Charlotte's Web (2006)

I've seen several movie versions of CHARLOTTE'S WEB. The story of the friendship between a runt pig and a spider in the barn has been around entertaining children for dozens of years. But I have never seen a production that came even close to the new movie in theaters everywhere.

The recent release of CHARLOTTE'S WEB is simply amazing. I can't wait for the DVD to come out, and I'll really be disappointed if there isn't some in-depth special features regarding the making the of the film, particularly the computer animation aspects. Watching the animals talking and interacting onscreen was nothing short of magical.

There is an incredible shift from the human point of view in the film to the animal one that is almost seamless unless you're looking for it. I was, and it was still so effortless that the transition doesn't jar viewers at all. The handoff is smooth and remains highly believable.

My 9-year-old went with my wife and I, and even though he'd seen the story a number of times on DVD, he fell in love with it all over again. I loved hearing him laugh, and I couldn't help but remember the first time I'd heard CHARLOTTE'S WEB read to me by a schoolteacher.

The story is timeless and will always be around. But it's been waiting all this time for movie-making magic to truly unlock a way for audiences to watch it presented so much in the flesh.

No only is the video aspect so good, but the voice talent gathered for the film is outstanding. Julia Roberts, Steve Buscemi, Oprah Winfrey, Cedric The Entertainer, Reba McEntire, and many other recognizeable voices (including Sam Shepard as the narrator) all contributed to this amazing experience.

If you want to have a great time and be a child again, go see CHARLOTTE'S WEB. If you want to bring delight to a child, take one with you. You'll be glad you did.

First I must confess that I have never read the original book `Charlotte's Web' by E. B. White or seen the 1973 animated film version (with Debbie Reynolds' voice). So please read my review of this new live-action version as such, though probably this kind of confession is really unnecessary.

Wilbur is a `spring pig' who is destined never to see the winter. Charlotte, a spider living in Wilbur's pen, hatches a plan with Wilbur to change his fate. The story is deceptively simple, but there are messages behind it, which is not hard even for the kids to find as the story unfolds. Even for the adults the film's last 20 minutes is quite moving.

Dakota Fanning plays a girl Fern, who saves the life of Wilbur in the earlier part of the film. One thing I like about the film's script (by Susannah Grant and Karey Kirkpatrick) is that there is another coming-of-age story about this girl, who is about to grow up and leave her childhood behind. At first Fern and Wilbur look like inseparable friends. Fern tries to bring the pig to the school, hiding him in the desk. However, by the end of the film you will be seeing another Fern, more grown-up, less childlike. No one can remain a child forever, and Fern, or perhaps Dakota Fanning herself, embodies this poignant fact.

Charlotte's voice is provided by Julia Roberts. It may be slightly weird to imagine a spider speaking with Julia's voice, but it works with her voice expressing the motherly wisdom and concerns convincingly. Impressive cast is gathered for the voices of the animals in the barnyard, and Steve Buscemi as Templeton the Rat and John Cleese as Samuel the Sheep are standout.

These animals are all perfectly created with impeccable special effects, but you may feel some part of the film detract from their effects on us. I am not sure the film really needs two meddling crows or fart jokes, and if the film company thinks that their film needs them to keep the kids interested, they are utterly mistaken. They have a charming story of Wilbur and Charlotte, and they should be much more confident, especially when they have this cast and Danny Elfman's wonderful score.

If I may borrow Charlotte's word, `Charlotte's Web' is truly `some' film, and its radiant charms are more than this single word can convey.

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As with Walden's first adaptation--The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe--this is an okay movie that could have been vastly better. It is a superior adaptation to Wardrobe, in that it follows the source material more faithfully both in story and characterization, but it still fails most in those key areas, and in important ways that the animated version didn't.

The most off-putting and probably most egregious error on director Winick's part is to make Fern such an impertinent, downright snotty little girl. In the book Fern is determined, but not rude. Neither is her father the milquetoast that he's made to be in the film. Ditto Templeton the rat, who is turned from an irascible malcontent into an outright bully. Such characterizations are completely unnecessary and in fact detract from the story. (Which again was the core failure with The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Seems to be a Walden thing.)

This ties into a problem with the casting in general. Julia Roberts was simply the wrong voice for Charlotte. The '73 version had the good grace and foresight to cast Debbie Reynolds as Charlotte. Reynolds' soothing, melodic voice was perfect for a creature meant to be soothing and enchanting. There is life and wonder and hope in it. Roberts' voice is simply too flat and nasally, and becomes actually grating. The casting on the rest of the animals was fine (though the body humor got old after the second "joke"; I long for the days when body "humor" wasn't considered simply part of kids' movie genre), but of the humans only Beau Bridges stands out. I like the actors who played the various parts, but they too come off as lifeless. The whole affair is simply flat, which is ironic considering the wondrousness of the tale attempting to be told.

And then there's the decision to go with hyperrealistic special effects. I found myself wishing they'd stayed with the neat animation that introduced the movie. Instead we're treated to super-macro shots of a spider worthy of an electron microscope. Director Winick should have had the sense to realize that there's no way to make a spider cuddly in close-up. The animated '73 film was wise enough not to try; it showed Charlotte in just enough detail to give her form and features, and left it that. This one, again like The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, wants to show off at the expense of the story.

Some of the non-book material is witty, but for the most part it's not and obviously tacked on to tickle kiddies' funny bones. It does, so in that sense I suppose it works, but it's laziness on the part of the filmmakers to feel it's necessary.

In sum, what should be a magical, uplifting movie comes off as flat and, in fact, a little boring. Maybe one of these days the film industry will discover that special effects and high-caliber casts aren't enough to save a lackluster script. It always comes down to the writing, and it simply isn't very good in this version of Charlotte's Web. It has its heart in the right place, and doesn't stray far from the original book in actual plot, for which I have to commend it at least three stars, but it's more interested in being a comedy made for kids than a drama made for smart people, young and old. This is why the '73 version continues to hold my kids in thrall after at least a score of viewings, but they were so bored on a second watching of this new film that they wanted to leave early.

Read Best Reviews of Charlotte's Web (2006) Here

Very faithful adaption of the book with an all star voice cast. This is really a terrific tale of friendship and loyalty that is a must view for the family. The story is funny and sweet and is done right from start to finish. The fun part for adults is trying to guess the voices of all the animals. A few are obvious, but some take some time to figure out. This is certainly one to pick up.

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This movie is a wonderful and entertaining adaptation of the children's book by E B. White, which was published all the way back in 1952. Lending their voices are celebs like Julia Roberts, Oprah Winfrey, Steve Buscemi, Kathy Bates, John Cleese, Thomas Haden Church, Robert Redford, Cedric the Entertainer, Reba McIntyre, Andre Benjamin and Sam Shepard, plus live performances by Dakota Fanning and Beau Bridges, among others. With this kind of star power, who can resist taking a peek at this version of the classic tale?

Here's the gist of the movie, best sung to the tune of "My Favorite Things":

Pig slops for Wilbur, the runt of the litter

Saved from the slaughter, he's one lucky critter

Fern kept the pig from her father's sharp knife

Begging and pleading for her piglet's life

Down in the barnyard are sheep for the shearing

Horses and geese, plus the cows that they're rearing

A very wise spider who cares for a friend

Promising he won't be ham in the end

Charlotte the spider worked all the night spinning

Working her webbing right from the beginning

The first ones to see it, their eyes grew so big

The words she had woven, they spelled out "SOME PIG"

Soon the time comes when they're ready for smoking

In comes the rat just a pryin' and poking

Charlotte persuades him to help with her plan

To keep little Wilbur from the frying pan

If their plan fails

At the fair ground

It'll all be in vain

But simply remember once words can be found

That things will be fine again

Notes:

The music for "My Favorite Things" was composed by Richard Rodgers, and the lyrics were written by Oscar Hammerstein II. My apologies to both gentlemen.

This is dedicated to my friend Len, who suggested the theme, even though I'm quite sure he was joking.

Amanda Richards, April 10, 2007

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Waterworld (Blu-ray + DVD) (1995)

A few years after Waterworld was released on video ABC aired an extended cut on public television. I have been waiting for a long time for the extended edition to be released and now it finally has been. While watching it I relied something that shocked me that is the ABC version, the cussing is gone, the violence is soften and some scenes have been cut out, and no Helen bare back shot. Even some of the sound effects and music has been changed. After doing more research I found this to be true. Instead of revising a 'true' extended edition Universal just put the ABC version on here (without commercials of course) and just added a 5.1 soundtrack to it. What a waste of money this was/is. I guess that's why it is only 15 bucks, I would have gladly spent 50 bucks for an unedited extended cut.

First off, I love the premise of the film and the musical score by James Newton Howard. It took me about two complete watches until I finally began to enjoy it. I liked how they used very little special effects and actually built everything you see on the water. The lack of CGI sets, vehicles and explosions are what caused Waterworld to be one the most expensive films ever made. Almost everything on screen was built by man, which is great in a world full of digital effects taking over the story in most flicks. This is one that I watch at least twice a year and it is worthy of any DVD collection.

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With so much other crap being released these days for a quick buck, can we PLEASE get this re-released as a decent DVD version complete with the Extended Edition that's shown on cable and television from time to time. I would love to spend my money on it. Who is with me?

Read Best Reviews of Waterworld (Blu-ray + DVD) (1995) Here

"Waterworld" has become a classic of sorts, although some may say for all the wrong reasons. It received a beating in the year leading up to its release for its bloated budget, a then staggering $200 million. Much of these costs were incurred due to the shoot being closed down after tropical storms devastated the outdoor sets, and then again when Costner's wife left him during filming, as it was rumored he was caught with some local women and extras. It was assumed this was going to be a bomb of "Cleopatra" proportions, complete with a bankrupted production company and an embarrassment to Universal Studios. The film was nicknamed "Fishtar." However, much to the surprise of everyone, the movie opened to decent reviews and ended up recouping its production costs and turned in a tidy profit with its worldwide gross. Its various home video releases have also sold very well. The movie inspired a wildly popular ride/attraction at Universal Studios Florida. The movie is not exceptional, as it is essentially "Mad Max" on the water, but it features a strong performance from Costner and a very fun and entertaining turn by Dennis Hopper as "The Deacon", the film's villain. The action as directed by Kevin Reynolds(The Count of Monte Cristo, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves) is no short of spectacular and the dazzling special effects hold up nicely. For me, the scenes which resonate are those between Costner's Mariner and Helen (Big Love's Jeanne Tripplehorn), and Enola (Napoleon Dynamite's Tina Majorino) on the boat as they become a makeshift nuclear family. This is where the film should have concentrated more energy as it emerges as the most compelling element of the story.

