Footnote (2012)

"Footnote" (107 min.) is a 2011 movie out of Israel. It brings the rather complicated but intruiging story of a father and son who both are scholars and researchers at the Talmud Department of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. As it happens, the son is actually more successful and the movie starts out with the son's acceptance speech upon getting elected into the Israeli Academy of Science and Humanities. Remarkably, we don't actually see the son but instead the camera focuses the entire sequence (probably 3-4 min.) only on the father, who seemingly is shell-shocked and/or confused and/or resentful at the ever-growing successes of his son. Then, about 30 min. into the movie, the father gets the call from the Israeli Department of Education that he'd been waiting to get for 20 years: he's been chosen to receive the prestigious Israeli Prize. Happiness turns to potential disaster when the son gets called by the Israeli Prize Committee the very next day with the bombshell that due to a clerical error, it was he who had been chosen for the Israeli Prize, not his dad!

I don't want to spoil more from the plot, and the movie then really takes off and you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out. The movie offers an excellent character sturdy of both father and son, looking at it from both a generational perspective as well as a scholary difference in how each is doing research.

This movie was one of the 5 nominees for this year's Oscar for Best Foreign Movie (Iran's "A Separation" won the Oscar), and rightfully so. This is the complete antitode to Hollywood's mainstream fare such as "John Carter" or "Wrath of the Titans" in that it is an intellectually challenging movie. The lead performances of Shlomo Bar Aba as the father and Lior Ashkenazi as the son are nothing short of outstanding. I was pleasantly surprised to see how many people were in the theatre when I saw the movie this weekend here in Cincinnati, giving me hope thia may reach a wider audience. Meanwhile, "Footnote" is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

FOOTNOTE is an appropriately titled sparklingly intelligent and entertaining film written and directed by Joseph Cedar. With a small cast and a focused story this little film form Israel is not only a pleasure to watch as a story performed as shared by brilliant actors, but it is also one of the most visually artistic and creative venture of cinematography to be on the small screen in a long time: the genius cinematographer is Yaron Scharf. Add to this a musical score that enhances every moment of the story courtesy of composer Amit Poznansky and the film simply succeeds on every level.

In a most ingenious way we are introduced to the two main characters father and son, both professors in the Talmud department of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. The film opens on the confused and somewhat unattached facial expression of the seated father Eliezer Shkolnik (Shlomo Bar Aba) as he listens to his ebullient son Uriel Shkolnik (Lior Ashkenazi) being inducted into the prestigious Israeli academic union. Uriel's acceptance speech reflects his childhood when his father informed him upon questioning that he was a `teacher' an occupation the young Uriel found embarrassing at the time, but now honors his father for this guidance. After the ceremony we slowly discover that there is a long-standing rivalry between father and son. Uriel has an addictive dependency on the embrace and accolades that the establishment provides, while Eliezer is a stubborn purist with a fear and profound revulsion for what the establishment stands for, yet beneath his contempt lies a desperate thirst for some kind of recognition: his only clam to fame after long years of intensive research is that the man who published his findings mentions Eliezer in a footnote. When it comes times for the Israel Prize, Israel's most prestigious national award, to be awarded, a clerical error results in a telephone call informing Eliezer that he has won, while in reality the award was meant for his son Uriel. How this error is resolved open all manner of windows for examining family relationships, fame, pure academia, and forgiveness.

The film is an unqualified success. Lior Ashkenazi (so well remembered from `Walk on Water' and `Late Marriage' among others) gives a bravura performance and that of Shlomo Ben Aba balances it in quality. The supporting cast is strong. Joseph Cedar has produced a fine film very much enhanced by the brilliance of the cinematography that tells the story as much as the dialogue. Grady Harp, August 12

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This bittersweet comedy from Israeli is set in the rarefied world of academia and is a fine, interesting movie about the bitter relationship between a father and a son who both happen to be Talmudic scholars working at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and how their rivalry finally overcomes their filial obligations.

Eliezer Shkolnik (a terrific performance by Shlomo Bar Aba) is the father, and he seems a personification of male old age grumpiness. He looks at the at the rest of his colleagues with an insufferable air of intellectual superiority, and believes he hasn't been recognized to the extent that he deserves, yet the movie hints he is a bit of a fraud himself, his main claim to academic fame is having been thanked in a footnote in a book by a famous Talmudic authority. The more successful Uriel (Lior Ashkenazi, who usually plays young macho men, but here plays a middle aged academic against type), is the son. The film lampoons him for being a lightweight scholar and for being too attracted to the media spotlight, yet he seems to be the more psychologically rounded of the two. The tense relationship between father and son finally comes to a bitter confrontation when the elder Shkolnik is mistakenly awarded an important academic prize that was meant for the son (I'm not going to reveal anything else about the plot).

I'm also obviously not going to reveal the ending but it seems underwhelming and unrealized, as if the director Joseph Cedar didn't knew how to end the movie. Thus, what was a fine film until then ends in a curiously unsatisfying way. Nevertheless, this is a fine movie with many great scenes. I especially liked two scenes: one is set in a small but packed conference room and ends when one academic shoves another to the wall. In the second scene, a very pretty female journalist goes to the home of the elder Shkolnik to interview him and manages to get him to say very nasty things about his son.

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Footnote is an excellent film that portrays a bitter rivalry between a father and son in the world of competitive, backstabbing academia, a world in which winning prizes for research and being recognized and accepted by the academic community is everything. Some people have commented that the first twenty or so minutes of the minute move too slowly; but this is necessary for character development. The rest of the plot moves along at a very good pace; it's anything but boring. The casting was thoughtfully done and the acting is very convincing. The choreography and cinematography lack nothing; and the musical score enhances the film as well.

When the film starts, we are slowly but surely introduced to an Israeli father and son who are both passionate about Talmud research. Eliezer Shkolnik (Shlomo Bar-Aba) is a bitter, autistic older man who has been nominated for the prestigious Israel prize sixteen years in a row but has never received it; by contrast his son Uriel (Lior Ashkenazi) knows how to work the circuit, keep his subordinates in line with him or else and enjoys the attention that comes with giving six much admired speeches all over Jerusalem in just one night! While Eliezer shows disdain for the community that he thinks recognizes people who are not so "scientific" in their research, deep inside him Eliezer cannot help but feel the human need to be appreciated, accepted and receive awards like his son receives. Eliezer's only real source of pride (and he is a remarkably proud man) is a footnote dedicated to him by his mentor in an opus on Talmudic Literature.

