The Well Digger's Daughter (2011)

"I don't like the corked wine", Pascal said. In the movie it is losely translated as "I don't like the fancy wine" which is not quite the same. This sentence summarizes this movie. The pure mentality of the French villager "à la campagne". He prefers his own wine, (they make and cork their own wine from their own vineyards). He doesn't want to buy somebody else's wine. He doesn't want to be like "les Parisiens". He has contempt for the Parisians. He doesn't want to be part of the city "elite". He wants to live peacefully in the countryside with his family, his rules, and his routine. "Vous savez les impôts moi, on en a marre..."

The movie is about Pascal (Daniel Auteil, a well-digger) father of six daughters living the hard life in the countryside in France, at the start of World War I. He always wanted a son, and he tried and tried, but he got six daughters. His wife died after the last daughter was born. He sent the oldest daughter Patricia (Astrid Berges-Frisbey) to live in Paris when she was young, but after his wife died he called her back to help him raise the other five daughters. She is well educated and he wants her to get married with his friend/assistant Felipe (Kad Merad), a nice simple man but much older than her. Of course she doesn't like him and is falling for Jacques (Nicolas Duvauchelle), a wealthy young pilot just in town for few days, whose parents are rich and own the big grocery store in town. She is impregnated by him just before he is called back into duty. What is going to happen next? Is he going to come back from the war? Is she going to tell her dad about the situation? Are they going to keep the baby? How the villagers and Jacques' parents going to react to these events? Those are some of the questions coming to mind. You will definitely get surprised by the answers and the plot of the movie. It is not what you expect. Hence, Marcel Pagnol's genius...He understands the human mind better than anybody else!

This is another great adaptation of the work of Marcel Pagnol by Daniel Auteil, but this time he is also the director. Twenty five years later Daniel Auteil went back to the source that made him famous. Who forgot Ugolin playing alongside Yves Montand (César) in "Jean de Florette/Manon de source"? Daniel Auteil has the exact same accent, the same movements and same interaction with the camera, just few extra pounds. After I watched this movie I had to watch "Manon de source" again!

This is a fabulous film and Daniel Auteuil takes over with his very poignant acting. He delivers some of the most powerful performance I have ever seen by an actor in several scenes. If you really liked "Jean de Florette/Manon de source" you will definitely appreciate this movie. Is not as intense as the other two movies, has a different plot, but really describes the mentality of the villagers in the countryside in France that is slowly disappearing these days because the people are disappearing. If you want to see and feel the French countryside mentality during the 1900's, then watch the movie!

Five stars all around for everything but mostly for the powerful performances of all actors which are remarkable.

Why awful? Well, unless you understand French or have a TV screen the size of a garage door, you won't understand a thing. The subtitles, if you can even call them that, are so tiny I can only figure the producers of this DVD are mocking those of us who can't understand French. It took me a bit to even realize the titles were turned on.

I turned it off after a minute.

Usually I complain about Granada, Koch, A&E and others who don't bother to put captions for those who are hearing impaired, like my mother is. In this case they should at least include some Pimsleur French lessons. Why even release this in the US?

If anyone out there had a different experience, maybe you got a DVD with real workable subtitles, please let me know in the comments section.

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A quarter century ago, Jean de Florette/Manon of the Spring transported us to the sun-drenched world of Pagnol's Provence. Five year's later, My Father's Glory/My Mother's Castle brought us there again. What a delight it is to be able to return there two decades later with Auteuil's update of "The Well-Digger's Daughter." For me, it was just what the doctor ordered at the end of a year when Americans have been so exposed to so much violence--both on and off-screen. Even our Christmas releases are filled with blood and death these days. See this film if you enjoy stories with warmth, compassion and humanity.

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The playwright, novelist turned filmmaker Marcel Pagnol will be remembered for his 1930′s romantic films such as "The Fanny Trilogy" (which consists of "Marius", "Fanny" and "Cesar").

An award-winning French filmmaker who worked on more than a dozen films, for many who grew up with his work, his work captured France in the early 20th Century. By 1940, Pagnol would go on to direct "La fille du Puisatier" ("The Well-Diggers Daughter"), a film that would would later catch the interest of actor Daniel Auteuil ("36th Precinct", "Cache", "Un Coeur en Hiver", "The Valet"). An actor who also was once directed by Marcel Pagnol long ago for films such as "Jean de Florette" and "Manon of the Spring".

So much that it would lead to Auteuil to write, direct and star in the 2011 remake of the film (Auteuil is currently working on the remake of "The Fanny Trilogy"). In collaboration with cinematographer Jean-Francois Robin ("Nelly & Monsieur Arnaud", "Betty Blue", "Chaos") and composer Alexandre Desplat ("The King's Speech", "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button", "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1″), the film was well-received by film critics.

For those who have been waiting for a home video release of this film, "The Well-Digger's Daughter" was released in the U.S. in Dec. 2012 courtesy of Kino Lorber on Blu-ray and DVD.

VIDEO:

"The Well-Digger's Daughter" is presented in 1080p High Definition (1:85:1 aspect ratio). The first thing you will notice is how beautiful the scenic shots are. Jean-Francois Robin takes a page from Marcel Pagnol's writings of the countryside and capturing the beauty of the area, the flowers and the look of old France. The film showcases many colors during the outdoors, while the indoors looks amazing because of the amount of detail that can be seen.

Shot in 35 mm, picture quality is incredibly well-detailed. You can see the textures of the clothing, skin details, the film looks magnificent in HD.

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

"The Well-Digger's Daughter" is presented in French DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. The film is dialogue-driven but the surround channels provide a good amount of ambiance for its countryside environment. You will hear the birds, during the air show, you can hear crowds. But what sticks out the most is the music. Alexandre Desplat's music is absolutely beautiful and moving.

The film is presented with English subtitles.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

"The Well-Digger's Daughter" comes with trailers and 16 stills from the film.

JUDGMENT CALL:

I absolutely love Marcel Pagnol films. Its his way of covering romance and family, that is a style that makes me enamored with Yasujiro Ozu's work. They have a unique style of capturing an era of their country that is of the past but relationships that are tied into family tradition and honor.

Sure, "The Well-Digger's Daughter" can seem banal on paper, daughter gets pregnant, must tell parents and must raise child on their own. We've watched films like this, we've seen dramas about this.

But what makes this film so enchanting is how it centers around an old traditional family and how Pascal tries to keep his family's honor by having the man's family acknowledge her pregnancy and the baby. But to see how this loving father get dejected, lose his honor and essentially is forced to cut ties with his own daughter.

We also get to see the distinction of class differences, as Pascal is seen as a well-digger, Mme. Mazel is a woman who does not want her son mixing with poor women, and to why she burned the letter mean for Patricia, was it because she looked poor? Possibly.

But it's that display of one's guilt of getting pregnant before marriage and the inconvenience that was tied into the old traditions. Which may be hard for one to fathom in today's world, of many single parents and where family honor especially in the family name, in most modern cultures, are a thing of the past.

