has no peers.
Wonderful interviews with Jack Bruce, Eric Clapton and others.
Only wish they showed him playing more full pieces on his drums.

When Rockers Ruled the World
Heard about this documentary months ago and couldn't wait to see it; I was not disappointed. Excellent overview of the career of a true legend, and one of music's most compelling and contemptible characters. There was a time when rock stars like Ginger ruled the earth, leaving a path of dysfunctional destruction in their wake, while producing some of the greatest music the world has ever known.

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Happy-Go-Lucky [HD]

Plot, Good; Character Study, Great
This is all about Poppy, played by Sally Hawkins. Single in London. Positive, cheerful, and generally embodies the title of the movie. Every situation is to be faced with good spirit, a light attitude, and cheer.

At the beginning it seems that she will overrun a challenge like a tank running over a building in a WW II flick. Smiles. Banter. Humor. Irrepressible. Even when alone.

The challenges grow. A problem student. A vagrant in a deserted part of town. A doctor visit. A dance instructor with issues.

And then the new champion for Driving Instructor From Satan, played by Eddie Marsan. These scenes are classics. As in many movies confrontation is important to good comedy or drama. The theater I saw this in was laughing its collective heads off. The driving lessons make me smile even as I type this.

How Poppy reacts to each challenge - and how others react to Poppy - is the core of this movie. The plot is mostly a string of...

You Won't Need Therapy For Awhile
Watch this movie and think to yourself, "Who am I MOST like?" Poppy, the main character, or Scott (the driving instrutor)? Which one can you identify with the most? Now...Which one do you NOT want to be like? Or to become?

The main character if FULL OF JOY for living. What is the point of life if there is NO JOY??? Honestly, I keep reading these negative reviews and they're so superficial. Forgive me, but that's how I feel. Every scene and every character has a reason for being the way it is. Trust me on this one. Just open your minds. Please. And remember this...it's a M O V I E. Seriously. Some people need to lighten up and drop the BS. Mike Leigh wrote and directed one of his best films here, and all some people can say is, "The main character is so annoying". Wow. How sad. Once you have THAT in your head, the rest of the movie will not make any sense. Word.

Hyperactive happiness is put to the test
HAPPY-GO-LUCKY is one of those quirky British films that won't be remembered as one of the best you've ever seen, but is worth a look and four stars because, as I said to my wife after our advance screening, it "has its 5-star moments".

The protagonist is Poppy (Sally Hawkins), a frenetically happy, 30-year old, primary school teacher living in London's northern reaches with her roommate Zoe (Alexis Zegerman). Poppy's good humor is so inexorable that, while it serves her well with her young charges, it often abrades the patience of adults. Only Zoe is imperturbable.

As with other films of the genre (Local Hero, The Full Monty, Calendar Girls, Waking Ned Devine), the plot revolves...

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Holy Motors [HD]

BEWARE: VOD Version is CENSORED
I am appalled to discover that Amazon censors movies on VOD. And I thought censorship was dead. Well, it's not. It's alive and flourishing at Amazon!

Knowing little about the scene in question, I initially thought the blur was the director's choice, perhaps to suggest that Mr. Merde had no genitalia. But, now, I understand differently and I am rather disappointed in Amazon and will AVOID RENTING R, NC-17 or unrated titles through their VOD service in future. They may not require membership, but they still charge a fee, so shouldn't their VOD be treated similarly to NetFlix, who I can confirm appears to not be constrained by FCC rules and regulations for TV/cable broadcast?

At any rate, I'm going to be more cautious now when renting streaming movies from Amazon.

UPDATE: I can't hold Amazon completely responsible, anymore, though they should be aware of any censorship in their streaming titles, and I would expect them to refuse titles from companies who...

"Being an actor is the loneliest thing in the world." James Dean
Enter at your own risk. This movie is quite capable of confusing you and making you angry. It could delight or overwhelm you, win you over or enrage you. It could make you feel like cursing and truly hate all art-house in general, French art-house in particular, and Leon Carax, and his collaborators, specifically.

For me, "Holy Motors" is very interesting, unpredictable, shocking and ever-changing. It is my kind of movie in which the writer/director expresses his admiration for cinema as an art form. I've always felt a deep respect for the filmmakers who use in their original and unpredictable pictures the references, allusions, and direct calls to the other movies and to film creators who inspired them. "Holy Motors" is one of those pictures - about film and film-making.

Our life - is a (movie) theater, and we are actors in the movie that plays in the theater. For me, it is the first thing to keep in mind when you try to make sense of what is actually...

True work of beauty (differs for every beholder)
Some movies are made for a very specific audience. The kind of audience that yearns for a creation that has never been tried before and when transformed into an audio-visual format, leaves you speechless and spellbound once you have had the luck and the pleasure to view it. That's Holy Motors for you. There are quite a few actors in the movie. And kudos to the director for extracting every bit of acting abilities from each one of them. Be it the lead protagonist or the assistant of the photographer who gets shocked when trying to interrupt him from admiring beauty or even the kid playing his teenaged daughter. No matter how big or small the size of your role or your screen time, everyone did an amazing job - thanks to the director.

It is not very often that you get the opportunity to watch a movie that has almost no relationship to anything you might have seen before on the big screen or has any association with life as it exists (for the most part) and yet is not about...

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The Kids Are All Right [HD]

A good slice of life film - and topical.
The Kids Are All Right is a thoroughly entertaining slice-of-life domestic drama about two kids who look up their sperm-donor father, causing cataclysmic changes in the family dynamic. Not a unique premise save that the parents of the kids happen to be lesbians.

The entire cause célèbre for this film is to show straight America how "normal" gay families are and that they shouldn't be afraid of "gay marriage" or "gay parenting," thus it doesn't delve too deep or wander too far off topic. Political film making is a tricky business. You'll remember the Tom Hanks drama Philadelphia was maligned by the LGBT activist fringe for all the issues it didn't address; to which my answer has always been: it's a two hour film, if you add too many spicy issues you're left with an unpalatable polemic.