Eliezer has another reason to be sour, jealous and depressed. After nearly thirty years of daily research at The National Library, Eliezer was just about to publish a bold, groundbreaking thesis proving there was a different, European version of the Talmud in the Middle Ages--but just as he's about to publish his findings, the culmination of his life's work and the source of what would have been great pride, another researcher (Grossman, played by Micah Lewensohn) by pure chance just happens to stumble over the actual old European Talmud in Italy! Grossman, knowing he would steal Eliezer's thunder and crush him emotionally, publishes his own findings anyway and Eliezer is badly scarred.

Things only go from bad to worse when Eliezer gets a phone call that he has won The Israel Prize he wanted all his life. When Uriel is secretly told that the prize was actually meant for him and not his father, Uriel is stunned. Uriel fights with the prize committee, including Grossman who chairs the committee, so that his father can have the prize; but Grossman's hatred of Uriel's father surfaces and the solution to the problem will not be easy or immediately obvious. There are plot twists after that but you will be able to follow along.

Look also for excellent supporting performances by Alma Zack as Dikla Shkolnik; Daniel Markovich as Josh and Yuval Scharf as Noa, a journalist.

Footnote is a first-rate film that will appeal to anyone interested in family dynamics; the competitive and backstabbing world of academia; dramas with a slight touch of comedy and fans of the actors in the film.

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FOOTNOTE (HEHARAT SHULAIM in Hebrew) is an appropriately titled sparklingly intelligent and entertaining film written and directed by Joseph Cedar. With a small cast and a focused story this little film form Israel is not only a pleasure to watch as a story performed as shared by brilliant actors, but it is also one of the most visually artistic and creative venture of cinematography to be on the small screen in a long time: the genius cinematographer is Yaron Scharf. Add to this a musical score that enhances every moment of the story courtesy of composer Amit Poznansky and the film simply succeeds on every level.

In a most ingenious way we are introduced to the two main characters father and son, both professors in the Talmud department of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. The film opens on the confused and somewhat unattached facial expression of the seated father Eliezer Shkolnik (Shlomo Bar Aba) as he listens to his ebullient son Uriel Shkolnik (Lior Ashkenazi) being inducted into the prestigious Israeli academic union. Uriel's acceptance speech reflects his childhood when his father informed him upon questioning that he was a `teacher' an occupation the young Uriel found embarrassing at the time, but now honors his father for this guidance. After the ceremony we slowly discover that there is a long-standing rivalry between father and son. Uriel has an addictive dependency on the embrace and accolades that the establishment provides, while Eliezer is a stubborn purist with a fear and profound revulsion for what the establishment stands for, yet beneath his contempt lies a desperate thirst for some kind of recognition: his only clam to fame after long years of intensive research is that the man who published his findings mentions Eliezer in a footnote. When it comes times for the Israel Prize, Israel's most prestigious national award, to be awarded, a clerical error results in a telephone call informing Eliezer that he has won, while in reality the award was meant for his son Uriel. How this error is resolved open all manner of windows for examining family relationships, fame, pure academia, and forgiveness.

The film is an unqualified success. Lior Ashkenazi (so well remembered from `Walk on Water' and `Late Marriage' among others) gives a bravura performance and that of Shlomo Ben Aba balances it in quality. The supporting cast is strong. Joseph Cedar has produced a fine film very much enhanced by the brilliance of the cinematography that tells the story as much as the dialogue. In Hebrew with English subtitles. Grady Harp, August 12

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Blades of Glory (2007)

This has got to be one of the funniest movies that I have ever seen. I laughed so hard that I walked out of this movie feeling as if I had done 200 crunches. There were very few low points in which the humor died down. Most of the time I was in tears, laughing hysterically.

The story is about 2 male skaters that are extremely competitive. Their scores were tied and they both shared the Gold medal spot for a brief moment. They began fighting which resulted in their removal from the men's single ice skating competitions for the rest of their lives. After failing to achieve any sort of happiness with odd jobs (Ferrell ends up skating for a children's ice show and Heder ends up working for an ice skating shop)they agree to skate together in the couple's skating competitions.

Ferrell plays a sex addicted, egotistical guy who seems to be very low on the IQ scale. Heder plays a soft, effeminate guy who has lived a very priviledged life (until he gets kicked out of men's skating and his adoptive father disowns him). The two personalities clash to no end.

My husband and I truly enjoyed this show. There are a lot of sexual references made in the movie but it's used in a hilarious way. I wouldn't recommend younger children watching the movie simply because of the references.

I also find Will Ferrell a bit hit or miss. When he's on, he's on and when he's off it can be painful to watch. With this movie, though, he really hit the mark. It's chock full of silliness and sight gags that make watching it a lot of fun. There is some very crude humor and some gross-out moments but I thought Ferrell was rather more restrained than he sometimes is and that certainly worked to the advantage of this movie. The character in this movie is more or less interchangeable with most Ferrell characters but that's not the point. The point is the sheer silliness of the plot, the over the top events, and the hilarity of watching skating star after skating star make often surprising cameo appearances.

Jon Heder is really wonderful in this movie. Where Ferrell is pure silliness, Heder is good at creating some nuance in his characters. Though his characters tend to be spacey and weird, he does a good job of making them somewhat real. He has a good sense for when understatement can do a great deal more than something very overt and obvious. I think he is a great talent and look forward to seeing more of him.

As far as slapstick comedies go, this one is something of a gem and is worth watching solely for the hilariously silly skating routine at the end of the movie. Ferrell and Heder make a great duo and I'd like to see them do another movie together.

