Revenant

I just watched this movie on HBO. It's a definite must buy for those who love campy horror movies. I gave it 5 stars because it'll go down as a cult classic like The Return of the Living Dead, Shaun of the Dead [Blu-ray] and Zombieland [Blu-ray]. This movie is gory and really hilarious! I suggest it to anybody who loves funny horror movies. It's a brilliant film. I also recommend Army of Darkness, The Evil Dead, Evil Dead 2, and Bubba Ho-Tep if you haven't seen them.

"The Revenant" capitalizes on the current popularity of the zombie with a blend of horror and comedy. American soldier Bart Gregory (David Anders) is ambushed and killed while serving in Iraq. His body is shipped home and buried, but he soon rises from the grave and seeks the company of his best friend, Joey (Chris Wylde), a slacker with a ready wisecrack for every occasion. The two buddies conclude that Bart is now a "revenant," a combination vampire/zombie who's undead and has an insatiable thirst for blood. At first, they try to satisfy Bart's urges by stealing blood from a hospital, but when they stumble on a convenience store robbery and kill the assailant, another solution comes to mind. They'll roam Los Angeles' streets by night and do away with bad guys, thereby providing Bart with a steady supply of fresh blood and easing the city's crime epidemic in the process.

"The Revenant" borrows elements from "An American Werewolf in London," "Death Wish," "My Best Friend Is a Vampire," and "Once Bitten." It's a blending of plot points in both vampire and zombie lore. To satisfy horror purists, there is plenty of gore, and the writing is quite clever. The rapport between Anders and Gregory illustrates that it takes more than death to break up a solid friendship.

DVD bonus extras include a making-of featurette, director commentary, deleted scenes, and photo gallery.

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Miral (2010)

It is refreshing to visit the Israeli/Palestinian conflict form a vantage too seldom shared in cinema. Director Julian Schnabel once again proves that he understands human responses in the face of political conflict. Rula Jebreal has adapted her own novel which in turn is a biography of her involvement in the history of the Palestinian conflict. It is a touching recounting of the events that took place form 1947 to the present and it leaves the window open for much conversation.

The film opens with a party held by Bertha Spafford (Vanessa Redgrave) in 1947 when she asks her guest to forget the conflict outside for a celebration of Christmas: the party is attended by both her Jewish and Arabic friends, the centerpiece being the Christmas tree brought yearly by the Husseini family and then replanted to restore the earth. Hind Husseini (Hiam Abbass) is there and meets Eddie (Willem Dafoe), an American friend of Bertha. A year latter in 1948 there is an Arab-Israeli War, the Deir Yassin Massacre, and the establishment of the state of Israel. The wealthy Hind Husseini encounters 55 starving children, victims of the war, and take s them home to establish what will become the Dar Al-Tifel Institute, a school for Arab orphans that within months grew to a population of 2000. The film then jumps forward and we meet Nadia (Yasmine Al Massri), an abused alcoholic who is imprisoned and there meets devout Muslim Jamal (Alexander Siddig) who later becomes her husband: Nadia, unable to change her life, drowns herself when their child is only 7 years old. It is now 1978 and Jamal brings his daughter Miral (Yolanda El Karam) to the keeping of Hind, reassuring her that he will see her on weekends. Time passes to 1988 and the older Miral (Freida Pinto) is victim to the intifada (uprising), is sent to a refugee camp where she falls in love with the PLO leader Hani (Omar Metwally) and commits to the Palestinian movement to secure a land of peace called Palestine that will be free of the Israeli governance and jurisdiction. Hind encourages Miral to follow her heart and convictions: it is the development of change represented by Hind, Nada, and Miral that personalizes this compelling epic. Though the conflict between Palestine and Israel continues to this day, this film allows us to appreciate the Palestinian response to the loss of their land and home by a international ruling to create the state of Israel.

Cinematographer Eric Gautier mixes the hot sun washed Palestine footage of the real intifada and the result is mesmerizing. The real star of this film is Hiam Abbass who as the gradually aging Hind Husseini brings the story to life. The large cast is excellent with special kudos to Alexander Siddig, Omar Metwally, and Freida Pinto: the presence of Vanessa Redgrave and Willem Dafoe add credibility tot he proceedings but their roles are minimal. Julian Schnabel is to be congratulated for bringing to light the 'other side' of the Arab/Israeli conflict. He gives us excellent food for thought. Grady Harp, July 11

After critical success with "Basquiat," "Before Night Falls," and "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly"--I was a little surprised that Julian Schnabel's latest feature "Miral" flew as under the radar as it did. Based on the affecting memoir of journalist Rula Jebreal (who takes a screenplay credit as well), it tells the story of a Palestinian girl growing up amongst the eternal struggles between Palestine and Israel. It is an unorthodox and interesting viewpoint to see events of international consequence filtered through such an intimate perspective. Growing up under military occupation, having hatred and fear as a part of your every day existence--the potential for powerful self exploration and deep drama is inherent. But, in many ways, the film wants to tell several stories by introducing three fascinating female characters before Miral (Slumdog Millionaire's Freida Pinto) is even in the picture. That's fine, of course, but in the grand scheme of things--I'm not sure if those life stories (left largely unexplored) weren't inherently more interesting than the one settled on. In particular, I wanted to spend as much time as possible with Hind Husseini (Hiam Abbass)--a truly remarkable woman who dedicated her life to caring for orphans in the war-torn area.

The film's tag line "Is this the face of a terrorist?" also doesn't serve the movie well in setting up expectations. This is a coming-of-age story where a young women must come to terms with the economic, social and political climate of the area and time in which she was born. Sure, extremism and violent protest are a part of that world and Miral becomes entrenched in it--but this is hardly an examination of modern terrorism. It is a character study of how one adapts to such an environment when it is an inherent part of life. Miral's father leaves her with Husseini so that she may get the advantages and education that will help her avoid the pitfalls that doomed her mother. And the strongest elements within Miral's personal journey are her bonds with both her father and her adoptive mother figure. It is in personal moments shared between these characters that the film's quiet voice speaks much more powerfully.

Schnabel incorporates plenty of stock archival footage into the film to put the historical story in context. This is great and helpful, but you'll likely get more from the film if you have some knowledge of the political situation prior to viewing the movie. We haven't traditionally seen too many English language films that have viewed the conflict from the Palestinian perspective, so that may be off-putting or controversial to some. However, the story is more concerned with intimate human drama than in grand-standing. Fans of Vanessa Redgrave and Willem Dafoe should take note that they are barely in the movie (she has one scene, he two), so if that's of primary interest--you've been alerted. All in all, Miral is a good movie and surprisingly understated. But seriously, Hind is the most intriguingly complex character in the film--and her story seems so much bigger than the main narrative! KGHarris, 6/11.

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Judge Daryl Loomis, DVD Verdict-First and foremost, Miral is not propaganda, no matter what some reviews of the film would have you believe. I can show you propaganda, dark and evil material that is shockingly persuasive, but this is not that. Miral is more akin to Gillo Pontecorvo's incredible Battle of Algiers than it is to, say, any 1970s East German animation one might come across. Ultimately, I understand a pro-Palestinian film made by a Jewish director from an autobiographical book by Rula Jebreal, his Palestinian partner, is bound to drive opinions to already-established hard and fast views on the situation. If viewers can set those politics aside, however, they will be rewarded a gorgeous film of outward emotion and humanity, one that should be regarded as equal or greater to the rest of the catalog of director Julian Schnabel (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly), one that people owe themselves to watch.

Miral receives a lovely Blu-ray package from Anchor Bay. The 2.35:1 1080p image is impeccable, featuring perfect color balance and detail. The cinematography by Eric Gaultier (Into the Wild) is impeccable, and some shots are downright chill-inducing; the disc is a fantastic showcase for his talent. The landscapes and the interiors are brilliant in their clarity, detail, and color balance; this is a reference-quality image. The 5.1 DTS-HD audio isn't quite as strong, but it's well balanced and robust. Miral is presented in English, with the occasional snippets of Arabic and Hebrew, and all of it is nice and clear. Schnabel uses a heavy amount of popular music for the score, including two Tom Waits songs as end credit music; all of it very effective.

We also get a good slate of extras. Schnabel conducts an excellent audio commentary with producer Jon Kilik, filled with production information, background, and a few heartbreaking stories of people who appeared in the film. For example, one of his Palestinian actors, a theater owner in Gaza, was assassinated by a religious extremist for what he considered a too liberal production of Cinderella. That it occurred literally two weeks before Schnabel recorded the commentary makes the emotional nature of the story even more powerful. A slate of deleted scenes are all very good, most of which could have been included in the final cut. A short making-of featurette gives us time with Rula Jebreal, who explains some of the differences between the book and the movie, including scenes she deemed too painful to write, but Schnabel demanded be used in the film. A filmmaker question-and-answer session gives us more of the same, and a featurette called "Julian Schnabel Studio Tour" is unnecessary. All in all, an outstanding release for an outstanding film.

-Full review at dvdverdict.com

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Julian Schnabel is a genuine artist, a true risk-taker. He is a respected painter, a writer, and he even recorded an album. And, true to his genius, he is also a filmmaker, having directed unique, non-commercial, yet critical successes as "Basquiat" (1996), "Before Night Falls" (2000), and "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" (2007). His most recent film, the passionate and eye-opening "Miral," follows this special pattern, this time taking a sincere look at the lives of Palestinian women.

The film is based on a true story from a book by Rula Jebreal, and it begins at a party on Christmas day, 1947. It is there that we are introduced to Hind Husseini (the wonderful Hiam Abbass), who unbeknown to us, will be the most important character the glue, if you will -in the movie. This party, perhaps, will be the last happy one that its guests attended. Schnabel then proceeds to show archival footage of the establishment of a Jewish state in the land of Israel, which would later be referred to as the State of Israel. We are then taken to Jerusalem in 1948, and we find Hind walking on its streets, where she meets a group of homeless children that were displaced due to bombings. She feels sorry for them, takes them home, and eight months later she successfully creates a school for Palestinian children. The director moves forward to 1967, and, as a result of the Six Day War, this time Hind is now limited to the Palestinian sector of East Jerusalem.