The script and direction by Lisa Cholodenko (High Art) are tight, well focused and only occasionally heavy-handed. Her characters are fresh, while being...

I Liked Overall, But Had A Problem With A Few Things In The Story...
I found this movie to be very well-acted and well-directed.
The sexual scenes didn't bother me not one bit, like some of the other reviewers.
I mean, COME ON!!---This is life in the 21st Century!--Grow up already!
People get naked and they interact, okay?---Thank goodness that computers and gadgets
haven't spoiled that for us (yet!), as it has with basic conversational skills and other forms
of by-gone or slowly dying human interaction.

I actually know both a lesbian couple, as well as a gay male couple who
are living similar circumstances as in the premise of this movie.
I found it very modern, refreshing, and mature in it's approach to the subject matter.
I have long been a fan of Mark Ruffalo, Julianne Moore and Annette Benning's work,
and I also thought "the kids" themselves did an excellent job at portraying their roles.
My problem was in that I felt like the Mark Ruffalo character kind of had his once happy
and...

Entertaining but flawed indie comedy/drama (3 1/2 stars)
Yes, this movie is probably being at least a little overpraised by the critics. I suspect many of them consider it "brave" for a film to depict an ordinary American family, whose parents just happen to be lesbians. Let's face it, awards voters and critics love anything that deals with race, homosexuality, or any of the other hot-button social topics (witness the dreck known as "Crash" winning Best Picture a few years ago).

None of which is meant to detract from The Kids are All Right, which is still quite an enjoyable small film. The acting especially is uniformly good. Annette Bening is sure to receive an Oscar nomination (well deserved), for her fantastic performance as Nic, the tightly-wound, more responsible half of the married couple formed by herself and Julianne Moore. Moore is also excellent playing Jules, a more aimless free-spirit type - their differences are a source of much of the comedy in the film. In all respects but their sexual orientation, they are a...

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Snow White & The Huntsman [HD]

...renews my suspicion of apples...
Oho! I knew it was only a matter of time before Kristen Stewart and I would cross paths. I've avoided the Twilight saga like the cooties, and so I've missed out on the fuss and the furor about her. But I couldn't pass up on SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN like I passed up on MIRROR MIRROR, and, it turns out, I sort of fancy Stewart's performance. Skin white as snow, lips red as roses, hair black as a raven's wing. That fleshes out Kristen Stewart to a tee. Still, it's nigh impossible to trump Charlize Theron's turn as Snow White's rather... self-absorbed... step-mother. Theron simply mesmerizes. She's so good there are moments you sympathize with her - that poor, gorgeous, demented queen who as a girl was cursed by a mother's dark gift. Evil begets evil, and you sense that Ravenna must have endured some unspeakable sh--. Not that that makes up for her nasty practice of sucking the beauty and vitality out of innocent girls... Queen Ravenna is like the grim fairy tale version of Project...

Looks aren't everything
I just want to start off by saying that I wanted to like this movie. I really did. However, this film is depressingly skin deep.

The good. The camerawork is absolutely stunning, the special effects as well. Your eyes tell you that there is a marvelous film before you, but that is as far as it goes. I have to say, before I start the bashing, that Charlize Theron and Chris Hemsworth try their absolute hardest making something out of the lines that they are given. Their performances were touching (Theron more so than the rest) and they at least gave some substance to it. Hemsworth carried most of the film when Theron wasn't in the picture. If it were just a story between the two of them, even with the horrible lines that they were given, it would have been at least a four star film.

Now for the bad, and when I say bad, I mean terrible. I never had much of an opinion about Kristen Stewart before this movie. I steadfastly stayed away from Twilight so I thought I had...

Charlize steals the show, a good place for Kristen
Charlize Theron is stunningly beautiful and equally talented (as always). I could go on forever, but nothing needs to be said. Film-stealing in both appearance and performance; a wise decision to give the villain more than her fair share of screen time. I so wanted the queen to win.

Chris Hemsworth gave an excellent performance and was easy on the eyes. Rugged on the outside with a soft heart, just the way I like them. I hope we continue to see more of him in the future.

Kristen did what she does best, look the part. Damsel in distress, don't say much, play dead, good job. It's a shame she's so lovely and so talent-less at the same time. It's like Keanu Reeves had a little sister. Thank you to all involved who kept the title character from having to say more than one sentence at a time for almost the whole film. She had one big speech, which she delivered expectantly mediocre, but they had to let her talk some time. I hope her Twilight role doesn't carry her...

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Elfie Hopkins: Cannibal Hunter

WHAT'S IT ALL ABOUT ELFIE?
Elfie (Jaime Winstone)lives in the quiet town of Thorntree Valley. She plays detective along with her stoner friend Dylan Parker (Aneurin Barnard). When the Gammon family moves in next door, Elfie immediately becomes suspicious of them. What they are up to, she doesn't know, but along with the help of Dylan, she is going to find out. The family operates a specialty vacation agency, so the people they book, stay gone for a long time.

The audience is left in the dark as to what is going on, if anything, as things have an explanation outside of the Gammons.

This is a cult film which is a light dark comedy, pardon my oxymoron. Elfie operates in an amateur fashion using 1980's technology. She clearly plays her hand too soon. Just a fun cult popcorn film.

Parental Guide: F-bomb. No sex or nudity.

rather slow, until it changes gears, and goes for the throat...
Elfie Hopkins: Cannibal Hunter (2012) is a deceptive British horror/comedy, where what seems to be a rather pedestrian mystery story, abruptly explodes in a display of violence. Elfie Hopkins (Jaime Winstone, Made in Dagenham) is a strange and often angry young woman, who talks into a tape recorder, and has the unlikely ambition of becoming some kind of detective. Living in a small village with her family, she and her geeky friend Dylan (Aneurin Banard, Citadel), seem to have little to do except smoke weed, until the Gammon family, moves into the house next door.