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Movie 4.5

I've always been a fan of Will Ferrell. His juvenile hijinks, potty-mouth humor, and physical mannerisms are something I've come to enjoy over the course of his career, and not even so much during his SNL stint, but from his work in Anchorman on up. Meanwhile, Jon Heder certainly made his mark in comedy with his portrayal of the socially awkward and quirky Napoleon Dynamite, something of a surprising low-budget oddity that probably caught a lot of other people off guard as well. Put these two together in a movie produced by, you guessed it, Ben Stiller, and you've got a very silly and over-the-top sports comedy. Like a certain other Ben Stiller film about the comedic sports underdog story (Dodgeball), Blades of Glory is another mishmash of elements that is meant to, first and foremost, entertain, but also give some kind of weird, outlandish version of inspiration at the same time. Chazz Michael Michaels (Ferrell) and Jimmy MacElroy (Heder) are figure skating's top two stars. Skills-wise, they're the best at what they do, but couldn't be more opposite from one another in terms of personality. Hating each others' guts and being forced to share Olympic gold, they get into a scuffle during the awards ceremony and are banned for life from singles skating. But upon an urging by MacElroy's creepiest and most obsessed fan, Hector (Nick Swardson), a loophole is found in the rules saying MacElroy can still compete in doubles. Predictably, as if you couldn't tell by the cover, MacElroy and Michaels become male doubles skating partners and attempt to achieve gold once again. If you know Will Ferrell's style of comedy and like it, then there's not much else to be said. The film is raunchy, silly, quirky, and not all that high-brow outside of a delightful performance by Jenna Fischer (who looked surprisingly hot in lingerie). Will Arnett and Amy Poehler co-star (with Fischer) as the opposing team, and Craig T. Nelson, as you can guess, plays Ferrell and Heder's coach.

Video 4.5

Having watched quite a few different types of genres on BD lately (lots of comedy, but the occasional drama and action flick), I have to say I'm surprised at the level of picture quality presented in a lot of the comedies I've seen, and Blades of Glory looks as glorious as its title implies. The color palette full of blues, whites, and shiny variations of the two, with a splash of red, looks stunning. From the very outset of the opening sequence where the two skaters are competing against one another at the Olympics, there's a very nice sense of pop to the overall picture. The details in their costumes, the clarity of the crowd, and the flawless digital removal of all the wiring looks excellent, which to me is kind of shocking for a simple comedy movie. All the little sequins on Heder's peacock suit, the bright reds and oranges on Ferrell's fire suit, or their outer space and electro-laden lights on their space suits look remarkably clear and vibrant. Outside of competition, blacks and contrast handle especially well revealing shadows, lines, facial features, and overall image detail in a clear, almost lifelike manner. Again, it's all about the costuming. My favorite one outside of the skater suits was Jenna Fischer's lingerie. I thought she was kind of cute on The Office and all, but wow. That black nightie with the all the cleavage and the fishnet stalkings look great. Oh, and so does the quality of black levels within the costume itself. The only downside to the picture? Saturation tends to be a little low on the non-competition scenes reserving a lot of the film's lighting and shine for the glossier parts of the movie, but I never found it to be a huge problem. It does, however, knock the overall transfer down just a bit, but is a beauty to behold, regardless.

Audio 4.5

Back in the day before Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD MA became the economical norm for disc space, there once was a codec called Uncompressed PCM. And while it took up a good deal of memory, it packed a wallop of a bit rate. Blades of Glory, for all its ridiculousness, got a mind-bottling presentation from Paramount/Dreamworks with an audio encode of 6.9Mbps, that's nearly twice the bit rate of Avatar. Strange for a sports comedy to get such royal treatment, I know, when so many other newly re-/released and catalog titles are still getting shafted with lossy Dolby Digital (*cough* Warner Brothers), but big thanks to the people at Paramount for giving Blades a very excellent aural presentation. My biggest surprise upon a few re-watches on my newly-equipped HT setup (new center, fronts, and sub added since then) is the amount of directionality and separation within the film's sound design. Something I've always liked about sports movies is the ambiance of crowd noise, and this track definitely didn't disappoint. Dialogue remains clear and centered, while the front sides and rears do a tremendous job of placing cheers, random fans voicing their support, and camera clicks all over the place. The score by Theodore Shapiro or what few instances there are of record label songs totally immerse you. Aerosmith's I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing and Queen's Flash are two great songs by two very great bands, and hearing them in lossless audio during the competitive events is a blast every time. The only downside, or rather the only elements not truly taken advantage of, are the LFEs. While there is some slight bass from the music, your sub never really gets a workout until the very last scene with some fireworks and Ferrell blasting fire into the camera. But all in all, the sound couldn't be any better.

Extras 3.5

There aren't a whole lot of extras, but a good majority of them are in HD and pretty entertaining for what they're worth. There's a making-of, a segment for the skate choreography, one for costuming, various interviews with cast and crew, deleted scenes, alternate takes, and a trailer that amount to a little over an hour in total duration. One of the highlights for me was the making-of, in which Ferrell, Heder, Fischer, Stiller, and the two directors are very candid and seriously funny (as in serious, yet jocular) about how the movie came about, what they hoped to "achieve" by making it, and their experiences in filming it. My second favorite would have to be the interview with Arnett and Poehler, I liked them for what little exposure I had to their SNL days, but I've seen or heard them in a few movies since then and like their chemistry and overall demeanor a lot. Lastly, my favorite extra is the unscripted Moviefone Q&A between Ferrell, Heder, and Arnett. The three get along very well, don't take the interview too seriously, and offer some pretty funny responses to the questions they get asked. My one disappointment in this package, however, is the lack of a commentary. Had those three taken the time to sit down, or maybe if a combination of them were in the booth with Stiller, Poehler, Nelson, Fischer, Swardson (maybe in-character as Hector) or either of the directors, I think this would've made for a great, great listen to compliment the zaniness of the film itself. It's a darn shame nothing was made, but there's still a good amount of extras here that fans would probably get a kick out of.

Overall 4.5

Blades of Glory is crazy and over-the-top. It's a story about male pairs figure skating with raunchy humor, sexual references, a balanced dose of slapstick, and even a little wordplay here and there. As ridiculous as the premise seems, it's also a movie in the care of some really good comedic actors in Ferrell, Heder, Fischer, Arnett, and Poehler, all of who give great deliveries and possess excellent chemistry with one another. With near-reference picture and sound and a slightly underwhelming, but still entertaining, set of extras, Blades of Glory comes highly recommended. Boom!

