New York Stories (1989)

There are two-thirds of a good movie in this movie, as New York's three most famous directors each contributed a short film about an aspect of New York life. The opening short, "Life Lessons" by Martin Scorsese and starring Nick Nolte and Roseann Arquette is a unforgiving look at the competitive, abusive, almost cannibalistic world of a megalomaniacal painter. I read somewhere that this short is flawed because Nolte's character doesn't change. That is not a flaw; that's the point. The ego of a successful artist, according to Scorsese, will not soften, will not learn what a conscience is, will not admit that there are other artists in his/her world. Even when the artist recognizes talent in someone else, it is quickly dismissed. The ego lords over all.

The final short film, "Oedipus Wrecks" by Woody Allen is typical comic genius. The plot is simple. Woody takes his overbearing mother to a magic show, and the magician makes her disappear. Completely disappear. The magician himself doesn't know how he did it. When mom appears as an apparition in the clouds, and speaks to the entire population of Gotham about her son, the laughs are endless.

In between these two films is one directed by Francis Ford Coppola. I can't tell you what it's about. I have yet to sit through more than ten minutes of it.

I just wrote because I didn't see any appriciation of Life Without Zoe mentioned...I loved the piece it was innocent and precocious in an endearing way the girl plays at being an adult like many adolescent girls...Zoe is still learning how to be an adult and she's excessive in some ways...I think Coppola lovingly depicts her character...it had a lot of charm...I wonder if other reviews expected a different tone from Coppola...I also really liked Life Lessons ...Oedipus Wrecks was entertaining but wasn't one of Woody Allen's stronger pieces...and im a big Woody Allen enthusiast.

Incidently Woody Allen uses adolescent girl charaters similar to Zoe often: including in the movies Everyone Says I Love You and Crimes and Misdomeanors

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Three directors to approach the diversity of New York.

Scorsese depicts the life of a painter in this city. He is a cannibal and needs to possess a younger woman, slightly artistic to find his momentum and his inspiration. He is the absolute vampire who sucks life out of her till she rebels and goes away, but he needs this resistance for inspiration to work.

Coppola looks at the city through the eyes of a young girl, the daughter of an internationally famous photographer, her mother, and an internationally famous flutist, her father. She lives in that rich world without any parents with her most of the time and finds a sudden pleasure when she can take a plane with her mother to fly to a concert of her father's somewhere in the wild wide world. Is that a life for a child ? It sure is the life of the children of that class of world-wide artists and celebrities and New York is an excellent base for them to grow somewhat normally.

Woody Allen goes back to his obsession of a Jewish possessive mother who cannot accept her son to be an independent person. She meddles and the trick is her disappearance and reappearance in the sky of Manhattan talking for weeks to everyone in the street and developing a consciousness of everyday life problems. New York, in that vision, is seen as the ultimate mother and the primeval family.

New York is thus shown as a multifarious entity where people live in a world of their own, a world suspended in mid air, somewhere in another space and time. Outlandish, eerie and fascinating. Nothing can destroy a city like this, and the vision of the twin towers of the WTC are there to remind us of that absolute perenity in resurrection if necessary...

Dr Jacques COULARDEAU

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I love this film, but the biggest problem I have is with the aspect ratio. I recently bought the film, not realizing it had been cut to a 1.33:1 from a 1.85:1, and I ultimately feel like if I'm paying for a film, I should own the entire thing.

Shame on me for not reviewing the aspect ratio before purchase, but beyond that, it's a great film minus the Coppola dribble in the middle.

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The anthology of three short films that take place in New York City was made by three great American directors, Martin Scorsese, Woody Allen, and Francis Ford Coppola.

"Life Lessons" directed by Martin Scorsese, literally took my breath away it made me want to rewatch all Scorsese's films (with the one exception, GONY, though). What a magnificent work visually it is as powerful as the painting Nolte's Lionel was painting. Combining in one short film Procul Harum's "A whiter shade of pale" and Puccini's "Nessun Dorma" from "Turandot" was a stroke of genius. This film is an ode to the power of talent; it is about greatness and curse of the gift, not about love to the woman. The best scene of the film and I'd say one of the best ever made about the Artist's work is Nolte triumphantly painting his masterpiece his love, desire, lust, cries, whispers, tears, and humiliations magically transform with every stroke of his brush into the immortal, triumphant, brilliant work of art. By the time the painting is finished, he would need a new source of inspiration and self-torture, and the cycle will repeat over again. Devilishly clever portrait of an Artist as Not a Young Man. 9.5/10 (4.5/5)

I loved Woody Allen's "Oedipus Wrecks" and I think it is very funny and touching. Looks like Allen has met mothers or grandmothers like Mrs. Millstein in real life and his little gem is his love-hate letter to them. In the end, mom always knows what is best for her little boy. Mae Questel and Julie Kavner (Marge Simpson) were wonderful. Woody's face after his mom "disappears" and the scene when he practically makes love to the chicken drumstick are pure delight; also the commentary that New York is used to everything and readily accepts the crazy situation it is so true. One of the best Allen's films I've seen lately I am very glad that I finally saw it.

Larry David ("Seinfeld", "Curb Your Enthusiasm") plays the Theater Manager. It made me think if Estelle Costanza created by David and Mrs. Millstein (Woody's omnipresent mother) have a lot in common in making the lives of their sons miserable and smothering them with their merciless love? 9/10 (4/5)

Coppola's "Life Without Zoë" was much weaker than Scorsese's and Allan's stories and paled in comparison this episode "from the lives of the reach and beautiful" was pretty and cute but you can skip it. 5/10 (2.5/5)

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Secret Beyond the Door (1947)

Secret Beyond the Door is told by the main character (Joan Bennett), a new bride of a man she met on vacation (Michael Redgrave). She finds that her new husband has kept many things from her, most notably that he was previously married to a woman, now deceased, with whom he had a son. She feels lost and out of the loop in the home the two share with his sister and secretary. Soon, instead of feeling disoriented, she feels terrified for her life, and with good reason.

Fritz Lang directed this film and there are many characteristic elements. First, the initial foreshadowing by use of symbolism is evident both in Lang's silent films and in his film noir talkies. There are several other elements of film noir in this film like narration, flashback, and realistic, imperfect characters.

Joan Bennett is beautiful, like a slightly more plain version of Hedy Lamarr. She is relatable enough to like which makes the viewer more interested in the film.

Michael Redgrave plays the husband, a moody man almost to the point of being bi-polar. He runs a gamut of emotions throughout the film.

The great thing about this film is constantly not knowing what will happen. Although one can guess, other things arise that constantly surprise including a twist near the end. The music is agonizingly tense in moments or extreme danger which keeps one engaged and aching to find out what happens.

This lesser known old dark house thriller from Lang, comes highly recommended. It's not about a haunted house actually, but I'd still call it spooky. I first saw it only a few years ago, but it's already become a fave of mine in this particular category. -Sort of, anyway; the beginning is a bit slow and too romantic, and manages to look completely un-interesting to a Horror fan, but the wait is worth it. While on vacation in South America Bennett falls for stranger Redgrave, and promptly moves in with him. -He's strange indeed; with all the secret rooms in the big house, and two other just as strange occupants. I'll say no more; now go check it out. If you enjoyed the British "Dead Of Night" for instance, Lang's long corridors and the eerie atmosphere here should be a sure pleaser.

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Secret Beyond the Door was a case of fourth time unlucky for Fritz Lang and Joan Bennett, who evidently put the past triumphs of the Woman in the Window and Scarlet Street behind them to fight like cats and dogs throughout the acrimonious and over budget production while at times reducing co-star Michael Redgrave to a nervous wreck with the director's tyrannical behavior to emerge with a film hated by its star, preview audiences alike and critics alike (one memorably described it as `a woman's picture made by a misogynist') that proved a disastrous box-office flop. Add to that censorship problems, Lang being singularly unimpressed by cinematographer Stanley Cortez (The Magnificent Ambersons, Night of the Hunter) because Bennett overruled his original choice of Robert Krasker, the studio dropping his idea of having actress Colleen Collins deliver Bennett's voice-over narration as too confusing and having an affair with the screenwriter, Silvia Richards, that apparently led to some unfortunate rewrites, not to mention his leading lady and his co-producer Walter Wanger's marriage disintegrating throughout the shoot and the studio taking over and re-editing the film amid a flurry of lawsuits and it's no wonder that he dismissed it as `a very unfortunate adventure.' But it's certainly a fascinating one even if it never turns into the rediscovered masterpiece you'd like it to be to give all that blood, sweat and tears a belated happy ending.

Almost from the start there's a tangible air of suppressed perversity, be it Bennett's morbid pre-wedding thoughts about dreams set against opening Disney animation of weeds stretching out in the water like pained claws to her listless heiress being so transfixed by a knife fight and so jealous of the pride a peasant woman clearly feels that two men are willing to kill for her that she doesn't even blink when a blade lands an inch away from her. And that's before she falls for Michael Redgrave's architect with money troubles who collects `felicitous rooms,' has a strange son he never bothers to tell her about and more skeletons than closets. It turns out that he's been dominated by women all his life, and those rooms he collects, like something out of Madame Tussauds without the waxworks but with a bigger budget for furnishings, are all the scenes of famous murders of wives and mothers... and there's one murder room he claims is finished which he keeps securely locked at all times and forbids her to enter.

