High Fidelity (2000)

It's hard to explain to someone who hasn't seen High Fidelity, or even someone who's just seen it once, how incredibly good it is. Take first the phenomenal John Cusack, who seems to make any film he appears in twice as watchable. Is there a more underrated leading man in this decade? I doubt it.

Then take into account the amazing support, knowns and unknowns Cusack's sister Joan, Tim Robbins, Jack Black, etc. even Zeta-Jones isn't half bad. Consider too the script, which is surprisingly faithful to Nick Hornby's (very good) book, and gives equal measure to comic and tragic relief.

Fianlly, the soundtrack. Can there be any greater song to sum up Rob Thomas (John Cusack's) final revelation after the film ends than Stevie Wonder's I Believe? No. High Fidelity is the complete package funny, touching, well-acted, scripted, directed, scored for, and unbelievably true to life.

And for all those sad Englishmen writing in to complain that the movie should have been set in Britian get real. I thank you.

If ever there was a movie that could be construed as an allegorical representation of my life, this is it. If ever there was a Romantic Comedy written primarily for men (as opposed to women & couples), this is it!

John Cusack plays your typical everyday kind of guy who just so happens to have the absolute WORST luck with women. Stability in his personal life is ever elusive and he continues to get dumped by the women he dates. Typically he is ditched because the girl "meets another guy, and....."

Like most men, Cusack's character wants to have things both ways. He wants to have continuity in his life, yet the idea of commitment scares the tar out of him. What if he takes that giant leap but isn't able to make it to the other side of the canyon? What if he meets an even more worthwhile girl 2 days after getting married? Ah, the variables of relationships that we men torture ourselves with.

Aside from the venerable Cusack the film also features Catherine Zeta Jones as the paridigmatic "perfect" girl who is continually just-out-of-reach for we mere mortals. She sizzles in her role and it's obvious that she relished the chance to play a sort of Supermodel-type girl who is a femme fatale.

There is a hilarious scene of Cusack's persona standing in the rain outside her home that perhaps every single heterosexual male will be able to relate to (from one point of his life or other). A nice touch in the story is how they bring out the fact that old boyfriends are incessantly contacting her to find out why she dumped them.

If you're interested in watching a Romantic Comedy that's a bit bleaker than most, this one might be for you. If you're a male like me who has undergone myriad rejections in his life, this DVD is a MUST see. For men like myself stories don't get too much more cathartic than this one!

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There are rare movies that you watch and you go "That's Me!" and these are especially great movies if the next thought in your head is "I'm an idiot!" I watched this movie and I missed fighting with an ex-girlfriend who is still a best friend. I think a lot of people will see it that way.

Anyhow, John Cusack whose niche seems to be playing losers (Better Off Dead, Say Anything, Being John Malkovich, Tapeheads, etc.) plays one of the most appealing losers since Lloyd from Say Anything. His girlfriend has left him. His career is running a failing record store. He decides to go over all his past relationships to figure out what went wrong. Worse is that his girlfriend keeps coming back for her stuff and you start to realize that she is perfect for him, even as she walks off to start something with the politically correct granola ponytail wearing upstairs neighbor played with smug self-satisfaction by Tim Robbins (in the scene where John Cusack wants to beat him senseless, Tim Robbins plays the part so you the audience would also like to beat him senseless)

Through a series of lists (five most humiliating breakups, five best songs about burning things up. four things that my extold her best friend to make her best friend hate my guts)his two friends at the record store (they fit the record store stereotype clerk to the hilt or comic book store clerk or any store with a cool selection. one's a jerk and the other one's a freaky loner) and a brief affair with Lisa Bonet (whose version of "Baby I Love Your Ways" SHOULD be on the soundtrack but isn't.) and the meetings with the previously mentioned five most humiliating breakups, the main character stops relating to the world as a carnival that's out to stick him in the lion cage and starts gaining perspective, even maturity.

By the end with John Cusack back with his girlfriend, you have absolutely no idea if they are going to stay together or break up again, but you really want them to stay together. If only to give the notion that it's worth growing up. This is a long movie, a movie with many subplots and counter subplots but an honest movie and a movie that will go down as one of the classics of honest romance movies in a sea of saccharine junk with plots that were written from a standard romantic plotline (they meet, they go out, they sleep together, they break up, they get back together in a funny sequence at the end, the audience falls asleep, etc.) Original beauty and it makes me hope that the rest of Hornby's books should also be adapted for the screen.

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My top 5 reasons as to why this is a must see film are as follows;

1)The story-The character played by John Cusack has reached his late 20's and he's just split up with his girlfriend of the past 2 years.He owns a 2nd hand record store and he's struggling to survive financially.His best frined are 2 fellow music loving eccentrics with whom he has this sort of love hate relationship.He knows he's coming to an age where he should maybe think of settling down and start making concrete plans for a secure future,yet he's been living in some sort of denial.It's the break up of this relationship that makes him suddenly question the way his life has been going.This is portrayed through the various scenes in the film but it's also totally original in the way that Cusack delivers this really funny yet at times pitiful narrative to the camera in a way that puts everything going on around him in a state of freeze-frame.He goes through the pain of trying to sort out his life during the course of the film.

2)Comedy-There are some really funny moments in the movie.The main character Cusack himself is a witty and yet comically pitiful figure.Even better are the two sidekicks he works with.They are musical snobs and the scenes in the record store are often hilarious as they deal with the less "musically-educated" customers who come to the store.One middle-aged customer who comes in to buy Stevie Wonder's "I Just Called To Say..." is dealt with in the funniest put-down manner imaginable.The contrast between his two assistants is also a source of amusement.The cameos by Tim Robbins and Bruce Sprinsteen are also hilarious-especially Robbins who is a high-flying,world music loving,martial arts expert who also looks like some sort of new age hippy and worst of all he's living with Laura,Cusack's ex-girlfriend.The scene where he confronts Cusack in the record store is totall original and is also hilarious.

3)The Girlfriends-Cusack decides to give you a glimpse of his past life by telling us his worst 5 break ups in his life.Each one is so different and it goes from the time he was in 7th grade right up to current events.He tries to meet up with all these girls again to see if there's a pattern in to where he's going wrong-usually ending up in hilarious and unexpected consequences.

4)The Music-Well it's really good.As you'd expect from the owner of a 2nd hand record store it's not your average commercial stuff but a wide range of classics and alt from the 60's through to modern times.At one stage Cusack says "I'm going to now sell 5 copies of The Beta Bands 3 E.P's".As someone who often frequents record stores myself the scene was just so accurate as the customers hear this wonderful track for the first time and immediately go from just nodding their heads in rhtyhm to the music to enquiring as to who it is?Straight after the movie I dug out my own copy of the c.d. and started to play it again for the first time in years.

5)The top 5 lists-this was a particularly strong element in Nick Hornby's book from which the film is based.It's not only the variety of lists from funeral music,to break-up tracks-but it's also the way they are compiled,the useless trivia that precludes certain items,the arguments and dissing of other people's choices.It's the sort of useless arguments that many groups of guys of that age spend hours upon hours discussing.

All in all this is a really enjoyable movie.It's funny and it also has a "feel good" factor to it without being cringe inducing in a Forest Gump way.

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1. Its portrayal of the musically obsessed. The best parts of the film revolve around music and the film successfully captures the collector�s mentality and his obsessions. All three of the guys that work at the record store eat, breathe and sleep music. I am not as obsessed as they are but damn close and I have never seen this mentality on screen. If you love music you will like this film is only for the way it attempts to make all of its viewers music lovers. It puts into action the feelings that revolve around music. It is nice to see that others make lists of everything. Warning: After seeing this film you may stay up half the night listening to records.

2. The humor. This is a hilarious movie and its comedy is quite fresh and is a different form of humor that is a pleasant juxtaposition to today�s gross-out and stupid humor. It is nice to see that there are alternatives. A few scenes really show the film�s interesting brand of humor such as when John Cusack�s character Rob imagines beating up his ex�s new boyfriend Ian and every scene with Jack Black is great. He steals every scene he is in and makes the film worth seeing for repeated viewings. Much of Rob�s little observances about life are also very amusing but at the same time they sure do say a lot.

3. The acting. John Cusack is great as Rob who narrates his life for us on screen. John Cusack portrays Rob so well that we as the audience feel his every pain and victory and can relate it to our own lives. It is a hard role to play due to the fact that that through most of the film he is talking to the camera and does not have the other actors to fall back on. He pulls it off nicely though. Of course Jack Black is great and his character perfectly captures the essence of the collector. When he corrects Dick for accidentally putting a �the� at the beginning of an album title he verbalizes the compulsive-obsessive disorder known as �collecting�. The guy who play Dick is also great (sorry, not sure of actor�s name) as is Tim Robbins as Ian.

4. The directing. Stephen Frears does an excellent job of putting Nick Hornby�s book on the screen. He directs in an understated, non-flashy way and that is exactly what the film needed. He does add enough gimmicks to keep the film interesting but for the most part he lets the actors carry the film and in this case that is an excellent move. He obviously trusted his actors and that was a good thing. The credit sequences are among the highlights of his directing and very few films have interesting credit sequences.