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I expected Blades of Glory to be fairly stupid without much maturity, and that's precisely what I got. Except I was surprisingly entertained by witty, dirty, and sometimes both witty and dirty, one-liners. You're not going to get a cinematic masterpiece here, but you will get a side of figure skating you've never seen before.

Will Ferrell is once again cocky, selfish, rude, and witty. Take Ron Burgundy's personality, Ricky Bobby's intelligence (or lack thereof), lace up some skates, and you have Chazz Michael Michaels. Jon Heder (Jimmy MacElroy) doesn't take away from Ferrell's presence, and even gives a presence of his own by standing his ground and going after a young lady. Jimmy has a bit of competition with Chazz on the ice, and even though Chazz "is figure skating," he keeps his pride. The two clashing skaters form a duet and show everyone what "twin dongs" can do.

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Will Ferrell springboards off the success of Talladega Nights and lampoons another niche sport in Blades of Glory, a satire of figure skating. Although his character is more akin to his self absorbed and perverse Ron Burgundy, the film relies on the same formula that succeeded in his Nascar film, as joke after joke is leveled at the sport most of us don`t quite "get". The plot is full of one movie cliché after another, everything from a romance ruined when one party misinterprets a precarious situation to a breakneck chase to reach the arena in time to compete, but as long as you understand going in what to expect, this is a solid Will Ferrell film.

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Morning Glory (2013)

I never have time to go to the movies these days with my busy schedule. I usually enjoy the comfort of my home and refuse to pay the ridiculus prices at the theaters. I promised my wife I would take her to the movies when "Morning Glory" came out. My wife loves Rachel McAdams, ever since she made "The Notebook". I was expecting to be bored and asleep by the first half hour. I was surprised that I was really getting into this movie. I laughed at the poor anchorman who is put through hell to boost ratings. I also found myself enjoying Harrison Ford's character. Nobody plays a better grouch then Ford. I loved Rachel McAdam's characters spunk and refusal to give up. I'm surprised by many reviewers hating that about this character. I don't understand why everyone expects dedicated workers to be unpleasent people. I am always joking around and having a good time. I put in over 14 hours of work a day and seldom get enough sleep. I work 7 days a week sometimes. I can relate with this character. Just because you put in a ton of hours of work doesn't mean you have to be a social outcast. If you like Harrison Ford, Rachel McAdams, Diane Keaton, or any of the other actors in this film. You are going to love them in this film. It is a funny film with great actors. I would watch this movie again and knowing my wife she will probably buy the dvd when it comes out.

MORNING GLORY

STARRING: Rachel McAdams, Harrison Ford, Diane Keaton, Patrick Wilson, Jeff Goldblum, John Pankow and 50 Cent

WRITTEN BY: Aline Brosh McKenna

DIRECTED BY: Roger Michell

Rated: PG 13

Genre: Comedy

Release Date: 10 November 2010

Review Date: 28 October 2010

Becky Fuller is an absolute delight to be around. Not only is she irresistibly attractive and adorable, she's funny, smart, dedicated, and truly talented at her job, which not too many people on the planet could pull off. So why on Earth a television network would let her go is beyond her comprehension and ours. Nevertheless, she's fired from her job as executive producer, due to budget cuts. Rachel McAdams gives one of, if not thee best performance of her career as Becky, in Morning Glory.

Now that she's been let go she is desperately seeking employment elsewhere only to find dead end after dead end. Finally, she catches a break when she's hired on as executive producer for a morning show in the slumps.

She has her work cut out for her to say the least. The show is a disaster. The lead anchor is a chauvinistic creep, the network can offer only pathetic jokes for stories, and virtually no one really has a desire to be there, nor do they take their job seriously.

The person that displays this best is Colleen Peck, played by the lovely Diane Keaton. A veteran of the morning show, she wakes up every day no doubt asking herself why she is still there. Along with everyone else, Colleen cannot really see any potential in Becky, offhand.

It's evident the news cast needs immediate revamping to get their ratings up, if they are to stay on the air. Enter: Harrison Ford. Ford plays Mike Pomeroy, a television legend who has long since hung up his hat as a news reporter. His solid plans of lackadaisically waiting out the time left on his contract are interrupted when Becky is struck with the notion that Pomeroy could be precisely what the show needs.

Becky forces him out of his fantasy world and back into reality, where he must lower himself to the likes of a morning news caster. As he showed in his previous film Extraordinary Measures, when it comes to playing a bitter recluse, Ford has the act down. Together they will try to do all they can do to save this sinking show and that's where the laughs come in.

Morning Glory scored big laughs with the packed audience I shared the experience with; especially when Becky has to `up the ante' so to speak, by orchestrating some hilariously drastic interviews and broadcasts that include a feeble man screaming his brains out on a roller coaster, with a camera mounted two inches from his head. Cut to Harrison Ford's face as he watches open mouthed, out of sheer morbid curiosity and we are laughing our heads off.

Screenwriter Aline Brosh McKenna knows comedy and she knows romance and she knows how to balance the two perfectly in an artistic melody. She's shown this before in 27 Dresses, The Laws of Attraction and Three to Tango. Morning Glory isn't a rom-com by any means, but it has a little romance nestled in there for good measure. Patrick Wilson has a small part as the office hunk and he is charming and likeable without bogging the story or the comedy down with heavy romance.

Director Roger Michell who's brought us such gems as Changing Lanes and Notting Hill, has delivered another one. He lets great actors do great acting and he brings us to a world that I found fascinating and that I haven't seen too much of in movies, which is: what it takes to produce a live television broadcast. Not sure it's a venture I'd sprint to the head of the line to work in personally; but I certainly enjoyed watching humorous and believable movie-people at each other's throats in it for nearly two hours. You will too.

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Not many movies have been made focusing on network shows being made, even fewer still about network news. Perhaps the most well known was BROADCAST NEWS, a stand out movie that makes many best of list time and time again. While that movie focused on network news, I don't believe any film has chosen morning news programming until now. MORNING GLORY gives us a glimpse of that world in perhaps an off kilter way.

Becky Fuller (Rachel McAdams) is an up and coming morning show producer in New Jersey just waiting for her big break. The day she thinks she's getting a promotion her world turns upside down. Instead her position is being condensed into another and the budget doesn't allow for two people. She's lost her job.

