Kick-Ass (Three-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Copy) (2010)

What a wacky movie this is. When I first saw the previews, I thought this Kick-Ass was going to be aimed at kids and teens. Boy was I way off, because it earns it's R rating many times over. I really had no intention of seeing this film until I saw the very positive reviews flowing in from the critics. Not that I always agree with them, but in this case I would like to thank them for getting my butt down to the local theater today.

Parts of the movie reminded me of Watchmen. You have everyday people who are sick of bad things happening to good people, decide to put on costumes, have funny hero names, and then beat and cut apart the bad guys in a not so nice way. I actually thought it was rather tame in the gore department, compared to what I read about beforehand, but the violence and language is way too strong for kids.

The acting is good from everyone. I liked newcomer Aaron Johnson as Kick-Ass himself. Nicolas Cage turns in one of his better performaces in a long time, though I think he was great in an over-the-top kind of way in The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans. Christopher Mintz-Plasse is still doing his McLovin thing in every movie since Superbad, but it worked again. Mark Strong is kind of one note as the villain, like in Sherlock Holmes, but I think he's a little better in this role. The real star of the show is little 11-year-old, Chloe Moretz, as Hit-Girl. She is clearly the most memorable thing in a movie with a bunch of stuff worth remembering. As the daughter of Cage's Big Daddy hero, she spews out bad language, slices and shoots baddies by the dozens, and loves her daddy. I want one of my own.

Kick-Ass is serious in tone most of the time, but there are some killer comedy bits and lines that had the whole theater erupting with laughter. The music is well placed in key scenes and the director/writer, Matthew Vaughn, did a fine job in creating a comic book film that should please both fans and non-fans of the genre alike.

Even though it looks like Kick-Ass will come in #1 this weekend, it still feels more like a cult film to me. I can easily see this movie being talked about decades from now, much like Army of Darkness, but without the campiness factor. What a breath of fresh air in a genre that has just as many misses as it does hits.

Just like the rest of you, I went into the theater knowing not a whole lot about this movie. I thought it would be lame, cheesy, corny, *insert adjective here*. But, I was DEAD wrong to say the least. Kick-Ass combines action, comedy, and emotion, all at the right times. The movie flows well mainly because the cast jives so well together. I have yet to come out of a movie theater so pumped and wanting more than after I came out of Kick-ass

Aaron Johnson (Kick-Ass)I didn't realize he was a British actor until I heard a voice clip from an interview. You sure can't tell from the movie. He plays a great nerdy type kid. But what separates him from actors like Michael Cera is that he actually grew some balls and decided to stand up to crime. He does a great job as the lead actor in the first half of the movie, but quickly gets overshadowed by young dynamo, Chloe Moretz

Nicholas Cage (Big Daddy)In my eyes, he redeemed himself for movies like Ghost Rider and Knowing. He was amazing. His character was totally believable and I sure enjoyed his Adam West mannerisms. He also did his fair share of ass kicking. His relationship with his daughter, Hit-Girl, brought hilarity and the emotion that I mentioned earlier to this movie.

Lyndsey Fonseca (Katie Deauxma)Hadn't seen her in a movie before. She is very beautiful and will be looking forward to seeing her in the sequel.

Chris Mintz-Plasse (Red Mist)As much as I don't want to say it, Chris is out growing his McLovin' character. He, like Kick-Ass, plays a slightly awkward superhero with no powers. He fills his part well and has plenty of laugh out loud lines.

And, the best for last:

Chloe Moretz (Hit-Girl)I honestly don't even know where to start with this girl. I would say she gives the performance of her life, but she was only 11 at the time of filming. She underwent 6 months of combat, acrobatic, and weapons training for her role as Hit-Girl in this movie. It paid off big time. Chloe does all her own stunts (minus 2) in the movie, which is insane. She is foul mouthed and bloodthirsty, but also has her kid moments. I don't understand the controversy with her character. She is very mature and thus should be able to do more mature roles. If you're not planning on seeing this movie, rethink, mainly because of this girl right here. She is incredible and will no doubt be the new Angelina Jolie when her time comes.

Overall, great movie. Great cast, great fight choreography, great soundtrack, and a great setup for a sequel! (Which has been announced)

See this movie, and then tell all your friends! It's totally worth the 2 hours of your time.

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The film is based on a comic book by the same name. The rights to the story were sold before the book was even published (it debuted only eight weeks before the film):

A teenage boy decides to take a stand for justice. He dons a green scuba costume and names himself Kick-Ass. However, not having any actual superpowers, this hero's good intentions quickly land him in an ICU. Eventually though, Kick-Ass crosses paths with a couple of far more effective (a.k.a. deadly) heroes: Big Daddy, a former cop falsely convicted of drug trafficking, and Hit-Girl, his eleven year old daughter. Big Daddy has spent the past six years training his little girl in all forms of mortal combat, hoping she would help him revenge her mother's death and her father's fall from grace, orchestrated by a local Mafia Boss. Enter blood, gore, and plenty of belly laughs...

Let me get straight to the point: yes, the film was funny and highly entertaining. However, initially I felt uneasy laughing at an eleven year old girl determinedly slaughtering a roomful of men, even if they were rotten to the core and disserving of every bullet and of every knife wound. But then, I remembered what I was like at that age: it was the early 80's. My favourite toys were a silver colt revolver and a sword. Depending on my mood, I would pretend to be a cowboy taking on a bunch of wild Indians, or a Jedi disarming (literally) Darth Vader and his evil cohorts. So, if any of you want to believe that little girls' minds are all about sugar and spice, well... good luck with that (by the way, I managed to grow into adulthood WITHOUT slipping into drugs and/or alcohol, and no, I was not a teenage mother). And so, that quick recollection gave me the permission to look at the film as an absurd exercise in fantasy and allowed me to enjoy every minute of it. Yes, the film was well written, directed and edited, but the special mention must go to the actress who portrayed Hit-Girl. Chloe Moretz was indeed eleven at the time of filming, but had the presence of a seasoned performer. I am looking forward to watching her future projects. There is already talk of a sequel. I'd pay to see it!