After Schnabel introduces us to Hind, we begin meeting other Palestinian women that are victims of racial, political or sexual abuse. One of them is Miral (Freida Pinto), who is raised by her loving father. He tries his best to protect Miral against her surroundings, by sending her to Hind's school. However, it is difficult to escape reality in Palestine, especially in 1987, during the first Intifada, where Miral sees firsthand the treatment of the Palestinians by the Israelis. Miral, as you can imagine, will have to make some serious choices in order to survive a harsh life under occupation.

Although "Miral" is mostly about Miral's journey in life, it is also, as I indicated earlier, about the lives of Palestinian women under difficult circumstances, both internal and external from their homes. It is also about women, like Hind Husseini, who made a difference. But Schnabel also presents a subtle, smart portrait of a society subjugated by a powerful neighbor, and how they live day by day. A real gem that deserved a better audience. The Blu-ray includes deleted scenes, making-of documentary, filmmaker Q&A, commentaries by Schnabel and producer Jon Kilik. (France, Israel, Italy, India; 2010; color and B&W; 106 mins plus additional materials). Reviewed on July 7, 2011 by Eric Gonzalez exclusively for The Weinstein Company / Anchor Bay Entertainment.

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This is a true story, oh what a story this is. A story of perseverance , struggle and success. The story of a young woman who is an example of bravery, self confidence, beauty and reseliance. I would love for everybody to watch this film and read the book. It really is worth you time.

I Love Miral

xoxo

Miral: A Novel

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Diary of a Mad Black Woman: The Movie (2005)

I went to see this movie the first weekend that it came out, and I wasn't disappointed at all; I saw the original play, and wasn't greatly impressed with it, but seeing the movie, I enjoyed it very well. Kimberly Elise and Shemar Moore gave great performances; Of course, Tyler Perry playing three roles simultaneously was just as good and I applaud him; Cicely Tyson, of course, gave a gem of a performance helping her daughter become more stronger even though she herself has been wronged; I have heard the good and the bad about this movie; I have heard that Madea is just another stereotypical role model that we need to get away from; But let's be honest, how many of us can attest to a Madea in our family? or at least pieces of such a woman? This was one movie that sex and profanity wasn't splashed forward and yet, the critics bashed it; Yet, I found it a good movie, and can all of us who supported Mr Perry opening weekend be wrong? I don't think so; Look forward to the DVD.

I applaud the earlier reviewer, Ramsess Gray from Fayetteville, NC. Thank you for standing up to all the other so-called critics who trashed this movie. I thought this was an excellent movie from beginning to end. In his big-screen debut, Tyler Perry delivered big-time, no questions asked. Darren Grant, Mr. Perry, Kimberly Elise, Shemar Moore and the rest of the cast were second-to-none in my opinion. I loved each of the characters Mr. Perry played himself, especially gun-toting Grandma. She was funny & very entertaining throughout. As far as best picture and/or any awards are concerned, I think Mr. Perry should have as good a chance as anyone to win an award in some category(ies). Also, in my opinion, Kimberly Elise should win something for her role. And for that matter so should Darren Grant & Shemar Moore. But that's only my opinion. The movie was very entertaining and it had all the qualities you could ask for in a movie. It made you laugh. It made you cry. It made you happy. It made you sad & it made you proud, all in about 2 hours time. I'm sure this movie is not and will not be for everyone. We all have different tastes. All I can really say is "watch the movie for what it is", and that's entertainment at it's best.

Larry

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literally rolling in the aisles at time! i had no intention of renting or buying this dvd until my neighbors were raving about it, plus all these grest customer reviews here at amazon.com! finally i said ok, let's have a look. was i ever glad i did too!yhe cast is impeccable, the script hilarious, everything about this film worked out just fine! the film is a complete head trip from start to great finish! all the acting is superb, the dvd transfer is gorgeous, and the gospel score sounded magnificent as well! do treat yourself to this one as it will blow you away. happy 4th to all, and happier 'diary of a mad black woman' viewing pleasure to everyone out there! it really is one fine film.

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i saw the movie version first & so was pleasantly surprised to discover that the two versions were handled SO differently -so much so that they are BOTH worth seeing & (in my opinion) owning. there are some different characters in each & some of the situations are handled differently, but the overall story remains the same &, of course, madea is HYSTERICAL no matter where she goes! :D i also enjoyed the father character in the play version a lot better than the movie version's joe (joe was a little too real-life disgusting for me -i was having flashbacks to someone i know in real life! =:O) & i LOVED the strong-in-the-Lord singing mom, ESPECIALLY when she sings that song about rebuking the devil -you GO girl! i also enjoyed the fact that there seemed to be a little more Jesus in the play version -the movie version seemed to have more of that "sanitized" hollywood feel? i.e. cleansed of explicit references to God, Jesus & the Bible -which i don't blame mr. perry for & i praise God that he's getting his plays made into movies & reaching a wider audience with the Message \o/ -you GO dude!

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I saw the movie before I got this play. If you have seen the movie you need to see this as well. Other than the songs being too long, it was great. Please don't go in with the mind set of it being like the movie because it is not. Some of the characters are different. So of course the outcome is different. Daddy Charles was a good character choice addition to the play. You will laugh. This play if definitely funny.And it gives you something to think about.

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Heroes: The Complete Collection (2011)

When taken one season at a time, Heroes can be a little disconcerting, and maybe even a bit confusing. As someone who had never seen the first season, and then began watching the series, missing a few episodes here and there, I found it fascinating. Watching Season One gave a sense of order to the rest of the episodes. While there are an awful lot of characters introduced after Season One, and many who die shortly thereafter (or are they really dead?), the story line which weaves in so many directions at once is intriguing. Watching the seasons again, in sequence, is awesome and makes me wish for that movie which was supposed to "wrap things up". I don't think the critics have been fair in assessing this series; it seems like there are a lot of fans who'd like to have seen Heroes continue, and who enjoyed the mental challenge of the plot twists and turns, not to mention the twists and turns of the personalities of the characters. I highly recommend this set to anyone who enjoys science fiction watch it in sequence and to really get the subtleties, try to watch without letting too much time pass between episodes and seasons. It is a fun series to follow!

Normally I do not like science fiction books or shows, but Heroe's is believable and thought out well. This is at the top of creative writing. The actors are amazing and deserve thanks for letting the audience connect with them. There is very good down to earth humor too which was important to me. As far as equality between males and females, this show was top notch and did not degrade the males like so many show do these days, I felt the last two years where just as interesting as the first two, and I was sad to see it end because those writers are so proficient in there work they would have written more captivation storys', Maybe the show just wanted to end at the top, I will be watching where these stars work next!!! I HIGHLY Recommend purchasing of this series and must say I learned a lot from the extra'.

these dvds for the commentaries which are full of whit and explained to those of is who have no clue how filming works. Ny favorite part is listening to actors speak about how the real actors are vs, what we watch on the show, CONGTATULATIOMSto all who put this show together, My house burned down I needed some good escapr tv and this show lifted my spirits!

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I am a gigantic fan of HEROES, but the packaging! It's a paper-thin box surrounding the four season sets, along with a DVD case containing the Season 2 and 3 bonus discs. Sloppy, sloppy work.

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Loved the show when it first came on and when it ended. I miss this series alot. It had alot of potential for another season and they could've ended it at season 5. The blu ray disc set is very awesome looking and the picture on my new blu ray player is crisp and clear.

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Heroes: What can I say, I enjoyed the series but was disapponted that they were not continuing with the series. I would have liked to know what happened with the the Petrely family. I know that Nathan died, but was Syler able to continue as Nathan. Did Hero save the World, I know he saved the cheerleader. There are a lot of what if's in the story. I'm sorry to see it end.

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Barbarella (1968)

You want classic Sci Fi with visionary special effects and mind-bending themes? Check out STAR WARS or 2001! You want a zero gravity striptease, costumes that fall off at a moment's notice, and a space craft with wall to wall shag carpeting traveling through a lava lamp? BARBARELLA fits the bill! This is the widescreen DVD version with no edits. Although I have heard rumors of a more racy cut somewhere out there, this is not the PG rerelease from the 70s. See the movie Jane Fonda wants you to forget! Too bad because she's sexy, funny, and beautiful here. Groove to the soundtrack of Phil Spector rip-offs, watch in awe as she seduces ... well... everyone in the film (incuding a female tyrant with a horn!). But still, it's pretty tame and innocent fun. I watch this when I want to be in a good mood. It's silly, fluffy fun! A pink bunny if you will.

This film, along with other stunning classics such as "Beyond the Valley of the Dolls," are sure proof that the age of really, really bad yet good films is behind us. Set in the 41st Century, the hypersexual Barbarella goes in search of the evil renegade scientist Duran Duran and manages to stumble across what must be the grooviest planet this side of "Vegas in Space." In her quest to find Duran Duran ("Pardon me, but do you know Duran Duran?"), Barbarella manages to shag half the planet and pique the prurient interest of the evil, yet uber-sensual bisexual queen ("hello, my pretty, pretty"). After demolishing the amazing Orgasmatron and getting herself locked into the queen's funky chamber of dreams, Barbarella saves the day with a bubble of goodness and some help from her blind angel friend Pygor. The unbelievably bad acting in this film is very well counterbalanced by the fabulous Pucciesque fun fur sets and amazing special effects (i.e. Everytime Barbarella has an orgasm her hair instantaneously perms itself!) It's impossible, given our current climate of cynicism, to produce good quality camp like this today. All attempts to reproduce a movie this overwhelmingly bad would just have to fail. Yet, I cannot recommend this film highly enough run, do not walk, to see it.

