The Help (Three-Disc Combo: Blu-ray/DVD + Digital Copy) (2011)

"Oscar season", as it's typically referred to, is a period of time, usually beginning in late November, and ending in late January. This year, it starts early, with "The Help".

"The Help" is based on the well-known novel by Kathryn Stockett, someone who I had never heard of before discovering this film and book. For the most part, when I hear about a film that I want to see, I try to read the book prior to viewing the movie, to enhance the whole experience. Usually I get bored, or stop mid-way through one of these said books, before I end up watching the movie.

But "The Help" grabbed me. Stockett kept me on a leash, dying to know what happened next, and I ended up finishing its 530 pages in a few sittings. And, I'm glad it did, because "The Help" is not only the best movie I've seen this summer, but it very well could be the best one I see all year.

The film centers on Aibileen, Skeeter and Minny (Davis, Stone and Spencer, respectively) three very different women in Mississippi, in the year 1962. Skeeter is returning from college with a journalism degree, whose beloved childhood black maid Constantine has disappeared, and no one will tell her where she has gone. Aibileen is a maid who has raised 17 white children in her life. The word "maid" is pretty blandly used. She's a nanny to these children, if not a surrogate mother. Her outspoken friend Minny has never been able to keep quiet, or, because of this, hold onto a job very long, and she is hired on the sly by Celia (Chastain), a white-trash rich girl who has some grave secrets of her own. Skeeter decides to write a tell-all book of interviews from the maids of Jackson, Mississippi, which, as you could imagine, was a very taboo, and perhaps even illegal thing to take on in the time of Jim Crow, and segregation.

One of the reasons that this film succeeds is that not a single character is miscast, and there is not a single caricature. In the book, Stockett paints a vivid picture of each character, and the actors clearly got lost in their characters. Emma Stone is becoming a very important actress. I haven't seen her in a role that I didn't love her in. After getting her first notable role in 2009's "Zombieland", and then livening and carrying the otherwise bland teen comedy "Easy A", this is her first dramatic role, as Skeeter, one of the lead characters. While she sometimes blends into the background in this movie, she shines beautifully with the rest of the cast. She's definitely one to watch.

While Stone is great, this movie belongs to Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer. Davis's Aibileen is perfect. She has a silent sadness about her, a lot of pride, and a great sense of anger, her expressive eyes displaying a silent protest, while never raising her voice the whole film. She handles emotional scenes beautifully, reducing the audience to tears in more than one scene. She's a early in the year front-runner for Best Actress this Oscar season.

Spencer also does a beautiful job as Minny. Octavia Spencer was the original inspiration for the character of Minny, who voiced the character's section in the audio-book. She was clearly made to play this role. She does a lot more for this movie, than just adding comic relief, however, she does plays the comedic side the best. The "terrible awful" that her character does in the book, is made into the funniest thing in the whole movie.

The supporting cast is dead-on too. Bryce Dallas Howard plays the town's snobby ringleader, Hilly. She's absolutely chilling, nailing the evil character. Her mother, played by Sissy Spacek is a hoot. The town's secretive lush, and Minny's boss, Celia, is played by scene-stealing newcomer Jessica Chastain, who wowed earlier this year in "The Tree of Life". She was completely like I envisioned her character in the book. Chastain would be perfect to play Marilyn Monroe. Just saying. There's not enough typing space in this review to describe how much I loved the rest of the supporting cast. Everyone was dead-on.

I was under the assumption that this would be yet another disappointing film of a book loved by many. The reason for this was the director and writer. I had never heard of this Tate Taylor, and because of that, I wasn't sure that I trusted him. He had a large part in making this movie all that it was. One of the big reasons that "The Help" works as a movie is because it feels authentic. It was filmed in Mississippi, where it's based, it is set in the 1960's, and every feeling about the movie hits the right note.

I later discovered that Taylor was a childhood friend of the book's author. Not some Hollywood hack. I forget the many disappointing film adaptations of books I loved that were made by the Hollywood elite. "The Da Vinci Code" by Ron Howard, "Memoirs of a Geisha" by Rob Marshall, "Eat, Pray, Love" by Ryan Murphy. Enough said. After seeing this film, I couldn't imagine anyone better-suited to making the film.

What is special about this film is that it is not what a lot of people will probably write it off as. It's not a film designed to make audiences feel less "white guilt", and it isn't about how black folks need white ones to succeed. It's about good-hearted people wanting to make a change to a world that is unjust. It avoids the usual sentimentality and melodrama that typically plagues this kind of film. I don't know how, but it succeeds in that, like I thought it wouldn't.

While some changes are (intelligently) made from the book, it's almost a scene-for-scene adaptation of the book. Some things are different, because they need to be, and things are a little more concise, yet it's almost like watching an abridged version of the book, onscreen. It will stir up emotions in you that you didn't know you had. At the ending of this film, in a packed house, there was a thunderous applause. Almost everyone in the theater stayed seated through out the ending credits. I cannot remember a time where a movie evoked such emotion from its audience, that it wasn't until after the credits had ended that people actually started walking out. This is gripping stuff. Don't miss it.

Grade: A+

"The Help" works as well as it does because it doesn't offer easy answers. This lovely and sometimes extraordinary film is not concerned with big sermons about clivil rights, religion or easy to swallow messages. The film is simply about behavior; how we should act, morally, towards other people, no matter who they might be. This thematic line is structured nicely throughout the film by zeroing in on a select group of people. This was a smart move since the backdrop of the Civil Rights movement in the 1960s is just too large a subject to truly flesh out in a 2 hour film. Because the film is about actual characters instead of predisposed, prepackaged lessons, the audience can take with them what they choose from the story (none of the characters have a major epiphany, each just starts to become aware of their behavior and effects, both good and badthey all have so much more life to live). Surprisingly the film rarely gets melodramatic, and when it does it almost seems cheep and easy. Thankfully the films few flaws (structure, pacing, some silly dialogue here and there"You broke her heart...!") can be overlooked due to the tremendous performances. Each actress is exceptional in their own ways with the wonderful Viola Davis stealing the film. Emma Stone is reliable here as always and proves that she can be funny and carry dramatic weight in the same film. I have always considered Bryce Dallas Howard to be a very accomplished actress and hopefully her scathing, pointed work will be recognized. Octavia Spencer and Jessica Chastain find a tender chemistry all their own. I have to say that "The Help" really, truly surprised me. I have never read the mega-selling novel from which it's based but I can tell you the film is a beautiful testament to American history and is a great display for some truly fine acting. For those who are turned off by sermonizing, preachy, obnoxious message movies (like myself), "The Help" is far from that. This is a tender film about real emotions and a subject that is rarely discussed in film today.

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Now we see this film wins award nominations aplenty. Biggest winner was the public. Leads of Davis and Spencer that stole the spotlight. DVD to own, not rent.

The only drawback with the DVD is the sparse bonus material. 4 min. of 2 deleted, and a 5 min. music video of one of the film's songs. Pathetically weak bonus, but then it is a 5.5 star film. Everyone asks to borrow our copy, I should have bought 2.

Oh yes, there are SUBTITLES.

We attended the opening matinee; we'll view it again, that good. Is `The Help' the soul of 60s era race relations? This worthy film based on Kathryn Stockett's #1 best-seller is equally a first-class view as true for the read. The story of 3 daring Mississippi women is as absorbing as any you'll see this year. The plot is writing a book which attempts to tell the truth about B/W relations in the city of Jackson, between wealthy whites and `the help'; but doing it anonymously. Without being fired or lynched.

There is humor in the way the Jackson Belle socialites operate, and eventually react to the book publication. Bryce Dallas Howard is the personification of Bad Girl, Hilly. Although beautiful, I loathed Hilly in the film and book, as you are supposed to. And Jessica Chastain (Murder on the Orient Express) has all it takes to be the scene stealer while playing Celia. Truly believable!

Humor erupts in how the help secretly reacts to their treatment. There's sadness at some injustice.

Viola Davis plays a slimmer/sexier Aibileen than was my mental image while reading the book. Octavia Spencer is right on as Minny. Both girls pack their roles with perfection.

The film has intrigue through the months of secret interviews.

There's a mystery related to Skeeter's (Emma Stone) own childhood maid's story, which is a larger part of the story in the book.

Skeeter, Aibileen, & Minny are the key book writers. The casting is near perfection. Should be some Oscar nominations someplace.

Some other stars too, like, Sissy Spacek, Cicely Tyson, & Mary Steenburgen (Proposal, Joan of Arcadia).

I remember reading the book and doing it as quickly as possible toward the end; and praying that all the `help' have a happy ending, but expecting some casualties. With the movie, it is evident when the story is climaxing, and then you just wish that you could make it last another hour or two. An excellent story, but then we all knew that from the book.

It is a tribute to the story that you forget it is fiction. How much is real, a docu-drama of the early 1960's of the south (& north)? We need reviews from the real-life `help' of the early 60's. Only they know!

If you view only one film this year...this should be it. See it soon, & as the film's dialogue states, "Before the whole civil rights thing blows over." That line brought a theater audience LOL.

