The Mask of Zorro (1998)

This review refers to the Columbia TriStar DVD Dec 2000 release of "The Mask of Zorro"......

You're a big fan of this Zorro film but don't want to shell out big bucks? This DVD is for you. Columbia/TriStar's transfer to DVD is one of the best I've seen. There isn't one detail about it that's inferior. The picture is presented in beautiful anamorphic widescreen(2.35:1), and shows off the incredible cinematography of the Mexico/California regions. The colors are outstanding. They jump out at you and take your breath away.The sound including the wonderful score, the dialouge and all the swashbuckling action is outstanding in the Dolby Dgigtal 5.1(THX) surround. You can also set it up for 2.0 stereo if you choose.You won't find a ton a special features, but there is "making of" featurette, with some commentary by cast and crew, that is entertaining and informative.For those who would prefer more on the side of extras and don't mind paying more, there is a "special edition" release that has lots of goodies including a video, and lots of commentary(see buying info). There is also a "super-bit" version, also more expensive if you choose.(Don't look for extras there).

The movie is packed with action, adventure, romance, and comedy and drama.It will appeal to you if you love westerns, history, or swashbucklers. The story opens with Zorro(Anthony Hopkins)bounding in to help save the Mexican people from the ruthless Don Rafeal Montero(Stuart Wilson). They have been under Spanish rule and are now about to be free. Montero and Don Diego de la Vega/Zorro have been sworn enemies for years. Montero follows De La Vega back to his home, finds that he is Zorro, a swordfight ensues, Diego's wife is murdered, his baby girl stolen and he is imprisoned.Montero flees back to Spain and raises the child as his own.

Twenty years later........Diego learning of Montero's return, see's a chance to reclaim his daughter, Elena(the beautiful Catherine Zeta-Jones) and breaks out of prison. He now trains a younger and stronger man, Alejandro Murietta(Antonio Banderas), to take his place and to help save the people once again from the ruthless Montero.Lots of adventure abounds as they set out to accomplish these feats, and of course lots of romantic adventure as well between Alejandro and Elena.You never knew sword fighting was so much fun and so sexy until you see these two in a duel!

Hopkins is exquiste as the older Zorro, Banderas charming, funny, and handsome as ever,and Zeta-Jones in one of her earliest roles really shines through. Other notables to watch for are L.Q. Jones as "Three-Fingered Jack", and Pedro Armendariz Jr as Don Pedro. Cinematography by Phil Meheux(The Saint/Goldeneye)is outstanding, Musical score by James Horner brillant as always in giving the perfect feeling to the story, and wonderful direction by Martin Campbell(Vertical Limit/Goldeneye).

Watch for "The Sign of the Z"........Laurie

Remember all those old movies where the swashbuckling hero swoops down to the rescue and saves the day for one and all, defeating the enemies and getting the girl all within a few hours' entertainment? "The Mask of Zorro" is a testament to those movies, embodying all of these characteristics in its magnificent story and exhilarating action sequences. With a powerhouse cast that seems as if they were born to play the parts they play, as well as strong music and a solid story, Zorro once again rises from Hollywood deterioration to save the day in a movie that is good, old-fashioned fun from beginning to end!

The old Zorro legend is given a new twist with this film, which begins with Don Diego de la Vega, the original and legendary Zorro, saving a group of prisoners from execution in the town square and leaving his mark on his nemesis, Don Raphael, warning him to leave and never return. Raphael does leave, but not before killing de la Vega's wife and taking his child, also having him imprisoned. Many years later, Raphael returns, "daughter" in tow, to name himself the new governer and to make sure his past enemy is all but alive in his prison. Through extreme craftiness and cunning, de la Vega escapes, only to discover his life is no longer what it once was.

His venture into the public brings him to the attention of one Alejandro Murrieta, who quarrels with him in the marketplace and then resolves himself to friendship. The two do share a past: on the day of Zorro's last battle, Alejandro, along with his brother, saved him from death. Now, Alejandro is distraught and torn with revenge for Captain Harrison Love, the murderer of his brother, and agrees to take on the mask once worn by de la Vega, who in turn will teach him the art of fighting with honor and grace.

The movie is one of those tributes to the old movies of the past, which played out the story of a hero who won all the goods and the girl in the ending. This one admittedly involves a few more characters than those old movies, but that's not to say that they don't each play a special part in the advancement of the movie. The romance, epic scale, action sequences and extreme wit are all present, making this a very exciting and memorable movie experience.

The advancement of the plot lies within the external battle between Raphael and our two heroes, who devise plan after plan to bring him to his downfall. They discover that he has made plans of tricking Santa Anna out of his own land, thus setting the stage for the impending climax which pits good against evil. The characters are all given the chance to become complex and intelligent, which is important in a movie like this. As they begin to outmatch one another, this adds on to the movie's tension over who will win out in the end.

The settings and music have a vast effect on the look and feel of this movie, which takes place in the 19th century. The sets are full of artistic influences from Spanish backgrounds and artists, giving it the true look and feel of the time period. Costume design also adds to the grandeur and pomp of the aristocracy as well as the impoverished conditions of the poor, adding to the contrast between the two differing demographics. The music, composed by James Horner, is amazing, employing Spanish instruments and rhythms while keeping a mordern feel to its score as well. The music adds a lot of heart to the movie, bringing out the intensity, the romance, the passion, and the victories with stylish and rousing compositions that fit right into the entire picture.

The choreography and stunts for this film are what really make it work for the audience, dazzling us with some of the most effective swordplay ever acted out on film. Most of the battle scenes involve men with swords, fighting against one another with an honorable form of battle. Actors Antonio Banderas, Anthony Hopkins, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Stuart Wilson and Matt Letscher all hit the swordplay as if they are prose, adding believability as well as excitement to these scenes.

The actors mentioned above bring so much to the movie. Banderas is magnificent in his role as Alejandro, the new Zorro, a role he seems destined to have played. His looks, his charm, and his wit and personality all make this Zorro one of the finest ever. Hopkins brings his usual presence to the movie, establishing his character as one of immense wit and intelligence, while also possessing a vast knowledge of the art of fighting. Catherine Zeta-Jones sparkles in her role as Elena, de la Vega's daughter, and the chemistry between she and Banderas is dazzling and intense. Stuart Wilson and Matt Matt Letscher play our enemies, and they do so with performances to match those of the heroes.

"The Mask of Zorro" is one big piece of fun that works on many different levels. Some will find pleasure in watching the actors work with the material, some will find intrigue in watching the romance unfold, while the action and adventure will most likely be the most influential factor that wins over the audience. It never stops moving, and keeps dishing out the thrills, the laughs, and the cheers.

Buy The Mask of Zorro (1998) Now

This film is probably the best sword fighting film I have seen with lots of action and a great story line. A film fact is that the guy who teachs the actors how to sword fence has done so many movies from robin hood, three muskateers and now zorro he is actually in his 70's. Basically the story involves De la Vega (Anthony Hopkins) who is the original Zorro in the movie and then after years of him being in jail he teaches alexandro(Antonio Bandaras) all his skills to continue his service to the people a master/apprentice type movie. A classic quote from the movie De la vega:"zorro was a servant of the people he did what was needed !" Alexandro "Yes and now he is needed agian". The acting is superb Anthony Hopkins(enough said), Antonio Bandaras plays the part of zorro reall swarve and calm and not forgeting the lovely Catherine Zeta Jones who has a spanish look about her and her accent is well done well suited to the part. The DVD sound and picture is superb quality and the special documentary is very interesting, it explains all the planning that is put into the movie from the staged sword fights to the backround scenary.

Read Best Reviews of The Mask of Zorro (1998) Here

For 90 years, many fans of "Zorro" have seen quite a few adaptation of the swashbuckling hero who dons a black mask, cape, clothing and his sword.

From the original books from 1919 by pulp writer Johnston McCulley to the silent films by Douglas Fairbanks and one of my favorites, the 1958-1960 Disney television series starring Guy Williams. But there has been a sort of lull when it came to "Zorro" films and before the 1998 film "The Mask of Zorro", we were left with the George Hamilton comedy "Zorro, the Gay Blade" in 1981.

But in 1998, producer Steven Spielberg ("Indiana Jones" films, "Schindler's List", "E.T.", "Jurassic Park" films) along with director Martin Campbell ("Casino Royale", "Vertical Limit", "GoldenEye") began working on a new action film based on the hero for a new generation of moviegoers. Featuring a screenplay by John Eskow ("Air America", "Pink Cadillac"), Ted Elliott ("National Treasure"and "Pirates of the Carribean" films) and Terry Rossio ("Pirates of the Carribean" films), music by James Horner ("The Spiderwicke Chronicles", "Troy", "Enemy at the Gates") and cinematographer Phil Meheux ("Casino Royale", "Around the World in 80 Days", "GoldenEye").

The film was released in theaters during the Summer of `98 and with a budget of $95 million, the film went on to make over $250 million worldwide and was received positively by critics.

VIDEO & AUDIO:

"The Mask of Zorro" is presented in 1080p High Definition (aspect ratio 2:40:1). I was quite pleased with the picture quality of the film as there was pretty good detail on the texture of the Mexican and Spanish clothing, detail of the interiors of Don's cave hideout and the dirt and grime on the Murrieta boys. A good number of shots were outdoors, so there was a good amount of lighting. Skin tones were natural and you can see Anthony Hopkins blue eyes quite clearly. I tend to get a bit unnerved with some films shot during the 80's and 90's because they look a bit waxy but "The Mask of Zorro" looks very good for a 1998 film.

