Happy Together (1997)

Happy Together, by Chinese director Wong Kar-Wai, is one of my all-time favourite movies, and along with The Tango Lesson one of the movies that has affected me the most. To me, HT is one of those (rare) art products that manage to combine formal beauty, intellectual sharpness and emotional depth all into one.

I have watched HT many times, and each time I felt that it had a new meaning to convey. My impressions about this movie have therefore shifted with time, leading me not to a definite interpretation but to the knowledge that art as life itself can be looked at from different points of view.

The story line is quite simple: two lovers leave Hong Kong and go to Argentina; once there, they argue so much they decide to break up; one of them (Ho Po-Wing) prostitutes himself, while the other (Lai-Yiu Fai) works in a tango-bar and virtuously puts money aside to return home; one day, chance unites them and for a short while they live happily together; inevitably, however, the friskier one becomes dissatisfied with their conjugal life; they separate again, and this time it's really the end. Needless to say, the movie's title as light-hearted as it sounds is actually quite deceiving: the two men's relationship turns out to be a rather "unhappy" one.

The first few times I watched HT I couldn't help feeling disgusted by Ho Po-Wing's moral hideousness I thought of him as the negative-model the movie meant to point the finger against. I thought the movie proved that although there are no "real heroes" some people do behave better than others, and that by self-discipline one could "redeem" one's soul... I thought the movie was about Aesthetics as a means of purification, as if Beauty could protect one from squalor. I admired Lai-Yiu Fai and mercilessly condemned Ho Po-Wing.

I still admire Lai-Yiu Fai, of course, but I now feel I was too superficial in judging Ho Po-Wing. I see he's not the monster I made him out to be in the past: he's a victim of his own temperament, a person misfortunate to the point of being unable to grasp the good life offers him. In this, I feel he well portrays many homosexuals, who, I'm afraid, often let happiness slip out of their hands, perhaps because a sick environment has taught them not to "love" but to "want." In my opinion, not only are we "all the same when we feel lonely," as Lai-Yiu Fai puts it that is: inclined to promiscuous sex we're also "all the same" in that we are all constantly on the verge of self-inflicted unhappiness.

Last time I watched HT, about a week ago, I got extremely sad, because I realised how easy it is for anyone to fall, and because through experience I've come to understand that so many of us are like Ho Po-Wing, damned to suffer the pains of degradation and solitude because of our "insatiability." We are taught that since we aren't attracted to someone of the opposite sex we are "bad" and have no values. Of course the effect of this is that we end up believing they are right. Thus, monogamy and fidelity become accessories, as tenderness and mutual support.

To me, Happy Together is about all this.

The first time i saw this movie, I have to admit, I fell asleep. And the second time I saw "HAPPY TOGETHER", I fell asleep again. But each time, I just wanted to slap myself because I had been told and knew deep down inside, it was a great movie. And finally, the third time I saw it, the movie just captured my heart.

"HAPPY TOGETHER" is a love story in it's most darkest and bittersweet form. Two gay lovers venture out to Argentina from Hong Kong and the idea of them being happy together is seriously tested. One lover (I can't remember the name) is stable, diligent, and so giving while the other one is just simply a selfish gay slut. They try several times to start over, but each time, the selfish lover wants to eat his cake too.

Like all of Wong Kar-wai's films, this one has little dialogue and the story is told mainly through visuals. The waterfall is a major theme running through the movie. The beginning opens up in black and white and later on, when the lovers start over again, color (in a very Wong Kar-wai-esque cinematic sense of it) comes in. And the soundtrack (mostly Astor Piazola) is just an unforgetable part of the movie.

I heard that before making this film, Wong Kar-wai was reading a lot of Manuel Puig (gay Argentine writer of "KISS OF THE SPIDERWOMAN"). Puig dealt with mainly the themes of unrequited love, impossible love, the love that hurts you more than gives you pleasure. And often, his characters where pretty much society's castoffs, whether because they were gay, revolutionaries, or just plain freaks. You can see a lot of these same themes in many of Wong Kar-wai films, but it hits the hardest in this one.

The plot is rather simple, but Wong Kar-wai seems to be the master of capturing those feelings people don't talk about-those feelings that show up only on our faces. In the end, I cried. Not because I had my heart broken in the same fashion, or because I'm one of those people uncapable of attaining love. I cried because the movie just eats away at your heart little by little and anywhere within the last 15 minutes of the film, the tears come and you don't know if you're crying because you're sad or you're happy.