As Aibileen believes, quoted from the book, "We done something brave and good here. And Minny, maybe she don't want a be deprived a any a the things that go along with being brave and good."

`

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This is an amazing movie. I just finished watching it a few minutes ago and my emotions are still reacting to it. After hearing a commentator talk about it, I had almost decided not to watch it, but I'm glad I did. I'm old enough to have lived through the time period covered. What I observed as a small child was only the tip of the iceberg. This movie brought out so much more that I just hadn't noticed or thought about. While the movie itself was done in an entertaining manner, I just have a sick feeling. I don't think I'll ever forget some of the scenes.

I recommend the movie, and that's the bottom line.

Years ago I got my first job, downtown, when I was 16 years old. The job was too hard for me and after a couple of days I was let go. As I waited for the bus in the department store lounge with a dozen or so other people, I picked up the phone and called my mom. I could only blurt out the words, "Mom, I lost my job" and just started crying. Nobody else in that room said anything or reacted. A very large black woman jumped out of her chair and just came over and held me while I cried. She kept saying, "Oh, you poor sweet little child. You sweet little angel." That woman was the first black person I had ever been close to, and I immediately loved her. She and her family are still in my prayers today, many years later. Now, after watching this movie, I have so many thoughts about what her life was like back then. She was in the same position as the women in this film. She had to know that I, a little white teenaged girl, had so many more job options than she would ever have, but she took the time to comfort me with everything she had to offer, and it was a great blessing to me.

I'm going to be thinking about The Help for a long time. It hit me right in the gut! What an amazing movie!

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I enjoyed the book tremendously and was disappointed in the movie. Some important aspects were lost in the film: the terror that the book authors experience every time they get together at Aibilene's house, the real reason why Constantine was fired, the fact that Hilly turned the toilet-damping incident to her advantage, etc., etc., etc. Instead, saccharine sweetness is added to all relationship and Skeeter is turned into a White savior. I would recommend the book to a friend, but not the film. Too Hollywood. Too happy-ending.

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Ice Age: Continental Drift (Blu-ray / DVD + Digital Copy) (2012)

The Ice Age series, across the four in the series, has been full of adventure and fun, and Continental Drift is no different. Scrat the squirrel starts the continental drift in his never ending pursuit of the acorn. Manny is separated from Ellie and Peaches during the drift and there begins his adventure with buddies Diego and Sid.

Sid is united with his family who, it turns out, just wanted to leave his granny with him and disappear. The granny, voice of Wanda Sykes, brings in fine humor. The pack, in their attempt to reunite Manny with his family, runs into evil Captain Gutt, the reigning pirate of the frozen waters. They venture off with his boat after beating his crew, only to run into him again. Here starts a friendship between Diego and Shira. Captain Gutt in a desperate attempt to get even with Manny holds Peaches hostage. Manny and the entire pack, including Granny, fight back with gusto.

The overall pace and adventure of The Continental Drift is at par with the previous versions, it's non-stop adventure with funny scenes that kids will enjoy. However, it feels like more of the same over and over again. There isn't much depth of content, no new ideas, no scintillating graphics, and no meaningful development of characters.

That being said, the movie is still great fun for the entire family. It's adventurous, funny, and definitely worth a watch.

Last summer, my family and I saw this movie, as we are die-hard fans of the Ice Age film franchise since the first film was released in 2002. Laughed from beginning to end. We saw it twice in the theater, we enjoyed it that much! When it came out on Blu-ray/DVD (which I got for Christmas), we enjoyed it even more!

The plot: Sid, Manny and Diego are definitely in for the ride of their lives when they met a set of pirates, and Diego gets a girlfriend (voiced by J-Lo!).

If you liked Pirates of the Carribean and if you love the Ice Age movies, you'll love Ice Age 4: Continental Drift!

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Ice Age: Continental Drift is basically like the other Ice Ages movies with one exception: this time the focus on adventure and excitement is much MUCH faster, uncontrollable and flat out zannier this time around. I mean significantly crazier, haha. I'd honestly need to watch Continental Drift about 3 more times to really be able to keep up with the many assortment of animal flips, dives, jumps, rolls, leaps, etc. Don't get me wrongthere's a storyline present, but it's not always obvious. Quite often you have to wait for storyline progressing segments to occur.

When an iceberg separates the mammoth played by Ray Romano and leaves his wife (played by Queen Latifah) and their daughter on their own, the mammoth and saber-toothed cat accidentally go on a little iceberg adventure involving tons of oceanic creatures coming into the picture and causing hilarious chaos (especially the one with the crab and the slothI love this one in particular).

Soon after, they make landfall and find themselves trapped against an ape who claims to be the king of the ocean so fighting against him is entirely hopeless. Also, a female saber-toothed gray cat comes into the equation and reluctantly fights against (and eventually with) the mammoth, cat and sloth. However in order to join in with the gang of familiar animals we all know and love, she has to separate herself from the ape whose quest is solely on destroying our loveable talkative animals... which proves to be quite a difficult decision for the cat.

I'd say Continental Drift offers a ton of excitement, however the one problem is that many of the jokes fall flat. I'm not a Nicki Minaj fan so her presence is pretty pointless and uninteresting. I *am* however, a fan of Wanda Sykes who provides a few really hilarious lines. Unfortunately Continental Drift focuses on humor that people like Nicki Minaj, Snooki and others would prefer, and the same can be said for the rather uninspiring soundtrack we hear throughout the movie. These issues crop up more than a few times.

The squirrel's tireless search for the nut and unintentionally finding himself in several tricky situations returns yet again, and it never stops being funny (or weird) how the storyline involving the other animals suddenly stops so we can watch the mischievous squirrel go on a little adventure concerning his nut. Always entertaining watching these segments.

Overall, well it's a totally zanny adventure. This time it's crazier than usual. Enjoy.

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I dont know if im happy i bought this or not. I ordered this a month ago and ive watched it probably 48 times with my 3 year old little girl. The movie is great, but be careful if you have a little one you will become more familiar with this movie than you ever expected lol

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All I can say is please let this series die before it loses every last ounce of its dignity. The first one was great, the others sequels less so and now with the arrival of the four hundred and forty fourth one, this series has hit an all time low. This is just a weak movie all around. When you pretty much know what the entire plot of the film is going to be in the first five minutes of the movie, you know you're in for a long boring, cliche ridden, been there done that, nothing remotely original sequel. Spoiler alert, Manny and his daughter are reunited in the end and they're both sorry for what they said before they became separated. Gee didn't see that one coming from like 200 miles away. The only think I liked about this movie was "Precious" and even that character was not enough to save this awful cash grab. Just like Shrek-this series seriously needs to end before they can milk it to death entirely . Blue Sky Studios has done some incredibly original films over the years (Horton Hears a Who & Rio for instance), why they keep wasting time churning out more awful Ice Age sequels when they're capable of so much better is beyond me. Oh yeah, the whole cash grab thing.... Regardless, it's time to move on please-Manny, Sid, Scrat and Diego need to be permanently retired. They've even made Sid a boring character and I thought that was impossible. I own the other three ice age movies, but I'm going to pass on this one. Even before I had seen it, I had seen it all before if you catch my "drift".

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Trans-Siberian (2008)

Don't worry: No spoilers. Transsiberian is an excellent thriller. A reviewer here aptly called it a neo-Hitchcockian film. A train ride in snowy Russia full of menace and suspense. As someone who has taken long train journeys in Russia, I can attest that the movie is quite good in transmitting their feel: from the vodka-lubricated friendly warmth of new acquaintances to the all too common hostile rudeness of train employees. And have no doubts about the suspense itself: the sense of dread and danger builds up gradually from almost nonexistent to just about unbearable. Emily Mortimer is superb as the central character. She has to exhibit a very wide range of emotions and she's absolutely convincing at all stages. Woody Harrelson is cast as Mortimer's husband. He is very credible as a friendly and rather naive Iowan who hasn't done much travel outside the US. He's also a train enthusiast--one of the reasons he's so thrilled about the Transsiberian. His wife is a woman with a wild past who turned her life around after meeting her husband, a committed Christian. They have to share their cabin with a young couple: Kate Mara, a young American, and Eduardo Noriega, a handsome Spaniard. Mortimer and Harrelson soon discover that their younger cabin mates are much better traveled than they are. Although they are friendly, Mortimer senses some mystery in the story of their companions. The last among the main characters is another train passenger, an English-speaking Russian narcotics detective played by Ben Kingsley. As it is often the case, Kingsley's character is both intelligent and intense. If you like suspense films, don't miss this one.

I saw this movie in Los Angeles and was plesently surprised. This movie had me glued to my seat until the credits rolled. Anderson clearly has created a mystery masterpiece telling the story of a clueless couple, Woody Harrelson and Emily Mortimer, stuck on a cross country train ride through the grim backdrop of a post-soviet Russia. The two are caught in a whirlwind of drug-smuggling, torture and crooked cops. I haven't been this impressed with a movie for a long time and can't wait to buy this sucker on DVD disc!