Laugh and enjoy!

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To anyone who hasn't seen the movie but is considering it, you should realize up front that this movie is NOT for the kiddies, as evidenced by the "R" rating. That said, most of the bad reviews here seem to be from either people who had problems with the disc itself (i.e. people who don't understand the concept of a review), or people who let their kids watch the movie. These people made a stupid decision involving the mental well-being of their children based on the fact that they've seen "R-Rated" movies in the past that they don't mind their kids watching. This is not one of those movies!

Ranting aside, this was a pretty awesome movie. If you like action movies, check it out. It's a little darker, a little more violent, and a lot more vulgar than you might expect, but that's part of the movie's brilliance. Hit Girl is one of the coolest characters to grace the big screen in years, the MistMobile is the hottest Mustang manufactured post-70's, and the narrative draws you right into a feeling of camaraderie with the characters almost immediately.

Check it out, this movie rocks!

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First, let me say this movie isn't for the weak hearted. If you don't like violence, this movie isn't for you. I never read the comics or knew anything about it, so when I first watched the movie I was a bit surprised by the violence and blood in it. However, this movie is great from start to finish. Tons of actions mixed in with some laugh out loud moments makes this one of the best movies of 2010.

As many other reviewers discussed, Hit Girl is the obvious star of the movie as she steals every scene she is in. Chloe Moretz (Hit Girl) gives one of the best "child" performances you will ever see. All other actors/actresses hold their own in this movie, especially Nic Cage. I'm not a Nic Cage hater, but I never thought I would say he was absolutely brilliant in any movie. He plays the role of Big Daddy perfectly and shows emotions that you usually don't see from him in other movies.

Possible spoiler...

One scene that I have to talk about is the "unmasking" scene with Kick Ass. The direction, action and emotion of this scene is unreal. The Director nailed this moment in the movie with impressive visual camera work and non-stop action. Really impressive, and is something that you have to see.

Definitely recommend this and you don't have to be a comic book fan to enjoy it.

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Henry's Crime (2010)

One assumes that Henry (Keanu Reeves) has some kind of inner life. He seems to be a likable, easy-going fellow; it's just that he's a bit...inscrutable. Maybe it's his job. Working the graveyard shift night after night at a N.Y. Thruway tollbooth would put anybody in semi-comatose state. Nothing fazes the agreeable yet impassive Henry, one way or the other-although he does display a slight twitch when, one morning at breakfast, his wife (Judy Greer) broaches the subject of the couple having a child. Suddenly, we get the impression that Henry would prefer to be anywhere else but there, at that moment, having that particular conversation. What's going on? Is this a troubled marriage? Does he love his wife? Is this cipher of a man internally harboring primal doubts about life itself? Or...is he suffering in silence from a sudden attack of gas? There's really no way of discerning.

We never get a chance to find out exactly what Henry is contemplating, because that is precisely the moment that Fate intervenes. An old high school chum named Eddie Vibes (Fisher Stevens) unexpectedly shows up on his doorstep, with a drunken cohort in tow. Both men are dubiously outfitted for a game of baseball. Eddie wants to know if Henry can give them a ride to their "game". Nothing about this questionable early-morning scenario seems to raise any red flags for the ever-malleable Henry. Even Eddie's request to stop at the bank "on the way"-and to park the car out front and wait while his passengers go inside-fails to elicit the tiniest raised eyebrow from Henry. Needless to say, the heist goes awry, Henry's car stalls, his "friends" flee...and guess who ends up in stir?

Although he owes them squat, Henry doesn't rat out the real culprits and takes the fall, while his demeanor remains unchanged. At this point, one might surmise that Henry is either some kind of transcendent Zen master...or a clueless moron (not unlike the protagonist of "Forrest Gump" or Chance the gardener in "Being There"). Ah, but our little wooden boy is about to meet his Geppetto. Max (James Caan) is a veteran con man. He's one of those oddball convicts who actually "likes" prison-which is why he has been sabotaging his own parole hearings and enabling himself to continue living on the state's dime. He becomes a mentor/father figure to Henry, who takes it to heart when Max advises him that he needs to find a Dream, and then pursue it. So what is Henry's resultant epiphany? Since he's already done the time, he might as well now do the crime. Classic heist caper tropes ensue, with a love interest tossed in for good measure(Vera Farmiga).

There's a little déjà vu running through this film (the second effort from "44 Inch Chest" director Malcolm Venville). Sacha Gervasi and David White's script may have been "inspired" by some vintage heist flicks; specifically, Alexander Mackendrick's 1955 comedy "The Ladykillers", and Lloyd Bacon's "Larceny, Inc." from 1942 (essentially remade by Woody Allen as "Small Time Crooks"). I thought that James Caan was recycling his "Mr. Henry" persona from Wes Anderson's "Bottle Rocket" a wee bit. While the film has classic screwball tropes, it lacks the kinetic pace of Lubitsch or Sturges. That being said, I still found Venville's film to be quite engaging and entertaining-within its own unique universe (yes, even the somnambulant-as-usual Keanu). I was reminded of Vincent Gallo's criminally underappreciated "Buffalo '66"; in addition the fact that it also was filmed in and around the Buffalo area, it's another one of those low-key comedies with oddly endearing characters that "sneaks up" on you, especially once you realize how genuinely touching and sweet it really is at its core. And there's no crime in that, is there?

HENRY'S CRIME is a dark comedy that actually carries a fairly good afterburn. The story is solid, the characters are unusual, and the setting in Buffalo, NY is appropriately dark and dank. This is a tale of how people react to their own personalities, moving through the world seemingly oblivious to those around them, afraid to create dreams much less go after them.