The performances of the film are also quite notable. French actor Daniel Auteuil has starred in many films, but his role as Pascal, he manages to portray the aged, hardworking father with efficacy. Also, you have another talented actor in Jean-Pierre Darroussin as Jacques' father and also actress Sabine Azema (partner of filmmaker Alain Resnais), playing Jacques domineering mother. The film features solid performances by these veteran talents and definitely makes this remake quite enjoyable.

While the film takes place during wartime and showcases an enjoyable romance melodrama, you can't help but watch these films and yearn for the days of old. The storytelling of Marcel Pagnol that is able to fit in the complexities of old traditional values but also make it appealing and enjoyable for today's audiences. While I have not seen the original "La Fille du puisatier" (as only a few Pagnol films have been released in America), for this remake, I absolutely enjoyed it.

Wonderful acting, enjoyable storytelling and beautiful cinematography... What a wonderful remake from Daniel Auteuil and a homage to Marcel Pagnol's work! "The Well-Digger's Daughter" is recommended!

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This would get a five star rating, except there are several scenes and a large block of pertinent scenes that were cut out of this version. Why this was done is shocking and stupid. To keep the film in it's original version would make this film perfect.. I've notices this happens regularly with DVDs, and I deeply resent some inept cretin editing films for some stupid reason. All that aside, this is a fabulous film but it is weakened by stupidity..

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Blood Simple (1984)

Fortunately for everyone a decision was made to re-release Blood Simple in theaters. 16 years ago when it was in first run I was barely aware of it. There were so many good reviews of the film I decided to go catch it. Blood Simple was the best film I saw in 2000. Until now there has been no DVD available in the U.S. A very grainy poor quality pan and scan copy is being sold in the UK. It just isn't an option to purchase a pan and scan with this movie. The Coen brothers gorgeous cinematography makes full use of the entire frame. It is a noir style film so much of the imagery is in darkened bars and at night. But the color and light in the movie is really beautiful. This film has deserved a good treatment and now with this Director's cut it is finally getting one. One of the odd things about this Director's cut is it is the same length as the original version. Footage has been taken out and not added. The missing time is made up with an introduction by the Coen Brothers explaining that the film has been re-edited to take advantage of new technological advances not available when the film was first shot. This is sort of a joke similar to the opening of Fargo where a title card states, "Based upon a true story". Fargo is not based on a true story. They just thought it would be a better story if people thought it was true when they watched it. Ha Ha. Blood Simple's re-edit was a simple edit to tighten up the pace which was sometimes a little slow in the original version.

Made for only two million dollars Blood Simple is a stunning achievement, all the more so because it was the Coen's first film. Stylish photography plays with not just light and shadow as in most noir, but color as well. But what drives this film is suspense mistrust and double dealing. I smile when I occasionally spot a criticism of this film is "its almost too clever" and "too perfect". Blood Simple is fantastic at its clever choreography of events and placement of objects in relation to the actors that really adds to the tension and excitement. If thats too clever then spare me the dumbed down version. I love it. The acting is quite good. Its most interesting to see Frances McDormand, looking much younger and quite pretty, was obviously talented even back then. Blood Simple is often very disturbing. Especially good is a creepy scene in a moonlit field involving two men a burlap sack and a shovel. The violence in this scene as in much of Blood Simple is largely psychological. It was interesting to discover from an Amazon customer from Germany that they have a high quality widescreen DVD available in his country. But while they can buy it and watch it, German law forbids export of films which contained violence. He offered to bring a copy in his suitcase as he happened to be visiting my city. We couldn't work it out logistically but fortunately for the rest of you, you soon won't have to go to such great lengths to get a copy.

Blood Simple is one of the all-time great independent films. As a devotee of this film it goes without saying that I know nearly every line of dialogue and every cut. Well... if you too are a fan , my advice to you is: PASS ON THIS EDITION! I was absolutely shocked to see that this film had been re-edited! And NOT for the better. In fact, this was not a new edit in the traditional sense (scene shifting; scene re-edits etc.). All they did with this version was to simply lop off lines from the existing original final cut! That's right. They just shortened scenes, most often taking the form of the scene ins and outs (first and last lines in each scene). For instance, M.Emmet Walsh's last line to Marty in the VW when he contracts Walsh. Or how about the humorous placing of Getz's cigarette in the stuffed wild boars mouth at Marty's house? Or the exchange between Samm-Art Williams and the redneck at the juke box. Those lines are now gone completely. And remember that version of The Monkee's "I'm A Beliver" which was used in that scene? Its been dumped for a Four Tops tune. This is just a few in a long list of disturbing changes. As a film editor, I asked myself, what imporovements were made with these new cuts? The answer is a resounding, NONE!

My point is this. If you buy this DVD expecting the same old Blood Simple in a new, crisp DVD edition, you will be sorely disappointed. You will be constantly distracted by the jarring edits rather than being able to enjoy the film... Again, worthless.

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With a story that makes "Double Indemnity" look like the quickest way to get from point A to point B, a couple of my very favorite filmmakers turned the film noir conventions 360 degrees. Yes, that means it ended up back where it started, but much better as a result of the the trip. A good film noir needs a couple key elements, not the least of which are several layers of double crosses and misunderstandings. It also needs the one key clue that could clear or incriminate a murderer. To those ends, Joel and Ethan Coen created yet another little world in which several clues are left unused or misunderstood, and the double crosses are the bread and butter of one very crafty, though seedy, private eye. John Getz, Frances McDormand, M. Emmet Walsh, and Dan Hedaya are all 102% perfect in their roles. Barry Sonnenfeld delights with his cinematography, and the Coens have fun messing with the viewer. They set out to make a darkly funny, very twisted noir and they succeeded. The real stars are the Coens, much like with any of their movies (exceptions made for John Turturro or John Goodman in any of their roles, of course). Joel and Ethan are master craftsmen of cinema usually overlooked by mainstream audiences. Their debut, "Blood Simple," not only showcased the promise of their talent, but was a tour de force on its own terms. Along with "L.A. Confidential," "Blade Runner," and "Hard Eight," "Blood Simple" proves that film noir is not dead. Because it is, as this film proves, very hard to kill something, and have it stay dead....

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As a big fan of the film since it was released in 1985, I was looking forward to seeing Blood Simple transferred to DVD. A cleaned-up widescreen transfer, and maybe a little cleaner audio, were all good things that I wanted to see happen; and with the Director's Cut, it did happen. However, I think the edits that were made in this version of the film may displease fans of the original -I know they displease this fan.

I won't go into a laundry-list of the cuts. They are, for the most part, the removal or trimming of some funny bits and gags that don't really contribute to telling the story; but they do, in my opinion, contribute to the quirky charm of the film without consuming a great deal of time on screen. Also trimmed are some uncomfortable silences that develop between people in certain scenes; making them not so uncomfortable, I guess, but I don't see this as an improvement.

Most disconcerting to me are some of the music changes. One that particularly disappointed me is when Ray first confronts Marty on the back steps of the bar. In the original version, a slow-tempo instrumental country-western tune is playing inside the bar, and after transitioning to the outside, the same song is heard muffled in the background with the bass still booming. As anyone who has ever stood outside a nightclub can tell you, this is exactly what you hear -the lower frequencies propagate better than the higher frequencies. The editors have seen fit to change this to a vocal piece of music that is reduced in volume as the view changes to the outside, but without the realistic frequency balance. I don't understand why this change was made. Perhaps some didn't like that the music here wasn't really so much music as it was background sound, or perhaps it was thought to interfere with hearing the conversation; but I think it was a wonderful element in the atmosphere of the scene that I surely miss.