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** Spoilers ahead

For the most part, Transsiberian works as a suspense/thriller and captures the uncomfortable feeling of being a foreigner in another land. The director Brad Anderson does a commendable job setting up the relationship between the couple, their struggles, and their vastly different personalities. He also sets the stage for quite a finish, but the viewer will have to decide how well this is pulled off. I loved the scenery and much of the dialogue was satisfactory throughout. A slow, definitive build up to the main conflict is sorely lacking in contemporary films, but Transsiberian captures this. The basic premise is that an American couple, Roy and Jessie are (Woody Harrelson, Emily Mortimer) taking a trip home from China on the Trans-Siberian Express become involved in a plot involving an investigation of drug possession and an accidental murder. When Roy and Jessie happen to meet and share a cabin with another couple (Carlos, Abby) from the West, events begin to pick up, and the intrigue begins. The seemingly well-meaning couple has other plans and, after a mix-up where Roy and Jessie become separated, it sheds a bit of light on what is going on. Later, a Russian police officer (Sir Ben Kingsley) takes over the investigation, but his true intentions are a bit shady.

While most of the film was solid, there were some aspects of the film that irked me. For one, being that Jessie (Mortimer) was the strongest character, I found it appalling and puzzling how she could not and would not tell the truth at ANY costs (which included possibly having her husband shot to death and one of the characters who she befriended, Abby, tortured). Not only that, but she has no qualms about going "out in the middle of nowhere" with a mysterious man at the same time her husband is missing. Was this just a major character flaw for her, or what was the deal? It seemed a little inconsistent with who she is. You would think that she might finally see the light, but no, it never happens. Another point that seemed a little inconsistent or baffling was when Roy and Jessie basically flee their captors but leave Abby, after being tortured and beaten and pleading for help, to the wolves. Were these the same good people who were doing missionary work in China? The last part of the film, the unraveling of events, kind of fell flat, and seemed to "sell out" a little, going Hollywood, and having the typical good guy/ bad guy struggle scenario play out. It didn't really live up to the carefully crafted suspense in the first part. Also, there were questions that were not fully explored. (i. e. Why did Roy miss his train? ). It didn't compare to the first part of the film that took time to build up suspense, and give some intrigue to the tale.

Still, Transsiberian works on many levels. The tension when Kingsley's character is questioning Jessie about the missing man really adds to the mood and confusion of the naïve American couple. In short, this is an above-average suspense with mostly solid performances and an intriguing plot. This film does have a "feel" of Hitchcock to it at times, but it's best to leave the comparisons at the door.

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This one grabbed my attention when I read about it in the New York Times last month. The article made it sound like it might rival Hitchcock's Strangers on a Train or Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express. Well it doesn't. Not even close. Granted it does feature exotic Transsiberian locales from Beijing to Moscow, a train ride full of mystery and suspense, and the work of a set of top-notch actors. Unfortunately, everything that is attractive about this film is derailed by a script that takes one too many unlikely plot turns. So, instead of getting a suspense filled Strangers on a Train or an elegantly paced Murder on the Orient Express, we get just another Hostel or Turistas.

In the beginning there is the thrill that one is about to embark on an exotic journey into an area for the most part uncharted by Hollywood (Siberia), and the film does deliver a few glimpses of China and Russia that entice the eye. And, at first anyway, the characters and their relationships are intriguing enough to grab and hold our attention. Woody Harrelson is always good and here he delivers a fairly convincing performance as "Roy", a christian volunteer doing work with needy children in China. Roy is the typical bleary-eyed American optimist blissfully unaware of his own naivete. The fact that he wears Woodrow Wilson styled bifocals nicely underscores his limited vision of the world. This isn't Oscar stuff by any stretch but naivete is Woody's forte and since this character truly is caring and compassionate and sees only the best in other people he's actually quite likable. Since everyone else in this film is slightly jaded and gaurded and hiding a sketchy past, Roy's optimism and openness and childlike enthusiasm for trains is actually quite refreshing. His openness is at times an asset (he is a people magnet), at other times a liability (his naivete and over-the-top Americanness make him an easy target at home and abroad).

Accompanying Roy on this volunteer trip to China is his wife Jessie (played by the immensely talented and infinitely watchable Emily Mortimer whose previous film appearances include: Match Point, Lars and the Real Girl & Lovely and Amazing). Jessie is an odd match for Roy. She has experienced more of the world than he has and her adventurous, and perhaps dark, past is something that she keeps to herself. That is until Roy and Jessie board the Transsiberian Express and meet fellow travelers Carlos (Eduardo Noriega, best known for his work in the Spanish film Open Your Eyes) and Abby (Kate Mara). Carlos and Abby are seasoned travelers who look like they have seen a lot of the world, and not just the stuff that's in the Lonely Planet travel guide. Though well traveled, they are younger than Roy and Jessie and still full of wanderlust for the world and each other. Being around them reawakens Jessie's own still simmering wanderlust. Reckless and impulsive Carlos awakens her sense of danger and her sensuality (which have remained for the most part dormant during her time with Roy); and unrooted and uncertain Abby reminds her of her own younger and riskier, and as yet unmapped, self. Abby represents that side of herself that Jessie misses but also fears so she feels threatened by but also protective of Abby who is traveling down a lot of the same paths and traveling down them for many of the same reasons that Jessie formerly did. Abby's attraction to Carlos reminds Jessie of her own attractions to such men when she was that age and therefore she has conflicting feelings for Carlos: her younger self wants him, her older self wants him out of the picture. The fact that Jessie has a past and an understanding of many different types of existence makes her an excellent observer of human nature and as a result she takes wonderful pictures. But this avocation, like her relationship with Roy, is also a safe one. It allows her to indulge her interest in the disordered variety of life that she is attracted to but also to maintain a responsible and respectable distance from that world. However, her pictures also provide clues to an undeniable truth about Jessie. In the most memorable scene of the film a detective handles her camera and begins to scan through her photos while she nervously watches knowing the difference between culpability and liberty is only one delete button away. Mortimer does an exceptional job with the role. This character is full of surprises, including self-surprise, every step of the way.

The film could have worked well had it confined itself to developing the personal histories and tracing the evolving relationship dynamics and life trajectories of these four characters as they travel together in close quarters on an exotic train passing through one snowy Siberian locale after another. Instead, the film decides to take a different route and heads off into the usual Hollywood thriller terrain: drug smuggling, torture, murder, trainjacking & smashing etc... In other words, at about the halfway point, the film foregoes character study (and subtlety), and becomes your usual lurid, predictable, and forgettable summer flick.

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A moody dark tale of the perils of getting mixed with the wrong people, TRANSSIBERIAN is the type of film that sucks you in immediately. It is an examination of the nature of fidelity, truth and gullibility...with a healthy dose of dont talk to strangers thrown in. Roy (Woody Harrelson) and Jessie (Emily Mortimer) have been in the Far East, where Jessie's prowess with a camera has won her honors in helping the plight of children in China. The couple decides to take the long Transsiberian train back to Moscow, eager to see more of the culture of the area. Roy, who back home is an important member of his church and a hardware store owner, as well as a train buff, comes off as highly likeable, sweet, and a little too innocent for his own good. Woody Harrelson plays this type of role well, and is good here. His wife Jessie is a rescued 'bad girl', struggling even now to settle down and not pine for her days of less-than-innocent. They board the train and find themselves co-cabined with a mysterious young couple who even at the outset Jessie is not sure are all they seem.

Carlos (Eduardo Noriega) and Abby (Kate Mara) are hinky from the start, jumpy, a little creepy; and Carlos shows immediate interest in Jessie, which Roy doesn't get and which makes Jessie nervous. Everything comes to a head when, at a station stop, Roy gets left behind. There is so much suggestion in this movie, you are not sure exactly what to think about the fact that he isn't on the train when it starts up again; and you are kept guessing about this, and practically everything else in the movie. Jessie opts to stay at the next stop and wait for Roy to rejoin the train, and Carlos and Abby decide to stay with her, which doesn't exactly make her feel more secure.

The action grows darker and more grim from here, becoming a tangled web of deception, danger, and that impotent desperate feeling of being a foreigner in a place where the rules aren't clear. Everyone in the cast is spot-on; you really believe the fear and dread in Jessie when things transpire that she sees no way out of; you know Inspector Grinko (the always superb Sir Ben Kingsley, doing a great Russian accent here as a corrupt police official) is sizing things up with a glance. Roy slowly comes out of his cloud of sunny complacency to realize that there are things going on that perhaps a smile cannot fix, and that his wife is up to her neck in big problems.

I chanced upon this film, and was riveted from the first moment. You can feel the cold of the Siberian winter, and the helplessness of being a total stranger on a train full of native speakers who aren't always that interested in being polite or helpful. There was not a dull moment in the film, and the action was enhanced by a nuanced score that sends chills down your back at all the right times. Although I felt the ending a bit contrived and improbable, I would recommend this movie completely. Fast paced, intelligent, it will keep you guessing to the end.

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Dumb and Dumber (Unrated Edition) (2008)

The 1 star is purely for the Bluray, unrated version. I am a huge fan of the theatrical cut and it was one of the first movies I upgraded from VHS to DVD. Dumb and Dumber has near flawless pacing in it's theatrical form. The unrated version throws in bits that are completely unnecessary, extremely crude, and not very funny. It is easy to see why they were cut and a little hard to understand why the Bluray version is only offered in this version. I sent the Bluray version back and I hope the next format upgrade of this film goes back to the classic theatrical cut.