The blu-ray presentation of "Waterworld" is quite excellent. It has seen many incarnations over the years from VHS and several DVD releases, but this hi-def master is the one to own. The VC-1 encode is razor sharp, with excellent contrast, and a nice veneer of film grain, giving it a nice theatrical presentation. There are so many details to catch in the set design and I was able to see many I had not noticed before on the Mariner's boat, the Atoll, and the Valdeez, all of which are exceptionally rendered. The breathtaking cinematography pops off the screen, the colors having never seen such vibrant imaging. No evidence of DNR (used abusively in past home video releases), aliasing, or edge enhancement. The film does have some ringing in some scenes, especially aerial shots of the Mariner's sailboat, as the netting gives off too much shimmer, but it's hardly a distraction. Even better is the DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless soundtrack which beautifully detailed, as we can hear every ripple and wave in the surrounds, and the action, special effects, and explosions rock the listening area with powerful rumbles from the subwoofer. James Newton Howard's brilliant score is rendered with gorgeous clarity and dialogue is crisp, clear and well-prioritized in the center channel. For fans of the movie, this upgrade is a no-brainer.

The special features are nonexistent, only a SD theatrical trailer and BD Live functionality which has nothing to offer. Most disappointingly, the extended cut of the film is not made available in this set. Both versions are included in the SD DVD set, but for some reason, Universal did not take advantage of BD's overarching feature...superior capacity and include both versions. Granted the extended cut is also censored for content as it has been shown on television, but a director-approved cut would have made this release a bit more of an event.

Given the bargain price on this one, I say grab it, as fans will love this presentation, but even if you are revisiting the film, it is a different experience away from the hype and bad press, and it is, in the end, a very entertaining and fun action adventure film with terrific special effects, and serves as a nice piece of escapist entertainment. This blu-ray presentation gives a nice excuse to have another look.

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This is the second movie that I have purchased produced by Universal Studios, which included a extended/director's cut that was simply a production of an edited version that was shown on broadcast television. It differs in some significant respects to the actual theatrical version with regard to the deletion or altercation of some dialogue and other scenes considered too explicit for television networks. This is a lazy and sad attempt by Universal Studios to produce a extended/director's cut. Most studios, when releasing an extended/director's cut, include ALL the material included in the theatrical release with the additional scenes cut seamlessly into the movie. Moreover, the sound and picture quality on this extended edition is also noticeably worse than on the theatrical version disc. If I wanted the version that was broadcast on television in that form, I would have videotaped it when it was on. I will seriously consider whether I will purchase another extended edition from universal studios given the little effort they seem to put forth and the little care they seem to demonstrate in pleasing their consumers and fan base.

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Sin City (Two-Disc Theatrical & Recut, Extended, and Unrated Versions) (2005)

While it's probably a total cliche to say it by now, Sin City really is a wild thrill ride of a movie, and quite possibly the most entertaining thing that will hit theaters all year. Adapted by director Robert Rodriguez from Frank Miller's graphic-novel series, it's an energetic slab of neo-noir, complete with twisted characters, ambiguous morality, and deadly serious dialogue. For those who thought the Kill Bill movies weren't bizarre or violent enough, Sin City ought to seem like a stylish, action-packed gift from guy-movie heaven. It's filled with negativity, outrageously over the-top bloodletting, and some of the blackest humor known to man, but it all works anyway. I even managed to forgive the incessant voice-over narration, normally a rather lazy device, because it's so oddly poignant and poetic. It's not really that big a deal anyway, because this movie is so impressive visually that the characters could speak in gibberish and I'd probably still be moved to give it at least three stars.

It should be noted right off the bat that Sin City is not a movie for everyone, but if you're the type who would like it you presumably know who you are. IF you like crime movies, especially those filled with action and atmosphere, you will almost certainly get a kick out of Sin City. If you prefer lighter, more "socially redeeming" fare, you may still like it, or you may be overcome with bile filling your throat for most of its two-hour running time. It's all a matter of how willing you are to accept what's going on without asking too many nagging questions like "How exactly did Mickey Rourke just take out ten armed riot cops with nothing more than his fists and a hatchet?" or "is it really possible or even necessary to manually tear off a man's scrotum?". Everything about this movie is utterly outsized, from the themes to the characters to the action, but in the end it's a rousing success at what it intends to do, which is entertain. It's precisely because this movie was so utterly entertaining that I found myself unwilling to nitpick; you'll probably be too busy having your senses assaulted to linger on any problems you may have with the movie. Nothing is more key in movies (or TV, or novels for that matter) than getting the viewer to suspend disbelief, to simply let go and enjoy what's transpiring regardless of the plausibility level. Some of my favorite movies are wildly unrealistic, but at some point when watching them I just decided to go with it. Sin City is one such movie: I realized early on that the events unfolding onscreen bore little to no resemblance to reality as presently constituted; I just didn't care. I went to see this movie with my wife (who is, to put it mildly, not a fan of dark or violent movies), and she may have summed up the experience of watching it the best when she said simply "I was never bored." That, ultimately, is the secret to Sin City's success: it's so gripping to watch that it's hard to care about anything else.

As everyone (and probably their brothers) knows by now, Sin City was filmed using real actors against a black-and-white CGI background with some touches of color added for dramatic effect. It may seem like a gimmick at first, but Sin City is all about bringing the viewer into a sort of parallel universe, so this unconventional device works perfectly. Sin City is a movie dealing with lives on the edge, and it conjures up a delightfully dark, grimy, and gritty atmosphere to go match the depravity of its subject matter. Weighty themes and over-the-top violence abound here, and it's only fitting that the movie's look and feel should be so uniformly haunting. Consisting of three tangentially related stories occurring out of sequence, Sin City brings the viewer into an underworld populated by thieves, murderers, hookers, and dirty cops, and the morality is viewed entirely in shades of grey. In the Basin City of the movie, where the good guys are bad and the bad guys are even worse, violence is often a virtue, or at the very least a prerequisite for survival. If there's one redeeming value to Sin City's cartoonish ultraviolence, it's that it's painfully clear that its recipients generally deserve it.

Anyway, if there's one theme running through all of these stories, it's that of redemption. The protagonist in each tale (Bruce Willis's Hartigan, Rourke's Marv, and Clive Owen's Dwight) is a most unlikely hero (although Hartigan is just a regular cop and therefore not exactly bad, whereas it's clear that Marv and Dwight are murderers), but each finds himself driven to acts of extreme courage and sacrifice in order to see justice done. Sin City portrays a kind of heroism not typically seen in movies (especially big-budget, sanitized Hollywood productions), one that comes from doing the right thing even when it's nowhere near being the easiest thing. Rourke's Marv is probably the most memorable character, a hulking thug with a highly overdeveloped sense of vengeance who managed to arouse some of my sympathy even as he cut a swath of unimaginable destruction through his enemies on his way to avenging a murdered prostitute. Out of the legions of other figures in the movie, the great Benicio Del Toro deserves some special mention as a comically malevolent crooked cop who won't shut up even after he meets his unfortunate end.

Now, although I've gone on too long already, I'd feel remiss if I didn't talk about Sin City's staggering violence quotient. Yes, this an extremely graphic movie, and much of the violence is downright disturbing to watch (Elijah Wood's character being cut up and fed to a wolf is a prominent example, even if much of the violence in that case was implied), but it's just as true that context is an important factor when considering just how offensive such bloodletting is. Now, for one thing, Sin City is meant to be a piece of escapist cinema, so nothing that takes place onscreen should be taken too seriously anyway. After all, no one got offended during the scene in Monty Python and the Holy Grail when King Arthur cut off the Black Knight's arms and legs; that scene was meant to be funny and it was. Perhaps more to the point, the violence here is so ludicrously over the top from the opening scene that it's hard to imagine any rational person getting too upset. You have to just go with it; if you're the kind of person who makes it a point to be huffy and offended all the time you shouldn't be seeing this movie anyway. 'Nuff said

The concept for this film started in the Comics revolution of the late 60's with incredible artists like Frank Frazetta, Jim Steranko, Neal Adams, and Barry Smith. They knew anatomy, and they used photographs to compose their backgrounds. Pre-Anime, the characters began to "almost" move off the pages. Frank Miller came along in 1978. He helped to inaugurate the adult graphics novels-larger formats, better paper, brighter inks-coupled to nudity and R-rated dialogue. Some of this has been around since the late 50's, but the new format was gathering speed and Miller was in the vanguard.

Miller's graphic novel's about SIN CITY contained art in panels that broke down like very detailed storyboards. When Robert Rodriguez decided to court Miller and sell him on the idea of converting the graphics to digital video-Miller loved it. Their partnership went so far as to have Rodriguez dropping out of the Director's Guild so that he might be permitted to put Frank Miller in the credits as co-director. Rodriguez created a B&W world where color was used sparingly-and for great effect. Blood was white-or bright red. Some eyes were blue. Some hair was blond. Pale green and pale blue showed up on classic cars.

Rodriguez assembled a powerhouse cast. Bruce Willis was first up, to boost the sales of the production and the star power. He was excellent in the film-beginning to appear very Noir-very Chandler and Hammett-a modern Bogart. Using CGI and live actors, Rodriguez was able to do most of the work in his homegrown studio in Texas. Miller created a world part pulp-novel, classic cars-and part hyper-violent martial arts and splatter film. Everybody smoked, many of them drove a ragtop-they could shoot guns with both hands simultaneously-and women, regardless of how far they had fallen-were still treated with respect. More than an adaptation of Millers comic book art-it is literally his artwork brought starkly to life. The effect is original, violent, sexy, existential-and very effective.