Playing like a perverse combination of the Bluebeard legend, Rebecca, Spellbound, Suspicion and all points east of sanity, it's an intriguing enough mystery even if the climax isn't entirely convincing as Lang later noted, "Our solution was too glib, too slick. It would be very nice if a mentally disturbed patient could talk with a psychiatrist for two hours and then be cured; but such things cannot be done so quickly." Lang's dictatorial behavior may have made it an unpleasant set, but it pays dividends in the performances, with Bennett going from confidence to trying to assert some kind of control even though she doesn't know what on Earth is going on while Redgrave's own repressions come to the fore in a performance that's schizophrenic in all the right ways for the kind of man who dreams of putting himself on trial for murder and plays both defendant and prosecutor as logic gives way to an increasingly Freudian Liebestraum. Despite Lang's misgivings, Cortez's cinematography is particularly striking and is well represented on Olive's region-free Blu-ray, but the film's misfortunes have extended to the sound quality, with a combination of poor sound mix that seems a little dulled and a surprisingly low sound level for a film where much of the dialogue and voice over is already spoken very softly meaning you'll have to turn the volume way up to hear it properly (no such problems with Miklos Rozsa's floridly dramatic score). As usual with Olive Films' titles there are no extras.

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Psychiatry, plus a suggestion of the Bluebeard legend, plus a lot of Gothic glooms, was the essence of Fritz Lang's thriller...

The situation is the familiar one of the girl who falls in love and marries a millionaire about whom she knows little, and finds that the home to which he takes her is one of those gloomy mansions which seem to have been built for the mysterious shadows they throw...

She meets there three people whose existence she had not suspected: her husband's sister, who has been running things and wants to carry on (does anyone remember Judith Anderson's Mrs. Danvers in 'Rebecca'?); his secretary, who had hoped to marry him, and always wears a scarf round her face to hide scars from a fire; and his rather hostile son, who had no more been mentioned than the fact of a previous marriage...

The moody husband (with a death fixation...) has a 'collection' of reconstructions of rooms in which murders have been committed... We visit them all except one: this is kept hurtfully locked...

Is this the room of the first wife, and did her husband murder her? Well, although he too has a guilt complex, he did not kill her. Not loving her, he wished her dead and blames himself... To get this across, Lang stages an imaginary trial, with the husband as both accuser and accused... We end up, many shadows later, with Redgrave and Bennett having a showdown in the locked room...

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The powerful talent of Fritz Lang was indomitable. The relentless energy he put around every one of his films denotes the admirable capacity to weave a story.

This is far from being the most relevant issue in his extensive career but there's an admirable performance of both of them. Joan Bennet and Michael Redgrave.

She, alone and closed inside an emotive bubble searching for someone; he hides a secret. The progressive tension will lead you to discover what's beyond that closed door.

Don't miss it.

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Ninja Scroll (1993)

Ninja Scroll is an excellent work of anime and cannot be praised too highly, but the new 10th Anniversary DVD edition only offers only a false widescreen they have merely cut off the top and bottom of the view to give the appearance of widescreen. The DTS sound is not any fuller or crisper than the original fullscreen DVD, merely converted to DTS format. In short, this DVD is not worth upgrading to, and the fullscreen side is the only one worth watching. Save your money if you hope to improve on the original DVD's quality the new anniversary DVD is actually an insult.

First, regarding its name: a more accurate translation from the original Japanese would be "The Chronicles of Ninja Jubei."

Second, regarding the "misogynism" in the film: While I understand how it might be interpreted that way, that's not quite true. Kagero is a fascinating character due to the tragedy of her curse. She plays a pivotal role in the story, but most importantly, the ultimate point of the love subplot is that Jubei's sense of honor is so strong and his heart is so pure that he will not use her as just a weapon or an object of lust, the way everyone else has used her. Even at the cost of his life (you will understand when you see it). That's what makes it such a powerful story.

This movie isn't for everyone, but it's an incredible film. It's extremely intense, so sensitive viewers should beware. The animation is beautiful; the action is intense and intelligently choreographed, not mindless and brutal; the plot is highly intricate and very well written.

The best anime that I've ever seen, period.

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One tradition of Japanese manga and anime is based on the legends of Yagyu Jubei Mitsuyoshi, who was a very real swordsman serving the Tokugawa Shogunate at the beginning of the 17th century. Jubei was known for wandering Japan, sometimes as a spy for the Shogun, and righting injustices with displays of his extraordinary swordsmanship. Kind of a Japanese Knight of the Roundtable.

In 'Ninja Scroll', this part is played by Jubei Kibagami, an itinerant ninja. He is drawn into clan politics when he comes to the aid of Kagero, a female ninja in service to the Yamashiro clan. To save Kagero, Jubei must successfully challenge Tessai, an evil ninja (one of the Eight Devils of Kimon) with the ability to turn his skin into stone, and the strength to chop walls down. Jubei succeeds, but Tessai swears vengeance, leaving Jubei deeply entangled in a struggle with the Shogun of the Dark.

The third player in this contest is Dakuan, the Shoguns spy. He is a deadly old man who recruits Jubei by giving him a poison that will kill him in a day and a night. Dakuan informs Jubei that Himuro Gemma, an old enemy that Jubei was sure was dead, was still alive, and, in the company of the Devils, was at the center of the plotting. Jubei, Dakuan, and Kagero must defeat the evil ninjas and discover the purpose behind the killing of an entire village.

Kagero is a poison taster, and, as a result, is permeated with deadly toxins. She can never take a lover, because even her kiss would kill. At this point in Japanese history such a woman was an outcaste, having little value in the eyes of her society. Jubei shatters her world when he insists on treating her as an honorable human being, creating a strong emotional tension that plays against the simple samurai action of the main plot.

Production qualities of the film are beautiful, echoing traditional Japanese art forms with a fine sensibility. Line and color are strong. Violence, of course, is present, but is tightly controlled, not dwelt upon. This is one of the best and most representative films of the more conservative Japanese traditions of anime. Worth seeing for its historical status as well as for its outstanding artistic values.

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Ninja Scroll is pretty much the stereotypical fantasy anime movie. Over the top gore, over the top sex and perversion and over the top demons and monsters. But does that mean the movie is bad? No, it just means that you should probably keep the kids away from this one.

The first thing to realize about Ninja Scroll is that it really is not for the squeamish. Throughout the movie there are gallons of blood, limbs, bodies, a rape scene and also a scene with a snake and a woman (actually, there are tons of snakes but there is one in particular that will probably surprise you at least a little). There really isn't any time when there isn't either nudity or death after the first few minutes in the movie.



If you can stomach the violence and perversition you will find a well animated movie with a good, if standard, plot. The animation is very well done and the action sequences (and there are a lot) are easy enough to follow. While I thought some of the character designs were fairly annoying (especially the snake lady's face), they are animated well and individual enough to be able to identify each character with no problem (even those that you see only twice throughout the movie). The plot itself is fairly stock, but it works well in the context. A wandering swordsman is recruited by an old man to fight eight demons as well as a man that swordsman thought he had slain years ago. The two are also joined by a woman swordsman whose body is too toxic to for any intimate contact (though that is by no means a deterent of her getting naked a few times). After the characters are introduced it basically becomes one long drawn out fight with the plot trudging along in the background.



The music in this film is pretty good. Maybe not something you would rush out to buy on a CD later, but it moves the movie along well enough and contributes to the action. The sound fx fit very well and seem to work well with the action on the screen.



In the end I would recommend this movie to anyone who enjoys a good samurai flick or to anyone who likes tons of bloodletting. Again, though, keep it away from the youngins.

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This review is directed to those who, like myself, are not avid anime fans. I own three anime DVDs: Ghost in the Shell, Akira, and Ninja Scroll, and I enjoy all three. However, Ninja Scroll is far the most enjoyable to watch. But this review is not a comparison of the three.

I would like to praise the writer/director of Ninja Scroll for creating such an exciting and artistic work while at the same time retelling the ancient tale of the reluctant hero. The plot was sufficient enough to withstand the weight of the amazing action sequences and fun sexual content. The character development was superb. Jubei (the hero) is not portrayed an all-powerful superhero. Instead, we just see a gifted fighter with an immense will to survive.

The action scenes are among the best I have ever seen, with battle choreography that is comparable to that of the best filmakers. The villians are imaginitive and original, not to mention devious. The plot is extremely imaginitive, touching on topics that are not common to the "super robots and cute little girls" world of Japanese Anime: love triangles, rape, greed, self esteem, and homosexuality. This film was enjoyable from beginning to end, and if you are searching to expand your collection into something new, pick up this DVD. Its pure enjoyment.

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Chihuly in the Hotshop (2008)

Sadly Dale Chihuly does'nt blow much glass works himself anymore,due to a serious car accident,but he does help design some of the coolest looking glass works imaginable,sure he does look kinda likea mixture of Wavy Gravy and a pirate,but he IS hip!!! During this 90 min. program,watch magic being made,via very hot material,see some the best "gaffers"(not the movie type,okay!)make some very beautiful glass works!!! Get this before it goes out of print!!! And it look and sound good on Blu Ray Disc!!! Don't collect glass works myself,but I DO appiciate great art!!! Recommended for fans of Chihuly or just graet art in general!!! Igot this great disc for $9.99 new at find that quite a bargian!!! No extras here,not even sound options,just enjoy it for the great program it contains,and it's Blu Ray to boot!!! A+

I saw the original show on PBS last year, and immediately called all my friends to watch the repeats during the week. When I saw the Blu-Ray on a large screen in a Sony Style store, I had to have the disk myself.