Flatline Henry Torne (Keanu Reeves) works the night shift in a freeway tollbooth, quite alone, and seemingly undisturbed by his isolation. At dawn he goes home to his tiny house where he greets his wife, nurse Debbie (Judy Geer) who wants to talk about beginning a family but as usual things distract the couple's ability to have a conversation. Friends pick up Henry to have him replace a member of the neighborhood baseball team and Henry goes along (as he does with everything that comes his way) only to wind up as the driver of a getaway car for his 'teammates' as they pause to rob a bank. Henry is so loopy that he is not sure what happened and is arrested by the bank cop Frank (Bill Duke) and without much effort in protecting his innocence, Henry is convicted and imprisoned. There he meets Max Saltzman (James Caan) who loves being in the protection of prison (low goals in life). When Henry comes up for parole, Max wishes him luck in finding a dream (or waking up to life) and Henry wanders back to his home: Debbie has married worthless Joe (Danny Hoch) and is pregnant and none of this seems to bother Henry either. Henry decides to return to the bank he was convicted of 'robbing' and is struck by a cellphone carrying driving actress Julie (Vera Farmiga). Henry has feelings (surprise!) for Julie, follows her into the theater next to the bank where Julie is rehearsing Chekhov's 'The Cherry Orchard'. Things finally begin to move: the theater is connected to the bank by a tunnel, Henry visits Max and convinces him to get out on parole, and the two men plan to actually rob the bank Henry was sent to prison for not robbing! From here the puzzle takes twists and turns but the result is Henry's finally waking up to his emotions (with Julie), with a 'dream' of robbing the bank to repay the fact that he was unjustly incarcerated, and nothing and everything goes as planned with big surprises in the end.

Malcolm Venville directs this plodding venture written by Sacha Gervasi, David White, and Stephen Hamel. Much of the plot is rather silly but that seems somehow proper for a character as bland as Henry (played with appropriate flatness by Reeves). Farmiga and Caan add the sparkle that keeps the boat afloat. Just when viewers are about to groan over this story, it reminds everyone of some of the people who are sleepwalking through life, whether blandly or anxiously, and by film's end the importance of dreams and an appreciation of the events that make our lives interesting and quirky provides some valuable food for thought. Grady Harp, September 11

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Henry's crime is a nicely paced, interesting look at how several people are finally motivated to take some chances in life instead of doing what is easy and comfortable. I enjoyed the movie so much I watched it again. The ending is great. It leaves the viewer to consider how things worked out for Henry. Did he make the right choice?

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**WARNING: HEAVY PLOT SYNOPSIS**

Keanu Reeves plays the meek Henry Torne, who works a toll booth in Buffalo. He is having some problems with his wife Debbie (Judy Greer, a young version of Susan Sarandon). He is conned into driving some guys to a baseball game, only as it turns out they rob a bank and Henry is the only one who gets caught. Henry meekly says nothing in his defense and gets sentenced to 3 years. During this time his wife leaves him for another man, which doesn't seem to bother Henry. In prison Henry meets Max Saltzman (James Caan), prison philosopher, barber, and story teller. Caan convinces Henry that if he did the time, he should do the crime.

Henry gets out of jail and appears to have walked home. His wife is pregnant by Joe (Danny Hoch), one of the bank robbers. Joe tries to recruit Henry to sell in his pyramid scheme, er ah multi-level... Henry's belongings are packed into one small box. Henry doesn't seem to mind at all.

Like a moth to a flame Henry is attracted to the bank...as he is walking in the middle of the street he gets hit by a female driver, who was paying no attention while chatting on her cell phone. She immediately gets out of the car and blames the victim.

Henry finally realizes his life's goal: To rob the bank he didn't rob. He goes to Max for help. Max is a lifer. He wants to stay in prison and not get out. At his review board he twitches and says to the panel if he got out he is going to kill their dog. Henry wants Max to get out and help him.

The theater, across from the bank, 80 years ago had a tunnel that went to the bank vault. Julie (Vera Farmiga), the woman who clocked Henry with her car is an actress, performing in "The Cherry Orchard" a play like the movie is both a comedy and tragedy. The metaphors pile up. His job as a toll booth operator symbolizes someone who goes nowhere while watching everyone go somewhere. Before this thing is through Reeves plays Lopakhin, who has come up from nothing and is looking for a change of life. The group of crooks blossoms from 2 to 5 and the play...let's just say it has an alternative ending.

Chick flick, heavy metaphors, F-bomb, sex, no nudity.

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James Caan in a superb role as a jail lifer and philosopher. Vera Farmiga in a superb role as a bitter and skeptical actress playing the female lead in Chekhov's Cherry Garden. Keanu Reeves in a strange role as a romantic sleepwalker. Buffalo in a decent supporting role as one of the most awful cities that the US can offer to world civilization.

A film somewhere between thriller (suspense entirely absent) and comedy (of the mild philosophical kind). Plausibility not relevant.

My verdict: rather enjoyable because of Caan and Formiga. Reeves doesn't disturb much.

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Jim Gaffigan: Beyond the Pale (2006)

I caught this twice on TV and both times was laughing so hard it hurt. I just had to buy it so I could show it to more people. We must watch it at home at least a couple times a month now, and show it to everyone we can. Gaffigan is a genius in this: he is so funny, discusses so many common themes for his jokes (laziness, eating) with only a couple insinuating jokes that might be innappropriate, otherwise very clean-cut and not filled with bad language like so many other comedians. I am so glad I bought this, it has been so worth it and gotten so much time from my DVD player. We are always quoting from this, just so much of it is so true! You will love it and not be sad you spent the small price to buy it. There are some cute special features too, but the routine is the best part.

Jim Gaffigan is one of the best comedians I've seen in a long time. His jokes are great and fun for the whole family.

Jim Gaffigan manages to entertain and produce good quality comedy without resorting to sex jokes and dirty language. That's not to say crude humor can't tickle my funny bone just as well, but it's refreshing to listen to Jim Gaffigan's routine and not worry about offending the folks. =)

The bonus features on this DVD are sub-par, but the actual stand-up is great and well-worth the money. I highly reccomend this to all comedy fans, young and old.