The film worked off three Miller "stories"-and the best of the three-THE BIG FAT KILL-starred Mickey Rourke. He can think of this film as his return to the big time. He is brilliant. His character, Marv, is perfectly fitted for this new genre-and his acting, and the action he precipitates-blows all the others in the film out of the water. This may be Rourke's finest performance. He has been a pro boxer, as well as actor-and he needed that physical prowess for this role.

Everyone in the film was impressive-with the likes of Clive Owen, Powers Boothe, Rutger Hauer, Nick Stahl, Benicio Del Toro, Elijah Wood, Michael Madsen, Josh Harnett, and Michael Clarke Duncan all making love, murdering, or slapping around women like Jessica Albo, Jamie King, Rosario Dawson, Carla Gugino, and Brittany Murphy. One critic wrote," This is a Mickey Spillane fever dream!"

There is a rumor that in the director's cut RR will include some deleted scenes that he shot to flush out all three of the Miller stories. It appears that a sequel is imminent-absolutely necessary. Most of us can't wait for the next installment-to cruise Old Town, prowl the Roark farm, beware of the warrior hookers, love the hot babes, dodge the bullets and swords and knives, and stare at those great cars.

Buy Sin City (Two-Disc Theatrical & Recut, Extended, and Unrated Versions) (2005) Now

I wish the rating scale went up to 10 stars because I'd enthusiastically give them all to Sin City. I've watched it a dozen times and am still blown away by the dialog and gritty throwback feeling it evokes of the old 30's and 40's hard-drinking, hard-fighting tough guys. It actually inspired me to sit down the night I saw it, and jot down the outline for a Film Noir type novel that's now moved to my front burner after completion of my third novel in my McCarthy Mystery series. I just hope I can write something half as compelling as Sin City.

The film makes no apology for the raw lust and violence and yet never falls into campy self-parody.

But it's the film-work, the use of light and shadow and especially color that really blows you away. Yellow for the corrupt, cowardly blood of the pederast villain. Masterful!

If you haven't seen Sin City, give your senses a treat and buy the DVD.

You won't be disappointed!

Read Best Reviews of Sin City (Two-Disc Theatrical & Recut, Extended, and Unrated Versions) (2005) Here

It is now official that Robert Rodriguez will be releasing a full, 2-disc special edition copy of Sin City in early December. It will feature the film (theatrical version and a version in which the three tales can be viewed separately)and a disc of bonus features (ten minute cooking school, ten minute film school, a few commentaries, trailers, poster gallery, and a load of featurettes).

So if your just looking for the theatrical version and nothing more, buy the featured DVD now. If your a fan, and want all of the nooks and crannies, I think you can hold out until late November or early December, trust me, it should be worth it.

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Sin City has finally come out on PSP, and my god it doesn't get better than this.

A few words about the movie This is, without a doubt, a MASTERPIECE of film-making, and definately live's up to the hype surrounding it's release.

Now that's said, let's get onto technical side of the UMD disc.

Video:

Sin City looks absolutley JAW DROPPING on PSP. Consistently sharp, contrasty as hell with solid "BLACK" blacks, no evidence of grain or compression artifacts, and no bleeding whatsoever...it's a SOLID performance from Mirimax/Dimension. The OAR is untouched, keeping it's original 1:85 ratio (with tiny little black bars at the top and bottom). Subtitles are large, displayed in yellow, and easily readable against the image. Overall, this is a faultless presentation.

Video: 5/5

Audio:

The sound on this baby packs quite a punch, and right from the word go you'll be pleasantly surprised. Make sure you crank this up to full volume, as it deserves this experience to be fully appreciated. Overall, a nice job boys.

Audio 4.5/5

Extras:

Now, this is the first UMD disc that i own, to spoil you with more than just your usual trailers. Like the DVD release, we get the gorgeous animated menus aswell as the 8 min "Behind-the-scenes" featurette, giving you a teaser of what we'll expect on the future Director's edition coming out.

Extras: 4/5

Overall this is, without question, the disc to own this season. And for under $20, there's no excuse not to buy. Fantastic Visuals, Excellent Audio, and great extras, this is the benchmark for future UMD releases. Get used to this kinda UMD treatment boys and girls.

Overall 5/5

-zallapo

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Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman (2013)

"Batman: The Mystery of the Batwoman" is the first new straight-to-DVD Batman animated project since "Batman Beyond: The Return of the Joker." It was worth the wait. Even if it doesn't match the manic, violent heights of "The Return of the Joker," it's a welcome, more lightweight adventure that's full of action and drama and also a very enjoyable mystery. There's a slew of villains: The Penguin, Bane, and gangser Rupert Thorne. And there's the fascinating new character of Batwoman herself, with her unique abilities and unusual arsenal of gadgets. It's also quite a sexy, steamy Batman story (but don't worry, parents, not THAT steamy), with a strong romantic subplot that gives Bruce Wayne plenty to do when he's not hunting through the night as Batman. Like all of the animated D.C. Comics projects to come out of Warner Bros. since the early 90s, it's enjoyable, smart entertainment for both children and adults. If it doesn't quite attain the level of some of the previous Batman animated adventures, it nonetheless delivers a fun, exciting time in Gotham city.

Directed by Kurt Geda (who also directed "Return of the Joker") and Tim Maltby, and written by frequent writers of the various D.C. TV shows, Michael Reaves and Alan Burnett, the movie takes us back to the days of "The New Batman Adventures" (which means the look and style of the movie matches the more stylized look of the last few seasons of the show). Batman and Robin (the younger Tim Drake version of Robin) are still together fighting crime, but Batgirl has left Gotham City to go to college (no mention is made of Nightwing, the former Robin). But a new vigilante has suddenly appeared in Gotham: Batwoman (voice of Kyra Sedgewick), who wields bizarre technology and seems to have a grudge against the Penguin and Rupert Thorne's weapons-dealing operation. Batman sets out to find out the truth behind Batwoman and also stop the Penguin, Thorne, and their cronies.

There are plenty of suspects who could be beneath Batwoman's mask: scientist Roxanne "Roxy" Ballantine (voice of Kelly Ripa), mobster Carlton Duquesne's beautiful daughter Kathy (voice of Kimberly Brooks, although the character is clearly modeled on Halle Berry), and police detective Sonia Alcana (voice of Elisa Pensler-Gabrielli). Each one, Batman discovers, has a reason for revenge against the Penguin or Rupert Thorne. Things become more complicated when Bruce Wayne becomes romantically involved with Kathy Duquesne.

The animation is, as usual, fantastic. It's limited by budget, but nonetheless is far ahead of most of what appears on television, and the animators use the minimalist, art-deco look to great advantage. The set-pieces are stunning: Penguin's icy-night club, the truck chase action opening, Batwoman's hyper-kinetic fight with Penguin's female goons, the cruise boat slam-bang finale, and a beautiful sunset romance scene. It's sequences like these that make me wish Warner Bros. would give the animated Batman another shot at the movie theaters. (Only "Mask of the Phantasm" has shown up on movie screens.) The voice work is impeccable: Kevin Conroy is always a terrific Batman, Efrem Zimbalist Jr. is still the perfect Alfred, and Hector Elizondo has fun with villain Bane. All the various female actresses mentioned above do great jobs with their characters. The only disconcerting casting choice is David Ogden-Stiers (a frequent voice-over artist) as the Penguin. He gives a good performance, but it's hard to better Paul Williams in the role, who had played the character throughout the TV series. The jazz-oriented score is also a nice change and adds to the steamier and mysterious aspects of the story.

The DVD contains a number of extras, but the best is a short animated film called "Chase Me." It is done completely in pantomime -no dialogue -as Batman chases Catwoman across Gotham City after she robs a jewelry safe at a ritzy party. It's a stunning piece of animation, and if it had been released in theaters would probably have easily snatched up the Oscar for Best Animated Short. It's one of the best explorations of the strange Batman-Catwoman-Bruce Wayne-Selina Kyle relationship, and the jazz score is hypnotic. It's a great bonus feature to have along with this extremely enjoyable Batman film. Buy this DVD! It will encourage more animated Batman features in the future, and maybe, just maybe, get one of them released to the theaters!

First of all, I think it's unfair to compare this animated movie to the works of Paul Dini and Bruce Timm. They are long gone on other series and this was an attempt to take a new turn of the head in the series. And it succeeds. Certainly, don't want to discourage WB from making more of these movies because I love them a lot.

From a story point of view the plot is obvious. Who is Batwoman? The answer will astound you. I can't say I saw it coming or thought it was the most original thing to do but it was executed perfectly nonetheless. I'm not sure if I'm too fond of the new animation style however, it seems to lack detail where detail is called for and there is an abscence of shadows which gives Batman its dark feel but as I said they're trying to take a new direction.

Probably the thing I hate the MOST has to do nothing with the movie but with the franchise itself. You'd think that they'd actually have Batwoman stay once the mystery is solved but instead she is gone like all the other new characters in short, nothings changed AT ALL and it slowly degrades itself because of its reptitiveness. They should introduce some permanent change that encourages fans to stay interested in the series.

So why 5 stars? Well, the special features were great but watch them last or there won't be any mystery. Also I do like the fact that they are trying to show a lighter side of Bruce and the simple fact that they did make another moive. The script is good, the acting even better. To me it was certainly better than Sub Zero for here the viewer is actually drawn into a mystery rather than an adventure.

Bottom line, its a worthy buy. I recommend anyone to buy it or at least see it for its entertainment value. And a note to WB executives if they happen to read this: make the next movie longer than 75 min.

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Mystery of the Batwoman is a decidedly average Batman story. It doesn't come close to the writing triumphs of some of the Batman TAS episodes or even the preceding feature-length ones. The jazzy, laid-back music is completely inappropriate and takes a good deal away from many scenes. The art is clean, crisp, and fluid, but not anything like Sub-Zero's top-of-the-line pre-TNBA art (which honestly is the best Batman has ever looked). Of course, the greatest strength (and saving grace) of the film is the awesome voice acting. Kevin Conroy is still a completely believable Batman, and Efrem Zimbalist, Jr.'s Alfred is as witty as ever.

This film strays from the dark, moody feel of the Batman cartoon, which is a BAD thing, but it does make up for it a bit with a good deal of humor. There is a "Batman breaking-and-entering to investigate" scene that is absolutely hilarious if you understand it.