As for audio, the film is presented in English, French and Portuguese 5.1 DTS-HD MA (and Spanish 5.1). The soundtrack for the film is actually fantastic. For an older film, I was expecting a front and center channel driven soundtrack but "The Mask of Zorro" really takes advantage of the surround and rear surround channels and also some LFE. You hear the crowds clapping all around you during a scene when Montero arrives back to California. Horses galloping and thunder is also well heard. Fighting sequences, gun shots, explosions are really utilized quite well and for the most part, similar to "Air Force One" which is a 90's film that was given great audio by Sony, the same can be said for "The Mask of Zorro". The lossless soundtrack is clear, understandable and quite immersive during the action sequences.

Subtitles are in English, English SDH, French, Portuguese and Spanish.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

"The Mask of Zorro" comes with the following special features presented in standard definition, English stereo and optional Portuguese or Spanish subtitles:

* movieIQ With BD-Live, you can obtain information about the film online while watching the film (optional).

* Director's Commentary Featuring audio commentary with director Marc Campbell. Campbell provides insight on each scene and very thorough in his explanation of the talent, the set and more.

* Exclusive Documentary: Unmasking Zorro (45:05) The making of "The Mask of Zorro" featuring director Martin Campbell, Anthony Hopkins, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Antonio Banderas and more talking about the film, the history of Zorro, the production and costume design of the film, the music and more.

* Deleted Scenes (4:50) Featuring two deleted scenes: The Wallet and The Resolution.

* "The Legend of Zorro" Behind-the-Scenes Peek (5:02) A behind-the-scenes look at the making of "The Legend of Zorro" and interviews with Catherine Zeta-Jones, Antonio Banderas and director Martin Campbell who talk about reuniting seven years later for the sequel of "The Mask of Zorro".

* Music Video by Marc Anthony and Tina Arena -(4:51) Music video for "I Spent My Whole Life Loving You" by Marc Anthony and Tina Arena.

* Exclusive Scene from "The Legend of Zorro" (1:43) A short sneak peek of the 2005 film "Legend of Zorro".

JUDGMENT CALL:

It actually has been a Zorro month for me during Fall/Winter 2009. Having watched the complete "Zorro" TV series from 1958-1960, I was enchanted by the humor, drama and the action. So, watching "The Mask of Zorro", I felt that it was perfect timing on my part because the film was almost like a continuation of previous films and even the TV series because you forward to the future in which the hero Don de la Vega is now an older man, married and knowing that he's getting too old to be doing jumps and escaping harm.

I was a bit skeptical at first seeing Anthony Hopkins taking on the role of Don Diego. Mainly because I've gotten so used to seeing Guy Williams playing the role of "Zorro" but because this role calls for an older Don Diego, Hopkins is such a talented actor, that he makes you feel comfortable towards his character.

You easily accept him and sympathize for him as Don Diego goes through the worst, imaginable things that the hero has ever experienced. But enter Antonio Banderas. One thing that Guy Williams captured in the classic TV series is a character with class, charisma and is able to deliver in the action. Banderas starts off as a bit of a ruffian but through the course of the film, we see the thief become the hero and much more refined.

And as for Catherine Zeta-Jones, she looks absolutely beautiful in this film and together, she and Banderas played their characters of Alejandro and Elena quite well. They both have that chemical/sexual attraction towards each other but also, aside from the dramatics, the two also have a good repertoire for utilizing their characters to earn some laughs from the audience.

One thing that the original TV series had was high production value in which Walt Disney himself made sure "Zorro" utilized. So, when Steven Spielberg was the name behind the producing of this film, you knew that there would be significant action scenes and most of all, a film that would receive good financing to pull off these fight scenes that Zorro is known for. May it be him battling with a sword, climbing on rooftops or chandeliers, being chased on horseback to Zorro taking on dozens of men, fight choreography was done well and cinematography was also solid and for the most part, those scenes were highly enjoyable.

"The Mask of Zorro" was definitely a hallmark for Zorro films. After that periodic lull of having nothing satisfying since the late 1950's and early 60's, it was great to see the character of Zorro done well for this film. A screenplay that is not only action-driven but also character driven and you get all the humor and sexual attraction in this film as well.

Having seen the TV series and a few of the Zorro films in the past, I'm confident to say that "The Mask of Zorro" is the best Zorro film ever made thus far. For those of us who grew up watching the adventures of Don Diego de la Vega, this film is simply the passing of the title to a new character for a new generation of viewers. Fortunately, the film was handled quite well and I really enjoyed seeing this film again and I'm sure you will too. Definitely recommended!

Want The Mask of Zorro (1998) Discount?

I had long considered watching "The Mask of Zorro". When its sequel, "The Legend of Zorro", came to my town's theater, my family decided that we'd better watch it before seeing the sequel.

"The Mask of Zorro" is a sequel not a remake to the Zorro films and series of old. The film begins with the original Zorro, played by Anthony Hopkins, losing his wife and daughter and being imprisoned. The rest of the film is set twenty years later, as the old Zorro teaches a young, skilled thief (played by Antonio Banderas) what he needs to know to put on the mask.

"The Mask of Zorro" is truly a wonderful film. It's directed by Martin Campbell, who also directed films like "Beyond Borders", "GoldenEye", and the upcoming "Casino Royale". I thought it was an interesting how "Mask of Zorro" was filmed in a style extremely similar to that of "GoldenEye". Campbell is a great director, and he has a distinct directorial style to him that is perfect for this film.

The cast is great. Anthony Hopkins, for me anyways, stold the show. He was really fantastic. But Antonio Banderas was wonderful as well; his scenes with Hopkins are some of the best in the film. Catherine Zeta-Jones is beautiful in her scenes, and Stuart Wilson was a hateable badguy.

The film is well-photographed, and it looks terrific thanks to some beautiful sets and scenery. James Horner's score makes it all the more adventurous and exciting, as well as heroic. The script co-written by Terry Rossio & Ted Elliott, who worked on another fantastic adventure movie, "Pirates of the Caribbean" is well-written and engrossing. There's never a dull moment.

All in all, I had a great time watching this. "The Mask of Zorro" is a wonderfully fun and immensely entertaining joy of a film, great for watching alone or with the whole family. I'd certainly recommend it to anyone looking to watch a fine movie.

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50/50 (2011)

This might just be my new favorite film.

I went to see this, primarily, because I've always loved the previous works of both Joseph Gordon-Levitt as well as Seth Rogen. The premise, a young man is diagnosed with a rare form of cancer and tries to cope with it through humor, was appealing too. On a small sidenote: I'm from Vancouver and the majority of the movie was filmed there, so that was a pleasant surprise.

Adam is 27 years old and is shocked when he is diagnosed with a rare form of cancer on his spinal cord. He relies on his hilarious best friend, Kyle (Seth Rogen); his unreliable girlfriend, Rachel (Bryce Dallas Howard); and his overbearing mother, Diane (Angelica Houston), while he struggles with chemotherapy, doctor's appointments and losing all his hair. His interactions with each of these characters are ultimately hilarious, even when they aren't intended to be. Along the way his doctor sends him to a therapist named Katherine (Anna Kendrick), who is wet behind the ears but wants to specialize in helping cancer patients cope with their diagnoses.

Kyle is a very genuine character who wants to do everything he can to help Adam, although he stumbles along the way. He also takes advantage of Adam's situation as a way to meet girls, much to Adam's chagrin. He makes light of the situation whenever the chance arises, but shows himself to be a very sincere friend at every opportunity. Seth Rogen, actually playing the role he embodied in the real life story this movie is based on, is perfect as the somewhat dimwitted, but loveable best friend.

Rachel is the villain, if there is one. She is a typical flighty young woman who is torn between feeling guilty about Adam's condition and feeling freaked out and trapped by it. The audience can't help but dislike her from the get-go, which ultimately grows into loathing. Bryce Dallas Howard does really well in this role.

Diane is the kind of mom that almost everyone can relate to, whether as their own mother or one of a friend or loved one. She throws herself off the emotional cliff as soon as Adam tells her about this cancer, doing her utmost to support him, even when he keeps her at arms' length.

Katherine, the love interest, is a young woman who genuinely wants to connect with her patients, but who is, at the same time, insecure about her lack of professional experience. She connects with Adam (despite his initial reluctance) and ends up struggling with going above and beyond the appropriate protocol as a therapist.

Last, but never least, Adam: Adam is the everyman. He is hopeful, idealistic and passionate about his job as a radio broadcaster. He is committed to his girlfriend, whom he adores, despite her aloof behavior. He has a tight relationship with his best friend. He loves his mother, but avoids her at all costs because of her smothering behavior. His sudden cancer diagnosis throws his life into a tailspin, but he spends the majority of the movie trying to remain calm and rational about it. He makes friends with his fellow chemotherapy patients, he allows his best friend to use his cancer diagnosis as a way to garner the sympathy of pretty girls, he (reluctantly) follows his insensitive doctor's advice to talk to a therapist about his cancer. As one thing after another seems to go wrong we see him unravel and I think Joseph Gordon-Levitt's performance was downright inspirational. He teeters back and forth between denial, anger, despair, pain, fear and humor. Although this role might not be typical Oscar fare, I think a nomination was definitely earned.

The story of 50/50 is based on the real life experience of the writer, Will Reiser. He was diagnosed with spinal cancer at the age of 26 while he was working on Da Ali G show with Seth Rogen. Rogen, much like the character of Kyle, supported Reiser and tried to help him cope through the use of humor. Fortunately, Reiser beat cancer and is alive today to tell the story he went through. Although this movie is a comedy it has an equal number of dramatic moments and is incredibly touching. You'll be struggling not to cry at moments. Making cancer funny is a tricky thing and could easily crash and burn in offending audiences, but Reiser pulls it off beautifully. You won't feel guilty laughing at humorous moments and you'll still empathize with the characters and each of their individual challenges.

