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K-On! Vol. 1 (2011)

K-On! is the first of two anime series based on Kakifly's seinen (young men) manga (which means its primary audience is males aged 18-30, not young girls as the amazon.com editorial review above would have you believe although that demographic would certainly also enjoy K-On!). The show follows the everyday life of four high school girls who decide to revive their school's light music club and form a band. From that point on, they spend most of their time goofing off.

This first volume (there will be four in all) contains the first four episodes in which the group 1) first meet each other, 2) help a member procure an instrument, 3) struggle with mid-term exams and 4) have a training camp at the beach.

Since it first aired in 2009, K-On! has reached immense popularity among anime fans and it's a shame to see that Bandai Entertainment's domestic release is something of a disappointment. The release has a number of flaws, the most significant one being the as-of-yet unexplained music replacement in the first episode, where an instrumental piece performed by the characters has been replaced by an altogether different tune. Add to that the complete lack of any of the bonus materials included in the Japanese release and the fact that they went with lossy Dolby Digital audio instead of lossless for the Blu-Ray, and the disappointments begin to add up. Thankfully, the video quality is stellar. One thing I can't really fault Bandai for is the decision to release the series spread across four individual volumes as opposed to a complete series box set. The license for K-On! was no doubt hellishly expensive, and they need to make their money back somehow. And besides, at the very least it is still dirt cheap compared to the Japanese release!

The only notable extra on this disc is a video interview with a member of the American dub cast. If you're a dub fan, you might find this interesting. The English dub itself is, while no masterpiece, at least pretty good for what it is. You can tell they went to great lengths to do justice to the original not an easy task considering the original set of characters is probably one of the most iconic casts to emerge from anime within the last couple of years. With the English dub being what it is an imitation it's never going to be as good as the original, but it is a decent attempt and should be appreciated by those with an aversion to reading subtitles.

All in all, despite being an imperfect release, I will still recommend it to anyone with an interest in this type of anime. From the get-go, it's good, charming fun and it is only going to get better from here.

Kyoto Animation has a track record of producing titles that go on to become mega-hit franchises. Haruhi, Lucky Star or their multitude of adaptations of Key's visual novels; no matter what they put out, odds are it'll go on to become a hit. But on top of that, they've historically struck an emotional chord with their excellent scripts, and wowed audiences with their lavish animation. K-On!, an adaptation of Kakifly's 4-panel manga series, is their most recent hit series. With such a pedigree to compete with, does this simplistic tale of a high school band rise to the levels of greatness seen by the studio's works, or fall into the trappings of other slice-of-life moe series? The answer is more mixed than you might think.

We join the protagonists as they all descend on a high school group known as the Light Music Club. On the verge of being disbanded, this club's intention is to make music that is enjoyable and pleasing to the ears. But the only problem is that, despite the fact that three of the four are well-versed in music and can indeed play instruments, they're... just "not very good", according to the group's guitarist. She's in no position to speak though, because she can't even play guitar yet. Yes, with this type of dysfunction, on top of school exams, summer trips and other hindrances, the future of the Light Music Club is uncertain.

Their comedic struggles, though, provide a nice four episodes' worth of entertainment in this first volume, however vanilla it may be. These episodes start with each character confused as to what exactly this club's intention is, and end with them having formed a bond and set in motion a solid plan to perform at the school festival. Nothing too challenging in terms of content, but it's enjoyable nonetheless.

This series' main strength lies not in it's plot, though, but in the tone that the writers set. As a reader of the original manga, I have to say that KyoAni did a better job of establishing these characters than their own creator did. Despite the fact that shy rich girl, keyboardist and excellent cook Tsumugi feels like a carbon copy of Miyuki Takara minus the irony, these characters feel like real people that you'd meet in your day-to-day life. Any viewer of Lucky Star can attest to the fact that this studio's storytelling specialty lies in the field of believable characters, but this time, I have to say they've done a better job than in their previous works. I was sucked into these characters' chemistry, and was frequently reminded of my relationship with my own friends. This attention of detail to personality really puts K-On! ahead of so many imitators.

Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the plot. While it is fun to watch these characters go about their day-to-day affairs, the fact remains that many of these affairs are typical things we've come to expect from this type of show. Beach trips to the rich girl's summer home, shopping trips which include a montage of looking a pretty/cute/fun things, the very concept of forming a dysfunctional club that gets into comedic incidents... these are all things we've seen before. It doesn't make the show any less enjoyable, but those expecting a total deviation in formula from Lucky Star-type shows might feel a bit disappointed.

But to those expecting KyoAni to hold up their excellent quality of animation, prepare yourself for one of the best demonstrations of their work. This could perhaps be the most attention to detail they've paid to a series since the first season of Haruhi. Every piece of background art, every ripple of the characters' clothing, and every movement of the characters themselves are all delivered to us in painstaking detail. This is the type of stuff that only KyoAni's budget can achieve, and it's damn beautiful to look at. While what they're showing us isn't exactly fantastical, the studio proves that paying attention to your everyday surroundings may reap more rewards than immersing yourself in imaginary worlds.

The voice-acting is top-notch as well. KyoAni's past megahits have boasted fantastic casts (in both their English dubs and original Japanese voice tracks), and this show is no different. Especially great are Stephanie Sheh and Aki Toyosaki as Yui, the ditz of a lead guitarist whose personality shifts every 0.5 seconds. Both actresses convey a perfect sense of ADD when voicing this fragile girl, one rarely achieved by V.A.s when voicing this type of character. Not to take away from the rest of the cast; everybody here is on their A-game.

Hajime Hyokkoku's score is the tidy ribbon which wraps up this neat package. Encompassing a wide range of musical styles (rock, pop, orchestral, techno, synthpop, etc.), this man has come a long way from his Voogie's Angel days (five points to anybody who'd heard of that series before having to look it up in the link!). This should cement into the realm of top-notch composers of mainstream anime.

Bandai USA's American release of the show is fairly bare-bones, but that can be forgiven considering it's just not feasible to release the limited edition versions we saw of Haruhi and Lucky Star (whose last volume didn't even get a limited edition release because of then-collapsing anime DVD industry.) There's an entertaining interview with Stephanie Sheh, and a handful of trailers, but nothing too special. If you have a Blu-Ray player, though, getting this show on that format would be your best bet to appreciate the animation in it's highest quality.

K-On! isn't KyoAni's best work, not by a long shot. But their most polished? Definitely. It doesn't reach the depths of Haruhi, nor the emotional highs of Air, but sometimes, we all just want to relax with some shiny fluff. That's exactly what this show is, and that's why I love it.

Story: B-

Animation: A+

Music: A+

Voice-Acting (both languages): A+

DVD: B

Overall: B+

NOTE: This is the same review that I posted on my blog, so if you run across it on there as well, be aware that it's not plagiarism. I just didn't want to write two separate reviews for the same thing! ;P

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Although I have no intention of counting one's chickens before they've hatched, at least I could say it's exactly a good thing that Bandai Ent. is finally launching this highly anticipated series on Blu-rays.

The problem here is apparently someone messed up the Product Details above. It says only Japanese audio is available while it also saying this title is dubbed, and 66 minutes running time is too short to hold even three episodes.

As I checked with the manufacture's web site, this title has English dub as well as the original Japanese audio with the English subs. It also says the volume #1 is to contain the first four episodes of the series.

I gave 5 stars based upon that information. However, I still strongly recommend you to be cautious before you order this item (If it contains only three episodes, 4 stars at best).

Read Best Reviews of K-On! Vol. 1 (2011) Here

K-On! never fails to amuse. Watching this show is like taking prozac, only without the side effects (save the desire to buy more).

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Great lighthearted series about a group of high school students joining a music club that I would recommend for anyone or even families to watch.

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Keeping Mum

This is probably the most touching film about homicidal old ladies I have ever seen. Grace (Maggie Smith) is not your ordinary homicidal grandmother she has a heart of gold. When she comes into the life of the Reverend of Little Wallop (Rowan Atkinson) she immediately takes a proprietorial interest in his family's wellbeing. Before long Grace is proactively sorting out a lot of family problems the son's bullies, the daughter's awful boyfriends, the Reverend's lack of confidence and his wife's marital woes. At the same time, a number of people and animals that get in the way of Grace's plans start disappearing. She is so charmingly innocent and so completely well-intentioned that it is hard to hold her methods against her. In fact, I spent most of the film cheering for her. Grace is a very rare character indeed (the closest approximate I can think of is Angela from "Sleepaway Camp II & III" possibly a younger variation of the same creature) and we need more like her.

The film is undoubtedly aided by an excellent cast. The central character, the reverend's frustrated wife Gloria, is played by the very convincing (not to mention attractive) Kristin Scott Thomas who effectively carries most of the film. Maggie Smith is adorable as the innocently-menacing Grace. Patrick Swayze is perfect as the hunky lothario/sleazoid pursuing both Gloria and her daughter. Jeez, he aged well, and I think he was perfect for this part (which is sort of a compliment). Given first billing despite performing in what was essentially a supporting role,is Rowan Atkinson in probably his most subdued role ever as the Reverend of Little Wallop. Don't let that deter you if you're a fan. He still manages to be hilarious without having to lift a finger and when he does go into full comedy mode he is marvellous. However, it is his performance as the absent-minded workaholic vicar who seems helpless in the face of his unravelling marriage that is both touching and believable and demonstrates acting capabilities I would not have expected of him.