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Roger Vadim's sexy sci-fi opus starring his then wife Jane Fonda as the outer space adventuress Barbarella opens with the now famous strip-tease scene over the opening credits. Fonda peels out of her space suit accompanied by the sexy sixties pop theme song. She is totally nude but discretely covered here and there by her arm or a letter from the credits. You can still see her breasts anyway. Based on a notorious French comic strip character, this futuristic saga is more of a fetishistic ode by Vadim to Fonda's kittenish sexuality. Through all of her sexual escapades throughout the film, he focuses (like he did with Bardot) on her beauty and body whether nude or clad in skimpy "futuristic" costumes. What stuns me is this got a "PG" on DVD. It's too raunchy for a "PG". Parents should be cautioned before letting their kids see this. Although, older boys will find it a turn on like their fathers did---but it's very campy and a lot of the humor will be lost on today's generation. Still, it's a nice time capsule for what the sixties had going on and Fonda is beautiful.

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I can remember standing in a long line to get in to see this movie back in 1968, the year it was originally released. I was 12 years old, and my dad had dropped off me and my best friend, thinking that we were going to watch another juvenille sci-fi extravaganza, for which I had developed an extreme fondness. It was the dead of winter and there was snow falling, but we perservered, having heard that we would have the opportunity to see Jane Fonda buck naked, and, above all else, we wanted to be the first in our school to lay claim to that dubious achievement. However, the lady in the ticket booth had other ideas. Although we were 12 years old, we looked no older than 9 or 10, which didn't matter anyway, since we needed to be 16 to get into the movie. So, we didn't see "Barbarella", or Jane Fonda's flaunted nudity, and my father had to immediately turn around and make an 18 mile drive back to pick us up in falling snow, with my mom lecturing him, loudly, all the way home about "parental responsibility" and "pornography". And so it was that, 40 years later, give or take, I decided to order "Barbarella" from Amazon and find out what the fuss was all about and why I couldn't get into see this movie back when it first came out.

Well, for starters, there is nudity, for sure, but it's often fleeting and almost demure. There are breasts, a glimpse of buttocks, and...wait...was that what it looked like? Hard to tell and, at this stage, even harder to care. Jane looks good in the title role and she's funny; "Barbarella" may have been the last time that she was allowed to demonstrate any comic ability in a film for almost a decade. Sure, she was sensational in "Klute", perfection in "Julia" and "Coming Home", but she was a lot more fun in "Barbarella".

There's not much plot worth writing about. Barbarella is a sort of agent for the planet Earth, who drifts through the universe correcting wrongs and fighting evildoers. She travels in an outrageous spaceship driven by a computer that talks to her (not unlike HAL in "2001"). The always watchable David Hemmings is on hand as handsome Dildano, with whom she engages in a literal hand-to-hand sex ritual; hirsute Ugo Tognazzi engages her the old-fashioned way, leaving her sated and singing. And John Phillip Law is both blind and blonde as the angel Pygar, who manages to offend the Black Queen (Anita Pallenberg) by rebuffing her sexual advances, proclaiming, "An angel doesn't make love, an angel is love."

It's all very silly and tastefully lewd, on a sophomoric, 60's-era, "Tonight Show" level (and don't get me wrong, I loved Johnny Carson and my dad was the "Tonight Show's" biggest fan). Despite the presence of some very big names of the time, it doesn't add up to much, and a certain degree of tedium creeps in after awhile. Still, the acting is tongue-in-cheek, the sets are wacky and colorful, and there is a sexy innocence about the whole enterprise that strikes me as being very much in context with the times; in that respect, though worlds apart, Antonioni's "Blow Up" has some of that same carefree attitude. Director Roger Vadim (Fonda's then-husband) seems to embrace the spirit of the '60's without ever imbuing his film with much substance.

The quality of this DVD seems variable, for some strange reason. There are scenes where the colors are beautiful and vibrant, and suddenly the scene is transformed into a muddy murk, before the vibrancy just as suddenly returns. It doesn't really interfere with the enjoyment of the film; "Barbarella" is much too slight to be affected by minor color distortions.

Was it worth waiting 40 years to see? For me, the answer is yes, but mainly as a curiosity piece more than anything. It's not great cinema by any means, but it holds a nostalgic place in my mind of a time that is so radically different from the world we're currently living in, as to seem almost inconceivable. "Barbarella" is my own proof that 1968 did, indeed, exist, that it wasn't a beautiful fable where people still had audacious dreams and the courage to pursue their beliefs.

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I remember vividly the first time I saw that film. It was in 1978 and I was only 10 years old. I was trying to find something to watch on television and then, saw the first scene at the beginning where a woman in a space suit strips, ending up completely nude. The scene begins as the space "bubble" on her head gradually lowers, revealing Barbarella's face for the first time. Breathtaking is not strong enough a word. In my opinion, she was the most beautiful creature I had ever seen up until that time and I was instantly hooked.

The combination of the music, which is also a very strong element here, in total harmony with the highly satirical tone not to mention those cheesy sets are all dead-on perfect. Everything was put there to create a world where a highly sensual creature like Barbarella could flourish. Jane really knocked all my senses in terms of feminine beauty in this movie. She looks like some living Barbie doll, with breathtaking features and a gorgeous mane of thick blond hair: the perfect sex kitten always eager and ready for sex.

This is a truly wonderful performance from a great actress. She deliberately plays the character as a "bimbo" while letting the audience in on the joke. Here is this very intelligent woman playing some "nymphet" in the most convincing way possible. She ends up sleeping with practically every man she encounters even though the sex is only suggested through some clever images. And all the while, she lets the audience knows in very subtle ways that she's acting in parody mode. That is probably the most interesting aspect of her performance. Even with simple lines like "Oh", "But that's monstrous!", "That's nice", she succeeds in delivering them completely "straight" with just the right amount of tackiness as if to say "don't take any of this seriously, just have a good time...". There are countless classic lines here and I can admit I know them all by heart.

Roger Vadim who also transformed another former wife "Brigitte Bardot" into a sensation in 1957 with "And God Created Woman", did the same trick some 10 years later with Jane. "Barbarella" is an erotic comedy disguised as a bad sci-fi movie. Everything in it is tacky: the clothes, the sets, the plot, the acting... But the big difference between this and a truly bad movie is that it is tacky "on purpose". Therefore, it becomes a camp movie which defined itself as such before any critic could do it. Roger knew exactly what he was doing and succeded on every front.

I must say it is in my top ten list of my favorite movies of all times. I have seen it at least 50 times over the years and for some reason, the movie easily bears the repeated viewings. Sure, the story might seem quite silly to some but that's beside the point. If you view this on the first level, you will probably find it all quite ridiculous and farfetched to the extreme. But if you look at it closer, you'll realize just how well-conceived it is. I won't tell you about the plot as I feel it has been covered already in previous reviews. The plain fact is that the story mainly serves the purpose of displaying Jane as Barbarella in all her youthful glorious beauty in one skimpy costume after another.

I can not recommend this movie enough. If you like camp movies, you will love this one. And even if you don't usually enjoy fanfares created for no other purpose than to entertain the hell out of us, you can at least bask in Jane Fonda's beauty here seen at the age of 29. Just for the chance to stare at that perfect face and body is worth the price alone.

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Green Lantern: First Flight (2009)

Green Lantern: First Flight is an awesome film. It doesn't waste a lot of time on the origin (which takes place in the first few minutes) and heads straight to the action. Some people might see this as detrimental, but I like how the DC animated projects a lot of the time will just assume that you know the basics of what is going on. It saves a lot of time and allows the movie to start getting to the point.

First off, I was surprised at how brutal some of the violence was for this cartoon. I know that these releases are not necessarily tailor-made for children, but this is no JLU episode. People are impaled, shot, torn through walls into the vacuum of space, and there is pretty much non-stop fighting through most of the 120 minutes. I don't have any problem with that, but it might not be to everyone's liking.

Plot-wise, it's not Shakespeare, but we are talking about an action cartoon here. There is a hero, a villain and lots of cool use of the Green Lantern rings. Those were the only prerequisites I was looking for going in to this thing, and I was not disappointed.

The voice cast did a great job as well. If there is one thing that DC always does right, it is casting their voices. Michael Madsen as Kilowog was my personal favorite. Too bad he didn't have more voice time.

This might possibly be my favorite DVD project of theirs, which is saying a lot considering the fantastic Wonder Woman, New Frontier, and Gotham Knight DVD films. I sincerely hope they continue putting out quality releases like this one.

In the Marvel universe Daredevil is the Man Without Fear. In DC Comics that label falls to Hal Jordan, who shows no fear and brandishes a will of friggin' iron. I'm not one to be on Hal Jordan's jock but I've been reading comic books long enough to know just how much this guy's been put thru the wringer. Not only did he have to put up with Oliver Queen in all those socially relevant stories, but years ago Hal Jordan went insane and turned to the dark side but having your city murdered under your nose might do that. Dude became a mega-supervillain called Parallax and wreaked incalculable devastation. Later, Jordan sacrificed himself and eventually took up the mantle of the Spectre, after which he came back from the dead (coming back from the dead being only marginally more challenging than chewing gum IF you're a comic book character). In DC's line of direct-to-video original animated movies, it's only natural that the spotlight first focused on the Big Three. But, after Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman, I can see why Green Lantern would receive the next animated feature film treatment. Hal Jordan, whether home on Earth or patrolling the perilous spaceways, happens to be one of DC's all-time big guns.

GREEN LANTERN: FIRST FLIGHT spits on the slow burn set-up and instead plonks you straight into the thick of things. Within the first four minutes of the film the dying extra-terrestrial Abin Sur crash lands and bestows his power ring onto dashing test pilot Hal Jordan, and Hal then becomes the Green Lantern of Sector 2814. There's barely time to acknowledge Carol Ferris and her Ferris Air company before the new Lantern is whisked away to a hellacious deep space adventure. Cue the non-stop action. Just one of the reasons I dig this movie.

