El Topo (1970)

I recently saw El Topo at the IFC Theater in NYC, and the restoration was beautiful. This film has only been available in North America in bootleg form, and these bootlegs ran from from passable to abominable. My personal copy was a VHS dub of a Japanese laserdisc, which had the film optically censored (you can't show pubic hair in Japan, but just about everything else), Japanese subtitles, and it was dubbed in English (it is supposed to be in Spanish). Now we will get it as the great Alejandro meant it to be seen. This film is really astounding at times, considering Jodorowsky was mainly known as a theater director, and he had only directed one previous feature (the little seen and frequently banned Fando y Lis). His films have a truly hallucinatory quality that is magnificent to behold. This was reportedly John and Yoko's favorite movie. They recommended that Allen Klein pick up the rights to it, and he did. Allen and Alejandro have been feuding for the last 30 years over this film and who owns the rights, but luckily, they've made peace (let's hope it stays that way). El Topo, along with The Holy Mountain, are Jodorowsky's best films. Many thanks to ABKCO films for finally releasing this masterpiece.

Just to let you know, the above is a review of El Topo. This review is also appearing for some reason under the box set of The Films of Alejandro Jodorowsky. The box set is magnificent, by the way...

Notorious as "the" cult movie between "Night of the Living Dead" and "The Rocky Horror Picture Show," "El Topo" certainly deserves a new, commercial DVD edition no less than the aforementioned cult hits and the contemporaneous "Pink Flamingoes." The film is primarily Jodorowsky's private allegory, often inscrutable but nonetheless thought-provoking and conducive to productive discussion--perhaps more than any independent film prior to "Eraserhead."

There's something for everyone in this film. The alternative, cultist crowd will enjoy the striking, often daring, imagery--the nude child who accompanies the mole, the wife impaled on a lofty stake towering over a pool of blood, the lust in the dust scenes, the mutilated bodies, the homoerotic images, etc. The philosophic and theologic-minded will have a field day with the film, drawing as it does on all three of the world's major religions with a good deal of "magic realism" thrown in. (El Topo's mortification and transformation into a clown recalls both St. Paul's "you must become a fool for Christ" and the privileged and sacred role of the clown in Eastern religions; his self-immolation summons up television imagery of Buddhist monks in Viet Nam during the time of the film's production.) The archetypologists will no doubt interpret the film as a variation on the Campbell monomyth, beginning with the hero's departure and--following numerous tests, descent into the belly of the whale, and resurrection--concluding with his return home.

But for a true film buff, "El Topo" deserves to stay around because of its clear indebtedness to a film tradition of cutting-edge, innovative movies--Bunuel's surrealist "Un Chien Andalou," "Simon of the Desert," and "The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie"; Godard's ellipsist editing in "Breathless" and "Contempt"; Peckinpah's over-the-top, cleansing violence in "Straw Dogs" and "The Wild Bunch."

My major problem with the film concerns the ubiquitous, practically non-stop gun play. At some moments the story makes it clear that "El Topo" cannot be a master of selfish fear until he renounces the gun, but more often than not the gun serves the cause of both justice and the assertion of personal will. When even as a clown he returns to the gun, I find it difficult to muster any sympathy for him. Perhaps the final image of his self-demise (a return to the earth echoing and building on the opening image of interment) is meant to be the story's major apocalypse, but I doubt that most of the 1970's' "midnight movie" crowd ever saw it that way.

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El Topo is the classic Mexican film hailed by John Lennon and Yoko Ono enough that it was shown at midnight in many cinemas for years. It is often credited as starting the midnight movie countercultural that helped bring attention to, and build cult film audiences for movies like The Rocky Horror Picture Show and David Lynch's Eraserhead. In that respect it is far from a mainstream film but it got enough attention that it is celebrated even today. I feel that this is with good reason, as El Topo is one of best films ever made. Alejandro Jodorowsky directs and stars as the title character.

El Topo begins with its eponymous character in the desert with his son. He tells the boy to bury a picture of his mother and his toy in the sand as now it is time for him to become a man. The boy is vulnerable but El Topo leads him by example while protecting him in their various interactions with others. The film understands the western genre and the machismo that often accompanies it. El Topo is one bad cowboy who can guarantee protection for anyone he cares about. So it really sucks when he soon leaves his son behind with a bunch of monks after emasculating some evil banditos. He leaves with a girl he saved and he names her Mara. Mara loves El Topo for being the alpha male that he is, so she convinces him to kill the four best gunslingers so he can be baddest cowboy of them all. He manages to defeat them in various significant ways. These scenes are rich in biblical and other religious references and operate allegorically to show that being a bad cowboy isn't really all it's cracked up to be. Nevertheless, for better or worse, El Topo kills all four of them and begins to learn four specific lessons along the way. He begins to feel guilty and while he is caught off guard during the beginning stages of his enlightenment, he is defeated by the unknown woman who followed El Topo and Mara during their journey. Viewing El Topo as vulnerable, Mara betrays him and leaves with this unknown woman gunslinger. El Topo's battered and shot up body is taken away to a cave by a multitude of unseemly characters.

Macrocosmically, the journey for El Topo overall suggests that his travels represent the rise and trials of Judeo-Christian theologies, with the son representing new Judeo-Christianity and El Topo representing the old philosphies. The second half of the film seems to comment on more contemporary dealings and even anticipates what will happen in the future. How will El Topo's son grow? How will he react to the father who abandoned him but who has himself grown? How will the dominant faith evolve? How will it maintain its truth and purity with humanity at the wheel?

In the literal sense, the second half of El Topo forwards to a few years later after he is brought to a cave by this band of deformed pariahs. When he wakes up we soon realize that El Topo is a different man. He shaves off his beard and head and dresses as a monk. He makes a plan to free these people from their cave so they can join the community outside. He plans to fund the building of a tunnel to free these people. He does this by going to the town with his dwarven girlfriend to entertain them with comedy and dancing, among other small jobs. The town itself is by no means a utopia as it is wrought with slavery and violence. A new priest at the church in town is revealed to be El Topo's own son who he abandoned years earlier. El Topo's son plans to kill him but he decides not to do so until the tunnel is complete. The tunnel gets finished and El Topo's son decides not to kill him. Meanwhile, the deformed people are free and as they head to the town the villagers there begin to shoot and kill all of them, to El Topo's dismay. El Topo unleashes his vengeance on the villagers, killing them all and in the process freeing their slaves. El Topo then lights himself on fire, which was a timely parallel to the Buddhist monks who did the same in protest of the Vietnam War. During his death, El Topo's new son is born to his dwarven girlfriend. If the Buddhist references are consistent then this would suggest that El Topo is reincarnated as his own son and religious truth will continue to surface again.

I think it is important to note that the content in El Topo could be perceived as both perplexing and offensive to many movie-goers. Alejandro Jodorowsky kills real animals, uses real deformed and dwarfed people, and liberally applies nudity and violence throughout. It doesn't offend me at all but I knew my wife wouldn't like it and I understand why, so I mention it here just in case.

El Topo is a complex story with many odd details as well as many religious references and metaphors that comment on a larger scale as I noted earlier. I've seen it many times and in my first few viewings I didn't understand it and thought it was entertaining but pretentious. It is not pretentious. Microcosmically, El Topo is a film about a human being finding himself, and finding out all alone what it means to be alive. It is about independently becoming a good man as a good man is defined in the eyes of Alejandro Jodorowsky. It is obviously a deeply personal film for its director and it may not touch on elements personal to everyone in its audience, but it definitely did for me. Jodorowsky invokes religious references as a vehicle to express his own torments and challenges and how the enlightment experience for El Topo is merely mirroring his own experiences. It's commentary addresses oceans of issues in many layers. Conjuring up the imagination to produce this web of ideas so alive is indeed an ambitious undertaking. I find El Topo to be profoundly inspiring in a way that few films are. Its significance alone should at least justify one viewing for you and I hope you get the same satisfaction that I did. Perhaps you will like it enough to enjoy El Topo again and again.

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NOTE: For the purpose of this review, I will be addressing the new Blu-Ray editions of "El Topo" and its sequel "The Holy Mountain" together. I viewed them back to back and feel that it is easy to see the two films as one experience.

Blu-Ray specs: If all you care about is how the new discs stack up, let's get that out of the way. Both films have received new HD transfers and look better and crisper than any other version that I've seen. That day-glo blood is potently orange! El Topo is in its original 1.33:1 aspect ratio (won't be in widescreen), while The Holy Mountain is anamorphic. Most notable special features on El Topo are Jodorowsky commentary and an additional interview. Most notable special features on The Holy Mountain are a commentary track, deleted scenes, and insight into the film restoration. Both have traditional extras like the trailer, photo gallery, and script excerpts.

Madman or genius? Pretentious hokum or revolutionary cinema? Alejandro Jodorowsky is a film maker whose vision brooks very little middle ground. It seems to be a love it or hate it proposition. In truth, I'm a fan--but his work is definitely not for everyone. I may get into trouble with the most ardent of Jodorowsky enthusiasts when I say that I get more visceral satisfaction from the madcap imagery in his films than to any purported deep meaning. As two of his trademark films hit Blu-Ray, I was pleased to get an opportunity to check out his landmark films "El Topo" and "The Holy Mountain" again after about ten years. Experimental, controversial, provocative, disturbing--these demented films helped define the cult movie scene in the early seventies. "El Topo," in fact, played as a midnight movie in New York City for seven straight months. Today, they are still bizarrely fascinating but, once again, their divisive nature is likely to garner as many (if not more) detractors than admirers.

Of the two films, El Topo is closer to my heart. Starting out as a deranged western, the film morphs into a bloody existential quest, and ends as a struggle for redemption. The early scenes of this film always trap me into a full viewing! The central hero, played by Jodorowsky himself, is a gunfighter who becomes corrupted. Searching for meaning within his new existence, he tracks down four opponents with advanced battle skills and enlightened viewpoints. But these battles don't offer the solutions he had hoped for. Another chance at salvation comes about with a clan of misfits, but do they really require saving? Absurd, funny, and always intriguing--this is an incredible journey to nowhere and I love it!

The Holy Mountain has much loftier goals--but, to my mind, bigger isn't always better. A direct sequel, although relatively unrelated except for the central character, it picks up in the aftermath of the first film. Our hero now embraces a Christ-like countenance and the first third of the film presents some of the grimmest religion related spectacles you're likely to encounter on film. (In fact, the was a huge uproar at the 1973 Cannes Film Festival). Achieving a heightened state of being, he assembles a collection of powerful individuals--each representing a different planet. Stripping them down, the gang embarks on a lengthy existential quest to take a place among the gods. Strong religious allegory, mystical symbolism, and ideological iconography are brought together and are inherent parts of this film--but philosophical points tend to be hammered home. Sometimes "The Holy Mountain" loses me, it can be very heavy handed and message oriented. But still, an intriguing example of avant garde film making.