I collect glass, blown and fused, and have made stained glass windows off and on for 30 years. I've watched glass blowing dozens of times, and have friends who are commercial glass artists. Dale Chihuly has never been one of my favorite glass artists, and own none of his designs, but I recognize his design talent and role in the studio movement.

What this video shows is not his technique [since he hasn't blow glass in decades], but his design work with some extraordinary glass artists you rarely see, including William Morris and Lino Tagliapietre, each of whom is a grand master glass blower.

If you want to watch this expecting to learn how to be a glass blower, you will be disappointed if you want to see how the process of design is carried out into finished work by true experts, this DVD won't disappoint I just recommend getting the Blu-Ray version, as the colors and sharpness are very good.

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I purchased this Blu-ray because I have always been very interested in glass blowing and glass art. I previously researched Chihuly's work and observed various demonstrations of Chihuly and many other glass artists. I wanted more of that, and this Blu-ray did not disappoint.

The disc is composed of various chapters (I think 10), each focusing on a different glass piece that forms the basis for much of Chihuly's work (i.e., seaforms, machia, persian, baskets, etc.) Each chapter is filmed in the same demonstration auditorium with stadium style seating surrounding a large glass blowing area. I believe this auditorium is in the Museum of Glass in Tacoma, Washington.

The video quality is excellent, with minor imperfections and noise in various places throughout. The audio quality is also great. The soundtrack is comprised of a very strange hodgepodge of mid-90's pop music -very strange, but mildly entertaining.

I am giving the disc 4 out of 5 stars for one reason. There is simply not enough focus on what the artists are doing. There is very little explanation of the tools and techniques that are being used -which is what I wanted. Chihuly narrates much of the video, providing a brief history of the particular piece, the people involved in its original creation, and what inspired him to start making them. Then, the rest is just soundtrack with various individuals creating the pieces (Chihuly himself no longer blows glass). There is simply not enough focus on the detail or technique for me. I'm not sure if this information is intentionally withheld as it may reveal Chihuly's secrets, but each segment left me wanting a whole lot more. Maybe I'm too accustomed to shows like How It's Made, which do a great job of explaining what is going on at all steps.

Corresponding with this lack of detail was a lack of actual camera time on the intricacies of the glass. For example, when pieces are finished, there is no final shot of the piece. You simply see the piece transferred into the cooling box and that's it. No final shot or pan around the piece.

All in all, the video feels more like a preview -it lacks depth and detail. There is a lot more personal stories from Chihuly himself, rather than demonstration and explanation of the glass work. If I could have, I would have rented it and moved along. I don't think I will ever watch the video again for the next 10 years. That said, I still admire the artwork, the video quality of the disc, and substance covered throughout

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If you have ever heard of Dale Chihuly, you owe it to yourself to get this film! It shows a large number of small sessions where he & his team create the items he has become famous for. The only thing I hated was the "background" music, which was way too intrusive, way too loud, and way too much! I would have loved to hear more dialogue between the craftsmen, or narration, or anything but this annoying music by the tom Tom Club, whoever in the world they are. Sounds like some sort of musical torture session, why the producers used so much and so loud is beyond me.

To top it off, you never know when there is going to be talking by the glass blowers inserted into the music, so if you don't want to miss anything you have to just endure it. But it is still worth the purchase!

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Great PBS special showing Chihuly and his extremely gifted peers and students making all that tremendously beautiful glass art that those of us who know and love Chihuly feel such awe and admiration for. Any true glass art lover will enjoy this educational video which shows the glass blowers at work, from drawing to finished product. Recommended.

The Illusionist (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo) (2010)

The latest animated film by Sylvain Chomet is based on a script by the late Jacques Tati, who intended the film to be live-action but ended up never bringing the film to fruition. Tati died in 1982 and the script was passed to Chomet by Tati's daughter Sophie Tatischeff, who died before Chomet's debut feature-length, animated film The Triplets of Belleville was released. Since The Illusionist debuted it has been criticized by family members of Tati for straying from his original vision, as well as his original intention for writing the script in the first place. Since Tati is credited with writing the original script and Chomet is credited with adapting it, it is unknown how significantly Chomet altered the original script. Whether Chomet strayed from Tati's script or not becomes irrelevant as we can't judge a film based on what it could've been but for what it is. The fact is, the film exists in its current form and here it is:

The film begins in Paris, 1959 with Tatischeff, the illusionist of the title, performing his act for anyone who will watch on any stage he can find. While not very successful Tatischeff is an effective illusionist, whose only problem seems to be his unruly rabbit. Constantly searching for a stage to perform on, Tatischeff travels to Scotland and meets a young woman named Alice who believes that his illusions are really magic. Following Tatischeff to Edinburgh, Alice takes care of the house while he goes around performing his act. Alice's love for his tricks and his unwillingness to admit to Alice that what he does is all illusion causes Tatischeff to slowly become bankrupt in his attempts to always have gifts on hand to impress the girl with.

Tatischeff is animated to look like Jacques Tati and Tati's persona is conveyed through his animated counterpart quite well. Those familiar with Tati should appreciate this animated version, as well as the scene where Tatischeff wanders into a theatre playing Mon Oncle. The animation in The Illusionist is much more straight-forward than The Triplets of Belleville, but retains a similar look and feel that identifies Chomet as the maker. Like that film, there is very little dialogue and when there is it's usually brief, mumbled, and nearly inaudible. Finally, just as Bruno the dog was one of the most amusing characters in The Triplets of Belleville simply by being a dog, so is the rabbit in The Illusionist simply by being a rabbit.

Chomet is one of the few animated filmmakers able to use their animation so poetically and while Tati was an immensely talented filmmaker who was more than capable of putting his vision onscreen, this film seems very well-suited for Chomet's animated interpretation. While this film may not be a perfect representation of Tati's vision or intent, it is a respectful tribute to both the man and his style. While I admittedly haven't re-visited Tati's films in sometime, Chomet stays true to his style with his use of wide shots, keeping his distance from Tatischeff in much the same way Tati kept his distance from his Monsieur Hulot. Chomet's film may not convey exactly what Tati wished it to, but the fanciful, melancholy it conveys is quite effective.

Through animation, Chomet is able to capture and convey more emotion than his medium should allow. There are directors who would struggle to capture this emotion with a live-action adaptation of Tati's script and actors who would struggle to convey as much meaning with a lengthy monologue that Chomet effortlessly conveys with sparse dialogue. It's a beautiful film to behold, has a lovely musical score, and happens to be one of the most poignant films of 2010.

The Illusionist is a touching, at times depressing, but always effective film that succeeds at capturing the spirit of Tati where it may have failed to capture the message. Chomet continues doing great things in animation and this is another masterful example that truly deserves to be called one of the best films, animated or otherwise, of 2010. Whether you're a fan of Tati, Chomet, or you're new to the films of both, you owe it to yourself to see this film. It's a masterpiece and a wonderful addition to Tati's legacy.

GRADE: A

The Illusionist is a beautifully-rendered animated story about a French stage magician, Tatischeff, and his relationship with a young Scottish girl named Alice, at a time when his kind of entertainment is being displaced by the onset of television and rock-and-roll.

Stylistically, The Illusionist will be immediately familiar to fans of Chomet's best-known film, The Triplets of Belleville. The animation is gorgeously detailed, the characters unique, and the story presented with virtually no dialogue, relying on an occasional comprehensible word or two emerging from deliberately garbled bursts of psuedo-language, French or Scottish-English depending on the setting.

Storywise though, The Illusionist is distinctly different from Triplets. While Triplets was imbued with a manic glee, The Illusionist is instead tinged throughout with a mix of sweetness and sadness. The film begins with Tatischeff's stage magician having to deal with a changing world in which his style of entertainment is increasingly less in demand. This is brought painfully home early on when he ventures to the UK for a gig, only to find his act's slot on stage pushed back again and again by a rock-and-roll band's repeated encores for an audience of screaming teenage girls, forcing the magician to go through his pre-act preparations repeatedly. And when the band finally leaves the stage and Tatischeff gets his chance to go on, it is only to find that the bulk of the audience has already departed, leaving only a solitary grandmother and grandson for him to perform for. The scene is at once absurdly comic and yet achingly sad, and portrays in a nutshell what the magician's life has become.

A chance encounter at a gig for a garden reception takes the magician to a small village in Scotland, where in an intimate tavern setting, he performs his act to a genuinely appreciative audience. But even this small victory is not to be left untouched, as no sooner is he done than the tavern owner installs a juke-box, playing records by the same rock-and-roll group that displaced him from his earlier theatrical gig. At the same time though, he meets a young girl who works at the tavern, a naive teenager named Alice, who becomes thoroughly entranced by his illusions, believing them to be real. An exchange of impulsive kindnesses she washes and irons his shirts; he gets her a badly-needed pair of new shoes, making them appear as if by magic forms the beginnings of a relationship that prompts Alice to follow him when he leaves the village to head to Edinburgh in hopes of finding work there.

In Edinburgh, a number of side characters are introduced. One of the best features of Chomet's style is how distinctive the personalities of even minor characters are. The two agents who take the magician on as a client are wonderfully done as they work to promote his act; the brief scene where they get him a gig at the local theater is priceless. And as the hotel where the magician and Alice settle in apparently caters to theater people, they meet a number of other performers, including a chatty ventriloquist, a depressed clown, and trio of constantly leaping acrobats, all of whom are facing the same difficulties as the magician.

