Jersey Girl (2004)

Jersey Girl is something new for writer/director/star Kevin Smith and, opening to credits, it's his first big-name all-"serious" flick, and it's wonderful. 10/10 material, in this reviewer's opinion. As stated elsewhere, this movie would have been box office gold if not for the media circus surrounding "Bennifer" before its release.

Jersey Girl stars Ben Affleck as Oliver Trinke (Trink-ee), a successful young publicist who falls in love with Jennifer Lopez (er, her character Gertrude Steiney). Tragedy ensues, and not to spoil the moment, but Affleck must raise their daughter as a single parent. Trinke's stress at having to be a single parent drives him to explode at work during a critical press conference, and he loses his job. Now depressed by both the loss of his job and his single parent status, Trinke must find a way to deal with life and love once again as he seeks out a new place for himself in the world.

Liv Tyler makes a splendid performance as a sort of love interest for Ollie, and it's a credit to Smith that Tyler looks so good. Somehow, he made all the makeup artists calm down and just let Tyler look like her natural selfit's a breath of fresh air, and goes a long way to showing how down to earth this movie really is. Look out for Will Smith in a wonderful cameo that's set up perfectly by events in the movie, and George Carlin in the most endearing role I've ever seen him in. There are actually a few neartearjerker moments delivered by Carlin, a sort of range I've never seen from him before.

But the movie is really about Ollie's (Affleck's) relationship with his child Gertrude ("Gertie")played by the amazing Raquel Castro. Castro is amazing in her role, and looks perfect as the offspring of Affleck and Lopezsomething few movies of this sort ever manage. She's adorable, and she's perfect in her part. Also look out for baby Gertie. I usually HATE this sort of 'chick flick' movie in general, but I was cooing out loud at the wonderfully cute moments in this flick. Again, no spoilers, but there's one scene in particular with baby Gertie and Affleck that won't leave a dry eye in the house, nor fail to put a smile on each and every face. Cinema gold.

Many people will comment that the ideas in this movie are rehashed. A father feels out of place raising kid alone, father tries to get back to his life, conflict arises, ho-hum. But there's something more to thatthis story doesn't just recycle ideas, it uses them. Sure, the plot elements have been seen before, but what movie doesn't? You know the action hero's going to get the girl, and you know he'd going to save the day, but you pay for a movie ticket because you want to be entertained on the way there. This movie accomplishes that in spades.

In short: Lots of the performances in this movie should have been Oscar contenders in this reviewer's opinion, even if this flick really is just a light family story in the end (baby Gertie scene!). Affleck demonstrates that his bad name in the press really is undeserved, and Raquel Castro is the perfect daughter to Affleck's Trinke. Marred by Bennifer, and disrespected by former Smith loyals who expected something more crude, this flick may never see the credit that it deserves. Do yourself a favor, round up the kids/spouse/signifigant other, and enjoy this dazzling flick with a box of Kleenex handy. Truly amazing.

This is a comedy that does not present the viewer with novel ideas and that does not use innovative ways to make us laugh. But, even though the plot may be trite, the outstanding Raquel Castro, in her role of Gertie, gives a freshness to this film that makes it worth watching. This little girl captivates the hearts of the viewers, and allows us to enjoy the time spent on this otherwise average comedy.

Ollie Trinke (Ben Affleck) is a successful New York publicist working for the music industry. One day he meets Gertrude (Jennifer Lopez), a serious business woman, who right away makes him fall for her. Everything happens quickly; Ollie takes Gertrude to Jersey to meet his father (George Carlin) and then asks her to marry him, getting her pregnant that same night. Things are going great, the couple is in love, they keep up with their busy lives and they are fashionably late for every event they have to participate in. Everything turns south though when Gertrude dies after an aneurysm she carried ruptures during labor.

Ollie cannot deal with the situation and asks his father, Bart, to take care of the baby. But Bart is not willing to keep it up for long, and Ollie finds himself with a baby under his care and out of a job. That is when he decides to be the best father in the world, and seven years later he is working sweeping the streets of Jersey with his father and trying to get back in the world of publicity.

Besides Raquel Castro, I found the performances of George Carlin (I love this guy's humor) and Liv Tyler to be particularly good. I consider myself lucky by the fact that Tyler got the role of Maya, a graduate student who works in a video store and meets Ollie and Gertie during one of their trips for movies. This allowed Tyler to get much more screen time than Lopez gets, which I think helps the movie overall.

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I'm a big fan of Kevin Smith's first five movies, but I was well aware before entering the theater for Jersey Girl that this was not View Askew's classic blend of dick and fart jokes. If I hadn't known that, I might have wondered what the hell was going on, as this is actually a touching movie.