Regarding the new intro with the pompously lecturing gentleman, suffice it to say that it can be fast-forwarded through.

This Director's Cut version delivers basically the same psychological and visceral thrills as the original version, with improved video and audio; but long-time fans, such as myself, may find the changes have done some minor cosmetic harm, rather than good.

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With this first work of cinema, the unknown Coen brothers, who just finished "The Evil Dead" with young Sam Raimi, manage to get the financing for producing and directing their first script. It's not a horror film... but it's not far from it! Actually we can't tell what it really is. Horror? Passion story? Detective? Black comedy? Anyway the two brothers take the codes of classical passion crime stories dealing with the usual triangle of nut characters (husband, wife and lover) and add a fourth, definitely rotten one. It's a private eye, wonderfully played by underrated M. Emmet Walsh ("Blade Runner"), who gives the performance of his career, a brilliant, amazing one, funny and chilling in the same time. WHO LOOKS STUPID NOW?

The story is awfully simple: Marty, a Texas bar owner and betrayed husband (Dan "Usual Suspects" Hedaya) hires the private eye to kill his unfaithful wife Abby (Frances McDormand) and her lover Ray (John "The Fly" Getz) who's also Marty's employee. The eye pretends to do the job and shows Marty some fake photographs showing the lovers shot dead in bed. He takes the money, then he shoots his hirer right away and disappears. Ray, who doesn't know about the detective's existence, discovers Marty's almost dead body. For him, no doubt: it's Abby who did this work... He takes him away in order to bury him far away from the bar, and finds out that Marty isn't dead yet. He's forced to bury him alive, offering us the most nightmarish scene of the film....

The movie is a real visual and sound shock. The script is incredibly original and brings some freshness in usual cinema stuff dealing with unfaithful characters ready to kill each other in order to avoid all the difficulties linked to divorce. The ambiance and atmosphere is the ones of a real bad dream, a nightmare, and the fact that the story takes place in an early, gray place in Texas (don't miss the hilarious prologue), where everything weird can happen very normally, adds to it. And the soundtrack by Carter Burwell is extraordinary, this is what he did first and best for the Coen brothers. It captures everything of the movie and makes the nighmare become really true. Compared to it, James Cain novels look ugly, conventional and definitely old-fashioned. This movie is a must see for all the people who're tired of big foreseeable blockbusters and wish to be surprised when they go to the movies. For me this is the best film from the Coen brothers, a film able to wake up the dead. Magnificent.

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Maldeamores/Mancora (2008)

Mancora is the primary reason I bough this disc. It is one of those movies you watch by yourself or with a couple friends but should be embarrassed to watch with your family--it's a little heavy on the sex and drugs.

More importantly, it's one of those movies about an immature youth, who doesn't really come off as immature because he is a well-experienced cynic, coming into his own by the conclusion. It's an unusual formula for a bildungsroman in that it won't always interest those who expect all fictional young adults to either be young (and stupid, as in the title character of Thor) or an adult (and mature, like Hermione in the Harry Potter series). In this case, "coming into your own" means renouncing a worldly, cynical, crass view of the way society goes on with itself, and embracing an optimistic, more hopeful lifestyle. It contrasts with typical narratives of maturity in that, conventionally, naivete means innocence, and experience means learning the harsh reality of life; in Mancora, naivete means disillusionment and pessimism, and experience means learning to love--and pursuse--life in spite of it. In this way, it teaches a much more hopeful message to the angsty teenage crowd, who tend to get caught up in an egoistic kind of mistrust of everyone and everything, in that it acknowledges full well the reasons for that mistrust and teaches the value of nevertheless possessing an informed optimism.

Despite the sex and drugs, this makes Mancora a vastly more moral movie than any Disney-like portrayal of good and evil, because in real life you can't tell good from evil; you can only learn and decide how to live the most positive life possible, in the face of endless adversity. Beyond that, Mancora portrays a very sensous, culturally-aware, mixed-emotions presentation that I personally find intoxicating.

Maldeamores is a great match for the teenage angsty drama not just because it is also a Spanish-language film starting with the letter "M," but because it has a similar quality of sensuality and shifting emotions. Its roller-coaster of laughs, cries, and frights is constructed through a series of love-story vignettes, a la "Paris, Je T'Aime" or "Love, Actually." Like Mancora, Maldeamores tries to teach the value of loving life in spite of how unsatisfying life can be. (Some of the stories also moralize quite transparently on the dangers of not learning this lesson, and forging ahead blindly and stubbornly, as well as the dangers of just being an outright idiot. Those were some of the best laughs, of course!)

I view this combo as a great drama accompanied by a great comedy--and not the other way around--mostly because I am one of those serious tightwads who would rather be fascinated than entertained. Either way you take this pairing, I have to say that I love both films and make as many of my friends watch them as possible.

Ps. To evaluate the blu-ray itself, it's got no special features and not at all an exciting menu, but when you contrast that with the value of two movies placed on one disc, well, you begin to demand less in added perquisites. Buy this movie!

quality was excellent, only thing i hate it was widescreen, cutting part of the picture off. the studios should make both version. thank you

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Vampire Circus (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo) (1972)

Perhaps Hammer Films most under appreciated gem probably due to the hack editing job 20th Century Fox did on the film for it's US release. Inarguably one of the ten best vampire films ever made, it is presented here with every graphic frame of horror and nudity intact. Until the US rights holder (presumably MGM) releases a version (and assuming they do it right) this import version from Brazil will please even the more discriminating horror film collectors. The 16x9 transfer is pleasing though sometimes a little dark. Remember (in spite of the graphic content that was ahead of it's time) this movie was released in 1971. This is as good as I have ever seen VAMPIRE CIRCUS look on video. The packaging and menu are in Portuguese but the disc by default in fact plays in English and without subtitles. If you have been looking for this film or are a fan of Hammer Horror or horror/vampire films in general you should add this treasure to your collection without hesitation.

Wanted to post a review letting other Hammer fans know that VC from Synapse is a great piece to add to the collection. I've only looked at the blu-ray so far, but the transfer is very, very good -colorful, detailed, wonderfully done -much better than the Spanish Carlton/Filmax transfer I've had for a while (beyond the obvious improvement to the HD format). The extras are fun too -good background on Hammer and the movie itself from Ted Newsom, Phil Nutman, Joe Dante and Tim Lucas (as well as some David Prowse involvement). This also includes a second audio track of the music and sound effects. In regards to the movie itself, this is one of Hammer's best post-1970 films. VC reminds me of an adult fairy tale with good scares and interesting metaphorical themes (which really aren't far off from what the original fairy tales often included). Is it top-tier Hammer? No, but it is much better than some of their output from any era of Hammer. A great "last gasp" from a studio trying to find its way in a changing cinematic climate. Good Hammer film, great HD release from Synapse. Recommended!