5. The music. Everything from The Velvet Underground to Stereolab is used in the film to a high level of success. Each song fits perfectly and provides a strong backbone to the film. It helps to make the viewer understand the musically obsessed frame of mind. Buy the soundtrack too. Some of the most effective song�s are Stevie Wonder�s �I Believe (When I Fall in Love it Will be Forever)� and The Thirteenth Floor Elevator�s �You�re Gonna Miss Me�. Also it was nice to see The Beta Band get mentioned in such a flattering way.

So, a great film that all should see. I would give it four and a half stars for although it is great I reserve my five stars for true classics. This is close but not perfect. Still go see it.

Thanxs...

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Big Nothing

This is one of the more enjoyable "bumbling amateur criminals" movies that I've seen.

It's a UK/Canadian production but it's set in the U.S. and it stars David Schwimmer in my favorite movie role of his to date. His lugubrious manner is perfectly complimented by bouncy, James-Cagney-like Simon Pegg, a British comedian donning a perfect American accent. Their screen chemistry is wonderful.

Joining them is another Brit with another perfect American accent plus tremendous sex appeal, Alice Eve, playing a third kooky wheel in this unlikely team of extortionists. I gotta say: the acting by everyone (Brit, American, and Canadian) is top-notch.

The script by Frenchman Jean-Baptiste Andrea and American Billy Asher tries to avoid cliches -or at least improve on them -and Andrea's direction gives the film a slightly surreal touch altho the film retains a down-to-earth quality.

That surreal touch plus its dark quality may limit this film's appeal, but those who like terrific acting and fast-paced fun may revel in that appeal.

(To people who have already seen the film: there's a difference of opinion here and at the Amazon UK site about Simon Pegg's accent. I think that those who are familiar with Simon Pegg will be influenced by that familiarity and find his accent strange -while those of us who aren't familiar with him will find his accent perfect, albeit energetic, Midwestern. Can you click on the "comments" link below my review and reveal (1) if you were familiar with Pegg before this movie and (2) how succcessful you thought his accent was? Thanks.)

I loved this film. The first "gothic comedy", I would say! It's very funny, yet surprisingly dark. So you'll go from laughing your head off to jumping in your seat thinking "WTF"? A very original movie based on a classic premise. Pegg rocks, as usual, I'm a huge Spaced fan and wasn't disappointed! Definitely a geeky yet intelligent movie, worth watching a few times. Laughs and shocks guaranteed in equal measure. Awesome soundtrack too, are they going to release it?

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Just a joy for me to watch! I haven't ever been let down yet by Simon Pegg (the guy from Shawn of the Dead) and his wit plays off of Schwimmer's drollitivity(?) perfectly. The chick is dynamite and she mentally kicks the crap out of the two men who are smart enough to acknowledge it with just the right amount of self deprecation. The plot constantly twists and turns and the comedy is all black. That's key for me. Give me laughs couched in morally questionable (or directly sinful) situations and I'm happy as a clam.

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Big Nothing is actually a pleasant surprise to me personally.

I thought it was going to be a really average movie considering who was starring in it. Turns out, not only is the movie interesting, I might even go out on a limb and say it's a classic in some kind of weird way!

The MANY plot twists, the comedy and drama segments combined *perfectly* to keep your attention, and just *every single line* that's delivered by the characters... wow what a film! I'm seriously quite shocked just how good it was. I never would have expected a quality film of this level.

Anyway, the story is about two guys and a woman who come up with this complex plan to take someones money over a pay phone... but many MANY things go wrong along the way, including some murders and trying to cover their tracks and explain themselves to the police, and it's just incredible how exciting the storyline is. I'm by no means a fan of that guy from the hit TV show Friends, but something about his performance here... he totally nails it.

This is the kind of movie I'd like to watch again to catch all the little jokes I may have missed, along with trying to figure out exactly what was going on the entire time (because let's be honest, with so many things happening at once, it's real easy for your mind to get a little bit confused at times!)

And WOW is Alice Eve a hot actress! Watching her in this movie in that "bad girl" role, she was incredibly attractive to me, and fit the part perfectly. Great movie.

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This movie is by far on of my favorite movies! I recomend this movie to anyone! buy this movie!!!

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2010)

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo is the first in the trilogy of crime novels written by Swedish journalist Stieg Larsson. Larsson wrote them during his spare time, as a form of amusement. However, the novels were not published until after Larsson's untimely death in Nov 2004. The author never had the opportunity to enjoy the critical and the commercial success his books eventually earned. In 2008 Larssen became the second best selling author on the planet.

Now, on to the story:

Mikael Blomkvist is a journalist, convicted, unjustly he believes, of libel against a powerful industrialist. As Blomkvist awaits the commencement of his sentence, he is hired by a scion of a wealthy family to investigate the disappearance of the man's bellowed niece 40 years earlier. Everyone, initially including Blomkvist, believes the case is hopeless. Unexpectedly though, help comes in form of "the girl with the dragon tattoo", Lisbeth Salander. The mysterious woman clearly has a severe past: despite being 24 years old, her person and finances are being managed by a court appointed guardian. She does however, have a brilliant mind and, as we are about to learn, a powerful will... She quickly becomes the driving force of the investigation. We watch transfixed, as the past reaches into the presence, and touches the lives of Blomkvist, Salander, her guardian, the industrialist and the wealthy scion.

The story, as written by Larsson, is extremely brutal (consider that the original, and the very apt, Swedish title is "Men Who Hate Women"). However, I am inclined to believe the violence serves as another character in the story and as such is necessary. I am therefore glad that the filmmakers did not seek to tamper it, thus neutering the punch the story delivers. Though this Swedish adaptation is scripted and directed to the highest standard, the focus must be on the performance of the actress Noomi Rapace. Her portrayal of Lisbeth is shockingly faithful to the text and the actress manages to take over the film with her very appearance.

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo is one of the best adaptations I have seen, ever. I encourage you not to miss it; though do see it with friends, as you will afterwards feel strongly compelled to discuss the various explosive plot twists. I hope Hollywood never touches this gem. I am anxiously waiting for the next two installments to hit US screens.

PS: Keep in mind, this film is NOT for the underaged.

I'm a fervent and early fan of Stieg Larsson's Millennium Trilogy. I would have flown to another city to watch this film if I had to. Luckily, I live in one of the country's best cities for art house cinema: Dallas. Yes, contrary to the expected stereotypes I always have to bat down when I tell out-of-town friends this fact: Dallas has a tremendous art house cinema culture. And, as testament to that, we got "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" very early. What a thrill for us.

I am not going to claim that the movie is better than the book. What makes the books so compelling are the monster-deep dives Larsson takes into varied areas like investigative journalism, corruption, hacking, mafia, governmental affairs, mafia-government connections, intelligence agencies, detectives..and a host of others. What makes the first book spin is its dual axes of investigative journalism and hacking, personified respectively by Larsson's two protagonists, Mikael Blomkvist and Lisbeth Salander. In the movie, something's gotta give: there's just no earthly way director Niels Arden Oplev is going to be able to fit all of Larsson's work into a film of slightly less than three hours.

So what Oplev does is strip the story down to its core: the hunt for Harriet Vanger. It's this case that serendipitously brings Blomkvist and Salander together. In the process of the focus, we lose some of the flavor that is the hallmark of the book, most notably much of the investigative journalism as practiced inside the walls of Millennium magazine. Millennium's editor, Erika Berger, is but a footnote in the movie but a big part of the book. Likewise, little attention is given to the so-called "Wennerström Affair," the personal and professional downfall that befalls Mikael at the book's outset. Indeed, the first third of the book focuses mainly on these two elements of the tale.

Similarly, we lose out on some other aspects of Mikael's character. Mainly, his babe-magnetism. In the movie, he and Salander develop a sexual relationship. [Indeed, it's undertones of the memories of this relationship that drives much of books two and three.] But the movie has removed the sexual aspects from two of the other relationships Mikael has with female characters.

Despite all that, this movie lives and dies on one turn: it's ability to 'get it right' with its casting of Lisbeth. Over and over I would to my wife "Lisbeth better be good." And she'd tell me the same thing repeatedly. And others I know have the same mantra: don't mess with my ideal vision of Lisbeth. In that light, Noomi Rapace represents deliverance. She scored the essence of the character: we want Lisbeth to have that mix of smarts, hardened exterior, quirky beauty, ferocity and manic energy that drives the book. Ms. Rapace delivers all that in spades. She's maybe a little less elfin than the character described by Larsson, but other than that, she's the Lisbeth from my head.

I urge all fans of the book to see this enjoyable adaptation. [Oplev made all three movies at once, so the other two are headed this way.] Embrace the subtitles. This is a Swedish story through and through. It deserves to be seen in Swedish. It's distressing to see US box office totals stalling at less than $10M. All that is going to do is fuel the drive to complete an insipid US version with some disheartening casting like Brad Pitt as Mikael and god knows who as Lisbeth. Whoever steps into that role, Noomi Rapace has already left her well behind at the starting line.

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Over 2.5 million people in Scandinavia have seen this film, making it the first film in Scandinavian history ever to break the $100 million mark for European ticket sales, and US fans of Stieg Larsson's bestseller of the same name may propel the film to similar records here. The R-rated film tells the story of Mikael Blomqvist, a disgraced journalist for Sweden's Millenium magazine who accepts an invitation from an elderly businessman to investigate the disappearance of his niece Harriet, thirty-seven years ago. No trace of her has ever turned up, and the old man fears that a member of his family may have murdered her. While Blomquist is gathering information and storing it on his computer, he realizes that someone is hacking into his files. That person is Lizbeth Salander, a disturbed young woman living under the guardianship of the state, having spent time in a mental institution. Working together, they discover information about the Vanger family's Nazi connections and their association with extreme religious groups.