Mr. Gammon (Rupert Evans, Hellboy), and his wife Ruby (Kate Magowan, A Lonely Place to Die), are in the travel business, and...

Subtle British Horror
The British Horror Film has seen a resurgence in the past decade with some really nice gems in the mix of all the blood and guts. Here we have Director Ryan Andrews's 'ELFIE HOPKINS: CANNIBAL HUNTER'-2012, a film which builds into a pressure cooker frenzy by the last 30 minutes. It's really hard to give a synopsis of what goes on before entering spoiler territory, suffice it to say that the DVD cover does not do the film justice as its advertised as a splatter fest in 'BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER' mode. The film is very subtle in its build up, the characters are eccentric (you may want to press the subtitle button because the British dialects are hard to fathom sometimes), and the story is wonderfully original. Jamie Winstone is excellent as the title character and her father Ray Winstone who is also Executive Producer on the film plays a nice cameo which abets the mania. Beautiful location photography by Tovia Sempi and a melancholic music score by Jordan Andrews round out the mix...

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Stevie [HD]

Couldn't tear my eyes away from the screen...
Steve James, the director of Hoop Dreams, comes back to rural Illinois to make a movie about the little boy who became a man, Stevie Fielding. Steve J was his "Big Brother" once upon a time. He grew up with a mother that didn't want him, never knew his birth father, had a past of being abused and neglected, and basically was passed around all of the foster homes in Illinois.

The movie focuses partially on the trouble that Stevie has gotten into over the years, and the pending prison time he may have to do, because of some alleged crime he had committed during filming.

Stevie's life is a train wreck, impossible to turn away from. It is obvious that he has had severe emotional scars that have traveled with him into adulthood, and sometimes he just seems like a 28 year old child. He doesn't want to take responsibility for anything he has done. His life is an open book to those he talks to, as if he doesn't have any remorse for the major and minor crimes he has committed...

Disturbing true story shows results of a troubled childhood
When I heard about this 2002 documentary by Steve James, the director who brought us "Hoop Dreams", I just had to see it. "Stevie" is a disturbing look at a tortured life of a blue-eyed blond child who had a rotten childhood and grew up to become an abuser himself. When the director was in college, he was a "big brother" to the little boy but later moved away. After ten years, he returned to meet up with Stevie, now an in his twenties. Stevie had been in every foster home in Southern Illinois and got in trouble in all of them. When we meet him, he is living with his step-grandmother, hates his mother, has had a short abusive marriage, has never held a steady job, and has a mentally retarded girlfriend.

The film follows this troubled young man for 4-1/2 years and the director cannot help but take a good hard look at his own role in the film he is making. Right in front of us we see the result of years of neglect and abuse of the boy, now a man...

Steve and Stevie...
What I found most interesting about this documentary is that the filmmaker Steve James has a hard time separating himself from the subject Stevie. Whereas a lot of people walk away from this film feeling like Steve used Stevie's situation as an opportunity, I felt that the film was more of a reflection of how he feels that he's failed his "little brother". It would be easier for James to edit himself out of the film, to focus solely on Stevie and to take advantage of his situation, but instead he references himself shouldering some of the blame for the situation. I believe it was the filmmaker's intention to show himself at his most distasteful, it's part of the honestly of the film.

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Muay Thai Warrior (English Subtitled)

Don't expect anything too factual or deep but "Muay Thai Warrior" is an enjoyable popcorn action film
From director Nopporn Watin comes the martial arts action film "Muay Thai Warrior" (also known as "Samurai Ayothaya" or "The Samurai of Ayothaya"). A film loosely based on the Japanese adventurer Yamada Nagamasa, who became influential in the Ayutthaya Kingdom (a Siamese kingdom that existed from 1351 to 1767 and known for its foreign trade and Ayutthaya was one of the wealthiest cities in the East) in the 17th Century and would become the governor of the Nakhon Si Thammarat in southern Thailand.

The film "Muay Thai Warrior" was created to celebrate 124 years of Japan and Thailand relations and now the film will be released by Well Go USA on Blu-ray and DVD in March 2013. The film would feature Japanese actor Seigi Ozeki ("The Odd Couple"), Sorapong Chatree ("Ong Bak 2 and 3″, "Beautiful Boxer"), Winai Kraibutr ("Bangkok Revenge", "Bang Rajan") and K1 fighter Buakhao Paw Pramuk.

"Muay Thai Warrior" takes place in the 17th century and a time when Thailand...

Muay Thai electrifying
I do martial arts movies. The Muay Thai in this movie is really good and in combination with the way of the sword. The movie also has a goog them, teaching us there is the place where we are born and the place where out soul will rest.

"A high, powerful mountain is still lower than the grass that grows on its top."
Apparently, 16th century Siam was quite a melting pot. Japanese immigrants are hired as mercenaries for the good King Naresuan. He wants to live in peace but King Nandhabureng of Hongsawdee keeps sending people to attack the village of Ayothaya. The samurai known as Yamada Nagamasa (Seigi Ozeki) repels such an attack, only to discover that the assailants are Japanese disguised as Hongsawdee. When he briefs his superior about it, the jerk responsible overhears and sends men after Yamada, who is saved when Kham (Thanawut Ketsaro) and a few other residents of Ayothaya use their superior Muay Thai skills to save him. He is taken inside the peaceful village and nursed back to health by Kham's sister, Champa (Kanokkorn Jaicheun). As he regains his strength, he is surprised how receptive everyone is to his presence. No one seems to mind that he's not from their country. When fully recovered, he decides to try his own martial arts skills against Sua (Buakaw Banchamek), best in the...

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That Side of a Shadow

Bright Young Talents
Great movie. Wonderful directing by Fosheim. Dillon Tucker is amazing. Great things ahead for these young talents. Can't wait for their next movies.





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Letters From the Big Man [HD]

A Beautiful Movie
I love this movie. Beautifully written. Beautiful directed. Beautifully acted. The music is absolutely lovely too. The story really touched me.