I will definitely be picking this up on blu-ray as soon as it's released. Go check it out.

I can tell that this was inspired by the true story of screenwriter Will Reiser. He has got every detail down so perfectly that it would either be that or that the man was sharing an esp channel with cancer patients. His protagonist is diagnosed with spinal cancer. This is 27 year old Adam, played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt. He discovers his is a rare form of spinal cancer with 50-50 odds of surviving it. It has not yet metastasized so they will try to shrink it with chemo first and then operate.

Seth Rogen plays his crude, loud, yet amazingly supportive best friend. Touchingly he even sneak reads on the side a book about going through cancer with someone. He provides the perfect foil for Adam.

Adam makes and loses relationships along the treatment way, which is also very normal. Some people are just better at coping with grave illness than others' are and if one has never had to move beyond a certain level of commitment to people, it can be neigh unto impossible to cope with it.

One of the best turns of the whole film is the role of his smothering but loving mother. I kept saying to myself, why does the actress playing the Jewish mother so brilliantly look so familiar? I then almost fell off the sofa as I realized that it was Angelica Huston (who was raised by her loud, boisterous Irish father so is not a Jewish mother at all in real life). Huston, however, not too long ago lost her long time spouse under similar catastrophic illness circumstances so I can see why she was a natural for the role.

Adam even manages to connect with one of his medical workers played by Anna Kendrick. She brings a lot of humor to the role as he is but her third patient. She is interning as a therapist on the way to her PhD in psychology. What she lacks in polish, she makes up with sincerity and compassion.

I am a cancer patient and this film is totally authentic. It is not depressing. This is a trial in this character's life and you see him go through this trial. You live your life while you have cancer. It is another life event which sometimes ends in your death. You don't suddenly become another person with cancer. You are the same person facing a terribly difficult ordeal, which may be terminal. But then again, there is always one life event which always ends up bringing one's death. On that the odds are 100%.

Buy 50/50 (2011) Now

Striking the right balance and tone has got to be an incredibly difficult thing to do when you are centering a comedic picture around a serious topic such as cancer. I suppose that's why we see so few cancer comedies--it just isn't a particularly amusing topic. On TV, Showtime has a Laura Linney helmed program called "The Big C" which addresses cancer as its principle theme. That program, however, (despite being beloved by many, so send me your hate mail) has the deck stacked with wacky caricatures and unbelievable situations that make it almost unbearably over-the-top. Maybe that's why "50/50" was an incredible surprise! It's easy to see why its perfectly measured screenplay has won numerous year-end accolades because the story deftly juggles the hilarious with the heartfelt. This is comedy that comes from a very real place with exceedingly believable characters, and yet--it is also surprisingly hard-edged and never devolves into sentimental treacle. In a word, the film's tone is perfect. With its smart screenplay and a wondrous lead performance from Joseph Gordon-Levitt, "50/50" is easily one of my favorite films of 2011.

Gordon-Levitt plays a relatively uptight professional whose life is upended when he is diagnosed with a particularly nasty strain of cancer in his back. Reeling from the news, he tries to carry on as normal as possible. But outside influences and those who care about him soon start breaking down some of the carefully erected barriers he's hid behind his whole life. Seth Rogan as his obnoxious best friend, Anjelica Huston as his somewhat estranged mother, Anna Kendrick as his hospital therapist, Bryce Dallas Howard as his girlfriend, and Philip Baker Hall and Matt Frewer as his chemotherapy partners round out one of the most effective ensembles of the year. Of course, when you're facing death--you figure out how precious life is and who is always going to be by your side. From a plotting standpoint, "50/50" may follow a somewhat expected course--but it is distinguished in the details and the performances. As Rogan pushes Gordon-Levitt to leverage his disease for moments of debauchery, the scenes expertly mix the disturbing with the hilarious with the real.

If you're looking for just another lightweight sex comedy, this might be a little heavy. But any emotional investment is earned and worth it. I laughed out loud frequently AND experienced many instances where I was genuinely moved. But the movie and its great screenplay (inspired by writer and Rogan's pal Will Reiser's real story) never turns into a maudlin weepy. It may be one of the least manipulative films to deal with a fatal disease that I've seen in years, and I mean that as a huge compliment. There are certain actors that I will follow on faith, and through the years Joseph Gordon-Levitt has become one of those people. He has managed his career with precision, bouncing between indie and mainstream fare as well as lead and supporting roles. I always appreciate a young actor who is willing to take chances, to pick roles and movies that they're passionate about or that might challenge them. Gordon-Levitt rose to the top of his generation with an eclectic bounty of great performances in oddball films (Brick, Mysterious Skin, The Lookout) and, in my opinion, recently served up Oscar caliber work in "(500) Days of Summer" and stole every scene he was in during "Inception." "50/50" is a worthy addition to his resume. I absolutely loved it! KGHarris, 12/11.

Read Best Reviews of 50/50 (2011) Here

As someone who has had and survived cancer in there 20's....was dumped when diagnosed....and found out who really is and will always be there for me and love me, this movie truly hit home. Yes it's a comedy, but I also wept like a baby. This movie is well made, great acting, and brings you through a real roller coaster of emotions. I loved this movie....loved.

Want 50/50 (2011) Discount?

Striking the right balance and tone has got to be an incredibly difficult thing to do when you are centering a comedic picture around a serious topic such as cancer. I suppose that's why we see so few cancer comedies--it just isn't a particularly amusing topic. On TV, Showtime has a Laura Linney helmed program called "The Big C" which addresses cancer as its principle theme. That program, however, (despite being beloved by many, so send me your hate mail) has the deck stacked with wacky caricatures and unbelievable situations that make it almost unbearably over-the-top. Maybe that's why "50/50" was an incredible surprise! It's easy to see why its perfectly measured screenplay has won numerous year-end accolades because the story deftly juggles the hilarious with the heartfelt. This is comedy that comes from a very real place with exceedingly believable characters, and yet--it is also surprisingly hard-edged and never devolves into sentimental treacle. In a word, the film's tone is perfect. With its smart screenplay and a wondrous lead performance from Joseph Gordon-Levitt, "50/50" is easily one of my favorite films of 2011.

Gordon-Levitt plays a relatively uptight professional whose life is upended when he is diagnosed with a particularly nasty strain of cancer in his back. Reeling from the news, he tries to carry on as normal as possible. But outside influences and those who care about him soon start breaking down some of the carefully erected barriers he's hid behind his whole life. Seth Rogan as his obnoxious best friend, Anjelica Huston as his somewhat estranged mother, Anna Kendrick as his hospital therapist, Bryce Dallas Howard as his girlfriend, and Philip Baker Hall and Matt Frewer as his chemotherapy partners round out one of the most effective ensembles of the year. Of course, when you're facing death--you figure out how precious life is and who is always going to be by your side. From a plotting standpoint, "50/50" may follow a somewhat expected course--but it is distinguished in the details and the performances. As Rogan pushes Gordon-Levitt to leverage his disease for moments of debauchery, the scenes expertly mix the disturbing with the hilarious with the real.

If you're looking for just another lightweight sex comedy, this might be a little heavy. But any emotional investment is earned and worth it. I laughed out loud frequently AND experienced many instances where I was genuinely moved. But the movie and its great screenplay (inspired by writer and Rogan's pal Will Reiser's real story) never turns into a maudlin weepy. It may be one of the least manipulative films to deal with a fatal disease that I've seen in years, and I mean that as a huge compliment. There are certain actors that I will follow on faith, and through the years Joseph Gordon-Levitt has become one of those people. He has managed his career with precision, bouncing between indie and mainstream fare as well as lead and supporting roles. I always appreciate a young actor who is willing to take chances, to pick roles and movies that they're passionate about or that might challenge them. Gordon-Levitt rose to the top of his generation with an eclectic bounty of great performances in oddball films (Brick, Mysterious Skin, The Lookout) and, in my opinion, recently served up Oscar caliber work in "(500) Days of Summer" and stole every scene he was in during "Inception." "50/50" is a worthy addition to his resume. I absolutely loved it! KGHarris, 12/11.

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Heavy Traffic (1973)

I remember very well the effect this film had on me right after leaving the theater; everywhere I looked on the drive home, people looked like cartoons. In Heavy Traffic, animation artist Ralph Bakshi presents us with a look at life in the early 70s (late 60s?), city style .... and this city is gritty, not entirely pretty ....

Michael Corleone (not the only reference to other popular films of the times) scribbles away at his drawing board while his Catholic father and Jewish mother wage Armageddon outside his door. He finds comfort and release seeing the world as an absurd, psychotic cartoon. Pretty much a loner, his main connection to the outside world is a black bargirl named Carol who works right downstairs from him and slips him drinks for his entertaining sketches. An unfortunate incident with a drag queen associate costs Carol her job, and she and Michael end up out on the streets together, since he can't seem to make ANY sort of job situation come together. They form a sort of hustling alliance, with him as her pimp, and they nosedive into dark urban realms of the quick buck and the inevitable personal compromises involved.

All this is interposed with images of live city backdrops and numerous references to a pinball game. Ralph Bakshi's animated vision is a moving work of underground pop art which, despite limitations, was a groundbreaking achievement that pushed the frontiers of American animation thousands of miles. I can see the influence of this film (and Bakshi's work in general) on the likes of Matt Groening, Don Bluth, and yes, even parts of Who Framed Roger Rabbit.

Heavy Traffic is dark, rude and dangerous. At times it has an almost experimental feel, moving at a stream of consciousness pace more than any conventional narrative. Its portayal of characters is raw and extreme, has an exaggerated sort of believability to it. It also has the feel of a semi-autobiography, with its portayal of a creative misfit struggling against the odds for survival, if not personal validation.