Danish director Niels Arden Oplev's dark and atmospheric cinematography establishes an ice-cold mood from the outset, with the action taking place in winter on an isolated island where the sun never seems to shine. Outdoor scenes are mostly black, white, and gray; interior scenes are full of clutter and of dark wood of almost claustrophobic heaviness. Michael Nyqvist (as Mikael Blomqvist) conveys the sense of loss, even betrayal, that his character feels after losing a libel case in a miscarriage of justice, and his vulnerability makes him the perfect foil for Noomi Rapace (as Lizbeth Salander). Rapace conveys not only the toughness and emotional dissociation resulting from abuse Lizbeth has faced, but also, in two memorable scenes, the feeling that behind the seemingly ironclad façade, there beats a real heart. Her role in the film is bigger than it is in the novel, and when she is on screen, it is impossible to look at anyone else. Nyqvist seems to recognize this, conveying Blomqvist's support for her through body language, gesture, and facial expressions, and remaining more in the background. The supporting actors, though their parts are far less developed, are equally committed to the film as a whole.

Brilliant pacing keeps the action and its shocks continuing throughout the film, and not a single "dead spot" appears, an extraordinary feat for a film that is more than two-and-a-half hours long and depends upon subtitles for dialogue. Even people familiar with the book will be jolted by the sudden visual shocks as they hit. Horrifying scenes of physical and sexual violence often make the film very difficult to watch, the sounds of the violence making the visual effects even stronger. There are some scenes of nudity.

Every aspect of this film is integrated into the whole, however, and it is difficult to imagine any adult fan of the book being disappointed in this production. The Girl Who Played with Fire and The Girl who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, the remaining two books in the trilogy, have already been filmed and released to huge audiences in Europe, and both of these films are projected for release in the US (with subtitles) in the fall of 2010. Mary Whipple

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Vintage)

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This movie has brutally graphic scenes of forcible rape and solomy that are not in the trailer or discription that can cause severe reactions in survivors of such who are not prepared for it and should not be unknown to those who do not want to be subjected to them. NOT going to be "enjoyable" for those who are sensitive to such, during or after.

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To the point, DO NOT MISS THIS "EXTENDED EDITION" if you are interested in the Swedish film/TV production of Steig Larson's novel of the same name (or either of the other two productions in the series). WHETHER OR NOT you have already seen the seriously truncated (shortened, mangled) version which was earlier released on DVD, BD, and streaming, THIS IS NOT TO BE MISSED. Unlike the previously released version, this "extended edition" provides a coherent presentation. Being one of the inexplicably over the top fans of anything connected with the three Larsen novels (or associated biographies, etc), I read all three novels early this year and then waited with bated breath for the "movie" versions. I was seriously disappointed with all three earlier, shortened movie releases, and particularly the last two of the three in the series. This was because new characters suddenly showed up on the screen without either sufficient introduction, or even identification. Or there were very significant holes in the story line (in addition to those already extant in the novels!).

As many of you will know, the three novels were filmed for Swedish television, with one film for each of the three novels. This disc presents one of the three films as originally formed and appearing on Swedish television each film, including this one, was broken into two segments of approximately 90 minutes in length, for a movie lasting a total of 180 minutes. When the Swedish TV version was presented in American theaters (and DVDs and BDs, the latter which I own), it was re-edited, and seriously shortened. As far as I am concerned, this ruined all three original "movie" presentations.

Despite the fact that the productions were evidently produced for first showing on Swedish TV, the production values (both sight and sound) are certainly comparable to those of first rate American movies. This reviewer does not know but strongly suspects that the producers had ultimate theater showing in mind when the films were made.

And finally, the Amazon's streamed version of the Extended Edition is free of notable artifacts on this reviewer's 109 inch Stewart Screen in the streamed version the color balance and brightness are good the black levels, interfered with by encoding and transmission noise, do not equal that of the BluRay disc, but are certainly acceptable. Needless to say, I was grateful and quite thrilled that the original version finally made it to market in Amazon's streamed version with Amazon's typical quality!

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Cheaper by the Dozen 2 (2010)

I truly enjoyed this movie and wouldn't hesitate to allow some of my young children to see it! There is no foul language, and dating and first crush situations were handled very tastefully and even with a flair of innocence about them! I happen to be the oldest of 7, my husband is one of 8, and together we have 5 children so we are very much pro big families. It is very refreshing to see a positive story involving not one, but TWO large families! In this day and age where society pushes the idea that 1 or 2 children makes the perfect family, this movie gives the viewer a fairly accurate glimpse of what life can be like with many more siblings. Of course there will be times of difficulty and disagreements, but there is also plenty of love to go around, and this is the ultimate conclusion of this movie in BOTH families! There are many lessons to be learned in this film not the least of which is the need to have a clear vision of what is more important in life. Both fathers in this story are struggling with competitiveness that has become an obsession, but I found it truly moving when Steve Martin's character chooses to forfeit the final tie-breaking event because of the potential risk to his 9-months-pregnant daughter. His was the choice of a true champion, and in the end, both fathers come to recognize that their families are so much more important than winning another trophy! What a truly refreshing message to families and young people who are being bombarded with messages of "me first" and "look out for number one!"

I most certainly do not regret the time and money spent to see this film! If you are tired of all the sex, violence and gore present in so much of today's movie choices, I suggest you give this film a try. It is rare to walk out of a movie theater feeling uplifted, but that is exactly what this film did for me!

I was basically shocked as all heck when I saw a trailer for this movie on TV over the holidays. Given the modest success of the first film, I was surprised they were going for a sequel. I was even more shocked that the bigger stars like Hilary Duff and Tom Welling returned for this, but somehow the timing was good enough for all fourteen original characters to reprise their roles.

After seeing "Cheaper by the Dozen 2" quite a few times in the theater this Christmas, I have to say that it was very nicely done and certainly outdid the 2003 film.

It's not anything that's going to win an Oscar or be discussed in passing years from now, but then again it wasn't trying to be either of those things. It was released as a clean, lighthearted movie, ideal for a day at the movies with the kids over the holiday break from school, and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it.

Don't get me wrong, I watched the first "Cheaper by the Dozen" in 2003 and liked it well enough. But right off the bat, the one element of this sequel that sets it gloriously apart from the original, and that's the general attitude of the Baker children. Remember how bratty they were three years ago, treating their parents like dirt, treating one another like dirt, and pulling juvenile pranks left and right? Well, now they're a little older, they get along with each other, and they're actually nice to their parents. It makes for a much more relaxing and enjoyable viewing experience with less children screaming and acting up.

The premise for this sequel finds Tom and Kate (played perfectly, once again, by Steve Martin and Bonnie Hunt) finding that with their three oldest children stepping out of the nest and the remaining nine becoming more involved in their own activities, it would be a good idea to get the whole family together for one last summer at the lake house. Sounds good....that is, until we meet Jimmy Murtaugh (played quite nicely by Eugene Levy), who has a large family of his own and is determined to strike up another heated competition with his longtime rival Tom Baker.

As I said before, the Baker kids are much more likable this time around, and each are presented differently in the film. First off we have:

Nora, who is now married (not to Ashton Kutcher, haha) and pregnant with her first child. Perabo does a nice job here; she and her husband are funny and sweet to watch together, and Perabo contributes to a very heartwarming final scene at the end of the movie.

Charlie, a college student working to pay off loans and trying hard to please his parents, all while attempting to figure out his "next move" in life. "Smallville" star Tom Welling puts forth a good and modest performance, just as he did in the first film.

Lorraine, whose graduation opens the film and introduces her plan to pursue an internship in New York in the fall. The return of the infamous Hilary Duff is probably the most surprising part of the movie, but it was nice that she came back for this and helped get the sequel made. Her number of scenes are small and spread out, and she seems a bit bored most of the time, but Lorraine has a few nice interactions with younger sister Sarah that help demonstrate Duff's ability to get into character, an especially notable feat with such a large cast.

Henry, Jake, Mark and Mike, the four middle sons, who aren't given much to do in this movie except a few lines here and there.

Sarah, the third-oldest preteen daughter seeking her own independence and developing her first crush on none other than one of Jimmy Murtaugh's sons. Roger Ebert said it, a myriad of other big-time movie reviewers have said it, and I'm not going to deny it: Young actress Alyson Stoner delivers what is arguably the movie's most heartfelt and well-done performance in this role. The scene where she goes out on her first date literally brings tears to my eyes every time I watch it, and even though the storyline about a tomboy plunging head-first into adolescence and finding her very first crush is nothing new, it is still something that practically every woman can relate to. It's a somewhat cliched character analysis, yes, but Stoner plays it so sweetly and with such youthful innocence, she absolutely makes the entire movie. This actress really comes into her own with this role, and I genuinely hope to see more from her in the future.