In short, this is a very funny and sweet film that should not be missed.

The Goodfellow family needs more than just a housekeeper. They need a miracle.

What they got was Grace.

When Grace (Maggie Smith) arrives, she finds Gloria (Scott Thomas) somewhere between an affair and going crazy. Golf Pro Lance (Swayze) is encouraging her to swing more than a club. Clarence, the little dog next door has been yelling nonstop for days and the deaf old man who owns him, can't hear and doesn't seem to care. Walter (Atkinson) her vicar husband, has forgotten there's romance in the "Bible" and he's so lost in his tending his congregation, he's even lost his sense of humor. Teenaged Polly (Egerton) is experimenting with sex--and not for the first time. Peter (Parkes) is getting beaten up by the school bullies.

Grace quickly sets to work setting things to rights. On the surface, she's quite an endearing old lady who soothes with a cup of tea and a magic word, but her methods run far deeper than that--just don't look in the nearby pond!

If you love British comedy, particularly the darker varieties thereof, you're going to enjoy "Keeping Mum." There's more than one surprise twist. Of particular interest is a golf lesson between Lance and Gloria just filled with double entendre.

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This is a delicious twist on Mary Poppins with Maggie Smith playing the

"trunk killer"...that is she was sent to an institution because she was traveling with a trunk that carried the cut up remains of her philandering husband and his mistress.

Now she's back and doing housework for a minister's family in a small English town. Her approach to problems is to eliminate them...literally.

How can you suspect such a charming, smiling, old lady?

As for the minister, our Maggie Smith has some suggestions...lighten up your sermons with religious jokes and spice up your personal life with a little sex. I loved the "reading" of the Song of Solomon in the movie...one of the best readings of King James selections that was moving and erotic.

This is good fun and a must for Maggie Smith fans.

Read Best Reviews of Keeping Mum Here

I absolutely adored this rather understated and very engaging British film. Everything was just so fun considering it's about a sweet little elderly lady who applies a slightly twisted sense of morality to help a family with domestic problems. The family is a bit of a mess. Kristin Scott Thomas is the backbone of the story. She's frustrated with her life, her daughter is a bit of wayward teenager, her son is being bullied and her husband played by Rowan Atkinson is a little boring and a little self-absorbed. In comes Maggie Smith who plays Grace Hawkins a grandmotherly type who exudes understanding and warmth with her own special brand of helpfulness. But then again, the way she deals with life's problems is questionable although effective "You can't just kill people because you disapprove of them" to which Grace replies, "That's what my doctors kept saying. It was the one thing we could never agree on."

Everything from the dream cast to the clever writing to the charming music sets an overall tone of gentleness with a hint of the sinister. I particularly enjoyed the music and the locations. The music is soft and tender but at times, it also has an edge exactly like the story. The film is beautifully shot with locations in Cornwall and the Isle of Man. I really liked the village its normal and sweet setting is a perfect backdrop to Grace's not normal but still sweet mentality.

Black comedy is a tricky genre of film and the British do it well. If it's handled with too heavy a hand it can teeter between the uncomfortable and the painful. Here, the director, writers and actors handled it with just enough of a touch that this film is brilliantly endearing and you just can't help laughing at something you really shouldn't be laughing at.

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I have been waiting for another British comedy to come out all year. KEEPING MUM fits that bill. It is funny, I mean very funny. The cast is outstanding. Rowan Atkinson and Maggie Smith are hilarious but the whole cast really delivers some of their best work in this film. The location photography is beautiful. The English countryside really sets the stage for this nice little film where the characters all come together and their personalities, strengths and weaknesses lead them to realizations about the true aspirations of their lives.

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Project X (Movie Only + Ultraviolet Digital Copy) (Blu-ray) (2012)

I bought the blu ray after seeing this film on a transatlantic flight and embarrassing myself silly by laughing out loud (which I just don't do on a plane). I could so identify with these losers as I was one, too in high school (I grew up well-adjusted and happy, thank you). I didn't like the Hangover yet I love this. Why? The directorial style: It just feels so much more natural and unforced; there's a sense of immediacy. And the three unknown leads are simply terrific and likable. And never have I felt I was at a party in any film as I feel it with this one (this really kicks in with the blu ray 5.1 surround sound). Yes, the story gets outrageous near the end but that was also the fun of it. The film has absolutely no moral or redemptive value (the music is so sexist but so very right for the film), yet there was something about it that made me feel like a teen again!

Project X is not a 5-star movie. I'm sorry for giving it the highest rating a product can receive on amazon. However, let me explain my case so you don't think there's something wrong with me. I've seen *countless* teen party movies over the years and NONE of them are entertaining at all. They are nothing more than filler and a waste of movie space.

Project X... FINALLY, a party movie that actually lives up to the hype! These teens are on a mission to create the absolute biggest, baddest party ever designed. They of course, are interested in sex, being cool and just being really rowdy, however what happens is that this party eventually spins *completely* out of control. As the movie rolls along, you will probably be sitting there totally amazed at just how many creative ways this party turns into pure insanity.

Seriously, you will never want to see another party film involving teenagers ever again because this one set out to accomplish every single nook and cranny you can possibly provide and make it MUCH better than all the rest. It makes all the rest no longer relevant, in fact. It really works. I don't even want to spoil any of the ways these teens get into trouble and what they do. They go from the uncoolest kids in school to the coolest in one night, that's for sure. Alright alright, I'll spoil one moment. While the one teen is talking to his father upstairs on the phone and assuring his father that everything's alright at home and that he's not causing any trouble whatsoever, a huge explosion occurs right outside the window!

It's hilarious because the entire time I was wondering how the kids would clean up by morning so their parents wouldn't find out what happened. None of that even matters and you'll find out why, haha.

It's rowdy, offensive, provides plenty of swearing and nudity, and it's completely inappropriate for children. However, for one 80-minute movie and a night of adrenaline-pumping fun, I recommend purchasing (or renting, if you understandably don't trust my words) what will forever be, the king of party films.

Buy Project X (Movie Only + Ultraviolet Digital Copy) (Blu-ray) (2012) Now

For those who've written bad reviews stating this film had no redeeming value or in no way left you feeling educated or as if you had learned something...well, you're absolutely right; however, there is one problem with that notion...IT WASN'T MEANT TO! The trailers and advertisements for this film stated it was about a high school party that turned epic, then got out of control. This movie delivered on every level what it promised. I didn't walk away feeling I had learned how to cope with life better or osmotically learned a new level of responsibility. Instead, I remembered (and felt!) exactly what it was like oh-so-many years ago in high school...especially senior year.

This movie was an extended metaphor of my life senior year. I WAS the main character. I could not believe the similarities! I, too, was an invisible kid until that Friday night when a few of my friends made me throw a party after my parents had gone out of town for the weekend. I, too, wanted only 10 or 15 people. I didn't end up with 1500, but I think about 60-70 seems about right. In a respected neighborhood with nose-over-the-fences neighbors, I had people puking in the front and back yards. Christmas ornaments and cups of Screwdrivers being sucked up by a nozzled-vacuum cleaner. Potted plants being thrown inside my house. My dog was stoned and ate half the dish of peanut butter balls we had given up on. PJ cups strewn all over the place (as well as people and clothes for that matter). Strip Pool, strip poker, Beer Pong, Naked Jell-O Twister (I copy-writed that...don't steal it Mattel or whomever), and Insane Rules Mortal Kombat. I also hooked up with a girl I previously had been too shy and worthless to try for. I was even run over by a car (somehow was not injured)!

But God it was seemingly the greatest (or most fun) night of my life back then. I had people coming up to me I didn't know and had never seen saying how great a time they had, and people shouting "Killer party dude!" Luckily, though, I had a couple days to clean and some true friends to help me do so and somehow we pulled it off masterfully. But the point is this: this film allowed me to go back and recapture all of that. It helped me forget about my present obstacles for the time being. I don't feel there is anything wrong with that when, of course, taken into perspective. If anyone were to say, "Well this movie's going to make teenage Johnny go and try to throw the same party..." wrong...he was already planning it. In fact, this may have helped him avoid a few mistakes, broken laws, and injuries, even. So maybe it did have some "redeeming value." But if not, it had qualitative value in that it took spending only a few bucks and giving up an hour or so of my time to let me feel that night again...and I thank this movie very much for that!

Read Best Reviews of Project X (Movie Only + Ultraviolet Digital Copy) (Blu-ray) (2012) Here

Man did I feel old watching this train wreck of a film. A completely senseless barrage of quick cuts, boobs and stupidly. We've all been there before. Parents are out of town, time to call the crew and PARTY!! Right? I'm no exception to that one, but there is something seriously wrong with our society and the younger generation today. Completely amoral, without any self worth or character. The only thing these morons respect is money no matter how it is acquired. What's scarier is one of these A Holes will be running this country some day...hopefully I'll be long gone by then!