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Fans of Chinese director Wong Kar-Wai will be thrilled by this new DVD edition of his classic film Happy Together.

The movie is slow-paced, low-key, and often shot in black in white. It is the story of two gay Chinese men in Buenos Aires, who are more often unhappy together than happy together. It is not an easy movie to watch perhaps and will not appeal to everyone, but as an art film and a gay-themed love story it is a contemporary classic.

I had an earlier release of this DVD, but purchased this new edition to see the making-of documentary Buenos Aires: Zero Degrees, which is a special feature on the new release. The documentary itself is a gem as it reveals so many storylines that did not appear in the final film. It is fascinating to see the directions the film might have taken and how such a different film could have come out of the editing room. We can really appreciate Wong Kar-Wai's process, working without a script, and see the difficulties it causes for the actors. Lead actor Tony Leung's comments about working on the film are especially insightful.

Wong Kar-Wai's In the mood for love is the film that brought him the greatest international recognition perhaps, but Happy Together was an important step on the road to that masterpiece. Few new fans will be won by this DVD, but for those who already appreciate Wong Kar-Wai's work this DVD is a must-have.

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Nowadays, Hong Kong movies on region 1 DVD is still a small numbers in the American market. In compare the remastered with those Hollywood films, Chinese films of DVD version may not be in top form. The R1 "Happy Together" (1997) that released by KINO is one of the good example of that.

The worse thing is the audio part, the volume level is very low and presented in very bad mono sound. (The problem is also occurred in R1 Fallen Angels, another film of Wong Kar-Wai and released by KINO. I doubt that the audio remasterd is in dolby digital 2.0, because my center speaker is no sound, but there is no indication on the package.) In compare with Japanese R2 Version of "Happy Together" (PIBF-7056, price:4700 yen, released by Prenom H), the audio part is brilliant.

However, the video tranferred in R1 version is quite impressed me. It is because the image is very match with the style of Chris Doyle (cinematography of the film) that done in the film.

By the way, I always thought that the disc is released too early.

Block 2 pictures Inc. recent released the documentary film named: "Buenos Aires Zero Degree: The making of Happy Together" (1999). The most important parts in that 59 minutes film is the cut scene, you will see the alternative version or vision of that film, for instance: Lai (Tony Leung) meets a female character on trip to waterfall and the death of Lai. It is not for promotion purposed, it is really a documentary about "Happy Together". If this documentary could be included on DVD, it would make the DVD most perfect. I wish that KINO would released a new DVD special edition of Happy Together with the documentary film and remake the audio channel.

Personally, I hope the disc could be released by Criterion. I'm so sure that if that come true, the disc would not be the same. Finally, If you are a fan of Wong Kar-Wai, don't miss his new movie: "In the Mood for Love" (2000).

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Well, the texture of this film is familiar; it's very Wong Kar Wai, and I wasn't so much impressed by the style of the film as by the content. If you want style, In the Mood for Love is probably the summit of Wong's talent, not Happy Together. I read somewhere that Wong was interested in doing a film about a gay couple, a theme that is currently in vogue in worldwide film. Except, Wong wanted a twist or a stark examination of relationships whose nature is the same irrespect of sexual orientation. Happy Together evokes the masochism, the enslavement, and darkness of relationships between two people who are somehow just incompatible. Even though Fai and Ho are in love, they torture and tyrannize each other with vendettas of rejection, violence, abandonment, and feigned indifference. I find this an exceptional film that speaks a deep, dark truth that most people are afraid to confront and overcome. After seeing the performances of the actors and the all too truthful content of the film, I wholeheartedly agree that Wong won his Best Director award at Cannes resplendently fair and square.

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Sid & Nancy (Collector's Edition) (1986)

What I enjoyed most about Sid and Nancy was the profile of the Sex Pistols who (unfortunately) are only a vicarious part of the plot. I know that Johnny Lydon did not approve of this film, but I absolutely loved Schofield's portrayal of him here. In fact, he almost steals the spotlight from the train wreck that is the relationship between the main protagonists. I also thought that technically this film was outstanding. My favorite scene involved the press/party boat. After it was forcibly docked, the shot of Sid and Nancy gliding through the melee was exceptional. This movie has something in common with all period pieces we remember--it is incredibly well-done. My own appreciation for the film, however, was sabotaged by the fact that I was not even remotely interested in the love affair between Sid and Nancy. I found the gradual disintegration of their lives to rather depressing.

