Safe Haven Blu-Ray + DVD+ Extra Bonus DVD + Digital Copy (2013)

I'm not so sure you should classify this as a chick flick, even though there seemed to be a lot more females than males at the screening I attended. For me there were enough non-romance scenes to make it a more of a mystery. I can't say a lot about the plot without spoiling it for those who haven't seen it.

The movie runs the course of your basic romance with an unlikely couple who meet and fall for each other in spite of their problems until their relationship takes a major hit due to revelations about a secret past. In fact, threaded throughout the story are short scenes involving a Boston cop obsessed with finding a suspect in an attempted murder. There are a few tense moments of violence and absolute terror, but it's not gratuitous or over done, only enough to reveal the mystery and lead to a satisfying conclusion, (or not). What I liked the most was that, just when I thought the plot had taken its final twist, a letter is opened and read which surprised me all over again.

I enjoyed this movie much more than The Notebook, another movie based on a novel by the same author, Nicholas Sparks. I felt this was more action packed, exciting and optimistic that The Notebook. I also felt the cast was strong, from the leading characters to the supporting actors. All in all, an entertaining movie that I would recommend.

One day my mom said she wanted to see this. So we went and saw it. It starts out with some mystery. A girl seems to be hiding. From what or whom you are unsure. Then, she finds a place to feel safe and starts to enjoy her new dwellings. Throughout the movie you will learn about what she is afraid of and what happened to finally free her and make her run. Then, there may just be something in the movie that will happen that makes you have this weird feeling in your gut. I will not say anything though.

The chemistry between the actor that plays the father and the actress that plays the girl is amazing. They are so good at playing nervous, anxious people who are falling for one another. You will come to like both of them and hope for good things to happen. There is someone else in the movie as well. A detective/cop. His role in the movie is important.

The kids that play the mans kids are great. They are such good actors. I am proud of them. They never get in the way of anything that is going on. You see them for the perfect amount of time. In the time you see them you will understand their pain and their reasons for doing what they do.

Another thing that I liked about this movie is the location. It seems to have a small town feeling. Some movies go all over the place. But this movies was really in one place. It let you feel safe. Like you were at home and nothing could happen. Very well done.

This is a great movie for a man, women, or both to watch. It really makes you thankful for those you have that you can love and who love you. As soon as this comes out, I am buying it. One of those movies that is great to watch on a rainy night. A great movie!!!!

Oh, and if you were wondering I am a 28 year old guy. I have had a lot of pain in my life. I enjoy love stories. Just makes you feel good.

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"There is more than one way to skin a cat" has got to be humorously posted on a some wall somewhere within the offices of Nicholas Sparks Productions. The latest proof of this has arrived in the form of Safe Haven.

In Safe Haven, Katie (Julianne Hough) is introduced frantically attempting to escape being chased down by a Boston Police Officer (David Lyons). The mystery of the film revolves around why this chase is taking place, but of course the point of this film revolves around her somehow ending up in North Carolina with a handsome man. "Write about where you know" has got to be humorously posted on some wall in Nicholas Sparks's North Carolina home.

Katie does end up in the aforementioned state in the tiny town of Sea Port. Sea Port offers all of the necessities for Sparks to work his magic: quiet streams for canoeing, beaches with virtually no one around, general stores, rusticity, no technology, one big event (that apparently draws over 100,000 people in for a day), and a laissez faire attitude. Predictability ensues, but not to an offensive degree.

This is the eighth Sparks novel to get the cinematic treatment, but it may as well be the eightieth. It rarely rises above standard TV movie production quality and offers nothing unexpected to the viewers. What it can cash in on is the likability and chemistry between its main co-stars Julianne Hough and Josh Duhamel. I suspect that this is the main reason the film got green-lit at all. An attempt, albeit a failed one, at adding some edge accomplishes little more than The Lucky One was able to accomplish last year. What is surprising is that the novel does have some edgy back-story, but director Lasse Hallström and screenwriter Dana Stevens chose to downplay, simplify, and blatantly avoid these opportunities preventing this film from elevating itself above the standard warmed over genre-film that it became. Formulas exist because they provide the framework for pleasing an audience, but unfortunately they grow tremendously stale and unsatisfying if they are not tweaked and modified from time to time. This is a lazy movie from start to finish, and it is an apparent Valentine's Day cash-grab at a movie hungry audience looking for a romantic film during a barren movie season. Like most films that receive reviews like this, it will be very comforting to those who go in knowing what to expect and unappealing to everyone else. How do you grade a film like this? Skin the C off the cat.

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I guess I'd call this a PG-13 romance with an edge. We have attractive leads, mysterious pasts and dark secrets..... The book on which this is based is by Nicholas Sparks ("The Notebook") so it MUST be romantic, right? And there has to be an idyllic boat ride on a bayou...and two lovers caught in the rain. The movie is directed by Lasse Hallström ("Salmon Fishing in the Yemen") so it will feel like real people in a real situation, with humorous bits tossed in just for fun. As you can tell, this was actually pretty good because we had plenty of people to root for.

We watched:

* Josh Duhamel ("Transformers," "New Year's Eve" and lots of TV) as Alex, a widower of two years, helping his two youngsters cope with their loss and helping his uncle run a little grocery store/gas station/tackle shop in a North Carolina fishing village. BTW, this actor is really good with children!

* Noah Lomax (Lots of TV) is Josh, his older child who remembers, and still misses, his mom.

* Mimi Kirkland in her first movie role, is Lexie, the younger child who only remembers the idea of her mother. She's a precocious, loyal little busybody.

* Julianne Hough ("Rock of Ages" and "Footloose") is Katie, fleeing for her life from Boston and trying to find a safe haven beyond the reach of her pursuer.

* Cobie Smulders ("The Avengers") is Jo, the lovely neighbor who befriends our heroine.

* David Lyons (Lots of TV) is either a cop, an abandoned husband, or both.

There are plenty of other characters, but time does not permit... I could have done without some of the bucolic photography, but it was only 115 minutes. Suffice it to say, this had no profanity and some chaste love making, but had a real nail-biter of a climax and a totally unexpected twist...plus Duhamel is VERY easy on the eye! Your DVD from Amazon will allow you to back up and look again.

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I love Nicholas Sparks and truly enjoy reading his novels, and that is what makes this movie go south for me. Don't get me wrong it was a great movie but if youve read the book you become very critical. Most Nicholas Sparks movies are well done and stick more to the book than this. I do not like when back stories that make the character who they are and names of characters are changed. It really looses the book. Her past is different and it really takes away from who she is. I reccomend NOT reading the book before the movie or you will ruin it for yourself.

Wedding Crashers

John (Owen Wilson) & Jeremy (Vince Vaughn) are best buds. They've known each other for 17 years, work together, and in there spare time crash wedding parties; where they drink like sailors, mingle with unsuspecting relatives, and hit on single and willing brides maids every chance they get. They have a whole science to their crashing ( rules and all), and have become quite adept at the sport.

That all changes when they attend a wedding held by Secretary Cleary (Christopher Walken), whose daughter is getting hitched. During the lavish formal affair, Jeremy makes headway with Cleary's physcopath daughter Gloria ( a hilarious Isla Fisher), while John slowly maneuvers his way into the life of the Secretary's other daughter Claire (Rachel McAdams), who just happens to have a steady bo' of her own.

Eventually, after all the formalities-the two are privately invited back to the Secretary's estate, where they play touch football with the family, have formal dinners, sail out on the boat, & get hit on by the Secretary's sex starved wife (Jane Seymour) & his homosexual son Todd (Keir O'Donnell).

Its all very funny and sillybut the great chemistry by Wilson and Vaughn helps the film move at a steady pace. The supporting roles of McAdams and Fishler are nicely fleshed out as well. While no means a great movie, "The Wedding Crashers" is quite funny at times, and overall enjoyable.

Some people have called this a raunchy, gross-out comedy; although I noticed nothing of the sort. Besides the dialogue and a few breast shots, theres really nothing raunchy or gross-out about "Wedding Crashers" at all. It certainly wouldnt fall into the category of "Something About Mary" or the "American Pie" movies.

Vaughn and Wilson definitley shine throughout and appear to be having the time of their lives here....

Recommended.

There were other funny movies this year and this summer. Both "Batman Begins" and "Serenity" were extremely funny and well written in their own witty manners. "Wedding Crashers," however, was written to be a comedy, and I have to say that it takes funny to an entirely new level. Both Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson have been hilarious before, but the roles they nab in this flick seem to say they were born to star in this movie.

"Wedding Crashers" is that rare movie that combines the comedic excellence of the cast with a very strong, intelligent, hilarious script, and directing that executes the necessary direction flawlessly. Too often lately, I feel as though movie studios have shyed away from "R" rated comedies for many reasons. The "R" rating of course threatens who will actually see a movie, so I understand why studios often create "R" rated movies with caution. What I do not understand, however, is why, until "Wedding Crashers," intelligent, witty, adult-oriented "R" rated comedies seemed to have fallen completely off the radar. For the past 5 years or so, any comedy with an "R" rating (or often a PG-13 rating for that matter) had the rating because of disgusting, gross-out gags that forced laughs because of awkwardness and shock value. "Wedding Crashers" was a sigh of relief because it forced nothing. There were no unnecessary bodily function gags, there were no horribly moronically stupid characters. The movie worked because for the most part, everything seems believable. The characters come off as very real people in an improbable, but still possible situation, and interwined with a "cooky" love story, the comedy works really really well.