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I didn't see this dvd, but did catch the special on Comedy Central last night. At first I was gonna change the channel, and was so glad I didn't. I loved his stuff about Hot Pockets, funny funny funny!! I absolutely LOVED his Inside Voice... "Hey, I like the IHOP!" "He's a crackhead!" "His pants look dirty." "Baloney hater!" "He better not!" One thing I really appreciated about his act was that it's clean, not vulgar or profane. It's something you can enjoy with your kids or elderly family members and not get embarrassed watching it. Humor in Hot Pockets, who knew?!

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This guy is the best comedian I've ever seen and I've seen 'em all. I drove out to Pittsburgh and listened to his CD for 10 straight hours, then bought the DVD the day I got back and watched it 3 times that week. I just can't get enough. My friends and I are still quoting him non-stop, 2 months later. His 'inner voice' is priceless! I would highly recommend this to anyone who likes to laugh, I've been recommending it to all of my friends as well.

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We caught this special on Comedy Central last night we NEVER watch this channel because most of the time comedians can't do an act without interjecting some sort of profanity. But, we were so glad we stopped to hear this truly original and so very funny man! From his bit about the different holidays to the hot pocket joke we laughed so hard we were hurting! Our favorite thing he does is to say out loud what some in the audience might be thinking...he surprises you with it, but always does it in the same voice so you catch on to what he's doing. We thoroughly enjoyed this program...so much I'm here reviewing what others read because I'm planning to purchase it as a gift for my husband!

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Borat (2010)

I guess I am shocked at how divisive this film seems to be--it's apparently another in the camp of "love it" or "hate it." I was familiar with Sasha Baron Cohen and the Borat character from HBO's "Da Ali G Show". While I was amused by this reprehensible, yet surprisingly innocent "Kazahstanian," I was skeptical about a full fledged big screen treatment. Turning a comedy skit into a feature movie is a "iffy" proposition, at best. Take a look at almost every Saturday Night Live adaptation for corroboration. I'd have to say, then, that I was pleasantly surprised--Borat is a winner.

Part scripted, partly hidden camera improv, partly "Jackass" tomfoolery--you're never quite sure what is to be believed in "Borat". Some may feel that this limits the film's effectiveness as commentary, but I feel this enhances it's comedic appeal. For there is such unbridled outrageousness to be had in "Borat," it's hard not to be caught up in the spirit. I probably laughed more consistently within the framework of this spare 83 minute film than I have all year. Some of it is dumb humor, to be sure--some of it was shock value or disbelief.

But a large part of the humor comes from real life. By playing the moronic, offensive imbecile--Cohen, and thus Borat, expose a cavalier prejudice, hypocrisy, and/or intolerance that exists within American culture. Whether it's buying a gun to kill Jews, viewing women as sex objects to be violated, or supporting the genocide of our enemies--Borat always finds willing subjects to engage, people who in one way or another identify with these barbaric ideas.

It's tempting to dismiss Borat as offensive nonsense, I know many have already stated that opinion. It might also be tempting for others to embrace "Borat" as one of the more unapologetic and politically relevant films in quite some time. But I don't think it is attempting anything quite so significant--and that, in truth, may be it's greatest success. It walks the line unlike any other film in recent memory. It has elicited much love from fans and major critics and much hatred from it's detractors. This power to provoke such passion, such debate--be it feelings, emotions, thoughts, ideas--that is the film's crowning achievement. This crazy little film is not only one of the year's funniest films, it has also become one of the year's most talked about. Who can argue with that? KGHarris, 11/06.

Ok, I haven't even played this DVD yet. I saw the film twice in the theaters, and I think enough has been said about it on here...

***May contain spoilers***

But let me say that when I got my Borat DVD in the mail today (how I love Amazon deliveries the day DVDs are available and with super saver shipping no less) I was a little confused. I opened the package, and found a DVD covered by your usual sleeve promoting its highlights like any other you might buy in the US. Then, I eagerly slipped the plastic-covered DVD out of the sleeve, turned it over to read the back, started reading and wait... what? or rather, CHTO? because the entire DVD cover is in Russian.

Now, I read Russian. And I have purchased pirated DVDs for $2 at Moscow metro stations because that is pretty much what you do when you're in Russia. So the fact that I examined this DVD case for a good 5 minutes, opened it to find what looks like a DVD-R disc with "Borat" labeled in permanent marker and seriously considered the possibility that somehow a pirated DVD had been sent by Amazon... finally, of course, I realized that the whole thing was a joke. Possibly even funnier to me than any single joke in the film. The giveaway was the single slip of paper inside promoting more films you can buy from the US and A that are legal in kazakhstan...

Anyway. Now all I have to do is go to Russia and purchase an ACTUAL pirated version to compare!

The DVD should be purchased for the uncanny packaging alone, but I guess I have ruined the surprise...

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The "Borat" party continues on DVD, with cool-stupid menus and lots of howlers in the "Surplus Material" section (that's extra features to most of us). A 20-minute video about the Borat character's U.S. promo tour -"Global Vistings and Television Shows for Purposes of Propaganda of Documentary" -takes us to Cannes, with the infamous florescent thong incident that freaked out photo editors worldwide. From the Riviera, it's on to the talk-show circuit with appearances on Conan O'Brien and Jay Leno. Borat to Conan: "Your pubis, is it red? May I harvest it?" On Leno, Borat is ready for love as he mistakes Martha Stewart's bed-making demonstration for an invitation to sex. Stewart plays along, sort of.

There's also a mock late-night TV music ad, with Borat singing to kids about their miseries and then covering "Born to Be Wild" from the stupid van. In the "Censored Footages" section of 8 clips, check out Borat's visit to an incredulous doctor -"That means you had sex with your sister? ... No high 5" -and a "Baywatch" spoof, "Sexy Drown Watch," with plenty of flab on display -and another thong.

It all adds up to a bonus half-hour with Borat, most of it as good as anything in the movie.