I know, I know its only a movie, but it's a far too real reflection of our society for it to be funny to me, it's just sad and depressing. I give it two stars because I watched it all the way through and it was good enough for me to actually write about it.

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One of the best party movies in a long time, i strongly suggest that you give this movie a try, one of my favorites!

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The Royal Tenenbaums (The Criterion Collection) (2001)

... but not in the sense that is usually used. Some people absolutly love his movies, while others really don't care much at all. It's not to say that either side is right or wrong, its just a conflict of interests. Those who don't like Bottle Rocket, Rushmore, or this film, are not in any way inferior/superior to a person like myself, but, those who are smug and almost happy to tell you how bad this movie is... shame on you.

Well, this is easily my favourite film of last year, along with Memento and Waking Life, because of it's rich use of atmosphere. This is a film about lost time, lost childhood, lost chances... really it's about losing those things which are important, and getting them back, and that is the reason that alot of the imagery is, umm.... retro. This is a running theme in all of Anderson's movies, the idea of reclaiming your past by bringing it along with you into the future. All the objects in the movie hold sentimental value to the characters (we never really learn what the particular sentiments are, which is part of the allure of the "sight gag") and gives the characters a past and, more importantly, a neural net of their opinions, beliefs, emotions etc, just by displaying their possessions.

The performances are usually critisized as being highly exageratedwell i hate to break it to you but that's really the whole point of the movie. The Tenenbaum family are eccentrics, the type of family you would latch onto like a satilite because you are attracted to their behavour, and Owen Anderson's character is a representation of the audience in that respect. If this family was what you would call "average", they wouldn't be interesting. Of course alot of movies have the set up of a normal guy in an extraordinary situation, but not every movie has to be that way.

Some of the reviewers who have given this movie a low score have cited that it "fails as black comedy". Well that's interesting since Anderson himself dosn't consider his movies comedies anyways. Sure there are funny moments, but they are by no means as exagerated as the film's characters are. The comedy is understated: there are no cheap tricks to make you laugh. One of my favourite moments in the movie is when Royal and the indian "butler" are in the game closet talking, and then it's revealed they are drinking martinisdosn't sound funny in words, but for me it's very touching and highly comical. This isn't slapstick, but humour of a more gentle kind, like in Monsiur Hulots Holliday.

The acting is superb by Hackman and Houston, and immediatly convinces the audience of their characters histories. I feel this was Hackman's finest performance since The Conversation, in a career which, i feel as well, has been utterly underappreciated. Luke Wilson, Gwenneth Paltro are both fine in their own rights, and Ben Stiller -who practicly everyone hates in this movieplays his character wonderfully: A boy who breeded mice with spots and ran a lucrative company at the age of 12, a father who is frightend of losing his children to accidents and hates his own father for reasons he can't articulateStiller personifies this beautifully. All the negative reviewers seem to have forgotten that for all their critisism, they "bought" them all as a family, as unrealisticly exagerated as they are, even though in real life they are all polar opposites. Bad acting?? These people have no idea of the subtleties involved in the performances. I also think that Bill Murray's performance as the psychologist is brilliant. Danny Glover plays his part with just the right amount of understatement, and equally fitting with the other actors. Alec Baldwin's dry narative is extra extra dry.

This movie just cries for a repeated viewing after repeated viewing, and has similarities to Joyce's Ulysses in the sense that there are treasures hidden withinseek and ye shall find.

If only you appreciate the beauty of the colours, this movie is worth the money to watch it, and i applaud Hollywood for forgetting its loyalties to the sausage industry for just a few brief moments.

Damn the academy, this is the best picture of the year.

Wes Anderson's "The Royal Tenenbaums" exists on a knife edge between comedy and sadness. There are big laughs, and then quiet moments when we're touched. Sometimes we grin at the movie's deadpan audacity. The film doesn't want us to feel just one set of emotions. It's the story of a family who at times could have been created by P.G. Wodehouse, and at other times by John Irving. And it's proof that Anderson and his writing partner, the actor Owen Wilson, have a gift of cockeyed genius.

The Tenenbaums occupy a big house in a kind of dreamy New York. It has enough rooms for each to hide and nurture a personality incompatible with the others. Royal Tenenbaum (Gene Hackman), the patriarch, left home abruptly some years before and has been living in a hotel, on credit, ever since. There was never actually a divorce. His wife Etheline (Anjelica Huston) remains at home with their three children, who were all child prodigies and have grown into adult neurotics. There's Chas (Ben Stiller), who was a financial whiz as a kid; Margot (Gwyneth Paltrow), who was adopted, and won a big prize for writing a school play, and Richie (Luke Wilson), once a tennis champion.

All three come with various partners, children and friends. The most memorable are Raleigh St. Clair (Bill Murray), a bearded intellectual who has been married to Margot for years but does not begin to know her; Eli Cash (Owen Wilson), who lived across the street, became like a member of the family, and writes best-selling Westerns that get terrible reviews; Henry Sherman (Danny Glover), who was Etheline's accountant for 10 years until they suddenly realized they were in love, and such satellites as Pagoda (Kumar Pallana), Royal's faithful servant (who once in India tried to murder Royal and then rescued him from ... himself ...) and the bellboy Dusty (Seymour Cassel), who impersonates a doctor when Royal fakes a fatal illness.

Trying to understand the way this flywheel comedy tugs at the heartstrings, I reflected that eccentricity often masks deep loneliness. All the Tenenbaums are islands entire of themselves. Consider that Margot has been a secret smoker since she was 12. Why bother? Nobody else in the family cares, and when they discover her deception they hardly notice. Her secrecy was part of her own strategy to stand outside the family, to have something that was her own.

One of the pleasures of the movie is the way it keeps us a little uncertain about how we should be reacting. It's like a guy who seems to be putting you on, and then suddenly reveals himself as sincere, so you're stranded out there with an inappropriate smirk. You can see this quality on screen in a lot of Owen Wilson's roles--in the half-kidding, half-serious way he finds out just how far he can push people.

The movie's strategy of doubling back on its own emotions works mostly through the dialogue. Consider a sort of brilliant dinner-table conversation where Royal tells the family he has cancer, they clearly don't believe him (or care), he says he wants to get to know them before he dies, the bitter Chas says he's not interested in that, and Royal pulls out all the stops by suggesting they visit their grandmother. Now watch how it works. Chas and Richie haven't seen her since they were 6. Margot says piteously that she has never met her. Royal responds not with sympathy but with a slap at her adopted status: "She wasn't your real grandmother." See how his appeal turns on a dime into a cruel put-down? Anderson's previous movies were "Bottle Rocket" (1996) and "Rushmore" (1998), both offbeat comedies, both about young people trying to outwit institutions. Anderson and the Wilson brothers met at the University of Texas, made their first film on a shoestring, have quickly developed careers, and share a special talent. (That Owen Wilson could co-write and star in this, and also star in the lugubrious "Behind Enemy Lines," is one of the year's curiosities.) Like the Farrelly brothers, but kinder and gentler, they follow a logical action to its outrageous conclusion.

Consider, for example, what happens after Royal gets bounced out of his latest hotel and moves back home. His wife doesn't want him and Chas despises him (for stealing from his safety deposit box), so Royal stealthily moves in with a hospital bed, intravenous tubes, private medical care, and Seymour Cassel shaking his head over the prognosis. When this strategy is unmasked, he announces he wants to get to know his grandkids better--wants to teach them to take chances. So he instructs Chas' kids in shoplifting, playing in traffic and throwing things at taxicabs.

"The Royal Tenenbaums" is at heart profoundly silly, and loving. That's why it made me think of Wodehouse. It stands in amazement as the Tenenbaums and their extended family unveil one strategy after another to get attention, carve out space, and find love. It doesn't mock their efforts, dysfunctional as they are, because it understands them--and sympathizes.

Buy The Royal Tenenbaums (The Criterion Collection) (2001) Now

I'm a Wes Anderson fan and "The Royal Tenenbaums" was my favorite movie of the year.

(just for a reference, the others were "Hedwig & the Angry Inch," "Ali," "The Man Who Wasn't There," and "Training Day," and Ken Burns "Jazz" and "The Sopranos: Season 3," both of which may have been on TV but are of a scope and caliber far beyond most multiplex efforts)

But "The Royal Tenenbaums" took me a while. It took me two viewings to fully appreciate the "Tenenbaums," and a third to convince me I loved it.

This is a rich movie, full of detail that initially moved too fast for me to absorb. It was only after I was able to watch the film without wondering where it was going and what was going to happen that I was able to sit back and fully appreciate it. There's a lot of quirkiness here, and that gives the whole thing a feeling of insincerity, but this is not an insincere film.

Many critics have pointed out that this movie is like a lot of other things; they mention Dickens, John Irving, Salinger, and Louise Fitzhugh and "The Magnificent Ambersons." And all of those comparisons are true.

But what really struck me about the film, personally, is that so much of it didn't remind me of anything else. The open credit sequence, for example, fills my heart with joy, just the way all the characters are introduced in a stylised yet somehow naturalistic way. You have to love a movie (or at least *I* have to love a movie) in which characters' introductions include their book jackets.