I cannot say enough about this film. I was laughing so hard the first 3 times I saw it that tears were streaming down my face. Time #4 I had to restrain myself so I could actually hear the punchlines to the jokes so I couldn't tear-up too much. This movie is great. The characters are great. They are funny, they are sweet, but somehow, they are real. And that is why this movie was so successful. We all have either been, or could see ourselves being Owen and Vince, and they were great. So were Isla and Rachel and Christopher and everyone really. This movie is awesome!

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Wedding Crashers is the story of John (Owen Wilson) and Jeremy (Vince Vaughn), who work as arbitrators, mediating in difficult divorce cases. Each year these two lifelong best friends take the month of June off to infiltrate weddings of every description.

John and Jeremy are natural born shape-shifters, adapting to any circumstance. Armed only with vast quantities of bravado and an ethnically appropriate back-story, these guys are in search of an endless party and beautiful women. As a woman, I felt I should probably be offended on behalf of my sex at their "let's get in, seduce a lot of women and get out" mentality. However, they are so likeable and their tactics are so over-the-top and so shamelessly manipulative, you just can't help laughing. They are also the life of any party. Dancing with the flower girls, tying balloon animals for the kids and schmoozing with the elderly guests, they are also the first ones up for a vigorous hora or polka, pulling the more reticent guests up with them as they go.

As the wedding season closes out, John starts to lose some of his enthusiasm for the enterprise. These "one afternoon stands" are a bit like only eating dessert it might sound really good on paper but it will leave you feeling pretty lousy after a while. He's also beginning to feel that they are a little too old to be doing this sort of thing. Jeremy soon convinces John to crash just one more wedding the wedding of the daughter of U.S. Treasury Secretary, William Cleary (Christopher Walken).

Posing as venture capital high-rollers, John and Jeremy sneak past the Secret Service. John is immediately attracted to Claire (Rachel McAdams), one of the bride's sisters. Saving her from an embarrassingly dismal wedding toast, the two immediately click, but bad timing in the arrival of Sack (Bradley Cooper), Claire's ivy league, horse's rump of a boyfriend, prevent them from getting better acquainted.

Jeremy meanwhile more than meets his match in the form of the bride's other sister, Gloria (the delightfully demented Isla Fisher). After closing the deal (ahem) with Gloria, Jeremy finds himself unable to shake her off. Jeremy describes her to John as "completely off the reservation" and he's not wrong. She is the poster child for clingy and inappropriate behavior. It is interesting to see the 6'5" Vaughn equally attracted to and afraid of this tiny woman.

Jeremy is able to wangle a weekend invitation to the Cleary estate for John to spend more time with the woman of his dreams. The Cleary Clan are one strange bunch: a racist elderly matriarch, Grandma Mary Cleary (Ellen Albertini Dow), Secretary Cleary's sexually inappropriate wife, Kathleen (Jane Seymour), and his wound-way-too-tight artistic son, Todd (Keir O'Donnell).

John and Jeremy survive a game of homicidal touch football and one of the more wildly loony dinner parties ever put on film. You have to admire Jeremy. He is ready to leave almost immediately and endures the brunt of the Cleary Clan's unwholesome attention, but he hangs in there for his friend. After suffering a series of late night, unwelcome and increasingly abusive visits from the various deranged Cleary family members, Vaughn's hyper-verbal panic attacks are some of the funniest scenes in the movie.

Others have covered in great detail the lowbrow nature of the comedy. It is very politically incorrect. It may have you rolling your eyes or even groaning at times. (I suppose I am not that easily offended.) I didn't expect too much going in and was very pleasantly surprised. I found it to be a good natured, high octane romp. If you are willing to adjust your expectations accordingly, you may as well. Vaughn and Owens have a great chemistry. Vaughn's manic energy is a perfect counter to Owens' more laidback, wry style.

Will John be able to woo Claire away from Sack? Has Jeremy found the perfect woman in Gloria? Will they be exposed as the totally lying horndogs they are? (I don't want to spoil the movie for you.) I give it a solid 4-1/2 stars. It loses half a point for a slightly weak and tacked on feeling to the ending. I've never had this much fun at a wedding, and I didn't even have to buy a present.

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This movie was about 30-45 minutes too long. It's like I saw two different movies shoved together so they could succeed in getting a two hour comedy movie released. I am a firm believer in the fact that I don't mind if a comedy is short in the 70-85 minute range as long as it's funny, and this one was that movie, but it just kept going and going. So, let's talk about the first half of the movie, or the 4-star part....Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn are professional wedding crashers, and they are extremely talented at it, they are sure to get every slightest detail down so no mistake can be made, and for a while everything is going fine, they are eating, drinking and freakin' everything in sight. All the while making us laugh....alot. The lies and the facial expressions these two come up with are just plain priceless. The chemistry between Vaughn and Wilson is perfect, as expected, what is this the 4th or 5th movie they've been in together?

Eventually, Wilson falls in love, breaking 1 of the some thousand wedding crashing rules, and to top it off, the woman Wilson fell in love with (the lovely Rachel McAdams) is the daughter of Christopher Walken, who just happens to be running for office. To add more crazyness to the plot, Vaughn's character nails another one of the daughters, who in turn falls in love with him. Got all that? Good, moving on....The dialogue between Wilson and Vaughn is very funny, most of the jokes work, and while a bit raunchy here and there, it fits well. Now here's where things start to fall apart, both with the movie and our heroe's.

The second part of the movie, or the 2-star part, goes all out on Hollywood cliches' We get the family bickering, the big 'fight' between Wilson and Vaughn, the speech during the wedding , it just seemed forced and that they just ran out of good jokes, so they recycled some old, lamer ones. I saw the ending coming a mile away and the edge and character the movie had is all but gone now.

So, I gave 4-stars and 2-stars, another bit of the 4-star part I rather enjoyed are the minor roles played by Jane Seymour, she plays Christopher Walken's drunk wife with new breasts, and Will Ferrell (surprised? nah, me either, I think there is an agreement with these 3 men along with Ben Stiller to appear in everyone of each other's movies. just a thought) as Chaz, the legendary wedding crasher Vaughn and Wilson are always quoting. He plays a man in his late 30's, still leaving with his mother, now crashing funerals cuz' it's so easy to get laid by a depressed chick, or so Ferrell says.

There are many subplots, most I didn't care for, but be sure and check out Vaughn's confession to a preist at the breakfeast table........priceless!!! and Jane Seymour's half-ass attempt at seducing Owen Wilson with her new ta-ta's, very funny!!

acting......4 stars, You know you can't go wrong with these two

directing....3 stars, 30-54 minutes too long

special effects...N/A, comedy here, not thrills and chills

comedy rating .....4 stars first 70 minutes, 2 stars after that

quality........3.5 stars, Decent picture quality, little grain, but great soundtrack

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this movie is one of the few movies that men and women will enjoy. i love this and this movie is a must own

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)

A great film that deserves a new transfer. The source transfer of this film appears to be the same source as the one used for the DVD version. This is not to say that it doesn't look much better in Blu-Ray than it does on DVD. But it is not, evidently, a brand new remastered transfer made expressly for Blu-Ray release.

As happened in past generations of video standards, VHS to LaserDisc, LaserDisc to DVD, standard definition 480i to "high def" 1080i, and now 480p progressive scan DVD to 1080p Blu-Ray, the studios are cutting corners and, with many titles, re-issuing transfers that were "pretty good" for the prior standard on newer media without re-mastering them for the full potential of the newer standard. "Pretty good" is not why you buy a Blu-Ray, or pay a premium for it.

Sadly, some major film titles are being "shoved out there" on the new Blu-Ray format. This appears to be one of them. Although not nearly as bad as the abysmal "Silence Of the Lambs" and "Interview With The Vampire" BDs, the high-def picture quality of "Butch Cassidy" is still sub-par and underwhelming compared to what it could have been with a new-transfer made with BD release in mind.

(2008 HOLIDAY TEAM)It amazes me how incredibly well this 1969 western has held up after all these years. At once classically structured and satirically executed, director George Roy Hill and screenwriter William Goldman have pulled together a supremely entertaining period picture that caters to contemporary sensibilities to this day. It is to their credit that the film remains true to the characters and never gets too broad during its quickly paced 110-minute running time. The story naturally revolves around the legendary outlaws who robbed banks at the turn of the last century. Their escapades are divided roughly into three sections in the film. The first is the introductory set-up where their opposite yet complementary personalities are established. Leading the motley Hole in the Wall Gang, they ultimately pull off a train robbery with an excess of dynamite. The second part is an extended chase sequence where Butch and Sundance are chased relentlessly by a group of unknown bounty hunters.

The third and final part details their escape to Bolivia where they are determined to go straight but get caught up with local bandits and find their infamous past catching up with them. It seems inconceivable to have anyone other than Paul Newman and Robert Redford in the title roles. As the more established star at the time, Newman is characteristically laconic as Butch. His innate likeability is enhanced by his rascally manner and crack comedy timing. In the more traditional gunslinger role, Redford provides the ideal partner with his flinty manner and unavoidable charisma. In between them is Katharine Ross, fresh from "The Graduate", who plays Etta with sensual élan, though she does not figure in the most critical scenes. Of course, Burt Bacharach's instantly recognizable musical score is here, and while there is an anachronistic feel to such 1960's-sounding pop music over a western, it somehow works because the attitude of the film seems so modern. Even the comically romantic bicycle sequence manages to preserve its buoyancy thanks to the inane but undeniably catchy "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head".