This year's must-see, feel-good Bigfoot movie (so far).
If you are a Sasquatch (or just a Sasquatch aficionado), I think you are really going to appreciate this movie.
The creators did a great job of researching and incorporating lore into this film.
I wish more films about Tsi?a'tqWu could be this well made.

Loved it!!!
This was a great movie and well worth the money. I think it portrayed how I like to think of Bigfoot. I only hope they are able to stay hidden from us.

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Illtown [HD]

masterpiece
This was a very real look at the drug world,I love this movie a lot.illtown is a cult classic that will always remain a timeless piece of real great movie. I highly recommend it, some of the performances are truly outstanding.





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Nighthawks [HD]

An oldie but a goodie!
Great movie! Definitely one of Stallones best with a great story line and superb supporting cast. I would have enjoyed another in this same vein instead of Rocky 6000.

Awesome
Loved this movie since I was a kid. I can watch it any time and still enjoy it. Just a good movie.

Nighthawks the movie
Good movie for 1981 depicting international terrorism and how europeans influenced American law enforcements approach to dealing with the crimes.Shows direct correlations to real events in post 9/11.Digital quality is also good
for he age of the movie.

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Company Of Heroes

Heavy Water Episode of Hogan's Heroes...
Do you remember the episode from Hogan's Heroes where Hogan's team needed to thwart the German transport of a shipment of "heavy water" and the little French guy drank the water and soon learned that he drank heavy water. Historically no one at that point knew what heavy water was and how it was necessary to the development of a nuclear bomb because no nuclear bomb had been detonated at the point. Basically this movie is a well produced, big budget, awesome full cast and crew of that episode. If you demand historical accuracy, this isn't the movie for you. If you're okay with suspension of belief and want to watch a fun movie, you've come to the right place...

Action, action, and just more action...
This flick is loosley based on the video game by the same name. It's a low budget yarn featuring Tom Sizemore, perhaps coming back from endless personal problems. A US Army unit during a routine mission is by chance immersed into the Battle of the Buldge. Then practically down to last man, inherites a mission that could determine the outcome of the war. The begining is quite promising, but as the film progresses it slips into some mindless dialogue and dimminished CGI effects. The Nazis are portrayed as dumb as rocks and are slaughtered in hordes. The culmination is what blossoms into a shootem-up movie version of the game. Great to watch with beer and pretzels!

Not quite as good as recent war movies that have come out but I have seen worse. Low budget but a decent watch. I say C+
"You have to carry out this mission your country is counting on you." Toward the end of WWII the Americans thought the war was over and started to relax. When a group is sent out to deliver food to the needy they are ambushed and discover a horrifying secret. Hitler has a super bomb and isn't afraid to use it. When they hear the scientist in charge of the bomb is looking to defect the squad risks everything and ventures deeper behind enemy lines to find him and get him out. I will start by saying that the movie isn't that bad but it is a low budget war movie. Action is not bad and it is entertaining and an interesting story but it almost had the feel of a PBS type war movie in terms of feel and look. It's not quite as good as the recent batch of war movies that have come out but it's also not terrible and fans of this genre will not be totally disappointed. Overall, not bad but nothing amazing either. I give it a C+.

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Discoveries...Spain Southwest

Too much fishing!
I am not interested in fly fishing and a large part of the program was just that. Would like to have seen more about the amazing sites in the Leon y Castilla province.

Dated but good info
Nice overview, but spent long time on some things I didn't find significant. Piece on restaurant was very good (and we plan to go).

Beautiful vistas and quirky places
I really enjoyed this travel show. In a single episode, you could go from castles to Spanish trout streams, from pilgrims to stompin grapes, and everything in between. It made me really long to visit Spain!

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Out on a Limb [HD]

Failed to meet expectations
Great cast, great concept, poor delivery. Seems like it tried real hard to be funny, maybe too hard, missed the mark.





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Hall Pass

Comparison: Theatrical vs. Enlarged Edition
The movie itself, you can judge.. It has its moments, but is no Me, Myself, and Irene IMO...

There is an extended cut of the film (Enlarged Edition) which runs approx 6 minutes longer and has an additional 8 scenes. Sadly, other than one in particular.. the scenes are nothing too special nor do they change the film drastically. The movie is a mixture of comedy and seriousness (more towards the end). Sometimes the serious scenes outweigh the funny ones..

The additional scenes that are added in the extended version are listed below:

1) 30 min. Day One: The guys pick up Gary from the house. Apparently, his wife doesn't know about their plans because he climbs out of the first floor window. He suddenly falls down and limps the rest of the way to the car..

2) 43 min. Day Three: Rick and Fred finally start to put some effort in their pick-up attempts and are standing in front of a hip club. At first, the doorman doesn't want to let them in,...

I laughed and laughed
This movie was HILARIOUS!!!! You don't watch a movie like this thinking you're going to be mentally moved or enlightened, you watch a movie like this to be entertained. I was very entertained!!! However, if you aren't comfortable with the human anatomy and don't find jokes that are crass funny, this is not the movie for you. This movie was everything I wanted it to be and more!! I haven't watched a movie that's made me laugh as hard as I did while watching this movie in a looooong time (would I watch it with my parents? NO WAY!!!)

Hilarious
You have to already appreciate this type of humor. if you loved Old School, Wedding Crashers, that sort of comedy, then you may appreciate this. its more grown up, dealing with marriage and the what if's but it his home. Comedy is often funny because 95 percent of it is true. Don't expect a five star comedy, expect a great way to spend Saturday night at home with your honey and just crack of drawing similarities that you truly try to ignore. it was fun.

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Talladega Nights: The Ballad Of Ricky Bobby Unrated [HD]

Theatrical PG-13 cut is great. So called unrated/uncut version is a bust.
Talladega Nights is a very, very funny movie that spoofs Nascar without actually making fun of it and its fans. In fact, this movie can actually appeal to people who don't even care for Nascar.