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The public reaction to Borat speaks volumes about the very small amount of the US population that either doesn't have HBO or simply has never tuned into HBO's Da Ali G Show. Sacha Baron Cohen certainly didn't break new ground with the Borat character in the full-length feature film Borat. Indeed, the Borat character was a regular part of the Ali G show first popularized in the UK in 2000 and introduced to US viewers via HBO in 2004.

So technically, all the hub-bub on the one side of the fence about Borat being a "racist" character or a misrepresentation of the Kazakhstan people is about 7 years late. And the suggestion on the other side of the fence that Borat is the funniest movie or character to come along in years is way overrated.

The Borat character is funny. But what is funnier is watching the reaction to the character by the people that he is duping. Similarly, Cohen's Ali G character (a stereotypical hip-hop, British ghetto banger TV host) and the Bruno character (a stereotypical gay mannerismed TV host) have the same modus operandi....

....And that modus operandi is Socratic irony. The characters deliberately feign ignorance in order to expose weakness in another's position. The result: most of the time hilarity. Whether it's Borat, Ali G or Bruno, the laughs are less to each character's behavior and more to the reaction of the person being duped and the commitment that people have to being politically correct so as not to question the ridiculous opinions and questions that Cohen's characters come up with. Cohen's characters' naive stupidity make his victims look equally stupid...Socratic irony. (The only victim that I ever saw that had enough intelligence to walk out of the situation without any regard to whether or not he was offending the Cohen character was Donald Trump.)

Comparitively, if what we're really after here are public reactions to pranks and gags, you can get it all for free on YouTube. Cohen just has a better knack for executing his gags on VIPs. Therefore, to make a full length movie that developed the Borat character was a bit overkill for me. A movie that was similar to Da Ali G Show that mixed up the characters a bit would have kept the gags a bit more fresh.

So do you want to see some funny pranks and gags that get a bit tired by the end of full length feature film about just the Borat character? Then the Borat movie is for you. Would you rather see it mixed up a bit between different characters? Then go with Da Ali G Show seasonal DVD releases. You want pranks and gags for free? Go to YouTube.

But don't be fooled into being offended by any of the Cohen characters. They are not real; the man behind the mask really isn't that stupid. He's trying to make YOU look stupid. And if you take Cohen's characters seriously, you will indeed look stupid. You see? Socratic irony.

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Finally got to see one of the most talked about movies of the year. The widescreen edition is great and the special features are okay. Sacha Baron Cohen plays Borat, a native of Kazakstan and also a reporter from that country who comes to America in the hopes of learning something constructive to take back and apply to his own culture. What the film really does is show a hilarious, if often times disturbing and yet comical view of American culture through Borat's eyes. From his purchase of an "auto car" to falling in love with Pamela Anderson after watching an episode of Baywatch, it was fun to follow him through his journey from New York to California. Cohen is great because he makes the character he plays very believable. Whether it was the Rodeo, the Bear they bought for protection or the etiquette lessons, the film was highly entertaining. This kind of humor is not for everyone but I know people who would have found some of it to be a turn off still ended up laughing a lot. Borat holds nothing back and in the meantime explores everything from run down neighborhoods to evangelical church meetings. At times I laughed so hard my sides were about to burst!

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Much Ado About Nothing (1993)

Since his Oscar-nominated "Henry V" adaptation, Kenneth Branagh has come up with a simple, effective recipe: Blend 3 parts English actors well-versed in all things "Bard" with 1 or 2 parts Hollywood, sprinkle the mixture liberally over one of Shakespeare's plays, lift the material out of its original temporal and local context to provide an updated meaning, and garnish it by casting yourself and, until the mid-1990s, (then-)wife Emma Thompson in opposite starring roles.

In "Much Ado About Nothing," that formula works to near-perfection. A comedy of errors possibly written in one of the Bard's busiest years (1599) although as usual, dating is a minor guessing game "Much Ado" lives primarily from its timeless characters, making it an ideal object for transformation a la Branagh. Thus, renaissance Sicily becomes 19th century Tuscany (although the location's name, Messina, remains unchanged); and the intrigues centering around the battle of the sexes between Signor Benedick of Padua (Branagh) and Lady Beatrice (Thompson), the niece of Messina's governor Don Leonato (Richard Briers), and their love's labors won initially the play's intended title; Benedick and Beatrice are a more liberated version of the earlier "Love's Labor's Lost"'s Biron and Rosaline as well as the schemes surrounding the play's other couple, Benedick's friend Claudio (Robert Sean Leonard) and Beatrice's cousin Hero (Kate Beckinsale) become a light-hearted counterpoint to the more serious, politically charged intrigues of novels such as Stendhal's "Charterhouse of Parma:" Indeed, the military campaign from which Benedick and Claudio are returning with Don Pedro, Prince of Aragon (Denzel Washington) at the story's beginning could easily be one associated with Italy's 19th century struggle for nationhood.

While according to the play's conception it is ostensibly the relationship between Hero and Claudio that drives the plot as well as the plotting by Don Pedro's illegitimate brother, Don John (Keanu Reeves) Beatrice and Benedick are the more interesting couple; both sworn enemies of love, they are not kept apart by a scheming villain but by their own conceit, and are brought *together* by a ruse of Don Pedro's (although even that wouldn't have worked against their will: "Thou and I are too wise to woo peaceably," Benedick tells Beatrice.) And while Don John's machinations create much heartbreak and drama once they have come into fruition, the story's highlights are Benedick's and Beatrice's battles of wits; the sparks flying between them from their first scene to their last: even in front of the chapel, they still although now primarily for their audience's benefit respond to each other's question "Do not you love me?" with "No, no more than reason," and when Benedick finally tells Beatrice he will have her, but only "for pity," she tartly answers, "I would not deny you; but ... I yield upon great persuasion; and partly to save your life, for I was told you were in a consumption" whereupon Benedick, most uncharacteristically, stops her with a kiss.