There's also the Gene Hackman aspect. I'm a huge Hackman fan but he works so often and in so many different directions it's sometimes hard to remember what makes him so distinctive. In this movie, it's all on display. He is truly inspired. The fact that he was ignored by the Academy means that I don't have to take anything they say seriously, ever again.

Also, the scenes set in Eli Cash's apartment gave me more laughter than any comedy I've seen since "Kingpin." And the scene, near the end, in the ambulance (set to Nico's "Fairest of Seasons") made me genuinely sadder than any recent movie I can think of.

This is not a particularly easy movie. But if work with it a little, it definitely grows on you.

Read Best Reviews of The Royal Tenenbaums (The Criterion Collection) (2001) Here

I loved this film, but I can completely understand many, many people not enjoying it. In fact, I was one of the few people, it seems, who disliked Anderson's second film, RUSHMORE (though I loved BOTTLE ROCKET, Wes Anderson's first film). The reason that so many will either love or hate this film is Anderson continually skirts the edges of cinematic convention. There is a great deal of subtlety in his work, and one will either enjoy that and analyze it, or find that it leaves them bored and disinterested.

Anderson wrote this screenplay with he usual screenwriting partner, Owen Wilson (who played Eli, the Tennenbaums across-the-street neighbor). The screenplay is filled with many wonderful and marvelous moments, and while one might complain that the whole is less than the summation of the parts, the parts are nonetheless very exquisite. The film is stuffed with marvelous moments that are almost throwaways, like a scene in which Chas (Ben Stiller) and his father Royal (Gene Hackman) escape to a closet to argue. The closet is filled with every board game one can possibly imagine, which provides a startling contrast by implying that there was a time when the family perhaps sat around together playing these precise games. Or when one of the characters attempts suicide and then leaves the hospital, a haunting, gorgeous song by Nick Drake, "Fly" is played. The song is a marvelous paean to second chances, and many of the lyrics seem to refer to specific moments in the film. But what is more poignant is the fact that Drake is one of rock's most celebrated suicides, albeit primarily to his cult following. Another detail is the fact that every cab that is seen in the entire film are "Gypsy Cabs" and are the most dilapidated, battered cabs one can imagine.

The soundtrack is exquisite, and one that even those not enjoying the movie would be tempted to buy. The selections are marvelous, whether it is Ravel's String Quartet, or the Ramones, or the Clash, or Lou Reed, or the Stones. One word of complaint, however. As a Stones fan and as one who owned vinyl versions of most of their albums, and the two Stones songs that Luke Wilson and Gwenyth Paltrow listen to in his tent are not the songs that are on the actual vinyl album. "Ruby Tuesday," for instance, is not the second cut but the third, and the song that appears first is actually a couple of cuts after "Ruby Tuesday."

The cast is absolutely first rate, though many of the actors are playing roles that are somewhat at odds with what we normally expect of them. This is especially true of the three Tennenbaum children.

So, while I expect that many people seeing this will dislike it, many others will enjoy it thoroughly. If you liked BOTTLE ROCKET or RUSHMORE, odds are you will like this one as well.

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16 pages of Amazon reviews relating to The Royal Tenenbaums ranging from hatred to awe suggests something interesting is going on with this one of a kind movie.

After seeing the movie more than a month ago, I started recounting some of the more emotional moments in the film as I sat with my wife in a shopping mall eating a souvlaki. I actually found that I was getting choked up just describing the moments and my wife looked blankly at me.

"Is this a mid-life crisis or something?"

She liked the film, but couldn't believe that it had emotionally effected me to the extent that it had.

"This has probably got something to do with your family, you know."

Possibly. But it might also have something to do with a film which on the surface seems to present an artificial and childlike story about an unusual family but underneath captured some illuminating truths about the human condition.

I obviously liked the film because I gave it 5 stars and l am looking forward to spending the rest of my life trying to figure out why.

I can understand why many people disliked it so much but I am fascinated with the concept that I have little idea why I love it.

The Royal Tenenbaums is the reason that I go to the movies. I want to be surprised and engaged in a fictional world where I am taken to a place that I have never been before. And there is no place like the Royal Tenenbaum's.

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Sex and Death 101 (2007)

Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program Told through first-person narration, Sex and Death 101 is a little like the Wachowskis' The Matrix collides with Shainberg's Secretary (stick with me here). The premise: a (sentient?) "machine" has begun interfering with humanity, issuing e-mails that reveal a person's fate. While many people received an e-mail revealing their death-day, Roderick Blank was "gifted" with a list of every woman he has and WILL sleep with. Sounds great, right? Well, what the viewer learns is that "the chase" is fairly boring when the results are a given. Watching Rodrick try to plow through his list is dark and hysterical (especially when we reach Bambi and Thumper ... a world-class, lesbian power-couple). Now for the twist, the FINAL person on Roderick's list is a notorious serial-killer ...

With a budget of five-million, Waters created a pretty slick film. The casting is quirky (in a fantastic way!!). Patton Oswalt (The King of Queens and Ratatouille) plays a lascivious lackey to the "Morpheus-like" Alpha. I'm entirely biased here (since I think Oswalt is one of the most adorable, underrated actors in Hollywood), but his character alone makes the film worth watching. Moreover, Mindy Cohn (The Facts of Life) was a brave and fabulous choice. All grown up, Cohn rocks her character. She adds sweetness to (what could have been) your typical "lesbian" character. Kudos!! Julie Bowen, Winona Ryder, and Simon Baker nicely round-out the cast. Overall, the acting is wonderfully on-point. We could genuinely loathe the character of Roderick BUT Baker brings an irrefutable charm to him. And, this is where the film is a success. Roderick may be a slick, handsome, fast-food King ("Have a startling and unique day!!"), but as he resigns himself to fate he becomes brooding and vulnerable. Love it.

Why should you watch this work? One: it has a montage of lower-back, Chinese-symbol tattoos to represent the passage of time (a great joke resides in this moment ... pay attention). Two: watching Roderick don faerie-wings just to join Bambi and Thumper (in slow-motion) ... TOTALLY WORTH IT! (And so funny). Three: the scene with the school bus ... that's all I can say (by far, the absolutely most unpredictable, wildly amusing moment).

I noticed that this work is receiving some seriously scathing reviews. As a harsh-critic, I respect the opinions of others. I have a feeling this film appeals to a niche crowd: one which seeks dark, erotic, adult faerie-tales (a la Shainberg's Secretary ... see, I told you to stay with me). If, like me, you find the American Pie style of films trite and juvenile, give Water's work a spin. It won't disappoint.

Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program While I feel a little bit guilty for saying this, I liked it. Yup, that's right. In its off the wall & unexpected way, this was a uniquely entertaining movie. I readily concede that this DVD will not be accepted in the same way by all people.

The premise of the film asks an interesting question: what IF you knew the names of all the women you would sleep with between now & the grave? Sounds great, right? Some supercomputer somewhere (I presume using chaos theory or something) has learned how to tell the future. It accidentally sends an e-mail to the persona (Simon Baker) which lists all the women he's ever slept with, as well as all the women he ever will become intimate with.

Problem is, the poor fella is supposed to be getting married, and this list messes everything up. So, he turns into a playboy and begins going down the list. Problem is, there is no longer any "challenge" in it. As soon as he's struck one girl's name off the list, he's ready to go on to the next one. The best analogy in the movie is when he says that his life is like a taped-delay game of a football game. He already KNOWS the final score & that his team won, but he doesn't know HOW they won. Along the way, he is offered consolation / guidance by his lesbian secretary (Mindy Cohn; the first time I've seen her in anything since The Facts of Life The Complete First & Second Seasons way back in the 1980s).

The main issue with the list is the name of the last girl on it. Her nickname is "Death Nell" (played by Winona Ryder) and she is a sort of black-widow who is out to have revenge on the male gender due to the fact that she was mis-treated by her ex. Uh oh!

There should be a rule that any movie with the word "sex" in the title should automatically have some obligatory nudity. Well, this film delivers on that, and we get to see some hot babes minus their clothes. The film was written by Daniel Walters (who also wrote the equally whacked-out Heathers). In the DVD extras he said he intentionally cast most of the actresses from Australia, due to the fact that Aussie babes don't have a problem stripping down on-film. We even get an ever-so-brief glimpse of Winona's left nipple, although it's from a distance & a bad angle.

This is what you would call a dark comedy, but it's one with a silver lining. It has some very warped imagery of Sleeping Beauty (Special Edition) and is a tour-de-force of every twisted male sexual fantasy out there including a few which are downright repulsive. With all that in mind, you should have an idea of what you're in for should you decide to purchase this DVD. People who are socially conservative should avoid this film @ all costs!

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Spoilers warning and adult themed review to follow.

How can a sex comedy go wrong with such themes as turtle diarrhea, a lesbian power couple named Bambi and Thumper, a religious school bus group devirginization marathon, and/or knowing your sexual future? Or with script writing that includes a "sloppy fusion of genitalia", an "intercourse buffet" and a reference to that "whore-bitch Jane Austen"? If you are not amused or are even offended right now you might want to skip this movie (and review).