This very personal work goes places other animations of the time wouldn't even consider, was rated X at the time of its original release, and was re-released very shortly afterward in a lightly watered-down R-version. The recent DVD release appears to be a restoration of the original artwork, is a nice clean print, despite the full-frame format and mono soundtrack. It would be nice to see this touched up with a slightly refurbished soundtrack (it IS animation, after all); at the same time the compressed sound lends to the quaint sort of 70s feel to it, creating an air of nostalgia rivaling that of The Iron Giant. And these guys weren't even trying!

My appreciation for this special film has not diminished over the years; indeed, I understand it a bit more as an adult. It captures the dark, skewed out, surrealistic beauty of the urban underbelly, delivers some nasty bellylaughs, shows us the world as an oversized cartoon arcade game, and reminds us that all we can do sometimes is just keep playing that game. Even if we do end up getting our head blown off by a paraplegic midget on a skateboard. This stuff happens .......

Heavy Traffic will likely never receive the attention or respect it deserves as a piece of honest to goodness Americana. Like most of Ralph Bakshi's most personal work, it is rough hewn, obscene (though never pornogaphic) outrageous and damn honest. Along with Coonskin and Fritz the Cat, Heavy Traffic is about life in the 60's (in fact, taken together these three films form a kind of animated triptych). All three films are about revolution of one kind or another, personal or social, contain plenty of poetry, both visual and narrative and are more about life as we know it then the fantasy of life as we might wish it to be, which seems to be the standard for most animation today. Let's hope that eventually Ralph will get his due as a pioneer of animation.

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"Heavy Traffic" is a masterpiece of animation, despite the flaws it has. It dares to tackle with more complex human emotions and issues, far more than had ever been done since the Golden Age of Animation. The story deals with the trials and tribulations of young Michael Corleone (yes, that's his name), a 22 year-old Half-jewish, Half-Italian aspiring cartoonist. He lives with his parents, Angelo and Ida Corleone, whose relationship make Al and Peg Bundy look like Ozzie and Harriet. The film also talks about life in 1973 New York (tough place to be).

First off, there is a lot of great animation in here, although it lacks precision and professionalism , although I chalk that up to lack of funds for pencil testing and Bakshi's relative inexperience with feature animation. However, the animators do manage to get the personality of the characters across quite well. The characters in this film feel real, although they have caricatured appearances, but in some ways, the cartoony drawing style of the movie enhances the emotional realism of the characters. They're both lovable and deplorable at the same time, which makes them feel like real people. You'll never see Mickey Mouse or even Bugs Bunny do any of the stuff they do in this movie. One of the most interesting aspects of this movie is that it prides itself on being a animated movie. A lot of animated films have followed the Disney pattern of trying to disguise the animated factor by following a live-action pattern (trying to emulate live-action). This film tries to do what can only be done in animation. As such, there is a lot of surreal moments loaded with symbolism, although you will have to watch it a few times to get them. A key strength to any Bakshi film, but particularly his early ones, is collage of different styles. The characters are sometimes traced over live backgrounds (actual photographs), or the animation takes a whole new turn and transforms into something like the brilliant Maybellene sequence (set to the classic Chuck Berry song). Bakshi in those days was all about forging ahead and trying to create something new.

However, despite its brilliance, this film has a few rough patches. There are many good parts to this movie, but it's only after multiple viewings that the film connects as a whole. This shows a lack of clarity in storytelling, which isn't surprising since Bakshi tended to improvise as he went along. Although it adds a sense of adventure for production, it doesn't help create a coherent film. Also, did we really need to see Ida's breasts or have the gag about Angelo crapping his pants. I could have done with out those.

Aside from these minor complaints, "Heavy Traffic" is a great movie that is lightyears beyond Bakshi's previous film, "Fritz the Cat". This DVD does no justice to the films. We need a DVD commentary from the man himself, along with the animators who worked on this. Thank you for reading.

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It is about time that studios started looking into their back catalogues and releasing some old gems especially animated ones. This is a surreal reality cartoon from the genius Ralph Bakshi, a blighted but brightly lit urban landscape filled with far out characters. NOT FOR KIDS Now if we could get them to release all of Bakshi's work

Wizards Fritz the Cat Fritz the Cat 2 Streetfight Lord of the Rings I would especially love to see the short lived but spectacular Mighty Mouse series he did put on dvd! Even todays animated laugh fests on tv don't compare to this mans work.

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What is to be highlighted: The highest quality of this truly classic surrealistic piece. I take it as a qualifying American answer to such European surrealistic classics as Luis Bunuel's "The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie." Each absurd of our life, pictured there, is blown-up to a quite visible and sensible proportion. It is my opinion, that "Heavy Traffic" even surpasses "Fritz the Cat," regarding such qualities as range and depth of depicted ugliness of the "dark side" of human nature.

Also important is than not everybody appreciates surrealism. Therefore, this item is not for everyone, and especially is unsuitable for not mature audience (because of quite credible quality of certain graphic scenes).

I find as no surprise that some of the most notorious faces from "Heavy Traffic" can be spotted in recent times in many places, take "The Simpsons" as example.

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The Edge (2010)

This is a wonderful film that will keep the viewer totally absorbed. Written by the tremendously talented David Mamet (The House of Games, Oleanna), it is beautifully directed by the noted director Lee Tamahori (Once Were Warriors, Along Came a Spider). The film is a complex, fully fleshed story covering many themes, fully realized by a stellar cast. It also provides the viewer with breathtaking cinematography, as well as a compelling score written by Academy Award winner Jerry Goldsmith (The Omen).

The film focuses an a mild mannered, self-effacing, slightly paranoid billionaire, Charles Morse (Anthony Hopkins). A brilliant and well-read man with a penchant for esoteric knowledge, Morse is married to Mickey (Elle MacPherson), a young and beautiful, successful model. On location with her in a remote area of Alaska, she is surrounded by her young, fun loving camera crew, while he is seemingly the odd man out. He is astute enough, however, to sense that there are romantic undercurrents between his wife and her photographer, Robert Green (Alec Baldwin).

When Morse accompanies Robert on what was to be a short excursion into the Alaskan wilderness, looking for a local hunter to pose in the photo shoot, disaster looms ahead, and the test for the survival of the fittest begins. It is here that the superior mind and knowledge of Morse is put to the test, as they find themselves pitted against nature. Morse rises to the occasion, emerging as a natural leader, while his younger, fitter rival, Robert, is often at a loss as to how to cope in their peculiar situation. It is also through the emerging and changing conditions that they face, that their respective characters emerge. It is in the wilderness that they are both unmasked and emerge as their true selves.

This is a film that will keep the viewer enthralled. Anthony Hopkins has never been better as the quietly heroic Morse, and Alec Baldwin is excellent as the craven and duplicitous photographer who has cuckolded him. Elle MacPherson is luminous as the beautiful, young, trophy wife. The rest of the supporting cast, including the giant Kodiac bear, are also terrific. This is a superlative survival story that has something for everyone. Bravo!

The score, photography, direction, screenplay and the marvelous interaction between Alec Baldwin and Anthony Hopkins all deserve high praise. It says much for the power of Baldwin and Hopkin's performances that the magnificent bear, Big Bart, did not steal every scene in which he appeared.

Billionaire intellectual, mildly paranoid Hopkins accompanies his trophy wife played by super model Elle MacPherson to a photo shoot in the Alaskan wilderness. The always faintly menacing Alec Baldwin is a trendy, sophisticated fashion photographer who has more than a passing interest in Ms. MacPherson. Hopkins reluctantly agrees to accompany Baldwin on a search for an elusive native trapper who Baldwin thinks will be an ideal photo subject. The plane goes down (in a jarringly effective scene). Three survive, but on their first night the weakest of their party is horrifyingly mauled and taken away by a giant Kodiak bear. Baldwin and Hopkins must make their way out of the wilderness with the terrifying knowledge that the bear is stalking them. Hopkins is a wonderfully effective survivor and Baldwin shows a toughness and perseverance that belies his sophisticated image. Will the bear triumph? Will they get out alive? Are Baldwin and Hopkins ultimately partners or deadly adversaries?

Thanks to David Mamet, the screenplay has depth and is probably full of deeper meanings that whizzed right by me. Lee Tamahori's fine direction lifted the film from a merely grand adventure saga to an absorbing study of two men and their inner beings. The script or the interactions never bored me. There is one fine scene setup that alone was worth the price of admission to me. Hopkins and Baldwin are peering over a fallen log desperately trying to ascertain the location of the bear. Only their upper faces are showing. Hopkins china blue eyes display enormous depth and intelligence while Baldwin's icy blues convey complete kill or be killed intensity. I think reviewers have been unjust to Ms. MacPherson's contribution. I believe she delivered just what she was supposed to: a beauty who was graceful, charming and perhaps a little shallow.

This film is about as perfect as it can be. The only flaw is a very disappointing DVD with no extras. Hopefully, another edition will come out. Anthony Hopkins is always marvelously articulate about his roles; it would be a treat to hear a few words from him. Outtakes on Big Bart's scenes would be priceless. I advise waiting for new edition before purchasing the DVD, but by all means, rent this one! In spite of its totally unimaginative title, it is one of the great films of the decade.

-sweetmolly-Amazon Reviewer

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The Edge is a very much underrated film that sadly did not get the proper recognition it deserves, for it is an above average multi-layered movie that works very well on many levels, all equally well written and directed.

New Zealander Lee Tamahori, with the excellent Once We Were Warriors to his name,and writer David Mamet manage to make a movie that offers much more than its genre might suggests, both on the drama and thriller levels.