Branagh's and Thompson's chemistry works to optimum effect here; and while every Kenneth Branagh movie is as much star vehicle for its creator as it is about the project itself, Benedick's conversion from a man determined not to let love "transform [him] into an oyster" into a married man (because after all, "the world must be peopled. When I said I would die a bachelor I did not think I should live till I were married"!) is a pure joy to watch. Emma Thompson's Beatrice, similarly, is an incredibly modern, independent young woman; and scenes like her advice to Hero not to blindly follow her father's (Don Leonato's) wishes in marrying but, if necessary, "make another courtesy and say, Father, as it please *me*" only enhance the play's and her character's timeless quality.

Yet, while the leading couple's performances are the movie's shining anchor pieces, there is much to enjoy in the remaining cast as well: Richard Briers's Don Leonato, albeit more English country squire than Italian nobleman, is the kind of doting father that many a daughter would surely wish for; and what he may lack in Italian flavor is more than made up for in Brian Blessed's Don Antonio, Leonato's brother. Kate Beckinsale is a charming, innocent Hero and well-matched with Robert Sean Leonard's Claudio (who after "Dead Poets Society" seemed virtually guaranteed to show up in a Shakespeare adaptation sooner or later); as generally, leaving aside the appropriateness of American accents in a movie like this, the Hollywood contingent acquits itself well. Washington's, Leonard's and Brier's "Cupid" plot particularly is a delight (even if the former might occasionally have gained extra mileage enunciation-wise). Keanu Reeves, cast against stereotype as Don John, is a bit too busy looking sullen to realize the role's full sardonic potential: "melancholy," in Shakespeare's times, after all was a generic term encompassing everything from madness to various saner forms of ill humor; and I wonder what but for the generational difference someone like Sir Ian McKellen might have done with that role. But as a self-described "plain-dealing villain" Reeves is certainly appropriately menacing. Michael Keaton's Dogberry, finally, is partly brother-in-spirit to Beetlejuice, partly simply the eternal stupid officer; the play's boorish comic relief and as such spot-on, delivering his many malaproprisms with his tongue firmly planted in his cheek.

The cast is rounded out by several actors who might well have demanded larger roles but nevertheless look ideally matched for the parts they play, including Imelda Staunton and Phyllida Law as Hero's gentlewomen Margaret and Ursula, Gerard Horan and Richard Clifford as Don John's associates Borachio and Conrade, and Ben Elton as Dogberry's "neighbor" Verges. (In addition, score composer Patrick Doyle stands in as minstrel Balthazar.) With minimal editing of the play's original language, a set design making full use of the movie's Tuscan setting, and lavish production values overall, this is a feast for the senses and, on the whole, an adaptation of which even the Bard himself, I think, would have approved.

Also recommended:

The Oxford Shakespeare: The Complete Works 2nd Edition

Love's Labour's Lost

Henry V

William Shakespeare's Hamlet (Two-Disc Special Edition)

BBC Shakespeare Comedies DVD Giftbox

BBC Shakespeare Tragedies DVD Giftbox

Olivier's Shakespeare Criterion Collection (Hamlet / Henry V / Richard III)

William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice

Richard III

The Complete Arkangel Shakespeare: 38 Fully-Dramatized Plays

"Much Ado About Nothing" is one of those sparkling adaptations that supposedly couldn't have been done. But Kennneth Branagh (director and star of "Hamlet," and creator of the supremely underrated "Midwinter's Tale") brought an all-star cast in a sparkling Tuscan setting, to bring this tale of bickering loves and sordid betrayals to life as never before.

The sullen Don John has just been stopped in a rebellion against his brother Don Pedro, by young hero Claudio. Now all of them (including Don John, whom his brother has forgiven) are arriving in Messina, the home of kindly Leonato. But when they get there, Claudio immediately falls in love with Leonato's beautiful daughter Hero. And despite the efforts of Don John, Don Pedro manages to get the two young lovers together and altar-bound.

But Don Pedro isn't willing to stop there. Hero's cousin Beatrice has a long-running feud with Claudio's pal Benedick -they insult each other, they bicker, they argue about everything ("It is so indeed -he is no less than a stuffed man!"). What's more, both of them swear to stay single forever. ("All women shall pardon me -I shall live a bachelor!") Pedro and the others conspire to get Benedick and Beatrice to somehow fall in love with each other. And at first it seems that everything is going well -until Don John manages to cast doubt on Hero's honor

There's a certain timeless quality to "Much Ado" -not just the dialogue, but the simple costumes and the buildings in it. That leaves the audience free to pay more attention to the dialogue and its plot. And what a plot it is! "Much Ado" is brimming over with funny dialogue, dastardly plots, comedic supporting characters and weird pairings. (Beatrice and Benedick are the sort of love-hate couple that a lot of movies try to have, but don't succeed with)

The dialogue is mostly (if not all) Shakespeare's own, but it's not necessary to be a Shakespeare buff to understand what they're saying. It's not dumbed down, either -it's just spoken as normally as ordinary English. And the Tuscan landscape sparkles with life, passion, and lots of fruit and wine. You don't need to be a fan already to understand and appreciate this movie.

Kenneth Branagh (who also directed and adapted the play) is amazing as Benedick, lovably witty and egotistical; he gets a little silly at times (such as his bird calls or joyous romp in the fountain), but demonstrates his serious ability after Hero is disgraced. the outstanding Emma Thompson is even better as the sharp-tongued Beatrice, a fiery young woman with her own mind and definitely her own mouth. Thompson lashes out Shakespeare's witty lines as easily as if she just thought them up herself; one of her most powerful scenes is here. Denzel Washington (Don Pedro) looks like he's having a great time; Keanu Reeves (Don John) is a bit flat in places, but glowers well enough. Kate Beckinsale's first movie role (Hero) is suitably sweet and adorable. Robert Sean Leonard (Claudio) is the one weak link in the cast; he seems a bit too overwrought and hysterical to be a major hero. (No pun intended)

This movie was unavailable for a very long time and only recently was rereleased on DVD. The DVD is pretty spare; aside from the movie, there are a few DVD promos (for "When Harry Met Sally" and "The Princess Bride" -both, I notice, comedic romances) and a brief making-of featurette. The featurette doesn't really offer much that is new, but does give some insights into the chosen settings and why the cast wished to do the movie.