Finally, I don't want to spoil anything, but I will say that there is a villain in the movie that we all love and is worth watching the film for. I won't say who it is.

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Mystery of the Batwoman has made quite a bad reputation for itself since its release a decade ago. I'm not really sure why, or if it deserves the fanboy hate, but one thing is for sure it killed the Bruce Timm/Alan Burnett Batman continuity that began with the TV series back in 1992. Kevin Conroy has returned as Batman in a few video games but there has been no proper Batman animated movie since this one (unless you count Public Enemies, where he shares half of the screen time with Superman).

The Penguin is in the midst of setting up an arms deal with Carton Duquesne, Rupert Thorne, and Bane when the sudden appearance of a new crime-fighter in the shape of Batwoman causes them all sorts of grief. Not taking kindly to his image being tainted by an unaffiliated vigilante Batman sets out to discover who she really is.

It's a decent plot, but never feels moody or atmospheric. The gothic pathos of the animated Batman entries that fans are familiar with is strangely absent/muted. However there are some good action scenes and a nice twist half-way through that might seem a little redundant on repeat viewings. The animosity it has gathered since 2003 is a little hard to justify, it's still better than Sub-Zero.

The Blu-ray is a marginal disappointment. It IS a great improvement over the DVD, featuring the movie in the correct 1.78:1 aspect ratio instead of 1.33:1. The picture balance looks much better and the colors frequently pop, but there is a very strange blurriness to a number shots which feature fuzzy, jagged black outlines. It is very odd, like they zoomed-in on the original print and lost resolution as a result. It might be a fault of the animation and not the Blu-ray transfer, though if you are annoyed by such things it will lessen the overall quality of the Blu-ray for you. The 1080p transfer would otherwise be impressive if it were not marred by this unusual anomaly. The DTS HD-MA audio fares much better and sounds great. The extras have been simply ported from the old DVD and dumped with no re-mastering. Even the ads, trailers, and 'Chase Me' short are in nasty standard definition.

Warner could have improved the presentation a bit, and with this exception of the aforementioned picture deficiencies it is a good upgrade on the DVD.

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The climax and eventual end of the original series ends with this movie. Watching the cartoon series chronologically, this one should be watched last. It's a good story but I'm sad to see it end on this movie. They could have gone so much farther than by stopping here. Still a great movie however.

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The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012)

Every now and then, you come across a film where everything was done just right. The Perks of Being a Wallflower is one of those films. Directed by Stephen Chbosky, who wrote the screenplay as well as the popular young-adult novel of the same name from which it was adapted, The Perks of Being a Wallflower seems to hit every note just right, capturing all of the tumult and the extreme highs and lows of adolescence as experienced by a group of friends in high school in Pittsburgh back in the early 1990's.

(*** Note: this review contains what some people feel to be spoilers, so if you're sensitive to such things, please stop reading now and just take my word that this is really well-done, enjoyable film and is well worth going out of your way to find and see. ***)

The film begins with 14-year-old Charlie (Logan Lerman) writing a letter to an anonymous "Dear Friend" about his nervousness about starting his first year in high school. He writes because he doesn't feel he can talk to his parents or his siblings about his anxieties, nor does he seem to have any real friends he can confide in, for reasons that are initially only hinted at in the internal narrative of his letters.

Charlie's anxieties prove to be well-founded as he finds himself isolated in his first few days at school, dodging upperclass jocks looking to harass new freshmen, torn between just wanting to be left alone and yet not wanting to feel alone. The only friend he makes his first day turns out to be his English teacher, Mr. Anderson (Paul Rudd), who notices Charlie writing down correct answers to questions he asks of the class but not holding up his hand to be called on. Sensing Charlie's reluctance to be noticed, Anderson reaches out to him, "You know they say if you make one friend on your first day you'll do good." To which Charlie glumly responds "If my English teacher is the only friend I make today, that'll be sorta depressing."

In spite of his tendency to withdraw from everyone, Charlie finds himself unexpectedly drawn into the orbit of an ultra-extroverted and over-the-top flamboyant senior named Patrick (Ezra Miller), who happens to be the only senior in his freshman shop class as well as a major source of annoyance to the shop teacher, Mr. Callahan (Tom Savini yes, for those who recognize the name, it's that Tom Savini). At the school's first football game, Charlie spots Patrick up in the bleachers and ventures up, hoping Patrick will invite him to sit with him, which Patrick cheerfully does. They are soon joined by another senior, a quirky but friendly girl named Sam (Emma Watson), to whom Patrick introduces Charlie and with whom Charlie is immediately encrushed. After the game, Patrick and Sam invite Charlie along to grab something to eat. The two seem so close to each other that Charlie mistakes them for being boyfriend and girlfriend. They laughingly correct him and tell him that they're actually step-siblings who found that they just get along really well-together, always liking the same music and always having each other's backs.

Gradually, Charlie is befriended by Patrick and Sam. At the homecoming dance, to which Charlie goes alone, he ends up dancing with Patrick and Sam, who then drag Charlie along with them to a party where he meets the rest of their circle: Bob (Adam Hagenbuch), an amiable stoner; Mary Elizabeth (Mae Whitman), who's bossy and opinionated; and Alice (Erin Wilhelmi), a proto-goth who's into film. At the party, Charlie unknowingly has his first hash-brownie, which causes him to loosen up to the point of sharing his observations on what he thinks of high school so far, which both amuses and impresses the others. He also later divulges privately to Sam that he hasn't been close to anyone since his best friend committed suicide the year before. Learning this, Patrick and Sam decide on the spot to bring Charlie into their circle of friends, with Patrick making it official by quipping "Welcome to the island of misfit toys."

As Charlie gets to know Patrick and Sam and their circle, he leans that all of them have their own set of individual issues they have to cope with. Patrick is fairly openly gay, but his boyfriend Brad (Johnny Simmons), one of the school's star football players, is very much in the closet and so they have to pretend to not really know each other in school. Sam, whom Charlie only sees as beautiful, smart and talented, has low self-esteem and always settles for guys, like her current boyfriend Craig (Reese Thompson), who always treat her badly. A problem shared by Charlie's sister, Candace (Nina Dobrev), whom Charlie sees being abused by her boyfriend. At one point, when Sam asks Charlie "Why do I and everyone I love pick people who treat us like we're nothing?" he repeats what his English teacher told him when he asked him the same question: "We accept the love we think we deserve." But when Charlie says it to Sam, he is finally beginning to understand what it means.

Chbosky does a fine job of touching on moments that almost everyone can relate to from their own high school experience. The intensity and fragility of adolescent relationships. The way you can sometimes find yourself in a relationship with someone you don't want to be involved with but don't know how to get out of, even as the person you really want to be with is in a relationship with someone else. And how formative moments can suddenly come in the most unexpected circumstances. Like when Patrick and Sam are driving Charlie home after the party and Sam, hearing a song on the radio that she immediately likes, demands that Patrick take the tunnel, where she cranks up the volume and then stands up in the back of the pickup and sways like she's dancing to the music as the tunnel lights flash by overhead. The image is simple and yet entrancing, and we, with Charlie, find ourselves falling in love with her.

Other moments are also well captured. Like when Charlie unexpectedly gets drafted to be the substitute Rocky in the group's live-cast act at the midnight showing of The Rocky Horror Picture Show and suddenly finds himself nearly naked in gold lame hot pants in a theater full of people, doing the "Toucha-Toucha-Touch Me!" number with Sam's bodiced-and-boaed Janet. Another moment occurs at a party where Charlie his friends are playing truth-or-dare, when Charlie takes a dare and in an unwitting but truly honest moment commits an enormous faux pas, leaving him suddenly shunned by the entire group just as he was beginning to feel like he wasn't alone. And yet another moment reunites Charlie with the group when he comes to Patrick's rescue during a fight in the cafeteria with a ferocity that takes everyone aback a moment that for all its heroic nature also hints at Charlie's deeper problems. Problems that ultimately come to a crisis point when graduation comes and Charlie has to watch as his senior friends leave and he finds himself alone once again. It is to Chbosky's enormous credit that he avoids the usual Hollywood teen-movie approach and treats these situations much as they really are complicated, with no easy answers, and with wisdom often coming painfully and with a cost.

The young cast are all excellent in their roles, with standout performances by Lerman, Miller and Watson. Logan Lerman's Charlie is a complex mix, perceptive and yet naïve, a loner who finds loneliness unbearable, a friend who feels his friends deserve better than they get but cannot bring himself to feel that he does too. He can rise fiercely to the occasion when his friends are threatened but is as fragile as glass when the secrets he carries buried deep inside threaten to overwhelm him. Ezra Miller's Patrick is charmingly rendered, a character who uses his flamboyance to mask his frustrations and sometimes despair at the unfairness of life, only letting a very few, like Sam and eventually Charlie, inside his protective front. And Emma Watson's Sam is a bravura turn as a girl who comes to life among her friends but whose self-esteem withers when it comes to believing she has anything like a future waiting for her or that she can do better in her choices of boyfriends. All three are acting veterans Lerman (Percy Jackson & the Olympians), Miller (We Need to Talk about Kevin), and Watson (the Harry Potter films) but I think The Perks of Being a Wallflower will be a break-out film for all of them. Particularly for Emma Watson, who proves once and for all that she can be a lot more than just Hermione Granger.

But if the actors are extraordinary in their performances, credit must also be given to the heartfelt dialogue Chbosky's novel and screenplay provides them to work with. All are given wonderfully individual voices, but Charlie, as the would-be writer and ever observant `wallflower' among them, is the one ultimately speaks for all of them with an achingly earnest lyrical poetry, as he does at the end when once again he's with Patrick and Sam, driving through the tunnel and listening to the song they'd heard earlier, except that it is now Charlie who is standing in the back and swaying with the lights passing overhead:

"I know these will all be stories someday. And our pictures will become old photographs. We'll all become somebody's mom or dad. But right now these moments are not stories. This is happening, I am here and I am looking at her. And she is so beautiful. I can see it. This one moment when you know you're not a sad story. You are alive, and you stand up and see the lights on the buildings and everything that makes you wonder. And you're listening to that song and that drive with the people you love most in this world. And in this moment I swear, we are infinite."