Again, the most arresting aspects of both films for me are most assuredly the visual qualities. If you like the gruesome and provocative imagery of Bunuel or Pasolini, you'll definitely want to check the films out. For entertainment, my easy choice is "El Topo." (4 stars) If you're searching for something fraught with meaning, try "The Holy Mountain." (3 1/2 stars) Or catch them together as I did. KGHarris, 4/11.

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"El Topo," long enmeshed in litigation, finally makes its bow on Blu-ray. Originally released in 1971, the strange Western "El Topo" perplexed moviegoers and still will cause some head scratching, though the movie has become a huge cult classic over the past 40 years. The film pays homage to the spaghetti Westerns of the late 60's/early 70's while incorporating a great deal of curious religious symbolism and grotesque imagery. It is definitely not a movie for everyone.

Alejandro Jodorowsky directed, wrote the screenplay, composed the music, and stars as the title character, a mysterious gunfighter in black who roams the Mexican desert. El Topo is accompanied for much of the film by his son, who learns several brutal lessons about growing up. Among other things, the boy witnesses firsthand how his father deals with a corrupt Mexican army colonel (David Silva), who's been terrorizing local villages.

"El Topo" is unrated and contains scenes of extreme violence, violence against women, blood and gore, male and female nudity, strong language, and simulated sex. The movie ran a full year in New York at midnight showings. Bonus Blu-ray features include commentary and on-camera interview with director Jodorowsky, and a photo gallery with original script excerpts.

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Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit Part 2 (2007)

Bought both part 1 and part 2. Awesome anime with a great story line and characters. Absolutely recommend this anime. You won't be disappointed.

I already reviewed the first set so I'll just repeat what I said there. This is one of my favorite series of all time. It's based on a series of novels instead of the usual manga that inspire anime these days. You can definitely tell as there is a good deal more character development and story complexity than you'll find in standard fare. The fantasy world is well developed to the point where there are distinct cultures in the various countries explored throughout the series. I highly recommend this one.

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With interesting character designs usually drawn to insinuate evil leanings, but never come to pass. I like the female protagonist who's background revealed in great detail too. Buy both for a solid story to the end.

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Great anime to watch! The extras are almost non-existant. This Blu-ray was authored so that your player can remember where you left off automagically. I would rate the anime 5 stars and the disk 3 stars.

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The Terror (1964)

Just got to say after the bad print of Kansas City Confidential from this company, I was scared to get this version of The Terror on blu ray. Just like KCC, they DNRd the crap out of this. To the point you're looking at a soft picture. Maybe I am confused, but shouldn't 1080p have plenty of detail and more grain? I admit, this is the best it has looked on home video, but it definitely is not the crisp MGMHD print. Some scenes on this blu ray combo look alright, while others there is no detail. I expect the stock film Corman used to look bad, but not the studio shots. Even the close ups are fuzzy. It is over cropped at 1.85 instead of its 1.66 frame (except for the credits), but at least its anamorphic. The 5.1 sound is horrible, I suggest switching to two channel to utilize the center channel at least. For ten bucks, its not a bad buy (at least it comes with a DVD copy)...but it could've been so much better. But this will have to do until MGM puts it out on blu ray. One interesting note is the American International logo is still at the beginning....I find that interesting, since their films are released by MGM on video.

I cannot complain as others have about this transfer. It is, by far, the best representation of the film I have ever seen.

The aspect ratio fills a 16:9 screen and its sound is in 5.1 surround. I thought it sounded terrific!

Also for the first time, I was able to watch the movie all the way through. Because other transfers' images were always so blurry and the sound so muffled, it was almost like watching snow on the screen. I'd lose interest halfway through and fall asleep.

This time, though, the movie grabbed my attention. How could it not? The image and sound were both clear. Happily, I changed my mind from judging the film mediocre to just as intriguing as Roger Corman's other masterpieces, like "The Fall of the House of Usher (1960)," "The Pit and the Pendulum (1961)," "Tales of Terror (1962)," "Tower of London (1962)," "The Haunted Palace (1963)," "The Raven (1963)," "Masque of the Red Death (1964)," and "The Tomb of Ligeia (1965)." It would be awesome to have these MGM features transferred to Blu-ray!

The Fall of the House of Usher

The Pit and the Pendulum

The Fall of the House of Usher /The Pit and the Pendulum

Tales of Terror (Edgar Allan Poe's)

Tales of Terror/Twice Told Tales (Midnite Movies Double Feature)

The Haunted Palace / The Tower of London

Double Feature: The Comedy of Terrors & The Raven

The Masque of the Red Death / The Premature Burial

The Tomb of Ligeia / An Evening of Edgar Allan Poe

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I have searched high and low for a high quality print of THE TERROR, a favorite of mine since I saw it back in 1963, but since it's in the public domain, the numerous VHS and DVD copies have ranged from bad to worse. My search is finally over, for the print in this new DVD/Blu Ray set is almost perfect. The creative and colorful use of lighting, resembling that used by Mario Bava, can now be seen in all its glory and the colors (including the famous butterscotch finale) are sharp and vivid. Although not in the original widescreen ratio, it still looks astonishingly good. For those of you unfamiliar with its history, THE TERROR was cobbled together in a few weeks by 5 different directors including the 26 year old Jack Nicholson who has the starring role. Karloff's scenes were shot in 3 days.

Be advised that while this is not an official MGM release like the other AIP Poe pictures, it is certainly the best copy of the film out there. I cannot speak about the quality of the Blu-Ray disc as I don't have a Blu-Ray player but in order to get the DVD I had to buy the combo pack. I can say that the DVD looks great on my flat screen and sounds great too. In addition to the dialogue, Ronald Stein's memorable score also comes through loud and clear. The packaging also restores the original poster art which clearly states that THE TERROR is a Boris Karloff vehicle not a Jack Nicholson one although that's how it used to be marketed in previous incarnations. In addition it's a rare opportunity to see Jack's then wife Sandra Knight in what is her best known role.

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I am a fan of this movie, but think there is some flaw in the DVD copy mechanism, not Blu-Ray. I have had to return two copies to Amazon and one to DVD empire all with the same problem. The DVD sticks in the third chapter. The color and transfer were fine with me, I just wish I could watch all of this clinker

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A brief and to the point review to tell those waiting "Buy this set." The movie has been remastered and has Dolby 5.1. As with "Dementia 13," the company Cultra has delivered the version you have been waiting for on Blu-ray or dvd. Buy it! I have a dvdr of MGM HD version and this looks about the same to me. I will take this set over my homemade dvdr any day. Too bad Sony dragged their heels on this one and all of the rest of the "no brainer" instant sale releases!

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Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)

A great film that deserves a new transfer. The source transfer of this film appears to be the same source as the one used for the DVD version. This is not to say that it doesn't look much better in Blu-Ray than it does on DVD. But it is not, evidently, a brand new remastered transfer made expressly for Blu-Ray release.

As happened in past generations of video standards, VHS to LaserDisc, LaserDisc to DVD, standard definition 480i to "high def" 1080i, and now 480p progressive scan DVD to 1080p Blu-Ray, the studios are cutting corners and, with many titles, re-issuing transfers that were "pretty good" for the prior standard on newer media without re-mastering them for the full potential of the newer standard. "Pretty good" is not why you buy a Blu-Ray, or pay a premium for it.

Sadly, some major film titles are being "shoved out there" on the new Blu-Ray format. This appears to be one of them. Although not nearly as bad as the abysmal "Silence Of the Lambs" and "Interview With The Vampire" BDs, the high-def picture quality of "Butch Cassidy" is still sub-par and underwhelming compared to what it could have been with a new-transfer made with BD release in mind.

(2008 HOLIDAY TEAM)It amazes me how incredibly well this 1969 western has held up after all these years. At once classically structured and satirically executed, director George Roy Hill and screenwriter William Goldman have pulled together a supremely entertaining period picture that caters to contemporary sensibilities to this day. It is to their credit that the film remains true to the characters and never gets too broad during its quickly paced 110-minute running time. The story naturally revolves around the legendary outlaws who robbed banks at the turn of the last century. Their escapades are divided roughly into three sections in the film. The first is the introductory set-up where their opposite yet complementary personalities are established. Leading the motley Hole in the Wall Gang, they ultimately pull off a train robbery with an excess of dynamite. The second part is an extended chase sequence where Butch and Sundance are chased relentlessly by a group of unknown bounty hunters.

The third and final part details their escape to Bolivia where they are determined to go straight but get caught up with local bandits and find their infamous past catching up with them. It seems inconceivable to have anyone other than Paul Newman and Robert Redford in the title roles. As the more established star at the time, Newman is characteristically laconic as Butch. His innate likeability is enhanced by his rascally manner and crack comedy timing. In the more traditional gunslinger role, Redford provides the ideal partner with his flinty manner and unavoidable charisma. In between them is Katharine Ross, fresh from "The Graduate", who plays Etta with sensual élan, though she does not figure in the most critical scenes. Of course, Burt Bacharach's instantly recognizable musical score is here, and while there is an anachronistic feel to such 1960's-sounding pop music over a western, it somehow works because the attitude of the film seems so modern. Even the comically romantic bicycle sequence manages to preserve its buoyancy thanks to the inane but undeniably catchy "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head".

Conrad Hall's vibrant, burnished cinematography deserves special mention as it has been preserved well in the 2006 Ultimate Collector's Edition DVD package. The rest of the two-disc package is robust though bordering on overkill, adding on to the features that were already included in the previous 2000 Special Edition DVD. Retained from that edition is the interesting combination of perspectives provided by Hill, Hall, lyricist Hal David and associate producer Bob Crawford in their joint commentary track. New is separate and equally insightful commentary from Goldman. Another holdover from the previous edition is the forty-minute vintage documentary, "The Making of Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid", a still terrific featurette from 1970 with participation from Newman, Goldman, Hill and Redford.

There are three new documentaries a 2005 retrospective look at the film called "All of What Follows is True: The Making of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid"; a fact-check featurette called "The Wild Bunch: The True Tale of Butch & Sundance"; and the somewhat repetitive "History Through the Lens: Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid: Outlaws Out of Time", a cumulative effort which combines elements of all the other documentaries into one ninety-minute feature. Lots of great insight is provided on the 1994 interviews with Newman, Redford, Ross, Goldman and Bacharach. A deleted scene is also included with Hill's commentary (since the audio had been lost) it is a disposable transitional scene where Butch and Sundance are watching newsreel footage of themselves in a Bolivian theater while Etta quietly leaves to the train station. Lastly, there are trailers for eight of Newman's vintage films. This is definitely a robust package for one of the great films of the 1960's.

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This disc ranks right up there with one of the worst Blu-ray transfers I own (along with the first Stargate release). It is a shame, as this is a really great and fun movie. It is one of the first westerns I recall that really interspersed humor with drama in an effective way. I thought it tried to be a bit too much or to have something for everyone (the bicycle scene went on a little long for my taste, for example). Audio is fine but the failure to produce a really outstanding video transfer (as was done with Patton recently) will disappoint the many fans of this movie who were eagerly awaiting this release.