Twin daughters Jessica and Kim, too, don't have much of a personal storyline to play off of, but actresses Liliana Mumy and Morgan York do well enough with what they are given. The only thing I'd have to say about them is that the writers clearly tried way too hard to give them witty lines and funny things to say in unison (e.g. "Lay off, Dad!" and "We agree to participate!") and in the end it didn't quite work. The little girls playing the parts are cute, though, especially the red-headed Liliana Mumy. She's another one with a distinctively expressive personality and cute face that could land her roles in other movies.

The two youngest Baker kids, identical twins Kyle and Nigel, probably stand right behind Alyson Stoner as the next best thing about the movie. Those are the same adorable faces you see on the television series "Desperate Housewives," and even though they don't have much to do in this film either, they melt your heart whenever they come onto the screen.

Steve Martin and Bonnie Hunt do a terrific job in their scenes, as well; both of them seem custom-made for the roles as nurturing parents, and they work very well together as on-screen husband and wife. With all the chaotic events going on with the kids, the two of them portray a very special lesson for viewers with the amazing love that they still have for one another. Eugene Levy and Carmen Electra round out the main cast, both playing their roles with humor and ease, and all in all this is a nice movie that handles its overwhelming cast much better this time around. The 12 kids were basically a train wreck in the first movie, running around and getting into all sorts of trouble, but now they are more fleshed out and established in the plot. It is funny, appealing, and yes, even touching, all while outdoing the original 2003 film and remaining more than ideal for parents to enjoy with their children.

Buy Cheaper by the Dozen 2 (2010) Now

Depending where you at when you watch this flick, but if you're on your ski vacation, then watching this film you'll forget that your snowboard is outside and that it's cold, because the film concerns a family vacation at a lake around labor day.

Steve Martin is funny as always and there are a few new lines and ideas. And sure there are a couple of stupid scenes that should have been left out, but not too bad so that your 8-year old can probably still watch it without asking too many questions. Eugene Levy (probably not as well known by his name to too many folks) is excellent and I like him goofing off even more than Martin for the most part.

The storyline is about two extended families that apparently had a type of rivalry going on for many years, and now they meet at that particular lake again and on labor day they have a family competition there and so on. While Martin plays the loving Baker dad who's not too well off financially, Levy plays the now wealthy Murtaugh dad who's on his third marriage (with Carmen Elektra as number 3) and who owns most of the land around the lake.

The only problem I can see is that much of the fun is predictable, but there are still a number of hearty laughs. It's a relaxing family movie and you just wish that it was summer out there and you too could go for a swim and/or so some water skiing in a lake instead of the apres ski. Well, this movie is an opportunity to take your popcorn and relax during this busy holiday season, and to have some clean fun for the most part.

Read Best Reviews of Cheaper by the Dozen 2 (2010) Here

This movie was funny and family friendly. Anybody of any age would enjoy it. It's clean, and you don't have to worry about your young kids seeing/hearing stuff that you don't want them to hear. It is rated PG for very mild language. The "p" word is said once. However, I still think it would be ok to let small kids see it.

I know that there are probably some actors or actresses in this movie that people don't like, but I think that fact can be overlooked. It's a good movie worthy of at least renting. I saw it in theaters and I didn't regret it.

Want Cheaper by the Dozen 2 (2010) Discount?

This movie is one of my favorite movies of all time. Now I loved the first one, it is still one of my favorites. But this one is so good. I really like the storyline on this one. It has a good story and it goes into detail with some of the kids who you didn't really get to know in the first one. Like Sara Baker. It goes into detail about her. This movie is very funny and when it comes out, I'm going to buy it. I recommend this movie to anyone.

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Up All Night: Live Tour (2013)

I was able to review this during a Pre-Screening & the girls that were able to watch it with me went wild! This is a great DVD & it's refreshing to see a band that focuses on singing their music rather than focusing on trying to do the latest dance moves. This DVD is a must have for any 1D fans you won't be disappointed. It definitely got us hyped for the concert that we're going to next month! Loved it! :)

Gonna get 6 copies :), 5 for a tumblr giveaway and one for myself! Can't wait to watch it.

Sincerely, a guy "Directioner" and the first reviewer.

Buy Up All Night: Live Tour (2013) Now

Seeing as One Direction hasn't had a tour in the United States yet (they will in 2013 though! YAY!) this is a total must have! One Direction went from getting 3rd on the XFactor to becoming total heartthrobs, very famous, and amazing singers! They are deffinately something great! With each of the 5 boys having their own unique personalities, it really adds to making the band amazing! Harry Styles has such an open and funny personality, Niall Horan is soooo adorable, Louis Tomlinson is HILARIOUS! (seriously, watch the video diaries on YouTube and you'll see),Zayn Malik is really cute and good at making the girls fall in love ;), and Liam Payne is such a great singer and really sweet! These boys are deffinately great singers and have a bright future ahead of them. This is a must have DVD!

Read Best Reviews of Up All Night: Live Tour (2013) Here

I bought this DVD for my daughters. They went wild! Watched over and over, singing all the songs. It was nice to see a band that focused on the music not all the hipe! Move over Justin Bieber.....!

Want Up All Night: Live Tour (2013) Discount?

Bought this item on a whim and just received it today and I LOVE it! The boys are adorable, the music is infectious (as long as you love boy band music) and the bonus 3 music video's are worth the DVD. The hype is there for a reason, these lads really do deliver and they do all that they can to make their fans happy.

I look forward to their next DVD and their follow up CD to Up All Night.

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Ben-Hur / The Ten Commandments (2013)

The sound is 5.1 on these films. Spanish/English/French;

subtitles as well.

The aspect ratio of these films is rather narrow, and

will be hard to see unless you have at least a 40" set.

Each film is presented on two discs -split at the normal

theatrical intermission points. That's four discs, total.

Enjoy!

Here we have it Two of the greatest cinematic masterpieces (starring the legendary Charlton Heston) in one blu-ray set! With rich scripting and eye popping color and definition that's razor sharp, this is a nice acquisition for those who desire to just have the films without a whole lot of bells and whistles.

Charlton Heston and Stephen Boyd were perfectly cast in their roles of William Wyler's Oscar-winning film BEN-HUR as "Judah Ben-Hur" and "Massala" childhood friends who in adulthood find themselves each possessing opposing political viewpoints that will ultimately test their long standing friendship. BEN HUR is rich in scripting in it's portrayal of human attributes that encompasses just about every facet of emotion that the human spirit can feel or would be forced/challenged to deal with. This movie has it all: Prosperity, Sickness, Jealousy, Dissention, Grief, Bitterness, Anguish, Vengence, Humility, Forgiveness and ultimately Restoration. Not lost on the viewing audience is screen beauty Haya Harareet's absolutley fabulous character acting as "Esther", Ben-Hur's love interest, as she literally watches (with grief and anguish) the man she loves descend into bitterness and anger having been betrayed by his long time friend "Massala".

The second feature is, of course, Cecille B. DeMille's 1956 film of the biblical account of Moses and the parting of the Red Sea, THE TEN COMMANDMENTS starring Charlton Heston as "Moses" and Yul Brynner as "Rameses" which looks just as razor sharp in it's presentation. In the 'big picture' there is really something special here and it represents more than just a transfer to blu-ray.

It is no small secret that the film stock of tens of thousands of old Hollywood classic and vintage films has/is literally crumbling in the vaults and are in desperate need of restoration before they are lost forever. Because of this, it gives me a heart of joy and greatfulness to think that great care and effort is being given (where possible) to meticulously restore the 'classics', as well as many vintage films, so that we will have a legacy of our American film heritage that will be preserved for future generations to come. The first class restoration of these two films are beautiful examples of this process.

Enjoy these lavishly restored presentations they are a visual feast for the eyes!

Closed Captioning (via Subtitles) are included for the hearing impaired.

BEN-HUR SPECIAL FEATURES

1. Commentary by film historian T. Gene Hatcher with Charlton Heston

2. Music-only track showcasing Miklos Rozsa's Award winning score

3. Theatrical Trailers

THE TEN COMMANDMENTS SPECIAL FEATURE

1. Commentary by Kathrine Orrison, Author of "Written In Stone"

2. Making of Cecille B. DeMille's epic: The Ten Commandments

3. Newsreel: The Ten Commandments premiere in New York

4. Theatrical Trailers

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The brilliant restoration and remastering of DeMille's Epic Masterpiece THE TEN COMMANDMENTS is one of the best if not the greatest one I have seen on high definition so far for a classic film. Working with the original Vista-Vision 35mm negative source may account for that. It even surpasses BEN-HUR's remastering that tends to carry slight deficiencies in contrast levels during some dark scenes. TEN COMMANDMENTS turned out 100% perfect. Comparable to the high quality excellence that the Walt Disney Company invests in order to restore their classic animated masterpieces to look better than they ever will in high definition. TEN COMMANDMENTS is not only the most popular Biblical epic of all time, it is the highest grossing one as well in the Biblical genre. Due to the attention to details and dedication poured into the making of this time-less classic film, it should have won Best Picture and all the major award categories below that during the 1957 AMPAS ceremonies. Charlton Heston should have received his first oscar 3 years before and then get a 2nd one in 1960 for Ben-Hur. Edward G.Robinson was perfect in his portrayal of Dathan and should have received the Best Supporting Actor award for that role. I guess Academy members back then enjoyed watching Cantinflas dangling from a balloon in Around the World in 80 Days better than being moved by the finger of God writing His Ten Commandments on granite stone atop Mount Sinai. Both masterpiece Biblical epics should not be missing as part of every home entertainment film collection.