*Spoiler Alert*

For those of you who would like to know, here are the differences (info copied from wikipedia):

* In the PG-13 version, when Mental tears Petey's (Harry's parakeet) head off, it cuts after he says "I Tawt I Taw a Putty Tat!". In the unrated version, it shows him violently squeezing Petey's head with his fists.

* In the PG-13 version, Seabass is about to spit on Harry's burger, but the camera cuts to Lloyd, while the spitting sound is still heard. In the unrated version, it shows the spit coming out of his mouth onto the burger.

* In the unrated version, when Joe Mental and Shay (the female accomplice) are waiting by the side of the road for Harry and Lloyd to drive by, Shay says to Joe: "turn around, I gotta squeeze a lemon" and crouches down.

* In the unrated version, when Seabass finds Lloyd in the bathroom, Lloyd keeps repeating 'find a happy place' to which Seabass replies, 'I'll show you a happy place!' before dropping his own pants and grabbing his crotch.

* After the gas station scene a new scene occurs while driving where Harry makes fun of Lloyd about being in a bathroom with a 6 foot four man with his pants down.

* In the original PG-13 version, "The Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead" by Crash Test Dummies plays during the scene where Harry, Lloyd, and Mental are in the restaurant. This song is absent in the unrated version, possibly due to copyright issues.

* The unrated version of the film features an extended dialogue scene between Lloyd and Harry in the honeymoon motel.

* The unrated version of the film features an extra scene prior to Harry's departure to the slopes with Mary, in which Lloyd comments on Harry's "revealing" ski suit.

* In the PG-13 version, when Harry is attempting to fix Mary's toilet, he shouts out that he's shaving, and we see Mary standing at the door. The unrated version shows Harry lifting the toilet to the window and dumping its contents out.

This is one of the funniest movies made in my lifetime. I had seen the movie hundreds of times and equally enjoyed each viewing, so when I heard there was going to be an unrated version, I pre-ordered it right away.

This is a great DVD edition. The deleted scenes are hilarious and some probably should have been left in the movie (like the "other peoples' money seize the day" scene). The alternate endings are also pretty cool, but they definitely chose the best ending for the actual theatrical release. The retrospective documentary is also quite interesting, as you get some insight into the production, casting, etc... of the movie, as well as the impact it has had on comedy fans over the years. If you search through the interactive menus enough, you will even find a couple of hidden features.

Dumb and Dumber lives on as a standout comedy film. It just never seems to get old... I'm just excited to finally get some bonus footage from this comedy classic!

Buy Dumb and Dumber (Unrated Edition) (2008) Now

This Unrated Version finally gives the DVD fans what they want -6 minutes of additional footage, two alternate endings, and some making-of bonus features. At least... we thought we wanted an "unrated" version. The problem is, the original was consider a classic in its day, that adding six more minutes of footage (sprinkeled around a number of scenes) really breaks up the almost-brilliant pacing that fans loved from the original film. The footage added also makes this basically an R-rated film now, with what we would call "strong sexuality" (without given away the jokes. It was nice to see the extra footage, even if it is a little more risque, but the original PG-13 rating really suits the movie better (and younger teens can watch it without hearing jokes that parents think are too strong). Missing is any kind of audio commentary, and the complete absence of Jim Carrey in the bonus material is rather strange. Swartzenegger was available for the bonus' in the first Conan movie when it got re-released on DVD, so why didn't the studio at least try to wait for Carrey to have some free time.

If you're a fan like me, and can almost recite EVERY line from memory, seeing this Uncut Version will be a nice treat, especially when it come to the extras (though everything fits on only 1 disc, so we don't get a whole lot of content). I liked seeing the extra footage, but as soon as I finished this new version, I went online and bought the original PG-13 DVD -becuase that's the film that I loved and memorized years ago. Extra footage is nice, and a few sections of the Deleated Scenes are really funny, but they really did leave the funniest stuff in the original version. Still, buy this version for the extras, but buy the original on DVD as well. That's the version that will always be a classic, no matter how much time passes.

Read Best Reviews of Dumb and Dumber (Unrated Edition) (2008) Here

If there is a film out there that has created such an rift among viewers as Dumb and Dumber, I'd like to see it. It seems that everyone I know either loves the movie or abhorrs it. It is easy to see why people love the movie. The movie is outrageously funny, and I believe most of the film's critics will concede this. However, without fail, the number one critique of the film by opponents is, "but it's so stupid." This is like saying you don't like Schindler's List because "it's too serious." Of course it's stupid! That's the point! Unfortunately, pounding the keys on the keyboard harder isn't helping to portray my sentiments here. First of all, this is not a movie you can only see once. Sure, one viewing will account for all the "big laughs", Lloyd's airport fiasco, Harry's bathroom adventure and the ski lift accident. If you base your judgement on the big laughs alone, I can see how the movie could seem innane and childish. I suggest every critic of Dumb and Dumber should watch the movie a few more times for the little laughs. There are so many jokes and they are so clever that I find myself appreciating the movie more each time I watch it. For example, in the scene with the state trooper (Harland Williams) the center of comedic attention is clearly the point at which the officer drinks the beer bottle full of urine. This "big laugh" often steals the limelight away from the smaller laughs in the same scene. While handing the bottle over to the trooper, Lloyd accidentally spills some of the urine on Harry, to Harry's obvious displeasure. When the officer realizes what it is he has swallowed, one can faintly hear Lloyd suggest, "Tic Tac sir?" It is subtle moments like these that pervade the movie and make it great every time you watch it. I think part of the problem with the movie is that there are simply too many jokes in the movie. Many of the more subtle, clever jokes get overshadowed by bigger ones, leaving some feeling like the movie is simple toilet humor. This is a grave injustice. Perhaps the most complexing issue concerning the critical reception of Dumb and Dumber is the overwhelming acclaim of the Farelly brother's follow-up film, There's Something About Mary. The two movies are eerily similar. Both involve a road trip starting in Providence. These trips are in search of a woman who is way to good for her respective suitor. In both, the protagonists encounter difficulty and comedic moments along the way. Yet everyone I know loves Mary, while Dumb and Dumber recieves mixed reviews. The only significant difference between the two films is that in Dumb and Dumber, our hero doesn't get the girl. Perhaps this is why reception of the movie is so clearly delineated along gender lines. Women, I can only assume, want Dumb and Dumber to be a romantic comedy, which it is clearly not. Mary can be seen perhaps as fitting this genre because it has the textbook 'boy gets girl' ending (although my mother wanted Brett Favre to get the girl). The fact that Dumber doesn't fall into the obligatory cliche ending is, in my opinion, a large part of it's appeal. Whether you like it or not, you should buy a copy of Dumb and Dumber and watch it fifty times like I have. Then I think you will understand that being stupid is "genius, sheer genius."

Want Dumb and Dumber (Unrated Edition) (2008) Discount?

While the transfer is fine. The fact that this is a redone unrated version and does not include the original totally kills it for me. Ruining great scenes like the diner. Hopefully there will be a rerelease with the original cut.

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The Rabbi's Cat (Blu-ray and DVD Combo Pack)) (2011)

I offer a litmus test. If you adored Sylvain Chomet's "Triplets of Belleville" but were bored with "The Illusionist", this film won't work for you. Myself, I thought the colors and drawings were artistically incredible ... something like Arabic or Hindu painted miniatures. Alas, there really is not much of a story. It is instead a tale of a journey by a rabbi, his voluptuous daughter, an Arab sheikh, and a Russian who are searching for a hidden Jerusalem in Ethiopia where Blacks and Jews co-exist in peace. Along for the ride is the rabbi's "talking cat" a creature which loves arguing and commenting on everything when he's not being pampered by the rabbi's daughter. Since the rabbi is a religious man, they discuss differences in customs and spirituality and beliefs...and why that matters.

The half of the film that take place in Algiers, 1920 is simply stunning. Beautiful blue pools, Persian carpets, exotic buildings, and mosaic tiles. For that alone, I give it 4 stars. The discussions between the characters were engaging but they did become didactic after a while. One of the great moments is the decision by the cat to obtain a bar-mitzvah, and the objections of the orthodox community to such an insanity.

The major problem of the movie is lack of a coherent narrative. Perhaps that is life itself lack of a coherent narrative form speaks substance.

This is animation for adults...worth a peek!

Although released under the GKIDS label, I'm going to start out by saying that "The Rabbi's Cat" is not an animated feature for children. It is undeniably geared toward adults or, at least, teens with an awareness of the world around them. The film discusses religion, racism, and violence and is thought-provoking in a surprisingly comedic way. This feature won the César Award in France for Best Animated Film and is based on Joann Sfar's series of graphic novels. Truthfully, without knowing anything about the movie, I really didn't have a strong desire to see it. I imagined the worst when I read about a talking cat offering wit and insight into a myriad of weighty topics. But I'll watch anything, you never know where that next great surprise is going to come from! Well, for me, this was it! I absolutely loved "The Rabbi's Cat!" The movie is smart, silly, sophisticated, and scathing. There is much to admire in this 89 minute movie, and the DVD/Blu-Ray also boasts some impressive extras.