I think Sid & Nancy might just be the best rock-based biographical film yet done. Better than Oliver Stone's The Doors, better than last year's dismal Brian Jones flick whose name isn't worthy of being repeated here. The reason Sid & Nancy rises above the rest can be summed up in one word: talent. Sid & Nancy is the result of a passionate filmmaker getting near-perfect performances from his well-chosen cast, of welding great music and attention-grabbing scenery to a modern tragedy that touches many emotions. The result is a five-star film.

People are surprised when I tell them the Sex Pistols rank among my all-time favorite groups. No, I was never a punk, and besides, when I was growing up `70's punk bands were mostly curiosities from modern pop culture history, but I do like the music the Sex Pistols produced on their one and only legitimate album, and the film Sid & Nancy, much criticized by pompous purists and much praised by most everyone else, is a chronicle of that era and two of its most infamously doomed participants. The chameleonic Gary Oldman brings Sid Vicious not only to life, he somehow surpasses the original to vicariously embody a character more memorable than the flesh and blood young man on whom the role is based. Likewise Chloe Webb (who really deserved better career choices than she got after this movie) brings the manic-depressive Nancy Spungen back from the grave in all her alienating, irritatingly pathetic hideousness.

Some say this movie takes liberties with the timeline of Sid and Nancy's short lives, and others say it manages to glamorize them for the wrong things. Probably legitimate gripes, I'll grant, but there are also those who refuse to see the greatness in, say, Shakespeare's Richard III, because the fictionalized villain bears scant resemblance to the real man. That's much the same case here. For all one might say in criticism of this movie, Alex Cox did the impossible and revived the decaying, culture-shocked world of 1970's London, and against that stage he crafted a story that works well. Sid & Nancy is about drugs, music, twisted love between two misfit human beings, needless death, and a revolutionary movement that imploded on its nihilism even as its message was lost on the masses. Sid & Nancy is not only about Sid and Nancy, so emblematic of their time and place, it is the tragic chronicle of the spirit of misguided post-adolescent reaction against a dismal age.

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I think many people don't have the right feelings about this film. Empathy being one of them. Although Sid Vicious and Nancy Spungeon could indeed be described as two wastes of sperm and eggs, empty and apathetic as they lie on their beds strung out on heroin in one scene, we have to acknowledge their backgrounds and their ages. Sid, bassist with 70s punk band The Sex Pistols and Nancy, his American groupie girlfriend, were just a pair of misguided teenagers. Nobody is perfect at the age of nineteen or twenty, nobody really knows exactly what they want to do in life. And there are a lot of young people, who at that age, can't see a future for themselves.

We may very well say drugs are bad and drug addicts deserve no respect, both of the above being true. But the fact is that this is being too narrow minded. Those of us who have had wonderful childhoods and loving parents to guide us through those turbulent teenage years may scoff and scorn at the films title characters, as we see them embark on the doomed journey of drug abuse with only one end in mind. Sid might have been an intelligent, bright and witty young man, Nancy could have had the chance to fix her life if her parents hadn't given up on her and sent her packing. This film is a remarkable movie, one that should be watched with empathy, as it replays the ill fated romance of punk's 'Romeo and Juliet' I understand John Lydon when he scorned the film, but no movie can ever capture real life. As a teenager recovering from the draining world of drugs, depression and apathy, I have to say that this movie accurately portrays the effects of drug abuse.

The drugs do eventually end up taking control of you, and there is nothing more dangerous than having a friend or lover who feels the same despair that you do. Trying to escape the dark hole of drugs seems almost impossible in that scenario. I think this film is an excellent portrayal of the effects of drug abuse, of the 70s punk scene, of the blurry details surrounding Nancy's death.

It's a pity the film was given an R rating, because a lot more young people should see this movie. Sex Pistols fans may also ike to see this movie, maybe to gain an idea of the helplessness of Sid and Nancy's situation. For all those drug addicts out there, I just wanna say, you should see this film before you "climb the ladder to the poppy". During a time when I was stupid enough to want to become a junkie, this movie saved my life. The scene that hit me the hardest was one of the last, where Sid tries desperately to get out of the hotel room he and Nancy share, tries desperately to escape Nancy's rantings of death, before engaging in the scuffle that got her killed.