Read Best Reviews of Ben-Hur / The Ten Commandments (2013) Here

Warner Home Video is treating 1.85:1 screen size and 16:9 (1.78:1) as equal sometimes reporting the change and at other times claiming to preserve the 1:85:1 original release ratio though they're not. This applies to at least 4 films released as 2 movie sets on March 12, 2013, but could extend to many more of their Blu-ray discs.

They're bright and they're beautiful in color and in sound, but having already purchased 3 of the four on DVD, I had my sights fixed on upgrading The Ten Commandments and Forrest Gump to HD and was lured in by the price, picking up Ben Hur and The Green Mile as movie bonuses. I started through the Hur/Commandments disks in order and so was treated to Ben Hur in its full native aspect ratio of 2.76:1. Yes that means there are black bars along the top and bottom of the screen, though less so with an HD 16:9 (1.78:1) widescreen then with an old 4:3 (1.33:1) CRT and on my large 1080P 240khz refresh, 1ms response time TV it's just wonderful.

Then I moved onto The Ten Commandments and right away I noticed that during the intro the screen was filled edge to edge and so I thought no great detriment if that short segment had been edited and I was only missing a small bit of the curtain background, but then the feature started and the screen was still filled, edge to edge.

The Ten Commandments was filmed at 1.85:1 and in all my HD purchase up until now I'd come to expect that the days of hacking up film masterpieces were long over. Not so here. I know it is a much smaller edit than it would have been for Ben Hur, but still, every time anyone watches this release, portions of the original film, to the left, to the right, or both, will always be missing. I grabbed the box and checked the back, finding that Warner had given the aspect specification for Ben Hur but omitted the specification for The Ten Commandments (no 1.85:1 callout and no warning that the content had been edited to fit a 16:9 screen)

I bought The Green Mile Forrest Gump at the same time and so I grabbed that box and saw that the Green Mile was clearly called out as 1.85:1, but just as with the Ten Commandments, Forrest Gump was only listed as having been prepared for viewing on a 1080p 16:9 set. Forrest Gump was filmed at 2.35:1, so if it had also been trimmed, that would have been a huge loss of original screen real estate.

Well, I interrupted The Ten Commandments and put on Gump and luckily it's all there, 2.35:1 with the black bars. I then pulled that one out, thinking but what about the Green Mile? If that's the same original size as the Ten Commandments, even though they've listed the unaltered aspect, could they have messed with that one too? Sure enough, hacked. The movie fills up every single pixel and is being cut of at left/right edges.

Was I judging to harshly and were other distributors starting to do the same? I grabbed newly purchased Blue-ray discs by MGM, Universal and Columbia that were also 1.85:1 originals and every one of them had the proper aspect ratio with the black top and bottom bars.

Warner had to corral other studios for the rights to package these films together so I hope they're all available from these other studios or distributors. Check the aspect ratios if you are going to buy from Warner and stay away from anything that or any other dependable reference lists as 1.85:1 unless you're a fan of pan and scan, colorizing and other after run gimmicks. I want to give the series a negative 5 stars, but 1 star is all that's allowed, sorry. I'm returning both for a refund, then maybe I'll shop for ones verified as having the proper size or just be thankful for my DVD versions.

Want Ben-Hur / The Ten Commandments (2013) Discount?

What can I say. Both films have been remastered for High-definition and neither have ever looked better. The 'Ben Hur' was mastered from a 70mm print and in HD you can tell! 'Ten Commandments' was sourced from a VistaVision print. VistaVision was a system that used 35mm film sidewayslike a 35mm still camera and that gave a frame twice the size of regular vertically shot cinema film. Needless to say that it too looks spectacular in HD.

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Following (Criterion Collection) (1999)

If you're looking at this DVD, odds are it's because you saw "Memento" and wondered about the director, Christopher Nolan. Let's cut to the chase: Yes, "Following" is similar to "Memento" -its narrative jumps around in a similar way, to start with -and yes, it's basically just as good a movie. If you're wanting to stumble across a great young film noir director, Christopher Nolan is your guy, and this movie is well worth a look. Make that two or three looks.

I have to say, when I read the DVD case and saw that this plot wasn't told chronologically, the first word that came to mind was "gimmick." For "Memento" it made sense to tell things backward, because of the whole memory-impairment center of the story, but here Nolan was doing it again in an earlier movie? I was set to see a sort of warmup run, especially because this one was made with almost no budget at all.

Okay, so I was wrong. "Following" tells a few different lines of the story at once, but it doesn't tell them in reverse; here the idea is that the story's framework is a conversation between our main character and another man who's interviewing him in the opening moments. In the (dryly funny) director commentary, Nolan says he's trying to provide the viewer with details and themes in a "conversational" way. Maybe that's a conceit, but dang it, the mixed up storyline worked on this one too.

Two other common points of the two movies: they're built on incredibly spare, lean writing, and they really, really reward watching at least twice.

Following, if anything, is even more minimalistic than Memento; it's literally true that you come out of the movie not knowing any of the characters' real names. Given the premise -that the main character develops an inappropriate, fascinated interest in the intimate lives of anonymous people he sees in a crowd -the doubt you feel even about the characters' names makes perfect sense. A bunch of other little touches on that theme really hit home with me -boxes full of memorabilia that are (or maybe aren't) giving our protagonist a look at people's internal lives, and so on. Gradually you realize the story's so sparely told because we're like the main character, trying to figure people out by looking at the pieces of their story from a distance in a crowd.

And man, does Following reward a second watching. You'll get through it once and you'll kick it around for a while, work out the stuff you missed, tell your friends what you noticed... and then you all want to hit Play again. Every scene plays a little differently the second, or third, time through. That's exactly the sort of movie you want to collect, right?

If you are a collector sort, you'll like the few extras this one provides. For a "no budget" indie film, it really "gets" the DVD thing. There's an alternate camera angle with the modified script, so you can play through and watch where Nolan and company made changes along the way. Some of the changes are pretty funny; the sound guy's name got substituted for one of the character names. Nolan's commentary soundtrack is really worth hearing, too, especially because he made this with no money at all. He talks about how he established continuity for the viewer with little visual cues, throws off very funny little asides about how he cut corners, and stuff like that. Finally, you also get a "chronological" option, so you can see everything in order. It's all set in a nicely elegant set of menus that match the sleak tone of the movie.

So, yeah, it's worth it. Following is extremely memorable. It's not a perfect movie, or anything -I'd still say either The Third Man or The Big Sleep is my favorite film noir -but give it four stars and change, for doing so much on a shoestring.

You gotta wonder what Christopher Nolan can do to back this up. He's going to have more money in hand, and the fractured story thing might not last another movie. Hearing the director commentary on this disc, I don't think he's going to necessarily be limited to the cynical point of view these two movies have seemed to push. The guy has a real eye for character, for the way people head in unlikely directions... This could be an amazing career we're seeing start up, or then again maybe these are just a little too cynical to start with.

Christopher Nolan is a very talented director who proves how talented he is with his first "no-budget" movie, "Following." This a dark film noir that will keep you thinking and guessing until the shocking last scene.

Bill is a struggling writer who has been on his own for quite sometime. During that time he has become very bored and needs to find ways to kill time. He starts to follow people... anybody who seemed interesting to him. At first it was supposed to be a way for him to gather material for characters in his stories, but soon he becomes obsessed and cannot stop following people. Once a thief, Cobb, catches Bill in the act, he decides to allow him to enter his world of robbing houses, showing Bill how to really violate the lives of strangers. Soon everything starts to spin out of control and things for Bill will never be the same as he starts to learn that somebody just might be trying to use him as a decoy.... but a decoy for what? This dark film noir will keep you watching and thinking, even when it's all said and done. Then, you're going to want to watch it again.

Very much like "Memento," Nolan screws around with time, forcing us to remember exactly what has happened and the order they occurred in. However, the movie is not backwards, it is very much out of order in parts, so pay attention to every little detail that you come across. Is this film confusing? Yes, it is, or at least the first time you see it. This is a movie that will require you to watch it at least two times. Although I thought this was a good movie, I was a little disappointed with the length of the movie. It is only 70 minutes long, which isn't very long at all. It's also not widescreen, but I'm sure that' s because it wasn't filmed that way. It is black and white, very much like "Clerks," but it actually makes the film seem more darker and eerier. The movie does have great acting, from people you've never even heard of most likely, and it does have a great story line. It tends to be confusing at times, even frustrating. So see it with an open mind. I loved the music in it and you will be glad to know that it is the same person Nolan used for "Memento." There are a few extras on the DVD; one of the best features is the ability for you to see the movie in chronological order. There are also trailers for "Following" and "Memento." ("Memento" is probably one of the best theatrical trailers I have ever seen. "Following" is also a fine trailer.)

"Following" is a fine first from Nolan, who has proven that he is a brilliant writer and director who loves to make us do a lot of work when watching his films. If you liked "Memento," chances are you will enjoy this film as well. A brilliant movie, and one that shows you that you do not need a big budget to make a great movie. See this one as soon as you can.