Will Ferrel teamed back up with Adam McKay (the duo who produced/made the great Anchorman) to make this story that plays a lot like if Days of Thunder had been approached as a comedy instead of a dead serious (and unintentionally funny) film.

While other people are focusing on the film itself, I would like to focus on the this whole mess of the PG-13 theatrical cut being released in wide and full screen along with (what is unfortunately a common practice) a "UNRATED/UNCUT" versions that boasts "13 additional minutes of footage".

Now, for one thing, the theatrical cut was 108 minutes and actually could have used some more tightening. This is a 100 minute movie at most. I don't have a problem with people putting footage back into a DVD version of a movie if it's...

This is not the movie you saw in the theatre.
Before you buy this DVD you must know this is not the movie you saw in the theatre. The cover art says uncut, that is a boldface lie. One of the funniest scenes in the movie, when young Ricky drives his mother's car has been deleted. It is not in the deleted scenes, it has been removed as if it never existed.

Other scenes have been altered to add material that was rightfully let out of the theatrical release. The new material is not funny, and ruins the pace of the original. I was very disappointed that Sony would offer this mishappen DVD as the original movie. A great cry of protest should ring out to the studios letting them know that alteration of a product for DVD release is not acceptable.

I Loved This Movie and I Don't Watch Nascar!
Everybody in my theater was cracking up throughout the entire movie. This is my favorite Will Ferrell movie by far. He really nails the part and doesn't abuse his comic gifts. John C. Reilly as his best bud, Gary Cole as his wacky father, and the french rival, played by Sacha Baron Cohen, are great as well. I really haven't had this much fun watching a comedy at the theater in a long time, there are just so many lines that are destined to become classic. I will be adding this one to my DVD collection for sure.

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Upworld [HD]

Shubba
Brings back all the good things about being a kid! Great movie. Wish people would stop using C.G. and make quality movies.

Fuuny
Had to see it as my wife's nickname is Sam. Had seen his several years ago. Easy download process to computer

A Fun & Fluff 'B' Movie Which Zips Along
With a title like that, I expected a very dumb movie, but it wasn't bad.....actually decent. It's a harmless cop-fantasy film with police drama mixed in with some humor and special effects.

I found a lot more drama than humor, which surprised me, although there were a few funny lines by the "gnome," a special- effects creation of Stan Winston.

Despite a film filled with angry characters - cops and crooks - the language was pretty tame and the film moves well and zips by since it's only 84 minutes. Yes, the story is ludicrous and some of the dialog is B-movie, but it was pretty enjoyable.

Sorry to see this unavailable in any form. Boy, if I had known that, I would have kept my VHS copy.

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Interview with a Hitman

MY NAME IS VIKTOR
Viktor (Luke Goss) is a Romanian hitman. At one point he is called "stone cold" in the film. The film starts out with a group of disconnected scenes as it represents various aspects of Viktor's memory prior to his interview. The interview allows Viktor to do some minor narration in telling his life's tale going from a child hitman looking like a greaser, to an adult hitman with a constant 3 days worth of growth on his face.

Viktor grew up in the part of Romanian where everyone speaks English with an accent. He gets involved with the bad guys, goes on the lam to London etc.

The film does have a twist at the end, one that is poorly developed. The characters are written rather badly as is the dialouge. The genius of our hitman is a plot point, but it is not brought out too well, as to make the film interesting. The film consists of a bunch of cardboard cutouts shooting each other. Rather boring for a crime/thriller. Better classified as a crime drama. If you are...

Decent, but not special
Sort of a rip-off of the earlier movie Hitman from the game. Acting was low level and audio was close to terrible. Had to turn it up so much to hear the dialog it was unbearable.

Very Realistic, very brutal!
I enjoy Hitman movies. However, really good ones are few and far between. This movie, in my opinion, was the very best I have seen since "The Mechanic " with Charles Bronson! It is not Hollywood styalized like "Hitman", which I enjoyed. Instead you get a brutal real life type hitman. The pace is fast and vicious. You have to pay attention all the time. If you leave the room for an instant, or if someone engages you in brief conversation, by all means put the movie on "pause". Or, you will find yourself reversing alot. They speak english, but with eastern Europe type accents, so you have to listen closely. Things happen fast, once the movie gets going. This is the type of hitman movie I've waited for, for a long time. Luke Goss does a great job, and now he is my #1 male hitman actor , period. My #1 female hitman actress , is Janet Mcteer, from "Cat Run". I would love to see both these people in a movie together as a hit-team, husband and wife duo. Not much gore in this movie. No...

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Silver Bullets

Twenty-Somethings Making Movies
I like the idea of mumblecore. With their low budgets these directors could possibly make movies with stories more authentic than Hollywood demands. Of the mumblecore directors, Joe Swanberg is one of the best. This film is about a director and his actress girlfriend working on two different movies and being attracted to others working on those movies. If you want a Hollywood movie, this isn't for you. If you want something more character-driven, it would be worth checking out. I especially liked how the music was integrated into some very poetic scenes.

Terrific atmospheric character study
I think this is Swanberg's best work to date. Such a great performance by Kate Lyn Sheil as well as ti West.Great score too.



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The Girl Next Door (2003) [HD]

Saw a review copy - loved this entertaining comedy drama
There is a point in "The Girl Next Door - Unrated Edition' (which I received and promptly devoured, extra's and all, in one sitting) where the movie is in danger of changing in tone and focus from American Pie to Showgirls, but luckily for the movie - and viewers - it recovers itself and ends in a definite teen comedy spirit.

I never saw this movie in the theater so I cannot comment on what has been added to this "unrated edition" but there is certainly quite a lot of nudity, but nothing involving the main actors. There are some graphic scenes at a strip club (including lap dancing) and we get shots of one of the main actors watching a porn video at home. There are some nude scenes from behind of both principal actors Emile Hirsch and Elisha Cuthbert, but as Hirsch points out on Side B of the disc (where most of the extras are located) the movie used a stand-in for those shots.