Bonus:

1) 12 page excerpt from the graphic novel. This is a neat addition, you see that the film catches both the spirit and the look of the piece to perfection.

2) Joann Star Draws From Memory: A documentary feature (just shy of an hour) that sits down with the artist and filmmaker. I didn't know anything about Sfar, but found him to be an interesting subject.

3) Making-of Featurette

4) Trailer

Also of note: Sometimes these GKIDS features or other International animated releases will have an English dub option (of which I'm not a particular fan). "The Rabbi's Cat" does not. This is a subtitled release.

"The Rabbi's Cat" is set in Algeria during the thirties. This environment is a varied mix between French, Arab, and Jewish cultures and there is an unease in this cohabitation. When a Rabbi's cat miraculously gains the power to speak to its owners, it offers humor and commentary about this diversity. His is a search for truth, for God, for faith, and for his place in the world. A surprise guest from Russia adds further depth to the discussion and soon leads the major characters on a pilgrimage across Africa to a rumored city inhabited by Jews. Much of "The Rabbi's Cat" plays out as a wacky road trip with very serious undertones. I won't reveal any spoilers, but the group encounters violence (and even bloodshed) along the way. The trip can meander, but it is in these cross cultural adventures that the film really sings with wit and insight.

In terms of the technical presentation, I really liked the fluid hand-drawn animation on display. It's quirky and oftentimes lovely to look at. But trust me, that's one ugly cat! In short, "The Rabbi's Cat," in my opinion, was thoroughly entertaining. Check it out as a seriously funny film for adults, though, do NOT pick it up for the little ones. KGHarris, 5/13.

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The Rabbi's Cat is a truly charming animated film. The story follows an elder Rabbi and his daughter living in the Sephardic Jewish community in pre-World War 2 Algeria. The eponymous cat develops the ability to speak upon devouring the Rabbi's prized Parrot and proceeds to cause no end of mischief for the family and the surrounding community.

For fans of the graphic novel by Sfar, the film stays absolutely loyal to the look, feel, and theme of the original. The film has cut some plot-lines and characters in order to fit within the standard length of a two hour movie, but this hurts the narrative much less than one might think.

The Rabbi's Cat is ultimately about identity, religion, and ethnicity and how the contradictions within those boundaries ultimately define us as people. The fim is targeted at adults with the religious and historical that are too complicated for younger children. Overall, a great film from beginning to end.

Read Best Reviews of The Rabbi's Cat (Blu-ray and DVD Combo Pack)) (2011) Here

This is a beautifully animated version of Joann Sfar's graphic novel series. The world is incredible rich, full of Jewish and African lore... both mythology and history. I would have liked the film to be longer the pace can be a little frantic, and they try to cram too much plot into a short running time. I wish the Odyssey of Africa towards the end had been done as a stand-alone sequel. Oh well, it looks good and it has got more heart and imagination than most movies. And I guess it reflects how the images and creative ideas just seem to POUR out of the mind of Joann Sfar.

Want The Rabbi's Cat (Blu-ray and DVD Combo Pack)) (2011) Discount?

The French have a well deserved reputation for off-beat works of genius and this is one here. I will not say a word about the extraordinary plot but the typical close-to-the-nerve Jewish humour is hilarious. The animation and music is exceptional. I loved it! Treat yourself. The English subtitles move a bit fast if you do not speak French and they are a bit on the small side but I found that no impediment to a wonderful night at the movies.

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Company Men (2010)

This film seems to be getting mixed reviews at best. It wasn't even released nationwide, or at least not at a theater near me, and very little promotion was given to it. I think that's a shame because it's an enjoyable film that actually explores not just the recent economy and downsizing in Corporate America but the North American situation (obsession with property, possessions and passing pleasures rather than true happiness). That said, I understand that films involving the recent economy haven't done well and I can see why many people wouldn't be eager to get out only to sit in a theater and watch what can be seen as a very depressing story that has a lot of truth to it.

Outside of that fact I still say this is a good film if not entirely great. Ben Affleck is well cast and likable as a man who has it all until his company is hurt by the economy and he finds himself included in the list of recent layoffs, the last thing he expected given his position at the company. He is eager to find a new job and believes he'll have no problem given his credentials but he soon finds the only positions he can attain are those that he considers beneath him. Soon his termination package runs out and he and his wife (excellently played by Rosemarie Dewitt) have to face some realities about their nice house and many possessions including a beautiful sports car. Dewitt and Affleck do a great job of playing a couple under a lot of stress who still clearly love each other.

The film isn't as depressing as it sounds based on that synopsis, from there Ben Affleck's character slowly realizes that when all else fades family remains constant and his parents and brother in law (Kevin Costner) help him make it through to the other side.

While this goes on Tommy Lee Jones plays a higher business executive at the same company who is very upset with the way the company is being run. When he is eventually let go despite suggestions that could help the company he finds himself dissatisfied with his life and looking to find new meaning. Craig T. Nelson plays the head of the company who causes more issues by taking jobs out of the industrial end of the company to keep investors happy. Chris Cooper does an excellent job playing a man in the same position as Affleck only with much less fortunate results when he doesn't have the same support group (truly the most tragic aspect of the film).

Economy films are a lot like films about the Iraq war, not many want to hear anymore about these issues with the media already bombarding us. However, I would say this isn't so much an economy film as it is a film about a very specific aspect of the current human condition that just happens to use the recent economy issues as a starting point (much like how The Hurt Locker wasn't specifically about Iraq).

To me the film wasn't as depressing as others are painting it to be because the message wasn't about how bad things can get, it was about how good we can make things. Everything is a choice, if we stop becoming obsessed with things we have no control over in hopes of stability, if we stop building things up and acting as if they can never fall down, if we accept that nothing is permanent other than the happiness we give ourselves then we might move past all this and be in a better place, a place that can't be taken away from us.

The ending keeps it from being a truly great film, leaving things wrapped up almost too neatly too suddenly despite attempting to be openended and leaving Affleck's character with a mountain to climb. Still, if you liked last year's Up In The Air you'll enjoy this and if your interested in how business's wind up in trouble or if you like films that show the strength of family then this may be for you, give it a try. I hope this film finds a larger audience on Blu-Ray and DVD, I will certainly be adding it to my collection for repeat viewings.

* I hope this release has a director's commentary.

This is a film that oozes with realism and timeliness. The GTX corporation, headed by an overpaid, callous CEO (Craig T. Nelson)--who cares only about the stockholders, a new corporate headquarters, and his salary and stock options--cuts divisions and lays off thousands of workers--some of whom have been with him and the firm for decades. It's not that they aren't hardworking and dedicated, it's just "business."

One of the men who is laid off is in his thirties (Ben Affleck); the other is twenty years older (Chris Cooper). Another (Tommy Lee Jones) roomed in college with the CEO and helped him build the company from the ground up, concentrating on shipbuilding in the Boston area. All three men live lavishly, with fancy houses, furnishings, and cars.

Affleck is great as the proud, bitter, and then humbled white-collar executive, who has to sell his million-dollar home (in the depressed housing market) and Porsche, and then move in with his parents and work for his brother-in-law (played nicely by Kevin Costner) constructing someone else's mega-house. Cooper is also good--downtrodden and desperate, forced to dye his hair, and grovel at job interviews and with associates. And Jones is wonderful--a man with a conscience in the business world, who cares about the people who work at GTX. He also starts to reevaluate his life, both professionally and personally, in middle age.

The film--written and directed by John Wells--hits home. Most of us know people like the ones we see in The Company Men. They can be vain, pushy, and full of themselves; but when things don't go their way, they can be depressed and helpless. Yes, people need to make a living, but they also need to think about what's really important--family, friends, and self-fulfillment. This is a film that makes you think about these things.

Buy Company Men (2010) Now

"The Company Men" is a sober telling of life within a modern company. Men come to be defined by their jobs and when the job is taken away from them, they are lost. Their world as they understand it simply collapses.

At a high level, "The Company Men" covers the lives of several executives of the ship building division of GTX Corporation, an American conglomerate. Profitability and growth seems to be eluding the division and the only response of management is downsizing and, when this fails, more downsizing. Each man is thrown into a whirlpool. Their lives of debt and over-consumption come to a screeching halt. If there is one message from this film it is that too many people assume that things won't change. Too little attention is paid to saving for a rainy day. Consumption is king.

There are excellent performances by Tommy Lee Jones and Ben Affleck. Both end up being "let go" and both struggle with the consequences. However, eventually, reality must be faced. This is not an easy row to hoe. In the case of Ben Affleck's character, his life style is forced to undergo big changes. His house is sold, his family moves back to living with his parents, his wife gets a part time job and he takes a job of manual labour from his brother in law.

Without spoiling the plot, there is a somewhat happier ending. However, in the meantime, the film gives an excellent portrayal of so much of modern corporate life. It's a dog eat dog world out there. Just remember that change can be forced on anyone.