Jersey Girl has less similarities to Mallrats and more to Chasing Amy; it's about how love doesn't always go the way you think it should, but that doesn't mean it sucks completely. One thing that really took me by surprise was that the movie was less about Ollie Trinke and the video store clerk falling in love, but more about Ollie connecting with his daughter, and discovering what he really wants out of life, with a little help from Will Smith (ANOTHER big surprise there! Sorry if I ruined it for ya).

The movie may not be as slapstick and vulgar as Smith's previous works, but that doesn't mean it's squeaky clean and straight-laced; plenty of laughs in this flick. I liked the fact that Gertie, rather than perform something childlike and cute at the pageant, chooses a scene from Sweeny Todd, of all things. The acting here is as top-notch as the cast that delivers it; Jason Biggs and George Carlin were great, and Liv Tyler is cute as a button. Also, the soundtrack deserves a nod, especially for throwing in that Cure song at the end, which fit in perfectly.

The quabbles I had with the movie are few. The biggest one was the scene in which Trinke is talking to his infant daughter about her mother; it's a little too melodramatic. Afflek's acting just wasn't his best there, but it's still a good scene. The choice to include "Landslide" in the soundtrack was poor; not because it's a bad song, mind you (as it's not), but because I'm sure it's been used in plenty of soundtracks before, and it was a "safe" choice. Also, the scene with the diaper-changing was disgusting... though it was supposed to be. Actually, I just don't like watching the scene, heh.

So I give this movie 4/5 stars. I don't think it's his best work ever, and it's dangerously close to chick flick status, but it's a really good movie that will warm your soul. View Askew has by no means lost their touch, and I hope whatever movies they produce in the future are this good or better.

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Honestly, before watching this movie, I've never heard of the name Kevin Smith or his other movies like, Clerks, Chasing Amy, etc. but I must admit, he is one hell of a writer. The scripts were fantastic, and they made me laugh and shed my tears. This is one of those feel good movie, that you can watch over and over again without getting sick of it.

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JERSEY GIRL stars Ben Affleck, who burst into the public's awareness as a co-star with Matt Damon in GOODWILL HUNTING. JERSEY GIRL also stars George Carlin (famed comedian) as Mr. Affleck's crotchety father, Liv Tyler as the romance interest, and Raquel Castro as Mr. Affleck's 7 year old daughter. Ms.Castro has acted in the films: Jersey Girl, Little Fugitive, Tracks of Color, The Ministers, America, Brooklyn's Finest.

THE PLOT. In brief, the plot is about a successful, highly paid publicist (Mr. Affleck) working in New York City. His wife is pregnant, but the delivery takes a bad turn, and Mr. Affleck winds up a widow with an infant child on his hands. Mr. Affleck continues with his publicist job, perhaps for a month, but then commits career suicide because of a mild emotional outburst. Following this, Mr. Affleck moves in with his father in a New Jersey town, located about a 1-hour drive from Manhattan, and obtains a job driving a street-sweeping truck. Fast-forward 7-years, and we find that Mr. Affleck and his daughter like to rent movies at the corner outlet. At this outlet, Mr. Affleck meets the love interest (Liv Tyler). And so on, and so forth. Happy ending.

Does this sound predictable? Does this sound like SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE? Or like perhaps something from KRAMER V. KRAMER? Yes and no. If the viewer detects any plot elements that have appeared in earlier films, the reason is that these elements are universal, and are worthy of re-telling. The storyline does contain plot elements that are novel and clever. These are easy to detect, for example, the amusing anatomy lesson scene between two children that is mirrored, later on in the film, by the equally amusing anatomy lesson scene between Mr. Affleck and Liv Tyler. Another clever nuance, involving irony, is Mr. Affleck's argument at a town council meeting that the city should go ahead with construction on the main street (but near the end of this film, the construction on the street backfires against Mr. Affleck, and impedes his ability to meet a pressing deadline).

GREAT RAPPORT. JERSEY GIRL depicts father/daughter rapport better than most or perhaps all other films. The nearest runner-up that comes to mind, is Tom Cruise's devotion to Dakota Fanning in WAR OF THE WORLDS. Any father who has been a parent to a pre-teen girl will likely be mesmerized by this movie. (To put things in perspective, this film is not really in the same class as other family films, such as MRS. DOUBTFIRE, or Tom Cruise's version of WAR OF THE WORLDS. The reason is that JERSEY GIRL has lots of mild potty humor.) FIVE STARS to JERSEY GIRL.