I have a word of caution regarding the list of extra's on the Amazon page. One is...

So, is it better in Blu-ray?
The honest answer is no.
And that is extensive to the unrated version of the movie.
Why? Ok let me se...

For a movie that is only 5 or 6 years old, the transfer shouldn't look older than it does. The transfer is just a modest upgrade of the less-than-reference quality picture included on the original DVD.

Too much noise/grain and inconsistent color levels are the main offenders here, with the occasional edge enhancement creeping in as well. Night time and indoor scenes have the most issues, but our first reveal of Cuthbert in a wet, white shirt looks near-perfect, picture-wise. Colors are mostly set to a permanent dull hue, and in some instances are muddy, which is surprising given the quality of most Fox offerings. Trust me, this isn't blu-ray quality.

So if you have the DVD version of it, stick to it and don't change it for the Blu-ray version, you can even find a DVD unrated adaptation of it, plus you won't loose money on it!

As...

Fall For the Girl Next Door...
Teen comedies always turn up big business at the box office, this is generally due to the fact that the creative forces behind these movies include plenty of crude humor, sex, and nudity as can be allowed under the MPAA ratings system. Most of the time these teen comedies are a dime-a-dozen, opening big and fading shortly thereafter, with little lasting appeal with audiences. However, there have been some successes in the genre that have had more staying power than others, examples would be "Animal House", the `Scary Movie' franchise, and the `American Pie' series. With those examples of successful teen comedies, they all have some common traits in which they share, basically they are packed full of sex, nudity, and crude humor and language. However, one thing these examples of successful teen comedies, and even the unsuccessful ones lack is any amount of heart or soul in the story. In 2004, Fox Studios produced yet another teen comedy to appease the masses for a short while,...

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Playing For Keeps

Playing For Keeps is NOT a romantic comedy
I saw this in the theater with my mother yesterday afternoon. I'm not going to try to tell you that Playing For Keeps is an Oscar contender (it's not) or that it's not corny, formulaic or predictable in spots (it is). It's certainly not on a par with Mr. Butler's previous films Coriolanus or Machine Gun Preacher, nor did I expect it to be.

I think that professional critics are missing the point of a film like this one. They're so busy analyzing movies frame by frame for profundity, hidden meanings and plot twists, looking for that epiphany, that they tend to forget that the rom-com genre, by definition, IS usually somewhat corny, formulaic and predictable.

I wouldn't classify Playing For Keeps as a romantic comedy and perhaps that's part of the problem. If critics went solely by the trailer, they expected pure light-hearted fluff when in actuality it's much more of a family drama with some humor sprinkled in.

Gerard Butler, Jessica Biel & Noah Lomax...

I PROMISE I WON'T CRY
George Dryer (Gerard Butler) is a retired soccer star living in Virginia to be near his son living with his ex-wife Stacie (Jessica Biel). George still loves his ex and doesn't take the news of her up coming wedding too well. Having financial difficulty causes George to coach his son's (Noah Lomax) mixed league soccer team to the joy of soccer moms.

Being a good looking guy with an accent, women such as Catharine Zeta-Jones, Uma Thurman, and Judy Greer all throw themselves at him. George is not a man accustomed to saying no, but Jessica Biel is a tough act to follow, just ask her if you don't believe me.

This is not a guy's film. Soccer is in the background and knowledge of the sport doesn't make the film any better. This is perhaps a chick flick for people who don't want to get emotional. Might make for a mediocre date night film if you haven't seen "An Officer and a Gentlemen" 10 times already. Good acting. Weak script.

Parental Guide: No f-bombs or...

I THINK I LIKED THIS BECAUSE IT WAS DIFFERENT
"Playing for Keeps" starring Gerard Butler (Phantom of the Opera, The Ugly Truth and many other so-so movies), is about a former soccer star named George that played alongside David Beckham in his hay-day and has fallen far from grace. He's a guy who's a natural at getting things and being given things, but horrible at making decisions, knowing when people are taking advantage of him and growing up. So, when he returns to the hometown of his former love, Stacie (Jessica Biel), to patch things up and reunite with his son, the typical romantic movie story begins to play out.

That being said, this movie has been a subject of numerous poor reviews from national critics and I would have to say that for some reasons, criticism is justified, but the movie is nowhere near as bad as it is being portrayed. The script is strange. It portrays Butler's character realistically, but occasionally gets farcical at random times. He's a ladies man and always has been. Women flock to him, so...

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Power Rangers: Clash of the Red Rangers Movie

Clash of the Red Rangers
It's hard to believe that the Power Rangers franchise is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. It is making me feel old as I remember when the original series aired. I watched the occasional episodes of the original series up to the In Space series, but I tuned out because the constant cast changes. I wasn't aware that there was a new series on television, until I reviewed two other DVD titles early this year. Lionsgate recently released Saban's Power Rangers: Clash of the Red Rangers: The Movie onto DVD this month and I was sent a complementary copy in exchange for my honest review.

Clash of Red Rangers originally aired in November 2011 on Nickelodeon as an hour special that teamed up the six Samurai Rangers with the RPM Ranger Red. The plot involves the RPM Ranger Red chasing the robotic villain Professor Cog from the RPM alternate universe into the real world, where the Samurai Rangers are fighting the newest Nighlok called Sharkjaw, who runs away in defeat. Cog...

a great movie but to short for me
i really enjoyed being able to watch another power rangers movie. They do not make many of them anymore this is the first one in a long time. its a simple plot save the world type deal its all there the megazord the giant monster battle great martial arts action great movie for people like me who enjoy these films. i hope they release more power ranger movies in the future or at least release the ones that were released on vhs years ago or even if they make them only 45 minutes long thats fine with me.

Action Packed Adventure for Youth
I actually thought that Power Rangers was a bit old for my three and five year olds but they insisted they wanted to watch Clash of the Red Rangers so I figured I'd give it a shot.