Daniel Waters has made a fun, original film about a man who is given the "gift" of knowing his future, specifically his upcoming sexual conquests, whether man or woman, all categorized on a nice list. Waters is oft remembered for his deviant writing with Heathers or Happy Campers, but in this case he gets to indulge a high volume of sexual perversions into one film.

The two leads were cast appropriately with a needed "pretty boy" in Simon Baker (I remember him most from his brief role in LA Confidential) and Winona Ryder playing the femme fatale/serial coma-inducer. A great supporting cast in Mindy Cohn, Julie Bowen (who I liked in the Ed TV series), the Janitor from Scrubs, Natasha Malthe, etc.

The film has two story lines, one involves the man who has it all that receives this list (origins of which can only be seen in the film to understand) containing all of his past and future sexual escapades. He gets this the week of his wedding only to find out there are 60+ names listed after his soon to be wife. The other story is Winona's character resolving her past sufferings by inducing comas upon every man she sleeps with. The remaining twists and interlocking plots need to be watched as they can't be explained without spoiling too much. Which leads me to the extras...

The DVD docu titled "101 Perversions" is an excellent insight into the minds and motives behind this film and for the first time on a disc docu they actually disclaim the piece as containing spoilers and recommend that you watch the film first. Waters' interview gets some nice slams on present day big comedy films "that suck", but includes some nice homages to Benny Hill and Fellini for this film.

I think this is what my customers have been looking for in a "good adult comedy" that doesn't involve lowbrow humor or have National Lampoon in the title (the later NLs).

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Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program Sex and Death 101 reunites Wynona Rider with Daniel Waters, respectively star and writer of the great 1989 cult dark comedy Heathers. Unfortunately, Sex and Death 101 misses the high standard of Heathers. The film is a blatant and rather tiresome sex comedy that needed a film editor. The premise is excellent: star Simon Baker plays the head honcho of a trendy fast food outlet (Starbucks meets McDonalds). He receives a mysterious email listing all the women with whom he has had sex and with whom he will have sex in future. He becomes obesessed with the list and the big question is: Is the list destiny, or is he making the list into a self-fulfilling prophecy. Now, throw in a female serial killer (Ryder) called Death Nell whose goal is to liberate women from abuse. Baker and Ryder's characters hurtle toward an inevitable meeting and relationship. Unfortunately, the film suffers from a confusing subplot involving a semi-divine supercomputer Oracle that sent out the list (and apparently runs on keypunch cards so odd) and the computer's "angelic" tech guys. The film also suffers from distasteful and distracting sexual content, including necrophilia (not for the faint of heart). The best episode in the film occurs about one hour into it, when Baker falls for a woman not on the list who "just wants to be friends". Baker's inherent charm, boyish good looks and comic talent make this episode very sweet and interesting. Baker also pulls off a marvelous sequence involving a relationship with a lesbian "power couple". Unfortunately, much of the comedy in this film falls terribly flat. Quite frankly, Adam Sandler is much more adept at the type of raunchy comedy to which this film aspires. Sex and Death 101 is worth seeing once, but be advised that it contains content that some will find objectionable. Running time: 117 minutes. Check out Heathers 20th High School Reunion Edition instead!

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Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program What would you do if you know what would happen in your lifetime? Would you try to change your decisions, avoid the displeasing parts or meet everything head on? Well, writer/director Daniel Waters (Heathers, 1989) attempts to answer this question. What results is a satire of somewhat dark elements, oddly clever and maybe also be considered a horror flick in a certain way. "SEX and DEATH 101" is a sex comedy that is refreshing since it leaves the usual stereotypical elements of over-sexed teenagers and delves into the sex life of a guy over 30 (or 35?).

Roderick Blank (Simon Baker) is guy who seemingly has it all; he's about to get married, has a great job as an executive in a fast food franchise called "Swallows" and has a lot of friends. His entire life is turned upside down when he receives a mysterious e-mail that lists all the woman he has and will ever sleep with; PAST, PRESENT and FUTURE. 101 names to be exact, and the funny thing is, his bride to be is only number 29. What's a guy to do?

Meanwhile, an enigmatic femme fatale called "Death Nell" (Winona Ryder) has become an urban folk hero because she targets those men who have committed violence against women.

"Sex and Love 101" is a dark comedy that somewhat reinforces the male anxiety. To settle down or to stay a bachelor forever? There are certain advantages and disadvantages, of course, and the character of Roderick Blank explores the why, the how and the when questions. I rather thought there were three acts in the film; Knowledge becomes power and power corrupts absolutely, the pursuit of an unreachable goal and the fear of your inevitable destiny. Personally, if I do come across such a list, I would probably be a little frightened but at the same time very curious. There is nothing like knowing exactly what your future holds, don't it? Yes and no.

Roderick Blank goes through his list and the film results in showing quite a bit of nudity. From a stripper, a centerfold named Cynthia Rose (Sophia Monk), a busload of beautiful virgins, to ultra-hotties: Bambi (Natassia Malthe) and Thumper (Pollyanna McIntosh), from a homeless woman to a leper, Blank goes through his list and the greatest relief from all of this is the fact he won't die until he has slept with each and every woman on the list. For the first half of the film, once you see a female character, you know that she'll be around for the next 5-15 minutes and she'll probably play a turning point in Blank's life. Miranda (Leslie Bibb) also represents the woman that Blank considers a pursuit and conquest---the one who put him in the "friend zone" and she isn't in his list. This element actually represented the idea that one can change his destiny. Well, Blank even considered necrophilia and castration just to offset the inevitable. The proceedings do have a `dark' humorous side as Blank considers his options and does contain some hinted amount of surprises.

Now just how did this list come from? Actually, the answer may be simpler than you may expect and well, it`s a bit hazy. Three men called Alpha (Robert Wisdom), Beta (Tanc Sade) and "Fred" (Patton Oswalt) are the guardians of an enigmatic group. Alpha is the intelligence, Beta is the deduction and Fred, well, he's the wild idea. You won't be far off in comparing this trio to the three "Norns" of fate in Norse Mythology and the these mystical beings of destiny are even present in Greek myth; who foresee the fates of both Gods and Men. Only instead of being women, this trio is made out of men. Fred is the one who feeds Blank with all the crazy ideas that he is about to have a lot of sex. Alpha well, he puts everything into play in a manner of speaking, he manipulates Blank into making his own direction.

For someone destined to have a lot of women in his lifetime, the actor has to be real smooth and devilishly handsome. I'm no judge to the male attributes but I thought that Simon Baker was convincing enough to pull it off. The film does have a clever script so whatever requires a large suspension of disbelief can be bought into, even though his acting may seem a little mechanical quite often. The supporting cast is led by Mindy Cohn (who plays Simon's confidant Trixie) adds a lot of depth and charm to the film's screenplay whenever she says "I'm so glad I'm a lesbian". Blank's interactions are competent enough that it does assist the film in its "non-sex" moments and rather fleshes out more of Simon's character. Why the heck does he have the last name "Blank" anyway? Winona Ryder may have limited screen time but her role is very significant. She plays the woman who has been abused and who finally realized that she is her own "Prince Charming". I do believe her character of "Death Nell" is a social metaphor or maybe for feminism. Winona is charming in her portrayal, well, in an imbalanced sort of way.

The direction was competent enough to keep me interested for its entirety. I was entertained but not really to the point of giving praise. The film clocks in at almost two hours, and for a movie like this, it may seem somewhat overlong and slow-paced. However, the film did attempt to fully flesh out the lead character, although, the plot itself had very little to work with. It took me a bit longer to warm up to Simon Baker but I did find the film to be a satisfying enough diversion. It's a welcome departure from the stereotypical sex comedies.

SEX and DEATH 101 is worthwhile effort, it's sexy, funny and twisted in its own way; and yep, there`s lot of skin in this movie. There were moments that were downright hilarious that I rather forgave its perfunctory climax and I thought it`s a charming piece of comedy. Sometimes it's better not to know and just go along for the ride of life.

Recommended! [3 ½ Stars]

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Someone's Knocking at the Door (2010)

This just isn't fair. There are certain parameters, guidelines, preconceived notions, or understood rules that any sensible polite filmmaker should adhere to. Psycho stud director Chad Ferrin (Easter Bunny Kill! Kill!) goes on a bareback'n mental rampage by violating both eye sockets and pummeling your ear canal with this disgustingly bizarre nightmare of a film, Someone's Knocking at the Door. For all you cute kids that enjoyed Zombieland or Shaun of the Dead, I'd think twice before you come walking in this neighborhood. For all you so-called seasoned gorehounds, go ahead and answer the door but be prepared to mentally grab your ankles.

Follow, if you dare, the drug-induced delirium of a group of med students that cross the line of reality and have their equilibrium shattered into tiny little worthless pieces. They all become targets for a couple of deranged serial rapists/murderers that somehow have returned from the 70's. Time to party, and it's BYOB (Bring Your Own Blood).

WARNING--Being horrificly raped to death is no way to go.

Someone's Knocking at the Door is a grindhouse throwback, a surreal headtrip that sets new standards for cinematic psychosis. It's one brutal, dirty, mind-infesting pathogen transferring sick elements of dark comedy, sex, flesh, blood, gore, super schlong nightmarish profanity insanity deep inside your vulnerable little wacked-out brains. Be careful.