Hal Jordan is transported to the center of the universe, to the planet Oa, home to those immortal blue midgets known as the Guardians of the Universe. The Guardians, creators of the Green Lantern Corps, don't think much of humans. Sinestro, the intrepid Green Lantern of Sector 1417, has to talk fast to convince them to allow him to take Jordan under his wing. So off Sinestro and Jordan go, on a mission to learn the identity of Abin Sur's killer.

But there's an even bigger situation brewing. For a while now the Lanterns had been on the lookout for any sign of the yellow element, the only thing powerful enough to counter the green element, which is the source of the Green Lantern Corps' power rings. I don't think I'm spoilering things when I say that Sinestro isn't as noble as advertised, that dude actually leans closer to finkhood than to heroism. Near immeasurable power has corrupted Sinestro, to the point where he now believes that the end justifies the means and has no qualms at all about torturing prisoners for information. He doesn't think much of the Guardians and disparages them every chance he gets. In his new world order, there is no room for these immortal blue midgets. Sinestro very easily lives up to his rep as Hal Jordan's archnemesis. As a bonus, for those who've been reading up on recent Green Lantern stuff, Sinestro eventually dons his black and yellow outfit from the Sinestro Corps. He looks darkly resplendent in a fashionably despotic kind of way.

I'm so used to Hal Jordan being the experienced pro that it's sort of refreshing to see him being the newbie on the block and getting that rookie treatment. You know you're lowest on the totem pole when even the squirrel Green Lantern disses you. Still, soon enough, Hal Jordan is doing his thing, kicking space alien booty, piercing thru conspiracies, and generally proving his doubters wrong. I don't know that Hal's use of his ring is all that inventive or imaginative, but, man, there is such decisiveness and flourish to the way he puts his ring thru its paces. Surprisingly, my favorite ring manifestation was that giant golf club, although, since I'm old-school, I'm kinda glad there's a sequence in which the classic gigantic green fists come into play.

The pace is poppin', the thrills keep on comin', but not so much with the character development. Hal Jordan is Hal Jordan, brash and resourceful and brimming with bravado, even as a fresh-faced rookie and even when his ring is stripped away from him. But Hal just rolls with the punches. Sinestro is the most interesting person here, although not too many'll be startled with his good-to-evil arc. Several old GL favorites make the cut: Boodikka, Arisia, Ch'p, Tomar Re, and one of my all-time favorite Lanterns, Kilowog. Gratifyingly, Kilowog is given a big role and even gets to mutter "Poozer!" a couple of times.

The film takes advantage of its PG-13 rating. I liked the violence, but then again I'm a fairly sick mo-fo. Others might raise an eyebrow to scenes of impalements, necks being snapped, and even of a ring's energy beam lethally punching thru a body. The animation is mostly solid, but is at times shaky, and there's that one bothersome sequence in which Sinestro's normally magenta complexion mysteriously shifts to a more human color.

But, never mind, the animators do the job in conveying on film that epic cinemascope vibe that comes with Green Lantern's intergalactic exploits. GREEN LANTERN: FIRST FLIGHT doesn't quite achieve Justice League The New Frontier (Two-Disc Special Edition)'s level of excellence, but it still places third on my list of favorite DC direct-to-video animated films so far (right after Wonder Woman 2009 (Two-Disc Special Edition + Digital Copy)). The yellow element battery, created by the creepy Weaponers of Qward, looks impressive and menacing, and Sinestro's supervillain street creds are established when he almost dismissively takes out gangfuls (Corpsfuls?) of Green Lanterns. Again, this is a PG-13 picture, so characters actually die in this one, and sometimes quite horribly. Nothing says "Oh crippitycrap" like a shower of defunct power rings ominously klunking on the floor at the Guardians' feet. But, just when things look bleakest, check out who reclaims his power ring (no, it's not G'nort).

The special features are... okay. Disc One has: the widescreen feature presentation; the very promising exclusive sneak peek (7:49 minutes long) at the next DC Universe animated film SUPERMAN/BATMAN: PUBLIC ENEMIES (based on Jeph Loeb's first story arc from the SUPERMAN/BATMAN comic book and starring the voices of Kevin Conroy, Tim Daly, & Clancy Brown); in-depth featurettes on three original DC animated films JUSTICE LEAGUE: THE NEW FRONTIER (10:43 minutes), WONDER WOMAN (10:25 minutes), and BATMAN: GOTHAM KNIGHT (10:08 minutes); and a behind-the-scenes look (8:50 minutes) at Blackest Night, the DC Comics mega-event which resurrects the dead and has them wielding corrupted black power rings.

Disc Two has: Behind the Story with Geoff Johns as he discusses Green Lantern's mythology; the pretty friggin' great DUCK DODGERS episode: "Green Loontern"; Green Lantern Corps Character Profiles on Sinestro and the Guardians of the Universe; and 2 bonus cartoons from JUSTICE LEAGUE UNLIMITED: the very, very awesome two-parter "The Once and Future Thing," in which Batman, Wonder Woman, and the John Stewart Green Lantern pursue Lord Chronos and end up first in the Old West and then 50 years into the future. Hal Jordan shows up for a nano-moment in the second part, which I guess is enough of a tie-in to include the two-parter on this DVD. Not that I'm complaining. Watching GREEN LANTERN: FIRST FLIGHT has got me all kinds of excited to see the live action film. Bring it, Ryan Reynolds!!

Buy Green Lantern: First Flight (2009) Now

Green Lantern First Flight: Two-Disc Special Edition

(Released July 28, 2009 by Warner Home Video)

Another Looong DVD Review by Joe Torcivia

With 1992's BATMAN THE ANIMATED SERIES, producer Bruce Timm began a roll of excellence in adapting DC Comics' characters and concepts to animation that continues unbroken to this day!

In GREEN LANTERN FIRST FLIGHT, Timm hits all the right notes, concepts, and character bits to create as perfect a Green Lantern film as could be imagined.

Everything is as it SHOULD BE. Test Pilot Hal Jordan is summoned to the crash site of the dying alien Abin Sur, receives Abin's Power Ring, and is transformed into Green Lantern! Little of the precious running time is spent on this well-known origin, and the transformation takes place between 3:45 and 4:10 of the film. THAT'S EFFICIENCY!

The balance of director Lauren Montgomery's film (again, as it SHOULD BE) is spent introducing the Green Lantern Corps, their masters the Guardians of the Universe... and the untidy matter of Sinestro. BIG kudos to writer Alan Burnett for working it all into little more than 70 minutes.

As a reader and fan of DC Comics since the Silver Age and all phases since, both good and bad I can say this film (Pardon) "RINGS" TRUE!

As is our custom in these reviews, we'll break it into CONS and PROS.

The CONS:

The Special Features: (For the "Two-Disc Special Edition")

There is NO COMMENTARY TRACK for Green Lantern First Flight.

There are "Promotional / Making Of" documentaries for OTHER DC Comics Animated Features Justice League: The New Frontier, Wonder Woman: The Amazon Princess, Batman: Gotham Knight, and a very welcome "first look" at the upcoming "Superman / Batman: Public Enemies".

...But there is NO "Making Of" or "Behind the Scenes" feature on Green Lantern First Flight! Couple this with the lack of a producers' commentary track, and there is little or no information on the film you've just purchased though plenty of it on Warner catalogue titles. In all, there are NINE separate Special Features, and not one of them is actually about Green Lantern First Flight!

Credit Where Credit is Due: Much of the documentary material focuses on the current writers of the Green Lantern comics, Geoff Johns and Peter Tomasi. And, so it should, as they have restored the Green Lantern mythos from a long run of mediocrity to renewed greatness.

BUT, there is virtually no mention of those who created said mythos in the first place!

Artist Neal Adams makes a cameo along the way, but there is not one word about editor Julius Schwartz, writer John Broome, and artist Gil Kane who conceived the whole shebang early in the Silver Age of Comics! The Corps and its specific members, the Guardians, the Central Power Battery, the Yellow Impurity, the Planet Oa, Hal Jordan, and Sinestro and The Oath.

ALL of it sprang from the minds, words, and pencils of these talented individuals but you'd never know it by the focus presented here. Even writer Denny O'Neil, who (along with Adams) revolutionized the Green Lantern concept at the end of the Silver Age, is among the unmentioned. DC Superhero projects from WHV have usually been good or at least adequate on historical perspective of the source material. But, not here!

The PROS:

The Film Itself: No more spoilers than I've already given, but... YES! Simply, YES!

The Cast: Christopher Meloni as Hal Jordan and (especially) Victor Garber as Sinestro make a great pair of lead cosmic adversaries. Michael Madsen, Tricia Helfer, and John Larroquette are nicely cast as supporting GLs Kilowog, Boodikka, and Tomar-Re.

And a very special treat for fans of sixties television! Among the actors voicing The Guardians are old stalwarts William Schallert and Malachi Throne!

The Characters: Hal Jordan, Carol Ferris, Abin Sur, Kilowog, Boodikka, Tomar-Re, Sinestro, and The Guardians of the Universe.

Green Lanterns in lesser roles: Ch'p, Arisia, Saalak, Arkis Chummuck, and the "Big Head GL". There are surely many more that escaped my enraptured notice.

Other villains include Kanjar-Ro (from 1961's JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA # 3) and the Weaponers of Qward.

No John Stewart, Guy Gardner, or Kyle Rayner, as this is the tale of Hal Jordan becoming Earth's first Green Lantern. They would all come later.

The Special Features: (For the "Two-Disc Special Edition") Two features on the current Green Lantern comics one overall and one specifically about the upcoming arc "Blackest Night". Though lacking in historical perspective (see the "Cons" section) they ARE very informative for those interested in being brought up to speed.

There are two "mini-features" one on Sinestro and one on the Guardians of the Universe. Neal Adams gets the "line-of-the-day" in the Sinestro piece: "We had TRIPLETS. Here's BOUNTIFUL, BEAUTIFUL, and SINESTRO... Who's gonna be the BAD GUY? Sinestro's gonna be the BAD GUY I don't know why..."