Highly, highly recommended.

When I think of this movie, I think about perfection. Everything about it is spot on. The acting, the directing, the music, the story, everything. Had their not been so much focus on Argo, Lincoln, Zero Dark, and Les Mis, this movie would have won many awards.

The story keeps you guessing and is anything but predictable. There are several things hidden from you as the plot unfolds and right away the mind gets busy trying to figure everything out.

You feel very involved when watching Charlie's freshman year in high school progress. You root for him and are riding on his emotions, but you are also trying to understand who exactly he is.

Without spoiling anything, the basis goes like this: Charlie's best friend shot himself the summer before Charlie goes to high school. As a result, he enters high school as a loner and outcast, and has to try to get through the year with as little resistance as he can. Luckily he starts to make friends and you are brought into their lives with Charlie.

Many moral issues surface along the way. Not directly, but they are happening. With so much going on to the different characters, you are bound to be sucked in by this movie. One of the story lines will grab your heart and you will enjoy it. My sister doesn't even like movies, but we forced he to watch this and she loved it. We all did.

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I am 74 years old. The world is different now; there are more risks and more choices than when I was 15, but this movie reminded me of what it felt like to be 15 and 16 in 1954 and 1955. In those days homework was accompanied by radio with Rock and Roll music thanks to Alan Fried, Ranger hockey against Maurice Richard, and Gene Shepard,the best story teller of all time. Most of us had after school jobs which gave us enough spending money to begin making choices independent of our parents, and every day we left home and entered the world alone, with very little confidence but with the hope that everything was going to work out. Watching Charlie going through his day, observing the antics of his friends and trying to make sense of it all, brought tears to my eyes. The beauty of the movie is that it captures the universal experience of adolescence, and fortunately, as difficult as the experience may be, just like Charlie, most of us make it through.

Read Best Reviews of The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012) Here

I just returned home from watching this film. I thoroughly loved it. If you are a child of the 1980s and enjoyed John Hughes films, you will love this movie. Take the best things about the 80s: making mix tapes for people you like, going to dances, having your first crushes, dealing with insecurities and shyness, knowing deep secrets about the popular people in school, but then combine all of the dramatic scenes with very powerful performances, and you have a film that is just a great watch and will make you experience every emotion. I laughed, teared up, felt sadness, and felt exuberance all in 1 hour and 42 minutes. I will see again, and I am definitely going to add to my video library. I'm also thinking about reading the book. If I were an Academy member, I would vote for this film for Best Picture before I would "Lincoln." I'm dead serious!

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"Welcome to the island of misfit toys." Charlie (Lerman) is a very very shy boy just starting his freshman year in high school. From his first day he counts down the days till he graduates. He meets two seniors Sam (Watson) and Patrick who help him adjust. There are few movies that can suck you in in the first minute. This is one of them. This is a movie that has a character that everyone can relate to, which is very rare these days. There are also movies that are so good that words can not express how good they are. This is also one of those. I honestly can not express how great this movie is and can not recommend this highly enough. I was actually fighting back tears almost the entire time (I almost made it) and for me saying that about a non-sports movie that is saying a lot. I really have nothing else to say except this is an absolute must see movie. Overall, WOW...just WOW. I give this an A+.

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Diary of a Chambermaid (1946)

A mystery to audiences because its equivocal moralism when it premiered in 1946, "The Diary of a Chambermaid" is now considered one of Jean Renoir's key works for unlocking his contemplation of the many facets of human nature. This film is a faithful adaptation of the spirit of Octave Mirbeau's novel, exhibiting decidedly French sensibilities because of its expatriate director, cinematographer (Lucien Andriot) and composer (Michel Michelet). For that matter the novel had been a play written by Andre Heuse, Andre de Lorde and Thielly Nores, although actor Burgess Meredith had a hand in writing the screenplay.

This film is most reminiscent of his examination of the dark, sinister and ugly side of life as in "La Bete Humaine" and "La Chienne," that manages to be both a social satire and a perverse tragedy. Renoir's moralistic tone comes through, even with the surface levity of the characters, portrayed by an international cast. Celestine (Paulette Goddard) the chambermaid has a new job in the country estate of the Lanlaires (Reginald Owen and Judith Anderson), where she hopes to use her beauty to seduce a wealthy man. Three men from three different social classes with three different perspectives on the world vie for her attention: Young Georges Lanlaire (Reginald), who has come back home; one of the neighbors, the ex-officer Captain Mauger (Burgess Meredith); and the Lanlaires' depraved valet Joseph (Francis Lederer in the film's most memorable performance).

"The Diary of a Chambermaid" is filled with disquieting moments, such as when Mauger crushes his pet squirrel to death or Joseph kills a goose with a long needle, while Madame Lanlaire frets possessively over the family silver. Meanwhile, Celestine's doomed love life continues on the path to degradation. This is clearly the best of Renoir's efforts in America, although it does benefit from being considered in context with the larger body of his work. Final Note: look for Irene "Granny" Ryan as fairly young "Louise."

A much-praised and criticised film. Goddard is an enterprising young chambermaid who wants nothing more than to wed a rich man. As love would have it, a penniless valet becomes enamoured of her; he tries to win her the only way he can....France's great director, Jean Renoir (son of the immortal impressionist painter Augustus) was known for his realism in his French films. This picture, however, done during the director's Hollywood years reeks of artificiality. Upon its release in 1946, it met with disapproval with the studio system, and it was shunned by his French patrons. Perhaps egotistically, but most likely, they insisted that his best work was done in France, which is probably true. However, Renoir was unique and his humanism and morality breaks through here; a brilliantly oddball film which blends the serious and the comic. Francis Lederer is menacing as Joseph, Burgess Merideth is amusing as the eccentric Captain Mauger and Irene "Granny" Ryan has a memorable cameo as Louise, the timid maid.

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From Paris with Love (2010)

From Paris With Love was an entertaining ride, with plenty of "edge of your seat" moments, humor, and lots of action. The plot kept twisting and turning, bringing one surprise after the other, which made it really interesting. Travolta was dynamic, fun and believable as a seemingly crazy but very able operative/spy. Jonathan Rhys Meyers was excellent in the role of the newbie operative who was fairly innocent and very inexperienced, but still smart. It was a far cry from the authority and power he exudes as King Henry in the Tudors series, which means to me that he's a capable actor.

There were short periods when the movie seemed to lag a bit, though once things got going, the exciting parts more than made up for anything less than exciting. There was a lot of killing going on with plenty of blood, but despite this, none of it was very graphic or terribly disturbing. Regardless, this is not a movie I'd bring the kids to. It's definitely an adult flick for a mature audience.

I'd recommend this movie for those who enjoy action or spy thrillers. I think it would even be a DVD worth owning.

I confess right here, right now that I loved "From Paris With Love"! John Travolta is the reason why!

For the sake of simplicity, here are my reasons:

1. After the initial, necessarily slow set-up to establish back story with Jonathan Rhys Meyers' character, the action is non-stop!

2. John Travolta! He plays a commando-type sent on secret mission assignments and allowed to act without protocol! He is the reason for the action.

3. Jonathan Rhys Meyers is the spy wannabe, the complete opposite to Travolta--refined, debonair, rule follower, diplomatic assistant.

4. Weapons in cans!

5. Fighting scenes! In fact, these scenes remind me of Matt Damon's films. There's a big difference though: Matt Damon's fights are carefully choreographed with the entire fight (seemingly) shown, whereas Travolta's are shown in snippets. Why? Because John Travolta is too old and over-sized to actually fight. Note: These snippets are in my plus column. Even though he is not actually fighting, the illusion is there (for those who want to see fight scenes) that this old guy is really capable of defeating so many opponents.

6. Bad guys (drug dealers, pimps, and terrorists) are no match for Travolta's character at any time! Hero played Large! (Hero from my point of view as American, potential-victim-of-terrorism, along with delegations from all over the world)

7. The unsuspected terrorist agent!

8. Watching the diplomatic assistant gradually become spy worthy.

10. An action-oriented Big Play Hero who also plays chess!

What I didn't like about the movie:

1.

What a great summer movie, exactly one kind of summer hits: fun, engaging, entertaining, action-filled (nonstop), heroic-but-unconventional characters, violence so unbelievable that the viewer knows it is not real but pretends it is for this movie, and satisfying ending. (Oh, the other kind? Romantic and tame!)

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FROM PARIS WITH LOVE is not without merit because it does have the gift of a great performance by John Travolta who can play Edna in HAIRSPRAY and turn around and play bad mouthed, gonna put a hole in ya' Charlie Wax in FROM PARIS WITH LOVE. It also has constant action, and if you like that sort of thing then you'll be rewarded with a movie that holds your interest.

Yet, when its over, you won't need to watch it again, because it isn't that kind of movie. You can't help but think throughout the movie, that some scenes were missing. Either that or Luc Besson scraped the typical plot of most action movies and decided to focus his screenplay on a subplot.

While the movie is about stopping terrorism, most of the movie is about the relationship between Charlie Wax (Travolta) & James Reece (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) & whether or not Reece has it in him to kill. Also, most of the movie is taken up by chasing down a drug ring. Eventually, toward the end of the movie, we discover the true reason why we're watching. A terrorist target.

The movie is 90 minutes of mayhem, bullets and Travolta putting holes in people or just finding creative ways to send people to the hereafter. If you're looking for a story, it is vague and you can't help but wander that Luc Besson intended that. Yet, because of that, it's a movie that is and will be easily forgotten.

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"From Paris with Love" with J.T and J.R.M. is fantastically sophisticated for a fictional spy movie. Finally, a fun, funny, flamboyant and fictionally factual movie where the terrorist bad guys aren't white but the heroes and the white girl (played by Kasia Smutniak) isn't rescued but is a liberal sympathizer for...Islamic terrorists. Oops exposed a plot twist. Now; the only reason I wrote the ethnic thing is because I've read a lot of comments from people who found the movie offensive, down talked it, and gave it one star was because they didn't like that non-white ethnicity were being presented as the bad guys (except for the confused French girl) and getting killed...plus the white male American Ambassador wasn't somehow corrupt and evil while the white female political American dignitary was portrayed as being stupid and arrogant. Boo-hoo. A lot of us are getting tired of Hollywood's typical politically correct social engineering game in movies and not trying to offend anyone except the usual suspects in the current terrorist environment. "From Paris with Love" is a fresh change of pace in contemporary Spy movie making ~ distinct as the "Bourne Identity" series (of which I really enjoyed even though that 3 movie series was far fetch fun fiction). I can't wait for the next installment..."From Bahrain with...