It's funny cause it's true.

When I bought this film there was only two existing reviews, and both of those reviewers had rated it 5 stars and where raving about it. I thought that maybe this might be a modern exploitation gem. A day or so after I had already purchased the feature online I noticed that the 5 star rating that it once had, had suddenly and dramatically dropped sharply. Now there was four reviews about this film, only now these next two reviewers where rating it 1 star and warning people to stay away from it, while calling it a peice of dreck. If only I had waited an extra day or two, then I might of done the smart thing and researched this film a bit further before I committed to buying it. Still, it is pretty funny when you make a mistake of this kind in which there is a lesson to be learned about being too impulsive. Now I found myself stuck waiting for this product to arrive on my doorstep just to see which set of reviewers where going to be right. I guess at the very least, there was still some hope remaining at this point.

Well, I'm very sad to report to you, that all that remaining hope had melted away like a glob of icecream in a hot gutter, once the DVD did arrive, and I put it in the tray and pushed play.

What I will never understand about modern low budget exploitation movie makers is their complete utter lack of common sense. It just seems so obvious to me that if you want to make an exploitation film that actually works, and you don't have much of a budget or a professional production team backing you up, then you need to keep the story as concise and simple as possible. Some zany screw ball idea about some duel sexed wacky door to door demon with a huge wee wee that rapes MEN in the rear end over a pop song sound track, is only good for pointing your finger at and teasing. Worse still, is the waiting in between these corny assaults. It is then that you are stuck listening to the banter of a pack of unlikable next victim idiots who can't act, and are reading the dialogue of a person who can't write. This film doesn't fallow a blue print for success, it only fallows a blue print to expose every single weakness of its amateur production team.

Shades of Evil Dead and The Shining. No shades of glory.

Basically you have these young med students who horse play with a bad drug and this evil arcane taped hypnosis session that one of them had found in some corner of the med school warehouse. This taped session is like the translation tapes in Evil Dead that invoke demons when you play it. In this case, a mad doctor seemed to have accidentally conjured up Satan and got two of his patients, ( a man and a women ) possessed in the process. At least I think they where patients of his, they sure looked crazy, but it's hard to tell. My mind body and soul where already checked out of this stink bomb by this point. So now, after this arcane taped session gets played, this door to door silly Satan shows up as a naked chick and starts to make out with one of the unlikable male next victim idiots who can't act, and then like the pretty naked woman in room 239 of The Shining who before your eyes, turns into an old fossil covered in pizza cheese, our silly Satan turns into the male mental patient from the said arcane evil tape session, only now he is sporting a giant rubber willy. So, as the silly Satan attacks and chases people down freshly mopped hallways, the director plays one of his personal favorite pop songs as the back ground soundtrack rather then something that would of been actually menacing to back up the action. That's it in a nut shell, that's the high jinks you will be getting if you buy this DVD. A man raping another man like it is some prison shower scene. It's like falling asleep and waking up a moment later only to find yourself in the pokey.

The question is, now that I own this DVD, what do I use if for. I sure as heck won't be watching it again. I suppose if I find a short leg on a piece of furnature in my house, I can use this DVD to prop it up and even it out. Then again, this DVD is so absolutely wretched that maybe I should just break out the saw and get it over with by shorting a leg on something myself. I can always do what I did with the Sick Girl DVD that I wanted to get rid of last year, and stuff it into one of my coworkers stockings at Christmas time. The problem with that idea is, is that I don't know anyone who's been naughty enough all year round to deserve having to sit through this monstrosity. Maybe I will take the title of this DVD to heart, and turn it into a ninja star just in case someone creepy ends up knocking on my door. All I can tell you is that if you want to see a low budget oddity that is actually a good watch, then get a copy of Evil Aliens. And if you want to get a modern grizzly low budget exploitation shocker that doesn't mess around and delivers the goods, then find yourself the South American gem I'll Never Die Alone. If you do anything else in life, stay clear of this loser, it's not worth the price of the disc that it's printed on.

This has been a Krakatoa 1883 public service announcement.

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I gave this one 2/5 because it does have some original ideas, otherwise I would have given it lower. The movie has a great idea going...it's just not implemented well...or should I say, in a horror fashion. I know a lot of people in reviews like to say "the ideas weren't implemented well" but that's really the only thing I could think. Bulbous, protruding phallus members belonging to homicidal maniacs? Bring it on, I said. Unfortunately, this one has the vulgarity and nudity typical to most of my favorite horror movies, but not enough gore and too many alterations to make the reader try to feel the effects of whatever drugs these kids were on. So, while the film didn't "bring it on," per se, it'll definitely be one I'll be thinking about in the near future...so I'll know what to avoid.

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Its funny just beacuase a director puts out a film that everyone in the genre loves (Easter bunny kill kill) then they think all of a sudden the guys a genius and everything he does is gold, I thought easter bunny was ok but it wasnt great, and it sickens me that directors like this get so much praise, i mean this movies about a mutated penis creature that haunts dreams it has no class, you may like this movie if you like penis..? but as a horror fan raised on Vincent price ect id appreciate that if someone is to be praised i dont have to see monster peninses in their films..This is John waters class.

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This falls into the "rubber reality" category which I tend to like. "The Machinist", "The Jacket" and "Stay" are amongst my favorite movies, but this outing is terrible. It is one of the ugliest, most stupid, most mean spirited movies I've ever seen. Had it clocked in at one second more than its 78 minute running time I might have ended up sticking knitting needles through my eyes.

The story revolves around a close knit group of college students. All but one takes a particular drug used in some infamous psychology experiment that went south. Weird things happen and people start dieing.

This is gruesome and depraved. These are some of the most unlikeable people I've ever seen in film. Why would anyone want to watch a movie where only one character is even mildly likable. They are almost all terrible actors as well. The one actor playing Sebastian is the best of the bunch but he's such a disgusting individual I didn't care. And then there's Vernon Wells. He was one of the chief bad guys in "Road Warrior". Now, when he's your "draw" name in a movie, and you can only afford him for two scenes, you know you're in deep kimchi.

Unless you're an extreme masochist I wouldn't bother with this one.

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No Strings Attached (2013)

What "No Strings Attached" lacks in originality and unpredictability is made up for in the charm and likeability of its leads. Ashton Kutcher and Natalie Portman not only have great onscreen chemistry, they also are individually well developed at least, as well developed as they can be within the boundaries of a romantic comedy. It's also surprisingly funny, although it's only partly because of the well placed raunchy sex jokes; the film is one of the few recent romantic comedies to successfully find that balance between sweetness and silliness, and while that's only moderate praise for writer Elizabeth Meriwether and director Ivan Reitman, at least it's proof that they know how to take innately ridiculous material and make it accessible to general audiences.

The film is not realistic in any way, shape, or form, but that's just stating the obvious because we don't go to movies like this looking for meaning or truth. It tells the story of Adam and Emma (Kutcher and Portman), who first met as teenagers in summer camp and saw each other off and on over the next several years. In the present day, they live in Los Angeles, Adam an assistant on a TV series that crosses "Glee" with "High School Musical," Emma a doctor at UCLA. They have successfully maintained a friendship, although there's always a flash of jealousy whenever one of them shows up with a significant other. When Adam's girlfriend dumps him for his father (Kevin Kline), he goes on a bender, makes several phone calls to women he knows ... and wakes up in Emma's apartment, naked and surrounded by Emma's friends and fellow residents.

No sex took place the night before. The morning after, however, Adam and Emma suddenly drop their defenses and just go for it. That's when they decide to take a stab at being friends with benefits; they will use each other for sex at any time of the day, but they won't commit to anything long-term. Surprisingly, this comes at the insistence of Emma, who for reasons left a little obscure is frightened by serious relationships. This is made clear in her habit of texting Adam rather than seeing him in person, a trend that has become all too real in today's smart phone society. I'll stop short of saying this movie is sending a message about technology limiting social interaction, although there are hints of it all throughout.

No more of the plot needs to be described. It goes through the motions and ends exactly the way we expect it to end. There are, however, a couple of side characters that deserve to be mentioned. One of the best is Adam's on-set colleague, Lucy (Lake Bell), who's deeply neurotic and talks at a hundred miles an hour. Making this kind of character likeable is next to impossible, and yet Bell pulls it off, probably because she understood that there's a fine line between comedy relief and annoyance. And then there are Adam's best friends, played by Chris Bridges and Jake Johnson; they aren't given all that much to do, but you can count on them for a few good male-oriented one-liners. Kline is somewhat underutilized as Adam's father, a former TV star who does drugs as if it was the 1970s and has a thing for much younger women. He's mostly just a counterpoint to his son, a way for the audience to see what Adam should not do when it comes to meeting and loving the opposite sex.

One of the film's funniest scenes is in Emma's apartment, where she and her girlfriends along with one gay man spend the night together in the throes of menstrual agony. Knowing they're all on the same cycle, Adam stops by with a box full of cupcakes. He also gives Emma a period-specific mix CD, with titles I probably can't repeat for the purposes of this review. There's also a moment when Emma gives Adam a Valentine's Day card, which reads, "You give me premature ventricular contractions." I laughed hard. But then again, I was raised by registered nurses who specialized in cardiology, so I probably have an unfair advantage.