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How do you ensure somebody's legacy as a hero? In the good old days, you wrote a book. Nowadays, you make a movie and if you're lucky and it's really, really successful, you can retrospectively even make legends out of dangerous criminals. Not that that always works, of course. But with two great actors with instant chemistry (Paul Newman and Robert Redford), a script (by William Goldman) bursting with one-liners making the audience bowl over laughing every other minute, without once derailing into slapstick, a director's (George Roy Hill's) ingenious use of the occasion to turn a whole genre on its head, and some of the world's most beautiful locations, filmed by an exceptional cinematographer (Conrad Hall) ... you just may pull it off. Case in point: "Butch and Sundance."

While Butch Cassidy (Robert LeRoy Parker) was known as the Old West's Robin Hood for his charm, masterly planning, avoidance of bloodshed he really did claim he'd never shot anyone and his stance for settlers' rights vis-a-vis the wealthy cattle barons, Sundance (Henry Longbaugh) had the reputation of a loner; a fast draw repeatedly in and out of prison before even turning twenty-one. After several of their Wild Bunch/Hole in the Wall Gang associates had seen the short end of the stick in various encounters with the law, Butch and Sundance determined things were getting too hot in the West and, unlike the outlaws who not much earlier had stood it out until the end (Billy the Kid, the James Gang and the O.K. Corral gunfighters), decided to head for South America. With a woman named Etta Place, possibly a teacher as portrayed here or, perhaps more likely, a prostitute, they first spent several years farming in Argentina both had done cattle work before turning to robbery, although in the form of rustling (stealing unbranded cattle) but eventually reverted to their more profitable, preferred occupation. Most sources believe they died in a 1909 shootout with the Bolivian military in a town named San Vicente; others, however, claim either or both escaped alive, returned to the States under assumed names and died there (Sundance in Casper, WY in 1957 and Cassidy, according to his sister, in Spokane, WA, in 1937).

While their decision to leave the West instead of duking it out with the law and the mystery surrounding their deaths would already have made for a great movie, director Hill cleverly used the material for a 180-degree-turn on the Western genre. The opening credits roll next to sepia-tinged silent shots depicting a Hole in the Wall Gang train robbery, followed by the bold claim that "most of what follows is true" which in itself couldn't be further from the truth. What does follow is a wild ride from the Outlaw Trail to Bolivia ... during which our heroes aren't getting rid of their pursuers, no Western music with guitars and harmonicas accompanies them but Burt Bacharach's multiple-award-winning, deliberately anachronistic, upbeat score (plus "Raindrops Are Falling on My Head" during the most romantic scene raindrops???), a knife fight is settled by a kick in the groin, and a marshal trying to assemble a posse first meets with a lackluster population, neither willing to bring their own horses and guns nor clamoring to be supplied with such by him, and in short order sees his meeting usurped by a bicycle salesman. Add to that Oscar-winning cinematography, repeatedly using black-and-white lighting techniques even after the film's switch to color (e.g. in Sundance's first visit with Etta), reverse lighting to make daytime shots look like nighttime (during several scenes of the pursuit) and sepia-tinted shots for period feeling (besides the opening, also to sum up the trio's stay in New York), a Bolivian bank robbery with a crib sheet containing "specialized vocabulary" that Butch, contrary to initial claims, doesn't know in Spanish, and an immortalizing freeze-frame ending and you have one heck of an entertaining movie, shot in some of the West's most spectacular settings and in Mexico (as Bolivia's stand-in).

"Butch and Sundance" turned Redford into a megastar Hill lobbied hard for the then-perceived "playboy"'s casting, and his instincts proved so dead-on that Newman's entourage became worried the movie's expected primary star would be sidelined (a feeling never shared by Newman himself, though, who has been friends with Redford ever since). In a twist worthy of Goldman's Oscar-winning screenplay, fearsome loner Sundance became one of Redford's most popular roles, and his independent film festival's namesake. The movie renewed popular interest in the Outlaw Trail, which Redford himself traveled later, too (chronicled in a fascinating, alas out-of-print book). Its script is littered with memorable one-liners; from both heroes' "Who *are* those guys??" to Butch's comments on the small price to pay for beauty, on Sundance's gun-prowess ("like I've been telling you over the hill"), on vision, bifocals and Bolivia, on Sundance's asking Etta (Katherine Ross) to accompany them, although if she'll ever "whine or make a nuisance," he'll be "dumping her flat" ("Don't sugarcoat it like that, Kid ... tell her straight!") and his downplaying the final shootout because their archenemy LaForce isn't there; Sundance's "You just keep thinking, Butch," his comments on the secret of his gambling success (prayer), on not being picky about women (followed by a litany of required attributes), on the excessive use of dynamite, and his one weakness ("I can't swim!!"); and finally Strother Martin/mine-owner Percy Garris's deadpan delivery of the Shanghai Rooster song, of "Morons ... I've got morons on my team" and his assertion not to be crazy but merely colorful. The famous freeze-frame ending has repeatedly been cited, both cinematographically (e.g. "Thelma and Louise") and in dialogue (e.g. 1998's "Negotiator"). And although initially almost uniformly panned by critics, the movie won quadruple Oscars and multiple other awards. In true Hollywood fashion, it has made two fearsome outlaws legends forever ... and in the process, also won legendary status itself.

Also recommended:

The Outlaw Trail: A Journey Through Time

Digging up Butch and Sundance (Second Edition)

Butch Cassidy: A Biography (Bison Book)

Hud

Jeremiah Johnson

The Sting (Universal Legacy Series)

Adventures in the Screen Trade

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This review refers to the Special Edition DVD of Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid......

This was probably the first western film where we actually are rooting for the outlaws. Butch(Paul Newman) and Sundance(Robert Redford) are portrayed with humor and style and are likeable (If not loveable) bad guys. Butch is always thinking, planning and scheming their next move. Sundance is the quickest gun in the west. What a team. (except Butch can't shoot and the Kid can"t swim)

As the movie opens (in the muted colors of an old photograph) we see exactly that, Butch scoping out a bank, you could see the wheels turning, and then Sundance displaying his expertise with a gun on a fellow poker player. As they ride off toward "Hole in the Wall" a hideout for notorious outlaws, the film switches to color and what glorious cinematography we are treated to through out the film.

They wind up going on the run after a botched train robbery to escape the "Super Posse" hired to find and kill them. Of course first they stop in town at the local Madam's place (look for a very young and beautiful Cloris Leachman as one of the "pros") and another stop to pick up The Kid's girl Etta Place(Kathryn Ross) and they become a trio as they head off to Boliva to try their luck there. They of course don't speak Spanish and have to learn the simple everyday phrases like "stick em up", and "give me the money". They even try "going straight" for a while, but are recognized as the "Banditos Yanquis", culminating in a shoot out.

There are so many wonderful scenes in this movie including the great bike ride with Butch and Etta to the tune of "Raindrops Keep Fallin On My Head".. If you havnt seen it yet I don't want to give it all away. If you have seen it you will love the way this film looks and sounds on this DVD.

The DVD is THX Digitally Mastered. The Musical Score of Burt Bacharach sounds excellent. The picture quality is superb. Colors are vibrant. It does not look like a 30 yr+ film. The look of the old west was truly captured by director George Roy Hill. It is in the original widescreen aspect. There were a couple of little glitches in one scene (may have just been my copy, not sure) but it did not interfere with my viewing pleasure of this film.

There are lots of interviews and commentaries by the stars and a featurette of the making of the film. The stars comments mostly on their memories (good and bad) during the shooting of the film. Be careful not to have any small children in the room while listening to the writer (William Goodman) tell his story.

I'm not sure how much of the actual events in the story are true but this is a legendary movie about legendary American Outlaws and a great western!

"I got vision and the whole worlds wearing bifocals"Butch To Sundance...............Have fun ...Laurie

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Puncture (2011)

"Sometimes the brightest light comes from the darkest places" This is the true story about Mike Weiss (Evans) a personal injury lawyer who takes on a huge health supply company after one of his clients is infected with a dirty needle. The client is a nurse in a hospital that uses plastic needles that are re-used over and over. Mike wants to make it so every hospital only uses the one time use only needles that his other client manufactures. The only problem is that Mike is a drug addicted mess. This movie is deceiving. The first half hour to me was a little slow and wasn't sure if I could make it through. When it picked up, it really picked up and sucked me in. By the end of the movie you are very engrossed and are pulling for someone you normally wouldn't. A movie much like "Runaway Jury" mixed with "The Lincoln Lawyer", not quite as good as "Lincoln Lawyer" though. Overall, a very good law movie that will make you think. I give it a B+.

*Also try Lincoln Lawyer & Runaway Jury

I was lucky enough to see this film when it opened and I was not disappointed. While it may have some subjective flaws, the message of the film is important. And those that see it should remember is it based on a real story; and those rarely satisfy the Hollywood-addicted among us. Real life takes turns we often don't want or expect.

I just hear about the DVD being released and I am going to preorder it when I finish this review. If you don't get distracted by what could be flaws and details that are not part of the main storyline, I think you will like this movie. I also think you will have some greater measure of your opinion of Chris Evans' acting ability. I know I do.

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The creators of this movie had to make choices. For viewers who like a artistically well-rounded film, it may have disappointed. The larger "point" to Puncture was to recreate in a microcosm the protracted battle which politically and legally helped expose some of the rampant corruption in the medical supply industry. The actual event was defused by settlement in the early 2000's. The fact that it still strikes a nerve these days is testimony to the work we still need to do in containing the excesses of corruption in the area of commercial health care. It is a reminder of the need for constant vigilance in an arena that too many consumers naively trust.

It's a personal thing, I guess . . . I found it a stylish, well-paced movie with a gripping plot. Like another reviewer, I was more focused on the injustice of the stifling of the invention by corporate power and greed, than wanting a perfectly formed hero and plot resolution. Hey, that's life. It's not usually like a classic movie script. Some of the peripheral characters weren't fleshed out, and the lawyers for the defense were formula villains, but I felt the inventor's helpless rage, Danziger's frustration and fear, and Weiss's alternating disconnection and intensity. If the script was kind of jerky, well, that's the way that Weiss was probably seeing his life go by, and maybe not a bad directorial device.

4 stars for taking on a difficult story that's all too sadly been seen before, and trying it from a different angle.

Read Best Reviews of Puncture (2011) Here

I remember seeing the preview for this during another movie.

I'll admit, I rented it for a rather shallow reason.

Captain America Chris Evan's with facial hair. :)

For that reason alone I had to see it.

That said I was treated to an absolutely awesome movie.

In a nutshell...

The movie opens with a nurse being stuck with a needle.

A man has invented a safe needle that won't stick the user or the medical professional but hospitals won't buy it.