Read Best Reviews of Company Men (2010) Here

Mild "spoilers" contained herein:

A decent, well-paced but largely predictable movie showing what a few "downsized" employees at a large corporation go through when the rug is yanked from under them. Unless you were living in a convent for the last 3 years, none of what you see here will be particularly surprising. The makers of the film dutifully present the greedy heartless CEO (Craig T. Nelson), the hot-shot MBA (Ben Affleck), the blue collar heart-of-gold guy (Kevin Costner), the overlooked company lifer (Chris Cooper), and so on. All the actors do a great job, including the always-good Tommy Lee Jones as the disillusioned philandering millionaire, but there's not really a tremendous amount of meat on the bones of this movie. The actors are attempting to give life to thinly-drawn caricatures distilled from the headlines.

In the end, I don't really care too much about anybody, partly because their troubles are not my own (I've got it worse than everyone shown in the movie), but largely because so many character development questions are left unanswered:

Chris Cooper's character is 60: why is losing his job so devastating? How long did he plan to work? Wouldn't he be close to retirement with some money saved up?

Ben Affleck's character is devastated to lose his Porsche and his country club membership. Why? In his parents' house again after selling his house, he tells his wife "I couldn't wait to get out of here. I was gonna be a CEO." That's it? That's all you got? His parents seem like nice folks. Where's the motivation? Why should we care about this corporate wanker?

It's hard not to be sympathetic with any character Tommy Lee Jones plays, but he stands idly by for most of the movie as the company he helped build is taken away from him, and as people he cares about gets fired, and as he himself gets fired, as he has an affair with the H.R. department chick, walks out on his wife, he sits on a giant pile of money and doesn't help anyone... what happens at the end doesn't redeem him, especially considering the speech he gives to Affleck about loving hotel suites and expensive meals.

Craig T. Nelson's CEO is one-dimensional... it could have been interesting to get under his skin, but the movie didn't have time for him.

And really: do they HAVE to show the passage of time through the cliched use of holidays? Halloween, Thanksgiving dinner, Christmas trees, working on New Year's Eve, Easter egg hunts are all shown.... the only thing missing is the last scene happening on 4th of July.

And so on.

Rosemarie Dewitt gives a good performance as Affleck's wife, and Maria Bello does the best she can with the H.R. character.

Comparisons are being made to "Up in the Air", however, "The Company Men" is more relentlessly bleak and conventional, and has far less snappy dialogue. Affleck's excellent kiss-off to one potential employer, and a couple of exchanges at the employment agency are the only thing bordering on funny.

As a distillation of the business headlines from 2008-2010 and how it plays out in a few lives, this is a very good film, and probably all it aspired to be. As a compelling, moving work of cinema... not so much. 3-1/2 stars.

Want Company Men (2010) Discount?

THE COMPANY MEN (2010, but not released until 2011, 105 minutes, do not confuse with the other comedy Company Man [HD], see my review or with Company Man [HD]) is probably one of the most important movies of this era. In the near future I wager it will be considered a downright unequalled classic. I cannot say I feel that way about it now ... but it has a vital symbolism that I would not have wanted to miss. What attracts my curiosity is why this film seems to have been buried and ignored.

Corporate monster GTX, based in Gloucester, Massachusetts and responsible for the rape of New England, is downsizing suddenly and savagely. The depression we keep pretending is a recession is hitting hard and fast. Ben Affleck, who does not deserve the top billing or any special attention yet receives it, portrays the young sales manager who is fired. In a way, we see this mostly through his eyes as he descends the levels of the Hell of Job Loss.

Tommy Lee Jones and Craig T. Nelson portray the corporate bigwigs of GTX, though Nelson is the soulless owner while Jones is just his 'partner' going back to the company's beginnings. Jones worries like an old lady about the employees being fired while Nelson laughs. Soon Jones is fired, along with Chris Cooper, who symbolizes the too-old-to-hire, out-of-work corporate 'wise man'. It is only Cooper's character who meets his appointment with death by his own hand, and I can't say I liked that but I knew someone had to commit suicide in this.

In a way, this film treats with a world I know not. It is not familiar to me, nor is it understandable. I know such men as "corporate monsters" or the less offensive "bigwigs", "stiff suits" and my own term "executroids". Tommy Lee Jones' character admits who he is: "Hell I like $500 lunches and $5,000 hotel suites!", and this after he's been fired and is a bit hopeless.

Guess that is the real 'enterprising spirit'. That is the world I will never, ever understand. My father always always said, "We're all the same, and everyone's just trying to make a living." So I tried to look at it like that and I have my father to thank for my being able to appreciate this film in full. Before thinking of Pop's wise observation, all I could see was the leering, nasty faces of Craig T. Nelson on one side and Ben Affleck on the other.

There is lots to see and hear in this film. While I felt a kind of sad disgust with it at first, I warmed to its importance. This film speaks loudly to anyone, everyone, who has ever struggled on the way up, lost a job or is floundering in a jobless economy. A special appearance by Kevin Costner as Affleck's brother-in-law symbolizes hard-working labor. As owner of a mid-level construction company, he takes pity on Affleck and hires him. What I really liked here is Costner's job is to build modest homes.

The shots are crabbed and claustrophobic yet lovely and meaningful: the multi-million dollar houses representing the mortgage crisis ('McMansions'), with FOR-SALE signs in the front yards. The shots of certain desolate parts of Gloucester, including the dead, boatless harbor. This has meaning since Jones' character began as a shipwright as did Cooper.

In fact the character with the least meaning (for me, anyhow) is Affleck; he represents the resentful, young hard worker who fought his way out of a working-class neighborhood he despised, and really believed he was better than everyone else. Sad.

As my father might have asked, who is responsible for what? Who cheated the worker out of his work, who slammed all the doors then laughed all the way to the bank? I say Affleck more than Nelson represents that evil glibness, that corporate zombie mentality, that has cost this nation everything. In fact, Nelson seems to be Affleck-in-the-future, only Affleck learns his lessons at the construction site where he works for his brother-in-law.

In other words, he has his glibness torn from him savagely. I kept saying, "Good." There was no way I would ever feel sorry for Affleck's character.

Get this and watch it at least twice. Aside from possibly catching all the stupidly mumbled dialogue which you'll surely miss on the 1st viewing, you'll catch a great deal more. Aside from Affleck's unending lack of acting talent, you will discover that every line spoken here is a lesson. This film without the "f-bombs" and the "mo-fo bombs" which can be edited out in a cinch should be shown in schools.

Craig T. Nelson to a fired Tommy Lee Jones: "My shares are worth $600 million. How much are yours worth?"

And I thought, THAT is a profound and challenging question to America. Watch this great film (in spite of Affleck, whom I always jokingly call "Ben Affect" as in "lack of affect"). Find out just what Jones' "shares" are worth. From this, America just might relearn who and what it really is.

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Fever Pitch (2005)

I'm a Red Sox fan and a sucker for romantic comedies, so I waited for the "Special Red Sox Collectors Edition" before even seeing the flick for the first time -I knew I wanted to buy it. This review contrasts the two editions, with some minor comments about the movie at the end.

Now I see I paid an extra $4 for the "Collector's Edition" over the regular DVD release for what amounts to about a minute of extra Red Sox highlights interpolated at the end. That's it. That's the only difference. That, my friends, is a rip-off from the marketing people, and a pretty crummy one.

Not to say that as a DVD this isn't a very nice package. The gag reel is pretty funny. The directors' commentary and a couple of the featurettes are interesting enough. And the deleted scenes, frankly, make it into a better movie; I only wish they'd done a Director's cut and re-inserted the deleted scenes, because it makes the occasionally thin plot a lot fleshier. In particular, the deleted scene of Uncle Carl taking young Ben to his first game at Fenway is actually pretty wonderful, and great back story for why Ben is so addicted as an adult. It's a major weakness of Farrelly Brothers movies that they seem to cut for time what are often the best parts of the movies, resorting to the truly wretched device of voice-over narration to substitute for what would've been better done as actual story. "Me Myself and Irene" serves as the ultimate monument to this awful problem of trying to use voice-over narration to solve story problems, where script and editing problems could've been overcome with some attention before production was ever started. "Fever Pitch", fortunately, manages to stand up well enough even with the narration. It's just that it's more obvoiusly in watching the deleted scenes that this could've been raised from an enjoyable but somewhat fluffy movie to one with more of an edge -both sweet and sour -had they put them in the "original" movie.

And, as I note, I did enjoy the movie -the romantic comedy is relatively adult, and despite some glossing over of Ben and Lindsey's respective addictions to the Red Sox and the workplace, one does get a sense of adult motivations and a real relationship between the two. Jimmy Fallon, quite suprisingly, does an excellent job at walking a fine line here between not trying to be a film dreamboat (which he couldn't pull off) and avoiding being a complete moron in the loveable-moron school (which would've been unbelievable, given the Drew Barrymore character's sophistication.) In particular, he does a nice shift of gears from the sweet "winter Ben" to some over the top moments in the height of his Red Sox passion.

One quibble, another thing that could've been fixed with the deleted scenes restored: you never quite get that verisimilitude of exactly what kind of dumb things us Red Sox fans get cranked up by -arguing on the phone with, say, talk radio about managerial moves at 11 PM while your girlfriend lies naked and beckoning in bed, for instance. Still, good job on getting the essential passions on the table.