As soon as I saw the fire and explosions at the beginning I thought, uh-oh, they are going to be scared. Nope - they were excited! Paige actually loved all the different bad guys and was really into their weird costumes and appearances.

My kids like to sword fight with their dad every day (Nerf swords) so I think part of the appeal was all of the fighting. I know some parents oppose this violence but I think for my kids right now it's ok because they understand it's not real. While I don't always love the swords everywhere in my house, I think it's helped my kids separate fantasy from reality. Power Rangers even taught them some new moves to use on their dad!

I appreciate that there is a girl Power Ranger. I want my daughter to know girls can be heroes too. And of course if...

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Toys in the Attic

Interesting, unique, a little scary for the younger crowd i.e. not Toy Storyesque
This film is actually a recycling of a 2009 Czech Republic film. I saw it when abroad and while it is a distinctive and visually appealing stop-motion film, some of the characters are quite scary/disturbing, especially the cigar toting vile bust/statue known as "Head." Head leads the evil "side" of the attic against the peace loving "side" of the attic. A rag-tag group from the peace loving side must overcome the evil Head and rescue a kidnaped antique doll. The voice casting is great, lots of big names and the stop-motion filming is artistic, however, the dark edge of the film may steer this towards the tweens and up (maybe 8-10 and up?). If you're not sure, you might want to preview it before the kids get a chance to see it. Other than the caution for the scary factor, definitely worth viewing artsy imaginative work.

Awesome!
I mean really, I stand in awe.

I didn't know, at first, that this was by Jiri (pronounced kind of like "Year-zhee") Barta. That would have sold me right then, since Czech animators and Barta in particular display senses of the macabre, joyous, heroic, delicate, and mysterious all at once. (Since so many of them worked, or tried to, during the Soviet oppression, that seems rather natural.)

This, like any brilliant work of art, works at many levels. Physically the puppets and objects combine Svankamjer's sensibilities with Joseph Cornell's supply closet. In image creation, Barta melds live action with flip-books (or something close), stop animation, overdrawing, and I don't know what-all in computer animation and postproduction. The stop-animated puppets, however, embody unique personalities in their materials, structure, and articulation, even before you hear them sspeak,

Skipping ahead, I have to applaud the English language rendering. Taken in itself,...

toys in the attic
these toys looked after each other with great care! thats what made me enjoy all the adventures of each toy! great show!

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The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1 - Extended Edition

A very tasty story about love and death dancing with wolves, mixing happiness and sadness, despair and hope - and sex and blood!
I just saw "Breaking Dawn" part 1, and I was VERY impressed, even if as a man I am probably not the most typical fan of "Twilight" series. I rather liked all the "Twilight" movies until now and this one is, to my personnal taste, as good as the previous ones - and even in one aspect a little bit better, as Edward and Bella finally become lovers. Below, you will find a short description of what I believe are the best elements of this film, with very limited SPOILERS:

1. Actors. All actors evolved as the serie continued and I believe they all got better with time. Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner are both excellent, but - in my humble opinion - it is Kristen Stewart who in this movie shines the most. Quite a lot of people frequently criticized her actorship claiming that she simply can not play at all and has a very limited assortment of expressions in her tool box. But for me, after reading "Twilight" books, this is how the character of Bella should be. I can hardly...

Just A Heads Up
Walmart will be selling this BD: Extended Edition alongside BDp2 in a two movie package combo. So, if you want to own this version plus 8 additional minutes, that might be a cheaper way to go.

Above and Beyond Expectations
Being a huge fan of the books and a pretty big fan of the movies, I was blown away at what a great job they did with this movie installment. I loved the visual and audio parallels they drew between the original movie, Twilight, and this movie. For instance (Spoiler Alerts throughout): I loved how they played Flightless Bird during the wedding ceremony and the way the camera circled them kissing in the same manner the camera circled E & B kissing at Prom at the very end of Twilight. It was a subtle, yet stunning way to visually tie the two movies together and really made more of an emotional impact than if they had just shot them straight on and plugged in a different song. That was genius. And that dress...gorgeous. Just as it was described in the book.

I also loved that rather than having one continuous honeymoon "consummation" scene, they broke it up with Bella thinking about certain moments the next morning after looking in the mirror for the first time, where she's no...

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Buffalo Soldiers [HD]

A dark look at US Army life in Germany in the late 1980's
Buffalo Soldiers is the story of US Army supply clerk Ray Elwood, played by the handsome and mysterious Joaquin Phoenix. Elwood is one of those go-to-guys who can score anything you need in exchange for the right favor. He has his hands all over the supply chain, drives a sweet German sports car, and knows who to cook up a batch of heroin in spare warehouses. He's a stoic who is well-respected by his peers. He helps his goofball desk jockey boss (played by Ed Harris) keep the base in West Germany in line.

Elwood's life is thrown into personal and romantic turmoil with the arrival of Sgt. Lee (played by Scott Glenn) and his beautiful daughter (Anna Paquin). Sgt. Lee has a personal goal of cleaning house and exposing Elwood's dabblings in the black market. Elwood, of course, decides to antagonize Lee by dating his daughter, and then he falls hard for the young lady. The movie is a dark game of cat and mouse between Lee and Elwood, with the base commander bumbling...

London Calling
I just saw this movie at a theater in London and I heard that they are not widely releasing it in the states yet because of the situation in Iraq. All I have to say is thank God I am in London because this is one of the year's best films!! Joaquin Phoenix gives a great performance as a military screw-up and Ed Harris does an excellent job portraying the dumbest military leader ever. Anna Paquin and Scott Glenn give strong performances as well, and the script for this movie is great. If you love black comedies, and laughed at films like Very Bad Things, this is definately a movie for you. After a summer filled with terrible blockbusters like Hulk, it is nice to see a good old flick about soldiers on heroin that blow stuff up and sell Mop-N-Glow on the black market. However, I have a feeling that this film may be the next Boondock Saints, in terms of not getting the recognition that it deserves. It still gets an A+ in my book though.