It may or may not have happened in real life, but I had never felt so suffocated watching a movie before, watching helplessly as Sid's fingers reach for the latch on the door but don't quite make it. I won't give the ending away, but many people have scoffed it. I think it worked very well and understood and exactly the irony that Alex Cox was getting at. Maybe some of you will understand it too. But you have to watch it to find out..You can watch this movie with feelings of disgust, scorn, helplessness and sadness. But this move made me personally, empathise with Sid and Nancy, two lost children in a vast world, searching for something that can't be found. And although many punks made it through the seventies, supress your contempt when watching this movie, and feel sadness for those who didn't.

Read Best Reviews of Sid & Nancy (Collector's Edition) (1986) Here

Probably the benchmark of the punk rock movie genre is this beautifully lyrical love story of destruction. If you're reading this review, you probably don't need the plot spelled out for you, but for those who need it: Sid was the bassist for the original English punk band, the Sex Pistols, and Nancy was the groupie/girlfriend who sent him spiraling to self-destruction. The film is based on their true romance, and is a heartbreaking and aching portrayal of nihilism and narcissism.

Gary Oldman, back when he was a lean and hungry actor at the top of his craft, puts in a stunning tour de force performance as doomed druggie Sid Vicious, while Courtney Love has a pre-fame bit part as groupie Gretchen (a precursor to her real later life with Kurt Cobain, as detailed in Nick Broomfield's "Kurt and Courtney").

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This has got to be the best film that I've seen about drug addiction and the emptiness of people who fall into it. The decline and death of the protagonists are frightening and depressing, so well acted that it is horribly, completely believable. Oldam and Webb are simply brilliant. Webb is totally believable as a border line personality, at times sensitive, but suddenly abusive and paranoid it is subtle and perfectly acted.

But the film is much more than that. There is also a twisted love between two people who can only be described as complete losers: Sid, who is nothing but a youth disaster become celebrity by chance and Nancy, a suburban cast-off who has wandered into the drug world, S&M for pay, and a pathetic search for groupie association with stardom. While almost nothing on their own, together they enter a downward spiral that can result only in death. Together they are far worse than zero. You helplessly witness their descent into a hell of addiction and chaos.

Finally, there is a wonderful evocation of their milieu: the late-70s punk scene. I recall, as a middle-aged man, how this was the first youth movement in which I had no desire to participate: I had been a late-comer hippy and was aspiring to academia when this started. It was the first "movement" that repulsed me personally, that I had no desire whatsoever to mimic. In this film, you see how talentless and nihilistic punk really was, but also how it had the raw energy of urban youth in societies that could offer them nothing of value. Gone are the ideals and dreams of the 60s. Their chaos and drugs and indirection in the end were all that they had, so they lived it unto self-destruction. Their scene, as portrayed in this film, was a revelation to me and is brilliantly evoked.

Reccommended with enthusiasm. This is like a modern Balzacian tale of meaningless annihilation, a rememberance of a time, and a perfect work of art.

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Dead & Buried (1981)

This halloween, I've been waxing nostalgic by collecting by collecting a lot of old, little-known horror movies that scared me as a kid. Back in the late 70's/early 80's there really wasn't much out there so viewers who allow a little leeway for the time it was released will find a lot to appreciate in this movie.

Dead and Buried stars James Farentino as Sheriff Dan Gillis who becomes bewildered by a series of bizarre and brutal murders happening to visitors of his small, seaside town. The plot thickens due to the quick dismissal of the murders by Gillis' wife (played by Melody Anderson anyone remember Flash Gordon?) and soon the sheriff starts to wonder if she is involved somehow. To make matters worse, townspeople start reporting sightings of the murdered long after they've been "dead and buried."

The story is adequate with a number of twists thrown in. Skilled horror buffs may feel let down with the ending, but I think it's due to the fact many other movies have ripped off this plot line since the movie was released. What really separates this movie from the rest is the disturbing methods these people are murdered, with frequent cuts to dozens of people surrounding and photographing the helpless victims. The murders look especially realistic for the time (although, granted a little dated now) due to makeup effects of Stan Winston who has since worked on other "little-known" releases like Predator, Edward Scissorhands, the Jurassic Park series, and the Terminator series.

You'll be lucky to run across a copy of this movie in a video store. Should you buy it? If you're a fan of the genre and movies made in this time period, such as The Funhouse, My Bloody Valentine, or Halloween, then I'd say yes.

Hope the review helped.

In the sea of forgettable FRIDAY THE 13th sequels and clones came this little creative and disturbing gem from the early 80's wave of gruesome horror.