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Not sure what James is talking about...worst vampire movie ever made? Well he gives "Scorpion King 2" a five-star rating so I'll venture a guess he's too young to remember when movies didn't have to be special effects extravaganzas to be considered great entertainment.

Vampire Circus is as solid a horror thriller as you are likely to find and deserves it's reputation as one of the best and up to this point most obscure Hammer films. It is well thought out with interweaving plot lines. The characters are believable and well portrayed. I won't lay out the story as it's already been done here. It manages to be an intelligent film (you actually have to pay attention to follow the story) without sacrificing graphic, horrific elements. Definitely not for kiddies...apparently like James! (Just kidding, Dude!)

This review is based solely on the film itself as I haven't seen the Synapse disc yet.

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VAMPIRE CIRCUS is another great early 70's title from Hammer Productions. Featuring a gangbusters cast and a solid story premise from screenwriter Judson Kinberg (based on the story by Wilbur Stark), it's one of the most hypnotic vampire tales you'll ever encounter.

In a small Serbian village, the townsfolk murder evil vampire Count Mitterhaus (Robert Tayman) after it's discovered he has been killing local children with the help of the schoolmaster's wife (Domini Blythe). Several years later, a troupe of circus entertainers arrive in the village, and the cycle of horror starts once more. Out to avenge the death of Mitterhaus, his distant cousin Emil (Anthony Higgins) and a mysterious gypsy maiden (Adrienne Corri) have a score to settle. But why does it involve innocent Dora (Lynne Frederick)?

Shape-shifting vampires and colourful circus illusions make VAMPIRE CIRCUS one of the bright spots at a time when Hammer Studios was starting to struggle in it's attempts to maintain popularity. Anthony Higgins makes for one helluva sexy vampire; he's matched every step of the way by Adrienne Corri. Fans of the unappreciated Lynne Frederick (sadly more associated by being the last Mrs Peter Sellers than by her film work) will adore her as the virginal heroine Dora. A mop-haired John Moulder Brown, costumed in such a way that makes him resemble Roman Polanski circa. "The Fearless Vampire Killers", is an unlikely hero but pairs well with Ms Frederick.

If you love Hammer movies, you'll definitely like VAMPIRE CIRCUS. It's hard to find at the moment, but worth the effort.

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Well, you've been reading about it for almost a year and now Synapse Films have delivered what they promised with their 100th release of Hammer Film's excellent Horror opus 'VAMPIRE CIRCUS'. I first saw it when it was released on a double bill with 'COUNTESS DRACULA' back in the early seventies and about 15 years ago, I got a VHS copy of a Japanese laser disc which was a bit faded. Throw away every copy of this film that you had. I have not taken the BLU-RAY jump as of yet so I viewed the DVD version and its incredible with beautiful rich colors exploding off the screen which probably looks better than its theatrical release. It is also uncut and in widescreen format to enjoy the wonderful images of Moray Grant's photography. It includes a great documentary on the making of the film and an enjoyable featurette on other circus horror films. Enough said, you've read about it and now click the add to cart button and enjoy Hammers most unusual, blood soaked rarity . Synapse is promising 'TWINS OF EVIL' and 'HANDS OF THE RIPPER' later this new year. Horror and Hammer fans have something to look forward to. Bravo, Synapse Films.

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Secondhand Lions (2009)

As this film opens, a sullen fourteen year old Walter (Haley Joel Osment) is about to be deposited with his two gruff and irascible old uncles against his will by his mother Mae (Kyra Sedgwick) while she supposedly pursues her education and a career. Hub and Garth McCann, played respectively by Robert Duvall and Michael Caine, are no more enamored of the arrangement than is Walter, but an uneasy truce occurs between them as Walter comes to understand their eccentricities and in fact serves as somewhat of an outlet for Garth's desire to settle down somewhat in his final years. One of the elements twhich makes the film a true delight is the extreme nature of the antics of these "old men", whether it is shooting at traveling salesmen for fun or alienating their relatives to maintain their solitude. The backdrop to the story is that Hub and Garth are rumored to be quite wealthy; and in fact Walter's mother instructs him to attempt to locate the source and location of their supposed wealth. (Perhaps the mafia, or bank robberies, or the foreign legion?)

As Walter settles in with them and their numerous dogs (and a pig who thinks he's a dog), the "plot suddenly thickens" as Hub acts strangely and Walter discovers mysterious evidence of a beautiful young woman somewhere in their history. Garth tells Walter a fantastic tale of foreign adventure and intrigue involving Hub and the enchanting princess Jasmine, and the story is actually incorporated into the movie in the form of the adventure epics of fifty years ago with Emanuelle Vaugier playing the role of Hub's lost love. Meanwhile, some "used" circus animals arrive, including a tired and sick old lion who Walter nurses back to health as he enjoys the "jungle" habitat provided by the corn field that has emerged from their failed attempt to grow a vegetable garden. The movie reaches a wonderful climax as the forces of good confront the forces of evil (true comic book style) and Walter is forced to confront the fact that life is full of surprises, not all of which include happy endings, and that we have to be strong enough to accept unpleasant truths and move on.

But, of course, any description of the plot doesn't convey the appeal of this film; the storyline is simply the backdrop for the life which is infused into this movie by the superb performances of the stars, the excellent directing, and the way in which the story unfolds. It is fun yet touching, with enough elements of the unexpected interspersed with truly laugh out loud humorous incidents to make the almost two hours fly by. It's hard to know who is more appealing, those old second hand lions Robert Duvall and Michael Caine (who put their superb talents to use in a film they have stated that they really enjoyed making) or Jasmine, the circus lion who late in life was destined for her moment of glory. And the story has a marvelous symmetry, both in the juxtaposition of the opening and closing scenes and in the brief appearance of Josh Lucas as the adult Walter. Finally, the climatic moment is followed by a gradual conclusion to the story which incorporates a truly wonderful finale.

In some aspects this is a far from perfect film; in some respects it would be easy to write a critical review detailing the fact that the plot was pure fantasy and that no attempt was made to seriously address many of the issues which the movie raises. But such criticisms would not be consistent with the mood which the movie evoked for me and the remainder of the audience. This movie is about life, about its surprises and its enjoyment, and as corny as it is it is also great fun. I enjoyed it so much that I have chosen to ignore one of my personal reviewing rules; I decided to round up my rating to five stars in spite of the fact that I haven't decided if it is good enough so that I will want to own the DVD. I know that I'll enjoy watching it several more times and decided that was good enough. So, go see this lighthearted film when you want to smile and laugh and feel good about life and it will confirm that whether you're old or a teenager it's still possible to learn and grow and have a good time.

Tucker Andersen

It occurs to me as I sit here pondering my review of "Secondhand Lions" that I must somehow cloak the first words that come to mind. Words, phrases, such as "a feel-good movie" or "good family fun" or "heart-warming." As if it were, well, "uncool" to label a movie such things these days, almost like a movie kiss of death. Isn't this a time of Hollywood special effects? Of hot babes and pyrotechnics? Of gratuitous violence and sensationalism? So it is. And so this movie is not. And oh, we are a glad audience for it!