Reitman made the right choices in the casting of Kutcher and Portman, for they have that compatibility movies like this require. Kutcher is especially enjoyable and plays what may be the warmest, most caring role of his entire career. Portman is also a natural fit for this movie, which is surprising given her latest stint as a mentally ill ballerina; it's good for even the most dedicated and serious of actors to reveal that they do in fact have a sense of humor. "No Strings Attached" is by no means a great movie, and it will never be in the same league as "Ghostbusters" and "Ghostbusters II," my two favorite Reitman comedies. But if you're in the mood for a conventional lightweight romantic comedy, this movie gets the job done nicely.

All the ingredients for a fine contemporary comedy are here, including a pertinent theme (the difficulty of finding love amid career obligations and easy sex) and an assortment of courageous young actors (Natalie Portman, Ashton Kutcher, Greta Gerwig, Olivia Thirlby). Unfortunately the director is Ivan Reitman, who's never made a more emotionally complex film than Meatballs (1979). Telling the story of a med student (Portman) and an aspiring TV writer (Kutcher) who try to navigate a "sex friendship" without falling in love, Reitman settles for easy laughs, and his off-color jokes about menstruation and drug use feel like greeting-card gags. The charismatic leads keep this watchable, but it's a waste of their talents.

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I consider myself to be a solid judge of a movie based on the previews, and this movie's previews definitely piqued my interest. As a single woman, begrudgingly falling into the stereotype, I'm always seeking a good love story that I can relate to. Unfortunately, I felt that this one fell flat. A decent overall movie to watch on a rainy day, but a uninspiring storyline.

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Comment: This review is written by an older guy from the "free love" Emerson Lake and Palmer, Black Sabbath, Yes, and Beatles generation. I don't usually watch "chick flicks", but i'm a movie collector, so some "get through". This film is a (hard core) formula movie for this genres (chick flick). I have to say that when this movie started I couldn't help but think how "prissy and "gay-like" (the new generation depicted by this movie...) was looking and acting. As the story started to go... it started to become entertaining. One thing that I just couldn't get past was the casual way people had sex with each other. I mean even back in my day of "free love" (despite what you may of heard or read) when you were "boning a girl" you liked, you didn't pass her around like a reefer (as some of the characters were doing). My "distilled" comment for this movie is that if you strip away all the "fluff" around the main story it is somewhat entertaining. Is it believable or true to life... not a chance in hell. Please don't "flame mail" me as some have done in the past. This is a "free and open" venue for us to express our opinions. Thank You.

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It is really sad when you get your expectations up with a new Ivan Reitman comedy only to be bitterly dissapointed by it. There is a hardly any chemistry between the two protaganists (Portman and Kutcher). All we get is a bawdy comedy with a slow moving story. Kevin Kline is simply wasted. Just oh dear, yawn.

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Stitches (2012)

By far the most fun i've had watching a movie in a long time. The gore was over the top and the laughs were plenty. Anyone who gives this movie a low rating took it way to seriously. Just watch and enjoy !!!

I am aware that some people might absolutely loathe the horror/comedy hybrid "Stitches" and that's a perfectly reasonable reaction. Is it a great movie? Well, it certainly won't be picking up any Oscars. But as sheer lunacy, I am quite in love with this over-the-top bit of ridiculousness! Filmmaker Conor McMahon displays an ample appreciation for the cheesy splatter-fests of yore. In fact, this seems to be a throw-back to the campy horror films that flooded the video market in the eighties. He takes a supremely silly premise, in this case a murderous clown who has been reanimated from the afterlife, and runs with it. With copious amounts of humorous gore, each retribution killing is staged to be more outlandish than the last. Nothing is real. The effects are comic at best and the mechanics of the deaths are ludicrous (forget logic, anatomy, or basic biology and enjoy), but the movie absolutely revels in its own madness. Some might complain that the film isn't scary enough, but I'll contend that it's just right. I didn't need it to scare me, just entertain me. It is pure unapologetic fun. My head tells me I'm crazy for liking "Stitches," but the heart wants what the demented heart wants!

Comedian Ross Noble plays Stitches The Clown, the worst investment a parent could make for a child's party. We meet this low-rent entertainer as he embarks on a gig for Tommy's eighth birthday. His routine is underwhelming, to say the least, but the kids in attendance are monstrously out-of-control. Things take a dramatic turn when the clown meets his untimely demise. Years later, a teenaged Tommy (Tommy Knight) is still haunted by the memory of that fateful day. Despite his better instincts, he decides to once again host a birthday party in an effort to connect with his unrequited love. As the invitations go out, there is one uninvited guest ready to shake things up. Stitches has a score to settle with the brats that put him in the ground, and the night will become a bloodbath of revenge. In typical slasher fashion, Stitches works his way through the party until the inevitable confrontation will determine who will survive and who won't.

Again, "Stitches" really works as an homage to many films that preceded it. It is fast and funny, and it simply works better than you might think. Noble is appropriately disgusting as Stitches, but it is Knight that gives the movie surprising heart. He and many of the young cast prove to be quite likable. It's rare to connect with the characters in a movie of this type, but the screenplay actually makes you care about what happens to them. But the real star of "Stitches" are the murders. So absurd, it's borderline genius. I won't spoil anything, but the movie is loaded with terrifically gory sight gags. "Stitches" seems designed to become a cult movie that people will discover through time. Many will hate it, I'm sure. But if you like this genre, and can give yourself over to the silliness--there is a lot to recommend this experience. For the right audience, this is tremendous fun. KGHarris, 3/13.

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this movie was better than fantastic no words can describe how fantastic this movie is you just have to watch it

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My son liked the movie. He watched it on the plane on our most recent trip. But, he is only 7, so take that for what it is worth.

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This Movie will make you burst a lung in laughter. Ross Noble is the best killer clown since Tim Curry in IT.

Funny and extremely brutal, Stitches is perhaps a little too over-the-top at times, but it is a definite must watch for slasher and horror fans. Twisted and gory with a dose of pitch-black humor.

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Arachnophobia (1990)

"Arachnophobia" is a clever comedy/thriller sure to scare the spider-phobes out there. Jeff Daniels and Harley Jane Kozak star as Dr. Ross and Molly Jennings, a young couple who have moved to the country to start his medical practice. Little do they know that a huge, deadly spider has arrived from South America and is reproducing a lot! One by one, town residents start dropping like flies, until Ross figures out they were all bitten by spiders. This brings back memories of a childhood trauma that left him with a paralyzing fear of spiders and the spider's nest is right in Ross' barn.

There are many creepy scenes of menacing spiders that will have you looking around to make sure none are near you. They must have used some robotic spiders, but they all looked very real to me. The idyllic rural setting contrasts nicely with the intensely scary stalking spiders. Daniels is perfect as the dedicated doctor, and John Goodman has a small but funny part as an exterminator. The movie may be too scary for very young children, but others will giggle a little and gasp a lot.

Kona

I thought that archnophobia was a great movie. It was Thrilling and funny, and I recomend it to anyone who likes a good thriller. I think that the guy who gave it one star needs to get a life and stop taking things to seriously. He's a little too attached to spiders if you know what I mean.

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This often amusing, sometimes suspenseful film about killer spiders starts out in the dense jungles of Venezuela, with bug-O-maniac Julian Sands, as he tracks down a new species of lethal as well as big and hairy arachnid. One of these hairy creatures finds its way to sweet suburbia in California, using a wooden coffin as transport, and starts mating with the local spider population, causing havoc and rigor mortis.

City transplant Jeff Daniels, a doctor with severe arachnophobia, who wants the quiet country life as long as he doesn't have to see a spider, finds himself the center of controversy because of the deaths, and his newly bought house infested with the critters. Daniels, one of Hollywood's more underrated actors, gives a terrific performance as Dr. Jennings, as he tries some hands-on therapy for his phobia.

John Goodman is hilarious as the town exterminator, who if he can't kill 'em with insecticide, uses his big boots, and others in the fine cast are Harley Jane Kozak as Molly Jennings, Henry Jones as old Dr. Metcalf, and Stuart Pankin as stubborn Sheriff Parsons. This was the feature film directorial debut for Frank Marshall, who has been known mostly as a producer, mainly for Stephen Spielberg's films. A good score by Trevor Jones (with songs like Jimmy Buffett's "Don't Bug Me") adds to the overall enjoyment of this fun creature feature, which takes us back to the days when the bugs were filmed in black and white.

Total running time is 103 minutes.

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Arachnophobia is a thriller that will have you checking everywhere for spiders for months! Anyone who is even slightly creeped out by spiders will be on the edge of their seat.

The pace and tone is Hitchcock. Great acting, music, special effects, slam-bang ending.

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A genial, light-weight "horror" film. The movie is good looking, well performed, and well shot. The suspense is leavened with humor and the plot is routine. Really, a good intro-to-horror film for someone who wants to understand the genre without actually being scared, just a little tense with anticipation at times. John Goodman pushes the film toward the humorous side whenever he appears.