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Samurai Girls: Complete Collection (2011)

While overall the story of the series has been done over many times at the end the characters do endear themselves to you enough that the series in whole is worth looking at. The basic premise of the series is you have one young man a skilled fighter who inherits a somewhat deteriorated dojo where he begins to meet well endowed women after women(Eight total I figure) all extremely attractive and with the exception of one of them all extremely endowed(Again with a lot of harem animes we have to have one who while technically a young adult appears childlike pushing the Lolita factor a little). Though after one of them Jubei Yagyu appears in the sky and shares a kiss with the young man Munekira Yagyu she becomes a powerful warrior causing all the other females to want to share a kiss with the young man since it seems that by doing so empowers them with incredible fighting prowess. The series is supposed to be a mix of edo and present time since the Tokugawa Shogunate remains in power keeping alive the samurai way of life for the most part, that isn't to say there isn't any technological development you'll see a mix of shogunate lifestyle with modern conveniences intermixed into the series. The series animation is something you have to get used to as I haven't seen this kind anywhere really, the character animation is pretty standard a little mix of Naruto and Ikki Toussen the background animation though feels like one of those 3D games you see like with Street Fighter or BlazeBlue not the exact same thing but a little close to it check out a couple of images or trailers to really get an idea of the series animation. The voice cast for the Japanese did superbly in their character roles and surprisingly so did the English cast, at first I wasn't so sure about them as I checked online for their past credentials and couldn't find anything but if you've already bought a few ADV or Funimation released sets then many of these dubbed voice actors will sound familiar to you. The set comes in three disc, the first two hold the entire series the third is the bonus disc which has some very entertaining extras on it. So if you like series like Sekirei, Naruto, Inu Yasha, or Ikki Touseen with a touch of humor and a ton of fan service here's a entertaining series to check out...

I'll be honest, I didn't really read much about this show ahead-of-time. I read the general synopsis and went ahead and bought it because it sounded interesting. Most animes are suggestive and have sexy anime characters, but they're usually clothed. Lots of full-on nudity in this show, so don't buy this for kids.

The plot is pretty good, kind of predictable and silly, but I really enjoyed it. The drawing was decent although the blotching at the beginning was disconcerting, and the characters as a whole have enough personality to make the show enjoyable. The guy who does the voice for the main character is probably my least favorite because he comes off as entirely too dramatic, but the other characters' voices make up for it. If you like a light-hearted, fun anime where one wave of a sword blows people's clothes off this one is worth watching.

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There seems to be a dojo master called Muneakira who turns females in samurai masters with powerful elemental powers by kissing them. There is a lot of nudity with large breasts, but no observed sex acts. There are several females characters with their own unique personalities.

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I watched the first episode on hulu and decided to buy the series to watch the rest. It seemed interesting at the time and the reviews here weren't half bad, but...in the end I wasn't too much impressed. I liked the animation style which was truly unique and very nice to watch on blu-ray. I even liked all the "eye candy" with the girls, yeah I said it. Parents be ware that these woman WILL be exposed above the waiste quite often, all while implying suggestive acts. Other than those two things I didn't like much. Story was not fully threshed out and rushed in the final couple episodes leaving a lot of unknowns. Really could have used more episodes or used the time in the series more wisely, maybe less boobs and more story? Anyways, if your looking for nice style, animated bossoms, and suggestive poses pic this up, if not...turn away and don't look back.

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Great animation and good characters are the bread and butter of Samurai Girls. The art stands alone as innovative and the characters are pretty cool. There's not much else about this one that keeps ya watching. The story is really thin. They resort to constant nudity to keep it afloat. I enjoy watching chicks get their outfits shredded but that's no substitute for a memorable story. The pros and cons balance each other out and this anime is left being just ok. I don't think I'll sell it, but I probably won't watch it over and over either.

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Full Frontal (2000)

The Blu-Ray, which is already available at Best Buy, includes a 111 min cut of the film that's a bit different from the 101 min theatrical cut.

I think it's just a mistake, as it feels like an unfinished version. The difference in running time is more down to additional shots and portions of scenes than whole new scenes. (I ran the DVD and Blu-Ray at the same time to compare).

As this is a bargain Blu-Ray coming out with no fuss, I don't think it's an officially recut version by Soderbergh.

Because the film has a different running time and different content, the audio commentary from the DVD has been dropped, as nothing would match up in the new cut.

People with the DVD considering this Blu-Ray should know about these differences and know they should hang onto their DVD, even if they buy the Blu-Ray.