Haley Joel Osment, to whom many of us in the movie audience were introduced in "Sixth Sense," plays Walter, a young boy whose mother (Kyra Sedgewick) pursues everything in life but motherhood. He finds himself dumped like excess baggage on the well weathered front stoop of his two uncles' country house. The uncles, played with wonderful eccentricity by Michael Caine and Robert Duvall, resist but later embrace their young nephew. How the three bond into a true family is a tale that does indeed warm the heart, lighten the spirit, and perhaps even restore a faded belief in today's cynical world that goodness, yes, goodness, still has a place on the silver screen. Osment is absolutely first rate in this movie, and the two vintage stars, Caine and Duvall, still shine as brightly as ever, if not more so.

It may be that the popularity of movies such as this could send Hollywood a message. Good is still good on the movie screen.

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This was a great movie. I just saw it last night -for the second time. With Robert Duvall, Michael Caine, and Haley Joel Osment, how could they go wrong? But there's many a film out there that boasts a multi-talented all-star cast and yet still fails to deliver the goods.

SECONDHAND LIONS is not one of them.

The story is about young Walter who is just barely in his teens and is sent to live with his two great uncles. He constantly hears rumors of their hidden treasure that they stole from Al Capone, or took from a wealthy Arab, or obtained through a lawsuit, or...whatever you want to believe. Throughout the movie, Walter learns from his uncles, Hub and Garth, how to grow into a man and what the truly important things are in life; and Garth and Hub learn from Walter how to enjoy life to the fullest.

The drama here is fantastic, and only once does the emotionalism get a little over-the-top (which is why I gave it four stars instead of five). The acting is fantastic. In this adventurous film you'll be reminded of images of INDIANA JONES, LAWRENCE OF ARABIA, among many others.

...

I wish every goofball (i.e. summer blockbuster) filmmaker in Hollywood -you know, the ones that think creative filmmaking means having alot of CGI characters jumping around on skyscrapers and fighting villains in Power Ranger suits -would simply sit down and watch SECONDHAND LIONS. Then they would know how to make a good movie.

Read Best Reviews of Secondhand Lions (2009) Here

Secondhand Lions is a movie for almost the entire family, except for young children who might find it a little slow-moving and possibly boring. It combines fine acting, a good story, and real values without resorting to sex and profanity. Basically it is the story of young Walter (Haley Joel Osment), whose immature tart of a mother, Mae (Kyra Sedgwick), dumps him at the home of his two grand-uncles Garth (Michael Caine) & Hub (Robert Duvall). As she leaves him, she tells him that there is a rumor that they were Mafia hit men and have a fortune hidden. "Look for it," are her last words as she takes off, ostensibly to go to the court reporting school in Fort Worth. We eventually learn that she has dumped him before, even in an orphanage.

Garth & Hub are eccentrics who shoot at fish in the lake and at the occasional traveling salesmen who come down the road to their house. Although they are not pleased to have the boy, they accept him. He is horrified to learn they have no television, no telephone, no air conditioning. One day a lion is delivered to their farm. They had hoped to hunt and kill the beast, but it is old and lazy and refuses to leave its crate. So of course they adopt it as a pet. Some relatives who have come to try to weasel themselves into the uncles' will let the lion out, and it finds a home in the cornfield, as close as it can come to a jungle.

One night he sees Hub sleepwalking with a toilet plunger, which he brandishes like a sword. Garth begins to tell Walter a fantastic story about their youth, in which they were shanghaied from their European travels and commandeered into the French Foreign Legion. At this point we see the young Hub, magnificently portrayed with great panache by the handsome, mustached Christian Kane in a very energetic performance, as he fights with the Legion, often rescuing the less athletic Garth. Afterwards he fights against slavery, falls in love with the beautiful and spunky Princess Jasmine, and battles apparently insurmountable odds to be with her, gaining a fortune in the process.

Walter & his uncles grow fond of each other, and an encounter in the general store in which Hub singlehandedly overcomes four young punks armed with knives lends credence to Garth's tale.

Mae eventually returns with a sleaze of a boy friend (Nicky Katt) who hits Walter when he refuses to reveal the hiding place of the money. Jasmine, the lion, attacks him to protect Walter.

Eventually Mae wants to take Walter home, and he must choose between life with her and life with his uncles.

The ending of the movie, which I don't want to reveal, is very satisfying. Josh Lucas appears briefly as the adult Walter, who has become a successful cartoonist with his strip Walter & Jasmine, based on his and his uncles' lives, as they told it to him.

All of the actors did a fine job, although I wish that Kane had been allowed to speak his lines instead of using Caine's voiceover for his scenes. I highly recommend this movie and look forward to buying the DVD.

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Trying to please a date, I allowed myself to be dragged to this movie. It turned out to be one of those occasions that you're glad you went along. Since I am estrogen intolerant (chick flicks) and many women are testosterone intolerant (manly flicks), this movie strikes a balance.

It begins with two old men performing acrobatics in a biplane over a Texas twilight sky. But on the horizon is a self-centered and irresponsible mother who drops her son with the two great uncles he's never seen before. The disinterested great uncles agree to take him for the summer. The boy notices a trunk his first night in the house and begins to look at the pictures and past of both of these eccentric men. He is intrigued and discovers more about their past with each event he experiences that summer. The more he learns, the closer he gets to his great uncles, and they with him.

When the mother returns to pick up her son, the climax begins, but that would be telling you the end of the story. I recommend you see it instead.

There is humor and action without violence. Language or skin are not a problem either. This movie is highly recommended for all audiences. It's a keeper.

I don't see that woman anymore, but I have shown this to several new dates since! They loved it.

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Videodrome (The Criterion Collection) (1983)

Videodrome is not only one of the top three horror/sci-fi movies made in the last 25 years it also has the distinguishing trait of having been given one of the best royal treatments from Criterion. If you need basic plot and such look elsewhere. This review is more about why this is one of the greatest films of all time.

First, the film: A must-have for any film collector, not just a horror or sci-fi buff. James Woods plays a Cable-TV station owner who broadcasts soft-porn and adult entertainment. His favorite technician shows him a pirated TV show called Videodrome in which people are tortured and killed. Woods pursues this show, watching more and more of it until his investigations lead him to two sources: The Videodrome show producers itself and the show's arch-enemy, The Cathode Ray Mission. Woods discovers that the show transmits a signal that creates a tumor in the brain that leads to S+M hallucinations. Woods begins to hallucinate incredible sexual/violent nightmares ( the fleshy TV set)and finds himself as a pawn between the two entities. Videodrome plans on using Woods' station to transmit the violent Videodrome show in order to kill the audience of porn. Videodrome owner Barry Convex "programs" Woods to kill his partners at the station and the Cathode Ray Mission Leader, Bianca O'Blivion. Bianca "counter programs" Woods into killing the Videodrome people. Bianca declares that Woods has "evolved" (Darwinism on its ear) into The New Flesh, an allegory of an information-age human with a body that mutates via hallucination. In the end, Woods, alone and his head filled with tumors, is prompted by his now dead girlfriend (Deborah Harry in the flesh TV set) to "evolve" into the next stage by shooting himself. Woods kills himself exactly as the fleshy TV set instructs him to do, declaring: "Long live the New Flesh."