The ending sequences are achingly sad as the magician faces not only that his way of life is fading but also that Alice's life is just beginning. When the magician takes his cantankerous rabbit and frees it on a hilltop, you feel that he is turning his back on his profession, but it is a later scene on a train where, in an exchange with a little girl who has lost her pencil, that you truly realize he has given up.

But even within the sadness and the defeat, the film does not give in completely. While the magician leaves Alice some money and a note which says "Magicians do not exist", the film suggests that the magician is wrong. In the empty hotel room, a gust of wind through the window causes the pages of a book to turn, casting shadows on the wall of a bird appearing and flying away, a classical image of magic acts. And as we see Alice walking away with the young man she has met, we realize that in the end, the magician has despite his assertion in fact unwittingly performed an act of magic of his own, the Pygmalionesque transformation of Alice from the shyly awkward and drab young girl he first met into a beautiful young woman venturing out into the world.

It's a different film from Triplets to be sure, and while it does not give one the happy ending one might initially have hoped for, it does stay true to itself, reminding us that even sadness has its own kind of beauty that we should not turn away from. Highly, highly recommended.

Buy The Illusionist (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo) (2010) Now

Sylvain Chomet's "L'Illusioniste," based on an unproduced screenplay by Jacques Tati, is a worthy follow-up to his Oscar-winning "Triplets of Belleville," even if it is a gentler, less flamboyant work than its predecessor. "L'Illusioniste" is the story of Tatischeff (Tati's real name), a magician in 1959 Paris, who finds his old-fashioned hat-and-rabbit tricks in ever-diminishing demand. Forced to take a gig on a remote Scottish island, he entrances Alice, a young scullery maid who believes his tricks are real. When Tatischeff leaves to accept an engagement in Edinburgh, Alice stows away on the boat. The bulk of the movie is about the chaste, father-daughter relationship between Tatischeff and Alice, and their inevitable estrangement as Alice discovers the bigger world on her own.

Because "L'Illusioniste" is based on a screenplay that was meant to be a live-action film, Chomet's animation doesn't take Disneyesque liberties with the laws of gravity and physics. There are jokes and gags, but they are low-key and almost always included to make a serious, even melancholy point. (At one point Tatischeff stumbles into a movie theater showing "Mon Oncle," thus allowing him to come face-to-face with his doppelganger on the screen.) Tatischeff is one of the last survivors of a dying world, the world of the music hall, and we see his world constricting even as Alice's grows. Yet life and happiness go on, as symbolized by the drunken, kilted Scotsman who shows up in places both natural and unexpected. (Be sure to watch the credits to the very end; as in "The Triplets of Belleville," Chomet has a little surprise for us.)

There is not a single computer-generated image in "L'Illusioniste," and Chomet's hand-drawn panoramas of Paris, Edinburgh and the Scottish coast will take your breath away with their pensive beauty. "L'Illusioniste" is an animation for adults; it contains nothing children shouldn't see, but the themes and emotions it explores are not those children would understand. It is gentle, thoughtful, and exquisite.

Read Best Reviews of The Illusionist (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo) (2010) Here

This wonderful film worked out as a posthumous Op of Jacques Tati, the major figure of the French illusionism, the poet, the naive but always smiling man whose clumsy actions always delighted us, but also the human being of endless kindness, respectful, gentlemanly behavior which represents an era that no longer exists.

The crude and acidic message nested under the script, is profoundly revealing and hopeless. The illusionist is an endangered species, a profession that has no place in a world like today where the fashioned artist rocker has supplanted it.

There's no time for such charming, the illusion is an old fashioned issue and now the frivolity's the master of the world.

The secondary line of the script is very touching too. With the dissapearance of the illusionism the loneliness is an unwanted guest, although he makes the best he can to rescue the humanity of that humble girl who once falls in love forgets him.

Another train, another hope, another city perhaps will wait for him, although the public will be limited.

Nostalgic and haunting film.

Want The Illusionist (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo) (2010) Discount?

If anyone wants to know the difference between foreign films and American ones a comparison of "The Illusionist" with "Toy Story 3" is a good place to start. Both are excellent movies in their own way...but employ very contrasting styles.

"Toy Story 3" takes some familiar characters, puts them in danger, provides laughs and tears, and ultimately delivers a satisfactory ending.

The "Illusionist" is all about sublety. There is practically no action and practically no dialogue. Ultimately it is a story about relationships the relationship between an out of date vaudevillian magician with his lost audience, the relationship of down-on-your luck theater performers living in the same tarnished hotel, the relationship of the magician with a young admirer who travels with him from an outpost in Scotland to the "big city" of Edinburgh.

Some might see this as the old giving space to the new...although it is not just about that. The young girl and the magician ultimately drift apart because their opinion of what is important was never the same anyway. This is the melancholy in the film.

It is a slow film totally unlike the bizarre, hectic zaniness of "Triplettes de Belleville." But whereas "Triplettes" is a cartoon of sorts, the story played out on film in "The Illusionist" is all too real. People, jobs, and expectations do go out of date...far more quickly today than ever.

I can't say enough good things how fantastic the animation looks on the screen those beautiful hand drawn watercolors. Now "this" is a film to get on Blu-Ray just to appreciate the marvelous artwork. In seeing hundreds of animated films...I have NEVER seen an illustrator do such a spectacular job in depicting light light in every shade and variety from the harsh lights of an electric bulb, to the golden light of lamps seen through windows, to the flashing red lights of the theatre district, to the evening light on the moors of Scotland. For that alone, the film is worth the price. One thinks of the French impressionists or the Dutch Vermeer in their use of the play of light in their art.

I am convinced that I could see this film twenty times....and if I do so, I will notice new nuances and interpretations each viewing. That's what I expect in a great film. And that is why the movie is worth owning.

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Camelot (2012)

Yes, 'Camelot' is a flawed movie, but a MAGICAL one, nonetheless. It is too long, and Franco Nero's dubbed singing voice as 'Lancelot' is laughable, and YET! Yet, we have RICHARD HARRIS, so perfect as the failing King Arthur, Vanessa Redgrave, never lovelier than in her role as the torn Guinavere, and David Hemmings, a dastardly 'mod' Mordred reeking havoc on the troubled Kingdom. Franco Nero (dubbing notwithstanding) brings a wonderful comedic touch to Lancelot, and with the sumptious sets and costumes, 'Camelot' really is a BEAUTIFUL film. It has been critisized for having a 'Sixties' feel to it, but the somewhat hippy-ish design just adds to the pleasure; and it REALLY doesn't matter that Richard Harris is wearing WAY to much blue eye-shadow we're in CAMELOT, for goodness sake! There may very well be a 'legal limit to the snow' there, but when it comes to make-up, no holds are barred! Oh, one can pick a MILLION holes in 'Camelot' but why bother? It's better just to pour yourself a glass of mead, light some candles, put 'Camelot' in your VCR and let Lerner and Loewes wonderful score sweep you into a magical time which never existed. 'Camelot' is pure escapism, but it's escapism with 'heart', and that heart belongs to Richard Harris. This movie is HIS, and years after first seeing this movie, when I imagine the face of King Arthur, the face that I see is Richard Harris'.

In the annals of musical theater, there are more than a few great scores. Among them is Lerner and Loewe's "Camelot" which has more than its share of great songs that shine away from the musical play.

In 1964, Jack Warner produced "My Fair Lady" at Warner Brothers. It was an excellent film, if a bit too cautious. The play was a phenomenon and Jack didn't want anyone mucking about with it. Going to see it was almost as exciting as going to church, even though the film itself was entertaining and beautiful to look at.

Four years later, Warner attempted to do the same thing with "Camelot." In many ways, he failed, but in a couple of others, he outshone "My Fair Lady" and many other fine movie musicals. First, but not foremost, he enlisted the talents of John Truscott to design the film. No medieval tale has ever benefitted from so fine a vision. His sets and costumes are among the finest -yet most realistic -ever created. Second, and this is the best part (for me) -he acquired the services of the finest composer/conductor Hollywood has ever produced. Alfred Newman had already won 8 Academy Awards prior to scoring "Camelot." Newman was one of a handful of composers who invented film scoring in the 1930s and 1940s. As head of the Fox music department from 1940-1959, Newman had the best orchestrators, best musicians and best composers working for him at Fox than could be found anywhere else.

For "Camelot," Newman had a free hand, along with his associate Ken Darby who had worked with Newman for nearly 20 years, collaborating on such film musicals as "Carousel," "The King and I" and "South Pacific."

The reason I'm making such a fuss over this -in addition to the fact that "Camelot" earned Newman his 9th Oscar -is that "Camelot" rates as one of the best scored musicals in film history and on this DVD, you can hear the entire musical score, free of dialogue and solo vocals, in 5.1CH stereo!

What separates "Camelot" from "My Fair Lady" is that in the latter, Warner would not let conductor Andre Previn alter the basic orchestrations of the play. Previn had some leeway, and it really shows in the score when he cuts loose. By and large, though, this did not include songs....just musical underscore/transitions. Newman, on the other hand, virtually co-composed the entire score. Using the thematic material, he wrote a dynamic, Erich-Wolfgang-Korngoldian ("Robin Hood," "The Sea Hawk," etc.) underscore that rouses you, thrills you and makes you feel great even if the film drama itself can't quite live up to it.

Watching a film for this isolated score feature alone is something only die-hard music lovers could tolerate, but it's there and can be enjoyed by anyone. Think of it as a full-orchestra karaoke feature and you can sing your favortie songs backed by one of the finest Hollywood orchestras ever assembled!