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The Ultimate Buster Keaton Collection (1920)

Kino has re-packaged their Buster Keaton Blu-ray releases into this space saving set by removing the original packaging. 3 to 4 discs are housed in 4 plastic cases and placed in a slip-case.

This price will save you about $100 as this Ultimate Collection contains the nine single discs and the 2-disc 'Lost' collection that retail for $35 each, And the 3-disc shorts collection that retails at $48. That makes this a $398 value!

The restorations vary from major upgrades to just sharper images over the past DVD releases.

See my reviews under the individual titles for more specific details:

Buster Keaton Short Films Collection: 1920-1923 (Three-Disc Ultimate Edition) [Blu-ray] (3-disc set)

Battling Butler / Go West (Ultimate 2-Disc Edition) [Blu-ray]

The General [Blu-ray]

The Navigator: Ultimate Edition [Blu-ray]

Our Hospitality: ULTIMATE EDITION [Blu-ray]

The Saphead: Ultimate Edition [Blu-ray]

Seven Chances (Ultimate Edition) [Blu-ray]

Sherlock Jr. / Three Ages [Blu-ray]

Steamboat Bill, Jr. [Blu-ray]

Lost Keaton: Sixteen Comedy Shorts 1934-1937 [Blu-ray] (2-disc set)

The set also includes COLLEGE which is new to Blu-ray and not yet available individually, but is promised for March 2013.

College: Ultimate Edition [Blu-ray]

If you have been waiting to upgrade your old set, then this cost-cutting, space saving box set is for you. The only downside I see is that there are some disadvantages to buying box sets:

1) This set does NOT include the "KEATON PLUS" DVD that is in the "Art Of Buster Keaton" DVD set. It substitutes that DVD with a different collection called "LOST KEATON" which is his Educational Comedy collection. You will want to keep your old "KEATON PLUS" DVD to keep your collection complete. That DVD contains the only complete version of "HARD LUCK" (which is incomplete on the Blu-ray shorts collection), surviving scenes from the never completed cinemascope film "TEN GIRLS AGO", excerpts from the TV series "LIFE WITH BUSTER KEATON", Buster's first dramatic role in "THE AWAKENING", Buster's appearance on TV's "THIS IS YOUR LIFE", as well as a collection of Buster Keaton's TV commercials.

2) There is always a chance that one of the titles in this set may get upgraded in the future if any new 35mm master materials are found, you could buy that re-master but you have to keep the old version in this set.

BUT you do save $100 by buying this set, so these disadvantages are minor compared to the savings.

I just bought the ultimate Buster Keaton collection blu-ray box set and I'm pretty happy with it but it's not for everybody. First of all, I want to thank all the great people who take time to review in ellaborate detail these great movies. Because the price is pretty high, I needed some help to make up my mind about this box set. I must have taken 3 hours of reading all the great comments about each blu-ray edition of this package and I made my decision after that. Like I said before, I don't think this box set is for everybody because the improvement is not that great overall, it is very good but I could have been happy the rest of my life with my original box set The art of Buster Keaton on DVD. The thing is, I'm a little nutty about the clarity of the image so I'm a big fan of blu-ray because of it, I also have a good home theater and a lot of reviewer talked about the improvement and the multiple choices for the soundtracks of these movies, so having these classics in 5.1 DTS HD interested me quite a bit.

As for the 3 discs with the earliest shorts of Buster, some of them are improved, especially Cops, The high sign, The balloonatic and The Boat because they were enhanced so they are clearer, I don't know why they chose only 4 because a lot more of them could use restoration. That was my biggest disapointment of the box set, not much effort to restore these shorts, they look a little better and that's it.But I love the fact that they were in chronological order and the little commentaries on most of them, those 2 things were fun. As for the feature lenght movies, The Saphead is interesting because you have 2 different versions of the film, but the improvement picturewise was small. Our hospitaly for the feature films is my biggest disapointment, I compare with my DVD and there's not much improvement. A thing that bugged me also was they kept the old title cards, a little restoration could have been interesting for a clearer reading of the cards. Sherlock Jr. also not a great difference with the old DVD but there's 3 soundtracks to choose from so that's interesting. The 3 ages also not a great improvement picturewise. After that, it starts to get better, Seven chances is amazing the image is clear with a lot of detail, good improvement against the DVD. The Navigator, very good also much clearer image than the DVD on the old set. Go West and Battling Butler, the image was pretty good ans stable on DVD and now it's a little better, a little more detail and clarity. The General, amazing!! this is the masterpiece improvement and it's my favorite movie, so I was happy when I saw that.

College, the print was good and now it's better, this one is a very good improvement. Steamboat Bill Jr. the movie looked good on DVD and now it's more clear so another good improvement here. Overall, the picture quality on theses features movies and shorts is better than DVD at different degrees, I learned by comparing DVD movie by blu-ray movie that Kino is not Criterion, they don't spend a lot of money on improving the quality of there titles. I know they could but restoration is expensive and I accept the fact that they're doing what they could. There is an improvement but it could have been a little better. I'm still happy because these classics never looked better and some of them looked amazing, almost every film got a 5.1 DTS ausio track, the extras are great and they gave me a few audio commentaries on my favorites Buster features so I loved that. The packaging is wonderful too, the box contains 4 discs and everything is in there. So my final words are, if you're a fan of Buster and you don't have the other box-set it's a no-brainer that this is a must buy. But if you have the old DVD box-set, you need to be a big fan of picture quality like me or be a big a fan of sound quality because the improvement is there but the old DVD set can do the job too.

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I agree that casual fans should be fine with the old Kino sets, but to a real fan like myself, this is kind of like Coin Collecting when you have the opportunity for a better specimen in the context of your specialty, you grab it. To my mind, if there is a better copy of the Keaton silents out there, it would simply eat at me, and I won't stop until I can play them, perfectly restored, on demand, in a classic theater with live music at my beck and call. Until that point, I go with the best available, and yes, I know that this makes me Kino's idea of a really soft target. It is what it is.

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That's What I Am

Andrew Nichol narrates this story about his younger self (Chase Ellison) being a 12 year old student who was is pared with Stanley a.k.a. "Big G" (Alexander Walters) for a school project by his teacher Mr. Simon (Ed Harris) to do a short story on tolerance. Stanley is the school's biggest outcast due to his size including one incident where he was sprayed with a water gun to make it look like he wet his pants & always hung out at a section of the school called "Geek Corner" with the other outcast of the school. Despite Stanley always keep his self-respect, Andrew didn't understand why he let people pick on him while Stanley's best friend Norman (Daniel Yelsky) would always get mad at him for doing things he felt that would just get them picked on more. Along with having to do the assignment with Stanley, Andrew is also dealing with his father who is constantly on his case for not being able to do anything correct by his standards while develops a crush on Mary Clear (Mia Rose Frampton) who had her best friend tell him that she likes him as well. That didn't set well with Mary's last boyfriend in Ricky Brown (Jordan Reynolds) who's the school bully & keeps threatening Andrew to stay away from Mary. While all of this is going on, Mr. Simon is the most popular teacher in the school & even won the California Teacher Of The Year as he's very loved by his students but after an incident involving a student named Jason (Camille Bourgeois) that caused him to get suspended, he started spreading a rumor about Mr. Simon being a homosexual causing Jason's father (played by WWE superstar Randy Orton) to bring allegations against him with Mr. Simon refusing to comment stating that his teaching should stand on it's own.

This was definitely a different type of film that we've gotten from WWE in the past as they put their own superstars in the background (Randy Orton only appeared in for maybe 10 mins. total) & did a family drama that focused on real issues as bullying, tolerance, and acceptance. Ed Harris was top notch like always while all the children performed really well so this is a movie that I would go out of your way to see.

This was just one of those wonderful stories and certainly a "should see" if you have teenagers in school. No big budget or special effects just a great story with great acting!

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It's a feel good movie. A touch of reality. I agree with the other reviewer, the acting was just that, kids acting most of the parts. All in all, it was a wonderful family movie. Taking a stand for others isn't very popular these days. I hope that this movie will entice children and adults to stick up for each other and not allow bullies to do their thing.

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This movie was great fo teaching kids that bullying and making up stories is not acceptable in todays world. I used it to teach a group of scouts about what not to do and also what to do when facing a bully

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This is a well written, well acted powerful story about a boy coming of age. I think it's an excellent movie to watch with your pre-teens and teenagers. It is set in 1965 when things were a lot different than today but the message doesn't change. Human Dignity + Compassion = Peace. I watched it and after doing so it took me back to that time in my life and it made me do some soul searching of my own. I asked myself how many times I may have hurt someone's feelings maybe without even realizing it.

Someone mentioned that the teacher Mr. Simon addressed the rumours of his being homosexual by simply quitting. There's so much more than that. He realized that if he didn't quit or deny the allegations it wouldn't just be him he'd be affecting it would be his dear friend the principal who was trying to keep her job as the first female principal and trying to put two boys through college. He took the high road and decided to save her job by leaving his.

I think everyone should watch this film and if I was a teacher I'd actually show it to my class. It carries a powerful message.

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