I also really liked watching Spies, Spooks and Special Ops: Life Under Cover in the Special Features of this DVD and listening to former CIA agents speak about their personal experiences and the realities of the Spy war and how dangerous the current counter Islamic terrorism fight is. And just because Bin Laden is dead...thank God, doesn't mean its over and mission complete.

Oh and by the way, there is no logical argument in Islamophobic or Islamophobia just like there is no logical argument for atheists to be Godophobic or have a Godphobia...or is there.

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Travolta MAKES this movie work as an absolute WILD RIDE & I LOVED IT!! Too many spy thrillers and even action flicks get so hung up on "the story" nowadays that you end up missing out on most of the FUN and just going, "Huh???" in the end (e.g. the first Mission Impossible). But don't worry...Except for an anemic first 15 minutes that seemed like it would never end, this movie doesn't simply stop periodically and try and TELL a story. Instead, the convoluted but interesting story DEVELOPS as the movie just shifts into high-gear and keeps moving at break-neck speed with jaw-dropping action alternating with over-the-top humor! It works so well because Travolta plays an off-the-chain near super hero spy with Jonathan Rhys Meyers playing the "straight guy" who also happens to be the wannabe super spy. And become a super spy he does on Travolta's Fast Track Plan!!

There's bodies piling up by the dozens wherever these guys go, a car chase that rivals anything you've ever seen in The Transporter series and gunfights/explosions galore. The tongue-in-cheek humor prevalent throughout the film shows that it never takes itself too seriously. For example, in one scene, Travolta tells his partner to stay a floor down while he goes up a spiral staircase after the bad guys. Every few seconds you hear a couple of muffled silencer shots and the bad guys literally start falling from the sky! Just brilliant and hilarious film-making!! Now, don't laugh too hard...But From Paris With Love reminds me quite a bit of Live Free or Die Hard. There are more than a few similarities: super hero-type playing off an inexperienced newbie; a bald Travolta and a bald Bruce Willis; both duos hunt down terrorists; special effects that look both real and unreal at the same time. But unlike Willis and his ever-present bloody shirt, Travolta's character never gets a scratch. I'm also impressed that he did so many of the stunts in this flick and didn't end up in the hospital! He moves around pretty well for a guy his age...

There's a Special Feature on the DVD where former real spies claim there really are Special Ops guys like Travolta's character in the real world! Too bad there isn't a reality show that follows them around...In fact, this is EXACTLY the kind of movie I wish someone would turn into a weekly TV series! I'd watch it every week...

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Harry Potter Blu-Ray Double Feature Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and Harry Potter and

I love The Harry Potter movies & wanted them all in Blu-Ray...the only thing about these doubles...it will go to hearing impaired for no reasona an then cannot get it off of it...Plus there are no previews..the movie just starts...if stop it, does not save your place.....so I am disappointed in this version..

A Hollis Frampton Odyssey (The Criterion Collection) (1979)

Many Criterion Collection fans have wondered when the company would release more anthology collections featuring avante-garde filmmakers.

We have seen the release of films by Stan Brakhage via two anthology volumes on Blu-ray but yet, fans have hoped to see an anthology or special release showcasing the work of Maya Deren, Kenneth Anger, Ernie Gehr, Andy Warhol, Marie Menken, Pat O'Neill and Hollis Frampton, to name a few.

With the support from those who enjoyed the "Stan Brakhage Anthology" release, Criterion Collection has chosen some of the best work of avante-garde filmmaker Hollis Frampton, in order to help introduce Frampton's oeuvre to curious cineaste but also please a following who have wanted to see a more thorough collection of his hard-to-find films.

Hollis Frampton is one of the most unique and talented filmmakers, especially when you follow his career as a student at Harvard University and Western Reserve University who was looked at by his peers as a genius but at the same time, he was also the type that walked the beat of his own drum and while taking a lot of classes that he wanted to take, he never graduated.

But it's the third of learning of art that inspired Frampton. From his friendship with painters Frank Stella, sculptor Carl Andre to developing a correspondence with modernist poet Ezra Pound, Frampton would take an interest in photography documenting Carl Andre's work.

And with his pursuit of creativity, Frampton would explore his ideas through filmmaking and showcasing his experimental use of film, audio and also digital art through the use of computers during that time of his life.

While creating a plethora of films, some to have been shown in museums and galleries, the film that he is best known for is his 1970 experimental film "Zorns Lemma" but like a painting, many have had their own take and perspective of Frampton's work. He would later follow up with the Hapax Legomena films and many more that would follow, including what would have hoped to be his magnum opus, the Magellan films.

But unfortunately, Hollis Frampton's life was cut short at the age of 48 due to lung cancer and for many avante-garde and fans of Frampton's work, his ultimate project "Magellan" would never be completed. Yet, Frampton still leaves behind a body of work that is celebrated to this day.

"A Hollis Frampton Odyssey" features the following 24 films which were selected by film preservationist Bill Brand and Frampton scholars Bruce Jenkins and Michael Zryd, in consultation with Frampton's former partner, Marion Faller:

EARLY FILMS

Hollis Frampton's most successful film "Zorns Lemma" (1970) is included.

Manual of Arms (1966 * 17 minutes, 10 seconds * Black & White * Silent)

Process Red (1966 * 3 minutes, 37 seconds * Color * Silent)

Maxwell's Demon (1968 * 3 minutes, 44 seconds * Color * Mono)

Surface Tension (1968 * 9 minutes, 30 seconds * Color * Mono)

Carrots & Peas (1969 * 5 minutes, 21 seconds * Color * Mono)

Lemon (1969 * 7 minutes, 17 seconds * Color * Silent)

Zorns Lemma (1970 * 59 minutes, 51 seconds * Color * Mono)

FILMS FROM HAPAX LEGOMENA

Within Frampton's oeuvre, "Hapax Legomena" is the only multi-part set of films that was completed.

(nostalgia) (1971 * 36 minutes, 7 seconds * Black & White * Mono)

Poetic Justice (1972 * 31 minutes, 28 seconds * Black & White * Silent)

Critical Mass (1971 * 25 minutes, 11 seconds * Black & White * Mono)

FILMS FROM MAGELLAN

Hollis Frampton began working on his "Magellan" movie back in 1972 and would continue to work on it until his death in 1984.

The goal for Frampton was to create a film that was 36-hours long and it would be shown for 369 days (369 because the first two days of the cycle overlaps the last two days of the preceding calendar year and the last two days of the cycle overlaps the first two days of the following calendar year, source: Brian Henderson "Propositions for the Exploration of Frampton's Magellan", note: You will also see the figure of 371 days used.). At the time of his death, Frampton had completed around 7-8 hours.

The schedule was planned around Ferdinand Magellan's annotated calendar and the film would feature 1,000 films, divided into 24 sections, some films would allow for a few minutes of screenings while longer works would be featured during equinoxes, solstices and other specialized dates.

The Birth of Magellan

The Birth of Magellan: Cadenza I (1977-1980 * 5 minutes, 41 seconds * Color * Mono)

Straits of Magellan

Pans 0-4 and 697-700 (1969-74 * 1-minute each * Color * Silent)

INGENIVM NOBIS IPSA PVELLA FECIT, Part I (1975 * 4 minutes, 48 seconds * Color * Silent)

Magellan: At the Gates of Death, Part I: The Red Gate 1, 0 (1976 * 5 minutes, 10 seconds * Color * Silent)

Winter Solstice (1974 * 32 minutes, 36 seconds * Color * Silent)

The Death of Magellan

Gloria! (1979 * 9 minutes, 36 seconds * Color * Mono)

VIDEO:

"A Hollis Frampton Odyssey The Criterion Collection #607" is presented in Black and White and color. And because a lot of these films were low-budget and experimental, quality varies for many of the films featured in this collection.

According to the Criterion Collection, the films are presented in their original aspect ration of 1:33:1. These new high-definition digital transfers were created on a Spirit 2K Datacine from original 16 mm A/B/C/D rolls, internegatives and prints.

"Critical Mass", "Gloria!", "Lemon", "(nostalgia)", "Poetic Justice" and "Zorns Lemma" preservation film elements courtesy of Anthology Film Archives, New York.

"INGENIVM NOBIS IPSA PVELLA FECIT, Part I; Less; Process Red; The Birth of Magellan: Cadenza I" and" Winter Solstice" film elements courtesy of the Film-Makers' Cooperative, New York.

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

"A Hollis Frampton Odyssey The Criterion Collection #607' showcases films that are silent or have audio.

According to the Criterion Collection, the original monaural soundtracks were remastered at 24-bit from original optical and magnetic tracks. Clicks, thumps, hiss and hum were manually removed using Pro Tools HD. Crackle was attenuated using AudioCube's integrated workstation.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

"A Hollis Frampton Odyssey The Criterion Collection #607' on Blu-ray comes with the following special features:

Hollis Frampton Interview (20:08) 1978 interview by Adele Fried for the Video Data Bank at the School of Art Institute of Chicago.

A Lecture (23:04) A lecture given by Hollis Frampton on October 30, 1968 at a college in NYC.

By Any Other Name Featuring a gallery of artwork by Hollis Frampton.