I've always been partial to "Camelot" for the score, the sets and the luminous presence of Vanessa Redgrave.

In truth, however, "Camelot" never looked as good in its first-run roadshow performances as it does on this DVD. This movie shimmers and sparkles and glows. It looks absolutely NEW. The sound does show its age in spots.

If only Arthur didn't run around all the time calling Guinevere and Lancelot "Ginny" and "Lance." (Lance. Ginny. Ginny. Lance.). That almost ruins the film for me -that and Arthur's eccentric blue eye shadow. And if only Hollywood had not entrusted another great musical into the musically uninspired hands of Joshua Logan (one of Broadway's greatest directors but whose heavy hand all but ruined the film versions of "South Pacific", "Camelot" and "Paint Your Wagon.")

It's a whale of a movie. And the score is one of the finest ever committed to film.

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In this lavish adaptation of the Broadway musical based on T.H. White's modern classic "The Once and Future King," the music of Frederick Loewe and Lyrics of Alan Jay Lerner weave this story into an intricate tapestry of unforgettable heart-stirring emotions. The emotions are quite overpowering and you almost have to watch this movie three times to fully appreciate the texture and detail of the 45 sets and 3,500 costumes.

Camelot is a timeless romantic drama that takes us to a medieval world that could only be imagined in your most romantic fantasy. The humor is witty, the music is unforgettable and the world of Camelot has castle scenes that are beyond compare. In fact, if you love castles, you will see scenes from dreamy castles in Spain. The Castle of Camelot is modeled after the Castle of Coca. The architectural details in the design are partly Romanesque, Norman, Viking and Gothic. The decorations have a "fantasy" medieval flavor.

The movie is at first shrouded in mystery as Arthur sits in a dark misty forest. Arthur is about to go into battle and doesn't want to die in a state of confusion. Merlin advises Arthur to think back to the time when he met Guenevere.

We are transported into King Arthur's memory, where the entire story takes place in vivid detail. King Arthur sings about his fears of the wedding night and it is all rather cute and humorous. We instantly see King Arthur as an eternal boy and later find out how he became king quite by accident when he draws the sword, Excalibur, out of a stone.

Guenevere arrives all wrapped in fur as she travels through the "most ferocious, savage, terrifying forest" she has ever seen. The branches are laden with snow and icicles. She simply adores the danger and beauty. When she hears the forest is quite dangerous, she wishes to be stolen away. Her heart is quite hungry for adventure and romance as a damsel in distress and all she has to look forward to is an arranged marriage.

When she meets "Wart" she has no idea he is King Arthur and asks him to run away with her. Vanessa Redgrave and Richard Harris are like two happy children living in a magical dream. King Arthur has a boyish charm, plenty of witty lines and the almost periwinkle eye shadow quite matches his turtleneck sweater and promotes a whimsical mood.

The royal marriage is magnificent and the wedding gown flows between two seas of candles. For a time, we truly believe this arranged marriage will succeed. Arthur shares his dreams of uniting the feudal city-states and Guenevere seems intrigued with her husband's leadership qualities. She too seems to be dreaming of a new world filled with chivalrous knights who fight for right.

When French knight Sir Lancelot arrives, he destroys the intimacy between Guenevere and King Arthur, although he promises to be the king's defender in this newly civilized world. Guenevere becomes a woman who must make impossible decisions. Lancelot dreams of all the good he can do, all the wrongs he can right and in fact, his desires lead him to a place where a fragile utopia is destroyed.

"Camelot" then becomes a serious study in how three people are almost forced to make irreversible decisions. King Arthur (Richard Harris) seems to quickly go into an extended period of denial and since he deeply loves Guenevere, he forgives her for being human. Lancelot (Franco Nero) lives life intensely and feels deeply about King Arthur's mission. He is filled with a passion for life and makes promises he can hardly keep once he enters Guenevere's world.

Guenevere (Vanessa Redgrave) is so innocent in her love of both King Arthur and Lancelot. She falls madly in love with Lancelot because he embodies all that she has always dreamed of, despite the fact that their love now destroys Lancelot's chivalrous ideals. He fights for her and his impressive battle skills and depth of emotion after he fights in the joust draws her into his world. Each time they look at one another, the world stands still and in awe of this love they feel for one another. If only she had met Lancelot before she had been promised to King Arthur.

I doubt there is a more powerfully erotic and yet angelic scene than the one where Guenevere stands in the doorway with her golden hair flowing behind her in the drafty castle. This scene portrays her in an almost angelic way as "If Ever I Would Leave You" plays on, drawing us into an intimate circle created by three hearts who are forever woven into this immortal tale. How can your heart not melt when Lancelot declares his undying affection by saying: "I, I love you. God forgive me, but I do."

There are a lot of extras:

1. Jump to a Scene

2. Explore Camelot

-Cast & Crew

-The History of the Legend Information on King Arthur (Interesting ideas, like that King Arthur was really a Celtic chieftain in the 5th century who became a king in the legends after his death. He was believed to have been killed at a battle at Camlan in 537 AD.), Excalibur, The Holy Grail (Why King Arthur was seeking this magical object) and The Knights of the Round Table

-King Arthur Comes to Hollywood

-Building Camelot

-Costumes

-Awards

-Featurette: The Story of Camelot

-Featurette: Special Premiere Footage

-5 Theatrical Trailers

3. Languages You have to choose "English" or you will only hear the Musical Score.

4. Recommendations

I really can't think of a more perfect movie. Sadly at the end of the movie, the story is not quite what we expect. Yet, I don't think we would want this movie to end in any other way.

~The Rebecca Review

Read Best Reviews of Camelot (2012) Here

The 1967 film version of "Camelot", always seems to ignite feverish debate among movie fans over its merits both in production and performances. The viewpoints tend to range from "the worst musical sung by non singers in movie history", to "a totally beautiful film production that captures the spirit of the famous Broadway musical to perfection". Having been fascinated by the legend of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table since I was a young boy I tend to view this film very affectionately while not for a moment failing to see its shortcomings. Criticism is always heavily directed at the two main leads Richard Harris and Vanessa Redgrave and their "talk singing", of the show's memorable score, however viewers must realise that the original Arthur on Broadway was Richard Burton who like Rex Harrison cornered the market in talk singing in a very successful way. Certainly many of the cast have a very 1960's appearance however it has to be remembered that this is an adaption of a Broadway musical with a medieval setting, it is not trying to be a careful document of life in the middle ages. On a high note the film boasts amazingly lavish sets and a musical score courtesy of lyricist Alan Jay Lerner and composer Frederick Loewe that is one of the most beautiful I have ever heard in a movie musical, it being highly romantic and sensual in feel which suits perfectly the great talents of both Richard Harris and Vanessa Redgrave ideally cast in the leads.

Based on H.T. White's "The Once And Future King", Warner Bros. Screen version of "Camelot", tells the ultimately tragic romantic love triangle involving King Arthur, his lovely wife Guenevere, and the dashing French Knight Lancelot. Arthur has a dream of world peace where all the collective rulers will come together around a special round table. However what he doesn't realize is that one of the strongest believers of this principle, the French knight Lancelot Du Lac who travels to Camelot to put his services at Arthur's disposal unexpectedly becomes involved in a passionate affair with Guenevere. The Queen of course also loves her husband but is drawn to the passionate Frenchman which threatens to destroy the whole kingdom. The arrival of troublemaker relative Mordred also spells trouble as he conspires to destroy Arthur's whole belief in the principle of a early united nations. When Lancelot and Guenevere are trapped in a passionate embrace the Queen is condemmed to death by being burnt at the stake however at the moment of her execution Lancelot rescues her and Arthur must go into battle to save his kingdom and the principles he has fought so long for. On the morning of his battle with Lancelot after learning that the remorse ridden Guenevere has left him to join a convent Arthur comes across young Tom of Warwick in the camp and the young boy's simple sincerity and belief in the principles that Arthur is about to fight for restores his faith and belief that there is hope for the world.

To this day there is still feverish debate in regards to the casting of the leads in "Camelot" and to the merits of the overall production. Personally I think Richard Harris and Vanessa Redgrave make perfect casting as Arthur and Guinevere, while Franco Nero is the very image on screen of what the dashing Lancelot should be like. Immortalised on Broadway by Richard Burton, Julie Andrews and Robert Goulet respectively, critics seemed to have difficulty with the actors selected for the same roles in the film version. As Vanessa Redgrave was famously quoted as saying at the time of production; "If Julie Andrews had really wanted to play this role in the film version she would definitely be doing so now". Richard Harris gave I believe one of his most likeable performances as Arthur and like Richard Burton before him manages beautifully with the many "talk singing" numbers that make up a large part of the score of "Camelot". Vanessa Redgrave normally associated with gritty dramatic roles in films as diverse as "Blow Up", "Mary Queen of Scots", and the superb "Playing for Time", here is luscious in the famous role of Guenevere , the very epitome of beauty and romantic passion. Rarely has she appeared more beautiful on screen, which is an attribute about Ms. Redgrave which is sadly often overlooked. Her opening scene as she approaches Camelot through a snow covered forest for her upcoming wedding clad in a magnificent white fur coat is probably one of the most beautiful images captured on screen in any 1960's musical. In supporting roles many actors succeed in creating a great impression often in limited screen time from veteran character actor Lionel Jefferies in a comic performance as the forgetful King Pellinore, through to David Hemmings in a wonderful turn as the villianous Mordred Visually "Camelot", is a feast for the eyes and displays it's lush budget at every turn from the rich colour photography to the sumptuous locations used in Spain and France, to the stunning set of Camelot itself which was miraculously created on the backlot of Warner Bros Studios in Hollywood and was one of the last great outdoor sets to be constructed at the studio. So special was this "Camelot" set that it was to reappear six years later magically transformed to represent Shangri La in the 1973 musical version of "Lost Horizon". It is the rich musical score of "Camelot", by Alfred newman however that in my belief is it's shining glory. The prelude and overture combines some of the most beautiful instrumental compositions of any musical and the other numbers are sublime including the wistful "The Simple Joys of Maidenhood", to the lively "The Lusty Month of May", through to Arthur's magical "How to Handle a Woman" an of course the film's romantic highlight with "I Loved You Once In Silence". Despite the criticism of actors who are not trained singers attempting these numbers the compositions of these musical numbers ideally suit the talents of Richard Harris, Vanessa Redgrave and Franco Nero and the end result is some of the most romantic musical moments you could imagine in a motion picture.