Those who enjoyed Branagh's "Hamlet" and "Henry V" will rejoice in "Much Ado About Nothing," the quintessential romantic comedy. Funny, sweet, romantic, and incredibly well-acted, this is a keeper.

Buy Much Ado About Nothing (1993) Now

Yes, Keanu Reeves fits in to this Shakespearean production like a tuba player in a heavy metal band, but don't let that scare you off. His leaden delivery can't weigh down a movie this light and bubbly.

Branagh has outdone himself in this tale of young men and women in love. It is set in the gorgeous Italian countryside, all warm sunshine and bright colors. The actors positively glow with happiness and health.

Branagh plays an almost self-parodying arrogant ham with just the right note of swagger and hidden insecurity. His battles of wit with Emma Thompson's Beatrice bring some of Shakespeare's cleverest writing to vivid life. Denzel Washington makes for a truly regal prince, and Michael Keaton puts in a knee-slapping cameo as the Beetlejuice-ish Dogberry.

This is one of Shakespeare's best comedies and Branagh films it excellently, moving the plot along and keeping things light. The title is apt -the problems the characters face aren't difficult to solve -and Branagh thankfully doesn't take any of the proceedings too seriously.

This is Shakespeare as it was intended to be. It's not actors dressed in tights histrionically shouting lines; it's funny and vibrant with a strong pulse. It's a feel-great movie and not to be missed, by Shakespeare loyalists or by anybody else.

Read Best Reviews of Much Ado About Nothing (1993) Here

This, without a doubt, the funniest film that I have seen Kenneth Branagh do. True, it was no match for his four-hour masterpiece HAMLET, but MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING is almost as great. Branagh shows us that his acting abilities can range from heroic to comedic. But please, let us not talk of the very bad performance he gave in the insanely crazy, and just as stupid WILD WILD WEST. Another thing that suprised me about the film: Keanu Reeves as a bad guy. This film also proves that Reeves, who plays the sinister John the B-----d, can play a wide variety of characters (from THE MATRIX's Neo, to BILL AND TED'S EXCELLENT ADVENTURE's Bill Es Preston Esquire.). The other supporting actors (Denzel Washington, Michael Keaton, Emma Thompson, Brian Blessed, among many others) gave what could be called their finest performances ever. The movie, which is insanely funny, also has some dramatic moments, so as not to make it too ludicrous. Anybody who has a thirst for Shakespeare, or just wants a good laugh, should see this movie. Trust me, you'll be singing HEY, NONNY NONNY 'til you die. Grade: A+

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If your mind is longing for a Shakespeare production, this is an excellent adaptation of the highest order. Not only is this one of the best romantic comedies ever written, it is set in the Tuscan sun and reaches its full comic potential in all the lustiness and witty dialogue only Shakespeare could create.

At a sensuous picnic, Beatrice reads:

Sigh no more, ladies, sign no more,

Men were deceivers ever,

One foot in sea, and one on shore,

To one thing constant never.

Then sigh not so, but let them go,

And be you blithe and bonny,

Converting all your sounds of woe

Into hey (nonny nonny). (brief translation: what the heck).

Act 2, scene 3, 62-69

In Messina, the governor Leonato, his daughter Hero, and her cousin Beatrice (Antonio's daughter) learn from a messenger that Don Pedro has won victory in a battle and is returning home.

Denzel Washington as the Prince Don Pedro really adds sex appeal to this movie! When he arrives with his soldiers from war there is a moment of excitement when everyone lets their inner child escape and there is a feeling of giddy anticipation and the movie takes on a vigorous life of its own.

This is pure escapism for sure. The Italian villa with lush landscapes, fountains and plenty of shrubs to hide behind for eavesdropping on crucial conversations is just enchanting. It is the perfect place for the story to unfold. Here the prince and his warriors decide to vacation for a month.

The main plot involves two love stories. Hero (Kate Beckinsale) and Claudio (Robert Sean Leonard) are in love and hardly need to be pressured into matrimony.

Benedick (Kenneth Branagh) and Beatrice (Emma Thompson) have a hilarious adversarial type courtship in neither can decide what they really want.

"Thou and I are too wise to woo peaceably."

They have both declared they will never marry. In fact, one assumes it was their desire of their wild hearts all along, but was only revealed in a tortured path of wit and intrigue.

Claudio: [to Hero] Lady, as you are mine, I am yours; I give away myself for you and dote upon the exchange.

Beatrice: Speak, cousin, or (if you cannot) stop his mouth with a kiss, and let not him speak neither.

Don John ("yummy" Keanu Reaves) is of course the evil villan in this story and sets out to destroy the relationship between the beautiful Hero and the handsome Claudio. Like a devil, he manages to create mayhem and then leaves the tortured souls to figure out the details of their salvation. With the sweet Hero slandered and presumed dead, one assumes as sure as there is a thought or a soul, there is no turning back.

There are so many great lines in this play that were included with such flair. This is now my favorite Shakespeare adaptation. You will laugh with absolute delight at the antics these characters get up to!

Universal appeal!

~The Rebecca Review

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Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad (1988)

I saw this movie at the cinema, and when I walked out of the darkened theatre my sides hurt so much from laughing you would have sworn I was suffering from appendicitis, and I rivalled Niagara Falls in my crying the tears were just streaming down my face!

This inane, farcical comedy has got to be one of the funniest films ever released. It's silly, but the silliness is funny and not pointless. Even the cameo actors are houmourous! Leslie Nielsen is fantastic as the deadpan, very moronic Frank Drebin, a bumbling detective who wouldn't know a criminal from a saint, and George Kennedy and OJ Simpson are perfect foils for his lunacy. (I'm surprised. I said something NICE about OJ Simpson!) And Priscilla Presley has never looked better. She and Leslie Nielsen have a chemistry between them that is lacking in many serious or other comedy movies. What can I say? This movie is great! I order you to stop reading these reviews and go and rent or buy this movie! Believe me, you won't regret it!