Bruce Timm picks a favorite JUSTICE LEAGUE UNLIMITED episode that is tangentially related to Green Lantern: "The Once and Future Thing" Parts One and Two. Bruce T. KNOWS how to pick `em! This tale of Batman, Wonder Woman, and John Stewart Green Lantern vs. a wonderfully browbeaten, disrespected, and resentfully angry version of time-mastering villain KRONOS takes them from the Old West (with Bat Lash, El Diablo, and Pow-Wow Smith) to the future of Batman Beyond! (Yes, Bruce Wayne gets to meets Old Bruce Wayne! Wouldn't you feel cheated if he didn't?)

And the Crowning Glory of the Special Features: "The Green Loontern" a 2003 episode of the DUCK DODGERS TV show, where Daffy / Dodgers' DRY CLEANING is accidentally mixed up with Hal Jordan's (Ring included!) and Daffy is summoned to assist the Green Lantern Corps with a Sinestro-spawned galactic crisis!

It took FOUR WRITERS to pull off this crossover masterpiece Spike Brandt, Tony Cervone, and old WB hands Tom Minton and the great Paul Dini and they wring every ounce of Daffy-esque humor and admiration for the Green Lantern concept from this script, as perfectly as could be!

If you thought the character list of Green Lantern First Flight was something, check out who they squeezed into this 22-minute marvel: Duck Dodgers, Eager Young Space Cadet, Dr. I.Q. Hi, Hal Jordan, Sinestro, Katma-Tui, Kilowog, Tomar-Re, John Stewart, Guy Gardner, G'nort, Arisia, "the Diamond Green Lantern", Saalak, Ch'p, Boodikka... and (in keeping with casting sixties icons to voice Guardians) John Stephenson at his most regal and officious as Ganthet!

Great Line:

DAFFY/DODGERS: Hey, you know... In person, you REALLY DO look like THE DEVIL!

SINESTRO: (resigned) Yes, I get that a lot!

DUCK DODGERS has yet to be released on DVD, making this a TRUE bonus! If ever a single Special Feature was worth the price of admission, this is it!

OVERALL: Green Lantern First Flight Two-Disc Special Edition is a rousing success in both the feature itself, and the extras. If you are a fan of DC Comics (Now or Silver Age), the Warner Bros. DC Comics Animated Series or are just looking for a great introduction to the Green Lantern concept -Green Lantern First Flight is highly recommended!

Read Best Reviews of Green Lantern: First Flight (2009) Here

From Warner Brothers animation who gave us "Wonder Woman", "Justice League Frontier" and `Gotham Knights", comes DC's next direct to DVD installment "Green Lantern: First Flight". Directed by Lauren Montgomery with script written by Alan Burnett, the movie is a 75 minute ride in the beginnings of Hal Jordan as a member of the Green Lantern corps and incorporates several references in the story arc from "Sinestro Corps"collected in Green Lantern and Green Lantern Corps comic monthly comic titles.

While testing out a flight simulator in Ferris aircraft, Hal Jordan (Christopher Meloni) suddenly disappears in a flash of emerald light. Taken to a remote area where an alien spacecraft had crash landed, Hal becomes the recipient of a ring of power, since its previous wielder, Abin Sur was mortally wounded. Hal was chosen by the ring because of certain qualities but before he becomes the ring's true user, he must prove his mettle to the Guardians. Sinestro (Victor Garber) takes Hal under his wing in the hunt for Appa Ali Apsa (William Schallert) who was responsible for Abin Sur's death and who has found the yellow source of power. While in the quest, Hal and the other Lanterns (made up of Kilowog (Michael Madsen) and Boodikka (Tricia Helfer) finally uncover Sinestro's secrets; he intends to destroy the central power battery that provides power to the rings of the corps members.

Think "Emerald Dawn" and "Sinestro Corps", then you may get a general idea as to what the movie is all about. The direction and screenplay keeps the story moving, with a lot of ring slinging scuffles while touching on the certain character attributes of Hal and Sinestro. I liked the part where Burnett displays the differences as to how Hal uses his ring as opposed to the other members' methods. Hal uses bats, guns, springs to get the job done; one may say that Hal is more creative with the ring's uses as opposed to other members merely generating force blasts and force fields. It was a good attempt at human qualities being brought into exposition when compared to the other alien members. Sadly I find this development very hard to buy into, as we don't see Hal being the recipient of the ring's workings--no definitions of will power and imagination are explored, I found it hard to believe that a rookie green lantern would be more adept with the ring. I guess the filmmakers are relying on fans of the comic series to fill in the gaps.

The movie also has several plot missteps. The Guardians are supposed to be one of the eldest and wisest races in this universe; also they are powerful telepaths--yet they didn't think of using their abilities to probe the dead mind of Appa. (I am thinking that the telepathy of the Guardians is more potent than Xavier's). It was just too convenient for Sinestro to know what to do to find the Weaponers of Qward. Also, I find it unbelievable that the Guardians only had one attack up their sleeve and then they yield to Sinestro. Sinestro, alone with one yellow ring could undo the entire corps? Sure his power battery was sentient, and the rings were vulnerable to yellow but really, these are the corps members who supposed protected the universe? They all felt a little too inexperienced to me and the rules of the green central power battery felt a little too underdeveloped.

Now for the ultimate question: Does "Green Lantern First Flight" display good ring-slinging action? Yes, it does. The encounters between Appa's gang of bug-aliens and Hal were very entertaining. The final fight between sinister Sinestro and Hal is reminiscent of their encounters in the comic series, with Hal utilizing the power of the green central power battery (ala "Emerald Dawn") to use against him. The fight was well-choreographed with a good exclamation point. It was a great touch to have Hal move two moons against the yellow central battery. The animation is fluid and nicely executed, the style of the art is similar to other Warner bros. animated features; the layouts are also very spiffy and cool.

"Green Lantern First Flight" is good, it has that child-friendly quality but mature enough (there is some blood and death) to entertain the adults. However, this "first flight" doesn't serve up enough character depth, Hal's psychological profile is a key element in its mythos. The movie is a little hollow, and most characters just disappear from the screenplay a little too quickly. I supposed it was Lauren Montgomery's intention to keep the pace moving to avoid too much dialogue, but in the end, the movie felt a little too short and felt a little rushed; it relied to heavily for fans to fill in the gaps. I sure wished that the other familiar faces of the GL universe played a more active part in the movie. Kilowog was underused; Ch'p the squirrel GL provided some humor, and familiar faces Arisa and Tomar also make appearances.

Despite its flaws, I found "Green Lantern First Flight" a decent entertaining entry in the DC universe. It does portray "green rookie" Hal Jordan as a hero right off the bat and the movie has loads of action to dish out. I like John Stewart, Alan Scott and Kyle Rayner...but Hal is still the best ring-slinger in my book.

Batman once said: "The most powerful weapon in the universe and all Hal could dream of is a boxing glove and a flashlight?" Let's hope for a sequel...

Recommended! [3 ½ Stars]

Want Green Lantern: First Flight (2009) Discount?

As a kid in the early '80s, I knew all the major DC characters, but I was only submerged in the worlds of Batman and Superman because of their wild popularity. Since then, the world of comic books and heroes have finally infiltrated the mainstream and it's become much easier to delve deeper into the mythos of your favorite character.

Being able to watch an entire animated film about The Green Lantern is unbelieveable, not to mention the fact that it's on BLU-RAY! The success of the DC animated films is directly attributed to their quality production. Every aspect of the film is nearly perfect including the voice acting, the lush animation, and the packaging.

As with all the DC animated films thus far, the acting talent is carefully chosen. Christopher Meloni IS the Green Lantern. Even though he's one of my favorites, it's going to be difficult to to adjust to Ryan Reynolds after hearing Meloni do such a fantastic job at capturing Hal Jordan's occasionally rebellious and saracastic tones. It was great to hear BSG's Tricia Helfer and That '70s Show Kurtwood Smith, among plenty of other stars. GL: First Flight also includes the voice talent of Michael Madsen (Kilowog), Olivia D'abo, and John Larroquette.

The film combines comic book action and mixes in a little sci-fi, which satisfied the Star Wars geek in me. If you enjoyed the animated films Superman Doomsday, and Wonder Woman, I guarantee you will love this just as much. And as I mentioned, I was only a casual fan of Green Lantern before watching this film, but all it takes is one viewing and you'll consider yourself a fan. This is the best way to indoctrinate yourself into the Green Lantern universe. You'll witness the origin of Sinestro and how the Lantern and power rings function, which I was always a bit fuzzy about.

It's easy to wonder why some of the other DC characters haven't been exploited like this, but I'm sure it's only a matter of time. Green Lantern First Flight will get you primed for the upcoming live action film, so I highly recommend making it part of your collection.

Allow me to use my ring to create a big green thumbs up to DCU and WB!

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Le Beau Serge (The Criterion Collection) (1958)

I feel that "Le Beau Serge" is a very sweet and well thought out film. It tells a story of a young student (Francois Bayon) who returns to his countryside hometown to recuperate. Upon arrival, he runs into a drunkard whom he recognizes to be his childhood friend (Serge). Francois' friend Michel tells him how Serge is on the verge of self-destruction after failing to get his architectural degree. Later, both friends are reunited and have an opportunity to catch up on old times. Francois observes Serge's inconsistent and erratic behavior and tries to help him mend his way. Along the way, Francois meets Serge's wife (Yvonne) and her sister (Marie). Francois has a brief affair with Marie before finding out she is raped by her "father". One night during the village dance, their affair ended with everyone humiliating and ridiculing Francois. Serge, angry with Francois for coming to his life while he's at his lowest point begins to despise beat him up in public. After the incident, Francois realizes that the people in the old village he used to remember are no longer the same. His conversation with the village priests destroyed all the innocent illusions he initially had. While the priest advises him to leave the village, Francois vows to stay on to help Serge and his family mend their lives.