Cronenberg gathered many parts of a script and ideas together to create a near avant-garde film that uses TV and fanatical programmers as villains. This movie sets the thriller basis for which The Matrix and The Ring would so heavily borrow from. Cronenberg's approach is different from his previous film SCANNERS in that the protaganist's perspective (a tremendous James Woods) becomes the actual subject of the movie. Since Videodrome has probably been seen my almost everone who reads this I need not bother to summarize the plot any further. Suffice to say that what starts out as an already interesting and challenging portrait of a soft-porn Cable-TV station owner looking for the next big thing in the adult entertainment world evolves into a nightmare that relentlessly never eases until the very last frame. This psychotic world and body (called The New Flesh)that Woods now finds himself becomes an allegory for our dependance and adhearance to Media and TV in particular. The concepts of "downloading" and "programming people" was, back in 1981, revolutionary. Kafka meets Tom Edison. The villains are evangelical and are either using the cancer-tumor inducing "videodrome" signal to kill sinners (Barry Convex looks like Jimmy Baker) or, in a twist of Darwin, the Cathode Ray Mission using the signal to "evolve" people to the next state of our existance: a personified information society of hallucinating, mutated people. This film was ahead of its time by decades and is still a significant movie using TV/Media as the vehicle for great evil, as prompted by an already receptive audience. Cronenberg suggests that we have created a TV Pornographic Frankenstien that is out of control.

The DVD: Two discs, both essential. The commentary from Cronengerg and James Woods is particulary interesting. Deborah Harry comments as well. The extras on Disc two feature excellent interviews with the special effects team, and a TV interview show from Canadian TV with John Carpenter, John Landis, and Cronenberg. The making of film is good and the actual torture and porn videos shot especially for the film are just bizzare to see, and they are provied with commentary. The DVD case is made to look like a betamax cassette that reads: Long Live the New Flesh. I love this movie, I always have. Yes, it has dated a little bit, but its one of those few movies that gets better with age. In fact, the dating of the effects adds significance to the visionary horror concept itself, light years ahead of its time. This is Cronenberg's masterpiece and everyone associated with it can consider themselves lucky. Make yourself among these lucky and get this DVD set.

The TV producer Max Renn (James Woods) works for a sleazy TV network that focuses on violence, sex, and other bizarre programs. Max's job is to search and find programs that keep pushing the aggressive nature of the network and can keep the viewer numbers up. Years of exposure to violence and sex have diminished the effect that the brutality and sexuality have on Max. As a result Max continues to search for something rough and more sadistic, and through an employee of the network he finds a pirate cable show, Videodrome.

The nature of the Videodrome is as Max refers to it as, "It's just murder and torture. No plot. No characters." It is the cutting edge, no pun intended, of cable TV for Max as it is rougher and more brutal than anything else that he has seen. Max tapes the show and becomes fixated with the pirated shows. This also begins to affect Max's social life as he meets Nicki (Deborah Harry) with whom he initiates a sadistic romance. Max begins to track the source down for Videodrome, which initially seems to be sent from Malaysia. However, further investigation leads Max to Pittsburgh, and he realizes that it is connected with a nightmarish cult.

David Cronenberg creates a terrifying atmosphere where reality and delusions begin to blend. This shadow land draws the audience into a paranoid cinematic experience where the threat is located directly in front of them, the television. The exceptional special effects are a big part of creating the bizarre atmosphere, which are startling with the breathing video tapes, open stomachs, and a sensually moving television. Videodrome carries Cronenberg's distinctive insignia as it is unique, disturbing, and groundbreaking. As usual with Cronenberg, his films always create room for cerebral participation and reflection as there are always several messages, which can be seen in other films by Cronenberg such as Spider and Naked Lunch. When Videodrome's end credits roll over the screen the audience will have experienced a truly unique film, which will cause much room for debate and pondering.

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TV will rot your brain, some sayand in the world of Videodrome, that's exactly what happens. A group working with a media philosopher (a nice parody of Marshall McCluhan) has created a signal that can be superimposed on a video program that will, quite literally, mutate the brain. It may be a tumoror it may be a new organ. It's infected cable TV president Max Venn (James Woods), and is starting to change him and his world in bizarre ways.

Videodrome is a wonderfully original movie that mixes a well crafted script with some novel (for the time) special effects and a marvelous darkly comic sensibility. Puns abound; the president of "Spectacular Optics"itself a punis named Convex. Brian Oblivion (the Marshall McCluhan parody) founded the "Cathode Ray Mission" (as in "cathode ray emission"), where the homeless and destitute are re-integrated into society by providing them with exposure to television.

Underneath this is a dark, sexual themeMax's attraction to the images of bondage and sadism that are his undoing, and to radio psychologist Nikki (Debbie Harry, in a compelling if inartful performance) who is willing to go a lot farther than is Max in her pursuit of kinky thrills.

Is Max really being physically transformed, or is it all in his head? Is the New Flesh real, or another delusion? All in all, a compelling and original film that will delight any fan of cult films and erotic horror.

Read Best Reviews of Videodrome (The Criterion Collection) (1983) Here

They say you either love or hate this rather bizarre offering from 1983, but I found myself somewhat indifferent as Videodrome approached its conclusion. To my mind, the final third of the story is ultimately too haphazard, esoteric, and too consciously horror-driven to clearly express the themes worked into the heart of the film. It's easy to read a lot into this film, but that's as much of a credit to the viewer as it is to the filmmakers.

Still, Videodrome is certainly a fascinating, unique film that compels the viewer to contrast the interplay between video and real life in our increasingly technological age. By 1983, most people were already seeing life through a television screen TV defined the news, fashion, the latest fads, etc. In the movie, TV plays as integral a part as food and comfort in the rehabilitation of the homeless taken in at the Cathode Ray Mission run by Dr. O'Blivion (Jack Creley). Rather than paint the television as a soul-draining maker of brain-dead zombies, Videodrome forges its way down an even more frightening path, where television is used as a potential weapon on the masses.

James Woods plays Max Renn, a rather sleazy cable operator who depends on shocking television shows to keep his little station up and running. He discovers many of his shows through satellite piracy, and that is just how Videodrome first comes to his attention. He is fascinated with the show, which features nothing but torture and abuse of individuals, especially women, with no sign of a plot anywhere behind it. It's just the kind of shocking new thing he's after, and so he begins searching for its source. His prurient interest in such violent material is enhanced by his current girlfriend, Nicki Brand (Deborah Harry), who is so into S&M that she vows to audition for Videodrome herself. Before long, Max begins hallucinating, and his efforts to discover the source of Videodrome become, at the same time, a desperate attempt to maintain his sanity if not physical life. The show isn't rotting his brain, but it is physically changing it, and therein lies the unheralded danger of this example of reality TV taken to the extreme.

All of this works beautifully for the first hour, but I just feel the psychology of the story is ultimately sacrificed in the name of horror, as the special effects force something of a disconnect between the viewer and the film. At least in my case, this robbed this otherwise perversely fascinating film of much of its power.

Want Videodrome (The Criterion Collection) (1983) Discount?