First there is the breathtaking Alaskan wilderness, spaces so vast they are equally inviting and menacing.A Napoleon general, lamenting the disaster that befell the French army once said: 'The vasteness of Russia devours us'. In the Edge you will too get the impression that the beauty of this untamed nature can also devour: break the bodies and souls of our heroes, Anthony Hopkins and Alec Baldwin, both offering their most underrated acting best.

Three men are lost in the middle of a wilderness after their plane crash.The hope for an early return/rescue is dashed by the misleading spaces and a huge and determined Kodiak bear.One man, played by Harry Perrineau gets to know first hand about this determination,leaving Hopkins and Baldwin, bewildered, and weary,to try and escape with their lives.

This is when the film really starts. It becomes a journey of incredible hardship that will strip both men of their 'social' selves and replace it with the need to survive that will take them to the 'Edge' of endurance on one hand, and the depths of their own souls on the other. The animosities, tension and grudges that laid hidden between the two men emerge as a powerful and consistent force that mark their relationship from then on.

David Mamet has managed to write the 'Edge' that any human being can face whether lost in an unforgiving wilderness or anywhere else for that matter.It is simply how human beings change,and how social niceties is slowly eroded when the need to survive becomes the single driving force. This is a fine piece of writing!

Of course there is the thriller angle in the film..the bear, the master and primary predator of its environment,chasing two men that have been stripped from all the power and control they once possessed and taken for granted.

The direction and cinematography of these scenes are of top quality.

So if you want to watch gorgeous scenery, be scared of this huge and beautiful animal,or witness the changes incredible circumstances that trigger in men, then the Edge is the film for you eyes and mind, a journey that can easily be revisited in the safety of your own home.

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As character portraits go, this movie is a tour de force. The plot may be predictable, but the character drawn by Anthony Hopkins is masterful. A likeable, if self-effacing, intellectual in the beginning of the movie, Hopkins finds himself and learns that his true riches reside within himself. We see his bravado grow into genuine confidence as he comes to recognize that his resourcefulness really is unique. Shedding unnecessary layers of his life along the way, Hopkins walks out of the wilderness of Alaska and the wilderness of his self. He emerges as a transformed version of himself, having added wisdom to knowledge and courage to assurance while retaining the basic decency that characterized him from the beginning.

Alex Baldwin's portrait of Robert, the photographer, is equally competent. It is not possible to admire his character, but one must applaud his portrayal.

The supporting roles are at least adequate, and in some cases, more than adequate, but the real standouts are Hopkins, Baldwin, and the wonderful wilderness scenery.

This review would not be complete without naming a favorite scene in the film: near the end, Hopkins disembarks from the rescue helicopter and receives recognition and acknowledgement from two backwoodmen in the form of a subtle nod. Very nice!

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When famed writer David Mamet turns his attention to the fascinating subject of man's nature and his struggle to survive in the wilderness, the likelihood is that a fascinating movie will result. And with this depiction of a small group of men, including a reclusive and introspective fifty-something tycoon (Sir Anthony Hopkins), a shifty and conniving fashion photographer (Alec Baldwin), Mamet sets the stage for a mammoth struggle for the survival of the fittest as he pits the men against both a wily Kodiak bear as well as against each other. The other members of the stranded party is killed by the bear in quick fashion, leaving only Hopkins and Baldwin try to improvise some way to figure out how to get back to civilization and outrun this bear with an appetite for humans.

There are a number of subplots running through the action sequences, and a number of plot twists that serve to illustrate that it isn't necessarily the strongest that survive so much as it is the smartest and most adaptable of the antagonists. Yet this is not merely a testosterone-enriched script, for there are a number of elements in the story that lend themselves to viewing the characters (including the bear) with compassion and understanding of the complex ways in which the way we behave both actively and indirectly influences our chances at surviving.

In the midst of all this action and plot activity remains the singular beauty of the landscape, and in all their travails the characters are consistently outshadowed by the sheer scope of the topography, climate and setting of the great Alaskan wilderness. It is almost as if the director is suggesting we get ourselves sand our petty personal concerns in context and perspective, and seen against the shadow of the great outdoors, their troubles seem much smaller and more manageable indeed. This is a great movie, a film with a great story, interesting dialogue, and a terrific ensemble of actors supporting the thrust of the tale. Enjoy!

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Fast Company (1979)

The 2-Disc Limited Edition was purchased impulsively on its street date release, after I saw it staring at me on a shelf at a local retailer. Having greatly enjoyed Rabid, The Brood, Videodrome, and Crash, I had long been curious to see Stereo and Crimes of the Future. Yet having picked it up for Cronenberg's two early features, I was watching Fast Company for the sixth time on Saturday night of that same week.

Phil Adamson (John Saxon): You know you're out of your goddamn mind, Johnson. You're out of your mind, and you're over-the-hill. First you turn my trailer into a goddamn whorehouse, now it's an insane asylum!

John Saxon's villainy as the FastCo oil company rep is hilarious. Aside from the wonderfully written dialogue, his facial expressions and gestures are fantastic. Lonnie "Lucky Man" Johnson's (William Smith) team consists of a Western genre family-like trio, with character names such as Billy the Kid, P.J. and Elder; all wonderful performances. Gary "The Blacksmith" Black (Cedric Smith) is Lonnie's top competitor. He is neither a one-dimensional friend nor foe. His personal team members, known as Stoner and Meatball, are a funny pair. Stoner is likable and not-such-a-bad guy, while Meatball is a classic A-hole. Candy (Judy Foster) is Miss FastCo, a not-so-dumb blonde with feelings for Billy, and who makes an admirable stand when her self-respect is threatened by her employer's demands. William Smith and Claudia Jennings are the long-distance relationship lovers that I, on a personal level, have grown strongly attached to. Both, individually and together, add to the film something magical and nostalgic for me that I find very rare in most movies that I've seen. The scenes involved with them makes me feel like a small boy spending time with a favorite aunt and uncle. Mind you, I come from a Hispanic middle class background.

The cinematographer is largely to thank for capturing the humor of the film, as well as the documentary-like and exciting treatment of the dragsters; not to mention a multitude of highly admirable shots. Also worth mentioning is the work of Art Director Carol Spier, as well as the choices of music that significantly add to this wonderful little film. I have to say that Fast Company has been one of the most delightful surprises that I have encountered on DVD so far this year, along with The Passion of Joan of Arc, Flesh + Blood, Humanité, and Diary of a Country Priest.

Now, about Stereo and Crimes of the Future after my purchase, I got home as fast as I could, and saw them first. Alas, they did not fully appeal to me, though Cronenberg's aesthetic approach to the storytelling on both, and his very nice camera work, did. I am very glad to have finally seen them, and I do intend to redo so again in the immediate future.

Blue Underground along with the personal supervision of Cinematographer Mark Irwin present an amazing print for a late-Seventies B-movie. The colors and sharpness are outstanding; and the sound is extremely satisfying. David Cronenberg's commentary is both interesting and very pleasing. His own enthusiasm on the film, and at the discovery of the restoration of a thought-to-be lost seen is wonderful. Comments like: "...it's very much me. And I don't think anybody else could have made this movie the way ... that I did." He stumbles at this last comment, probably concerned with sounding egotistical. However, with his style being so distinct along with his input into the script, he has justification to make that statement. Cronenberg also remarks on the commentary: "Worth every penny of it, wasn't it?" I quite agree. And am very pleased to hear a director satisfied with his own work, for a change. This film should appeal to fans of Seventies exploitation and car racing, while bitter and stubborn Cronenberg no-nonsense horror fans might need some lubing, or repeated viewings, to appreciate it for what it is and not for what they want it or expect it to be.

Billy "The Kid" Brooker (Nicholas Campbell): You know something, gang? There's a lot of junk you can put down your pipes, you know what I mean. Now I'm talking about the good stuff. You gotta take care of your baby's engine. So I suggest you go like the pros, and go with FastCo. If you want that power, that performance, and that protection. Yeah. FastCo. This is what all the pro racers use. FastCo Motor Treatment. (Chuckles). All right.

Fast Company is an anomaly in David Cronenberg's filmography. Nowhere to be found is his underlying obsession with dark sexual psychology but instead this is a straightforward car flick. Don't expect Crash. A/V is excellent for this lost film.

But the inclusion of his two early experimental films make this a must have for the Cronenberg fanatic.

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This is a very unusual film for David Cronenberg. Admittally, a tax shelter for it's producers, it's still a very appealing movie. B-movie legend William Smith as racer Lonnie Johnson, whose sponsor (represented by John Saxon) is trying to push him aside. What I really like is the scene where Smith cold-cocks Saxon and he goes flying out of the trailer. Perhaps payback? Saxon ended up with the role in ENTER THE DRAGON that Bruce Lee originally wanted William Smith for. Unfortunately for Smith, the movie he was working on ran over schedule and he had to bow out. Big Bill and Bruce Lee ... now that would be something.

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Fast Company (1979) is truly great B-cinema despite the tendencies of scholastic indifference. Whether its lack of reception has been due to lack of availability, its straight-to-Beta stigma or, most probable, an audience's disregard for anything differing from the Cronenbergian macabre is open for debate. What is certain is that this effort, his first with a budget exceeding the million-dollar mark, was a precursor to the personal trajectory of The Brood (1979).

Divorce proceedings underway, David changed focus to his consuming passion of the automobile. The final product was a decent drag strip movie, "a good B-Movie" he admits. The good versus evil tension included in most racing films is combined with some point of view shots from the car racers proper, in itself, well worth the price of the rental. Spending most of the film arguing with John Saxon, his greasy sponsor from Fast Company Motor Oil, William Smith plays Lonnie 'Lucky Man' Johnson, whose iconic status as drag strip guru is tested race after race. His real stroke of luck however comes through his onscreen squeeze, November Playmate 1969 Claudia Jennings. This marked consecutive attempts at casting notables from the adult industry.