Buy Following (Criterion Collection) (1999) Now

Christopher Nolan puts Hollywood to shame with this no-budget film. Proving that good scripts, good directors and good actors are the key ingredients that constitute good movies, not swollen budgets, big "stars" or special effects Nolan has created a very compelling film indeed. Although it's a no budget affair, it sure doesn't feel like it. The B&W treatment feels like a natural complement to the gritty story and turns a potential limitation into an assetit actually has a real artistic visual style. The performances are first rate as well, but what really floats this movie is the terrific script that will draw you in and keep you in suspense right up until the last frame. Then you'll want to see it again immediately. How many movies do you have that reaction to? The non-chronological narrative is dealt with masterfully and gives an already intriguing story a further dimension. An added bonus is Nolan's astute commentary and the alternate angle view of the shooting script, both wonderful resources for the aspiring filmmaker but fascinating for the rest of us too.

I saw this film accidentally because I grabbed the box too hastily from the video store, but boy am I glad I did!

Highly recommended.

Read Best Reviews of Following (Criterion Collection) (1999) Here

You can really see how this was the precursor to MEMENTO in that he uses the same device of telling the movie out of sequence and gives you the surprise ending. Otherwise it has a very low budget look shot in B&W with English actors that are sometimes hard to understand, but its quick 70 minute length means that it never gets boring.

The movie is about an unemployed writer that starts following people because he's bored. After tailing a thief for a while, the thief realizes that he's not a cop and decides to take the follower along on some break-ins. Told so out of sequence that you piece it together little by little, the follower follows and starts dating the girl whose house they broke into.

The DVD had a decent commentary, and a feature that lets you see the whole thing in sequence. This is like watching a touted ballplayer in his rookie season, a lot of promise and rewards to come.

Want Following (Criterion Collection) (1999) Discount?

I have to say that Memento is the best movie I've ever seen. I decided to watch this because it's by the same director and I was wondering what else he could come up with. And I wasn't dissapointed. The movie is in black and white and jumps around the timeline in an interesting way, which keeps you focused and trying to figure out what's going on. I thought the general idea of the movie, about a guy who follows and watches random people, trying to figure out who they are and what they do, is quite original but at the same time common to everybody -who hasn't wondered about the random person on the street (I sure have).

The way the movie is presented is involving and at times humorous. The way the camera is positioned you really get a feel for being right there, next to the characters and involved in the storyline.

The movie is just as good on the second or third viewing (like Memento), and that's definitely evidence to the fact it's good.

I would definitely recommend this movie to people who liked Memento; you won't be dissapointed with it.

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De-Lovely (2004)

Cole Porter, legendary composer and lyricist, met and married American divorcee Linda in Paris. The marriage was unexpected: where Porter was clearly homosexual, Linda was uninterested in physical intimacy. Even so, those who knew them describe them as deeply in love with each other on a purely emotional level. Throughout their long marriage, Porter repeatedly engaged in shallow liaisons with various men while Linda looked the other way--at least as long as Porter was reasonably discreet.

Porter's sense of discretion was not always sufficent for Linda, who left him several times and threatened divorce on at least one occasion. It was, however, enough "to get by" with the vast public, which saw only the glamour of their lives and the great brilliance of Porter's talents. The result was a 1946 film biography that put many of Porter's greatest songs before the camera while casting handsome Cary Grant as the waspish Porter and lovely Alexis Smith as the somewhat icy Linda--a movie that went over well with audiences but which actually had very little basis in reality.

The 2004 DE-LOVELY takes a considerably different tack. It would be hard to say that the film "tells all"--but it tells enough and it offers a host of high-art concepts and truly fine performances in the process. It debuted with tremendous fanfare and then, amazingly, seemed to vanish from the screen within a single night. While most critics liked the film, the public did not, and they were pretty emphatic about it.

Some audiences complained about the "artiness" of the film's concept, which consists of the aging Porter reviewing the major events of his life through the filter of a stage show--an idea that seems to owe a great deal to Bob Fosse's ALL THAT JAZZ without managing to carry it off with the same conviction. Some Porter fans complained that the contemporary pop singers used in the film couldn't carry Porter's music; others complained that the music was never presented in a straight-forward sort of way. Still others were taken aback by the discovery that Porter was gay--and truly one has to wonder where such viewers have been for the past fifty years, that they somehow managed to miss this very widely circulated bit of information.

In truth, the concept works reasonably if not spectacularly well, the singers are acceptable if not always knock-out in their performances, and Porter's sexual habits are made plain without throwing the characters in and out of bed on the screen. The real problem with DE-LOVELY, at least to my mind, is two-fold: it is just ever-so-slightly slow and it is profoundly, and I do mean profoundly, depressing. Each tends to heighten the effect of the other.

On the other hand, the performances are exceptionally good. Kevin Kline is hardly a look-alike for the small, dark Cole Porter, but you believe him in the role. As for Ashley Judd--the role of Linda Porter would seem impossible to play in a believable sort of way, much less in a sympathetic manner, but she carries it flawlessly from start to finish. Together they are brilliant, and that isn't a word I use very often in refence to contemporary film making.

The DVD contains a host of bonuses, including two audio tracks and several behind-the-scenes documentaries, and for once the word "bonus" really is generally applicable. While it will probably prove too dark for most, many will be fascinated by the way DE-LOVELY turns the glitter of Porter's public life into a costume for his often bitter private life--something that was very much the case in reality. Recommended.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer

"When they begin the beguine

It brings back the sound of music so tender,

It brings back a night of tropical splendor,

It brings back a memory ever green."

When "De-Lovely" begins it is October 15, 1964 and Cole Porter (Kevin Kline) is about to die. This requires his life to flash before his eyes, but since we are talking Cole Porter this means there are all sorts of creative decisions involved in this final production. The conceit of the film is that Porter is sitting in the first theater that he visited while growing in Peru, Indiana, with "Gabe" (Jonathan Pryce) at his side. The result is not a musical but rather a musical biography, which is why we do not go back to Porter's childhood but rather to the moment that the gay songwriter met the love of his life, the divorcee Linda Lee (Ashley Judd), who would become his wife.

"And that's why birds do it, bees do it

Even educated fleas do it

Let's do it, let's fall in love."

Cole and Linda marry, equally aware of the strengths as well as the weaknesses of their relationship. Linda was more than a front of respectability for Cole's homosexuality; she was his muse. "De-Lovely" abandons the traditions of a bio-pic in terms of places and dates to focus more on the songs Cole Porter wrote. Kevin Kline is a piano player, and he uses this talent to great affect in the film. Cole is often sitting at the piano composing the music of his life and it compels us to listen again to the familiar lyrics, but this time in the context of his life. The recurring thought is not that he is writing all of these songs to reflect himself, but that there are times when the songs are clearly for her.

"Every time we say goodbye, I die a little,

Every time we say goodbye, I wonder why a little,

Why the Gods above me, who must be in the know.

Think so little of me, they allow you to go."

You can try and tell the story of Cole Porter's life, but it is always going to come back to his music. After all, it is a song that attracts Linda to Cole and teaching someone to sing "Night and Day" that shows Porter at his seductive best. However, when you have Cole Porter's songs being sung by the likes of Elvis Costello, Alanis Morissette, Sheryl Crow, Dianna Krall, Robbie Williams, and Natalie Cole, it is not surprising that those songs once again take the spotlight away from the man who wrote them. I was rather surprised that I recognized every single song played in "De-Lovely," but then that only serves to underscore that Cole Porter is one of the greatest American songwriters.

"You're the Top! You're the colosseum,

You're the Top! You're the louve museum,

You're a melody from a symphony, by Strauss,

You're a Bandle bonnet, a Shakspeare sonnet,

You're Mickey mouse.

You're the Nile, You're the Towr of Pisa,

You're the smile on the Mona Lisa;

Im a worthless check, a total wreck, a flop,

But if Baby, Im the bottom,

You're the top!"

Director Irwin Winkler's 2004 film has the advantage of not only Porter's music but of Kline's performance, although obviously the actor needs to tone down his singing considerably (we get to hear Porter himself singing at the start of the final credits). Judd, who usually refrains from singing in public to avoid comparison to her mother and sister, does a couple of songs as well. You can also throw in the exquisite period costumes courtesy of Armani that help to define Porter as the paradigm of wit and urbane sophistication before the riding accident that crippled him. The film keeps trying to suggest that "Let's Misbehave!" is the de facto Cole Porter theme song, but in the end the man and his music both speak to more optimistic sentiments.

"The world has gone mad today

And good's bad today,

And black's white today,

And day's night today,

When most guys today

That women prize today

Are just silly gigolos

And though I'm not a great romancer

I know that I'm bound to answer

When you propose,

Anything goes."