A cult favorite since its release in '83, VIDEODROME is in some ways a "great flawed film." The characters are far from sympathetic, the plot is often confusing and contradictory, and some of the dialogue is unintentionally hilarious. Yet on the level of images and ideas, VIDEODROME is a rich, compelling experience which will take root in your brain long after the film is over. James Woods turns in a terrific performance as Max Renn, sleazoid co-owner of a quickie TV station. For reasons which never become clear, Renn is chosen as the gateway for public transmission of the "Videodrome" TV signal, which hypnotizes its viewers and causes mind-altering hallucinations. Renn, always on the lookout for the ultimate trash with which to hook his slavish, sensation-seeking audience, is introduced to "Videodrome," a charming bit of snuff TV where men in masks torture women and a black man for no real reason at all, except for cheap thrills. Renn, correctly assuming that sex and violence sell to the masses, tries to discover the human face behind Videodrome. Along the way, he stumbles onto what seems to be a conspiracy to control the mind of the North American audience through TV (hmmm...hasn't this happened by now?), seemingly to create an audience of docile, consumeristic sheep. After a rather shocking sequence of events, Renn becomes one of the "New Flesh," apparently a race of humans who have evolved away from the body to exist entirely in the electronic realm (hmmm...isn't this happening right now?) and are trying to destroy Videodrome. His companion in this journey is masochistic Nicki Brand, played by Deborah Harry at her most glamorous. Nicki, turned onto Videodrome by Max, abandons her life as a "radio personality" and seems to become an entirely image-based being, first used by Videodrome to seduce Max, then somehow escaping and joining the "New Flesh." I know none of this makes much sense, but VIDEODROME has to be seen to be believed. Cronenberg's imagery, realized by FX genius Rick Baker, is incredibly sensual and powerful, using all the resources of the cinema to suggest multiple levels of reality and hallucination. I won't spoil the surprises for you by describing the effects here; let's just say that Cronenberg combines sex, violence, electronics and body/machine anxieties in a new and compelling way. Harry's incredible charisma and style lend the role of Nicki just the right touch of simultaneous allure and wierdness (she is first introduced as an image on a TV screen, and actually spends most of her time in the film in scenes where she is clearly a hyperreal hallucination instead of a person. She and Woods have a very believable chemistry and should have had more scenes together the script for this film needed a few more drafts. I first saw this movie as a teen-ager, back before the Internet, virtual reality or cybersex existed, and developments in audio-visual technologies since then have only underscored the seriousness and ambition of Cronenberg's vision. Where do we end and our electronic prostheses begin? Is electronic experience more real than real? Is the television screen now truly "the retina of the mind's eye?" I think so. VIDEODROME will make you think of your own environment in a new way. Great late-night viewing!

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Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi (2009)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Suri: "Yes."

Bobby: "At the speed of 120?"

Suri: "Yes."

Bobby: "And what were you doing?"

Suri: "I was sitting behind."

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

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

It's funnier in the movie.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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



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

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

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

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

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



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

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

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

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

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

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Nowhere to Run (1993)

Well first of all I never really liked Van Damme's movies, well it's not so much that I didn't like them but it was pretty much the same thing over and over again...he would beat up people. However, this movie had a different story line. It wasn't only an action movie, but a drama as well. I think that he did a great job potraying the character and he really took on the role of the "father" for the little boy. I think he did a great job with that, since when you looked at him, you could tell that he wanted to be part of that family. I think he should do more movies like this, and it is definetely worth seeing/buying...you'll enjoy it :). So don't wait any longer, BUY it. Oh and this one isn't only for guys...my mom saw it with me and she enjoyed it as well. I believe females will enjoy this one as well.

This was such a well made movie and i don't understand why JCVD doesn't do more movies like this! They made JCVD more human than he was in films like Universal Soldier and Bloodsport because he was not the "i will kick your ass any day" guy. He was the "i will kick your ass to protect this family" guy. It also had an ending that the others didn't, but i won't spoil it for you. I love this movie, JCVD's best work!

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The Jean Claude Van Damme Review Matrix (JCVD-RM)

1. Who is he? Sam Gillen, a criminal on the loose

2. Which family member/friend must be avenged? His friend Billy, who breaks him out of police custody, and Clydie (Rosanna Arquette), a worn down widow and mother of two youngsters

3. Does he take his shirt off? In one of the most disturbingly inappropriate images possible in a movie, Sam is completely naked in front of Clydie's children. Luckily, the viewers are spared.

4. Does he have sex with a C-List actress? In one of his most provocative sex scenes ever, Sam and Arquette do a little carnal gymnastics (JCVD gets to a legit second base on film).

5. Is there a tournament? JCVD steers away from his kumite roots in this one.

6. Is training needed for this tournament? He clearly trained and prepared in some way, because he beats everyone down, has a law degree, understands the nuances of the animalistic fright-versus-flight dynamic, is an accomplished motorcycle stuntman, and knows how to drive a forklift.

7. Does he do the splits in training or in the tournament? Sorry JCVD fans, no splits.

8. Does he punch someone in the balls? In the first fight of the movie, one unfortunate guy gets an axe handle to the jewels.

9. Does he do a series of flying or 360 kicks? No jumping of flying in this one.

10. Is his enemy unbeatable? Essentially he's fighting "The Man" and "The System"; so, it depends on your point of view.

11. Does he overcome an injury or other hindrance? It's possible that he had some broken ribs, but that didn't stop him from fixing Clydie's pipes.

12. Does he win? Hmmm...

Nowhere to Run is almost a mirror image of the 1953 classic Shane. An outlaw escaping his past, houses up with a family struggling against the classic tale of greedy corporation versus small land owner. With a sheriff played by the guy who played Mr. Belding's brother in one episode of "Saved by the Bell" paid off by the land developer, and a creepy henchman played by Ted Levine, a man who appears to be perfectly suited for only that role, it's up to Sam to save the day. Motivated by the taut, perky body of Arquette, not to mention multiple full frontal shower and sex scenes, JCVD gives us perhaps the best movie in his legendary career, following the lead from Shane one last time, as he rides off into the sunset of an ambiguous future.

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An escaped convict, Sam (Jean Claude Van Damme), hides out on the ranch property of a single mother, Clyddie (Rosana Arquette), and her two children, and ends up helping the family to stand-up to an unscrupulous developer (Joss Ackland) who wants to buy Clyddie's land to mine it.

"Nowhere to Run" is not a great film. The plot is lifted directly from some old western and is utterly contrived and predictable, and the two young children seem to only be included in the story in order to emotionally manipulate the audience. Jean Claude Van Damme doesn't even get to show off his martial arts skills all that much. Nevertheless, in spite of all of the above, somehow this film managed to work, and I enjoyed it more than many films that are far better made. It is a fun, mindless action movie that kept me entertained and didn't tax my brain too much. Sure, the script is laughably bad at times (in particular the romance elements and any scenes involving Van Damme's relationship with Clyddie's son), but that just added to the entertainment value. Provided that you go into this film not expecting too much, you too will probably enjoy it.

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An escaped convict befriends a young widow and helps her battle corrupt land developers who want to force her off her land. Jean-Claude Van Damme does an excellent job in all of his movies. Van Damme shows more acting than action in this movie. Van Damme does not display the full martial arts arsenal, but he does display surprisingly effective acting as he does not overact in a role that possess more serious evocation than his other martial arts movies. Very entertaining movie.