Please note that the following narration or commentary is also included for the following films:

Remarks by Frampton (Maxwell's Demon) (2:48)

Remarks by Frampton (Surface Tension) (:54)

Commentary 1977 Interview for TV series "Screening Room with Robert Gardner" (Lemon) (7:17)

Remarks by Frampton (Zorns Lema) (5:58)

Remarks by Frampton (Films for Hapax Legomis) (2:32)

Remarks by Frampton (nostalgia) (2:56)

Remarks by Frampton (Poetic Justice) (2:47)

Remarks by Frampton (Critical Mass) (4:12)

Remarks by Frampton (Films for Magellan) (2:17)

EXTRAS:

"A Hollis Frampton Odyssey The Criterion Collection #607' comes with a 46-page booklet with the following essays: "Nostalgia for an Age Yet to Come" by Ed Halter (critic and curator), "Early Films" by Bruce Jenkins (writer and media historian), "Zorns Lemma" by Bruce Jenkins (writer and media historian), "Hapax Legomena" by Ken Eisenstein (writing his dissertation on Hollis Frampton in the Department of Cinema and Media Studies at the University of Chicago), "Magellan" by Michael Zryd (teaches cinema and media studies in the Department of Film at York University in Toronto) and "Notes on Preserving and Presenting the Films of Hollis Frampton" by Bil Brand (owner-operator of BB Optics, which specializes in the preservation of films by artists).

JUDGMENT CALL:

"A Hollis Frampton Odyssey" is a fascinating collection of works from the avant-garde filmmaker Hollis Frampton. Intellectual, witty and creative, there was no doubt that there was no limit to the creativity of Frampton's work and perhaps the work on "The Magellan Films" would have been his magnum opus if he did not die from cancer.

But I do know that for years, there have been a group of Criterion Collection fans who absolutely adored the release of the "By Brakhage Anthology" and many have been clamoring for a release of may it be Maya Deren, Andy Warhol, Kenneth Anger and Hollis Frampton, to name a few.

And fortunately, the Criterion Collection will be bringing out 24 of his films on Blu-ray and DVD titled "A Hollis Frampton Odyssey".

First, it's important to note that "A Hollis Frampton Odyssey" and its films are not as easily reviewable for the public because it's subjective. What I find fascinating, it would be a disservice to say that these films are easily accessible especially those who are expecting films that they hope they can understand.

In fact, the beauty of Frampton's work is that even if you look online, everyone including those who research Frampton's work have their own perspective of what they think the film is about. The good news is that there are "remarks by Hollis Frampton" giving insight to why he made the film. But Frampton is not the type to tell people what the film is about, he can tell why and for what purpose but not how one should react to it.

Starting off with the "Early Films", "Manual of Arms" is a black and white, gritty silent film as we see images of Frampton's friends with various sources of lighting. Then we see one smoking, one cutting his nails, one sitting down and fascinating editing of back-and-forth images, short images unlike Andy Warhol's "Screen test" which fixates the camera on an individual for minutes and letting the individual play with the camera with a variety of emotions. With "Manual of Arms", it's frenetic, gritty and this style of editing would be a signature style for Frampton for his films.

"Process Red" is a short three minute film which one can picture being shown via a loop at a museum or gallery. Another silent film which goes from white images to red, but this time, instead of the back-and-forth imagery, it's a loop of moving images, sped up and then repeated.

For "Maxwell's Demon", the film is another three minute short which has audio but it features buzzing to go along with the colors and a man exercising. According to Frampton, this film was to pay homage to James Clerk Maxwell, the Scottish physicist and mathematician. While known for his work on electromagnetism, Maxwell was also involved in teh field of optics and the study of color vision. In fact, the first color photograph was taken by Maxwell and for Frampton, as a photographer and filmmaker, his goal was to create a short film based on the imaginary and pure energy of James Clerk Maxwell.

In the film "Surface Tension", it's a three part film that deals with the passage of time (a sped up film of a man playing with a clock while a telephone is ringing), the passage through space (featuring a sped up tour of the city but audio featuring a man speaking in a foreign language) and the third part, a disregard of time and space featuring a goldfish caught in an aquarium as the beach tides roll in, and titling is seen on the clip.

For the short "Carrots & Peas", we see visual images of carrots and peas in this five minute short, while a voice is played backwards. Where in "Lemon", we see an image of a lemon as light goes around it and then focuses on the background, turning the lemon to a silhouette. Interesting commentary included as Robert Gardner and Hollis Frampton discuss the lemon, while Gardner goes into discussion if the film is mean to be a symbol of eroticism. Is the lemon a breast and the end, a nipple? Once again, the beauty of Hollis Frampton films is one's ability to have their own perspective and opinion.

Hollis Frampton's most recognized work "Zorns Lema" is a 1 hour film in which Frampton came up with the idea of what he was unable to capture on actual photo stills while showing people, he can go in different order and loop through film. So, what we have is moving images combined with video stills of titles, brands, etc. I will say that when I first watched this film long ago, my perspective was a counterculture film about America being eaten away by corporations. Money that is often spent towards corporation branding or material things. So, that was my perspective when I first watched this film back then. But it turns out that the film was an "open allusion" to alphabetization and the encyclopedic tradition.

This leads us to "Hapax Legomena", where there are seven films, only three are presented. According to Frampton, each film is interrelated but are detachable parts and my favorite shorts included on the Blu-ray and possibly the most accessible.

For "nostalgia" (the first film of "Hapax Legomena), this film is a story about Hollis Framptons photos. Narrated by artist Michael Snow, each photo has a story behind it, and while Snow is telling the story, we see the photos being burned.

The second film of "Hapax Legomena" is "Poetic Justice", a half hour film about a filmed script. What we see on the table is a cactus, a cup of coffee and a script/screenplay and the pages changes.

The third film of "Hapax Legomena" featured is "Critical Mass" , this is a witty film made during the time that Hollis Frampton was teaching at the State University of New York, Buffalo. He brought in two individuals who are great at improvisation and can be volatile in a story about a couple who live together, but the young man disappears for two days and returns. What we get is a 25-minute argument but edited in a way that that each word is repeated and audio that plays in black and then we see video in which the video, similar to the audio is cut and replayed throughout the argument.

And the final films are "The Films of Magellan", possibly the most complex work of Hollis Frampton that was not completed. Broken down to "The Birth of Magellan", "Straits of Magellan" and "Death of Magellan", this was part of the work that was done by Frampton, worked on since 1972 up to 1984, the year he died.

Footage that ranges from a flickering cloud, a watch swinging back and forth to images of a naked woman walking, stretching, fiery embers leaving and returning and many more visual images. These were films designed to be shown via a cycle of films for 369 days (or 371 days) with differing lengths, each day. While the film ends with "Gloria!", it was not supposed to be the final film but it was the latest film of the Magellan cycle to be completed.

But the film is not easy to be explained, but for Frampton, the films were a study of the way humans perceive experiences, the relation of the mind and the "metahistory of film".

And with that being said, this leads me to the question that I have been asked, "is `A Hollis Frampton Odyssey'" worth buying? And it's important to note that as a cineaste, I am intrigued and fascinated by avante garde works of filmmakers in various parts of the world. I'm intrigued by the most abstract, complex, comprehensible and incomprehensible work, even if these films range from the 1890's to the present, I watch these films to observe of what was the intention of the filmmaker. Granted, earlier works were done for the sake of experimenting with new technology but with Hollis Frampton, this is an intellectual that saw life much differently than the average person.

He made his films not following any traditional path but creating films of his own accord, but with purpose.

I often hear a joke about artistic, avante-garde films that if one would throw a splatter paint on the wall, avante-garde cinema fans will have an interpretation of it. And that is how I enjoy Frampton's films, like a painting that I can sit and observe for many minutes at an art museum, "A Hollis Frampton Odyssey" is a release where one can sit and observe and come up with their own opinion.

And if Hollis Frampton was alive today and was able to continue his work, using today's technology, I often wonder what kind of work he would create. Similar to Chris Marker, Frampton would later incorporate digital artwork in his films, but with today's Internet age, I wonder if he would be satisfied with the human experience through his film "Magellan" if completed.

I think of these things and once again, I'm rather fascinated by avante-garde films, may it be comprehensible, accessible, boring or fascinating, and yes...even incomprehensible and complex. And by saying that, I know these type of films are not for everyone.

For Frampton's films, it's about illusionist complexity as a whole and Frampton even said, "the trained eye and the trained mind will respond in the way that he indicates". Some may find these films redundant, didactic or effete, but others may find it complex, surreal and cerebral. As a fan of avante-garde films, I was fascinated by its complexity and audaciousness. These films are about how you interpret it on your own, through your own personal experience.

Overall, "A Hollis Frampton Odyssey" is a wonderful collection of the best of Hollis Frampton (not a release of his complete work), but it's a long awaited release that Frampton fans have wanted to see for a very long time. Not only do you get 24 films but you also get a good number of include remarks by Frampton and fascinating special features as well. On Blu-ray, as expected, various footage ranges in quality and for now, this Blu-ray release is the definitive version of Frampton's work in one collection.

For avante-garde and Hollis Frampton fans, "A Hollis Frampton Odyssey" is highly recommended!

Hollis Frampton's films are certainly not for everyone. In fact, Nostalgia and Zorns Lemma are the only ones I got any real "enjoyment" out of (make no mistake, I'm glad I saw everything). I would strongly encourage you to check out some of Frampton's work on Youtube before you buy this set.

The video quality on these films varies quite a bit. The earlier films look a bit rough, but Zorns Lemma, Nostalgia and The Magellan Cycle all look quite good. Criterion, I'm sure, has done the best they could with what they had.

Sound quality fairs the same. Many of these films lack a soundtrack, but when it's present, sound effects and dialogue come across well.

The extras are actually a fairly big draw to the set. Most of the films come with remarks by Hollis Frampton himself. He doesn't have the most engaging delivery, but his comments are interesting and provide some much needed insight into these films. A 20-minute interview with Frampton included, as well as a lecture by Frampton narrated by Michael Snow, and a collection of product labels designed by Frampton.

A terrific set, but not for the unconverted.

Buy A Hollis Frampton Odyssey (The Criterion Collection) (1979) Now

There seems to be two kinds of film buyers: those that have a good idea of what they like and can tell from synopses and reviews whether something will be for them, and those who like to cast their line out and see what they might find. For those latter kind, A Hollis Frampton Odyssey might be a disaster of rather comic proportions, but for the people who come to it with some idea of where they're going, they might find a wonderful surprise. Expect to be challenged to the utmost of your intellectual faculties. Frampton may even evince some kind of sadomasochistic verve in torturing his audience, but hey, no pain, no gain. Challenging, delightful, witty, confusing, hypnotic, beautiful are all adjectives that I think may apply. So now you know, the rest is up to you.