With her mother recommending that she give up her dream, Becky sets out to prove her wrong. A number of ignored resumes later Becky gets a call from IBS and their morning show, Daybreak. The station is one of those small networks with no budgets and no hits. Daybreak falls behind every network competitor they have. Executive Jerry Barnes (Jeff Goldblum) gives Becky the chance to turn it all around and to make the show something different.

What Becky first discovers is that she's inherited a complete mess. One reporter who seems a bit dim, a weatherman who wants to do a story on wind vanes, an ex-Miss Arizona past her prime named Colleen Peck (Diane Keaton), an anchor with a foot fetish and a staff that tosses questions to her in rapid fire succession. Day one finds Becky taking the reins, answering all questions and firing the anchor. Now to get things rolling she simply has to find a new anchor. With no money and no budget. Better still would be using someone already under contract to IBS.

Becky finds her man in the form of famed news journalist Mike Pomeroy (Harrison Ford). Pomeroy is a prize winning reporter currently doing bits for a news program that doesn't appreciate his past. Idolized by Becky, she sees her chance when she examines his contract and discovers a loophole that will result in his joining her show. But he doesn't go willingly.

Instead Pomeroy does everything in his power to disrupt the morning news program he's been recruited for. Pomeroy is a bit pompous and feels the morning news show is below him. While Colleen is more than willing to do any story presented her, Pomeroy snubs any and all stories lobbed his way. Instead he simply reads the news in the most monotone voice possible and ignores the fluff pieces that Colleen does with relish.

When Becky gets the word from Jerry that she's taken the show to the lowest ratings it's ever had and the show will be canceled in 6 weeks, she tosses caution to the wind and presents a more forceful producer than she did in the past. Her first act is to take the weatherman who was simply reporting on a new roller coaster and strap him in with a camera sending out his reactions over the air. This results in one of the funniest items in the movie but also angers Pomeroy.

As Pomeroy and Becky go head to head, battling every step of the way, she gets coaching from her new boyfriend, one of the men behind the networks weekly news program. Adam Bennett (Patrick Wilson) has a past with Pomeroy and a nickname I can't repeat here. He informs her that Pomeroy is the third worst human being in the world. But through his remarks Becky just may find a way to get Pomeroy on board and save the show. She has just 6 weeks to take it from the bottom of the heap and increase the ratings by 1.5 %. Can she do it?

The movie moves along at a frantic pace and you may find yourself clutching the remote just to take it back a moment or two when you miss something. It does offer some hilarious moments along the way and you get the sense of family that develops among the staff of Daybreak. That's one of the things that brings a certain amount of charm to the whole film.

The one troubling piece revolves around Ford as Pomeroy. Played incredibly straight faced and with more than enough bitterness to go around, Ford's portrayal of the newsman reduced to the morning slot shows a reporter devoid of emotion, a man who's lost himself in his work and never returned. At times this seems like the perfect way to portray this character. But at other times he just seems mean and nasty, the chances of him truly changing unlikely. Either this one of Ford's best performances or one of his worst.

The movie doesn't offer any real depth to its characters or its story, but it is an enjoyable way to spend an evening. Its one of those guilty pleasures you watch only to know that it has little new to offer and can't be taken seriously. But its still fun. Its worth watching for the laughs and performances but won't leave you seeking a sequel.

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This is yet another variation on a basic Hollywood formula movie a few name actors, up and down struggles followed by happy resolution, the tension between career and personal life, friends supporting each other, heartless and selfish corporate bosses, older people who still "have it", a little casual sex, and no deep message or purpose. I have to like a movie, however, that made me laugh really hard, smile a lot, and like the characters. I also found the story a good parody on TV morning variety shows. Moring Glory makes a nice "date" movie, or fluffy escape after a hard work week.

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This is the kind of film that defies criticism. It's light entertainment that doesn't have a pretentious bone in its body. Consider it "Broadcast News" light. The film is balanced by Harrison Ford's curmudgeonly anchorman and Rachel McAdams buoyant executive producer complimented by Diane Keaton's chipper co-host. Ironically, Keaton could have played the McAdams part some thirty-five years ago. Ford effortlessly steals every scene he's in even if he is silently stewing over the fluffiness that surrounds him. Though not wholly original there is enough wit in the script to distinguish it from its ilk. Time will tell if this becomes a rom-com classic or a TBS staple. Regardless, it's a good way to spend a date night at home.

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The Babysitters (2007)

Initially when I heard about The Babysitters, I thought of Risky Business with Tom Cruise in it, but upon watching it, I realised the two movies are very different. Risky Business was tinged with humor throughout but The Babysitters takes a very dark look at teens, sex, drugs and middle-aged men, a combustible combination indeed.

The movie begins with a bunch of nubile teen girls in compromising positions with middle-aged men, and a commentary by the lead actress [Katherine Waterston] who plays Shirley. We know the movie is going to be rather dark when Shirley casually makes the observance that "paid fellatio" is not much different than flipping burgers.

Turns out Shirley is a financially-challenged honors student who babysits to earn extra money and meets a couple Gail [ Cynthia Nixon] and Mike [John Leguizamo] who have two children. Mike is a middle-aged executive who finds his wife rather boring and unadventurous, and whilst driving Shirley home one night, they 'bond'. A kiss results in a heavy tip for Shirley, and soon the pair are engaged in a hot affair, the first encounter netting Shirley $200. The bright young woman decides this is the path to financial freedom, and is soon not only making money hooking on the side with Mike and other like-minded guys but also pimping out her similar-minded classmates, charging a 20% levy on each of her 'girls' transaction.

What appears to be an easy ride turns difficult and dangerous when greed and rivalry amongst the girls turns life into a spiralling nightmare for Shirley.

Katherine Waterston [daughter of Sam Waterston of Law & Order] does an amazing job in her role as the enterprising teen Shirley, though I did find her sudden chameleon-like change from virginal teen to teen nymphet and madam hard to swallow [pun intended]. John Leguizamo's performance as Mike was well-done, though his sex scenes with Waterston were unconvincing. Cynthia Nixon's dumpy wife role truly wasted her talents and didn't elicit much sympathy for her character. Another stand-out performance was by Halley Wegryn Gross who plays Nadine, another of Shriley's girls.