Enter a small law firm who takes the case.

One lawyer is the ultimate drug addict/party boy "Evan's".

His partner is the straight laced type.

They take the case, sue the medical industry and...no spoilers...you'll just have to rent it.

I loved it.

Amazing acting.

Fast paced and interesting direction.

Everything was done well.

Excellent story from start to finish.

Highly recommended.

Want Puncture (2011) Discount?

This is a movie that definitely sneaks up on you and hits you from behind. It was compelling and surprisingly evocative. The acting was believable and the writing a cut above from the usual 'based on a true story' kind of movie. I highly recommend it.

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Compliance (2012)

Craig Zobel's powerful true story "Compliance" is one of those movies that almost dares you to look away. As a tense situation grows increasingly uncomfortable, the viewer becomes complicit as a voyeur and participant in a waking nightmare. Just as everyone on screen should know better and should display more sound judgement, you can't tear your eyes from the unbelievable and quite disturbing tale unfolding. It may be the most squirm inducing film of the year. Having caught "Compliance" at a tiny arthouse theater, I heard a lot of discussion outside in the lobby. A fair number of people simply didn't believe that the events depicted in the film could happen. But here's the thing, Zobel's script adheres very closely to the facts of an actual event! There isn't a lot of extraneous fictional material added in for dramatic affect, this sticks to the truth in a straightforward and matter-of-fact way. Based on a real life occurrence in 2004 at a Kentucky McDonalds, the movie's screenplay recreates (although in a fictional setting) what occurred in that store almost exactly according to the restaurant's security video, police reports, and court transcripts.

On an average day at your local Ohio Chickwich, the harried manager (Ann Dowd) receives an officious phone call from someone claiming to be a police officer. He identifies a young employee (Dreama Walker) as a thief saying that a woman customer has reported her taking money from her purse earlier in the day. Claiming he has already spoken to Dowd's District Manager, he asks for her cooperation in expediting the investigation while his team is detained. What follows, playing out in basically 90 minutes of real time, is a psychological manipulation that will have long reaching repercussions. Everyone wants to cooperate with authority (Dowd has already displeased her boss with one blunder today), and no one seems willing to challenge the caller even as things start spiraling out of control. The movie establishes fairly early on that this is all a sadistic prank, and once the caller has the store on the hook--he wants to see how far he can push things. Humiliating, debasing, and assaulting Walker, "Compliance" really starts to examine human nature and our willingness to please.

I won't be any more specific. I will, however, say that "Compliance" has one random scene near the end that is absolutely brilliant in its understatement. Once the police are involved, we spend a wordless journey in the cruiser as an officer drives from the station to the restaurant. At first, I wondered why we were along for this ride. But it makes perfect sense. Zobel, in a minimalist approach, is showing just how close actual help and police were during the entire ordeal. "Compliance" succeeds on two very strong performances. Dowd, a great character actress relishing a leading role, is perfect as the woman caught in this moral dilemma. And Walker, whose defiance slips away to resignation, proves she's one to contend with. It's a demanding role and she is definitely up to the task. I can't say that "Compliance" is fun or entertaining, though, because it purposefully seeks to provoke. It's not a movie you will feel ambivalent about--love it or hate it, you will remember it and talk about it. In that, it is an unqualified success. KGHarris, 10/12.

This is both a dramatically provocative and important film for anyone above the age of early adolesence.

In the early 60's, Psychologist Milgram did a series of studies in which he persuaded both students and non-students to

administer painful shock to subjects. This experiment was done under the guise of testing learning theory. In many, many instances the subjects (confederates) screamed in pain and begged the subjects to stop. Yet because the subjects were instructed to do so by an experimenter in authority, the subjects (playing the role of teachers) continued shocking the subjects. These findings illustrate the power of authority in inducing ordinary people to do horrid things to others. Naturally the ugly, unforgettable real-world manifestation of this is the holocaust. "I was only following orders" goes the feeble reply when the Nazi and SS were forced to answer for their crimes.

The film "Compliance" is a modern day, dramatic, creative, and compelling reenactment of the Milgram studies. As such, it is a "must see" for academics from all fields, but particularly from those focusing interpersonal communication, leadership, persuasion, social psychology, sociology, journalism, law enforcement, and public administration.

In addition to its suitable as an instructional aid and stimulus to classroom discussions, it is an extremely well acted and

fascinating film. Artistically, it is well photographed, and the dialogue and actors are superb. This story is, in fact, a dramatic rendering of real-life instances of similar crimes committed throughout the U.S.

I cannot recommend enough this intelligent, provocative film.

--Wm. R. Todd-Mancillas

Buy Compliance (2012) Now

"Compliance" is a dramatization of several different incidents where a caller to a fast food restaurant, claiming to be a policeman, talked employees into abusing other employees. The caller uses the technique of gradually asking the employees to go further in their actions; as they start to accept one thing, he pushes them to the next level.

The action starts on an extremely busy day, as it happens, right after an employee forgot to close a freezer, resulting in a loss of about $1500 in spoiled food. The caller claims to have a customer with him who saw a young female employee steal money from her purse. He also knows the district supervisor's name, and claims to have him on another line. He starts by asking the manager to search the employee, and progresses to making her undress. The caller says that the girl and her brother have been selling drugs, and claims to be searching her home at that very moment while the brother is under arrest. When the manager shows reluctance to undress the girl, the caller says that the only alternative would be for him to come to the restaurant, arrest the girl, and take her to jail. But if they search her in the restaurant, all that can be avoided.

At this point, I wondered why she didn't ask to speak to the district supervisor, if only to make sure that she was adhering to company policy. But the store manager doesn't think of this. In order to be able to get back to work, she calls her fiance, who has been drinking with some friends, to come in and watch the girl until the officer arrives. The caller manages to convince this man to spank the girl, followed by the girl performing oral sex on him. Why didn't the discussion that led to this set off any alarm bells? Even if he thought the caller was a policeman, wouldn't he have said that since he was engaged to be married, he felt uncomfortable with this series of events? Apparently, in at least one real-life case, this objection wasn't raised.

An interesting change takes place in the manager's mind as events unfold. At the beginning, she tells the other employees that the girl is "suspected" of stealing something from a customer. Later, this is modified into the unequivocal "she stole something." It's as if the manager has to justify what is going on by presuming that the girl is guilty.

The sequence finally ends when another employee comes in and is asked to watch the girl. The caller oversteps here by asking him to undress the girl again. Not having been present for the preceding events, this employee reacts more normally to what sounds to him like an anonymous voice on the phone. He leaves the room, complaining that the caller's request wasn't "policemanly." Another employee confirms that the girl's brother, far from being under arrest as the caller claimed, is actually out of town. The manager confirms that the district supervisor has been out sick all day. The real police station, we discover, was less than five minutes away.

The film is disturbing because we cannot help but wonder how we would have reacted in the same situation. We would like to think that we wouldn't have been fooled, but through the entire process, we know we have access to information that the participants lacked. As social animals, we know we're not supposed to undress and search each other for no reason, and that innocent girls should not be spanked and forced to perform oral sex. But at the same time, as social animals, we are conditioned to respond to authority and follow instructions. The film depicts, on a small scale, what happens in situations of long-term abuse, exploitation, torture, slavery, and genocide. A dictator starts small and works his way up, until one group is shoving another group into concentration camps and gas chambers, and it all seems justifiable to the participants given the shared explanation. Meanwhile, people watching from the outside are horrified.

Yet even in the most depraved situations, some people remain centered, and do not succumb to the temptation to follow orders, to go along with the status quo. What stops them is a high degree of compassion, the ability to put themselves in the victim's place and imagine what they are feeling. It may come down to having a higher than average number of mirror neurons, or it may arise from an independent streak, a mischievous desire to rebel whenever an authority figure tells them to do something. Human society could not survive if we were all independent rebels stability requires most people to do their jobs and follow instructions. But for a society to be healthy and not just a collection of ants, it needs a few people whose response to the instructions is "it's not policemanly." They recognize when the policeman has violated his contract and has become a tyrant. Control, in other words, cannot be perfect. And sometimes those who deviate are criminals, and at other times, heroes.

Read Best Reviews of Compliance (2012) Here

The era of crank phone calls has sure taken a twist. When fast food restaurant manager (Ann Dowd) gets a phone call from someone identifying himself as policeman, she springs into action. Young Becky is accused of stealing from a customer. The assistance of the manager and others in this matter grows until it becomes inane. The film brings light to the problem of serial strip search crank calls...something I didn't know existed. This film is based on the Mount Washington, Kentucky incident which BTW was a McDonald's.

The film acting was okay. There is a high perv factor whenever you force a young girl to be stripped searched. Unfortunately this is pretty much the entire film as there is no real subplot to entertain us. This is one of those pervert films masquerading as something that makes a statement such as "Shame." Watch it. Enjoy it. Disturbing? Thought provoking? Oh Please. It's soft core porn.

Parental Guidance: F-bombs, nudity (Dreama Walker).

Want Compliance (2012) Discount?

Craig Zobel's powerful true story "Compliance" is one of those movies that almost dares you to look away. As a tense situation grows increasingly uncomfortable, the viewer becomes complicit as a voyeur and participant in a waking nightmare. Just as everyone on screen should know better and should display more sound judgement, you can't tear your eyes from the unbelievable and quite disturbing tale unfolding. It may be the most squirm inducing film of the year. Having caught "Compliance" at a tiny arthouse theater, I heard a lot of discussion outside in the lobby. A fair number of people simply didn't believe that the events depicted in the film could happen. But here's the thing, Zobel's script adheres very closely to the facts of an actual event! There isn't a lot of extraneous fictional material added in for dramatic affect, this sticks to the truth in a straightforward and matter-of-fact way. Based on a real life occurrence in 2004 at a Kentucky McDonalds, the movie's screenplay recreates (although in a fictional setting) what occurred in that store almost exactly according to the restaurant's security video, police reports, and court transcripts.

On an average day at your local Ohio Chickwich, the harried manager (Ann Dowd) receives an officious phone call from someone claiming to be a police officer. He identifies a young employee (Dreama Walker) as a thief saying that a woman customer has reported her taking money from her purse earlier in the day. Claiming he has already spoken to Dowd's District Manager, he asks for her cooperation in expediting the investigation while his team is detained. What follows, playing out in basically 90 minutes of real time, is a psychological manipulation that will have long reaching repercussions. Everyone wants to cooperate with authority (Dowd has already displeased her boss with one blunder today), and no one seems willing to challenge the caller even as things start spiraling out of control. The movie establishes fairly early on that this is all a sadistic prank, and once the caller has the store on the hook--he wants to see how far he can push things. Humiliating, debasing, and assaulting Walker, "Compliance" really starts to examine human nature and our willingness to please.