Several people passing through the quaint and picturesque town of Potter's Bluff die terrible, violent deaths only to turn up as upstanding members of the community days later. What's going on? Well, I wouldn't dream of telling, but you'll have a lot of fun finding out.

Blue Underground bravely chose to bring DEAD AND BURIED to blu-ray in spite of it's low-budget and humble production values. Visually, the result may not be on a par with some glossy production shot yesterday, but it nonetheless faithfully reproduces the imagery of this film as it originally appeared, and this is the best you are ever likely to see DEAD AND BURIED look. I had the deluxe DVD treatment, and this Blu-ray is IMO a worthy upgrade of a great little shocker.

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I did like this film and I just watched it for the second time. I give it a very solid 3 stars. But I'm puzzled by the other reviews. I would give Alien 4 stars and Aliens 5 stars. This film does not reach those lofty heights. Even though it's encoded for 7.1 sound, I didn't hear much coming from the surrounds. And while it may be in high-def, it is rather grainy. This is not real surprising with a film this old. But advertising it as high-def with 7.1 sound creates expectations which are not met. The film billed itself as being made by the folks who made Alien. Again, it is raising expectations needlessly. People are going to expect a film equal to Alien in gorgeous hi-def with stunning 7.1 surround sound. This film can't deliver that. But it is a very good grade B horror film and it is worth watching several times.

The cast is very strong. It is cool to see a young Robert Englund. And Jack Albertson's performance as the undertaker is worth an Academy Award. James Farentino never wins any awards but he never delivers a bad performance either. It was good to see him again. Also the film is now a period piece due to its age. It was fun watching the sheriff (or his aide) use a telex to investigate. And we have great fx for a low budget pre-cgi film. The story made no sense, but that is often the case with horror.

So yes, it's a nice 3 star horror film, not another Alien.

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Version: U.S.A / Blue Underground / Region A, B, C

Aspect ratio: 1.85:1

VC-1 BD-50 / AACS / Advanced Profile 3

Running time: 1:33:59

Feature size: 29,73 GB

Disc size: 33,48 GB

Total bit rate: 42.18 Mbps

Average video bit rate: 32.22 Mbps

DTS-HD Master Audio English 2497 kbps 7.1 / 48 kHz / 2497 kbps / 16-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 16-bit)

Dolby TrueHD Audio English 2664 kbps 7.1 / 48 kHz / 2664 kbps / 16-bit (AC3 Core: 5.1-EX / 48 kHz / 448 kbps)

Dolby Digital EX Audio English 448 kbps 5.1-EX / 48 kHz / 448 kbps

Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps

Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps

Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps

Subtitles: English SDH, French, and Spanish

Number of chapters: 24

#Audio Commentaries

#Stan Winston's Dead and Buried EFX (17 min)

#Robert Englund: An Early Work of Horror (12 min)

#Dan O'Bannon: Creating Fear (14 min)

#Trailers (5 min)

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i first saw this grim little shocker on cable in the 80's and thought it was great. this 2 disc set is very much worth the price and has a wealth of extras.

potter's bluff is a small town with a problem,people keep getting killed in very bad ways,only later to show up as townfolk.sheriff dan gillis is at a lose to explain this and the more he digs the less he likes this little problem.

the transfer is great and this little shocker will keep you guessing til the very end(and what an end)!! so if you like your horror movies that are a little out of the normal you'll like this one

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The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956)

This remake of Hitchcock's unremarkable 1934 version is substantially better. As he said in his own words, "Let's say the first version is the work of a talented amateur and the second was made by a professional."

Naturally there are some events that may be commonplace in the mid 1950's that you would never do today with your child. Specifically, hand him off to a stranger you had just met. In this version the child is a boy of about 9, where the original featured a girl of about 13. I guess it doesn't matter, but I wonder why that character was changed.

This movie also features Doris Day in a rare dramatic role, although she plays a former professional singer and does get to exercise her voice in the movie. At least a plot point supports her doing so. The climatic scene at Albert Hall is retained very close to the original and is equally well done. The film is a good one, although it doesn't reach the heights of "Rear Window," "Psycho," "North by Northwest," "The 39 Steps," and other Hitchcock classics.