I believe "Le Beau Serge" was Chabrol's first feature film. He later went on to make another feature "Les Cousins" which might be intended to complement "Le Beau Serge". Chabrol engaged actors Jean-Claude Brialy and Gerald Blain for both films with their roles and situations reversed. I first saw "Les Cousins" before "Le Beau Serge". Jean-Claude Brialy, being a brilliant actor that he was, gave out a stellar performance in both films. He's so good that I could not identify him as Jean-Claude Brialy anymore. Instead, I was so taken in by his acting ability that he became a sly, cunning snake whom I hated so much (Paul) in "Les Cousins" or a gentle, sensitive and wonderful young man whom I fell in love with (Francois) in "Le Beau Serge".

You have to watch both films to appreciate a surreal, mocking quality and ironic effects that Chabrol wanted to create. I love both films very much. Chabrol has an amazing eyes for details (scenes, storyline) as well as depth for the films' dialogues, story lines and plots. If I have a choice, I think the title of this film should be changed to "Le Beau Francois" instead :P Once again "Le Beau Serge" is a beautiful film that deserves many stars.

When discussion is brought up among cinema peers of nouvelle vague (The French New Wave), its easy to think of names such as Francois Truffau, Jean-Luc Goard, Eric Rohmer, Jacques Rivette. Individuals, colleagues and contemporaries who each worked for Cahiers du cinema before they became filmmakers.

But there is one man that was a colleague who may have not received the prestige as his contemporaries but is respected for his contribution towards cinema with his thrillers but also years of cinema as part of his oeuvre. The man I am talking about is Claude Chabrol.

While debated of which film kicked off the French New Wave, many regard Chabrol's 1958 film "Le Beau Serge" (Handsome Serge) as the film that began the Nouvelle Vague. Feature films created by contemporaries of Cahiers du Cinema that went on to become filmmakers.

In fact, Francois Truffaut had given Chabrol the biggest compliment in 1958 for his directorial debut on "Le Beau Serge" saying, "Technically the film is as masterful as if Chabrol had been directing for ten years, though this is his first contact with the camera. Here is an unusual and courageous film that will raise the level of French cinema".

If there is one thing that can be said about Chabrol, although his name is not as well known as Truffaut or Godard in America, and while "Le Beau Serge" is a long awaited release for a Chabrol film from the Criterion Collection, he still remains the most prolific filmmaker among his contemporaries who nearly has released a film every year since 1958 starting with "Le Beau Serge" and ending in 2009 with "Bellamy", a year before Chabrol passed away.

For cinema fans, many have been wanting the Criterion Collection release of a Claude Chabrol film on DVD for a very long time but finally, the Criterion Collection will be releasing two Chabrol films, "Le Beau Serge" (1958) and "Les Cousins (1959) on Blu-ray and DVD in Sept. 2011.

"Le Beau Serge" is written and directed by Claude Chabrol and would star Jean-Claude Brialy ("A Woman is a Woman", "The Phantom of Liberty", "Elevator to the Gallows") and Gerard Blain ("Hatari", "Les Cousins", "Le Mistons"). The film would also feature the beautiful cinematography of Henri Decae ("The 400 Blows", "Le Samourai", "Elevator to the Gallows") and long-time Chabrol editor Jacques Gaillard.

VIDEO:

"Le Beau Serge" is presented in black and white (1:33:1 aspect ratio) and immediately upon watching this film, you start to realize how beautiful this film looks, from the symmetry of objects to the chose angles and shots of the characters as they walk towards the camera, away from the camera or trying to incorporate the city into the film.

And as Henri Decae had shown in the 1956 film "Bob le Flambeur", his cinematic style can be seen the following year through "Le Beau Serge", "Elevator to the Gallows" and "The Lovers". Beautiful cinematography and following the direction of Claude Chabrol who wanted to capture the look and feel of the city of Sardent in his film.

The film is over 50-years-old and on Blu-ray, the Criterion Collection did a wonderful job in making the film look absolutely beautiful. Black levels are nice and deep, contrast and showcasing the whites and blacks are beautiful and for the most part, "Le Beau Serge" doesn't have any artifacts, edge enhancement nor did I detect anything negative in terms of overall picture quality. The film looks fantastic on Blu-ray!

According to the Criterion Collection, the new digital transfer was created in 2K resolution on an ARRISCAN film scanner from the original camera negative. Thousands of instances of dirt, debris, scratches, splices, warps, jitter and flicker were manually removed using Revival Flame, and Smoke, while Digital Vision's DVNR system was used for small, grain and noise reduction.

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

"Le Beau Serge" is presented in monaural French with English subtitles. Dialogue is clear, subtitles were easy to read and for the most part, the vocals were cleared and detected no hiss or crackle during my viewing of the film. If anything, I really enjoyed how Emile Delpierre incorporated music to this film, especially the quick music cuts whenever Serge or Glomaud are shown on screen.

According to the Criterion Collection, the original monaural soundtrack was remastered at 24-bit from a 35 mm optical track print. Clicks, thumps, hiss and hum were manually removed using Pro Tools HD. Crackle was attenuated using Audio Cube's integrated workstation.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

"Le Beau Serge The Criterion Collection #580' on Blu-ray comes with the following special features:

Audio Commentary Featuring a wonderful and in-depth commentary on Chabrol's career and his work on "Le Beau Serge" by Guy Austin, author of "Claude Chabrol".

Claude Chabrol: Mon premier film (51:36) A 2003 documentary by Francis Girod on the making of "Le Beau Serge" featuring interviews with Chabrol and Jean-Claude Brialy.

"L'invite du dimanche" (10:00) Segment from a 1969 episode of the French TV series in which Claude Chabrol revisits the town of Sardent, where "Le Beau Serge" was filmed and the village where he grew up in.

Original theatrical trailer (2:54) The original theatrical trailer for "Le Beau Serge".

EXTRAS:

"Le Beau Serge The Criterion Collection #580' comes with an 16-page booklet, which includes the following essay "Homecomings" by Terrence Rafferty.

JUDGMENT CALL:

Hauntingly beautiful. These are the two words that I describe Claude Chabrol's debut film "Le Beau Serge".

An incredible feat. for the Cahiers du Cinema critic who produced, wrote and directed the film and I don't know if I can categorize the film as a psychological drama.

The late Francois Truffaut described the film as a chess game and perhaps if you see the film in that perspective, it does make sense. You have Francois (Brialy) who once lived in a small village now from a big city who comes back into town. Francois is actually a nice man, non-intrusive nor does he flaunt to anyone that he is better than them because he lives in the city.

But for the villagers, it's a preconceived notion that because he was able to move away from the village, he thinks he is better than they are.

I put myself in the shoes of Francois, also coming from a small town and having lived in the city and I know there are moments when I was younger in which I have flaunted to friends in town about the fact that the city is fun for its close proximity to shopping, beaches and as a young man, there were a lot of women. But looking back at it now, it was so trivial, so much of commodity fetishism in boosting one's ego of the have's to the have nots.

But I look at the situation that is presented in "Le Beau Serge", he doesn't flaunt but his presence in the village, wearing his nice clothing in front of those who are barely surviving and not so happy with life but have accepted their life in the village as final.

This is where I identify with Francois because when you go back, you want to help your friends, especially those you feel have so much potential to be something bigger. In the case of Serge, he is a man that had so many dreams, wanted to leave the village like Francois but got a young woman pregnant and found himself married and stuck in the village he desperately wanted to leave. He has kept this burden of having his first child dead at birth but knowing that the right thing to do is stick by your wife and living life to provide for one's family but in his case, drowning all the sorrows away through drinking heavily.

I've known to many people like Serge in my life who live their life as is...miserable and unhappy inside but are traditional. While Francois had left the city and his big advice to Serge, "to leave his wife". It may seem quite harsh but it is logical that if a man is unhappy with his marriage, you leave.

But with Serge, he knows with a baby along the way...he can't leave.

But it's the return of Francois that enhances Serge's negative and jealous emotions. You would think that there would be an ebullient sense of emotion but with each meeting between both Francois and Serge, you feel this ominous feeling that things are not right.

We see a scene with Serge wanting to tell Francoise of why he became a drunk. Why he lives this lifestyle. Why he is so miserable but if Francois only solution is for Serge to leave his pregnant wife, it's unacceptable.

And for Francois, he had forgotten how things were in his village and many who see potential within him want him to leave because he is better off than being back at home where many men do not aspire to be bigger, they just live life as is, even if its a life of effete, a lack of vitality that one can not escape. Life is what it is...you just live it, repeat it.

And of course, Francois seeing this...he wants to make a difference. But can he?

"Le Beau Serge" is a magnificent feat. for Claude Chabrol as his debut film. While his future in cinema may not have been as lucrative nor historic in comparison to his other contemporaries, the fact is Chabrol is a filmmaker who did things his way, his style and he continued to create films in 1958 with "Le Beau Serge" through 2009, a year before he died.

"Le Beau Serge" is a film that is mature but perhaps is also a film that brings Claude Chabrol back to his village of Sardent and is in someway a self-discovery of his present life and his past. The film is not autobiographical but it's a film that Chabrol was proactive in making sure the village of Sardent, what he saw in terms of life was captured onscreen. And of course, the cinematography is quite beautiful and it helps to have one of the best cinematographer's in French cinema at the time, Henri Decaë.

The film also has elements of Chabrol's life as he also wanted to become a priest at one time and help people. The film was raw in the way that Chabrol created a film with a small cast and worked in familiar territory, his hometown with a potential of many extras alongside him.

But through its visual beauty and its complex characters but accessible storyline, "Le Beau Serge" is a film that started the Nouvelle Vague era of film critics of Cahiers du Cinema taking up the mantle of becoming filmmakers. He inspired his contemporaries because he was able to go through his own filmmaking route and create this film with his own personal vision without having to follow any big studio or producer. It was his film, no ifs, ands or buts.

Surprisingly, "Le Beau Serge" while adored by film critics, it was delayed to the point that when it was released in theaters, his second film "Les Cousins" would be released a month later and it was his second film that would actually become the commercial hit.