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What we have here is a film based on but not limited to the adult life of Cole Porter. How to describe it? It's not a biopic nor is it a musical comedy. It resembles All That Jazz (1979) and Evita (1996) when combining fact with contrivance within a series of flashbacks to create dramatic impact. Various devices (e.g. hallucination and reminiscence) enable us to explore various components of Porter's life as well as the various relationships which he developed over a period of several decades. Kevin Kline brilliantly portrays Porter, with an able supporting cast headed by Ashley Judd (Linda Thomas Cole), Jonathan Pryce (Gabe), Kevin McNally (Gerald Murphy), Sandra Nelson (Sara Murphy), and Alan Corduner (Monty Woolley). I guess this could be called a Film Noir/Musical Review. Defining moments in Porter's adult life are coordinated with his greatest Broadway musicals which include Gay Divorcee, Anything Goes, and Kiss Me Kate, later adapted to the screen. As for his most popular songs, several of their titles suggest double meanings when we take into account Porter's bi-sexual love life. For example, "Let's Do It," "I've Got You Under My Skin," "You Do Something to Me," and "Anything Goes." Irwin Winkler pulls all of this together fairly well. Yes, the plot has its lumpy moments and, yes, the make-up isn't always effective (late in life, Kline's Porter resembles Charles Foster Kane) but the musical performances are highly entertaining and I especially appreciate the fact that Kline sings as ineptly as Porter did. I much prefer this version to Night and Day (1946) which Porter enjoyed because he was played by Cary Grant. On balance, De-Lovely is an enjoyable film and I resist the temptation to offer a pun on its title when selecting a title of my own for these brief remarks.

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The musical production numbers are fabulous in this telling of the high and low points in the life of songwriter Cole Porter. He wrote so many tunes, ones I've heard and loved all my life, and those selected for this movie were great---many done with updated renditions by current artists.

The movie begins when an aged Porter is summoned by a director to view the rehearsal for a play based on his life. The story unfolds in a series of theatrical scenes beginning with his love-at-first-sight romance with Linda and his lifelong devotion to her. Also highlighted is his bisexual lifestyle which she accepts amazingly well as long as it doesn't become a public scandal. Kevin Kline is outstanding as the young and dashing Porter as well as the aged and defeated man. Ashley Judd shines as the loving mate who guides his career and his recovery from a horrific accident.

But it is the music that steals the show, the lyrics and melodies that have endured for years and will remain firmly entrenched as pop standards long past the 20th century. Songs such as "De-Lovely," "Let's Misbehave," "Night and Day," "Anything Goes," "You're the Top," and my personal favorite "Every Time We Say Goodbye" are done with the style and grace worthy of Cole Porter and performed by such varied artists as Elvis Costello, Sheryl Crow, Alanis Morissette, Natalie Cole and others including Kevin Kline and Ashley Judd. One outstanding feature of the DVD is that the scene selection menu makes it easy to just go back and see all the production numbers.

If you like musicals and a toe-tapping good time, this is one you don't want to miss.

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De-Lovely is a major achievement and is remarkable for many reasons, not the least of them being that it was even made in the first place. For every De-Lovely, Hollywood seems to crank out hundreds of shoot-em-up explosion spectaculars, teen sex comedies, star vehicles for gangster rappers, and depressing, nihilistic "independent" films for the intelligentsia.

De-Lovely is everything these films are not. It is a great musical in the "they don't make `em like that any more" sense, a poignantly heartwarming love story with true emotional depth (and a twist), a celebration of life and happiness (as well as a recognition and understanding of life's tragedies), and a star vehicle for two truly talented actor/singers, Kevin Klein and Ashley Judd, plus a plethora of cameo appearances by currently popular singers (including Elvis Costello, Alanis Morissette, Sheryl Crow and Natalie Cole) who obviously are singing their songs more for love (of Cole Porter) than money.

As depicted in De-Lovely, Cole Porter possessed more joie-de-vivre than perhaps any man in history, and he wrote his songs straight from the heart. The first part of the film, corresponding to the first half of Porter's adult life, appears to be all peaches and cream, and I was prepared simply to enjoy an upbeat musical. Porter enters into a nearly perfect (for him) relationship with his wife Linda, that allows him his dalliances and to remain true to his self, but also to, over time, experience the depths of true love with a life's partner. It is the second half of the film, when the Porter's must overcome multiple tragedies, that elevate De-Lovely to a truly noteworthy film, by showing a deep understanding of love and humanity.

Kevin Klein and Ashley Judd give great performances. Klein has the most challenging role, as he must sing, dance, and act through a broad range of emotions, as well as age over the course of 40 or 50 years (by the way, the make-up work which aged the actors is very good it must be amazing for Klein and Judd to see what they may look like in their 60s or 70s). I wouldn't be surprised to see Oscar nominations for Klein (especially) and Judd, if this film reaches a broad enough audience. My quibbles with the film are minor (some abrupt transitions, and some garbled dialogue), and are far outweighed by the many positives.

Surprisingly, the major movie critics have ranged all over the "love/hate" spectrum in their reviews of De-Lovely (check out the metacritic web site to see for yourself). I think the reaction to the film is primarily a function of the state of mind of the reviewer, i.e. subjectivity dominates objectivity. I am flabbergasted that the Village Voice reviewer could call this film "overwhelmingly glum". I wonder what this reviewer thought of "Sid & Nancy", which I would say is the antithesis of De-Lovely?

If modern pop culture has not yet turned you into a complete cynic, if you have any appreciation at all for music of the Jazz Age, big bands, or crooners such as Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Mel Torme, or (today) Harry Connick Jr., if you have a romantic bone in your body, if you enjoy traditional Hollywood or Broadway musicals or a great love story, then I think you will find De-Lovely definitely delightful!

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The Collection (2012)

This is a horror sequel where you don't have to see the first to follow along, but it does bring back the main hero and villain from the previous movie. The cult following of the original made this film possible, so give it a look. A thief breaks in a house and ends up trying to save the family being tortured by another unwanted vistor that beat him to scene. But wait, this killer has set up believable traps all over the house. The sequel expands the scope to an old hotel and has 10 times the body count. The first is dark and isolated, much like Alien. And like Aliens, the sequel is more in your face and action oriented. There are still a few really good scares and plenty of gore, with a villain that is truly chilling in appearance and the way he kills. Think Jigsaw and his traps, but he also does some of his killings himself with his arsenal of knives. My theater was actually half full (I thought I'd be alone) and people clapped when it was over.

I liked the first movie but this gave me more bang for my buck...With poor box office sales I guess there will be no Collection/or 3. I really wish horror fans would have supported this film. Its a lot better the a lot on the market. Paranormal Activity makes money and this one doesn't makes no sense to me.

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I loved the original, but this sequel is even better. Impressive special effects, solid performances, and a slick pace. Highly recommended for fans of The Collector!

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Very well done, nice plot well written. All in all a good horror movie better than most of the stuff coming out of hollywood lately.

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The collection is full of suspenseful and action packed sequences that left me on the edge of my seat, a definite must see movie.

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Click (2006)

In this one Adam Sandler is self-absorbed architect Michael Newman who is married to the sweet and supportive Donna played by the beautiful Kate Beckinsale, of the UNDERWORLD films. He has 2 beautiful kids, Ben and Samantha, who he doesn't get to see much because he's working lots of overtime in an attempt to be made a partner by David Hasselhoff, his ungrateful boss. One night, tired, frustrated, unable to even figure out which remote will turn on his TV, he sets out to find a "universal remote." In an embarrassing production of product placement that would make a NASCAR driver blush, he ends up at "Bed, Bath & Beyond," specifically the "Beyond" room. Here he finds the resident eccentric genius employed there, called Morty, chiefly because Sandler loves having Christopher Walken, who plays the part, say "Morty." Morty gives him an unique experimental device to get his life under "control." Michael is now able to turn on any & all appliances with the a single "click." He gradually learns of the device's other functions: It can "MUTE" the bark of the family dog, PAUSE everything and fast forward through an argument with the Mrs. he can adjust his HUE as well. Wanting to learn more he visits "the Beyond" and Morty again. Morty tells Michael that he got exactly what he asked for "a remote to control his universe." Morty further demonstrates more features, including one that lets him flip through his existence at varying speeds. Michael is soon corrupted absolutely by the sheer power of the control, literally losing control. Before long he can't stop the remote from selecting what and when he will fast-forward, causing him to miss events he wants to experience, eventually leading the obligatory " It's A WONDERFUL LIFE" epiphany when does realize all that he's missed and sometimes it is and sometimes isn't a wonderful life, but that's okay, he gets the message and all is forgiven.

The film is light formula-fare with heart, like some of Sandler's weaker films, there are laughs to be found. Sandler is okay as the nice-guy with a crude streak. Hasselhoff is fun as the jerk boss. Some of the gags get repetitive and some aren't that funny the first time. Also an over-large amount of time is spent creating the progressively older Michael Newman.

Click is directed for Sandler's Happy Madison production company by Frank Coraci of the Wedding Singer, Waterboy and most recently Around the World in 80 Days (the Jackie Chan). And Sandler again uses Henry "the Fonz" Winkler (previously in the Happy Madison universe as Coach Klien, and as himself in Little Nicky) and Julie Kavner (best known as the voice of Marge Simpson) to play his unappreciated folks. If nothing else, Sandler is a loyal guy.

If you do not know who Adam Sandler is yet, then let me say "Wake up!" This is by far his best film yet, to go along with "Big Daddy," "The Waterboy," "Anger Management," and "Happy Gilmore." Oh, I was laughing so hard when I saw this in the big house. Not only is Adam Sandler great, but so is Christopher Walkin, who plays the guy who gives Adam Sandler this remote. Alright, let me brief you about this Blockbuster flick.