The Blu ray version is currently available as part of the "Alfred Hitchcock: The Masterpiece Collection" and will be available individually in the near future. The film is transferred with a 1080p resolution and a 1.85:1 aspect ratio. Frankly, the quality isn't quite as good as other films in the collection. My biggest issue is with the color. It looks washed out much of the time and I noticed some damaged sections of film. It doesn't appear much correction of the original print was attempted. Don't get me wrong, the movie is an improvement over the DVD, especially some of the detail but it could have been better. The audio is DTS-HD Master Audio Mono (over 2 channels) and is very good. It is clean and focused. The extras include a 35 minute reflection with Pat Hitchcock O'Connell, associate producer Herbert Coleman, screenwriter John Michael Hayes, production designer Henry Bumstead and others. Included also is a trailer and some production photos.

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Aliens in the Attic (Two-Disc Special Edition) (2009)

I absolutely loved this movie! I loved the comedy, the storyline, the action, the effects, everything! This may be my 4th favorite movie of 2009 behind Friday the 13th, Land of the Lost, and Halloween II! I've seen a lot of negative reviews toward this movie, but some people take things a little too seriously. This movie is for the kid in all of us. While on summer vacation, the Pearson family go to three-story holiday house in the middle of nowhere. The kids; Hannah, Tom, and Bethany don't wanna go, but they are forced to. They meet more family members like Jake, Art, and Lee. When Bethany's boyfriend forces Tom to the roof, they see the aliens who want to take over the world. Throughout the day, the kids try to stop them, without their parents finding out. One alien, Sparks is not a threat to the humans and decides to become friends with Hannah. Sparks is a cute little alien, unlike Skip, Tazer, and Razor. Will the Pearson children stop the evil aliens from taking over the world? I highly recommend ALIENS IN THE ATTIC!!!

My almost 9 year-old son and I saw this together. It was VERY, VERY funny. We both thought so. (There were way too many male crotch gags, in my opinion, and of course, the law enforcement representative was an idiot. However, we didn't see his underwear; so, this movie was superior to other kid flicks.) Robert Hoffman is outrageously funny as Ricky the lying-loser boyfriend turned robot alien minion. Ashley Tisdale carries off another major role with credibility, humor, and grace. The DVD is already on my son's wish list for Christmas, and I will be recommending Aliens to my friends to watch with their kids. I will also recommend it to parents of teenage daughters who need a laugh, a break, or a reminder that Eddie Haskell didn't die with the Cleavers.

Aliens in the AtticAliens in the Attic[Blu-ray] [Blu-ray]

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Before I saw this movie the previews gave me the impression that this was just another computer animated and effects driven films trying to exploit a kid's inherent interest in this stuff. It turns out this movie has more thought put into it and a good deal more heart than I assumed (that's what I get for assuming). Aliens in the Attic isn't an instant classic by any means. However it delivers on what you want in a family sci-fi film. Cute enough in some places, witty enough in others.

So yeah, the plot isn't Shakespeare. You have a family on vacation that gets visited by some diminutive (and not too bright) aliens bent on taking over the world. This plot is very close to the same vein as the 80's movie Spaced Invaders. The difference, and it is substantial enough to keep the two movies from being similar, is where the focus is. Where Spaced Invaders put all of its attention on the wacky Martians, Aliens in the Attic puts its focus on the kids and how they deal with the invaders. For this movie it makes all the difference.

You see, the chemistry between the kids is tight. The main boy and his crazy cousins, lovelorn big sisters and a cute little sister all mesh their respective personalities into a coherent plot progression rather well. There isn't a whole lot of character development once the individual players have been established, but you don't need that much since the script capitalizes on the interactions. I'm not talking about two dimensional character clashes sort of capitalization. This movie shows a good example on how differing personalities can work together.

The acting is surprisingly good for these kids. All of them play their parts solid with nary a bad scene in the bunch. Ashley Tisdale is not the main focus of the movie, but her star quality wasn't wasted on. Although she is swimming in familiar waters with her character good acting is good acting. SNL alumnus Kevin Nealon and Tim Meadows both hit high marks in their comedic timing, even though Kevin mainly plays the straight man in his role. The big kudos, however, go to Robert Hoffman. He plays the jerk boyfriend to Ashley's character, and while the jerk scenes make you love to hate him the real joy in his performance come after the aliens take over his mind and Robert goes off on some of the craziest pratfalls and other physical humor with a hilariously crazy grin on his face. It's comedic gold!

The aliens are funny in a kids will get giggly kind of way. Sometimes they say something funny enough for the adults to snicker (include a funny observation on kissing). But mostly the aliens are for the kid's entertainment and are mostly two dimensional characters with very little to no depth. The CG animations for the aliens aren't bad, but they aren't going to really impress anybody on the technology either. Basically it's serviceable special effects for a production company that likely couldn't pull this off with puppets.