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Repo! The Genetic Opera (2009)

This movie is amazing! The scenes are very creepy and unsettling, but at the same time very appealing and artistically beautiful. Even if you hated the music or plot, which I didn't this movie alone for the scenery is worth a buy.

Now about the music. At first I was uncertain of how to feel regarding their musical numbers, and by the third song I was hooked. The lyrics in this are comedic at times, other times serious, and actually nearing the end there is a song that I think is pleasant, "I Didn't Think I'd Love You This Much," is the name of the song I believe. The vocals of lead Alexa Vega are great, strong, and defined. Even Paris Hilton surprised me as this is the first time I have heard her vocals, and it reminded me some some old school goth rock cd I'd listen to in high school. Finally, Sarah Brightman. What can I say about Sarah that anyone doesn't already know? Musical Wise, she was nothing short of spectacular.

Acting wise, I'm a big junkie for Bill Mosley and it was fun to see him pull off the comedic cult character he portrayed. Paris, actually did great acting, it surprised me how great Alex Vega did considering I had never seen her attempt anything like this, and I was surprised that Sarah Brightman could be as dark as she was in this movie. The casting meshed well and it was fun to see such big names in a movie that hadn't hit theaters in my area.

Art wise, the scenes were mind-blowing. There are scenes where there is much cgi used, but overall it looks good, and that's saying a lot for me considering I hate cgi. Also, the make up was great with good effects, example, if the box hadn't said Paris was in this I doubt I would have recognized her until the end.

Overall, I rarely say this.... But I wish I could give this a higher rating then a 5 star. I will be buying the soundtrack as soon as I complete this review. Repo! Will be played a second time tonight for my posse... Yes, it was that good.

Three, count 'em, three (!) songs from Repo! The Genetic Opera are being considered for Academy Award nomination. That shows how amazing this film is. Sadly, Lionsgate does not consider this film to be all that amazing, and is not doing anything to support this nomination. Generally, a film company would send letters and sample DVDs to the Academy members, promoting their film. Lionsgate, however, is run by a bunch of idiots and they are not doing this. So, it is up to the fans to promote Repo! Here are the three songs that are up for the nomination:

"Zydrate Anatomy"

"Chase The Morning"

"Chromaggia"

Set against a futuristic backdrop where an epidemic of organ failures is plaguing humanity, people turn to the unscrupulous Geneco Corporation to purchase replacements for their failing vitals. Not everybody makes good on their payments, however, which is where Nathan Wallace (Anthony Head of Buffy the Vampire Slayer fame) goes into action as one of Geneco's "repo men", brutally reclaiming defaulters organs at scalpel-point.

I loved it! It's basically a very stylized, horror rock opera. I was a little worried about Alexa Vega and Paris Hilton being lead characters in it, but Alexa Vega was marvelous, and Paris Hilton was basically being herself (an heiress to a multibillion-if-not-more-dollar company who's obsessed with fashion and thinks she's capable of singing), so she couldn't really go wrong. Her character didn't sing much either, so you don't really have to hear much of her voice. The songs are incredibly catchy and well written, and the actors had the voices that really brought the songs to life. Imo, the best songs are "Zydrate Anatomy," "Infected," and "Legal Assassin." There wasn't as much gore as expected, but the gore in the movie was great. Lots of someone being cut open and then the Repo Man reaching into his/her abdomen and taking various organs.

I've read/heard a lot of complaints about the film saying "oh the story's too complex and weird!" or "the lyrics were awful and poorly written!" You know what? The movie's called Repo! The Genetic Opera. "Opera" being the key word here. The melodrama and crazy story lines are a staple of classic operas! The story line is just like many classic opera story lines. I read someone's comment that the only opera aspect missing is a mistaken identity, which I find to be totally true. Weird lyrics are also a staple of classic operas. I mean, come on, they sing EVERYTHING in operas. Even "oh no, I've dropped my hat" gets turned into a ridiculously emotional song.

Overall, I loved this movie. The cast was great, the songs were great, and the style of the film was really interesting. I loved the nods to classic opera as well.

Final Verdict: 10/10

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Seemingly forever destined for cult status, Repo! The Genetic Opera is something you have to see to believe. A Goth-themed rock opera directed by Darren Lynn Bousman (Saw II, III, & IV), Repo! tells the tale of a future, Blade Runner-inspired world where massive worldwide organ failures have led to the rise of GeneCo; a biotech company run by Rotti Largo (Paul Sorvino) that lends out organs to those that need them. Failure to pay in full however results in a visit from the Repo Man (Buffy the Vampire Slayer's Anthony Stewart Head), who has no qualms about getting his hands dirty (and bloody) as he takes them back. As the story moves on, we learn of Repo Man's sickly beloved daughter Shilo (Alexa Vega) who learns of some deep buried secrets, and Largo's heirs Amber Sweet (Paris Hilton), Luigi (Bill Moseley), and Pavi (Skinny Puppy's Ogre) who are all warring to be left in charge of their sickly father's empire. The film moves along at a pretty brisk pace, even though its story doesn't always manage to catch up to it. The film's music is spectacular, and the cast (even Paris Hilton believe it or not) is wonderful as well, as Bousman quickly shines well above anything he's ever done with the Saw series. Also featuring Sarah Brightman, Repo! stage vet Terrence Zdunich, and a quick cameo from Joan Jett; Repo! The Genetic Opera is made to be a pure cult classic through and through, and though it definitely isn't for all audiences, the film stands as being something special regardless, and is wholeheartedly worth a look at the very least.

Read Best Reviews of Repo! The Genetic Opera (2009) Here

A few years ago I went to see Rob Zombie's directorial debut "House of 1000 Corpses" and I remember driving home not knowing what the hell I just watched. I wasn't sure it was actually any *good* but I knew it was different. I had that same feeling tonight after watching "Repo! The Genetic Opera."

It is what it is, operatic but with a distinct goth/rock feel. Very little of the dialogue is spoken, it's mostly sung. The look of the whole thing was a mishmash of "Rocky Horror Picture Show," "Moulin Rouge," "Blade Runner" and the Nine Inch Nails music video for "Hurt." So visually it was arresting to be sure.

I didn't like it at all at first, the first 20 or so minutes was pushing me to just turn it off but it grew on me......somehow.

The film's plot (if you can call it that) is we're in the not-too-distant future where the world has seen an epidemic of organ failures and one company offers something of a cure-all. They specialize in organ donors but the catch is if you fail to make your payments, they send a repoman to reclaim the heart, kidney, whatever from you....forcibly.

Obviously there's a strong horror movie vibe going on here with some macabre imagery (and a dash of sci-fi thrown in) and having everything played out in these grand operatic gestures dressed up in trashy goth outfits.....well......it's different. Certainly not something for everyone but I'm willing to bet "Repo! The Genetic Opera" will find a very loyal cult following.

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Everything the acting to costumes and songs are fantastic!

This film is wonderfully paced and a bunch of the songs like Chase the Morning and At the opera tonight are really catchy! another highlight would be Sarah Brightman's role as Blind Mag! Her Performance is so subtle yet very convincing you can't help but feel for her character!

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