I am not one to criticize a movie because it doesn't fit the mold, in fact I find the quieter, more character driven movies more interesting than others (see Lost in Translation). However, as an experimental piece and ensemble movie, I just never got into it. I didn't care about any of the characters and while I applaud Soderbergh for trying something new and different, it didn't translate very well even if the cast was probably have a good time going outside their zone of comfort.

The Blu-ray at least has a fair amount of features including the original cut (the main one is an extended version for some reason) with the Soderbergh/Hough commentary (the only way to view the movie is with the commentary, however) along with cast interviews (the actors in character), 17-minutes worth of deleted footage and a standard interview with Soderbergh.

*/***** for the movie

**/**** for the Blu-ray as a whole

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Midnight in Paris (2011)

"All men fear death. It's a natural fear that consumes us all," says a character in "Midnight in Paris"... "However, when you make love with a truly great woman, one that deserves the utmost respect in this world and one that makes you feel truly powerful, that fear of death completely disappears."

Paris is her name. She has seduced writers for centuries, and in "Midnight in Paris" writer/director Woody Allen makes love to her with his camera, in the most poetic of ways.

Or perhaps he's referring to art, to achieving such intimacy with your craft and such artistic climax that you become immortal, like Hemingway, Matisse, Fitzgerald, Picasso, Dali, or Allen himself.

Gil Pender, the protagonist in Allen's new film, has never experienced that kind of artistic height. Played quite convincingly by Owen Wilson (in a surprising and refreshing role that Allen had to re-write for him), Gil is an aspiring novelist who is visiting Paris with his girlfriend (Rachel McAdams) and her parents. But while they prefer to shop and visit museums, Gil chooses to wonder about. "No work of art can compare to a city," he says.

Pender is actually mesmerized by the City of Lights and fantasizes about what he believes was Paris' Golden Age, the 1920s with the Lost Generation of American writers walking its streets, writing in sidewalk cafés, and frequenting smoky bars and flamboyant parties. One evening at midnight, trying to find his way back to the hotel, something magical happens to Gil. Really! But no reviewer should give that magic away.

Getting lost in the city seems to be a symbol for how lost he really is, as a person and as a writer, and although he's somewhat insecure and anxious (he even carries a bottle of Valium with him), he's actually a likable guy and soon meets a few bohemian friends (played by Marion Cotillard, Kathy Bates, Adrien Brody, among others) who give him much-needed advice about life and the creative process.

From the beginning, "Midnight in Paris" grabs you with its witty and sophisticated dialogue about art, culture and literature, and in the second half the dialogue gets even better. For instance, my favorite line comes from one of the bohemian characters, who believes that: "the job of the artist is not to succumb to despair but to find an antidote for the emptiness of existence."

Another piece of wisdom comes from one of the antagonists who criticizes Gil for being infatuated with the past: "Nostalgia is denial...a flaw in the romantic imagination of people who find it difficult to cope with the present." Think about that one while watching the film, for I believe, there lies the moral of this fabulous fable about the past and the present.

At age 75--with more than 40 films under his belt--Allen has created a film that literally glows. Its dazzling cinematography, inventive plot, and Parisian score, combined with the top-notch acting and set-design, makes for an almost-perfect film, one that's not only clever and thought-provoking, but also entertaining and accessible--even to mainstream audiences.

A much welcomed escape. Went to see it at the movies twice and will buy a copy for my DVD library. Romantic, great story, excellent characters and depictions of the late-greats are tops. I'll refrain from fawning over this movie too much as I don't want to spoil it for the others. It's magical. What can I say but go see it and that we need more movies like this. Refreshing break from melting buildings, crumbling sidewalks, 50 car pileups, crude, rude humor and stacks of shot up bad guys. A breath of fresh air.

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This review may contain minor spoilers...

Woody Allen's 41st film opens with several minutes of exquisite shots of Paris set to Jazz music. Cinematographer Darius Khondji elegantly captures these beautiful sites and effectively sets the tone for the film in which Owen Wilson plays Gil Pender, a Hollywood screenwriter working on his first novel while in Paris with his fiancée Inez. After running into old acquaintances Paul and Carol (Michael Sheen and Nina Arianda), Gil goes on a walk to get away from it all and finds himself transported to the 1920s France, an era that he adores. There, he meets literary and cultural giants such as Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Zelda Fitzgerald, Picasso, Gertrude Stein, and Salvador Dalí, among others. He also meets and becomes fascinated with Adriana (Marion Cotillard), Picasso's mistress, whose ideas about time are in synch with Gil's own.