The Bu-Ray for the movie looks really great. Details pop out with a lot of clarity on both the CG aliens as well as the gorgeous backdrop of the vacation spot. Sound is also top notch with the DTS-HD 5.1 audio, but it's not exactly an audiophile reference kind of movie so don't expect to be blown away. Here's a quick rundown of the extras:

Introduction to Film with Ashley Tisdale Just a quick hello from the move famous actress in the film. No big deal.

The Ashley Encounters A short promo of the movie from actresses Ashley Tisdale and Ashley Boettcher. I wouldn't be surprised with this aired on the Disney Channel before the movie came out.

Alternate Ending It's an unfinished product with the CG kind of in the middle phase of production. Not exactly a complete change from the actual ending, but it is different enough. Prefer the real ending anyway.

Behind the Zirkonians It's a pretty long comic short story about the origins of the aliens. It's not exactly adult fare, but your kids will enjoy it.

Meet the Zirkonians A little biography of the four aliens in the movie that you can browse through.

Lights, Camera, Aliens! A short "making of" featurette that's pretty light on details. Feels like another promo for the movie more than an informative documentary.

Kung Fu Grandma This is funny and weird at the same time. It's like a video game commercial using footage of the movie. The title of this featurette is kind of a spoiler for the movie and I'm glad I didn't know about it before I saw the flick.

Brian Anthony "Electricity" Music Video It's a music video with clips of the movie. Nothing to see here. Move along.

Fox Movie Channel Presents Life After Film School with Barry Josephson This is the REAL "Making Of" documentary. It has more details on the film's production than the other fluff featurette, but it's not an all-inclusive thing.

Deleted Scenes and Gag Reel Didn't get a chance to see these yet. They run about four minutes each and are self explanatory.

If you have kids ranging from grade school to the tweens I believe this film will keep them entertained provided they enjoy watching light science fiction to begin with. Others may enjoy it too for the other fun stuff, but maybe rent first to test the waters. For the adults it really depends on your threshold for this kind of entertainment. The aliens will annoy most of you, but the kids and grown ups in the movie will entertain. If you have a Blu-Ray player it's definitely worth getting if on BD if for nothing else so you can see the beautiful landscapes in high definition.

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This was a good movie. My 6 year old son really enjoyed it. There is not any crude language or bad messages included in the movie. The humor is very clean and funny. Would recommend you watch this movie.

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This is not a film most adults would enjoy as it is designed for kids. Two families go away to the country for the Fourth of July. The kids need to get out and do something away from all their electronic gadgets.

While they are there,small green unfriendly aliens take over the attic and plan on taking over the world. The aliens have devices that can control adults, but not kids. So now it is up to the kids to save the planet using the skills they learned from video games along with modified toys. Ashley Tisdale (Miley Cyrus light) does give the young male viewers a glimpse of her in a bikini.

Acting is bad, script is bad, plot is bad, humor is bad, unless you are under age 13. 5 STARS on the tween scale.

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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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Leap Year (2010)

I love romantic comedies and got really excited when I recently saw the preview for Leap Year. I love Amy Adams and remembered Matthew Goode from a few other movies(Chasing Liberty, Watchmen, Match Point). Lately, there have been a lot of romcoms that don't do it for me, they're just lacking the heart, that certain something. Thankfully, Leap Year had heart, laughs and was just all around a well done movie. 24 hours after seeing it, my boyfriend and I were still talking about how much we liked it.

The premise is that Anna(Amy Adams) has been dating her doctor boyfriend for 4 years, they're buying an apartment together in Boston, and she wants to get engaged, but he hasn't asked. So she plans to surprise him in Dublin while he's away on business on the one day in Irish tradition that says the woman can propose to the man, Feb 29th of a leap year. Of course, her trip doesn't go as planned, and she ends up needing help getting to Dublin from Declan(Matthew Goode).

While predictable as far as romantic comedies go, it was fast paced, funny and romantic. We both really liked Matthew Goode's character and his sense of humor. He was excellent as a multi-faceted leading man. I love Amy Adams because she seems like a regular girl(funny, sweet, not a twig)and she was perfect for the role of Anna. The scenery of Ireland was gorgeous, and makes you want to take a trip there. Definitely a great date movie, worth paying to see.