Overall, I found the movie an above-average attempt at addressing the darker side of high school students' lives, the pressures they face etc, but I felt the movie did not truly spend time on character development and plot cohesion.Final verdict: a dark drama dealing with teen vice and angst.

this movie certainly had a lot to offer but came out short. if you're going to make a adult-themed movie, then go for it. having sex scenes with everyone fully clothed does nothing for the movie. it's not my main complaint or major concern, but it is more distracting than anything. i doubt if teenagers are that organized or can keep a secret especially with all the business, money and backstabbing that was going on. their business would of collapsed long before it did. and it would not only be the kids that noticed high buck jewerly and clothes on them. i really don't think the leguizamo character would really have the caring and feelings he did. i didn't think much of the acting or characters played. and yes, common sense giving teenagers drugs and alcohol will come back to haunt you. nothing really happened, which i'm sure is a relief to the characters. if this movie would have been made in any other nonpolitically correct decade, it might have been done differently.

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This movie is rather average, characters forgettable, director's work let's call it unobtrusive, so at best it should be given 3 stars, so why did I give it four?

Precisely because it's so average and normal.

In this movie Shirley, a student in a nice clean high school in a nice clean American suburb organizes her classmates into a prostitution ring, well functioning, smooth and efficient American business.

The movie starts with Shirley, actually a honors student, babysitting for a neighboring family. When the husband, Mike [John Leguizamo], gives her a ride back home, they kiss, and he gives her a rather heavy tip.

Soon we find him giving her tips for very different services, which she offers without much ado. Money is very prominent in the film from the very beginning to the very end, because Shirley, while her family is far from poor, doesn't have much money herself, and needs some income of her own that's why she is babysitting in the first place.

But for her sexual services she, apparently, gets paid much better than for babysitting, and, as she says herself in the movie, "paid fellatio is not much more humiliating than flipping burgers". Amazingly, this is talking a nice clean girl from nice, clean American suburbia, not an underclass, deprived girl from some inner city slums.

But the film gives us much more than this. Once Shirley is established in her new role, one day she tells her friend, her classmate, about this small business she has on a side, and her classmate becomes interested, she needs extra money too. Shirley asks her "customer" Mike if any of his friends might be interested in similar kind of service. Or maybe it's Mike who asks her if she has any classmates who could "babysit" for his buddies.

Soon Shirley's business is growing, she adds new customers, and her classmates willingly provide them with quality service. There're some conflicts, but those are of purely business nature: Shirley charges classmates a fee for providing them with clients, and some girls don't want to pay, or they don't want to pay enough this kind of conflict, nothing personal. No moral torments.

Girls counting money are shown in this film more than once, and it is pretty much as sexually explicit as this film goes.

Lord Of the Flies, where a group of boys is left without adults on an island, shows how easy human morals are going away when children are left unsupervised.

No remote uninhabited islands in Babysitters.

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After about half an hour, the viewer can predict the outcome. What is not so transparent is the development of the two central, and one or two peripheral, characters.

Note of a moral nature: this movie (like numerous others that primarily aim to shock in order to motivate a kind of moral reflection that is valuable in itself, films such as 'American Beauty', 'Magnolia', 'Bad Education', '13 Tzametti', 'Perdita Durango' and 'Natural Born Killers') raises the question: "Will its release encourage morally reprehensible behavior?" My answer would be "Maybe." Not much of an answer, but perhaps this is something troubling, and perhaps public debates on such subject matter as one encounters in this film wouldn't be a bad idea. I can understand some peoples' less-than-favourable response to this film. After all, teen prostitution isn't the world's healthiest practice, both physically AND psychologically. Anyway. What about the non-normative aspects of the film (which warrant discussion in themselves)?

Leguizamo is versatile, and this movie provides further evidence of said trait. Nixon fans might be disappointed insofar as her role is a minor one, with little investigation of the character she plays. But Leguizamo, his love interest (Waterston), and the other 'babysitters' (esp. 'Brenda') are given some serious attention. Of special mention are a few aspects of Waterston's character that make for a more interesting story than would otherwise have been the case.

Not an easy film to watch. Makes one wonder how exaggerated the story actually is. Overall, entertaining, superior acting, interesting plot. But note moral caveat above.

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It could be said that this movie is a lesson on considering every angle before embarking on a new endeavor. In this case, the girls realized they could make money by having sex under the guise of baby-sitting, but eventually things get out of control in ways that make it not worth even the good money. What seems like it is going to be easy money turns difficult and dangerous. Avarice and typical teen girl rivalry among the group turns life into a treacherous nightmare for Shirley. The movie gets four stars instead of five because I am not sure a girl as 'innocent' as Shirley could turn into such a ruthless Madame in such a short time. There is nudity (teen breasts) and some bad language and drugs, but less than one would expect in such a movie.

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The Forever Marilyn Blu-ray Collection (2013)

Just got the magnificent FOREVER MARILYN blu-ray dvd set of 7 films yesterday. Very nice box and presentation, with a little booklet of pictures and lines from the films as a keepsake. I must say the films look stunning, particularly 'Gentlemen Prefer Blondes'. 'How to Marry a Millionaire' looks extraordinary its its full very widescreen ratio (16:9) and so does 'There's no business like Show Business'. I've watched most big production numbers like 'Heatwave' and 'Diamonds are a Girls Best Friend' again and again, and seeing them on blu ray on my big flat screen HD TV, is like seeing them glisten with real detail, depth and color for the first time. The blacks are black, the whites white, and Marilyn's lips and nails are a real luscious fire engine red. 'Gentlemen Prefer Blondes' in (4:3) ratio is glorious, the transfer just sparkles with sheer magic and jumps right out at you. Made just before widescreen became popular, I do believe only one number from the film, 'Diamonds are a Girls Best Friend' was filmed in Cinema-Scope as a test. That would've been nice to see here as an extra, because if any musical number EVER deserves to be seen in widescreen, its that one. The sound (dts-HD) on all films overall is impressive too, clear and crisp, especially through big speakers. The song and dance sequences are breathtaking. Mesmerized I found myself looking at everything technically, the clothes, the sets, the makeup all seemed so perfect as to be surreal. Marilyn is just beautiful, so is Jane and Lauren and Betty too. The awesome technicolor they achieved in the color films here, and the technical excellence will never ever be repeated. The brilliant 'Some Like It Hot' was made for black and white, and as the greatest comedy ever made, it is an absolutely perfect movie. It would've been nice to see as extras long lost cut songs from 'Gentlemen Prefer Blondes' especially that 'Paris' number we see in vintage lobby cards, but not in the actual film. Or a new doco for the 50 years since we lost Marilyn perhaps. But we must give thanks for the fine re-mastering of these Marilyn Monroe films for their long awaited blu-ray release. The pristine quality delivered here will keep me happy for a long time. Robert.