Conrad Hall's vibrant, burnished cinematography deserves special mention as it has been preserved well in the 2006 Ultimate Collector's Edition DVD package. The rest of the two-disc package is robust though bordering on overkill, adding on to the features that were already included in the previous 2000 Special Edition DVD. Retained from that edition is the interesting combination of perspectives provided by Hill, Hall, lyricist Hal David and associate producer Bob Crawford in their joint commentary track. New is separate and equally insightful commentary from Goldman. Another holdover from the previous edition is the forty-minute vintage documentary, "The Making of Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid", a still terrific featurette from 1970 with participation from Newman, Goldman, Hill and Redford.

There are three new documentaries a 2005 retrospective look at the film called "All of What Follows is True: The Making of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid"; a fact-check featurette called "The Wild Bunch: The True Tale of Butch & Sundance"; and the somewhat repetitive "History Through the Lens: Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid: Outlaws Out of Time", a cumulative effort which combines elements of all the other documentaries into one ninety-minute feature. Lots of great insight is provided on the 1994 interviews with Newman, Redford, Ross, Goldman and Bacharach. A deleted scene is also included with Hill's commentary (since the audio had been lost) it is a disposable transitional scene where Butch and Sundance are watching newsreel footage of themselves in a Bolivian theater while Etta quietly leaves to the train station. Lastly, there are trailers for eight of Newman's vintage films. This is definitely a robust package for one of the great films of the 1960's.

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This disc ranks right up there with one of the worst Blu-ray transfers I own (along with the first Stargate release). It is a shame, as this is a really great and fun movie. It is one of the first westerns I recall that really interspersed humor with drama in an effective way. I thought it tried to be a bit too much or to have something for everyone (the bicycle scene went on a little long for my taste, for example). Audio is fine but the failure to produce a really outstanding video transfer (as was done with Patton recently) will disappoint the many fans of this movie who were eagerly awaiting this release.

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How do you ensure somebody's legacy as a hero? In the good old days, you wrote a book. Nowadays, you make a movie and if you're lucky and it's really, really successful, you can retrospectively even make legends out of dangerous criminals. Not that that always works, of course. But with two great actors with instant chemistry (Paul Newman and Robert Redford), a script (by William Goldman) bursting with one-liners making the audience bowl over laughing every other minute, without once derailing into slapstick, a director's (George Roy Hill's) ingenious use of the occasion to turn a whole genre on its head, and some of the world's most beautiful locations, filmed by an exceptional cinematographer (Conrad Hall) ... you just may pull it off. Case in point: "Butch and Sundance."

While Butch Cassidy (Robert LeRoy Parker) was known as the Old West's Robin Hood for his charm, masterly planning, avoidance of bloodshed he really did claim he'd never shot anyone and his stance for settlers' rights vis-a-vis the wealthy cattle barons, Sundance (Henry Longbaugh) had the reputation of a loner; a fast draw repeatedly in and out of prison before even turning twenty-one. After several of their Wild Bunch/Hole in the Wall Gang associates had seen the short end of the stick in various encounters with the law, Butch and Sundance determined things were getting too hot in the West and, unlike the outlaws who not much earlier had stood it out until the end (Billy the Kid, the James Gang and the O.K. Corral gunfighters), decided to head for South America. With a woman named Etta Place, possibly a teacher as portrayed here or, perhaps more likely, a prostitute, they first spent several years farming in Argentina both had done cattle work before turning to robbery, although in the form of rustling (stealing unbranded cattle) but eventually reverted to their more profitable, preferred occupation. Most sources believe they died in a 1909 shootout with the Bolivian military in a town named San Vicente; others, however, claim either or both escaped alive, returned to the States under assumed names and died there (Sundance in Casper, WY in 1957 and Cassidy, according to his sister, in Spokane, WA, in 1937).

While their decision to leave the West instead of duking it out with the law and the mystery surrounding their deaths would already have made for a great movie, director Hill cleverly used the material for a 180-degree-turn on the Western genre. The opening credits roll next to sepia-tinged silent shots depicting a Hole in the Wall Gang train robbery, followed by the bold claim that "most of what follows is true" which in itself couldn't be further from the truth. What does follow is a wild ride from the Outlaw Trail to Bolivia ... during which our heroes aren't getting rid of their pursuers, no Western music with guitars and harmonicas accompanies them but Burt Bacharach's multiple-award-winning, deliberately anachronistic, upbeat score (plus "Raindrops Are Falling on My Head" during the most romantic scene raindrops???), a knife fight is settled by a kick in the groin, and a marshal trying to assemble a posse first meets with a lackluster population, neither willing to bring their own horses and guns nor clamoring to be supplied with such by him, and in short order sees his meeting usurped by a bicycle salesman. Add to that Oscar-winning cinematography, repeatedly using black-and-white lighting techniques even after the film's switch to color (e.g. in Sundance's first visit with Etta), reverse lighting to make daytime shots look like nighttime (during several scenes of the pursuit) and sepia-tinted shots for period feeling (besides the opening, also to sum up the trio's stay in New York), a Bolivian bank robbery with a crib sheet containing "specialized vocabulary" that Butch, contrary to initial claims, doesn't know in Spanish, and an immortalizing freeze-frame ending and you have one heck of an entertaining movie, shot in some of the West's most spectacular settings and in Mexico (as Bolivia's stand-in).

"Butch and Sundance" turned Redford into a megastar Hill lobbied hard for the then-perceived "playboy"'s casting, and his instincts proved so dead-on that Newman's entourage became worried the movie's expected primary star would be sidelined (a feeling never shared by Newman himself, though, who has been friends with Redford ever since). In a twist worthy of Goldman's Oscar-winning screenplay, fearsome loner Sundance became one of Redford's most popular roles, and his independent film festival's namesake. The movie renewed popular interest in the Outlaw Trail, which Redford himself traveled later, too (chronicled in a fascinating, alas out-of-print book). Its script is littered with memorable one-liners; from both heroes' "Who *are* those guys??" to Butch's comments on the small price to pay for beauty, on Sundance's gun-prowess ("like I've been telling you over the hill"), on vision, bifocals and Bolivia, on Sundance's asking Etta (Katherine Ross) to accompany them, although if she'll ever "whine or make a nuisance," he'll be "dumping her flat" ("Don't sugarcoat it like that, Kid ... tell her straight!") and his downplaying the final shootout because their archenemy LaForce isn't there; Sundance's "You just keep thinking, Butch," his comments on the secret of his gambling success (prayer), on not being picky about women (followed by a litany of required attributes), on the excessive use of dynamite, and his one weakness ("I can't swim!!"); and finally Strother Martin/mine-owner Percy Garris's deadpan delivery of the Shanghai Rooster song, of "Morons ... I've got morons on my team" and his assertion not to be crazy but merely colorful. The famous freeze-frame ending has repeatedly been cited, both cinematographically (e.g. "Thelma and Louise") and in dialogue (e.g. 1998's "Negotiator"). And although initially almost uniformly panned by critics, the movie won quadruple Oscars and multiple other awards. In true Hollywood fashion, it has made two fearsome outlaws legends forever ... and in the process, also won legendary status itself.

Also recommended:

The Outlaw Trail: A Journey Through Time

Digging up Butch and Sundance (Second Edition)

Butch Cassidy: A Biography (Bison Book)

Hud

Jeremiah Johnson

The Sting (Universal Legacy Series)

Adventures in the Screen Trade

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This review refers to the Special Edition DVD of Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid......

This was probably the first western film where we actually are rooting for the outlaws. Butch(Paul Newman) and Sundance(Robert Redford) are portrayed with humor and style and are likeable (If not loveable) bad guys. Butch is always thinking, planning and scheming their next move. Sundance is the quickest gun in the west. What a team. (except Butch can't shoot and the Kid can"t swim)

As the movie opens (in the muted colors of an old photograph) we see exactly that, Butch scoping out a bank, you could see the wheels turning, and then Sundance displaying his expertise with a gun on a fellow poker player. As they ride off toward "Hole in the Wall" a hideout for notorious outlaws, the film switches to color and what glorious cinematography we are treated to through out the film.

They wind up going on the run after a botched train robbery to escape the "Super Posse" hired to find and kill them. Of course first they stop in town at the local Madam's place (look for a very young and beautiful Cloris Leachman as one of the "pros") and another stop to pick up The Kid's girl Etta Place(Kathryn Ross) and they become a trio as they head off to Boliva to try their luck there. They of course don't speak Spanish and have to learn the simple everyday phrases like "stick em up", and "give me the money". They even try "going straight" for a while, but are recognized as the "Banditos Yanquis", culminating in a shoot out.

There are so many wonderful scenes in this movie including the great bike ride with Butch and Etta to the tune of "Raindrops Keep Fallin On My Head".. If you havnt seen it yet I don't want to give it all away. If you have seen it you will love the way this film looks and sounds on this DVD.

The DVD is THX Digitally Mastered. The Musical Score of Burt Bacharach sounds excellent. The picture quality is superb. Colors are vibrant. It does not look like a 30 yr+ film. The look of the old west was truly captured by director George Roy Hill. It is in the original widescreen aspect. There were a couple of little glitches in one scene (may have just been my copy, not sure) but it did not interfere with my viewing pleasure of this film.