A guy who is down on his luck go to "Bed, Bath, and Beyond." There he goes to the way beyond section of the store, where he meets the creator of the universal remote control (played by Christopher Walkin) that is a remote control not just for electronics, but for everyday life. With this remote, one could mute sound entirely, skip a part of life (such as, let's say you are in high school. Every time it was test time, the remote would skip it for you. How it skipped it, I am not saying). All in all, it is about one lucky dude who found a very powerful remote (he got it for FREE).

So, get this film. You will not be disappointed, that is if you like Adam Sandler or if you just plain like comedy for comedy's sake. Hope I helped get you to laugh, because I sure did, as did the entire auditorium of the movie theatre I was at that day. Oh, and if you like this movie, check out "RV" with Robin Williams. Have fun and be ready to laugh out loud!

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The closest Adam Sandler has come to a great film to this point in his career is "50 First Dates." As far as I was concerned get rid of Rob Schneider as Ula and cut the vomiting Walrus and you would have a five star movie. "Click" is in the same mold in that it combines Sandler's romantic side with a unusual situation and still insists on adding raunchy humor (I suppose there could be worse things than your dog trying to have sex with a giant stuffed duck, but let us not go there). Consequently, "Click" is not an improvement on "50 First Dates," but I do not think that it constitutes a step backwards, which would be welcomed news.

Sandler plays Michael Newman, who has married beyond his reach the gorgeous Donna (Kate Beckinsale), and has two young kids who love him, his son Ben (Joseph Castanon) and his daughter (Tatum McCann), despite the fact that he is so busy trying to make partner at the architecture firm where he works that he is ignoring his family more and more each day. Every time he makes a promise to his family, he feels forced bo break it to satisfy John Ammer (David Hasselhoff) at work. Things are getting so bad that Michael suddenly decides that what he needs ia a universal remote, just like the O'Doyle's next door, so that at least he can turn on his TV instead of the overhead fan. So he heads off into the night and since Bed, Bath and Beyond is the only store opens, goes in to find his universal remote. What he finds instead in the Beyond part of the store is Morty (Christopher Walken), who indeed has a universal remote, and not just your ordinary universal remote, as I assume everybody knows from the previews.

I must say up front that I am pretty sure I could listen to Christopher Walken say anything, up to an including the instructions for using a universal remote or any other form of technology and be thoroughly entertained. I would also add that Morty is absolutely right about Donna's body. Anyway, with his amazing universal remote Michael quickly learns that he can use it to control his world and click away his problems, from muting his dog, fast-forwarding through fights with his wife, and pausing his boss so that he can slap the guy silly (although I think close-captioning would have been funnier for the scene with the Japanese businessmen at the restaurant). Then Michael discovers the catch.

It is not, as the trailer would lead you to believe, that the remote breaks. But rather, as Morty explains, that it functions like Tivo in that it pays attention to what he is doing with the remote and automatically does it again. So if you decide to fast-forward through an illness or foreplay with your wife, then that becomes the way it will be for the rest of your life. This is a fairly interesting idea given the premise of the film, and the only real flaw in it is that once you establish Michael is on "auto pilot" during the chapters of his life that are skipped, then I do not see how he could be so successful at his business given that he has to use the remote to save the bacon with the Japanese firm. But that is just because I pay attention to the rules of the game and like to take them to their logical extensions.

Sandler has gathered familiar faces for this film, with Henry Winkler playing Michael's father, Sean Astin as Ben's swim coach, and even a nice cameo by Schneider, whose understate performance encouraged my hopes for this film. Perhaps the biggest surprise here is that the raunchy humor got me to laugh out loud several times, even if a grown man striking back at the Eddie Haskell-wannabee who lives next door would be wrong, very wrong indeed (but still funny). However, my wife would like me to state in no uncertain terms that what I was laughing at was clearly guy humor, and I am pretty sure she rolled her eyes and shook her head more often than she joined in on the laughing (it was hard to tell, the theater was dark and I was trying to watch the movie).

Ultimately, the problem with the movie is the end, when Michael gets his second chance. That is because the screenplay by Steve Koren and Mark O'Keefe (the team who did "Bruce Almighty") invests so much in the big epiphany and final grace note at the end of the third act that they apparently have nothing much to come up with for the epilogue where we are assured Michael and his family will live happily ever after. "50 First Dates" had a great final payoff scene, and you can go all the way back to "It's a Wonderful Life" to see how well you can milk the return from Hell to the real world. Granted, you will not top the end of the Hell sequence, but then you are not supposed to. Still, there has to be a better payoff for what comes between that point and the start of the credits. I am still rounding up on this one, but I should have been in a position to round down. Final Note: Nice touch with getting Dolores O'Riordan from the Cranberries to show up to sing "Linger" live at the wedding.

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What would you do if you could pause, rewind, fast-forward (basically all of the functions you can do with a DVD player) with your life? Would you rewind through prior events to relive the glory days? Or would you skip ahead to avoid waiting in traffic or enduring a fight, or would you pause or slow-down a moment to make it seemingly last forever. Wouldn't it be nice if we had such capabilities, just imagine what fun a person could have with that kind of power. In Sony Pictures hit comedy "Click" Adam Sandler gets to experience what would happen with that power first hand, and sometimes the outcome isn't exactly what he had in mind.

"Click" is the story of Michael Newman (Adam Sandler), a man without a lot of spare time on his hands. He has a hectic, very demanding job, a boss (David Hasselhoff) who is ungrateful for everything that he does, and a beautiful wife (Kate Beckinsale) and kids that deserve more attention than he is able to give. After feeling like life is going nowhere fast for himself, Michael visits a local store and meets a very odd man (Christopher Walken) who gives him what may be the greatest gift of all time, a universal remote. The difference between this universal remote and all others is that this one can not only control electronics, but everyday life as well. Soon, Michael is using the remote to skip arguments or boring conversations, speed up certain activities, even going back through his life to relieve the good times as a younger man. However, the remote begins to go haywire and Michael finds his life spinning out of his control, and the more he tries to fix things the worse they get. Now, he must try to regain what he's lost before it's too late.

"Click" is a movie that I wanted to see from the get-go. I thought it looked funny, it featured Adam Sandler, so I knew that was a safe bet, plus it had a great supporting cast, and what appeared to be a unique story that we all could relate to (meaning all of us that would like to have this type of control over certain aspects of life). When I finally got around to seeing the movie, I must say that it wasn't all that much like I expected. Sure, it was laugh out loud funny numerous times throughout the film, but there was seriousness to the story that was unexpected, yet a welcome addition at the same time. When the remote begins to mess with Michael's life, the movie shifts gears and becomes mostly a drama, revealing the consequences of rushing through life and how eventually it will just pass you by. It's not often that an Adam Sandler movie actually features a moral or message to the story, but this one did, and it didn't feel out of place at all.

I was really surprised that for an Adam Sandler comedy, it was actually very different from his standard fare, there were his typical off-color jokes and remarks, but his character also had a sincerity to him that was uncommon for him to play. Watching him mature over the course of the film was interesting, because it forced Sandler to play more of his dramatic side rather than his slapstick side that he relies on the most. I haven't seen Adam Sandler's more serious movies "Reign Over Me" and "Punch Drunk Love", so I wasn't too sure how all of the serious elements were going to end up playing out when I saw that was definitely where the story was heading, but he handled it remarkably well. The rest of the cast was a mixture of sweet and caring (Michael's wife and kids), to somewhat strange (Michael's parents), to downright kooky and possibly on the verge of insanity (Christopher Walken's character). Each actor/actress was equally entertaining, and delivered very fun, interesting characters that were always enjoyable when on the screen. My favorite supportive character had to have been Chris Walken's, and I was happy that the writers gave him more than just a cameo of screen time. I believe he literally stole every scene he was in, and he did it so effortlessly, which is how it should be done.

If you are a fan of Adam Sandler movies you should enjoy "Click", it does start out kind of slow, but after 10 minutes or so it really picks up, but there is some seriousness to it as well, so don't just expect to be laughing the entire time. But if you're not a fan of Sandler's films, and I know there are plenty of you out there, this is definitely one of his movies that I think you should see. It's a different type of Adam Sandler comedy, one with much more depth and originality than most of his efforts. Though not my favorite Adam Sandler movie, it definitely ranks up there around the top with "Big Daddy" and "The Longest Yard".

"Click" is rated PG-13 for language and sensuality.

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Click is an anomaly of sorts. It isn't quite a comedy, but it's got too many funny moments to be a drama. I guess it's a dramedy, which is important to know if you go into it expecting a lighthearted, fun, family movie. It is each of those things, but at different moments. Adam Sandler plays a workaholic architect who is so busy trying to get ahead at work that his family life begins to suffer. When he is offered a "universal remote that controls your universe," he jumps at the chance to have a sense of control in his chaotic life. The next thing he knows his life is a DVD complete with commentary from James Earl Jones that he can pause, rewind, and fast forward at his leisure.

The moral of the story is that you should be careful what you wish for because when you get it, you might not want it anymore. Overall, this movie was fine, but I didn't think it was stellar. It's along the same lines of Bruce Almighty and that movie about disappearing poop with Jack Black. If you liked those, or the general message therein, I think you'll like this one. I wasn't expecting the middle part of the movie to be such a downer, but if you go into it expecting the somber moments I think you'll enjoy it more.

Also, David Hasselhoff plays Sandler's boss, a completely self-absorbed misogynist. Seeing Mitch Buchanon on screen again makes this movie worth watching in and of itself.

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