From the first frame, Midnight in Paris is one of Allen's most charming films in years. I've never seen a Woody Allen film I didn't like and there are only a few I wouldn't bother watching again. The general consensus is that his recent films are weak, especially in comparison to his earlier work. I am of the opinion that he's never made a bad film and each new film he made would be held in higher regard if not for the (many) films that had come before it. Whatever your stance is on Allen's films, both past and present, I think you'll agree that this is one of his best films in years. All of the elements; the casting, the setting, the style, and the story come together perfectly to create a magical romantic-comedy/fantasy. Midnight in Paris has many references to classic literature and film that certain audiences may not catch, but this movie is just so likeable that knowledge of the subjects involved is not necessary to enjoy it. It may cause you to seek it out after the film has ended however, but since when is knowledge a bad thing? It's certainly an accessible film, make no mistake about it, but it's also for a certain audience. If you're the casual moviegoer, you'll find little to dislike about it. If you're part of the audience this is intended for, you'll find almost nothing to dislike about it.

The musical score is so brilliant that it couldn't possibly be original. While many parts of the score are recognizably made of classic jazz music and some Cole Porter songs, I figured the main theme was original; alas, there is no original score for the film. The use of music and the music used is brilliant, as well as essential to the effervescent tone of the film. I can't rave enough about Khondji's cinematography as it truly evokes the beauty of Paris and captures it in exactly the idealized way that Gil sees it. The whole film is beautifully shot, from the first frame to the last. The cinematography is a loving testament to the otherworldly beauty of Paris and the beautiful sites that the camera lovingly lingers on makes the film work almost as a visual tour of the city, but don't think for a minute that this is a bad thing. This is a fantasy film and Khondji makes Paris appear as the ultimate fantasy.

As usual, Allen has assembled a wonderful cast lead by Owen Wilson in the Woody Allen role. Wilson shares some of the same mannerisms and speech patterns we'd expect if Allen played the role, but brings a distinct giddiness that only Wilson can convey. Gil is a memorable, extremely likeable protagonist whose wide-eyed wonder reflected my own. Allen never misses a chance to take jabs at pedantic, pseudo-intellectuals and Michael Sheen plays one perfectly, providing some great back-and-forth banter with Gil. Every actor makes an impression with their characters, with Kurt Fuller and Mimi Kennedy being especially funny and well utilized as Inez's judgmental, materialistic parents. The historical figures throughout the film are given wonderful characterizations, with Corey Stoll turning in a vivacious, poetic performance as Hemingway and Kathy Bates making Gertrude Stein exude warmth and intelligence. Adrien Brody has an inspired cameo as the great surrealist Salvador Dalí and his scene was certainly a highlight ("I see...rhinoceros"). With the First Lady of France, Carla Bruni, making an appearance as well, Allen's strong group of actors are one of the driving forces behind the reason this movie works so well.

Midnight in Paris features some of Allen's best writing years. The characters are well-developed of course, but the story is more inspired than usual. The dialogue is clever and witty (one of my favorite examples being Gil suggesting the plot of The Exterminating Angel to director Luis Buñuel). Allen even takes a moment to take some light-hearted jabs at Tea Party politics. The "earrings scene" meanwhile is the most well-executed comedic scene that Allen has filmed in some time. This is Allen's 41st theatrical film since 1972 and while he's admittedly had some hits and misses, he proves that at the age of 75 he's still capable of churning out a genuinely great film. After making a huge per-theatre average on only six screens, Sony slowly expanded Midnight in Paris and it has consistently remained in the top 10 movies at the box office since. This is a huge feat for a Woody Allen film. Audiences have responded because Allen has made a charming, lovely, whimsical fantasy film that shows Allen at his most accessible and most consistent. With 41 films under his belt it's hard to say where Midnight in Paris fares amongst those other releases, but based on sheer likeability and quality I can safely say it's my favorite film of 2011 thus far.

GRADE: A

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This is the best movie I've seen in years! Finally an entertaining movie with intelligence, humor, lovely scenes of Paris, great music and a message. No crashing cars, burning buildings, or blatant and meaningless sex. A marvelous and intriguing story line....And one could actually hear the dialogue in the absence of background noise so increasingly annoying lately. I saw it in a theater and recommend that if it's still out near you but I will also have to own this one. Woody Allen....a master.

jean

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Midnight in Paris is, without a doubt, one of the most enjoyable films that I have seen in a long time. Masterly crafted by director Woody Allen, it is a well paced film, full of beautifully shot and magically captured moments of Paris. A film of romance and love, Midnight in Paris also uses the science fiction device of time travel to create a very fun and compelling story. The ensemble cast is wonderful and entertaining. This could easily be considered one of Woody Allen's best films.

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