Attempting to recreate the similar appeal and subsequent audience draw that worked for him in Rabid, Ms Jennings' luck ran out in an ironic off-screen car-accident, taking her young life shortly after the film was completed.

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Stereo and Crimes of the Future are among the best underground films produced in North America in the late 60's/early 70's, a time when Kenneth Anger and Martin Scorsese were also making their first films. Thanks to Blue Underground for releasing those two important productions (along with the great Fast Company in a fantastic transfer) in such a classy edition.

May the experiment in telepathy begin...

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Amarcord (The Criterion Collection) (1973)

Fellini's theme of coming of age memoir works as a beautiful nostalgic piece. The film resonates from an earlier film of his 8 1/2 showing the director's flashes to his seaside hometown. I've watched this film several times and on every occassion find something new. Here's a tip to enjoy watching a foreign film Do NOT watch the English dubbed version if there is any so much is lost in the film. Fellini's films work with subtitles because they make you forget you're reading them at all and as always, Fellini pleases both eye and ear and subsequently the heart. The musical score by Nino Rota is something one looks forward to in every scene. His music perfectly sets the tempo of each image, and I mean each and every one. What a duo of artistic genius these two men are! Watching the film on its excellent Criterion-restored DVD version, one can only wonder what the cinema world would be without Fellini.

The theme of this story is the compassion that allows close-knit, small-town Italians in the 1930's to lead a meaningful existence in the context of Fascist oppression and economic hardship.

This story is culturally valuable because it shows the beauty of meaningfully existing, unchanged, amid destructive and oppressive forces. When a peacock lands in the snow with its beautiful, vibrant blue and green feathers, it exemplifies beauty, simply existing, within harsh conditions. The point of the story is not that the characters of this small Italian town make any world-altering advances, but rather that they maintain what they already have and admire--their sense of community and individual compassion--despite oppressive odds. Fellini gives his audience mischievous adolescents, oblivious teachers, a "crazy" uncle, a humorous grandfather, an idealistic and extremely feminine beauty, a generous but sickly mother and her easily-angered husband, dissatisfied workers, a story-telling lawyer, a prince, and a lying snack vendor. And none of these characters is ever treated inhumanely, or as being of any less value than any other. The uncle has an episode in which he climbs a tree and throws rocks at people who try to get him down, all the while yelling, "I want a woman!" Hours pass and the doctor who eventually comes to get him down remarks, "He has normal days, and he has not normal days...Just like us." Through the interaction of these characters, Fellini allows his audiences to encounter a town, the families, a community, and the simple life that exists within it. This film is powerful because it is saying that one does not have to defeat oppression to be worthy of being a model, seen and honored. You have only to live, to be yourself--which means to create--to be something powerful and moving.

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Like 8 1/2 before it, Amarcord marks an extremely personal film for Fellini. Like his relationship to Guido in 8 1/2, the character of Titta serves as an extension of Fellini on film. Whereas Guido served as an extension of Fellini's state of mind, Titta serves as an extension of Fellini's childhood memories.

Through the retelling of emotional stories that deal with Titta and his family, Amarcord (which translates into "I Remember") presents a cyclical collage of wondrous nostalgia for the Italy of Fellini's childhood. Starting in the spring and ending their one year later with the return of the yearly "puffballs", we are presented with and touched by the many experiences that Titta comes face to face with.

At the same time, the film is much more than a mere visual presentation of Fellini's own nostalgia, for it also questions the true validity of one's own memories. This questioning of memory by Fellini is made apparent in the manner in which single scenes can go from "reality" based to fantasy-like parody back to "reality" based in a manner of moments.

One of the more noteworthy examples of this technique is the scene in which El Duce visits the local town square. In the scene the serious yet joyous procession of El Duce eventually turns into a comedic/fantasy experience in which schoolchildren are shown happily carrying guns in the imagined wedding of two schoolchildren in front of a giant talking Mussolini head. Moments later the film cuts to nightfall, in which the local Fascists soldiers wreak havoc on the town and afterwards interrogate and beat Titta's father. Depending on Fellini's own presentation of the Italian Fascists, (and just as importantly, the view in Italy towards the Fascists at that time) very different interpretations can be read of them. In using such a juxtaposition, Fellini (in his echoing of Arnheim's formalist theory) is purposely trying to express the impossibility of remembering and re-presenting a true account of the past as a result of the individual nature of memory itself.

Another scene that blurs the real and the imagined is Titta's late-night encounter with a large busty Tobacconist (she is given no true name within the film) just as she has closed up her shop. The woman, who Titta has fantasized about at an earlier point in the film, playfully flirts with Titta, a flirtation that eventually ends in a moment of extreme foreplay between the two. But the inexperienced Titta is unable to please the tobacconist, and she soon forces him to stop. At this time she acts as if nothing has happened, she gives him his tobacco and shows him out the store. How much of this was real, and how much of this was imagined both within the film and with regard to Fellini's own experiences? As is the case with many of the other sequences in the film, the answer is left up to the viewer.

Amarcord is thus not so much about reconstructing mirror images of the past, but rather more about how we would like to, and thus do, remember the past through our own distorted points of view. Andrei Tarkovsky deals with very similar themes in his film Mirror, albeit in a manner that is much less entertaining than Amarcord, which was released shortly after Amarcord.

**** (10/10)

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Seriously I'm a huge Fellini fan and Love "Amarcord"! I am so impressed with the treatment Criterion gave this film. It is definitly worth the money for this magnificent package! From the vibrant and warm painted scenes on the box to the incredible bound book that comes in the box! Bravo Criterion seriously the best package I have seen thus far from Criterion. Amazing!

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Federico Fellini, the legendary Italian filmmaker and screenwriter known for cinema masterpieces such as "The White Sheik" (1952), "I Vitelloni" (1953), "La Strada" (1954), "Nights of Cabiria" (1957),"La Dolce Vita" (1960), "8 1/2' (1963), etc.

Fellini's films are known for capturing ethereal storylines, fantasy that binges on desire and his films are among those that have tested viewers but also has provided many cineaste with visual delight from the films that are from his oeuvre. His influence has inspired Woody Allen, Martin Scorsese, David Lynch, Tim Burton, Pedro Almodovar to name a few and while many think of "La Dolce Vita", "8 1/2', "I Vitelloni" as the top of Fellini's career, there are many who feel that "Amarcord" is one of his most personal. "Amarcord" is also the third film for Fellini that won an Oscar for "Best Foreign Film" but also won multiple awards throughout the world and is perhaps one of his most accessible film for cinema fans worldwide.

The film was the fourth DVD release for The Criterion Collection back in 1999 and received a special re-release featuring more special features in 2006. In 2011, a Blu-ray release of "Amarcord" including the special features from the 2006 DVD release is now available in the U.S.

While not an autobiography, the film mirrors Fellini's life as a child and teenager growing up in Rimini, Italy (a seaside town in the province of Emilia-Romagna) during the time of Fascist Italy.

"Amarcord" is not the easiest film to describe because it's one of those films that must be experienced. The film can be seen as a coming-of-age film but also a film that has your typical villagers that everyone knows their name because of their actions or their body. The carnivalesque film focuses on various people of the village throughout the year during the 1930's and the various episodes that transpire within a year's time.

"Amarcord" (which means "I remember" in Romagnolo) takes place in a village which has welcomed the spring time courtesy of the puffballs that float in the air. Everyone welcomes the end of Winter and a man named Giudizio (played by Aristide Caporale), looks into the camera and recites a poem.

Meanwhile, we are introduced to the beautiful Gradisca (played by Magali Noel). A woman known for her body and clothing that accentuates her posterior which many of the men and even teenage boys from the village have always taken notice.

In this village, we are introduced to characters such as the prostitute and nymphomaniac named Voplina (played by Josiane Tanzilli), the blind accordion player (played by Domenica Pertica), the heavy set and enormously well-endowed tobacconist (played by Maria Antonietta Beluzzi) and the family members of which "Amacord" focuses on, the Biondi family. Aurelio Biondi (played by Armando Brancia) is the hot-headed father who always gets upset with his teenage son Titta Biondi (played by Bruno Zanin).

While Titta gets in trouble most of the time, his mother Miranda (played by Pupella Maggio) is always ready to argue with Aurelio. Other members of the family include Titta's younger brother Oliva (played by Stefano Proietti), his grandfather (played by Giuseppe Ianigro) who may look old but can easily remember the ages when he and others had sex and Miranda's brother Lallo (played by Nando Orfei) and his wife who live at the house. Needless to say, because of Aurelio's hot temper and Titta's mischievous nature, there is never a quiet moment at the house.

When the camera is focused on the teenager Titta, we learn how he and his friends love to get in trouble. From picking on people, to finding ways to upset their teachers and at times, making fun of their own friends during class. But these teenagers have one thing in common and that is the fact they are horny teenagers who love to look at a woman's ass (and also enjoy pleasuring themselves to release their sexual tension). For Titta, he just loves to look at Gradisca's body whenever she is walking by and one day hopes, he can try to make a move on her.

As for Aurelio, he is anti-fascist. Because of his hot-head, his wife Miranda does all she can to prevent him from getting in trouble, this includes locking the gates of their home to keep him inside. He can't help but always argue with Titta who loves to get his father upset. But still, Aurelio takes care of his family.

Gradisca, is the popular single woman in the village. She dreams of having someone to love and someone to love her right back. She embodies confidence and knows that men and boys love to look at her when she and her friends are walking around. And she knows with the fascists coming to town, this is her chance to find a husband.