There are lots of interviews and commentaries by the stars and a featurette of the making of the film. The stars comments mostly on their memories (good and bad) during the shooting of the film. Be careful not to have any small children in the room while listening to the writer (William Goodman) tell his story.

I'm not sure how much of the actual events in the story are true but this is a legendary movie about legendary American Outlaws and a great western!

"I got vision and the whole worlds wearing bifocals"Butch To Sundance...............Have fun ...Laurie

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Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon (2006)

With every horror film I've watched recently, I've had my reservations. I wasn't quite sure what to expect but my partner warned my that it wouldn't be like anything we'd watched together thus far. I laughed through the whole thing. The documentary feel to the beginning of the movie REALLY worked for me. Our killer has a sense of humor, a personality, and seems like such a sweet guy. When he jumped out of the closet to commit the murders, my jaw just kinda hit the floor. I guess I knew he'd go through with his plans but it was still kinda shocking... I LOVED IT!

The music was well done, it was just spooky enough at the end. The juxtaposition of the two moods were perfect. It wasn't a gradual change which made it even more noticable.

Basically, I thought it was well done. Great characters, great mood, great everything on this one. I definately recommend this one with a solid two thumbs up. :-)

One evening I decided to pick out a Horror title at the store. The criteria was to pick something that I have never heard of. I picked up Behind the Mask. This resulted in finding one of my favorite movies of all time!

The movie starts as a Documentary about the next "Supernatural Serial Killer." They mention Jason, Freddy, and Michael Myers. Now...Leslie Vernon. This movie is truly made for the fans. They cover every cliche in the Slasher sub-genre. Leslie Vernon is so funny and charming. The documentary crew follows him as he sets up his own legend. They interview him about all of the tricks of the trade. It is wonderful dialogue and acting. You learn about how a supernatural serial killer makes it look like he is walking but somehow keeps up with his victims. They even talk about all of the symbolism that occurs as the lead girl becomes the heroin. Absolutely brilliant!

The movie actually changes tone drastically at a certain point. I will not spoil it for you though.

Like I said, the movie is for the fans. Someone accused this movie of being unoriginal and cliche. I must say "yes, it is." That is the point! They created a movie about the cliches in Slasher Films. Therefore it is original. Watch this movie and have fun! It is truly amazing if you watch it carefully, you find all sorts of throwbacks to Friday the 13th, Halloween, and Nightmare on Elm St.

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This is one of those movies I wound up watching just to try to see what all the fuss was about. I was incredibly happy that I did. "Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon" is an incredibly inventive mockumentary/slasher flick. Most of the film is from the point of view of a group of a grad student named Taylor Gentry who is filming a documentary about Leslie Vernon, an up-and-coming slasher hoping to make his name along with the greats like Krueger, Voorhees and Myers. Leslie is far from your typical slasher, though -he's clever, funny, charming and extremely pleasant. It's not until he puts on the mask that his slasher persona takes over.

In the "film within a film", Leslie details for Taylor exactly how he goes about constructing his "legend," choosing victims and even stages his murders in meticulous detail, all the while keeping that good-natured charm. The movie is funny and disturbing at the same time: funny because of how carefully the filmmakers parody the conventions of the slasher genre and disturbing because of how genuinely likable Leslie is even as he's explaining how he's going to slaughter innocent teenagers.

The few weak points come towards the end, after the film within a film is dropped and we go into the real slasher parts. While the writing is still just as smart and clever, some of the effects are a little weak. Still, this is a lot of fun and well worth it for fans of slasher movies looking for the next Freddy or Jason.

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I saw this back in January of 2007 or perhaps it was last fall in '06, and the director attended the screening and answered questions afterwards. I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed this movie, it was very well done in a self aware, wink to the audience, breaking the fourth wall kind of way. Very funny for the first half or two thirds of the movie as a film crew follows "Leslie Vernon" around, documenting why and how a serial killer/slasher does what he does. There were so many in-jokes for fans of the genre, you won't be disappointed, it's very funny.

Around two thirds of the way thru the film, the director switches gears and actually turns the movie from mockumentary into straight forward slasher flick, no more shaky camera work or wise-cracking. As the killer has set things up for the viewer in the documentary portion, you figure you know what's going to happen once the killing begins, but not so! There are still plenty of surprises left in store!

Nathan Baesel as the title character is the perfect mix of humorous, spastic, and creepy as a wanna-be killer who idolizes the likes of Freddy Krueger, Jason Voorhees, and Michael Myers (who incidentally are all real live killers and not fictional creations in the context of this movie). Baesel reminds me a bit of Jim Carrey. My friend who attended the movie with me and who dislikes Carrey disagreed on the similarity but still found Baesel's performance enjoyable as well.

The movie has a different approach to it than other satires or homages to the slasher flick in that the movie worked better separating the serious portion of the film from the humorous element, in order to maximize both (or at least the humorous element). At least, I thought so. I'm not sure what this film would have turned out like had it been set up to mix the mockumentary portion with the "live" killing scenes I think the humor would have needed to take a back seat to the action and overall the movie would have been less enjoyable?

Bottom line, if you liked Scream for its mix of humor and horror, you'll like Behind the Mask, too. Just be prepared that you won't get humor and horror at the same time but rather one after the other. I will be buying this one on DVD (and I don't generally buy a lot of movies).

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"Behind The Mask(The Rise Of Leslie Vernon)" is by far one of the most creative horror/comedies ever thought up. Even better...it was executed beautifully! Producer/Director and co-writer Scott Glosserman has delivered a wickedly clever treat for us true horror fans. To the naked eye maybe not, but any self-respecting horror fan can clearly see that there are more layers to this flick than there are on an onion. The hints,suprises and inside jokes are a plenty throughout and the idea of starting from behind the mask when getting to know a future horror icon is nothing short of brilliant! The scares and laughs are perfectly balanced and the acting is quite good from most if not all parties especially Nathan Baesel as(Leslie Vernon) this guy down-right steals the show from the start. The end of the end is excellent and just leaves me wanting more from this psycho killer behind the mask(in a great way).

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The Lives of Others (2007)

Hopefully, Academy members will rightfully award the Oscar tomorrow night for Best Foreign Language Film of the Year (2006) to 'The Lives of Others.' Writer/Director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck's debut stands head and shoulders not only over the other nominees, but also over all the nominees for Best Picture. That so-called 'best' list pales in comparison to the heights attained by von Donnersmarck's creation. It is a expertly-plotted, richly-told depiction of life under the dominion of the East German spying apparatus, the Stasi.

'Lives' tracks the Stasi's efforts to bug and disrupt the lives of writer Georg Dreyman (a striking Sebastian Koch) and his actress girlfriend Christa-Maria Sieland (the incomparable Martina Gedeck). Assigned to the case is Stasi agent, Gerd Wiesler, indelibly played by Ulrich Mühe. The reasons for spying on Dreyman and 'CSM' (as the Stasi calls her)? A Politburo minister has the hots for CSM. That's it. For that most personal of reasons, lives are ruined. A professional reviewer of 'Lives' really hit the nail on the head when he said that the movie turns on the fact that Weisler realizes he is spying into the life of a man who is 'vastly his moral superior.' That's it. You get propelled into Dreyman's life and you are struck immediately and permanently by his decency and the quality of his character. Over time, Weisler starts injecting himself into the proceedings. At that point, the sequence of events is irrevocably changed.

von Donnersmarck's movie is a continual series of one great scene after another. I thought perhaps it had reached its denouement with the fall of the Wall. But it keeps getting better. Dreyman requests his Stasi files. He begins to piece together the story and the role of Weisler.

'The Lives of Others' is 137 minutes of the best entertainment imaginable. Ulrich Mühe is an East German who himself was the target of Stasi oversight. For this film, he was awarded Best Actor at the 2006 European Film Awards. Is there a more just triumph than that?

I often don't agree with Oscar choices, but this time they got it right.

"The Lives of Others" is one of the most interesting movies about communism that I have seen in a decade; it shows, as few others have, how communism suffocates human imagination...not just stifles political dissent.

A spy Captain Wiesler is given the task of eavesdropping on a well known playwright, not for political reasons, but because a communist boss is jealous of the man and wants his female lover for himself. As the spy begins listening in, he begins to question the values of his society and the integrity of his orders.. Up to that point, Wiesler dutifully obeyed without question. But as the spy continues to experience the world of the playwright, he starts to live the subject's life vicariously...so the enemy ironically becomes the friend. The experience helps Captain Wiesler grow in humanity so he ultimately makes the decision to run interference to save the playwright's life.

The film details the transformation of an organization man in a hostile society...and makes us remember the great books of totalitarian dangers such as Animal Farm, Anthem, Brave New World, and of course, 1984. (It is no accident that the key YEAR in which the events take place in this film is indeed 1984). Instead of leaving the viewer in a state of deep negativity, "The Lives of Others" gives us reason to hope, reason to believe that goodness may prevail over corruption. So by the end, I was deeply moved.

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Gerd Weisler (Ulrich Muhe, appropriately drab) is an East German Stasi (Secret Police) drone: the type of man that his superiors count on to "get" his prey. Early on in this fascinating, superior film, Gerd arrives home from a hard day of spying on his fellow East Germans and prepares a meal: microwaved white rice onto which he squeezes tomato paste from a tube. This scene, in its spare, workmanlike manner sets the course and adjusts the sights of this film: the unremarkable, out of hate and jealousy assigned to bring down those deemed different, those deemed remarkable, those deemed talented. Weisler is the perfect Stasi automaton: a socialist monk with ice-cold eyes and an incorruptible true believer's faith in the system he has sworn to defend against "enemies of socialism" no matter where he finds them.