While "Le Beau Serge" doesn't break any new ground, nor is it remembered as a non-traditional film when compared to Truffaut's "The 400 Blows" and Godard's "Breathless", in 1958, it's the fact that he was a man who had creative freedom to do what he wanted and capture the raw feel of his village onscreen with beautiful lighting and awesome performances by Brialy and Blain that make "Le Beau Serge" worth watching.

Once again, I applaud the Criterion Collection for bringing Claude Chabrol films to their collection but also giving both "Le Beau Serge" and "Les cousins" the Blu-ray treatment. The Blu-ray release looks fantastic and the addition of the documentary of Chabrol returning back to Sardent and watching these classic interviews is priceless!

Overall, if you are a Chabrol fan, a cinema fan or brand new to cinema and want important films in your cinema collection, then "Le Beau Serge", the first film of the French New Wave is definitely recommended!

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Credited as the first feature of the French New Wave, Claude Chabrol's first film as writer/director has little of the controlled tension that defines his best work. This study of a village which witnesses the return of Francois, who left 12 years ago to seek a future in Paris, has Chabrol's customary exploration of the class divisions in French society, with the prodigal son the bourgeoisie, and the villagers the pagan primal proletariat. Francois is determined to "help" his friend Serge and the lifestyle Francois clearly disapproves of. However the idea that these people need help is a sign of superiority and impertinent presumption, signified by Serge's wife's claim that Serge wasn't disatisfied with his life until Francois returned and pointed out that he should be. Chabrol makes Serge's wife pregnant, with her first child born mongoloid and dead, so that the condition of the unborn child symbolises the future, at least as seen through Francois. Chabrol's dialogue has occasional lapses into exposition which betray him as a novice storyteller and odd bursts of melodramatic music, and the only New Wave touch is the use of a torch to light one scene, where it points straight into the camera. Chabrol presents the bleakness of the village with Serge walking drunkenly through the cemetary, a lone dog walking the streets, and a gang of school children travelling to and from their school. His scenes of violence have an immediacy compared to the exchanges between Francois and Serge. and a romance between Francois and Serge's half-sister, and Chabrol provides memorable images an overlap of Francois' face and falling snow, an ominous slow closing of a door, a long closeup of a woman crying, and cutting from Serge's wife in labour to Francois falling and Serge being dragged along the ground. There is also an interesting dance sequence, which shows the villagers in a more sophisticated environment, and also featuring two women dancing together for one to interpret as you may.

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Having seen several films by Claude Chabrol (-IE"Les Biches", "Le Boucher", "La Rupture", "La Cérémonie", "Merci Pour Le Chocolat") before having viewed this one -"Le Beau Serge" seems like the work of another filmmaker. Technically this was the first film of the French New Wave. As such, it features (1) some very good black and white cinematography (the snowy scenes towards the end of the picture are especially beautiful); (2) crude and quirky provincial characters that are well delineated; and (3) an excellent score by Émile Delpierre; Chabrol cleverly and effectively used the orchestrations of this score to highlight dramatic moments and character appearances via musical punctuation. Yet in spite of everything I like about this picture -Its style is not yet Chabrol to me. Although there is an innocence about this film that is refreshing -Especially in contrast to the sinister direction Chabrol would take to create his unique murder-mystery-thriller-type genre (albeit always tinged with humour).

Secondly -This picture seems like a companion piece / bookend to Chabrol's second feature, "Les Cousins", in which Gérard Blain and Jean-Claude Brialy are once again cast as the leads. However -"Les Cousins" exhibits a big leap forward in Chabrol's style -It offers up some verve in terms of its sophistication and polish. It is obvious that Chabrol learned a lot from "Le Beau Serge" and applied that knowledge to "Les Cousins". In closing: Besides the leads in "Le Beau Serge"-Brialy (François Bayon) and Blain (Serge), both of whom are well-cast and outstanding in their roles -There are other excellent performances in this film; notably Bernadette Lafont as Marie, the coquettish, seductive "stepdaughter" of Glomaud; and Edmond Beauchamp, a genuine character actor, who plays the "stepfather" Glomaud with serio-comic aplomb.

Stephen C. Bird, author of "Catastrophically Consequential"

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Monsieur Chabrol's first feature film is entirely impressive.

His early directorial genius is lucky enough to have utilized the dazzling, acting abilities of the handsome Blain and Brialy in their primes. In an interview, the actor Brialy comments that in this story the relationship of the two friends is ambiguous-and I quite agree. There's more than just plain, innocent friendship between the two. I see a double meaning in their interactions, sensing some homosexual undertone. Maybe there has been no actual physical intimacies

but solely emotional or pyschological. I have seen a few Chabrols and admire this director's capacity to challenge me such as the magnificent movie--Le Beau Serge--which I recommend to everyone who truly loves cinema.

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Black Hawk Down (2002)

I have to say that they nailed this movie pretty good.

Basically all it does is tell the story of what happened in Mogadishu on October 3, 1993. They didn't focus on character detail that much which to me is a good thing. There are just too many people involved to go into detail with them all. Going into too much detail on certain characters and not others would take away what some did and would lessen their sacrifice. So, they stuck to just the story. Good move.

They compressed the story some, changed a few names, and merged some characters into one character This was done to get the story down to a movie time frame and to protect certain characters identities as they are still serving.

No movie based on a book is as detailed as the book. Don't expect it to be. You should read the book as well.

Some critics have said that it is way too violent of a film. Did they know they were going to see a movie about combat? Hello!!?!! It's about time that film makers have started making movies to show the American public what really happens in combat. Combat is not one guy running around killing people by the hundreds with a head band on. They made it a real as you could get it on the screen. Saving Private Ryan started it off and now Black Hawk Down. To Jerry Bruckheimer and Ridley Scott, Bravo! Well Done!

It's very accurate as far as weapons, equipment, uniforms, etc. They used the exact helicopters that were used in the original mission in 1993 with the 160th SOAR.

The whole movie I was searching for inaccuracies. Want to know what I came up with? They had their names written in marker on their Kevlar helmets (this was done so the audience could quickly tell who's who) we wrote our names on the helmet band. The chin straps on the Kevlar helmets were not taped up (As soon as I got to Ranger Battalion we had to taped up and tie down certain pieces of equipment and this was one of them), they wore dog tag silencers (in Ranger Battalion I was told to get them off and tape em up with 100 MPH tape as soon as I got there), and sometimes they said each others names on the radios instead of call signs (once again this was done for the audience). So as you can see I was really reaching there.

Certain shots were just incredible for me. For example, there was a point of view shot from the side of a MH-6 Little Bird (we used to ride out on the sides of those things all the time). The camera was positioned as to be a person sitting on the left side of the chopper looking to the front. In front of the chopper is another Little Bird fully loaded with guys. The sequence is them going in for a landing on the street. Just watching it reminded me of all those times I rode on those [...things].

Maybe someday people will start to understanding what people in combat arms go through.

A Co, 2nd Ranger Battalion

U.S. Army (1991-1995)

This is a phenominal film. I'm sad to say that I was fairly oblivious to the conflict in Somalia... I was working 3rd shift and sleeping during the day in 1993 when this incedent took place. This film could not have been more timely in its release... when long dormant patriotism has been brought to the forefront of every American's thoughts.

Now that we've been attacked on our own soil, conflicts overseas seem that much more real to us.

In 1993, the Islamic leader and warlord of Somalia, Muhammad Farrah Aidid, led with fear and tyranny. His henchmen were equipped with what appeared to be limitless weapons -large machine guns, shoulder rockets, pistols, and many automatic and semi-automatic weapons. They enlist even the youngest and most innocent of their populace to help them spy and keep in constant contact via cell phone. Aidid stopped international aid from reaching his own people, killing 300,000 by starvation and the onslaught of civil war.

Washington sent in their military forces to remove Aidid from power and to prevent the Somali people from having to endure more suffering under Aidid's iron grasp. Sadly, Washington didn't want to "look too dramatic" and denied military requests for C130 gun ships and other heavy artillery that certainly would have made a big difference on the outcome of this event.

Army Rangers, pilots, medics, the famous Delta Force, the pride of America was there, fighting for the freedom of a people they did not know.

This film is the realistic portrayal of the events that led to the deaths of 19 U.S. servicemen... but it's not just a shoot 'em up movie. You feel like you're there, with them. What should have been a mission that was to last only 30 minutes, lasted longer than anyone imagined when a single Somali soldier downs a Black Hawk rotor with a shoulder-launched rocket... and the Ranger motto, "no one gets left behind," is tested to the limits.

There are some humorous moments to break the tension, but the majority of the film is a stressful experience where you are literally at the edge of your seat to see what happens next.

The 19 servicemen that are killed range the gamut from 18 year old enlistees to First Sergeants with years of service... and none of them dies in a pretty way. If you are made queasy by blood, beware... this is a bloody film... and there are a number of scenes that will make you gasp in horror. Some of these guys were hit by rockets... burned and blown apart... it's just awful, but sadly... it's reality. We usually just hear some sterile figures on CNN how a particular number of soldiers were shot, stepped on land mines, etc... but we don't see what really happened and that's when we become very detached from reality and end up sympathizing with the people (often our enemies) we see in easier-to-stomach scenes of children living in squalor as a result of conflict, maligning Americans against their own military. Please note the rating of this film and consider it thoughtfully before considering bringing a child. The gore is horrific and the scenes are really too intense for young ones.

For those who like shoot-em-ups and explosions, you won't be disappointed. The special effects are fantastic... there are a few scenes in the movie in which you feel like ducking as it appears a missile is ready to whiz right over your shoulder. The sound is fantastic... you can hear and feel the bullets whizzing by and you can hear the klinking of shells falling at your feet. The foley artists on this film are to be commended.

Hans Zimmer delivers a wonderful and complimentary score to the movie... along with the sounds of African children singing and some rock-n-roll to boot... it's a nice soundtrack.