The film shows us how life is in the village for these characters and everyone around them for the whole year. Featuring many short scenes may it be Titta and his friends going to school, getting in trouble, looking at beautiful women to Gradisca trying to find "Mr. Right", "Amarcord" is a collection of events with no real storyline but experiences from Fellini's life and also his imagination.

VIDEO:

"Amarcord" is presented in color (1:85:1 aspect ratio). I have compared the 2011 Blu-ray release and the 2006 DVD release and the colors are much more vibrant compared to its DVD counterpart. More detail of the walls and surroundings of the city can be seen quite clearly on Blu-ray. As well as the grime on the faces of characters like Volpina, the stained shirts of Titta and the hairy back of Aurelio. These are much more evident on Blu-ray versus watching it on DVD. There is a good amount of grain that can be seen on the Blu-ray release and for the most part, for fans of the film, watching it on HD is definitely worth the upgrade.

According to the Criterion Collection, the HD transfer was created on a Spirit Datacine from a 35mm interpositive. Thousands of instances of dirt, debris, scratches, splices, warps, jitter and flicker were manually removed using MTI's DRS system and Pixel Farm's PFClean sytem, while Digital Vision's DVNR system was used for small dirt, grain and noise reduction.

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

"Amarcord" is presented in its original Italian uncompressed monaural plus an optional English dubbed soundtrack. Dialogue and music is clear and understandable. I didn't notice any clicks, pops or hiss during the Italian soundtrack. As for the English dubbed soundtrack, while I try to stay away from dubbed soundtracks, I will have to give a nod for those that worked on it as they tried to match the voices with the lips and some of acting of the voice actors were well-done but some of the voice acting was not too my liking. Needless to say, I preferred the original Italian soundtrack much more.

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

Subtitles are in English SDH.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

"Amarcord The Criterion Collection #4' on Blu-ray comes with the following special features:

* Audio Commentary Audio commentary by film scholars Peter Brunette (from Wake Forest) and Frank Burke (from Queen's college, Ontario and author of "Fellini's Films").

* Fellini's Homecoming (44:15) A fantastic 45-minute documentary on the complicated relationship between the celebrated director, his hometown of Remini and his past. Fellini's friends chime in on the characters of "Amarcord" and who they were modeled after.

* Magali Noël (15:11) Video interview with star Magali Noël (who plays Gradisca).

* Fellini's Drawings Federico Fellini's drawings of characters in the film and showcasing the sketches for "Amarcord". Using your remote, you can cycle through the various images.

* Felliniana A presentation of ephemera devoted to "Amarcord" from the collection of Don Young. Featuring stills and radio ads (about 3 minutes). Use your remote to cycle through the stills from the film.

* Gideon Bachman Interviews Archival audio interviews with Fellini and his friends and family, by longtime radio film critic Gideon Bachmann. Audio interview with Fedrico Fellini (30:39), audio interview with friends and family (58:59). Featuring photos of Fellini throughout his life.

* Restoration Demonstration (5:25) The restoration demonstration was included with the 2006 DVD re-release of "Amarcord" and is the same restoration used for the Blu-ray release.

* Deleted scene (3:03) A deleted scene featuring Contessa's distraught after losing a diamond ring down her toilet. Carlini tries to retrieve it.

* Trailer (3:46) The American release trailer.

EXTRAS:

Included is a 66-page booklet featuring "Federico of the Spirits" by Sam Rohdie and "My Rimini" by Fedrico Fellini.

JUDGMENT CALL:

"Amarcord" is a film that has so many moments, memories and each of these scenes are full of humor that the film is well-crafted and is able to escape from the contrived, mediocrity or the banality of modern films.

There are so many Fellini films that I have watched in my lifetime and thanks to the Criterion Collection, for us in America, we are fortunate to have access to a good number of his films. But among his masterpieces, there are a few of his films that I tend to rewatch many times and "Amarcord" is one of them.

"Amarcord" is a film that captures everything beautiful, everything ugly, everything about life and what people see day-to-day. And I can imagine for Fellini, although "Amarcord" is not an exact autobiography nor was it intended to be, it is paying homage to what he experienced throughout his younger years and the people he came in contact with.

What makes "Amarcord" so intriguing, and so fun without the cinema banality that one would be used to seeing, is that we are given a taste of episodes of these villagers and the way its put together, you find yourself as a voyeur of these moments in the lives of these individuals that live in a small village. There is no real plot line, but it's a film that features so many of the fun moments that life has to offer that makes "Amarcord" so delightful.

From moments when the Biondi family goes to pick up their Uncle Teo from the mental hospital and the uncle runs up to the tree not wanting to get down and starts screaming of how he wants a woman. Anyone who dares to get him down is pelted with fruit. Another scene features Titta and his friends at a parade and celebration for Benito Mussolini aka "Il Duce" and each have their own daydreams of being with a woman. Or a scene where we watch as Gradisca tries to prepare for a romantic night with a man or when Titta goes to the cinema to pull some of his moves on Gradisca and to see what happens. Or possibly one of the most memorable scenes is when Titta goes to the big but very busty tobacco saleswoman and manages to experience a woman's breast, it's just how its featured on screen, you can't help but laugh as the young character is not sure what to do and all the woman can tell him "Suck, no blow!".

But what also works is how the art direction of the film helps to give us that feeling of carnivalesque characters. Danilo Donati's awesome costume and production design, Giorgio Giovannini's surrealistic art direction is fantastic and of course, the cinematography by Giuseppe Rotunno is magnificent. While the writing is not overly polemic, Fellini and Tonino Guerra did a great job of interjecting the sex and politics that are a strong part of the enjoyment of this film.

All the primary characters and supporting characters also add to the enjoyment of the film. To sum it up, "Amarcord" is a true masterpiece from Fellini!

And I can go on and on about the positives of this film but still not be able to describe it because frankly, I don't want to spoil anything for the viewer. Also, as mentioned earlier, this is not one of those films that I can easily describe. It's probably best to say that it's various episodes that happen in a village over a year's time and keep it at that.

Clearly, "Amarcord" is one of those films that a cinema fan must watch and experience. And I have to say that when The Criterion Collection released the 2006 DVD, I felt that this was one of the best DVD's released from the company. The way it was treated and given special features galore, lengthy and enjoyable, but most of all informative. And now this film has been given its HD treatment which I found to be quite a gorgeous upgrade from the original 2006 DVD release. The detail of the village surroundings, the details that are more apparent on the characters, "Amarcord" looks very good on Blu-ray!

And if you haven't owned the 2006 DVD release (or even its original 1999) DVD release, this is one Fellini film (and I can easily vouch for nearly all Fellini films on the Criterion Collection) that is definitely worth owning.

I'm constantly asked if it's like "8 1/2' or "La Strada" and the only thing that I can tell people is forget about those films. Just enjoy this one and experience it!

And then when you are done, watch the documentary "Fellini's Homecoming" afterward as you get to know the true story behind "Amarcord" and the complicated relationship that Fellini had with his hometown of Rimini. And you get plenty of special features which include audio commentary, interviews, radio interviews and also included is a wonderful 66-page booklet (same contents from the 2006 release) which include Fellini's essay "My Rimini", a collection of reminisces from the filmmaker when he was laying in a hospital bed (thinking he was going to die) and was being treated by his doctor from his hometown of Rimini.

This latest release of "Amarcord", aside from being a Fellini masterpiece is literally a grand slam for the Criterion Collection. It's one of the most complete Blu-rays released with special features that matter and definitely enhances ones appreciation for the film.

For those who own the wonderful 2006 Criterion Collection re-release on DVD and wonder if the new Blu-ray is worth the upgrade, my answer is yes! The film looks great on Blu-ray but if you are watching it on a TV that doesn't have 1080p capability and you are used to watching movies on your laptop or TV, then probably not but if you are planning to upgrade your equipment or have the equipment to watch films in HD, then most definitely. There is no major difference in the amount of special features between the 2011 Blu-ray release and the 2006 DVD re-release aside from PQ and AQ differences. So, if you have the equipment to enjoy "Amarcord" in HD, then yes... I highly recommend upgrading from DVD to Blu-ray as this film looks absolutely beautiful in HD.

Overall, "Amarcord" is a vibrant, beautiful, hilarious and marvelous masterpiece from Federico Fellini. The Blu-ray release of "Amarcord" from the Criterion Collection is a must-own for your cinema collection! Highly recommended. A+

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The Door in the Floor

John Irving's "A Prayer for Owen Meany" is my favorite contemporary novel, and it was clear when I read the book that it would never be made into a movie because the title character could never survive the transition. Indeed, all writer-director Mark Steven Johnson could do was be inspired to turn the first chapter of the novel into the film "Simon Birch." Irving himself did the screenplay for "The Cider Holes Rules" and had to condense and restructure the story to come up with a movie version. Even "The World According to Garp," which captures the high points of the comic novel, leaves out so much of the depth and detail. Of course, this is true of any adaptation of a novel. Things are always added and subtracted, changed and replaced, with any novel, but it seems that with Irving's novels filmmakers are painfully aware of the difficulties.

Such was the case with "A Widow for One Year," and writer-director Tod Williams gives himself a fighting chance by restricting himself to the first third of the novel in "The Door in the Floor." In doing so he at least creates a new market for the novel, since there is most of the story of these four people to be told. The situation is that Ted Cole (Jeff Bridges), who writes and illustrates stories for children, decides to hire an assistant for the summer, and hires a 16-year-old Exeter student, Eddie O'Hare (Jon Foster), who wants to be a writer when he grows up. The Cole family consists of wife Marion (Kim Basinger), their four-year-old daughter, Ruth (Elle Fanning), and the dozens of photographs on the wall of Tom and Tim, the two sons who died when they were teenagers.