"The Lives of Others" begins in 1984 a particularly Orwellian date and 5 years before the fall of the Berlin Wall, Weisler is invited to a night of theater by his school friend and boss Colonel Grubitz (a slimy bureaucrat performance by Ulrich Tukor) for a performance of a play written by Georg Dreyman (Sebastian Koch) and starring Dreyman's live in girlfriend, Christa-Maria Sieland (Martina Gedeck from "Mostly Martha"). Dreyman is tall, handsome, dresses in colors other than grey and Christa-Maria is wondrously gorgeous and a great actress to boot.

As Weisler watches Christa-Maria on stage he also scopes in on Dreyman, via his opera binoculars, watching Christa-Maria with love and admiration. The look of distrust and envy in Wailer's eyes is frightening: his eyes widen, squint and widen again. What does Weisler see or sense on that triumphant, for Dreyman and Sieland, night? Is it watching them basking in the glory of an audience's love and appreciation? Is it the palpable love and warmth between the two themselves: something that Weisler has never, will never feel? Whatever it is, Weisler has found his next assignment.

Though Dreyman is deemed "the only writer we have who is not subversive," Weisler forces the issue and sets up a full Stasi surveillance: bugs, cameras and sets up a roost for himself in the attic of the Dreyman-Sieland home.

Then in the process of spying on these two warm, happy, talented, loving people something happens to Weisler: he slowly, through the ugly process of spying, thaws little by little: Weisler falls in love with them and more to the point.., he falls in love with their lives.

First time director, Florien Hinkle von Donnersmarck has produced a remarkable, involving, intelligent film: an intricate, frightening film full of lives caught at the difficult crossroads of patriotism on the one hand and on the other the vortex of individual duty and honor.

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First of all, this is not only one of the best foriegn films I have ever seen, but one of the best films I have seen period! I have nothing to add to the other five star reviews here that hasn't already been covered.

That said, it pains me to report that this DVD release has a serious flaw and that is the subtitling! Some other reviewers have commented on the poor quality of the translation in the subtitles, which may in fact be true. But even more of a detriment is the fact that if you watch this film on a widescreen TV you will not see ANY subtitles at all! This is because the disk was encoded to display the subtitles in the black dead space area, outside of the letterboxed region where film frames appear. Widescreen TVs don't display this dead space, they actually fill up the screen with the letterbox frame which means that the subtitles are completely lost! The disk offers no option to display the subtitles properly on a widscreen format television set, i.e. inside the letterbox frame. This is particularly ironic considering that SONY, the distributer of the DVD, is the same company that manufactured widescreen TV on which I discovered the problem! You'd think that they would have had a clue about how to format the subtitles on the DVD to work on all of their television models! If you have a conventional TV set, then you won't have this problem since it will display the letterbox with the black boundaries intact.

So if you are a widescreen television owner and are fluent in German, then I can heartily recommend this wonderful movie. If not, then make sure you have a conventional set on which to watch this DVD or wait for SONY to fix this embarassing mistake before you make the purchase!

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What a powerful movie. I felt the oppressiveness of the system from the movie in a way that i haven't seen since reading Solzhenitsyn's "The Gulag Archipelago". I don't know how anyone survived those decades, let alone how any normal human contact was possible. I wonder even more how anyone in the system like the major character could move from a position of responsibility for interrogations to actively supporting a writer who writes a damning article about suicides in East Germany.

The plot of the movie is actually rather straightforward and linear.

A playwright, a supporter of the regime has a beautiful lover, who is a well known actress.

She is blackmailed into a sexual liaison by a high ranking party member using his threats to end her career or worse.

The official decides to get rid of the playwright-boyfriend using information gained from surveillance by the Stasi on their apartment.

(so far sounds pretty much like David and Bathsheba, she who was the wife of Uriah)

The agent assigned to the case, listens into the lives. While at the same time figures out with his immediate superior that they are being used by the official to further his sexual agenda.

What happens next is that the agent covers up for the playwright's underground activities by submitting false reports that they are involved only in writing a new play, while they are actually moving towards more active resistance to the government.

But the movie isn't about the plot, it is about the character development, in all four major players.

the Stasi supervisor, the agent, the playwright and the actress-girlfriend.

And how the system changes, distorts or reinforces each of their beliefs.

The most interesting one is the agent's movement from a loyal player to a subverter of the system. What are his motivations? are they believable? how far will he go to protect these two people? will he get caught?

it feels like a gripping detective story with lives on the line, with a huge rock ready to drop on anyone of them and poof--into prison.

It is how they adapt to the pressures, how they continue to live with themselves and with their friends that forms the background for the character development.

i love books.

therefore i really liked the ending.

i hope things like this occurred in East Germany, and continue to occur in all those places in the world that are not free to speak their minds and think their own thoughts, in private, and to speak them in public.

thanks to the movie for a thrilling and thought provoking ride.

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All the Boys Love Mandy Lane (2006)

Just so everyone knows the UK Blu-Ray Is All Region,and can be played on US players.

*This does contain minor spoilers*

Mandy Lane has apparently become the most desirable girl in high school over the summer. She's definitely not like the other girls her age though. While every guy wants to do everything imaginable to her, she's turned them all down. The only guy she really gives the time of day is her best friend, Emmet. That is until a certain incident at a pool party comes between them. Now nine months later, Mandy has distanced herself from Emmet and has a group of new friends. These friends have decided to invite Mandy to a ranch out in the middle of nowhere for a few days and the guys who tag along hope to accomplish what, up to this point, has been impossible. It turns out to not all be fun and games though. When people start turning up missing, they soon realize that they're not alone and someone is taking their obsession with Mandy Lane a little too far.

All the Boys Love Mandy Lane is an interesting film, to say the least. It makes you wait a bit before the actual "horror" comes into play. In fact, the first forty minutes or so are basically filled with high school shenanigans. A bunch of kids drinking, doing drugs, having sex, and just things they're not supposed to. While the last half of the film, is pure horror. It kind of teases you at first. It gives you a little taste and then goes right back into high school mode, but after that things just start to snowball until it's just beautifully horrific in every scene.

The film is shot beautifully. For an indie film, it looks incredible. That's not to say other indie films look like garbage or anything. Mandy Lane just has vibrant colors that seem to jump off the screen. One of the things that caught my eye is the way certain scenes were shot. Unique perspectives, shots overlapping others to look like something else, the way objects in front of the camera go in and out of focus, etc. Scenes like when Bird goes to start the generator after the power goes out, Bird confronting the killer, and the car chase with Chloe being chased by the killer in her car are a few examples. It just seemed like something that was worth mentioning as you don't see too many shots, scenes, or anything in films anymore(especially horror) that you can call unique.

I think Michael Welch deserves a nod for his acting in this. It was pretty exceptional. I'd really only seen him in the Day of the Dead remake, which was awful on every level. His performance in this overshadows his performance in Day any way you look at it. His portrayal of Emmet in this in the closing moments of the film are what caught my eye. I mean, you truly believe he's psychotic. It'll definitely make me keep an eye on him with his future projects.

All the Boys Love Mandy Lane isn't your average slasher film and that's its biggest strength as it brings something fresh to the table. As I mentioned before, it takes awhile for the ball to get rolling in the horror department. If you're patient though, things do wind up paying off. If you could hold off for Wolf Creek to pick up, then I think you'll be in the clear for this. You can probably guess who the killer is within the first few minutes of the film, but the way things unfold are where the film shines. This is worth seeing for the ending alone as while it does reveal why the killer is doing what they're doing and things of that nature, it leaves a lot of things open ended. While that can either be a sink or swim kind of situation, I think it works well this time around. Mandy Lane isn't the most original horror film to come out in decades or anything, but if every horror film from now on had as much originality as this film does...then there might be hope for horror films yet.

Rating: 7/10

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It's a crime that is this film isn't available in the US. It's head and shoulders above the usual tripe in this genre. A smart, subtle take on the slasher film with well-drawn characters and excellent cinematography and direction. See it now, any way you can!

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All The Boys Love Mandy Lane is a movie with a checkered past. As legend has it, Mandy Lane was picked up by the Weinsteins and thrown on a shelf to rot. Theories abound as to why, but the presumption was that a shotgun wielding teen killer was a little too Columbine for the Weinsteins to market, schedule and release. Aside from some festival screenings Mandy Lane has never seen the light of day in the US. Thankfully here in Australia, and in the UK, Mandy suddenly arrived out of nowhere on DVD to little fanfare. Shame, Shame. This film is a rare antidote to almost every teen horror, by essentially not being a horror film at all. Maybe its an overstatement to call Mandy a drama, but she's definitely a thriller and a genuine critique of the modern teen, prone to ugliness and violence wrapped in smooth skin, blonde hair and a tan. Often these teen horrors, of which there are SO many, purport to be 'saying something' about the teen culture exhibited but actually don't and instead use the hot bods to lure in a teen audience negating the chance to make them look at themselves and possibly even consider, hey maybe I deserve to be hatched up by a slasher. Again, this is what may have made the Weinsteins cautious of Mandy, teen retribution at the end of a shotgun it is a terrifyingly REAL scenario. And here in lays a contradiction about Mandy Lane you can see the ending coming a mile off, however, instead of being disappointed, you so hope you are right. Amber Heard as Mandy does a good job with a difficult role, Mandy is not a cut and dry kinda gal. The supporting players also keep it real, no over acting in the stoner scenes. You get a sense that these actors know what it's like, no 'Whoa man' moments. It's to the credit of director Jonathan Levine for keeping it real, he's not a horror director, going on to make The Wackness (2008) and it shows, all for the good of his film. One last positive is the film's use of music. No metal here, 60's teen idols instead, more evidence that Levine is blissfully unaware of teen horror trappings.