It's not a satire
I was in the Army in the same time period and almost the exact same area where this film was portrayed, in a little town called Neu Ulm, Germany. I can promise you, this film is not over the top and it's not necessarily taking any artistic license.

Not that every soldier was like Elwood and the rest of them. There were plenty of people who were very strait laced and did their job profesionally. But there were also plenty of people just like the ones in this film, and all of this stuff and worse did take place in the real US Army in this period. In fact I knew a guy who was eerily like Joachim Phoenixes character in this movie. He even looked kind of like him.

I'm sure it's all quite well documented, I know there were plenty of articles in Stars and Stripes and especially in the German media. Look it up online if you don't believe it. There were shootings on base, smuggling and theft rings, drug rings. Horrible racial incidents. Corruption. Riots between...

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Holy Smoke [HD]

Holy Smoke Review
Don't waste your time this movie simply does not cut it, some name brand actors but a weak story line.

Surprised that this was good!
It was a bit strange and silly but also it has serious moments that would have you ponder the real mental state of the average person..when it comes to religion, sex and personal gratification.



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Salt (Extended Edition) [HD]

Unrated Edition vs. Theatrical Cut Differences
There are 3 versions of Salt available for viewing, the Theatrical, Extended, and Director's Cuts. They run 1:39:56, 1:40:58, and 1:43:59 respectively (credit to Interzone_Records for the correction). Here are the major differences as compared to the base Theatrical Cut, e.g. Theatrical vs. Extended, and Extended vs. Director's Cut. Note, SPOILERS follow below, so read at your own risk. There are a few major, significant differences between the versions.

The Director's Cut makes the most sense plot-wise, and includes some better character development, in my opinion.

THEATRICAL vs. DIRECTOR's CUT
*****************************************************
1) Evelyn Salt's opening interrogation scene in North Korea is longer and more brutal. The soldiers force a tube down her throat and subject her to more intense questioning, followed by several kicks to the abdomen.

2) Extended scene of Orlov training little kids who will be future sleeper...

Really exciting, well done action flick
This is a really well done action flick worth viewing. Here's what's good with it:

1. It's full of non-stop action that will keep you on the edge of your seat. The stunts and fight scenes are really exciting.

2. The story has twisty turns and it keeps you thinking. There's no boredom here, and I felt the plot was close enough to being plausible to keep you interested. Even if the exact program of placing trained children into America isn't complete realism, we all know that there are spies living as Americans in this country. Just watch the news. It's a current and relevant theme.

3. The acting is excellent, and the characters, especially Angelina Jolie, show depth. You can't help caring about what happens to Salt.

While I agree with another reviewer who said that Salt's husband isn't shown a lot, I felt he was shown enough to reveal that Salt really loved him. That was what the audience needed to know in order to understand her motives, and...

Complex, character driven, action films still exist!?
Now this is what I'm talking about. Phillip Noyce's "Salt" is my type of summer movie. First and foremost "Salt" is an action film and it succeeds with flying colors in that regard. But what I really admired about this picture is that it took place in reality. The action was grounded in physics and therefore made it messy, mean and hard hitting. Then we have bon-a-fied movie superstar Angelina Jolie in her best action performance. Where "Salt" also succeeds stupendously is with Evelyn Salt's characterization, which is complex, dualistic, fascinating and ultimately enigmatic. Jolie thrives in this role which plays to literally every one of her strengths as an actress. You root for her and sympathize with her even though it's never clear what side Evelyn truly falls into. It's in this intense dynamic between plot, character and action that leaves "Salt" head and shoulders over films like "Eclipse", "Clash of the Titans", "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time" and yes, even "Inception"...

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Shadow People

Blu-ray Review: "Shadow People"
Rarely do I come across anything in my viewing of horror movies that makes me jumpy or paranoid after turning the TV off. Most times I enjoy the film and then go on about my business with no worries. However, every once in a while a true gem of fear comes along and leaves its imprint on me as I shut off all the lights in the house and head to bed. Matthew Arnold's "Shadow People" had me searching the walls and windows for ghastly spots of unexplained darkness after watching it.

Participants in an experimental sleep study in the 1970s report seeing strange shadowy figures. They and several hundred other individuals die in their sleep soon after. The phenomenon was given the name SUNDS, which stands for "Sudden Unexplained Nocturnal Death Syndrome." Doctors wouldn't talk about the shadows.

In the present, failing radio talk show host Charlie Crowe begins receiving calls from a teenager claiming shadowy intruders are coming for him. At first, Charlie believes the...

True and scary
I thought this was going to be just another independent horror film with bad acting and cheap special effects. Even at the beginning when the "true story" introduction came out I thought "here we go one of those stupid Blare Witch knock offs" (not that I liked Blare Witch). It is not a "Found Footage film" it is a movie with real life footage seamlessly inserted throughout the film and this also made it different than most true story films. I also believe this makes the film better because you are getting to see the real people instead of having to wait till the end like many other true event movies and from the beginning it was interesting. As the movie went on, the mix between real footage and the movie footage that was very well done, the film captivated me. Watching this at home by myself one evening I can't recall another independent film literally at times sending chills throughout my body. I am not a person that is easily scared but I found myself looking around the room even...

One of the most unique horror films I've seen in years
If you've seen one independent horror film, you probably think you've seen them all. The genre is typically defined by a set of rigid features: wooden acting commensurate with your typical community college theatre production, shaky camerawork and cinematography which barely serves to convey the narrative in only its most rudimentary sense, and a plot with more holes than O.J. Simpson's alibi.

Shadow People, however, is not your typical indie horror flick. Dallas Roberts (The Walking Dead) does an exceptional job of playing Charlie Crowe, a small-town talk radio host who gets caught up in the mystery of the shadow people after a late-night call from a disturbed listener. His exploration into the phenomenon makes the film as much mystery or suspense thriller as pure horror and is spliced together with documentary footage. The resulting mode of storytelling is both effective and novel, making suspension of disbelief (a major problem with most horror films) that much...

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