Unfortunately, no good special features on the DVD, only some deleted scenes. I'm a sucker for "making of" featurettes and thought they might at least have done a little something about filming in Ireland. You'll only find a bare bones DVD here.

This is one of the cleanest funny movies I've seen in a long time. Even with its predictable ending, I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. Tell me....why can't Hollywood make more of these movies instead of the garbage they usually make. Can't wait till it's released on DVD.

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LEAP YEAR

STARRING: Amy Adams, Matthew Goode, Adam Scott, John Lithgow and Noel O'Donovan

WRITTEN BY: Deborah Kaplan and Harry Elfont

DIRECTED BY: Anand Tucker

Rated: PG

Genre: Romantic Comedy

Release Date: 08 January 2010

Review Date: 26 May 2010

When Leap Year slid past me in the theaters from doing so horribly at the box office and being plagued by rumors that it was horrible; I wasn't all that let down that I missed it on the big screen. Having recently seen it on video, I was shocked at how amazing it was and wished I had gotten the opportunity to catch it in theaters.

The sensational Amy Adams stars as Ann; a woman so many women can relate to: she's dating a guy who may never commit. Her boyfriend of quite some time, Jeremy (Adam Scott) is far too consumed with bettering his career to even stop and consider marriage let alone actually pop the question.

When Jeremy rushes off to Ireland for a career opportunity, Ana is left alone wishing there was something she could do. Upon hearing about an Irish tradition, she realizes there is something she can do. She can fly to Ireland and propose to Jeremy herself, as each leap year allots for this to be customary there.

If you are at all like me, you are already skeptical by the premise and if you've seen the trailer, it only adds to such skepticism. However, film works magic with its weak supposition and the trailer fails to provide it with any solitude.

Ana had no idea just how difficult it would be to track Jeremy down. Between being caught in nasty storms, missing trains and being barricaded by a heard of wild animals, it seems she may never reach her love. All is not lost though, as she is accompanied on these miss-adventures by her unbeknownst to her true, true love, Declan, played by Matthew Goode.

The two can't stand each other for the majority of the film, but we can see their underlying chemistry behind all their bickering. Soon enough, having shared a few moments, and after they let their guard down to one another, they will see it too.

Leap Year was written by the team who crafted such hits as Made of Honor and Can't Hardly Wait. And it has some of the best cinematography of the year, displaying magnificent shots of the Irish countryside that will have you booking a flight there during the movie.

This is the kind of film that evokes thoughts of fate and as a huge advocate for fate, I find this refreshing in films. If you've ever been touched by destiny in your life, then you know exactly what I am talking about. Sometimes we kick and scream at the sight of the path we find ourselves on, only to realize later, and sometimes much, much later, that it is in fact the path we prefer.

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Leap Year is charming for several reasons. One. It is primarily set in Ireland and the lush scenery makes it visually delicious.

Secondly, the classic storyline is freshly retold. A girl who is on the cusp of living her perfect-for-her fairy tale life, lacks one thing, an engagement ring. Her charming, but irresponsible father, reminds her of an Irish tradition. Every leap year, a woman is able to propose to the man she loves and then her dreams will come true. It had worked for a member of Anna's (Amy Adams) family.

When Anna's cardiologist boyfriend fails to propose (oh, he delivers diamonds, but of the earring variety) the night before he leaves for a medical conference in Dublin, Anna decides enough time has passed and she'd grab hold of her dreams and use the Leap Year legend to make it happen. After all, Jeremy is already in Ireland, so there must be a wee bit of fate involved.

Finally, there is serious heart in this movie. Declan (Matthew Goode) plays the angry, wounded bartender who agrees, after a series of travel mishaps, to haul Anna to Dublin. Anna, determined to create the secure life she never had as a child, begins to break down Declan's walls. As the two interact, they soften towards each other and begin to understand one another. There are a couple of satisfying scenes when realization dawns and both actors silently emote feelings that can't be put into words. Leap Year is an old-fashioned romantic story that didn't involve sex first, love later or require a lot of four letter words to make a point. Comfortably PG.

Of course, this is romantic comedy/chick flick territory so there are predictable and yeah right moments. But when the movie is this sweet, does it matter where Declan got clean clothes that fit, or that the intelligent, savvy, extremely methodical Anna didn't think about electricity issues in Europe? Not at all. When this movie releases on DVD I will purchase it.

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I was so happy to find a romantic comedy that I could enjoy with my 11 year old daughter. We both loved it! Beautiful shots, great acting and fun story...nice, clean, romantic fun!

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