Ridley Scott reminds us once again his flair for delivering crisp, vivid scenes that are riveting, exciting and moving all at the same time.

Watching this film is an emotional and intense experience that will leave you tired when it's over... but images from the screen will replay in your head several times. These soldiers trained hard to become Rangers and to be part of the Delta Force... these are young men that know what dangers await them and they go in with their eyes wide open... and they are prepared to defend their buddies with their lives. In many ways, this film is a monument to their strength, their courage and their loyalty. Those 19 men should not be forgotten. This film is also a testament to the necessity of properly arming and equipping our soldiers so that they have the best protection needed when engaged in conflict and worrying less about appearances and more about protecting American lives, both military and civilian.

I highly recommend this film.

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Most reviews focus on the political and humanitarian background of the movie. This background is helpful, but the movie stands well on its own, even if you don't know anything about the actual events it is strictly based on.

The movie is of course based on the book of the same name, by Mark Bowden. A lot of credit should be given to Bowden; it was his tireless research that brought together a lot of scattered documents and first-hand recollections into one coherent historical piece. Before he wrote the book, there existed no single, overarching look at the battle.

I was impressed with the technical side of the movie. Battle scenes were depicted very realistically, and I couldn't find any niggling technical inaccuracies, like incorrect weapons or tactics. Most civilian viewers wouldn't notice anyway, but hats off to Scott for going the extra mile and getting good military advisors.

I was even more impressed that the movie followed the book so closely, and therefore what really happened. I don't think I've ever watched a movie that was almost an exact reproduction of the book its based on. Even so, there are a couple of historical glitches, and no real reason why they are there. When the first Blackhawk crashed (in real life)it did so in a very narrow road, knocking down a stone wall. In the movie it is in a traffic circle. In real life, the Minibird pilots showed exceptional skill landing in the narrow road to drop off medics. It's kind of an insult in the movie, when they simply landed in the great wide open. Beyond a few of these glitches, it tracks very closely. Watching the movie is like seeing the book fleshed out in full color. It gives you a taste of what grueling conditions the raiders faced.

One last thing...all U.S. participants save 2 or 3 medics were in fact Army soldiers, not "from different branches of the armed forces." Nor was this based on a "novel". It recounts, as accurately as a movie can, a real life nasty firefight and the superior efforts of U.S. Rangers, Special Forces, and Army Aviation pilots (and a few brave PJs) against what turned out to be crushing odds. So long as America produces selfless, dedicated, and highly trained soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines we have little to fear.

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The movie is an excellent account of the vicious battle in Mogadishu. What makes this edition a "must-have" are the inclusions of "The History Channel Presents: The True Story of Black Hawk Down" and "PBS Presents: Frontline: Ambush in Mogadishu." The movie and the two documentaries paint a well-rounded picture of the battle and political consequences that followed, culminating in President Clinton's decision to withdraw from Somalia instead of confronting Adid, the man responsible for the ambush.

If you liked the movie, want to know more about the events but missed the documentaries, this 3-disc release is for you.

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It happened in 1993, just a few short years ago. The United States sent troops to Somalia on a humanitarian mission because the people were starving. But something went wrong. There was bloodshed. American troops were killed. What happened? What went wrong? It was all very confusing.

This film, based on the book by journalist Mark Bowden is an account of the operation in which American soldiers were sent to the heart of the city of Mogadishu to capture two top officials of the ruling renegade warlord who were preventing fair food distribution. It was supposed to take a mere half hour. Instead it turned into a nightmare as one of their special helicopters, referred to as a "Black Hawk" was shot down.

Within minutes the audience is plunged into that nightmare and the tension keeps up for almost the entire film. Director Ridley Scott does a masterful job; I felt I was right there with the men, dodging bullets and caring for the wounded as a hostile mob of fully armed Somalians kept attacking. There were no name stars among the actors and, with one exception, they were all white young men in uniforms, and so it was easy to get them confused, especially since there was little, if any, back story. It was the battle itself that was the star of this film. The violence was strong and unrelenting, and there was no time for either the men or the audience to catch a breath before the next horrible thing happened. Special effects were awesome as the moment-by-moment action just kept going on and on.

There might have been no one central character to identify with, but that was not this film's intent. It forced me instead, to identify with it all. And it certainly made me think about how a battle like this can take place in a distant part of the world without more than a few news blips here at home about what was really going on.

One of the strengths of the film is that it doesn't preach. Both patriots and anti-war activists and the many people whose sentiments lie between these two positions can find something to relate to. It just tells the story about what happened that day. And that story is strong enough to stand by itself with no apologies.

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To Save a Life (2010)

To Save A Life is a terrific movie for teens and adults. It has a Christian theme, but is extremely relative and appropriate for any teen or parent. The movie is very gripping for most people to watch, and definitely one that will stay with you after it ends. It has loud music, partying, and subject matter that many parents wish were not so close to every home these days--cutting, depression, bullying, alcohol abuse, sex, pregnancy, drugs, suicide, divorce, and more.

This is great for a family or groups to watch together. Great talking points to address with teens about the realities of life, consequences, and the fact that things can't always be "fixed" instantly or undone. Parents could rent this and watch it alone first, or just buy it. It is a movie that opens eyes, and one that you will want to share with/pass on to others.

For parents: If you forgot what high school feels like, watching this will bring back memories you may have forgotten, plus others you can hardly imagine your teen dealing with everyday. Way beyond pimples. Disturbing, but highly recommended!

This was one of my 15-year old daughter Elizabeth's favorite movies. (In fact, she often wore her To Save A Life promo shirt to school.) I read the book first, then saw the movie with Elizabeth (she had already seen the movie with our youth group the week before and it was the last movie we saw together as father and daughter; she died of unknown causes about a week later). To Save A Life is a powerful, gritty, true to life Christian film that deals with a lot of issues that plague our families and youth today: the cult of popularity, bullying, family troubles & divorce, depression, suicide, underage drinking, drugs, sex, teen pregnancy, and self abuse or cutting, etc. All this is seen through the eyes of Jake Taylor high school senior, star athlete, popular man on campus, with a full-ride basketball scholarship to Louisville, and of course, the hottest girl in high school.

After Jake's often ignored childhood friend Roger commits suicide in the hallway of their school, he begins to re-evaluate how he had treated his friend in recent years. As he starts to wrestle with his own sense of right and wrong and his responsibility to others, he meets Chris, a youth pastor who intrigues him despite his own lack of interest in religion. As Jake's relationships with his parents and girlfriend Amy deteriorate, Chris becomes someone he can talk to, and his weekly youth group becomes a safe place where he can hang out and just be himself without the fear of being judged. With Chris' help, Jake sets out on a journey of personal transformation and growth that will reveal God's amazing unconditional love and Jake's power to make a difference in the lives of others one person at a time beginning with Johnny, another outcast.

This movie is so powerful I wish I could show it to every high school and junior high school in our area. The issues raised are often ignored in our society and fester under the surface in individual lives. Often we find out about them after the fact. They need to be addressed before then. Parents and youth need to know that the ONLY answer to life's problems is Jesus Christ, and that as follwers of our Lord we can have a positive ripple effect in the lives of others as we share the good news of the gospel. Whether you're a Christian or not, this is one movie that parents and their teenagers have got to see!

Check out my book reviews of To Save A Life and Jake's Choice, the sequel, on Amazon.com!

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My 20yr old daughter and I watched this movie together and enjoyed it. However we were shocked at the bedroom scene. You see them naked as a silhouette. The dancing at the party was really sensual, and the supporting actress was dressed very skimpily throughout the movie. There was also mild cussing. I wish I could have let my other kids watch it, but no way! The bedroom scene was especially disturbing.

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As the subject title implies, I come from a Jewish heritage, and now attend the local Unitarian Universalist church. I saw the movie with my husband and 13 yr. old granddaughter, and we all loved it. Out of respect for Rachael Britts, one of the authors, who I worked with at our local high school, I wanted to see the movie. I was half expecting a Christain solution to everything, but I found it very moving for all faiths tackling many controversial subjects. The subject of Christianity was only brought up a few times.

As an open-minded individual who tries to respect all different types of people, I think this is a great movie for everyone. Watch for other books from the Britts dealing with other controversial issues!

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On opening weekend (January 23, 2010), I took 27 friends to go see this movie in theaters. This was my second screening of the film, as my husband and I saw a free sneak preview in the fall of 2009. Upon the first viewing, we went in expecting very little, but were both *blown away* by the quality and substance of this "indie release" film. The quality of the acting, screenplay, and technical aspects surpassed everything I was expecting. It's the story of a Middle-American high school senior named Jake Taylor, who "has it all"... he's popular, has a cheerleader girlfriend, a basketball scholarship to his dream college, and is living up his senior year. That is, until his childhood best friend Roger commits suicide in the school hallway and turns Jake's life upside down. He begins to question everything about himself and realizes there may be a lot more to life than beer pong and sex with his girlfriend. He learns to reach out to some new friends and finds ways to make Roger's death a legacy, not just a tragedy.

I don't want to give away too much of the plot, but I will say that this movie touches on at LEAST a dozen hot topic issues that modern teenagers have to deal with on a daily basis. This is the most realistic portrayal I have seen of a typical high school in a long time, and as one of my young friends said after seeing the film, "It was TOO realistic." The movie is rated PG-13 for good reasons and I wouldn't recommend it to a younger crowd. However I DO recommend it to anyone in high school or older. It is an EXCELLENT movie that *ALL* teenagers need to see... It causes the viewer to reflect on the impact that each person has on others around them and how much difference one person can choose to make in the life of another who is lonely. I think every teen will find SOME character to whom they can relate.

Though it's touted as an "inspirational" film, there's absolutely nothing cheesy about this movie. It portrays Christians in a very accurate light, with both good and bad attributes acknowledged (such as hypocrisy & imperfection). It's not preachy or pushy with its message, except to say that you CAN make a difference in the world around you. It's also not without humor that this movie entertains the audience, taking on several twists and turns throughout the plot.

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