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I watched the region 2 dvd I purchased via Amazon UK ($16 US including shipping) and received it in about a week (South East Florida). The movie starts slow but is very good and has an excellent ending. Amber Herd is the perfect Mandy.

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The Painted Veil

Co-produced and co-starring Naomi Watts and Edward Norton, W. Somerset Maugham's novel comes to life in living color. Beautiful cinematography and symphonic music embellish a wonderful, heart-warming story of love and forgiveness.

Kitty (Watts) is getting older. Living in 1920's London, her parents have more to say with impunity about her suitors. Quick to pursue her, Walter Fane (Norton) pushes himself for courtship against her wishes, but the timing leaves her no choice but wedlock. Interrupted in their social life, they become a foursome with Charlie Townsend (Liev Schreiber) and his wife. Charlie, a virile alternative to her drab, doctor husband, tempts her into adultery. In such an arrangement, women didn't have the freedoms they do now. So when Walter is assigned to treat a cholera epidemic in Shanghai, he's privy to her affair and can blackmail her to come along or face the scorn of divorce. Since her lover is a playboy who abhors attachment anyway, she again has no choice.

Life in China at first offers nothing more than disease and disenchantment. Bored with her life and keeping in seclusion to avoid cholera, her husband spreads nothing but flinty resentment toward her unfaithful presence. Besides a stunning landscape, she discovers a convent where a wise, old mother superior charms her heart and inspires her to do at first repellant work with the orphans. Besides the dangers of disease, the locals are slow to warm up to any foreigner's presence, even one that may offer a solution to their health crisis.

More moving than its beautiful cinematography, Norton's and Watt's splendid performances work well with a captivating story of lust and love, betrayal and forgiveness, and selfishness turned to self-giving. While some viewers may find some of the old-fashioned elements of the film languorous in places, I feel the picture clocks in just right for the state of affairs. Superbly crafted, 'Painted Veil' is complete with a heart-melting beauty for the soul as well as for the eyes.

Don't let my 5 stars fool you into thinking that I think all will love this film; however, I did.

This film is not to everyone's taste, but I found it extraordinary. This kind of film typically attracts those who like films like The English Patient (which I hated) and The Horse Whisperer (which I loved). This is a period piece that doesn't need its period to be relevant. This is a location film that doesn't need its location to be believable. This is a slow-moving story that doesn't need action to be engrossing. This is a masterpiece that doesn't need improvement.

The story is both simple and multi-layered. Naomi Watts, totally unrecognizable from her The Ring and King Kong films, is basically a spoiled brat who would prefer to live off her father's money than to buy into the trappings of marriage (as she sees it). In a moment of spiteful rage against her mother, she intentionally marries a "civil servant" (one viewed beneath her), extremely well-played by Edward (American History X) Norton who equally disappears into his role as a shy man who is rather infatuated with Watts but respectful of the fact she doesn't love him, but hopes she will one day over time. This is a time when arranged marriages were common and for a husband to be as respectful as Norton's role is refreshing. He never forces himself on his wife and she does eventually warm up to him, but considers him a terrible bore.

No spoiler here to mention that the first interesting man that comes along, Liev Schreiber who is effectively self-centered, she beds in her own home. Later, to her surprise, her husband is not only not a blind fool like she thought, but is keenly aware of how people react to situations and has a better understanding of the more base emotions than his self-centered wife. For all her so-called worldly wisdom, she can't read emotions or people very well at all and has little understanding of the consequences of her own actions as she blames the man she willingly married (to spite her mom) for her own affair because he wasn't interesting to her.

In what appears to be retaliation for his wife's callous indiscretion, Norton, who has been quiet and respectful, comes down hard on his wife and volunteers to become a doctor in a remote town in China where they are dropping like flies due to an infectious illness. He knows it may spell certain death to both of them. He offers her the choice of an ugly discrediting divorce for infidelity, which will bring down her politician lover, or go with him. In this time period, that is no choice at all. She goes with him and, at first, we believe him to be incredibly cruel in doing this until we see him at work.

We identify more with Watt's shock at going to this deadly village and are appalled that Norton would do this as "punishment" regardless of the terrible thing she did to him, but we gradually learn that he is actually motivated to save others even at great risk to himself and he had been planning this for awhile and at a time when he might have been able to trust his wife to not have affairs. In addition, either intentionally or unintentionally, we are never sure, Norton gets his wife to see something admirable in him. He may have seemed initially cruel to his wife and he may well have intended this trip as some kind of punishment to both he and his wife, however, he is a multi-layered character who consistently surprises us (and his wife). So much for being "boring."

To give away more would spoil the story, but this is a memorable film that is touching and honest in how it deals with our basic human emotions of love, hate, jealousy, and personal desires. I highly recommend this film, but I'm aware that this kind of story may not appeal to everyone. Even if this is not your typical genre, give it a try. You have nothing to lose but two hours of time and everything to gain by having your deepest emotions touched.

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Some stories portray life in many shades and make all the shades look equally remarkable, even though some shades are bright and some are truly gloomy. The Painted Veil is an outstanding example of such a versatlie story. The movie brilliantly narrates the lives of a couple who marry to pursue conflicting goals and end up uniting in every way. Ed Norton and Naomi Watts deliver one of the best performances of their lives and leave the audience spell bound in a movie that boasts of nothing dramatic and yet is a drama in the purest form. Set in England and China of 1920's, this movie depicts the love, the lack of it, and again the love between a couple whose pursuits were different but led them to one goal. To sum it, The Painted Veil is a sedate, sober and yet stunningly beautiful movie that will engage and enthrall you.

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Lift not the painted veil which those who live

Call Life: though unreal shapes be pictured there,

And it but mimic all we would believe

With colours idly spread,--behind, lurk Fear

And Hope, twin Destinies; who ever weave

Their shadows, o'er the chasm, sightless and drear.

"The Painted Veil" is old school, not just because it is based on W. Somerset Maugham's 1925 novel, but also because this 2006 movie has sensibilities more akin to the Hollywood of the 1930s (when the movie was first filmed with Greta Garbo and Herbert Marshall), than of today. There was a story in the news this week about a controversial and racy billboard in Chicago that proclaimed "Life's short. Get a divorce." The billboard was taken down after a week, over the objections of the two divorce attorneys who put it up, but there is no denying that divorces have become a lot more popular since Maugham's day (the high water marked was 1980 in the U.S. when the divorce rate topped out at 41%). I bring this up because "The Painted Veil" is about two people who do not get divorced, and not because they are staying together for the sake of the children, because there are not any children. It is a love story, but one of the most unromantic ones that I have ever seen, which is, rather surprisingly, not a bad thing.

Kitty Garstin (Naomi Watts) is the daughter of an unambitious solicitor whose inflated idea of herself has seen her reject all possible suitors. But when her younger sister marries and her mother (Maggie Steed) asks pointedly how long she intends to live off of her father, the confluence of events compels her to accept the marriage proposal of Walter Fane (Edward Norton), a young bacteriologist who is heading off to China. This is hardly the foundation for a marriage and in Hong Kong the bored Kitty ends up having an affair with Charlie Townsend (Liev Schreiber). When Walter discovers the affair he agrees to let Kitty divorce him if Townsend will divorce his wife and agree to marry Kitty. When Townsend refuses Kitty is stunned, and with nowhere else to go she follows Walter as he volunteers to deal with a cholera epidemic in the interior of China. It is there that the husband and wife find themselves changing.

The title of "The Painted Veil" is taken from a sonnet by Percy Bysshe Shelley, the opening sestet of which is quoted above, and I find it insightful that Maugham's characters do not take the poet's advice. Almost of as much interest as what is happening between Walter and Kitty is the way he comes to understand that all of his scientific and medical knowledge is of no value if he cannot persuade the locals how to deal with the epidemic. This is a minor part of the story, and it is the omnipresent threat of cholera that is of more importance to the way things work out in "The Painted Veil," but still a nice little critique of the arrogance of Europeans in dealing with the Third World in the screenplay by Ron Nyswaner ("Philadelphia").

Director John Curran ("We Don't Live Here Anymore") was able to film the entire movie in China, but the beautiful vistas shot by Stuart Dryburgh ("The Piano") serve as the setting for the story and never overwhelm it the way that usually happens in a David Lean epic. The performances by the main characters, including Toby Jones as Waddington and Diana Rigg as the Mother Superior, are uniformly understated in keeping with the cultured reserve of their characters, and that may well explain why my appreciation for the moment of mutual redemption for Kitty and Walter is more intellectual than emotional. Of course, back in the day this story was probably as much of a stiff-upper lip tearjerker as you were going to find in literature.