Eddie does not know that he has walked into on going tragedy until it is way too late. Marion takes Eddie to bed, not just because Ted no longer touches her and the boy becoming a man has a crush on her, but because Ted wants to build a swimming pool. Ted and Marion have decided that the pain they feel needs to be inflicted on the other, but the tacit agreement is that they will not do it directly. If you pay attention, there are only a few scenes in which Marion and Ted appear together: Eddie becomes their go between, even when there are not any explicit messages. Eddie is the final nail in the coffin of this marriage, although only one of the three realizes this first and uses it to their advantage.

Although hired to help Ted, who needs to be driven around because he has lost his license, Eddie realizes he is there more for Marion and Ruth. For the little girl the most important thing in the world are the pictures of Tom and Tim on the walls. Each one has a story, and pity the poor nanny who does not know the story behind a particular photography. Ruth knows the stories by heart, but she likes to hear them being told to her again (and again). Ted thinks that Marion's indiscretions mean he can win guardianship of Ruth when the inevitable divorce happens, but never realizes he is playing the wrong game here.

When you see Basinger and Foster together their sexual relationship seems too hard to accept, but this would not be a problem if Williams did not choose to show us some of their more intimate moments. This is a mistake, not just because you are suddenly doing the math on the age difference between the actress and actor, but more importantly because the importance of the relationship is best seen from Ted's perspective. He never sees it (although Ruth does), but he knows about it and is bent on using that fact to his advantage. Both Basinger and Bridges bring an economy to their characters that brings a sharpness to their pain; for her it is the dead look in her eyes, for him it is the sound of what is missing in his voice.

"The Door in the Floor" is more forgiving of both Ted and Marion than the novel is by the end of that first section. Ted does not simply have affairs, but engages in calculated seductions using his talent and reputation. His current conquest, Evelyn Vaughn (Mimi Rogers), is in the final stages of the sordid relationship, where degradation becomes the name of the game. But Williams uses the sequence where Evelyn tries to take her revenge as the most comic moment in the film, and reduces his despicable treatment of the woman to a joke on a windshield. The film's sympathies are clearly with Marion, who is reduced to catatonia by thoughts of her dead sons. When she comes to her decision as to what is to be done, we believe it is the right one, even though the consequences are going to be devastating. But then Williams mutes the impact considerably.

As someone who read "A Widow for One Year," watching "The Door in the Floor" certainly hit the high points and brought back vivid memories of the best parts of the novel. But I now the movie will not resonate the same way for those who have not read the novel, but seeing this 2004 drama should certainly inspire them to do so. What happens in this film wrecks these four lives in persistent and insidious ways. This film is only the beginning of their story.

The Door in the Floor is a fantastic film; an engaging, engrossing, and touching change of pace from the utter garbage that has been released this summer. This is a true adult film if there ever was one, full of wonderful, complicated, and real characters going through true everyday emotions that anyone can relate to.

Alternately tragic and comic, the film is an exploration of the complexities of love in both its brightest and darkest moments. Adapted from the first half of John Irving's best-selling novel 'A Widow for One Year,' the film is set in the privileged beach community of East Hampton, New York and chronicles one pivotal summer in the lives of famous children's book author Ted Cole (an Oscar-worthy performance by Jeff Bridges) and his beautiful wife Marion (Kim Basinger reminding us once again why she IS an Oscar-nominated actress). The couple's once-wonderful marriage has been strained by a family tragedy and neither one is or will ever be the same again.

Marion's resulting depression and Ted's subsequent infidelities have prevented the couple from facing a much-needed change in their relationship. They aren't divorced but they don't like together anymore either, taking turns staying in the house to care for their daughter (played by the adorable Elle Fanning, Dakota's sister). Then, Ted hires Eddie O'Hare, a 16 year old who wants to be a writer, to work as his summer assistant, changing the couple's lives forever. The boy becomes the couple's unwitting yet willing pawn and, ultimately, becomes the catalyst in the transformation of their lives.

The Door in the Floor is a film of deep, devastating power a film where you, as an audience member, actually share space with its two main characters. We inhabit their crumbled world, from the inside, not just as observers. By the end, we feel as if we have gone through their tragedy with them, and when I left the theatre, I felt as if my life had been changed by sharing with them what I just shared as if time itself had stopped and left me suspended in there, with them.

The entire cast is very convincing and the film sparkles with dynamic performances. At first I felt Mimi Rogers was wasted in her almost silent role, but she has one of the most memorable scenes in the film, which came toward the end, and truly delivers a wonderful comedic portrayal. Elle Fanning amazed me. She is a gifted young talent and I look forward to seeing more of her. Like her sister Dakota, she did everything right. Jon Foster as Eddie is terrific, bringing out his character's innocence and confusion, and Bijou Phillips was great in her very small role.

The film is very explicit, but for anyone with an open mind and an open heart, it is THE film to see this summer. Hands down, one of the year's best. It definitely deserves and needs a wide release.

Grade: A

Buy The Door in the Floor Now

THE DOOR IN THE FLOOR is a reimagining of part of John Irving's book, A WIDOW FOR ONE YEAR. Ted Cole (Jeff Bridges), a monumentally self-absorbed children's book author, hires a teen age boy named Eddie (Jon Foster) as an assistant for a summer on Long Island. Quite a bit of the book is a coming-of-age story of Eddie's affair with Ted's wife Marion (the excellent Kim Basinger), who is racked with grief over the death of the couple's twin boys. The young daughter Ruth (Elle Fanning) was conceived to "replace" the boys, but Marion cannot emotionally attach to her daughter.

Jeff Bridges, in a monumental performance, takes center stage in the film. Ted orchestrates the summer in order to try to assuage Marion's grief while indulging his appetites in an affair with Mrs Vaughn (Mimi Rogers), a lonely neighbor. Things don't go as planned, and while it while i could describe the turns of the plot at length, suffice it to say that this is a film for adults, about love, loss, parenthood, the male ego, and so much more. Bridges and Basinger both do Oscar caliber work and the final image is indelibly haunting. One of the year's best.....

Also with Bijou Phillips and Donna Murphy....

Read Best Reviews of The Door in the Floor Here

The Door In the Floor reminds us that children's stories are really pretty frightening. (Have you read the brothers Grimm recently?) Ted Cole (Jeff Bridges) writes such stories, among them one called The Door In the Floor, in which very bad things live beneath the titular door. Ted and his estranged wife, Marion (Kim Basinger), also live in a very bad place: a world bereft of their two sons, Thomas and Timothy, now dead for some years. How they cope, or fail to cope, with their loss is the subject of the film.

As Ted, Bridges gives as masterful a performance as I've seen in some years. He manages to make a manipulative philanderer into a sympathetic character. Without his magic, the tragedy of Ted's situation would be impossible to believe. If this isn't an award-worthy performance, I haven't seen one: its breadth is amazing, and it is apparantly effortless. Basinger invests Marion with a benumbed grief that is painful to witness. This performance makes her Oscar winning turn in LA Confidential seem almost facile by comparison. As Eddie O'Hare, the young pawn whom Ted brings into the game against his wife, Jon Foster is the weakest link in the trio. He has the requisite innocence, but not the much-needed sensitivity. He is simply too wooden. Elle Fanning is wonderful as the child the Coles had, hoping to replace their dead boys; Mimi Rogers is dead-on as one of Ted's conquests--one who turns on him in a welcome bit of comic relief.

If you are sensitive to such things, the movie deserves its R rating. There is male nudity, from the rear, and full frontal female nudity. The language is about what one would expect from an R rated movie.

The Door In the Floor is truly memorable for for two big reasons. 1)Jeff Bridges is spectacularly fine, without appearing to be spectacular at all. 2)When you reach the very last scene, you will realize the full import of Ted Cole's world-view, and you'll see the treatment of his character in the movie in a completely new light. This kind of ironic legerdemain, transforming the meaning of the entire film, lifts the whole thing onto a higher level.

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I was very moved by this movie, dispite the fact that it had not tried to be depressing, and it was the right tone of sadness without overwhelming me. Just as Kim Basinger's would go:" Eddie, you are so serious for your age." She said that because she's numb and overly tramatized by the death of her teenage sons. This is about letting go of what has been taken away or lost and close that door forever.

Both Kim Basinger and Jeff Bridges sort of gave the tramatic event a silent treatment and it had build a wall between them. It's unavoidable that an ignorant youngster like Jon Foster would provoke those old feelings when he asked Basinger about the deceased boys. She instantly turned to stone just like the day they died in the accident. Even Jeff Bridges had been avoiding "the door in the floor" for years. They just haven't dealt with it and memories will always come back and haunt them.

Jeff Bridges is great, and he deserves extra credit for doing several scenes fully naked. His character's state of mind is the opposite of Basinger. He uses casual sex as a form of pleasure to escape from his depressing life. He feels obligated to stay with his wife when they no longer have any passion towards each other. Although he had constantly avoided opening the door to the floor, he ultimately does so, because he had to accept what he can't changed.

Kim Basinger finally landed a great part again since her stunning role in L.A. Confidential. I enjoyed her a great deal in this film, because she had gone from so sad to letting herself go and sexually connects herself with Jon Foster. It was so mesmerizing to see her breaking down into tears when she was making love with Foster. Without a single line to deliver, her face expressed all her pain and sadness. She thought it was a mistake to have a baby(Elle Fanning) again after the teenage boys died. It didn't help them save the marriage, and she had stayed too long, even when she had lost all her feelings. She ultimately abandoned everyone including her daughther, because she didn't want to be a bad mother. I trully hope she will get her best actress award with this performance. Her final scene in the movie when she touches the face of Bridges before driving away was also a memorable part of this film. The two lead had almost no dialogues together. This shows how distant they have became, and they were no longer happy together.