MARILYN NEVER LOOKS anything less than marvelous, especially on these seven films marking their debut on the 50th anniversary of her death, Aug. 4, 1962. Five have been re-mastered for high-definition Blu-ray viewing, along with "Some Like It Hot" and "The Misfits" that were upgraded earlier.

A collection of comedies, a drama, a western and a musical have one dynamic influence ‒ Marilyn Monroe. She was never anything less than gorgeous whether in full make-up as in "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" and her showcase number "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" or in pioneer rags in "River of No Return." Still, intelligence and sadness lived just beneath her remarkable beauty. She was an iconic sex symbol, yet women liked her as well, drawn perhaps by her unspoken vulnerability and innocence. Everyone knows about her battle with severe depression and childhood sexual abuse. Today she would have been diagnosed with PTSD and there would have been medication and therapy to help her.

Extras in "The Seven Year Itch" reveal that her illness began to appear during filming when she started being late to the set and had trouble remembering her lines. Problems took hold after the famous subway grate sidewalk shoot. According to Monroe's assistant, the actress came to work the next day with bruises all over her arms, the results of a fight with then-husband Joe DiMaggio. There is some surprising speculation as to DiMaggio's anger over his wife's sexy posturing and jealously over how the crowds cheered for her. Regardless, they were divorced soon after.

Later, when asked why she wasn't replaced, co-writer/director Billy Wilder replied that he had an 80-year-old aunt who always showed up on time, but no one would pay to see her in a movie.

The picture in these re-mastered Blu-ray presentations range from good to excellent. Color is knock-out gorgeous; detail and delineation is bold and sharp, particularly in "Itch" and "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes." (A friend told me he'd never seen Monroe's lips more perfect than in "Blondes.") Soundtracks have been upgraded to Master Audio 5.1; dialogue, music and effects come through clearly, but mostly through the front speaker. The black-and-white "Some Like It Hot" is outstanding. Directed by some of Hollywood's greats Howard Hawks, Otto Preminger, John Huston, as well as Billy Wilder these are films to be enjoyed again and again.

"Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" (1953), directed by Howard Hawks, Blu-ray full-frame. I confess; this is one of my favorite movies of all time. Monroe teams with the spectacular Jane Russell, whose brunette beauty and talent holds her own in a musical about two showgirls on a cruise to France. Monroe's Lorelei Lee is engaged to a rich young man (Tommy Noonan), but his suspicious father has her trailed by an investigative reporter (Elliott Reid). Look for goofy humor, snappy lines, and outstanding musical numbers including "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend." Movietone news shows Monroe and Russell putting their handprints in front of Grauman's Chinese Theatre.

"How to Marry a Millionaire" (1953), directed by Jean Negulesco of classics "Daddy Longlegs," "Johnny Belinda" and the 1953 Best Picture "Titanic" with Clifton Webb and Barbara Stanwyck; also uncredited for Monroe's "River of No Return." Blu-ray widescreen. Secretaries played by Monroe, Betty Grable and Lauren Bacall as secretaries are looking for rich husbands. It's not one of the best films but there are moments, as when Bacall refers to Humphrey Bogart as "that old guy in `The African Queen.'" Bacall gets most of the laughs as Monroe plays the near-sighted gal trying to hide her glasses. This was Fox's first production in CinemaScope and it looks like a first attempt with unstable color and definition; still, it's way better than the DVD. Trailers and a newsreel make up the extras.

"River of No Return" (1954), directed by Otto Preminger and an uncredited Jean Negulesco. Blu-ray widescreen. Two gentlemen hunks Robert Mitchum and Rory Calhoun co-star with Monroe in this CinemaScope Western filmed in Canada. Monroe plays a saloon girl trying for a better life; she follows her treacherous gambler husband (Calhoun), who's out to claim a gold mine he's won in a card game. When Mitchum appears, a widower with son played by "Lassie's" Tommy Rettig, we know Calhoun's time has come. There are terrific white water rapids scenes and beautiful scenery. Monroe sings the title ballad and saloon songs. Color and sound are consistently good. Trailers are the only extra.

"There's No Business Like Show Business" (1954), directed by Walter Lang of "The King and I" and "State Fair." Blu-ray widescreen. Monroe takes a backseat to Ethel Merman and Donald O'Connor in a showcase of music by Irving Berlin. Merman and O'Connor as Mom and Pop Donahue and their three kids are a song and dance vaudeville act, the Five Donahues. The act hits a snag when the oldest son falls for aspiring singer Vicky (Monroe). O'Connor dances with statues that come to life, Merman belts out tunes in her bombastic style and Monroe performs "Heat Wave" in a way that gives you chills. Color wavers a bit although not as badly as in "How to Marry a Millionaire." Trailers are the only extra.

"The Seven Year Itch" (1955), directed by Billy Wilder. Blu-ray widescreen. Originally Wilder wanted James Stewart for the male lead but scheduling conflicts kept them apart. A young Walter Matthau auditioned for the role, but the studio wouldn't back him, so Tom Ewell, who had won a Tony for playing the part on Broadway, was chosen. This comedy about the temptation of adultery is slow and dated now, although there are still plenty of good lines. It's summer in Manhattan when wives and children are sent to the country while husbands continue to sweat it out at work in the Big Apple. Mid-life crisis hits while the wives are away and Ewell finds himself tempted by his new neighbor, "The tomato upstairs."