Final Note: The only extra you will find on this DVD is a trailer for the movie, but unless I have gone completely insane this is a different trailer than the one I saw on other DVDs that inspired me to check out this movie. This one gives away specific details regarding the characters and plots that I do not remember seeing in that other trailer, which is why I was able to get into this movie with no expectations beyond that indicated by the presence of Norton, Watts and company that this film was going to take the high road (Update: I found that other trailer on another DVD and, indeed, it gives away very little of the story, which is much more effective than the one accompanying the actual movie).

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If you like a story that deals with the basics of human experience---what love is and what it is not... you will enjoy this film. If you want lots of noise, speed and sensation, rush down to your local Cineplex where you'll find lots of trash that will satisfy your taste.

We see how the main characters are thrown together by circumstances and how their decisions shape their lives. I didn't read the novel so I can't comment on how well the film adapts it but I found it to be very complete and satisfying, which is not always the case when a screenwriter has to cram hundreds of pages into into a two hour script.

You can tell that this was a labor of love for Ed Norton, whose performance as the repressed doctor is perfect. His character is awkward and shy, more at home in a laboratory than at a party. He is hardly attractive and so is powerfully attracted to his opposite--a beautiful, careless socialite who has nothing on her mind other than disliking her dreadful mother. Her mother forces her marry, or be cut off from support, so having no other option in sight, she accepts the proposal of this hapless doctor.

A recipe for disaster! They go to China, where she is temporarily distracted, by another expatriot, a charming, married fellow, who possesses all the excitement that her poor husband lacks and they soon fall into something like love. When her husband discovers her affair he forces her to accompany him to rural China, where cholera is ravaging the population. Wow! If she thought life back in London was a bummer, this brings misery to a whole new level!

Besides cholera, there is political unrest, so danger presents itself on all sides. She and her husband soon detest each other and she tries to contact her ex-lover to rescue her. Alas! she learns that she was only one of a string of dalliances that this cad had indulged in.

I won't divulge the rest of the story. See this and enjoy it for yourself!

Naomi Watts' performance equals Norton's and they are fascinating to watch as each of them evolves. The shots of China are lovely without being overwhelming. This is a perfectly satisfying movie on all levels.

Finding Nemo (Three-Disc Collector's Edition: Blu-ray/DVD in DVD Packaging) (2003)

Recently, I saw Albert Brooks on Late Night with David Letterman, talking about Finding Nemo. Brooks, who stars as the voice of Marlon, the daddy fish, had taken his son (who, I believe was about five years old, the equivalent human age of Nemo), to the premiere. After about five minutes, Brooks said his son leaned over to him, and quietly said, the way a grownup might, "I cannot watch this movie," and walked out. Late in the movie, the son returned, having obviously been crying. Leaning over, Brooks assured his son, "You are not Nemo."

Such is the power of this fish story about father and son clownfish who become separated, and must struggle to find their way back to each other. Marlon is a loving but neurotic and overprotective father; Nemo is a frustrated young fish who wants to be independent and see the world, and resents his father for preventing him from doing so. We see an ocean (read: the world) that is a terrible, heartless, and yet joyous place that we frail fish must confront, as best we can, because there's no alternative.

The animation was done by the wonderful folks from Pixar, who are the closest thing to the reincarnation of Walt Disney. There is simply no comparison between the animation of the typical, visually flat, politically correct, contemporary animated movie (many of which are produced by Walt Disney Pictures!) and Nemo. In Nemo, the ocean floor looks like the ocean. And the characters are all ... characters. They are all physically distinctive, wonderfully written, and performed by gifted actors who if you'll pardon the cliché will alternately make you laugh and cry. Of particular note are Barry Humphries as Bruce the Shark, Geoffrey Rush as Nigel the Pelican, Willem Dafoe as Gill, Allison Janney as Peach, and of course, young Alexander Gould as Nemo. Ellen Degeneres, in particular, steals every scene she's in, as Dory, a gregarious fish whose memory leaks like a sieve. But this is Albert Brooks' movie. The Academy should give this man a special Oscar for the most moving voice work my wife and I have ever heard.

Thomas Newman, of the musical Newman clan (Alfred, Lionel, Randy) has produced a score that is subtle and unobtrusive much of the time, but at dramatic moments takes over, and is more impressive, with repeated viewings. He deserves his fifth Oscar nomination for Nemo.

Andrew Stanton's (Toy Story, Monsters, Inc.) screenplay, written with Bob Peterson and David Reynolds, brims with intelligence and wit (e.g., in an AA-style group of recovering and frequently lapsing sharks, the members intone, "I am a nice shark, not an eating machine.... Fish are friends, not food"), and Stanton's direction does not waste a scene. Every moment in Nemo will either charm you or move you. In fact, as my wife remarked, for all of its many comic scenes, this is one of the most moving movies you'll ever see. We've already seen it several times with our three-and-a-half-year-old son, who loves it, and yet with each new viewing, we notice things we'd previously missed.

Though I wish Nemo would win all of the big Oscars (Best Picture, Director, Screenplay), I doubt Academy voters will choose it over its live-action competition. And yet, I will be very surprised, if a better picture -live action or animated -is released this year. Finding Nemo is truly a find.

Originally published in The Critical Critic, October 17, 2003.

Finding Nemo is the fifth installment for Pixar Studios, the most reliable studio in Hollywood today, and it is my personal favorite. The first obviously outstanding aspect of the movie is the animation. From the breathtaking wonder of the Great Barrier Reef, to the cold, sterile fish tank, the animation is top notch and truly state of the art. The water, which has always been the bane of animation, is picture perfect, and the animators have captured the rolling but constant ocean and the light refractions perfectly. But animation itself doesn't make a film. Finding Nemo's strongest aspect is it's warm, witty, heartfelt, and funny story of a father's quest to reclaim his son. The kids will love the vibrant characters and funny situations, and so will the parents. However, the parents will be able to enjoy the film on a level far more than the kids will. The story is about losing a child, and the desperate quest to be reunited, which will hit the parent right in the gut. This is the story's dark side, which has, thankfully, not been sugar coated by the creators. Overall, lets just say Halleluja, Pixar, you've done it again!

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YOU MUST SEE THIS MOVIE.

There. Now that I've said that, I should tell you that this is NOT solely a childrens' movie, but will be enjoyed as much (if not more) by adults. The cleverness of Pixar will never cease to amaze me. Only they could take a concept like a full-length movie about fish and make it totally believable. This film succeeds n being very, very funny. Heck, I'm 16 and saw it in the theater with only my mother. The two of us were laughing hysterically throughout the entire thing!

There's alot of sadness and emotion in this movie and some absolutely terrific voice acting--the voice cast is top-notch. There are some touching moments and subtle messages to be heard by all, not just kids. I look forward with anticipation to the DVD release of this wonderful movie. The suspense never lets up; encounters with jellyfish, a whale, and a deep-sea lanturn fish make every moment exciting.

As we know, every Disney/Pixar film is associated with its own special "short." Well, this one is the best yet, and the short film sets you up for the great feelings you'll have while seeing "Finding Nemo." I won't give away the storyline, but it involves a cute snowman, a water globe, and some tropical souvenirs that completely ready one for the overwhelming tropical-ness of the feature film.

One thing I can't get over is how true-to-life these characters are. The attention to finding a unique species for each fish is incredible and adds a whole new, educational, dimension to the movie. There are some memorable characters in "Finding Nemo." First and foremost is Marlin, the lovable clownfish who is an overprotective father to his adventurous son, Nemo. Then there's Dory, the regal blue tang with the memory problem. She provides much of the comic relief but is also an immensely "real" character. Bruce is a mako shark who wants to get rid of the typical image of sharks as mindless eating machines. Crush is a 150-year-old sea turtle with a cool-surfer-dude attitude. Nigel is a helpful pelican. The whole thing takes place in the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Australia.

And then there are the aquarium fish, who invite Nemo into their 'club' when he gets scooped from the sea. He goes through the initiation ceremony at Mt. Wannahockaloogee, complete with tiki statues and all. The animation is awesome. Their group includes Peach, the lookout starfish; Deb, a delusional fish who thinks her reflection is her sister; a French shrimp, a puffer fish, a yellow tang, and a royal gramma. They are led by Gill, a moorish idol who longs to return to the ocean.

This film is excellent; it deserves a sequel...

Overall this is one film that nobody should miss--parents, kids, or otherwise. I hope this review has convinced you to go get yourself a ticket to "Finding Nemo."

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My daughter and I went to see this film at our local IMAX theater and I have to say it was fabulous! This picture deals with some difficult themes in an entertaining and heart-warming way. The ocean scenes were so breath-taking that at times it was hard to believe we were watching computer animation. We loved this movie so much that we will be going to see it again this week. Looking around the theater I saw many young adults and couples without children. I hope the 70 million dollar opening weekend sends a message to Hollywood: America is tired of the violence. We want more feel-good movies.

Bravo Disney/Pixar! We are patiently awaiting your next theatrical release in Nov. 2004!

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"I'll call you squishy, you shall be mine, you shall be my squishy" says Dory the blue, short term memory loss fish to a small jellyfish near by! This movie is wonderful. It's cute, it's funny, it's silly, it's sweet and it has a great meaning to it. It's great for all ages. You will want to watch it over and over again. If you are anything like my nieces and I you will find yourself quoting little things that Dory says throughout the movie because they are so funny and memorable!! It's classic!

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The Odd Couple (2013)

I grew up with the Tony Randall/Jack Klugman sitcom version of "The Odd Couple." Everything about it is funny. Having seen for the first time the movie, I never before imagined how smart Neil Simon could be. The movie outshines the TV series, and is worth the space on any standard comedy DVD library shelf.