I won't be any more specific. I will, however, say that "Compliance" has one random scene near the end that is absolutely brilliant in its understatement. Once the police are involved, we spend a wordless journey in the cruiser as an officer drives from the station to the restaurant. At first, I wondered why we were along for this ride. But it makes perfect sense. Zobel, in a minimalist approach, is showing just how close actual help and police were during the entire ordeal. "Compliance" succeeds on two very strong performances. Dowd, a great character actress relishing a leading role, is perfect as the woman caught in this moral dilemma. And Walker, whose defiance slips away to resignation, proves she's one to contend with. It's a demanding role and she is definitely up to the task. I can't say that "Compliance" is fun or entertaining, though, because it purposefully seeks to provoke. It's not a movie you will feel ambivalent about--love it or hate it, you will remember it and talk about it. In that, it is an unqualified success. KGHarris, 10/12.

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Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi (2009)

To most, a Yash Chopra production is synonymous with big doings of storytelling done on a lavish scale, of an extravagant love story, and the brightest talents in Bollywood. RAB NE BANA DI JODI happens to falter on several of these elements. But while it may not be on the same tier as past Yash Chopra classics (Dilwale dulhania le jayenge, Veer-Zaara, Fanaa, etc.), it's still very much worth watching. Bollywood megastar Shahrukh Khan, as expected, carries this romantic comedy.

The opening sequence features two arranged marriages, and both involving the same girl. On her wedding day Taani (Anushka Sharma), young and vivacious, receives the shocking news that the bus carrying her fiance enroute to the wedding had crashed, with her fiance numbered amongst the casualties. Taani's professor father, upon learning the news, suffers a massive and eventually fatal heart attack. On his death bed, her father, not wanting Taani to be alone, talks her into entering a marriage with his favorite student Surinder Sahni (Shahrukh Khan).

Surinder is a nondescript-looking guy, one of those unnoticed types who toil in his cubicle, working as he does for the Punjab Power company, responding to all phone calls with what I think is a pretty neat company motto, "Punjab Power, lighting up your life." Surinder (or Suri) is bespectacled and quiet and kind, and becomes instantly smitten with Taani. But he understands that his marriage to her is only one of conveniece, Taani frankly declaring that she could never fall in love with him, even though she vows to fulfill her wifely obligations. Suri, never expecting someone like Taani to enter his life, professes himself content.

Things go on like this for a time, with Taani continuing to mope and with her and Suri sleeping in separate bedrooms. One day Taani sees a flyer for Dancing Jodi, a dance school competition, and she decides to participate. Suri, longing to see her happy and dancing again, pays for the dance classes and then dons a disguise so that he could be near her, not in a pervo way but so that he could enjoy the sight of her having fun. For the introverted Suri, things are about to get ridiculously out of hand.

It doesn't really make sense, but somehow Suri's best friend is this outgoing, macho salon owner (yes, I said "macho salon owner!") named Bobby Khosla. Bobby does a makeover on Suri and transforms him into this hip, happening cat named Raj Kapoor. Raj wears tight clothes, has poofy hair, and tends to be loud and obnoxious. Thru the luck of the draw, he ends up being Taani's dance partner. Taani dislikes him within moments, but, then again, you know how these movies go. Soon enough, thanks to Raj's antics, Taani is laughing and feeling alive again. And Suri, trapped in a web of his own making, soon finds himself in a fight for his marriage, with his alter ego as his rival. It's all very twisted, but fun.

Fun, because the tone doesn't ever get to that dark place. Shahrukh Khan plays the strutting Raj Kapoor as a caricature, exagerrated and over-the-top. Raj isn't very likeable, but then I don't ever think he was meant to be. It's weird, even keeping in mind that Raj and Suri were the same person, I still could not warm up to Raj. As Shahrukh says in an interview: "The essence of the whole thing is, that you're going to love only one guy and that is Suri." That's one dichotomy in Shahrukh's dual roles. I don't think much of his portrayal of Raj, even if Raj's resulting traits were deliberate on Shahrukh's part (I'm guessing he intended him to be this aggravating). Obversely, Shahrukh's self-sacrificial Suri is sweet and heart-breaking and thoroughly endearing. As Shahrukh also says, "Ninety-nine percent of the people are Suris," and so many of us Average Joes see ourselves in Suri. With due respect to the showstopper number "Phir Milenge Chalte Chalte" in which Shahrukh gets to dance with some of the most famous actresses with whom he's co-starred in the past it's the terrific "Haule Haule" which really captures my attention. "Haule Haule" embodies Suri's gentle spirit and the depth of his feelings for Taani. In the song, when he beams with happiness and does that little dance, one simply cannot help but be won over.

The subplot to all this, of course, is the Dancing Jodi competition. You can probably guess how it ends. RAB NE BANA DI JODI (which I think means "A Couple Made By God") has its flaws but the effervescent tone, the romance, the nifty songs, and the touches of humor should have you overlooking those failings. It certainly made a killing at the Indian box office. This is Anushka Sharma's cinematic debut, but you wouldn't know it by her self-assured performance and her chemistry with Shahrukh, especially when Shahrukh is playing Suri; it's these two characters whose moments together construct the crux and the romance of the story. And Shahrukh Khan is Shahrukh Khan, in Bollywood the star of stars and his Suri having become one of my all-time favorite roles which this actor has ever brought to life.

What I didn't like? Okay, I initially had some trouble buying into Taani's Lois Lane complex, with her just being unable to pierce thru Suri's fairly simple disguise, but I eventually shrugged it off. Because, I guess, since she doesn't spend a lot of time with her husband (only at breakfast and dinner and the occasional movie date) and since the man is habitually so reserved, I can see where it may be difficult for her to put two and two together. In her place, would it occur to you that someone so internal could put on such an audacious act? Another nitpick is that I just found "Raj Kapoor" to be so annoying and not once did I feel that he was a character in his own right. And then there's Taani's late epiphany which, to me, simply smacks of the quick fix resolution.

What I have is the nice two-disc set with the glossy 3D hologram cover, although it's not cool that Disc 1 sits right on top of Disc 2. Disc 1 offers the feature film (which is 2 hours 44 minutes long) with English sub-titles and the typical song selection option. Disc 2, with the sizable special features: the Making Of RAB NE BANA DI JODI featurette (45 minutes long); the Making Of the musical number "Haule Haule"; the Making Of the musical number "Dance Pe Chance"; the Making Of the musical number "Phir Milenge Chalte Chalte," which in addition to featuring five of Shahrukh's past female co-stars is also an homage to different eras of Bollywood (although I think the musical number ""Woh Ladki Hai Kahan" from Dil Chahta Hai did this better); 6 minutes of deleted scenes (no sub-titles); Shahrukh Khan Unplugged 62 minutes of SRK and his ego but with that wit and that twinkle in his eye as a saving grace as he reflects (mostly in English) on sundry topics like this film's director Aditya Chopra, SRK's film preparation, his dual parts Suri and Raj, the importance of getting newcomer Anushka Sharma as his romantic leading lady, his tight relationship with the Chopra family, etc.; Shahrukh and Anushka In Conversation (43 minutes, chunks of it in Hindi), but definitely get around to just before the 32 minute mark to hear an utterly fascinating bit as Shahrukh answers Anushka's question: "Who is Shahrukh?"; and the theatrical trailer and promos.

Despite Raj Kapoor, I ended up really liking RAB NE BANA DI JODI. The ending is very good, even though you do see it coming. The movie has its good share of funny moments, although, as usual with Bollywood, sometimes the humor is forced. But do keep an eye out for the hilarious Dhoom sequence, in which Taani finds umbrage with two fellow dancers on a motorbike and goes tearing off in pursuit thru the tiny streets on Raj's own motorcycle (with Raj on the back). Then there's the funny epilogue to that scene, as Raj fills in his disbelieving but still macho best friend Bobby on that story (and remember that Bobby knows that Suri is Raj):

Bobby: "So your wife was riding the bike?"

Suri: "Yes."

Bobby: "At the speed of 120?"

Suri: "Yes."

Bobby: "And what were you doing?"

Suri: "I was sitting behind."

Bobby: "What were you doing at the back?"

Suri: "I had to hold the handbag, right?"

It's funnier in the movie.

I wish I could give this film more than 5 stars. I'm a big Shah Rukh Khan (SRK) fan after seeing several of his movies, and this one is my favorite by far, due to the HIGH QUALITY ACTING. Shah Rukh plays a dual role in this film and the movie is unforgettable.

Regarding the features: This 2 disk set is excellent quality. The movie is on the first disk, with a great feature of being able to play all of the songs in a row. Most of the time you can play one song, but then the movie continues after the song is over. Not so with this special feature, where it will take you to the next song rather than continue with the movie. There is also an easy to work scene selection for the movie itself so you can jump around as much as you want, from scene to scene.

The second disk contains some very revealing interviews with SRK and Anushka Sharma. I loved that the SRK Unplugged interview is mostly in English and it's lengthy, so it gives the viewer the chance to see Shah Rukh as himself. In the second interview on the disk, when Shah Rukh interviews Anushka, it is mainly in Hindi with no subtitles and only a little bit of English, which is disappointing. HOWEVER, you MUST stick with it until towards the end of the interview, Anushka asks SRK, "Who is Shah Rukh Khan?" That's when you will get a real treasure, in English, of how he truly feels about himself as a person and his acting abilities. It is quite revealing and touching to hear.

Regarding the movie: This is a beautiful love story, and it is beautifully acted by SRK and newcomer Anushka Sharma. I found it a real credit to Anushka's acting abilities that she was able to hold her own so well when acting with such an incredible actor as SRK. Anushka was very believable and portrayed her grief over her losses very well throughout the entire movie. I especially enjoyed her acting in the scene when she suddenly "gets it" -when she finally understands her connection to her husband, Suri, and all that he's done for her. When she sees God in him.

Of course it was very easy to love Suri and root for him right from the start of the movie, because he was the common man, the underdog. Suri constantly revealed his love for Taani in the way he did things for her. He was so loving as he cared for her and did everything he could to make her feel comfortable and happy. Taani, however, was too caught up in her grief and anger towards God for taking her loved ones, that she couldn't see what was in front of her face. When she finally expressed an interest in something, it was natural that Suri would want to share in her happiness, which is what led him to transform into Raj. I found it incredibly brave of mild and meek Suri to be willing to change into a completely different person just so he could spend time with his wife, Taani.

Some reviewers of this movie didn't like Raj, but I did. I could see Suri underneath the surface most of the time, which demonstrates SRK's wonderful skill as an actor. He is absolutely hilarious as Raj, but he also shows his humanity, like in the heart-wrenching scene where Raj is drunk and talking to himself (a dummy with Suri's clothes on it) about his fears. As Raj, Suri gradually revealed his love for Taani to her, which made Taani have to finally face what was really going on in her life. The incredibly tender scene with Taani asking Raj "What do I do?" was just exquisite acting by both.