Nominated for achievements in cinematography, musical score,and of course for the superb costume design "Camelot", was crucified by a majority of critics at the time of its release in 1967. The film however has that warm nostalgic feel to it that makes repeated viewings of it essential. The passage of time makes me wonder at some of the spite of critics back in 1967 as the film is far from the total disaster that we are always led to believe it is and is really part of that last gasp of elegant film making just prior to 1970. It certainly captures Richard Harris in his prime as the good hearted, high principled King with a dream and provides Vanessa Redgrave with a stunning showcase for her considerable talents in the role of the beautiful but ultimately tragic Queen Guenevere. While "Camelot", is certainly very much of its time, i.e. the mid 1960's, its romantic story is sure to charm all lovers of well made tales of romance, combined with tragedy. Enjoy!

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The Lerner and Lowe musical seems to be a variation from the T.H. Lawrence novel, "The Once and Future King," from which the animated Dysney film was taken. Richard Harris, Vanessa Redgrave and Franco Nero effectively carry out the movie, their voices superb in every song and their dramatic performances making an excellent and enjoyable film. The story is the age-old Arthur myth. King Arthur, the idealist, tutored by his all-knowing wizard Merlin, creates Camelot, a peaceful realm supported by the mighty Round Table, whose aim is "Might for Right". But things begin to fall apart for Arthur and his dream. Guenevere, whose marriage to Arthur had all been arranged, falls for the dashing French-born champion Knight, Lancelot. Their affair sparks the suspicion of Mordred who reveals it to the public, just when it was ending (the parting scene between Guenevere and Lancelot.."And I shall never come to you again" and their duet is very emotional and heartrendering). As we know, Mordred and Arthur battle, the Round Table is dissolved and Camelot becomes a dream remembered. This musical was appropriate to its milieu. It was the 60's when this film was made, and peace rallies were manifested over America. The idealism of peace and brotherly harmony (as in the Round Table) is effectively similar to the idealism of American government. The allegory of the musical is quite transparent. I hope you give this musical a chance, and it has a special place in my heart. Along with The Sound of Music and The King and I, this musical stands out in the great tradition. Five stars well deserved. Songs that stand out in this musical are "I wonder what the King is doing tonight" "Where are the Sweet Joys of Maidenhood ?", "Camelot" "How to handle a woman" and "If I ever Would Leave You."

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The Telephone Book (Blu-ray + DVD Combo) (1971)

Vinegar Syndrome truly surprised me this time. They're getting well known for releasing Blu-ray / DVD combo packs that are filled to the brim with bonus material for hard to find films. They're becoming the standard for releasing these films in widescreen looking better than any of them should have a right to, but they surprised me by releasing a film that could be considered to have underground cult status, and had me laughing all the way through. "The Telephone Book" is their best release yet, and a film you need to own.

The comedy stars Sarah Kennedy as Alice who looks and sounds like a blonde Betty Boop. Alice has fallen in love with the world's best obscene phone caller "John Smith" (played brilliantly by Norman Rose). John has dared Alice to try and find him by giving her two clues; his name and that his number is in the Manhattan telephone book. You should see how many John Smiths there are in the Manhattan telephone book! Not to be dissuaded, Alice agrees.

As she starts her search, she heads to a studio where she was told to go by one of the Smiths in the phone book. She finds herself in the middle of an audition with "Har-Poon", an out of work stag movie actor whose real name just happens to be John Smith as well. He is having an orgy audition so that he can star and direct his own comeback. As Alice gets ready to settle in to the audition, the real John Smith calls and tells her that she is not at the right place. This is where rational thinking would tell you to wonder how he knew she was there. Well, rational thought doesn't really have a place in this movie, so just go with the flow and enjoy the laughs. And speaking of laughs, there is so much sexual innuendo going on throughout the film that you really have to pay attention, or you'll miss some of the jokes.

Now, some of the funniest parts of the movie come between Alice's adventures. They are pseudo documentary style confessions of three or four men who used to be obscene phone callers. They have since changed their ways, and are now leading normal lives. The problem is that in every case, their normal lives are more screwed up than they ever were when they were simply making obscene phone calls. You'd think this would play out as padding for the running time, but that isn't the case at all, and I found myself wishing they had found a way to fit one or two more guys in there to share their "normal" lives.

When Alice is taking the subway home, she meets a pervert who decides he will give her pay phone money to try and find John in exchange for her telling him her most exciting sexual escapade. Hilarity ensues as she tells him a story involving a minister, soap and water, and a week long erection. Needless to say, she gets more money than even she was hoping to get. After being robbed, and then seduced by a lesbian, John's call comes to the rescue telling her to go home. Does she meet her John Smith? How do they relate? What will they discuss? Will there be amazing sex? I will give you one hint. The last ten minutes of this movie are absolutely amazing! This is a very under-appreciated art house film that deserves a much wider audience.

Of course Vinegar Syndrome has spared no expense in putting out the highest quality package possible. Widescreen black and white presentation. Only a couple of drop outs in the first few minutes of the movie take away from the overall excellent sound. For the extras, we have an audio commentary with producer Merv Bloch, a reissue trailer, the original trailer, a still gallery and radio spots. There is no reason to wait. Buy this now, and enjoy the laughs.

"The Telephone Book" is about a girl who falls in love with the world's greatest obscene phone caller. Because of horrors in distribution this movie from 1971 has never received it's due as a great comedy. The movie features Barry Morse (Space:1999), Roger C. Carmel (Harry Mudd on Star Trek) and William Hickey (Prizzi's Honor) in supporting roles. But the major star is announcer Norman Rose as the obscene phone caller. At the time of the shooting, Rose was the voice of Ma Bell. Sara Kennedy is perfect as Alice, the girl hunting around Manhattan for the voice of her erotic dreams. Nelson Lyon was the father of Judd Apatow and Todd Phillips.

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Fantastic Fear of Everything

First of all, I'd like to say that one of the advantages of Blu Ray is that the region codes aren't as stingant as with DVD. Any Blu Ray player in the states will play European disks, which makes many titles available and often at more reasonable prices than you can get in the US. This film doesn't have a US release as of yet (and might not find a large audience to merit one). I find Simon Pegg to be a comic genius, he can rarely do wrong. Spaced is one of my all-time favorite television progams. This film doesn't compare at all to Spaced, but I enjoyed it all the same. Like some of his other films, this is a dark comedy (although some won't find it "funny", there aren't any zingers or jokes, but I find the situations and Pegg's reactions to be real and humorous). It's a sort of one-man act through a large portion of it, following him around his flat as he narrates his paranoia. His character is a real sad sack, but even while watching his pathetic misadventure, you still find something relatable about him. His delusional, irrational phobias are wildly exaggerated, yet most of us can find something about them to identify with. An oddball film, unconventional story which isn't something a mass audience, or even fans of Pegg's previous work will all enjoy. Worth watching if you like off-the-wall, random movies which don't follow a standard format. It's not a story I've seen before, perhaps with good reason!

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Outlander (2008)

I got a chance to see this in the theatres thanks to a friend of mine with a sharp eye. It was only released in a VERY limited engagement in my area, only one theatre ran it for a week. What a shame!

This movie is a must-see for fans of sci-fi movies like the first Terminator, movies like Ice Pirates, or Pitch Black. It has its own wonderful mythology, and the casting is great. Could've seen more of Ron Pearlman, though.

Yes, there are a couple of cheesy moments, but the good stuff far outweighs the bad. Very very enjoyable film. Looking forward to a disc release, and hopefully an extended edition rumor has it that Weinstein and Co trimmed 15 min off the end to make the movie fit on one less reel, saving money.

Plenty to read about how the W brothers buried yet another fine film, but those two are a case study in having great films distributed incorrectly. Aside from them what a great sci-fi film.

We have inter-planetary travel, love, loss, awesome looking dragon creatures with firefly (glowing) capabilities, all intertwined within the Norse time period of our history. Caviezel has just the right look to be the believable yet fearless fighter that hunts these creatures across the universe.

The effects looked adequate, and excelled during any of the ship sequences off planet. I have read most of the criticisms about pacing, time period gaffs and such, but overall I think they made a solid film. The DVD has over 32 minutes of deleted scenes that help answer some of the questions raised while watching the theatrical cut (which runs 115 minutes itself). The alternate opening would have helped with the end but watching a space ship spiral towards Earth works better. The scenes with his Captain would have been nice to see in the main cut, as would most of the others but oh well. Some nice informative supplements for the special effects also.