But all that said, why on earth did I get charged an extra $4 for a few baseball highlights that do nothing to make the movie better? No good reason. If you like the movie or the idea of the movie, just buy the regular non-collectors' DVD edition. Even if you're a Red Sox diehard like me, no reason to shell out the extra money for the collectors' edition, because there's nothing to collect you won't also be able to get in the deluxe 2004 playoff DVD set of the games.

Selfless love exists in many forms. "Fever Pitch" artfully weaves two of them.

One of Ben Wrightman's (Jimmy Fallon) 9th grade muses asks him, "When have the RedSox ever loved you back?" But for all of us who have loved and lost and loved some more, the answer isn't so clear.

Especially during these past few years (thank you John Henry, Larry Lucchino, and Theo Epstein), that love has been requited. But the years of Jimmy Williams and Dan Duquette weren't so bad after all either. And we'll always have Ted Williams (and Harry Hooper, and even Babe Ruth for a few years . . .)

Drew Barrymore plays her second romantic movie ending on a baseball field (Never Been Kissed) extremely well. She's a vulnerable cutie with lots of female power and a straight shooter. In my opinion, she shares her secret shame of "seeing patterns of numbers and rearranging them into new patterns" quite well. Her buddies are convincing women characters that test and question her.

Jimmy Fallon plays a wonderful sweet school teacher, err man, with "something not quite right". His buddies exist on the RedSox plane only -maybe because there's nothing else. Some of his little bits are perfect moving the movie forward by adding dimension to his personality.

For me, "Fever Pitch" works on practically all levels. I have seen it thrice and cried every time. My wife (from Boston) liked it as well.

For my NY Yankee friends, probably not.

Go Sox!

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forget Jimmy and Drew. This is really not about them. It is the actual story of how the city of Boston has developed a love/hate relationship with the baseball team that has broken their hearts for too many years. Every spring, the fans of Red Sox nation begin their courtship of a championship season and every autumn they are once again left at the alter. Except the year this movie was made. Somehow, someway, the Sox did it and it was captured in this movie. Buy it just to keep your Red Sox highlight disk company.

Is God a movie fan..He must be!

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I am a true Yankee fan and although the Red Sox are now our biggest rivals I still enjoyed this movie. I had to close my eyes at the end for a few seconds when they showed the Red Sox comeback in the AL Championship series.

Because the Red Sox our biggest American League rival people think it was always that way. But it wasn't. When I grew up in the 1950s the Red Sox had great hitters like Ted Williams and Pete Runnels. But they were never a contender. The Yankees rivals were the Indians and White Sox, the only two teams to beat them out for the American League pennant. But those rivalries were nothing compared to the Brooklyn Dodger vs New York Yankee rivarly that develop when they meet in the World Series 4 times in the decade.

In this movie Jimmy Fallon meets Drew Barrymore and falls in love with her. But this happens in the winter and the true Red Sox fanaticism doesn't really come until baseball season. She gets a hint when she see how his apartment looks like Fenway Park. But the true understanding doesn't hit until she see him with friends on ESPN while they were down in Florida watching for the new prospects.

The theme of the story is all about her finding time for a man in her life and we see how this very succesful woman is embarrassed when she is caught sleeping on the job. For Fallon it is about finding time for her with his busy schedule attendiing Red Sox games. He inherited two season tickets and before the season starts he and his friends get to decide who gets to go with him for these games. With Drew in his life he picks her to go with him to the most important games. One day he had to miss a game for a dinner appointment with her parents.

The last straw seems to be when he hesitates about taking a trip with her to Paris because the Sox would be in town. In the end he is depressed and decides to sell his tickets and show her that he would give up the Red Sox for her. If you go see it watch how it plays out. It is very funny and romantic.

For me the most interesting part was that it was filmed during the 2004 season and so as they filmed the outcome was in doubt because it hinged on how the Red Sox would do. The soap opera story of the Red Sox being humiliated in game 3 of the AL Championship Series, then being down with no wins and three losses even their die hard fans were throwing in the towel. After all no team in the history of the playoffs and World series had ever comeback down 3-0 to win a 7 game series. But in Hollywood fashion they did. That gave them the impetus to reverse thecurse and sweeo the Cardinals in the World Series. Fallon and Barrymore actually attended some of the games and were filmed there.

This film is good for men and women. Men love it for the baseball and an undersanding of how serious fans can be about their team. Women love it for the romance, a real chick flick.

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This movie was fun!

One of the reviewers stated : "The Red Sox theme got blown out of all proportions" but I couldn't agree less. Through the entire movie my family kept pointing at Jimmy Fallon saying, "oh my God! That's you!"

After a life-time of having my heart and emotions shoved through a shredder by the Red Sox, a little romance set against the impossible dream of MY Team winning, actually winning, a World Series is great fun. And none of us misses the irony that this movie was supposed to showcase true love against inevitable despair; that irony makes the laughter all the sweeter.

This is a fun little movie; and as a friend of mine once said, "not every movie has to be a FILM." Fever Pitch may not be "high cinema," but it is a lot of fun; and again, after a lifetime of "high cinema" and rousing despair from the Boston Red Sox, a fun little movie on the tails of a World Series Championship is just the ticket.

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Scientology: The Fundamentals of Thought Film (DVD and Blu-Ray)

Powerfull DVD, Change your space and vision of life. Data are very concentrated that one must view the DVD over and over as new data will unfold each time one's view them.

Even though I have read the book more than once and have been a Scientology practitioner for 45 years I got a better understanding of others and myself from watching this. But it is shot in a way that a beginner can watch it and it will improve his or her life. Very professionally done. Not preachy but inviting one to look for oneself. Of course one has to watch it with an open mind. These are new, different and sometimes surprising ideas. One has to see if it is true for him or her. The way to find that is to apply it and see if it is true. If you have the courage to do that, go for it.

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Rio Lobo (1970)

Rio Lobo is a good John Wayne western that borrows from several of his previous movies. The story is about a Union colonel trying to find out who the traitor was in his unit that sold information about gold shipments to Confederate guerillas. Along the way he helps a town escape the wrath of a rich landowner and a corrupt sheriff. The story may seem similar, but this still is a very entertaining movie. What John Wayne movie isn't? The story blends action and story together in this exciting western.

The Duke is great once again as Cord McNally, the Union colonel in pursuit of traitors. Jorge Rivero is awkward as Pierre "Frenchy" Cordona, the Confederate guerilla who helps Wayne. I don't know whether it is actually Rivero talking or someone dubbing his lines in, but it just sounds funny. Joining them are Jennifer O'Neill, Christopher Mitchum, Jack Elam, and Victor French. Elam is great as usual in his role as the eccentric old man in the town. The DVD has a good widescreen presentation that looks cleaned up compared to the one shown on TBS. Otherwise, there isn't any extras added on. This was Howard Hawks last western, and he made a good one. Good story and exciting action. Deserves a watch if nothing else for those who haven't seen this late Duke western!

This movie is hardcore John Wayne at his finest, and terribly authentic. The movie begins with Union Colonel Wayne nervous (with good reason) about a gold shipment during the latter stages of the civil war. He is only nervous about sending it through territory where he knows the famous 1st Louisiana Cavalry is lurking. What follows is absolutely the greatest train robbery in movie history in my opinion. You are left breathless when the hornet nest is sent flying into the boxcar holding the gold. Then John Wayne picks up the chase. Great photography, and it posesses all the ear marks of a Wayne-Hawks western. The plot later in the movie follows along the same lines as previous Wayne-Hawks classics "Rio Bravo" and "Eldorado". Do yourself a favor and add this one to your western collection.

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By 1970, John Wayne had his Oscar in his pocket and Rio Lobo on some inspection looks like just a lot of good, clean fun he and the cast decided to have, with no particular regard for making cinematic history. The plot rambles and has some implausabilities-like why does the Duke, who plays a Yankee, go home to Blackthorne, Texas? And Jorge Rivero as a Confederate officer takes some getting used to. Same thing, different reason, with Jennifer O'Neill. She seems too contemporary for a historic setting and her acting is questionable. However, by dogies, she is just so beautiful (and one of the hottest actresses in demand in the early 70's) that she can be forgiven for any dramatic failings.

One of the strengths of the film is the Duke's self-deprecating humor is in fine display, and so is John Wayne himself. Chisum, which was made about this time, is a better film in my estimation, but Mr. Wayne is practically relegated to a supporting player in it. In Rio Lobo he is in almost every scene and that alone makes it a pleasure to watch. Jack Elam hams it up and David Huddleston adds a nice touch of comedy. Trivia buffs will enjoy Sherri Lansing (future studio head) in the near buff and George Plimpton, fresh off his Paper Tiger days, getting a bit role as a short-lived bad guy.