Read Best Reviews of A Hollis Frampton Odyssey (The Criterion Collection) (1979) Here

After much anticipation, I received this item two days ago and have made my way through most of the films it contains. While it's not fair to compare two different artists, my previous experience with experimental film came through Criterion's "By Brakhage," a collection of the films of Stan Brakhage. Whereas Brakhage's films are often loaded with engaging visual material, Frampton's films, however lofty their intellectual conceits, are often far less visually stimulating. The product description describes the work as "thrilling" and "captivating." Almost without exception, this isn't true. "Carrots and Peas," for example, culminates with a five minute static shot of, well, carrots and peas, with a backwards vocal playing in the background. "Lemon" is nothing but a single shot of a lemon being very subtly lit from different angles. Interesting in concept, but watching it is a different matter. There are highlights "Surface Tension" features a hyper-speed walk through New York and an interesting shot of a goldfish, and the "Magellan" films are sporadically interesting.

I realize I open myself up to ridicule from genius film historians who will snort derisive laughter at my inability to "get it," and who will gleefully explain why these films are the greatest things since the invention of the motion picture. And that's fine. This isn't for them it's for the adventurous home viewer who is considering a purchase of "Hollis Frampton." To each his own, but I can see this one gathering all sorts of cobwebs on my shelf for years to come. If you took a shot on "Brakhage" and found yourself pleasantly surprised, you may still find "Frampton" dry as dust. 35 minutes into "Zorns Lemma," you'll either be pleasantly hypnotized or itching to switch it off altogether. It doesn't matter how brilliant a film is if it's not engaging or remotely entertaining. My suggestion would be to check out as many of the films as you can on YouTube before making a purchase.

Want A Hollis Frampton Odyssey (The Criterion Collection) (1979) Discount?

Evita (15th Anniversary Edition) (1996)

I just purchased this DVD and I remembered instantly why I enjoyed this film so much when it came out. I would just like to answer some of the critiques listed here.

1) The character of Ché was always meant to be a nemesis to Evita, but not the real character as such . In the stage production that I saw, it was a man with the typical beret and machine gun singing to the side of the action. It would have been ridiculous and historically inaccurate to portray Ché as such in the movie version. Ché Guevara was still a medical student when Eva died. I think it is very effective to blend Ché into various characters because it represents the silent and not so silent opposition to the Perón Revolution. The only time the two characters meet for real interaction is when Evita is having delusions. The song argued in that moment perfectly clashes Ché's "idealism" with Evita's "realism." Ché is always there in some form, yet Evita is oblivious to his presence, brushes him off with a quick lyric or purposely chooses to ignore him. This adds a metaphysical dimension to the plot as if Evita were increasingly self-justifying her growing power as a simple tool to help the impoverished.

2) The soundtrack to the movie is not an operatic stage version but the songs are presented using the operatic techniques of repetition. This was done on purpose, not due to a lack of creativity.

3) When I saw this off off broadway, the people that were with me were straining to understand the singing beside the fact that they had no idea about the history of post WWII Argentina. I don't think they enjoyed it as much as they wanted to let on.

4) Madonna sings very well and is completely understood. I had the argument with some friends that heard the soundtrack and thought she was singing off key on the last couple of tracks... Ummm. Not really. She was about ready to pass away in those scenes which in the movie are close-ups. It would have been ridiculous to have anyone belt out the lyrics in such an intimate moment before passing on. It sounds like she is dying, because she is...

5) The cinematography is simply amazing. The funeral scene at the very beginning was incredible as well as the scene where Eva puts her foundation to work. Pictures of the real Evita meeting the Pope and others perfectly match the costumes used in the movie.

6) For me, the main focus of the movie is the strategy of propaganda and how it can dominate reason. The mystery lies in how much of the persuasion was authentically from the heart of the Peróns and how much of it was naked manipulation. The movie captures both aspects and yet leaves them unanswered...Much like the historical analysis of Eva Perón.

This movie is an awesome production ...

Boy do people miss the point on this movie. You can't present a movie like a broadway show. Everytime this has been attemped, historically, the results are bad, most adaptions of famous shows are only OK at best, some are awful. The medium is totally different, the demands are different, the singing is different, the acting style is different. Yes, the shows usually are "better", in a sense, that's how it was originally written, as a stage play. You have got to really change things to make a successful movie.

So how good an ADAPTION is this? Very good indeed. The story was changed to very effectively fit the medium. Madonna stretched herself unbelievably to do this role, and I think she did very well. You may quite validly prefer the stage version of Evita (I like both), but its almost like apples and oranges. As good as Patti Lupone and Mandy Patinkin were, they would, if they played it the same way anyway, come off mannered and absurd in a movie context. All the conventions of the stage would be laughable. (unless it was simply, of course, an actual filmed stage production). On the other hand, Madonna and Banderas are not nearly strong and polished enough for a stage. Most of the changes (a few I don't understand), make a lot of sense, when you consider how a movie has to flow.

As for this movie not being deep or historical, its a musical for Pete's sake, not "Saving Private Ryan." I don't know enough about Eva Peron to really say, but I don't see how you could present a real historical drama in a musical context. I think the problem is people don't like or understand opera, which this essentially is. Most of the great operas have ludicrous story lines! Also if you are going to go in knowing you "hate" musicals, "hate" Madonna, then fine, this is not to your taste. Banderas is not a polished singer, but his rough edged singing is very appealing and effective in this context.

The cinematography, costumes are outstanding, and serve the story well. Only as the dying Evita, do I find Madonna not very believable. I think Evita is thrilling, its one of my favorite movies of recent years.

I love the show Evita, and I love this too, but in a very different way.

Buy Evita (15th Anniversary Edition) (1996) Now

Worth noting that Evita is wall-to-wall music with virtually no spoken lines: not an opera so much as an extended music video, so the pop-music motifs need not be an anachronism.

I'm not a fan of Madonna, I find Andrew Lloyd Webber's music a bit obvious .. and yet -and yet. Here everything seems to come together. It's a visually gorgeous film, the added songs (The Lady's Got Potential, You Must Love Me) are strong enhancements. The Che character's change from Che Guevara in the stage version to an Argentine Everyman here (desk clerk, bartender, cabinet minister, union activist) is an improvement over the stage musical and Antonio Banderas is a smoldering presence who carries the movie. Jimmy Nail is perfect as the oily tango singer; Jonathan Pryce capable in an equally slick role. The montage songs are splendid, like Goodnight and Thank You, that bucket-brigade sequence of Eva's lovers that she uses (and the film uses) to get her from the street to the Casa Rosada, or like A New Argentina, in which Eva takes Juan from jail to the presidency. The faux-English country house lawn where Eva faces down upper-class disdain (Peron's Latest Flame, The Actress Hasn't Learned the Lines You Like to Hear) is another brilliant staging. It all rings true, visually.

I've had others tell me the lyrics seemed shallow. "Don't cry for me, Argentina, and don't forget to get milk and bread at the store ... " Well, yes. That's the point. She didn't say much more than that. Banality often suffices in public life; politics are shtick in a media age; actors can leverage elections. The lady couldn't act but she could, as others have said, seduce a nation. She won't be the last actor to do so.

Recommend owning the DVD for the cinematic values at the very least. It's a dark vision of public affairs but the times probably affirm it. And it was the best role of Eva's lifetime. And Madonna's.

Read Best Reviews of Evita (15th Anniversary Edition) (1996) Here

I saw this movie when it first came out and loved it, and just saw it again on video. This is one of the most under-rated films of the decade. Hollywood just doesn't like Madonna, which resulted in this wonderfully-acted film being unfairly snubbed by critics and the Oscar establishment. Despite the presence of half the population of Argentina as extras, this is essentially an intimate story that rides on the performances of the three principals--Evita, Peron, and Che. Although Madonna's voice isn't quite up to some of the vocal challenges, her performance is otherwise on the mark. Antonio Banderas surprised me--his somewhat gritty vocal quality is totally appropriate to his character as a peasant revolutionary. Nobody smolders better. His feelings for Evita were intriguingly ambiguous; it was fascinating to watch him veer from hope to contempt to something close to sexual attraction. And Jonathan Pryce is one of the premier musical theater artists of this era. What he does with the rather underwritten part of Peron is a joy to see. Watch his performance of "She is a Diamond"--two minutes of subtle, superb acting with voice, face, body--absolutely wonderful. It seems that most of the naysayers saw the show on Broadway and find the movie a poor comparison. Each should be taken on their own terms. Patti LuPone is undoubtedly stronger vocally than Madonna, but you have to give the latter credit for taking on a huge challenge and (mostly) pulling it off. And I never thought Mandy Patinkin's light tenor was right for Che--Banderas, though not half the singer Patinkin is, has an earthy vocal quality that works better in this role. I recommend this movie highly for all lovers of musical theater.

Want Evita (15th Anniversary Edition) (1996) Discount?

Icon playing icon ... from her death in 1952 she was immortal and immortalized by the famous musical and then the 1997 film starring Madonna. Banderas is a great protagonist against Madonna's Evita. Just like Desperatley Seeking Susan ... Eva Peron was a role made for Madonna, she really was born to play her. Their personal stories parallel ...

Both raised in VERY Roman Catholic environments they rebelled against

15 year old Eva runs off to Buenos Aires/17 year old Madonna dashes off to New York both against the concerns of parents

Eva began as a radio and stage show actress/Madonna as a dancer and somewhat professional club kid

Eva went from zero to Frist Lady/Madonna went from semi-homeless street urchin to Reigning Queen of the Pop World

Both have legions of fans who love her, and their critics who don't. There is no middle ground to the reactions they stir

Eva and Madonna both lived out the line "you were just a backstreet girl, hustling and fighting, scratching and biting. High Flying Adored. Did you believe in your wildset moments ... all this would be yours? That you'd become the Lady of them All

Eva went from poor illegitimate fatherless child to the cover of time at 26/Madonna went from working class motherless daughter to the cover of Time also at 26

Both looked stunning in designer clothes

And ultimatley ... both are self-made, calculating, and aimed for the stars with a fire in their belly and becamein their own right .... one of the most powerful women of their time ... all before turning a mere 27.

Evita is mostly sung but it will inspire, politics aside.

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