Customers have been asking for this since last year, and playing it alone has generated quite a buzz. A worthwhile owner for fans of the film that would of course look beautiful on Blu.

Buy Outlander (2008) Now

Rarely have I seen such attention to detail in a movie of this type. Rarely do I watch a movie without working on some craft project while it's on. Usually I love to pick movies apart for whatever ridiculous scenes, lines, and implausible situations are offered. Not this one!

Within the first ten minutes I'd set down the needlework to give my full attention to watching the story. Within an hour I knew I would need to own this DVD (not a common impulse for me). Vikings in a believable setting and not a horned helmet in sight. Architecture, clothing, homes, everyday items, all done with much care and it makes such a difference! The Outlander's past history works in giving him his new fate. A few events in the story might have been stretching things a bit, but the creature was beautifully done, the scenery was gorgeous, and the people suited their roles. It's a work of art and I totally enjoyed it from start to finish!! This is a movie I know I would enjoy watching more than once an all too rare occurrence these days.

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The first I ever heard of Outlander was in an ad page in last month's Fangoria. It looked and sounded like typical straight to video B movie fair. This is sometimes a very good and fun thing, and other times absolutely dreadful. From sifting through some other Amazon reviews regarding this film I found that it had a very, VERY, limited theatrical run and apparently was bashed by critics. Well, I still haven't read any 'professional' reviews for Outlander and I'm here to tell you that it's totally worth two hours of your life, especially if you're a creature feature fan and, even better, a sword and sandels epic fan.

Basically, the premise of this movie is if Army Of Darkness was taken seriously. We have a space man(from another dimension? The future? Antoher planet?) who crashes his space ship onto earth in the year 709 and brings a big monster with him, that of course escapes and starts problems for the local Viking villages and tribes. That's it. That's the story. Nothing monumental or groundbreaking but totally fun. Hell, this movie has the type of story I would have written myself when I was ten and wanted even more to see it in the multiplex.

Don't get mislead by the Sci-Fi sounding premise, this is nothing close to true Science Fiction. It's a big action/horror/ monster movie on the most base levels. There's no science or hypothesis of the future or past of man to be found. Sorry, it just doesn't reach that high above it's B movie roots, and that is not always a bad thing if it's done well. It's obviously one of those films that has many different producers, most of which are not from the states, but the budget and level of polish on the production could be matched to any of the big summer films coming out now. The sets are good and have the dirty lived in quality required for anything involving Vikings. The CGI creature is mostly convincing. There's a few shots where the beast looks less then stellar but not many. The filmmakers were even smart, considering budget and suspense, by not revealing the creature in full light until the center of the film. It reminded me of the old Roger Corman creature features, but he waited until the third act, well, because his monsters never looked that convincing and were always more convincing when off screen. This could've been a big summer film of 09. Of course it's not a remake, a film based on action figures, one of several sequels to 20 year old properties, and of course there's no car, fast food or toy tie-ins to speak of, but it still could've given me what I long for this summer, something NEW.

The cast is all on spot. Jim Caviezel(The Passion of the Christ, The Thin Red Line, Frequency) stars, and I've always found him to be an underrated actor. He's turning into the king of big films that don't get a shot theatrically but become fan favorites on home video thanks to this and Highwaymen(if you haven't seen it, check it out). The movie even throws us the usual respected older actor in the form of John Hurt to play the Viking king. He's good as always and brings that extra John Hurt-ness he always brings to his roles, big or small. If you've read Beouwulf you can figure out where the plot is going and what it's riffing on but the added Sci-Fi trope helps throw you off for a bit. This isn't going to go down as one of Caviezel's great performances, but he does lend dramatic gravity to what essentially is the typical monosyllobic hero with a past role. After about an hour his characters comes more into his own and leaves behind the usual action character cliche's thanks to him. Ron Perlman shows up late into the film as an opposing tribes leader. He's not give much to do, and I'm not sure why they cast an actor of his caliber for such an nothing part, but it's nice to see him anyway.

The DVD looks and sounds great. Plus, it's loaded with special features. We get some neat special effects tests and animatics of the action scenes, which there are plenty of, and while they're nothing ground breaking, they are done well and leave one feeling satisfied. There's also a great commentary track by the writers, director, producers and special effects technicians that covers so much ground there is no need for a making of doc. They also react to their critics and talk about the original forms of the script. Of course there's also 40 minutes worth of deleted scenes, all of which were rightfully ommitted from the final film. There is an intersting alternate opening that's worth a look though. Can't say the same for the alternate ending.

At least give this one a shot at a rental. You won't be disappointed. Sure, the man from outer space might turn some viewers off, but I emplore you to open your mind and just smile while the B movie ride takes you away. Don't be scared off by the lack of Happy Meals and Tom Cruise level of star power tie-ins. This is a quality B picture on the level of all the big budget B pictures you'll be plopping down 12 bucks to see this summer in theatres. Yes, I'm looking at you Transformers 2 and Terminator:Salvation.

Want Outlander (2008) Discount?

This is one of the better movies I've seen in a while (theatrical releases included). The characters are rich, not forced into stereotypes (e.g., the jealous rival). The extended backstory is revealed in manageable bits that add to rather than detract from the suspense. Plus, Jim Caveziel, Jack Huston, Sophia Miles, Ron Perlman, and John Hurt how bad can it really be? Take a risk and rent this you won't be disappointed.

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Tamara Drewe (2010)

The sleepy English village of Ewedown becomes quite lively when former ugly duckling Tamara Drewe comes back to town. Now sporting a perky new nose and sexy Daisy Dukes, Tamara quickly becomes romantically involved with a rock star, a sleezy older man, and her childhood sweetheart. With a large cast and many subplots, this story of what really goes on behind the quaint postcard-pretty closed doors is full of laughs and tender moments and even some cattle stampedes.

This movie is completely charming. The characters are all believable, the setting is idyllic, and the script is clever and quirky. All of the adult shenanigans are witnessed and complicated by a pair of adolescent girls, a kind of comical Greek chorus who tie it all together. If you like good, indie British films, you'll love this one.

I found this film on a really long flight home from Asia and started watching it because it looked easy on the brain. Imagine my surprise when it turned out to be the best film that I've seen all year! The second surprise came when I read all the mixed Amazon reviews it seems like half the world hates this, and the other half loves it.

To make it easy for you, I think if you like Hollywood style romcoms you will probably hate this, and if you like British black humor, you will probably really like it. This is definitely not a Hollywood romcom. If you want something brainless with a lot of stereotypical characters and a predictable happy ending, then stop reading. It's also not it if you want to be uplifted or intellectually challenged it's meant to be a social comedy, but the black humor kind, not the kind that offers a serious social critique. There's also lots of dialogue and very little action, and there are no major conclusions, so if you have short attention span and like tidy endings, this is not for you.

So, why did I love this film? Well, as many other reviewers wrote, this is a social comedy set in rural England with plenty of British black humour and mediocre, real-to-life characters. Personally, I think this is the film's real charm. It displays life in all its beautiful-green-grass but nothing to do boredom think Midsomer Murders while showing all the life's little quirks and absurdities bit like Amelie or the Secretary. All the characters are kind of likable, but kind of not: the main character, Tamara Drewe, has our sympathy because she grew up ugly and had to deal with all sorts of nastiness as a result, but at the same time she's arrogant and sleeps with people for all the wrong reasons. Her teenage love is likeable for his down to earth views, but despisable for his lack of ambition. The rockstar Tamara's engaged to is a louche character, but one that loves his dog and treats enamored teenage girls with respect. There's the budding writer who is a coward that lets someone die by accident, but who's just a really nice American guy. There are the obnoxious, pathetic, plain and bored teenage girls, but in the end you're sorry for them, 'cause if you lived in that village you would throw eggs at cars, too...

Is this real life? YES!! People who are bored, not happy with their lives and otherwise unsatisfied with life do all sorts of stupid things, and that doesn't make them bad. It just shows how absurdly ridiculous, sad and sometimes funny life can be. I think the film shows this to perfection but in a really silly, tongue-in-the-cheek kind of way (e.g. super exaggerated teenagers, Tamara in really short shorts.) In my opinion, the best thing about it is that it doesn't treat the issues seriously but rather pokes fun at the mediocrity of life. Plus the sets were gorgeous and the acting fabulous, particularly from the teenage girls. I lived in England for a long time and I just can't shake the feeling that the film holds up the mirror to British life rather well...

Buy Tamara Drewe (2010) Now

This clever little gem does a great job of capturing the spirit of the Hardy genre and updating it into to a film that has great pacing, a very healthy dose of black humor, interesting and flawed characters, and outstanding performances. The acting is really noteworthy. And the "greek chorus" in the form of bored teenage girls was fantastic. Interesting and original.

Read Best Reviews of Tamara Drewe (2010) Here

"Tamara Drewe" is deadly clever comedy of manners with a wickedly British sense of black humor. Post-plastic-surgery, the gorgeous Tamara Drewe comes home to her boring rural village -ostensibly to fix up and sell her deceased mother's house, but also to show up everyone who was cruel to her when she was a bright, angry teenager with an outsize nose. One of those people was her writer neighbor, a serial adulterer who reigns over the fawning guests at the farm/writer's colony actually run by his devoted and ultra-capable wife. Throw in the hot local handyman, a couple of dangerously bored teenaged girls, the drummer from a punk band, and a mannerless dog. All kinds of trouble ensue. Don't expect any noble characters or heroic actions from this movie; watch it to enjoy the spectacle of people behaving mostly -but not totally -badly, and doing it in a generally clever and funny way.