As for improving the movie, it suffers because the death of the lieutenant, which is the main motivating force for Wayne's character to go after the bad guys, is little seen by the audience. We need to connect with this guy so we feel strongly that justice must be done. This character should have been played by a well-known actor in a cameo role. An obvious choice would have been Patrick Wayne. Then the audience would know the character even though their presence onscreen is brief and make a stronger emotional connection with them. Another thing is the sheriff of Rio Lobo is supposed to be a really mean hombre, but we don't have enough scenes with him to establish this. At the very least, a scene should be added where he brutally questions the Sherri Lansing character and scars her. It wouldn't have to be graphic-just enough to once again emotionally connect with the audience.

Mr. Wayne's DVDs are not getting the attention that his fans deserve! George Plimpton had a television special on making Rio Lobo-this should be an extra included. And, my gosh, The Alamo had 500,000 feet of film shot-some by John Ford. What do we get in bonus material? ZIP! NADA! JACKSQUAT! C'mon Hollywood, this is THE most important film actor of the 20th Century! Get off yer duffs and find this stuff. This is HISTORY!

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Not that it's bad, of course. Fans of the Duke will want to add "Rio Lobo" to their collection because it's classic John Wayne stuff. This time, the Duke is a Yankee Colonel who attempts to track down a pair of Union traitors responsible for the theft of Union gold shipments during the Civil Was and ultimately, the death of a Yankee Lieutenant who was like a son to Wayne's character in the movie. Along the way, he is aided by a pair of Rebs (Jorge Rivero and Chris Mitchum) and beautiful Jennifer O'Neill. The quartet find themselves facing overwhelming odds (don't they always?) as they attempt to get the bad guy, while at the same time helping the oppressed citizens of Rio Lobo.

Director Howard Hawks sticks to his tried-and-true (and successful) formula and puts together a fast-moving, action-filled film. OK, so the acting (especially poor Jennifer O'Neill) is stilted, but viewers of this film didn't go to it (or get the DVD) because they were looking for Oscar calibre' performances.

It's pure Duke with copious amounts of gunfire, self-depreciating humor and great Western scenery. The film score ranks with some of the best work done by Jerry Goldsmith. Hawks uses his patented clipped dialogue to keep the plot moving. The supporting cast, including Victor French, Mike Henry, David Huddleston and Western veterans Jim Davis and Jack Elam, are great components to the film.

If you enjoyed any of the aforementioned Duke classics, then you'll enjoy "Rio Lobo"

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The first part of this western is relatively unique; the second part is commonplace in John Wayne movies. The latter contains such themes as shootouts between posses of good and bad guys, a trade of kidnapped men (the bad guys' boss for Frenchie), and heavy drinking. In fact, McNally (Wayne) has this comment about a drink: "Boy, this stuff ain't for the young!"

The train robbery is creatively portrayed. A group of Confederate guerillas, evidently tipped off about a transport of gold, tap-in into a telegraph wire, and thereby correctly infer which train is going to carry the gold. Then they set up a trap: They grease a section of railway so that the targeted train will stall for lack of traction. Once this happens, they come out of hiding and ambush the train. They throw a bag of bees into a train compartment in order to put the men inside out of action and to force them to jump out of the train. Finally, they detach the gold-bearing wagon from the rest of the train, and steer it to a prearranged place where it can be ground to a halt and stripped of its gold-bearing chest.

Those who feel that westerns ignore women or always place them in passive roles will like this film. There are two women who are good with guns, and who put them to use when the men won't do their jobs to secure justice for them. One of the men gives a form of respect to one of these women: "She's got legs and she can shoot!"

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Enemy of the State

MOVIE: Enemy of The State is another one of Jerry Bruckheimer's mid 90's action extravaganzas. He reunites with Tony Scott to bring us this action flick about government coverups and how technology is used to basically track every aspect of your life. The movie is about a lawyer who is unwillingly thrown into a wild cat and mouse chase. A congressman is murdered near a reservoir where research is done on migratory geese. So, unknowingly, the whole thing is caught on tape and ends up in the hands of a nerdy and young Jason Lee. He realizes what he has in his possession and during a foot chase he bumps into his old friend played by Will Smith and secretly drops the tape in his bag. Now Will Smith's character is thrown into a world of espionage without knowing why he is being hunted. He meets up with Brill, played by Gene Hackman, an ex NSA agent who ends up helping him. Hackman basically plays a reincarnation of his character in Coppola's The Conversation. The movie is directed at a fast pace by Tony Scott, and it's an overall entertaining action flick. I felt the movie tried to be smarter than it actually was and that the characters were very plain and boring.

ACTING: I didn't like Hackman in this role, but Will Smith brought some life into the movie. For people who haven't seen the movie in awhile you should check it out to recognize some young faces including Jack Black, Jake Busey, Jaimie Kennedy, Seth Green, and the of course the previously mentioned Jason Lee.

VIDEO: The great thing about the recent releases of Con Air, Crimson Tide, and Enemy Of The State are the new anamorphic transfers of the films. They are greatly appreciated and are so much better than the old ones. The quality of the transfer has not improved greatly in terms of picture quality, but there is a noticeable difference.

AUDIO: As for sound we get a very dull Dolby 5.1 mix. All the dialogue is usually center heavy, and rarely does action actually envelope you from the surround speakers. The track is the same from the old release, so it's not the best. There are some scenes with helicopters and some big explosions that utilize the surround speakers well, but overall it's a very dull mix.

SPECIAL FEATURES: The "making of" featurette was actually more extensive than I was expecting. They talk more about the gadgets used in the film versus the actual movie, but overall I found it to be interesting. All the interviews were done back during the making of the movie and it was a pretty extensive behind the scenes for what the movie is. One thing I found extremely interesting was that they talked about a scene where Will Smith is chased by cars in an underground tunnel in his bathrobe. In reality, the cars didn't fit into the tunnel so they had do take the cars apart and weld them back together in the tunnel. The entire scene was maybe a minute long! I just found it interesting that all that work was done for maybe a blip of action. Anyway, the next featurette is basically some on set footage. Overall the two featurettes do justice for what this movie is.

BOTTOM LINE: I got confused whether this was indeed an "extended" cut of the film or not. The cover you see on places like Amazon is not the cover that you actually get. The cover of the film is actually labeled "Special Edition", but the menu does indeed say "Unrated Extended Edition". So, I am thoroughly confused. I didn't notice anything noticeably new, and the running times listed are identical between the old disc and the new one. Still, the upgrade is worth it.

Despite the fact that we both like Gene Hackman and Will Smith, my wife and I put off seeing this movie for along time, thinking that it was probably going to be just another run-of-the mill Jerry Bruckheimer action flick, all of which get to be a bit overblown and "samey" after awhile (IMO Crimson Tide, and the spoof, ConAir, are his best films)...but what would otherwise just have been another pretty good action/suspense film, took on an eerie resonance in the post 9/11 era--the legislation that the Jon Voigt character was willing to kill to get passed had more than a faint aroma of "The Patriot Act"-and I'm surprised that more reviewers haven't mentioned that.

As far as the "lack of substance" that some reviewers mention, that is entirely subjective, and I do not agree with it. As far as reviewers who talk about this not being as good as 1974's The Conversation, get a clue that elements of this movie are conscious homages to that earlier (and IMO, badly dated, and overrated) movie--one of the things that's fun about Bruckheimer's movies is that they are full of homages to earlier suspense/action flicks, esp. those that influenced him. Also, folks, get a clue to the fact that the Will Smith character's "dumbness" and naivety, is part of the point of this movie: his ignorance of technology, and his over-reliance on other people for information, put him at the mercy of the "heavies" in this movie, and left him wide open to the crisis in which he found himself embroiled. As an aside, along the lines of the eerie resonance of this movie in the wake of 9/11, it gave my wife and I a bit of a chill down our spines when Gene Hackman's character revealed by "hacking" into the NSA computer that the Jon Voigt character's birthday was "9/11"--an eerie coincidence three years before 9/11/01.

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I'll be brief. Enemy of the State is a good action flick with a lousy transfer to DVD. If you have a standard television stop reading this review now: you won't notice what I'm talking about. If you are running a 16:9 TV then read on.

Like many before, this supposedly "wide screen" version is nothing of the sort. The DVD is encoded in a standard 4:3 image, with black bars matting the top and bottom. In other words, this is a non-anamorphic transfer. What that means is that the image you are seeing is lower resolution than a standard NTSC TV signal because of the fewer vertical lines present. On a 16:9 TV the image looks "squished" shorter and "stretched" longer. Most 16:9 TV's have a mode that can re-stretch the image to achieve the proper aspect ratio. The problem there is now the horizontal lines are clearly visible throughout the film.

I wish studios would stop the absurd practice of releasing "matted" widescreen transfers, and only call a DVD "Widescreen" if the transfer is anamorphic. But as long as they're doing it, hopefully enough people will protest to get the studio's attention.

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This is an excellent thriller/drama movie with a very relevant plot for todays society. It may have been far fetched when it was made but it is more of a blue print for todays reality.

The audio and video transfers are excellent and definitely rate a tier 1 presence for Blu-Ray.

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I am not a great Will Smith fan, but he does a very outstanding job in this HIGH TECHNO, EDGE OF YOUR SEAT, INTELLIGENT, DON'T GO TO THE BATHROOM WITHOUT PAUSING THE VIDEO video! You absolutely won't go wrong with this one.... promise!

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