In the TV series, Klugman's Oscar is a bohemian bachelor living in slop, and apparently content. In the movie, Walter Matthau's Oscar is no neater, but five times as deep. Although he lives in a divorced man's squalor of old cigars and warm beer, he wants more. He's lonely for his wife and kids, and regrets not making his alimony payments. His life is so disorganized that he wastes money by squandering cash on dinners out and gambling.

When Felix Ungar, as played by Jack Lemmon, Oscar's poker buddy, comes to stay when his wife divorces him, lifestyles clash.

On the surface, the clash is about organization and housekeeping. More deeply, Felix and Oscar duel as Super Ego and ID. Consistently archetypal, they are, in a more modern sense, like Marge and Homer Simpson, each seeing life through their limited expressions. Felix is uptight, and forever second-guessing himself. Oscar is living life for the moment, and never stopping to consider his responsibilities.

Oscar cares about Felix more than their other poker buddies, and connects with him as alter self, regarding their friendship worth pursuing. Since Felix needs a place to stay, Oscar offers up his ample apartment. The conflicts arise soon after, but not without each appreciating what the other brings to the relationship. Ironies abound when Felix's hypersensitivities gain him the affection of two dimwitted but attractive sisters, and Oscar's unbridled hormones.

Oscar can't help but enjoy Felix's great cooking and cleaning habits. He eats better, saves money, and finds his home is a nice a place to be when cigarette butts don't litter the floor.

No remake could collect such a cast. Matthau and Lemmon are known here as a duo on par with any of the great matches, like Bogie and Bacall, Bing and Bob, or Abbott and Costello. John Fiedler as the soft spoken family man, Vinnie, and Herb Edelman as Murray the cop are casted primely. One reason "The Odd Couple II" misses is this class cast. Matthau and Lemmon bring a lot to the table, but with Murray and Vinnie (plus Monica Evans and Carole Shelley respectively as the giggly sisters, Cecily and Gwendolyn Pigeon), anything made 30+ years later won't do.

Superbly written, "The Odd Couple" is one of those comedies with intelligence. Never does Neil Simon try to pan off one-liners. Even as Oscar tosses out slicing one-phrased commentaries as swiftly as Grouch Marx, there is more than a quick chuckle behind it. It is the myriad of layers, subtle commentary and sly interjections that lift this script up an extra level, placing it as a classic.

Surprisingly entertaining is the theme. It is the same theme as in the TV series, but plays in varied orchestrations throughout the movie's context. It was one of the great TV themes, and to hear it extrapolated in several variations makes it so much more enjoyable.

I fully recommend "The Odd Couple."

Anthony Trendl

ChicagoSpeechwriter.com

The 1968 classic is revisited on DVD but this time for Paramount's special "CENTENNIAL COLLECTION" release. This definitive release features commentary by the songs of Matthau and Lemmon but also a good number of lengthy featurettes that shows tribute to the popular film and to Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau. An awesome tribute to this comedy classic!

VIDEO & AUDIO:

For the Centennial Collection of "The Odd Couple", for a film created in 1968, the film looks very good on DVD. Video is presented in widescreen (enhanced for 16:9 TV's). It was great to see the video scenes of New York in the 60's.

As for audio, audio is presented in English 5.1 Surround and French and Spanish mono. With the film being a dialogue based film, everything is front channel and clear. And of course, the music, composer Neil Hefti's theme song for "The Odd Couple" will always be remembered.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

Unlike previous DVD releases of "The Odd Couple" which were sparse when it came to special features, the "CENTENNIAL COLLECTION" version features a good number of special features and quite lengthy as well.

* Commentary: Commentary by Charlie Matthau and Chris Lemmon. The guys have an interesting conversation during the film and talking about their parents. How they were odd couple as friends in real life and on the film but still very good friends. Chris Lemmon talks about how his father was like Felix and Charlie talks about how his father was like Felix as well in real life. As Matthau puts it, the first "bromance" on film.

* In the Beginning... A 17-minute featurette featuring interviews with Larry King (a good friend of Simon, Lemmon and Matthau), David Sheiner (who plays "Roy"), Carole Shelley (who plays "Gwendolyn Pigeon"), Gene Saks (the director of the film), Chris Lemmon (son of Jack Lemmon), Charlie Matthau (son of Walter Matthau), Brad Garrett (who played "Murray" and "Oscar" in the 2005 Broadway revival), Robert Evans (former studio head) and more. Each talking about their experiences of the watching "The Odd Couple" play, the film, their experiences with Neil Simon, Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau and a good insight to personal experience on the film and the personal friendship between Lemmon and Matthau. A very good tribute to the film and the men. A wonderful and informative featurette.

* Inside The Odd Couple A 19-minute featurette about the casting of the film. Also, an insight on why Art Carney ("The Honeymooners", "Oscar") who was in the original Broadway production with Walter Matthau, turned down the part. Also, behind-the-scenes of the budget of the film and how they could cast two popular actors and possibly a director like Billy Wilder on a tight budget and then what took place afterwards and Gene Saks eventually becoming the director. Eventually, the only way to get the two men in the film was to not use Billy Wilder and go with Gene Saks. Interviews with a few of the talent on the film and discussing about how they were cast for their roles. Very informative!

* Memories from the Set A ten-minute featurette with interviews with director Gene Saks who would talk about the relationship on the film between Lemmon and Matthau. David Sheiner (who plays "Roy") talking about how the second act was shot first and the first act second because Matthau broke his arm in an accident. Interesting tid-bits behind the scenes of the film.

* Matthau & Lemmon A ten-minute featurette with both Chris Lemmon and Charlie Matthau and those involved with the film discussing the friendship of their father and how they were great friends for decades and how their friendship made their onscreen perfomance even much better. Both sons reflect on their father's friendship and growing up with their father and the type of relationship they had. A more personal featurette based on family and friendship.

* The Odd Couple: A Classic A three-minute featurettte featuring cast, those involved with the film, ChrisLemmon and Charlie Matthau discussing why they feel the movie had become a classic.

* Galleries Image galleries from production and from the movie.

* Trailers Theatrical Trailer (previously used on the 2000 DVD release)

And like previous Centennial Collections from Paramount, a booklet is included with information and tidbits about the film and its stars and also a cardboard slipcase that holds the DVD/case.

JUDGMENT CALL:

"The Odd Couple" will always be remembered as a comedy classic. In fact, it ranks #17 for the American Film Institute's "AFI Top 100 Years...100 Laughs" category. And that doesn't surprise me one bit, this film is just so enjoyable and entertaining.

The back and forth exchanges between Matthau and Lemmon will always be remembered, both men were just magnificent in this filme and after watching this "CENTENNIAL COLLECTION", you realize how these two men made it happen. Not just because they were talented actors but they had this tremendous friendship that transcended off-screen to on-screen and made their onscreen performance so believable and enjoyable and yet making you laugh. Even though this film is over 40-years-old, it still remains entertaining and quite hilarious now as it was then.

But what makes this "CENTENNIAL COLLECTION" so wonderful is the fact that you have special features bringing talent and crew involved with the film, family and friends of Neil Simon, Matthau and Lemmon, those who have worked with revival of the play and showcasing everything from the casting, the hiring of a director, behind-the-scenes of making the film, personal relationships between the children and their father and much more. For fans of the film, the special features included in the "CENTENNIAL COLLECTION" is absolutely golden. There is just so much to learn and watch and enjoy on this DVD that Paramount really did give royal treatment for this release.

All in all, this DVD is highly recommended!

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I saw this movie about two weeks ago on AMC. It was funny and made me really laugh. I'm a 16 year old who likes classic and ORIGINAL films, not today's CGI filled/no talent actors/rap star cameo-esque films. Anyway, I really liked Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau after seeing this movie. Of course, I always liked Matthau, because I've seen him in a couple of movies with Gregory Peck (also on AMC). It was a great movie!

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This is a New York movie from the New York of the post-war years. A city in which a sports writer like Oscar Madison could afford to rent a seven room apartment on Central Park West. It is a film from an era where Felix could be heterosexual and a man could be rejected by his wife because he was too neat. The plot is full of ironies and scenes which demonstrate the bizaare predictiment of personality extremes Felix and Oscar and their relationship to each other. Last and most importantly, the movie is incredibly funny. None of the jokes are cliche or recycled and each reveals something about the extreme personalities of Felix the neurotic and Oscar the ultra-slob. The city is always the star, even as we are focused on the conflicts and complements of the Odd Couple's relationship. But it is always there, in a way which is familiar to someone who lives in Manhattan. Once of the last scenes of the film have Felix and Oscar arguing on the roof of their building, with the New York City Westside Skyline in the background. That is one of the best New York scenes in any movie. Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthaw are brilliant and the Odd Couple. I only wish that a movie of the genre could be made now, films about personalities and men and New York which are beyond today's narrow box of social types.

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Being a community theatre director, I am always looking for videos of prospective shows. There is no better comedy connection than Lemmon and Matthau. They are the ultimate comedy team, not because they are so much alike, but because they are so different. They actually play to each other's strengths, much the same way that Neil Simon has created this story--two different guys, so different that the comedy is created through their diversity. The genius of Simon is exponentially multiplied by Lemmon and Matthau. The DVD is certainly reasonably priced for such a gem. Don't miss this one.

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