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"Paperback writer (paperback writer)

Dear Sir or Madam, will you read my book?

It took me years to write, will you take a look?"

-The Beatles

Based on a graphic novel this story plays more like a Greek Tragedy. It does not quit fit into any category. Still you will find yourself intrigued and kibitzing. Oh what a tangled web we weave.

Local girl Tamara (Gemma Arterton) gets a new proboscis and body to match. After making good as a journalist she returns to her hometown and plays havoc with the local men folk. And that is not all that is happing in the town. To name a couple, we have a married writer with a wondering uh...err... eye, and a couple of schoolgirls playing out their fantasies.

Be prepared for some colorful descriptive words and some suggestive scenes. The only poignant scene that sort of puts a damper on the presentation is when a main character (four-legged) is dispatched while having a little fun, even if it is relevant to the plot.

I only watched the Blu-ray version so I cannot compare. However the voice over commentary is worth taking the time to listen to. I also have not read the novel but will have to to be sure I did not miss anything.

The Girl Most Likely To . . .DVD ~ Stockard Channing

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Saints & Soldiers (2003)

"Saints and Soldiers" is a gripping account of four soldiers who escape the brutal Malmedy Massacre in December, 1944, during the Battle of the Bulge. They are behind enemy lines, sleepless, hungry, and just trying to survive, when they find a downed British flight sergeant, whose mission is to reach allied troops with important coded information, so together they make the arduous and dangerous journey with that end in mind.

The plot is a compilation of true stories, and even the one that seems improbable, the meeting of the American and German soldiers who were friends before the war, was taken from a real event.

This film puts a human face on the horror of war. We get to know these men, their fears and their bravery, and they are characters who stay with you long after the film is over. Made on a tiny budget of under $ 1,000,000 in less than a month, with a cast of unknown actors, this film has won numerous awards, and deservedly so. Shot on location in Utah, which substitutes for the Ardennes forest, director Ryan Little was also the cinematographer, and has done a superb job with both tasks.

The "extras" used in the massacre scene were "re-enactors," who came from all over the country at their own expense to take part in this film, and memorialize this little known part of WWII history, and it is an amazing opening sequence that sets the mood for the film. Also enhancing the atmosphere is the subtle, lovely soundtrack by J. Bateman and Bart Henderson.

The ensemble cast is excellent, with the most memorable character being "Deacon," played with depth and emotion by Corbin Allred, who captures the innocence of the part. The other marvelous performances are by Alexander Niver Polinsky as Gould, Kirby Heyborne as Flight Sergeant Winley, Lawrence Bagby as Kendrick, Peter Asle Holden as Gunderson, and Ethan Vincent as Rudi.

The DVD extras are fascinating, and give us a glimpse into how this film was ingeniously made on so little money. The director and producers were exceedingly resourceful, and are interviewed in "The Making of Saints and Soldiers," as well as the writers of the terrific script, Geoffrey Panos and Matt Whittaker. Watching the film with their commentary is also interesting and adds to the appreciation of what they call "The little film that could."

This is a beautiful, intimate war film, a small gem not to be missed. Total running time is 90 minutes.

"Saints and Soldiers" could arguably be the best war film to emerge this year. Director Ryan Little packed a lot of punch into this low-budget war drama. It is not surprising that this film has won a slew of best picture awards at film festivals nationwide. Although supposedly based on actual events, Geoffrey Panos' screenplay stretches the historical truth somewhat. Nevertheless, "Saints and Soldiers" surely earned a place among the ranks of such films as "Saving Private Ryan," and "Band of Brothers." The film centers around the infamous Malmedy Massacre (Dec. 17, 1944) where eighty-six American prisoners-of-war were murdered by a German SS unit during the open phases of The Battle of the Bulge. Forty-three survived by faining death, or escaping into near-by woods. The film tells the story of five of those survivors hiding in the frozen snow covered Ardennes Forest evading the onrushing German spearheaded Panzer columns. When a downed British pilot is discovered with vital photo reconnaissance intelligence, the group agrees to help the Brit reach American lines. "Deacon," (Corbin Allred), a shell-shocked, guilt ridden, devout Christian, and loner turned infantryman, plays the film's protagonist. Through flashback sequences, we learn "Deacon" had accidentally killed a Belgian family, while attempting to clear a house of the enemy. Walking a tightrope between chaos and insanity, "Deacon" surprisingly meets up with an old bible-study acquaintance he had known from Berlin before the war. Captured by the Brit, Deacon saves his old friend from the same fate his American comrades had suffered at Malmedy, and releases him while the others slept. Just yards from the safety of the American lines, the group must first run a gauntlet of heavily armed German troops in a climax that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Utilizing the same revolutionary hand-held cinematography as Spielberg's "Saving Private Ryan" and "Band of Brothers," Little adds realism to the film's scattered battle scenes. Attempting to hitch their wagon to the success of "Brothers," however, the film places a few 101st Airborne men in the cast. This is historically inaccurate, as the unit did not even arrive in the "Bulge" until two days after the Malmedy Massacre. When it did arrive, the 101st was further north defending Bastogne. With so much attention to details, and the use of historically minded re-enactors, it is surprising this blooper was left in the film. Little redeems himself by reverting back to classic war films of the 1950s and 1960s, by focusing on the player's fears, hopes, dreams, and skeletons hidden in the deepest closets of our minds. Despite minor flaws, this film deserves a place in any war film afficionados' DVD collection.

Buy Saints & Soldiers (2003) Now

My 18 year old son and I just got back from watching "Saints and Soldiers," a PG-13 film set during the Battle of the Bulge in World War II. While this film has many of the qualities of a classic war film, I doubt that it will ever be a blockbuster, mainly because it's too "Christian."

While a bunch of American prisoners of war are gunned down by the Germans during an escape attempt, a few manage to get away. One of them has the nickname "Deacon," because he doesn't swear or drink (including coffee) and he reads his Bible a lot.

As this ragtag group attempts to sneak back to the front while behind enemy lines, you learn bits and pieces about the backgrounds of these GIs, and the one smug British pilot who parachuted to safety near where they were hiding. Although "Deke" is suffering from battle fatigue, as well as guilt for accidentally killing a family, he manages to share some of his story with the atheist medic.

I don't want to give away any more of the story. The film deserves the PG-13 rating for the blood and war violence (in a previous decade it might've earned an R rating for these, but not these days).

We learn that "Deacon" had been a missionary to Germany before the war, but we are never told specifically that he's a Christian, much less what denomination (or tradition). But as the story develops, there is no doubt that we're talking about Christian values of forgiveness.

This is definitely a film for the guys, especially war buffs. The downside of taking an 18 year old war buff to this show was listening to his detailed critique about the inaccuracy of the weapons used in the film, as well as some of the uniform patches. But despite that, my son enjoyed the film and is planning to recommend it to his friends.

Read Best Reviews of Saints & Soldiers (2003) Here

I saw this film on the big screen and was amazed at the filmmaker's ability to put you right into the action as rapidly and seamlessly as he did. Yes, it is a small film, no, there are no "Bridge Too Far" explosions and "Pearl Harbor" love scenes, but it is a tightly scripted study of the intimacies of prolonged duress on a small band of men, who at times are not pulling all in the same direction. Very poignant and very classy. Like a great classic film instead of the noisy, violent bloodfests that pass for war films now. As a former military wife, I know of many men like those portrayed here, some profane, some somber, many with values different than mine, but certainly all were honorable men who put their lives on hold and in harm's way and this film honors them. And the soundtrack is one of the most hauntingly beautiful pieces of work you will ever hear.

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I am a military history buff and I enjoyed this movie immensely. My Great Uncle was in the Ardennes during the German offensive, and he has told me many stories about the European Theatre some comic and some horrifying. His brother, my Maternal Grandfather, was in the United States Army Air Force and was stationed in Algeria, where he met my French Grandmother. Accordingly, I have had a huge in interest in all things WWII since I was 6.

The story is quite simple. Several American Soldiers survive the "massacre" at Malmedy (it is presented in the film as not so much a massacre by the Evil Nazis, but a misunderstanding between Jumpy Germans and Terrified Americans that led to the killing) and in their desparate attempt to reach Allied lines, they come across a downed English Officer who is carrying Highly Valuable Intelligence. Together, they brave the elements, the Germans and Themselves to save not only their own skins, but to deliver the intelligence that could save Thousands of Allied Lives. Along the way, they form the sort of bond that Men form when under enormous stress.

I found this story of trust, companionship, bravery and selflessness to be very believable and during the course of the film, I found myself emotionally invested in the characters. The acting is superb sometimes it is hard to look at Tom Hanks in Saving Private Ryan and believe that he is a normal GI no, he is Tom Hanks! I thought the relatively unknown cast was excellent and it was the fact that I wasn't familiar with any of the actors that made this movie so extraordinarily believable. Well, their relative anonymity AND their excellent acting.

Another added bonus is the extraordinary cinemotography and set design all believable and realistic. While the movie was not chock-full of bracing action, the action scenes were very well done and I thought the DVD sounded great over my surround system.

All in all, this movie was absoutely fantastic, from the directing, the production, the sets, the costumes, to the acting. This is as good of a war film as your're gonna find.