You'll know this movie is going to be a riot from the openning sequence in which a meeting of the worlds master terrorists including Castro, the Ayatollah and Gorbachev are folied by inept cop Frank Drebin, played with perfect deadpan expression by Leslie Nielsen, who went on to a second career starring in films like this.

Drebin, from Police Squad, must try to stop the assasination of the Queen of England. Drebin is assisted by George Kennedy, a fellow cop and O.J. Simpson as detective Nordberg. Nordberg, especially is the victim of most of Drebin's foul ups and spends most of the movie being beaten or maimed (just desserts!). Ricardo Montalban stars as the construction magnate that is masterminding the dastardly plot.

Nielsen's physical humor is the focus of the movie. His systematic destruction of Montalban's apartment is hilarious. But the highlight of the movie is the ending baseball sequence. and is where Nielsen shines. From his impersonation of opera tenor Enrico Polazzo (his butchering of the national anthem is a total classic) to his routine as a moonwalking showboat umpire, Nielsen is at his finest in milking laughs. The baseball game between the Mariners and Angels is the funniest baseball sequence ever filmed and funnier than any of the Major League movies. This segment features real-life baseball announcers including Dick Enberg and the great Mel Allen. When a highlight shows a baseball players head being knocked off by a fly ball, Allen delivers his classic "How About That?" while a stunned Enberg looks on, speechless. And there are real-life ball-players Jay Johnstone and Reggie Jackson, ("I must kill the Queen").

Priscilla Presley looks beautiful and shows her ability to do comedy. Although Nielsen looks much too old for her, the scenes between them work, probably due to Nielsen's boundless energy and little boy innocence.

The Naked Gun series follwed the Airplane movies in a line of hits for the ZAZ team (not all of them particpated in all of the films). Although the latter two Naked Gun movies were a let-down, Naked Gun shows ZAZ at their best and this movie remains funny.

Also worth noting is the TV series that inspired the Naked Gun movies Police Squad (in color). Look for it at your video store. Underrated and very funny.

Buy Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad (1988) Now

I'm not going to summarize the plot of this movie. Others have already done that. I'm just going to tell you I think it's one of the funniest films I've ever seen.

I love this kind of sight gag humor. And nobody does it better than Leslie Neilsen.

The Police Squad! videos are priceless TV detective show parodies. It's a pity only a handful of episodes were ever made. They're a blast to watch -especially the end credits when the actors "freeze" yet everything else in the scene continues to move. Really dumb humor, but it gets me every time.

Which is why I love this, the first of the three Naked Gun movies. They feature the same bumbling detective (Neilsen) and the same intrepid team that created the short-lived TV series.

I can watch this film and laugh every time. My favorite scenes are the chalk outline floating on the water...the shoe shine guy to which Lt. Drebin palms money for information...and, well, I could name scene after scene.

Naked Gun is not for everyone. Not everyone likes the rapid-fire sight gag humor that makes this movie (and The Simpsons) such a joy to behold.

But if that kind of humor tickles your funny bone, Naked Gun will cause you to laugh all the way to the store to buy the other two installments.

Read Best Reviews of Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad (1988) Here

The Naked Gun-From The Files Of Police Squad. I don't need to talk about this movie. It's great. It's non-stop laughs. It's a must see. So what's the problem? The problem's not with the movie. It's with this DVD. Don't expect to much from silly Paramount, but has anyone ever watched this on cut TV, like USA, Comedy Central, or ABC? If so, you know the cutting out and editing of scenes for a certain channel tri trims a time slot, so they replace maybe 15 minutes with deleted scenes! And very funny deleted scenes I might add. One is where Frank Drebin is seen at a gym in the shower (of the woman's bathroom). Another is where Ludwig shoots Frank in the catchers's thing (didn't anyone ever notice it deflated?) and one where Frank turns off Nordberg's air at the hospital. All these scenes are outrageous and hilariously funny, but no version except the TV one has these scenes. I'm not going to buy any Naked Gun DVD until the scene's are restored. Same with Naked Gun 2, Airplane!, and Airplane 2.

Don't by this 'till Paramount realizes we want deleted scenes!

If you found my review helpful, please be sure to vote for me!

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In 1982, Leslie Nielsen starred in a television comedy called "Police Squad" on ABC. Not since "The Carroll Burnett Show" had television seen this kind of quality slapstick comedy. Unfortunately, it never found an audience and only lasted for 6 episodes.

In 1988, Jerry Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and David Zucker adapted their short-lived T.V. series into one of the best comedy movies ever. And this time, it proved to be a hit (grossing over $70 million during it's USA run).

Before starring in "Airplane" in 1980, Leslie Nielson had never done a comedy role before (all of his previous roles had been in dramas). Who knew he had such great comedic timing? And it is that timing that makes this movie so much fun to watch.

Mr. Nielson stars as Frank Drebin, an incompetent cop who somehow always manages to solve the crime (even though he sometimes sovles it wrong). Things happen when Drebin is around, such as a fire breaking out, sliding down a long table on top of Queen Elizabeth II, or going to the bathroom with a live microphone. He never means for any of these things to happen, and occasionally doesn't even know when they do.

The cast is wonderfully filled out with George Kennedy as Captain Ed Hocken and Priscilla Presley as Jane Spencer. Both of them have great comedic timing on their own, which is enhanced in the presence of Mr. Nielson. Even O.J. Simpson, who is fairly dispised by much of America these days, does a pretty good job of holding his own in this group. His scene that opens the movie is a total laugh riot.

This movie is pure slapstick comedy at its best. Every line, every shot, every move is done for laughs. Even years later, die hard "Naked Gun" fans can still find jokes and shots that they have never caught before.

If you like funny movies, especially slapstick, then this movie is a must see. Actually, it's a must see again, and again, and again, and...

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