There are some wonderful musical numbers in this film, including some real show-stoppers. My two favorites were Haule Haule, which is Suri singing about his love for Taani, and Tujh Mein Rab Dikhta Hai, which is Raj/Suri singing to Taani about his love for her. SRK's acting and dancing in the number Tujh Mein Rab Dikhta Hai (loosely translated "I see God in you") is just superb. This is the one song that I play over and over again because it's just so beautiful.

This film is thoroughly entertaining from beginning to end. This is the one movie I will make my adult daughter sit down and watch with me to see if she likes Bollywood. Because if you don't like this movie, you just don't get it.

Buy Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi (2009) Now

So far, the names of Yash Chopra and Aditya Chopra have been behind some of India's most beautiful, romantic movies in the past decade, and this latest production lived up to my expectations, even though it is significantly different from earlier box-office hits like "Mohabbetein", "Veer-Zaara" and "Dil to Pagal Hai", to name a few. The two main aspects which struck me as being most different about this lovely new film, "Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi", are the realistic and traditional Indian settings and the unusual story about an unlikely couple. In most popular romantic movies, the stars are young and attractive, and although Shahrukh Khan, the star of many such popular romantic movies, also plays the lead role in this film, his character is quite different from previous roles. In fact, he plays dual roles in this movie, which he has done to perfection several times already, and Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi is yet another opportunity for Shahrukh to shine and show us even more facets of his limitless talent and abilities. Wearing glasses and a moustache, he is almost unrecognizable as a stiff and boring middle-class working man, but as soon as he speaks, the viewer can look beyond the outer appearance and see the kind, gentle and loving soul within. This is actually the underlying message of this story, and Shahrukh brings it out very skilfully so that the audience follows the plight of this awkward and clumsy geek who is desperate to make an attractive young woman love him for the person he really is. With so many handsome and macho film stars to dazzle the girls, he finds this a daunting task, but is driven by love and faith in God to persist in his quest.

The situation is immediately more intriguing and complex, especially for the Western viewer, because the young woman in question is his bride whom he met only a day before the wedding, according to Indian tradition. The first few scenes are already loaded with deep emotion and drama as we learn that the young woman's happiness over her `marriage of love' a luxury not everyone experiences is shattered on her wedding day when her groom is killed in an accident. This causes her father to suffer a heart attack, and on his deathbed quickly arranges his bereaved daughter to marry an old and trusted friend, Surinder, to take care of her. Already in love with her at first sight, Surinder feels the pain of love for the first time in his life when she tells him she has no love left in her heart for anyone after the tragedy, but will do her best to be a good wife nevertheless. And so begins a charming and delightful story, like a fairytale, yet real enough to tug firmly at your heartstrings, as Shahrukh, playing Surinder the geek, disguises himself as a handsome, carefree and manly dance partner in his wife's evening dance class. Even though Shahrukh looks like his usual self as this attractive young man, his acting moves into new heights and dimensions as he plays Surinder the awkward geek pretending to be Raj, the sophisticated ladies' man. Despite still being awkward and clumsy, she appears to gradually fall for him after all, with never a suspicion that he is in fact her dull husband, which becomes a dilemma for Surinder: does this mean his wife would leave him for Raj because of his outer appearance, or would she eventually see beyond the geek exterior and come to love Surinder's fine qualities?

Newcomer Anushka Sharma plays the role of Taani, the sad and lost young woman, with apparent ease and with a manner pleasantly different from the usual popular female lead. In fact, both lead roles are deliberately different in order to create a story with a special deeper meaning to inspire audiences, even with spiritual concepts such as whether this match was made in Heaven. For the romantically-inclined, this movie will surely be very satisfying, if not inspiring, and for Western viewers it will be an emotion-packed adventure through India and the traditions and mentality of India's people.

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This was the second Bollywood movie I ever saw. The first was Bride and Prejudice, which I call my gateway movie; it suckered me in by my Austen addiction and then delighted me unexpectedly India has had far, far longer to learn to incorporate (rely on!) music and dance to tell a story (rather than interrupt or stretch it) than Hollywood or Broadway. It even proved to my musical-despising husband that not all musicals are poorly-paced, irritatingly interrupted by pointless songs, and boring.

If Bride and Prejudice was the bait, Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi is the hook, and it was weeks before I realized how deeply it sank. I kept watching it as a Netflix Instant Play, but by fifth time, I realized I should probably just buy it outright.

The most basic plot premise: man falls ever more deeply in love with his own wife, tries to win her love in return. Awww!



The details: Attending the wedding of his favorite teacher's daughter, the reserved, almost expressionless Surinder Sahni falls in love at first sight with the ingenuous and carefree laughter of the much younger bride, Taani. The plot takes a couple of sudden turns and she ends up marrying Surinder instead, but is so traumatized that she tells him, "I will never be able to love you. I will be a good wife to you, but my heart is dead and I cannot love again." Surinder tells her he has never known love and feels no need for it in his life. Of course, he has lied; he does know love. He fell in love with Taani the first time he saw her, of course. But, as the song "Haule, Haule" ("Slowly, Slowly") explains, he believes that love should develop "soft, sweet, slow", and is prepared to give Taani all the time and space she needs to heal and recover herself. Surinder's love begins selfless and becomes self-sacrificing, wanting only to see Taani happy and laughing again, asking nothing in return but the possible rebirth of her smile. Meanwhile, her tiniest dutiful actions (packing his lunch, making his breakfast) bring a complicated, sweet, touching smile spreading across Surinder's frequently immobile face -in private, when nobody is around to see. Outwardly, he treats her with expressionless deference and distance, asking very little of her and sacrificing much for her comfort and happiness; he moves himself into the attic (claiming he always sleeps there) to give her the bedroom to herself.

Taani emerges from her state of shock and begins to respond to his gentle, considerate care with "dutiful" actions that make Surinder feel pampered and cared-for in return; even if she does not love him as she had her fiance, he tells her that her small actions are enough love for him, and we witness his understated, reserved glows of happiness in response. He comes home from work and the dusty, cluttered, cobwebbed attic is clean and spacious, decorated, with fresh flowers on his nightstand. This example, and several other developments, happen in a few seconds each during "Haule, Haule" -you have to watch the action during the songs, because plot and character development happen there too, in a manner so condensed and dense with implication I can only compare it to poetry. If you get up for a snack during the song-and-dance bits because you can still *hear* from the kitchen, you will miss much of the depth of the movie. Surinder's love does develop, softly, sweetly, slowly, from crush-at-first-sight to the adoration expressed in "Tujh Mein Rab Dikhta Hai" ("I See My God In You"). Taani's feelings remain locked away, frozen and unchanging. Everything she does, she does dutifully, mechanically, because it is what she owes her husband. (That sense of debt becomes pronounced late in the film, almost wrenching in another brief scene far too easy to miss the significance of.)

Yes, there is the surface plot Taani joins a dance class/competition, and Surinder undergoes a radical makeover and dozens of dubious quick-changes to pose as the brash, loud, and frankly irritating Raj during the evenings, in order to attend the classes with her. "Raj" is able to flatter, flirt, and romance brazenly in a way Surinder never could without the anonymity of disguise. There are faint resonances with Cyrano de Bergerac as Raj tells Taani all the things that meek, awkward, almost shrinking Surinder could never bring himself to say. They are partnered together in their dance lessons, and gradually a ride home on "Raj's" motorcycle becomes after-lesson dinner and a birthday date. Despite spending hours every day dancing, dining, and laughing with Raj, Taani never suspects that her colorful, swaggering dance partner is actually her mousy, quiet husband. Surinder suspects that Taani is falling for Raj, becomes jealous (of himself!), and despite a friend's advice that "Either way, it's you she's loving!" decides to force the issue and find out who Taani *really* loves -the man she laughs for, or the man she cooks and cleans for.

Yes, it's full of holes in the description; it seems questionable that Raj spends so much time with Taani while Surinder puts in a full workday, even if the dance classes are stated to be "in the evening". It strains belief that a woman wouldn't recognize her own husband just because he shaved off his mustache and dresses differently. There's a lot to question here, if you expect the movie to force-feed you each and every explanation, Hollywood-blockbuster style, and it's then only a 2or 3-star movie depending on how badly inconsistency and spasmodic character development grate on your nerves.

But if you're willing to watch closely, follow subtleties of expression, ask yourself how things are changing and why, and put yourself in the characters' shoes, you will see that the "Match Made By God" is in the details, and the movie flows gorgeously. The smallest things, the nuances of Shah Rukh Khan's performance as Surinder (and unguarded moments as Raj), the song sequences, show a rich, mature exploration of different kinds of love, different styles of self-expression, different ways to say "I love you", and ultimately the wealth of emotion and interdependent partnership that can grow between two very different people. Taani believes she loved her fiance so deeply, so passionately she will never feel again; Surinder's love runs so deep it hardly shows at all.



This was also the first Shah Rukh Khan performance I had ever seen; I'm now a thorough addict. His talent shines through brilliantly, even in the (intentionally) shallow characterization of the ridiculous and abrasively over-the-top Raj, and especially comparing that to the restrained, complex, nuanced expressions of Surinder. I was amazed I had never seen or heard of this actor before. I understand entirely now why Wikipedia says "Khan is today considered to be the world's most successful movie star, with a fan following numbering in the billions..." He deserves it, and I am picky about actors. He holds his facial muscles differently for each character, so that their faces have different shapes, and that makes the implausible deception easy to play along with. His dancing is excellent, but borders on divine if you notice how he manages to bring the body language of the two different characters into the dances as well -Surinder's dancing is graceful and precise in contrast to his awkwardness, while Raj is still all broad sweeps and jerking motion -and how it's in dance that Raj and Surinder reconcile and merge as their distinctive movements blend. Just. Seriously. Brilliant.

Or maybe I'm reading too much into it by now, having seen it so many times... no, you know what? There's no such thing. It's there to find. The first time I watched this movie, I found it sweet and touching; as I catch more details, I find it heart-wrenching and buoyant. I can no more resist tearing up at the first few notes of "Haule, Haule" or "Tujh Mein Rab Dikhta Hai" than I can on hearing Leonard Nimoy say "...and will always be... my friend." It's far from all-tragic; I have to laugh in pure joy whenever I hear "Taani-partner!" as much as on hearing Christopher Eccleston say, "Everybody lives, Rose! Just this once, EVERYBODY lives!" (No, Bollywood is not my usual fare, why would you ask?) The more I watch, the more I see, understand, and love in this movie, and that there *is* always more to find, between the sterling direction and outstanding performance, is what turns the plot into an all-time favorite must-own comfort movie instead of a paper-thin slice of Swiss cheese. And if you wish they'd followed the story a little further, make sure to watch the closing credits.

My ONLY complaint, not worth even a quarter of a star, is about the DVD rather than the movie itself: I cannot find any way to get subtitles on the end credits (though the rough meaning comes through regardless) or the special features on the second disc. (Roughly half the interview content is English, mixed into the Hindi, and the deleted scenes are completely Hindi with maybe a loan word or two, and my Hindi is so far limited to "(Ji) haan", "(Ji) nahin", "Kyaa?" and "Namaste".) Oh, well. Maybe I'll find that detail in here too, someday.

If you have any doubts, rent the movie. If a week later, the thought of a man laying a single rose next to his wife's breakfast plate, then reconsidering, deflating, and putting it back in the vase, isn't etched into your mind's eye with a poignant mingling of hope and regret... well, watch it again. Soft, sweet, slow, the implications will unfold.

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I had never seen a Bollywood movie before, but I was listening to some Bollywood music on You Tube and found Haule Haule. What a great song...it was so good I put it in my Zumba routine! Then I heard Dance de pe Chance and really liked that. Later I found they were from the same movie! Then I heard Tujh mien rab dikhta ha (i don't know if I spelled that right?) what a great song! I was singing it everyday for a week. So I finally saw the movie on Net Flix...and totally fell in love with it. I honestly cannot put my finger on why I love this movie so much. I think that it has something that a lot of Western love stories is missing. I know I do love the characters, especially Suri, I feel I can really relate to his character. The director really shows with visual shots the emotion of the movie from Suri's unrequited love to Taani's feeling of loneliness and uncertainty. One of the best western romance comedies is Love Actually I would have to put this film up there as well, it just touches emotionally the same way. Great movie...one of the all time best romantic comedies!

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Larryboy & The Bad Apple

It's been several years since LarryBoy has been sited, but he's come back. And it's just in time. Bumblyburg is getting ready to celebrate its 300th anniversary, but someone isn't happy about it.

Bad Apple has just moved into town and has a score to settle. With the help of her sidekick worm, she spins a web of temptation that traps people in what they love most. She wants to take over the town and has set her sites on the mayor, a news reporter, and LarryBoy himself. Will LarryBoy fall prey to her plot? Can he overcome his love of chocolate to save the day?

I'll confess, as much as I love the VeggieTales series, the LarryBoy episodes are some of my least favorite. I actually wasn't looking forward to this release, but I got it anyway. I'm glad to be proved wrong.

The plot, while predictable, is fun. Larry has never been the smartest of the Veggie characters, but they don't make his stupid here, a complaint in the earlier LarryBoy shorts. And the story is funny with several great lines and site gags along the way to entertain kids and adults alike.

While most Veggie videos cram two stories into their 45-minute running time, this episode only features the one story. They don't even break for a "Silly Songs with Larry" segment. However, they do include the counter top wrap around with Bob, Larry, and Archibald Asparagus. These scenes are easily some of the funniest they've done in several episodes. I was laughing the entire way through them. The video does include a new LarryBoy theme song, "Rock on LarryBoy." Performed by "Shux," they feature a new vegetable we haven't seen before. I bet you can guess what they might be.

The theme here is obviously temptation, and they do a great job showing both the power of it and our need for God and others to help us through. My only complaint is that all the temptations shown here are things that are ok in moderation like video games, TV, and chocolate. Of course, since previous LarryBoy episodes have dealt with lying and gossip, this is a minor issue. Still, parents will probably want to point out that some temptations should never be given into.

The DVD comes with the standard Veggie goodies. We've got an audio commentary and behind the scenes feature for the adults and storybooks and games for the kids. The animation continues to improve with each episode, and the full surround sound is great as always.

I may have to go back and give the previous LarryBoy episodes a chance. If they are as good as this one, I've written off a great character in the Veggie universe.

I saw this in a sneak preview edition (no bonus features, just Bob & Larry counter-top introduction and conclusion with the Larry Boy story and ending music video). I have to say that it is the best Veggie Tales product in years and even the best Larry Boy yet!

The opening banter/dialog between Bob and Larry (Boy) and its conclusion after the episode is great. During the entire show, the graphics are smooth. The music is enticing and well done. The story is compelling and, while at once simple, at the same time it is also cleverly crafted. There is obvious and effective humor for the kids and more subtle and equally effective humor for us adults. And the moral message is both clear and applicable to people of all ages.

I watched it with my wife and our almost seven year old son, and all three of us loved it.

This one's definitely a new Larry Boy classic!

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This video returns the plunger headed hero back to the animation format that he should be done in. The cartoon LarryBoy did not really get the approval from my child. I can't say that I was too crazy about the cartoons either.

That's in the past now! This LarryBoy is full of more adventure than was done with him before. I like the way they employ the use of his plungers more. The Bad Apple is a classic villian too. Thank you, Big Idea, for bringing LarryBoy back to the format he belongs in.

If you are a VeggieTales fan, this is one for the collection. If you aren't a fan, get it anyway. There is always a good message about God, Jesus and the great message that is offered to those who believe. Enjoy!

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My kids and I absolutely love this DVD. It is applicable to kids and adults alike. Big Idea has made another great video. I would give Larryboy and the Bad Apple 10 stars if I could. We are big VeggieTales fans and this has quickly become one of our most favorites. It is definitely Sunday morning values Saturday morning fun!!!!!!!

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Don't get me wrong, this was a nice story, with good morals, but it's (obviously) based on a very fictional world. What happened to the old VeggieTales shows where they based their story off of a real Biblical story?

This series is quickly becoming just a 'good' show to watch, and not one where your children are going to learn about stories from the Bible.

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(500) Days of Summer (2009)

The film's opening makes it clear: This is not a love story. It is a story about love. Told in a non chronological fashion, we see 500 days in the relationship of Tom (Joseph GordonLevitt) and Summer (Zooey Deschanel). For those who have seen 10 Things I Hate About You, this is an evolution of that story told in a more realistic fashion. While Joseph Gordon-Levitt pretty much plays the same character, he adds gravitas to the ups and downs of relationships which all men go through at some point. Zooey Deschanel brings her playful carefree attitude to Summer, which the movie itself is quick to point out has a very strong effect over men. While most people expect this to be a love story, it's not. It's a carefully crafted story about relationships and the highs and lows we all experience and how we focus on the highs more than the lows. The quirky humor and the wittiness brought out in the film covers the very introspective dissection of a relationship. While the ending is somewhat expected, it serves as the movies last laugh. A must see for romantics, indie film appreciators and mainstream audiences alike, this movie is the guide to growing up all boys need to become men. Especially, once they see the Plate scene. Check it out!

I hate romantic comedies. If they actually have some comedy in there, they are watchable but the relationships are often based some some kind of ridiculous premise that doesn't resonate at all with me. To call this a romantic comedy seems quite misleading. This movie was funny at times. Well directed, at times...A little gimmicky at others. Very well acted by the two leads. The thing that I loved about this movie is that it is completely true to life. It wasn't like "The Break-up" where you have to suffer through the couple arguing through the entire movie. They show (in a very clever way) the highs and the lows of Tom and Summer's relationship. I find myself still thinking about the two leads as if I was in their shoes (We probably all have been on one side or the other in our lives). What do I think of them? What do I wish she would have done differently? What could he have done differently? I don't know. One of those movies that I can't stop thinking about.

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First off I must confess, I do not like Rom/coms, or Rom/Drams, I would much rather watch anything and I mean anything than these genres, I feel they are stupid, unbelievable, mostly appeal to the female audience who like the unrealistic happy endings and when the guy says sweet nothings in the girl's ear, gag me with a fork....

BUT this movie is not your conventional Romantic Comedy, it's your unconventional, romantic comedy that actually keeps it real and tangible, sorry for all you "The Note Book" movie lovers out there who expect sweet, happy tearful endings.

Plot is simple, boy meets girl, boy falls in love with girl, girl dumps boy; Tom (Joseph Gordon Levitt) is a Greeting card writer whose hidden talent is architecture, meets secretary Summer (Zooey Deschanel) and we go through his trials and tribulations to win her heart. He's the hopeless romantic, she is the free spirit, wanting to keep things casual, doesn't want to fall into the norms of a relationship. Where Tom questions this relationship, where she wants to keep it simple and not muddle things. So 500 Days of Summer chronicles the bittersweet beginnings, the sudden break up and all the crazy/ befuddled/ frustrating things that go on in between.

Basically that is the plot, what works is how it is presented, we do not get a linear plot like all those other contrite unreal romantic comedies, what we get is a non linear plot that goes back and forth between Tom and Summer's relationship from the Highs to the Lows. This is refreshing. Where one scene after Tom spent the night with her we see him walk out of the building all smiles the next day (this is his High), as if he can take on the world, he is unstoppable, as if he is glowing, and through out the whole scene we see him do a dance number, shaking hands with people, strangers high fiving him, patting him on the back, he looks in a window and an image of Han Solo looks right back at him... showing him he is the epitome of cool, (what makes it so real is who hasn't felt like that, after spending a night with the one they love, feeling great the next day)

Then we see his Lows, his self loathing, his obsessing on why did they break up, that he thought for sure she was the one, it's gut wrenching real, because again we've been there and done that or had it done to us.

They try to maintain a friendship, Summer invites him to a party and Tom accepts and what we get from this scene is so unique: Where Tom hopes the Universe will finally align itself and his expectations coincide with his reality. A split screen of Tom walking up the stairs to her Apartment, the caption on the Left reads, Expectations, caption on the right reads, Reality, again we as viewers can relate to this scene as it unfolds, Tom's expectations are he and Summer some how reconnect, he gives her a small gift in the form of a book, there's the catching of each others eyes; holding the gaze, the hug, the gentle touching, the laughing, shared moments by themselves, but then he and us viewers are thrust into the reality of the situation. There is no rekindling, she thanks him for the book, through out the party he feels like a stranger in a strange land and he leaves the party in disbelief, in agony, heart broken.... much like what would happen in real life, as we always run through our heads what we think will happen and think will be the perfect evening; finally going to tell her how you feel, you have that nice dinner planned, flowers, she'll be flattered and happy, and say she has the same feelings about you. Thinking it is bullet proof and then to have it all crashing down: either she says she doesn't feel the same way bout you, or she can't make that dinner date, or met someone else, etc etc etc, we so want those events to work and have it play over and over in our minds so the outcome is always positive that when the time comes does it rarely play to our expectations and we are thrust into cold reality. I just had to marvel at this particular scene because one it has happened to me numerous times and I am sure others could say the same thing, A brilliant scene indeed.

What makes this work is the chemistry between Levitt and Deschanel, Levitt playing the forlorn, hopeless, romantic, nice guy, while Deschanel plays Summer as the care free, beautiful, sexy, men take a second glance at her kind of girl, this relationship works so harmoniously even through the tough parts of the break up, we as viewers can't help but think that somehow they do stay together, that even I thought the typical Hollywood ending would come in and they get back together... but then it be classified as your conventional love story and that is not what the filmmakers and actors didn't want it to be, it's about that love is a cold hard bitch slap that we all have felt, which as I said earlier that we all can relate too.

Kudos to the great writing, and chemistry between the actors, making something so real, and honest it's hard to do in Hollywood when everyone wants to see a Sandra Bullock Rom/Com. We all see a little Tom in us and we've all had that one Summer; I guess the message of the movie is people come into your lives for a reason, whether it be friends or the "He's/ She's the one!" moment and it turns out it's not, and that relationships come and go, new ones will be forged, and just hold onto the memories of the old ones no matter how good or bad they were, somehow they made you who you are now, I feel that how it was for Tom's case.

A great movie I must say, worth checking out, what made it so real is because I think we've all been there and felt what Tom felt.

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This movie nails three things. That's all you need to know

(1) that first rush of love and passion. The movie's fantasy dance sequence after Tom (Gordon-Levitt) falls for Summer (Deschanel) and that idiotic happiness is just the way it feels .. . I've never seen it done better.

(2) the anger and frustration when it's clear that there is an emotional disconnect between the characters; Tom again perfect.

(3) The pain of withdrawal and slow recovery make no mistake, this is love addiction where a character goes cold turkey. It's tough to watch.

I don't know if women relate to this movie in the same way, but this is a movie that is A Good Guy's perspective on finding and losing love without ever really knowing the woman whom he loves and why it doesn't work. As such, Zooey's Summer is an appropriately opaque character. Her feelings, motives intentions, etc., are all below the surface; there are just those amazingly melting eyes. You could argue that her character could be more fully developed, but realistically, I think her character allows Tom to see all that Guys are able to see. Summer and Tom make a good argument for women and men being different species that happen to be genetically capable of reproducing. They are not Mars and Venus; they are more like Mercury and Pluto. Even at their final accidental meeting, Tom is no closer to understanding Summer than he was when he first met her, and it's still not clear how she feels about anything. Zooey's character has a secret heart that is just unknowable to Tom, to the viewer; maybe to Summer as well.

The disjointed, non-linear structure of the movie make the pain easier to tolerate; just a little at a time. It feels like the way you remember a relationship. So five stars for a wonderful and unusual movie. For guys, I think, it's also a True story. That's worth everything.

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The most important 34 seconds of this film take place at the beginning and contain the potential for a film of its own. Those critical moments occur when we briefly learn the backgrounds of the two main characters, Tom and Summer. Tom's path is paved by romantic British pop songs and a mis-reading of *The Graduate*. Summer's trail is blazed by her parents' divorce which leads her to love only 1) her hair, and 2) the fact that she can cut her hair and feel nothing.

Applying psychological analysis to a romantic comedy may strike one as deliriously over-the-top, but John Bowlby's attachment theory runs through every vestige of *Five Hundred Days of Summer*. Bowlby's original theory from the 1950s posited that an infant needs to develop a healthy attachment with at least one primary caregiver for social and emotional development to occur normally. Starting in the late 1980s researchers began applying Bowlby's theories to adult romantic relationships. Recently, writers Amir Levine and Rachel Heller published an intelligently written and consumer friendly book called *Attached* that distills these theories. The authors suggest that we tend to follow one of three behavior patterns in our romantic relationships : (The descriptions below are quoted directly from the book description.)

* Anxious people are often preoccupied with their relationships and tend to worry about their partner's ability to love them back.

* Avoidant people equate intimacy with a loss of independence and constantly try to minimize closeness.

* Secure people feel comfortable with intimacy and are usually warm and loving.

Fifty percent of the population is believed to fall into the secure category, and 50% into the insecure designation (anxious and avoidant types are split almost equally, each representing approximately 25 % of the population).

Tom is anxious and Summer is avoidant.

And certainly, I don't believe that all seven billion human beings on this planet simply fall into one of three categories, but I do believe these descriptions provide us with a vocabulary to discuss individuals' relationship tendencies and expectations.

During the previously indicated 34 seconds, we learn scant little about the past experiences that led Tom and Summer to develop their insecure attachments (although the divorce of Summer's parents is a giant clue). Is it any accident, however, that the opening credits consist solely of a montage of childhood movies? The message is clear : Something was missing in both characters' childhoods. So they wrote their own damaged scripts and have been interpreting the world through the visage of their unhealthy patterns ever sense.

Tom is the naive romantic (an average to unhealthy "4" on the Enneagram, for anyone familiar with Don Riso's work) who hasn't learned how to apply his imagination to produce healthy outcomes, and is instead caught in a dream world while waiting to be rescued by "The One." He means well, but he makes the terrible mistake of projecting his fantasies and desires onto Summer, who is basically the innocent bystander.

Summer is the classic avoidant, lacking in emotional perception and unable to read people's feelings and intentions. She is overprotective of her emotions not to profit, but to guard from pain. Summer is intrigued by love but not willing to commit, insensitive but sometimes charming, nauseatingly inconsistent, and always placing facts over feelings.

Some will argue that Tom is a fool for slobbering over Summer, and others would say he is sweet, sensitive, and deserving. Others would argue that Summer is narcissistic and unfeeling, while others would say she is direct and succinct about what she wants (and Tom is to blame for refusing to pick up the memo). But what we really have here is the classic anxious-avoidant trap playing itself out for the entertainment of the audience and the misery of the participants.

***SPOILER ALERT***

Some would say of my analysis, "Lighten up. Stop the psychobabble. You're overanalyzing." At one time I would have made the mistake of thinking the same thing. I can understand how someone might further respond by saying, "There's no trauma here. Tom is just an innocent dreamer and Summer simply wanted to have her mid-20s fun before settling down with the `right guy,' whom she eventually found anyway. The lesson we learn from the film is that these two tried equally and ultimately weren't meant for each other, but nevertheless transformed each others' way of thinking about love. They grew as a result and took what they learned to the next relationship. It's sweet. All's well that ends well."

I think that's a fair interpretation, but the film's only major flaw is that it lends itself to such an interpretation at all.

Specifically, I'm uncomfortable with Summer's sudden marriage. This isn't entirely inconsistent with avoidant behavior, in that her actions are impulsive. However, the scars from her parents' divorce run much deeper and clearly aren't resolved, and we oughtn't be led to think that her apparent embrace of love has solved a thing. We don't see these scars in her aloof behaviors throughout the film, but clearly she bore witness to all the fighting, hurt, and brokenness of her childhood loss she isn't healed. And just having the "right guy" walk into her life isn't enough to change her world view or shift the satisfaction that she finds from cutting without feeling. In their final scene together, Summer tells Tom she recently danced with him at a friend's wedding simply because she wanted to (with no regard for his feelings). She also says she's glad he's doing well (even though he's obviously not), and she explains that things are different with her husband because "I just woke up and one day I knew... what I was never sure of with you." Her characteristic insensitivity tells us two things : 1) That she has not grown at all due to her time with Tom. She is still oblivious to other people's needs (couldn't she have shared her feelings about her newfound love in a more tender and less hurtful way?). 2) She found Tom too anxious, but is now with a similar albeit more secure partner.

But really, what this means is that the new sucker who fell for her who is clearly more tolerant of her avoidance tendencies than Tom is still going to have to deal with her issues and inconsistencies through the years anyway, possibly to a breaking point. Maybe writer Scott Neustadter was trying to offer an olive branch to the woman on whom he based the Summer character, and maybe he like many anxious types guiltily assumed he shared equal blame when his relationship failed. But it's an enormous mistake to send such a message to the audience.

In the end, the anxious types really do have the legs up over the avoidants. Why? Because anxious types, like Tom, despite having formed insecure attachments, still believe in love and the power of connection. They have more room to grow, are more willing to grow, and if given a safe set of circumstances are willing to do The Work. The avoidants, like Summer, don't want to do The Work, and barring a life-catastrophe (which they are most likely to experience eventually as a result of their avoidance behaviors), are much more comfortable sticking with their old scripts than they are with inviting the pain necessary to break free and live a life that runs in accordance with their true essence.

Toward the end of the film we watch Tom experience the pain of wrestling free of his old illusions about love. He suffers his way to catharsis. Tom's failed relationship with Summer acts as the catalyst for exiting the old script. When he quits the greeting card company he finally rejects the old romantic love songs and movies, re-invests in his true love of architecture, and takes a chance on asking out a woman without projecting any expectations on her. The ability to act as such involved a great deal of prior work, discomfort, and courage, but the result is that a lifetime's worth of unhealthy behaviors are now extinguished.

There is no evidence that Summer's new relationship or her time with Tom led her to do the same. She's still an evolving wreck, and the viewer needs to better understand this when the movie ends. She tells Tom she has accepted the idea of love, and that he played a role in transforming her thought process, but I can't imagine that this transition could have occurred so quickly and easily. My guess is that Summer still has a lot of work to do to move past the associations she has lived with for years as a result of her parents' divorce.

Clearly both these individuals benefited as a result of being in each others' lives, but only Tom grabbed the oncoming train and soared into his future. The anxious and avoidant types both had it wrong, but only the anxious type worked after-the-fact to make things right. Anxious types may hold the sparkling snow too tight, but the avoidants turn the snow into a snowball and hurl it at anyone who dares to break down their walls.

So on a less analytical and more heartfelt note, I loved the movie. Yes, it's a romantic comedy, but it's Hemingway-esque sad, with 90% of the emotion weeping beneath the surface. It's sad when relationships don't work out. It's sad when people enter our world, make an impact, and then leave. It's sad that we can't stay close to all those we loved, all who loved us, and all who have ever mattered in our lives.

The film rang true because I had my own Tom-Summer experience, and scene after scene felt like a mosaic of intertwined frames from my own life. The unexpected bursts of affection, the trying to impress her with music while she doesn't even seem to notice, the checking the cell phone in the middle of the night, the waiting patiently for the moment she will finally come around, the complete exhaustion at being forced to live between the gap of the expectations and the reality... Ugh.

It's good to be reminded that we are not alone in our experiences. Others make the same foolish mistakes that we do in the game of love, and it's easy to lose sight of common sense when the heart is plunged in the depths. We are reminded that we can still have a sense of humour about it all and that hearts really do heal. Well, most of the time anyway.

The soundtrack is great too. So are the quirky cultural references Pac-Man, Henry Miller, The Smiths, and a dog named after Bruce Springsteen. All are intelligently presented and not wrought with intellectual and cultural self-consciousness. The non-linear narrative is cleverly delivered, the acting performances from all parties are strong, and the "You Make My Dreams Come True" sequence is one of the funniest I have ever seen on film. I also appreciate that amidst the lighter moments, the film is not afraid to take itself seriously. Maybe too many people suffer from Bono-fatigue, but these days too many artists go out of their way to poke a hole in the seriousness of their work so as to earn the "s/he doesn't take him/herself too seriously" moniker. This film is brave. It is serious, and it takes itself seriously when it needs to.

So, I didn't assign this film five stars, primarily because I save five stars for films of unparalleled impact, but also because I didn't completely buy parts of the ending. Nevertheless, this one's a gem. We are treated to great directing, great writing, great acting, and a lot to think about. *Five Hundred Days of Summer* and the implications of those early 34 seconds are well worth the 95 minute journey.

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