This disc has loads of extras including commentary by Wilder biographer Kevin Lally, who compares the film with its stage version and puts the content in context with `50s morals. There's information about the 1930 Hay's Code, the Motion Picture Production Code that begins: "No picture shall be produced that will lower the moral standards of those who see it. Hence the sympathy of the audience should never be thrown to the side of crime, wrongdoing, evil or sin." Read the entire list of rules at It's a gobstopper.

Another documentary, "Monroe and Wilder: An Intersection of Genius" provides interviews from several people who knew them well, and who cover the breakdown between Monroe and her husband, Joe DiMaggio, over the famous subway grate photo shoot. Also find a picture-in-picture track about censored material, a series of short Fox documentaries duplicating info from the other features, deleted scenes, a still-gallery and more. The picture looks stellar and the sound is excellent.

"Some Like It Hot" (1959), directed by Billy Wilder. Blu-ray widescreen. Wilder finally got to shoot a film in black-and-white, just like he had wanted to do with "The Seven Year Itch." The American Film Institute voted "Hot" the best comedy ever made and I'd give it that vote, too. Set during Prohibition, two luckless musicians played by Curtis and Lemmon happen to walk in on the St. Valentine's Day Massacre. Now targets of the mob led by George Raft, the boys disguise themselves as girls, join an all-girls' band and head to Florida. Monroe plays the lead singer in dresses that would be daring and dangerous even today. Curtis falls for the delectable Sugar (Monroe) who falls right back. But it's Lemmon and Joe E. Brown who get the last line and laugh, observing: "Well, nobody's perfect." The picture is brilliant; definition and contrast outstanding. Sound is great.

This is the same disc from an earlier Blu-ray release with a commentary by co-writer I.A.L. Diamond's son, Paul Diamond, with screenwriters Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel, with spliced archival remarks from co-stars Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon. Also, watch "The Making of Some Like It Hot" featuring interviews with co-writer/director Billy Wilder, co-writer I.A.L. Diamond, Lemmon, Curtis and others.

"The Misfits" (1961), directed by John Huston; written by Arthur Miller, Monroe's husband at the time. Blu-ray widescreen. This was Monroe's and co-star Clark Gable's last film; he died of a heart attack a few weeks after filming wrapped and she passed months later in 1962. But there's more to this than its place as the last film of two great stars. It's a drama of disillusionment and dysfunction with Gable as an old, modern day cowboy who's seen his way of life die. Gable's character and two other men played by Montgomery Cliff and Eli Wallach fall for the new divorcee played by Monroe. She takes to Gable but things just go from bad to worse as the story rambles on. Sound and picture are both very good in high-def, but there are no extras except trailers.

Buy The Forever Marilyn Blu-ray Collection (2013) Now

I am like millions a huge Marilyn Monroe fan and was so excited to hear a blu ray collection was on it's way as well as the new Marilyn Premiere Collection which includes 17 dvd's. I received both sets today and from a packaging standpoint it freed up ALOT of room for your DVD shelves. While I adore Marilyn I am utterly confused about these sets. The bluray package is very nice and is the size of a standard DVD case made of cardboard however, it is easily damaged, mine was crushed and now I am awaiting a replacement. Also if you get this open it with CAUTION as my blurays and the dvd sets fell out of their holders which are NOT sturdy enough to keep the discs in place. The cardboard sleeves also had small tears making the blu rays slide right out of place. The blu rays look great. Gentlmen Prefer Blondes is stunning and the best of the bunch in my opinion. All the others are very nice and clear but in my opinion this title of GPB' looks the best. Gone are the special features from The Diamond Collection with the exception of The Seven Year Itch. If you love Marilyn the set IS worth getting based on the clarity alone and it's the best we will get I am sure, for a very long time. What ANNOYS me is the selection of films. Where is Niagara, Lets Make Love, Bus Stop AND most importantly the documentary The Final Days with the reconstructed mini film of Something's Got To Give???? Even more odd is in The Premiere DVD Collection it has 17 films but excludes "River of no Return". WHY!!!!! Granted if you buy both sets you will have all her films just a handful in blu ray.

Who the heck made these decisions? Why? And what was the thought process?? I wish they asked us as fans to pick what we would like to see in a blu ray collection. I wish FOX would have just released the Premiere DVD collection in blu ray. Many of Marilyn's early films look good and would likely have transferred over well to the blu ray format.

I hope this helped. Worth buying? Yes! Worth getting them in HD? Yes!!

I just am not sure why FOX chose to exclude Niagara, Don't Bother to knock, Bus Stop and Let's Make Love and I find this very odd indeed!

It is worth getting and I would recommend it ONLY if you are a die hard Fan . If you already have them save your money on the premiere collection. My only hope is Fox is remastering and cleaning up Bus Stop, and all the others for a 2nd blu ray collection. To clarify I compared the Blu ray collection to the new DVD collection and the blu rays are a vast improvement. These sets really go hand in hand if you want all your Marlyn in one small space. I would love to speak to the fools at Fox on how they came up with this selection. Some Like it Hot and The Misfits are included and if FOX could license these MGM titles why not also use The Asphalt Jungle and The Fireball (also MGM/WB) Clash by Night and The Princes and the Show Girl??? (both WB) and lastly they couldn't license Ladies of the Chorus????

I suppose it's better than nothing. A zillion stars for the talent of Marilyn, 4 stars on the blu ray transfers and two stars for the poor selection, flimsy packaging and that Fox didn't include a new documentary for the 50th anniversary of Marilyn's tragic demise. Overall 3 stars.

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The 7 blu-ray titles are: The Misfits Some Like It Hot There's No Business Like Show Business River Of No Return Gentlemen Prefer Blondes How To Marry A Millionaire The Seven Year Itch.

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First thing is I agree with the other reviewers about there being NO NIAGARA in this set, what were they thinking to leave it out? This review is mostly for the package design for the FOREVER MARILYN Blu-ray set and not the films, that has already been done. Once again I bought a new set of Blu-ray or dvd films that had all the discs jammed into cardboard pockets that are not lined with anything to protect the data side and all discs had some sort of scratches or scuff marks. Other sets with similar packaging: 10 film John Wayne box set, the 15 disc Leading Men Collection and 15 disc Leading Women Collection. When will the STUDIO HEADS that control package design listen to their customers? Also there is no information on the box or inner sleeves to let the buyer know which films are widescreen or which films have any extra features. The only good thing with the package design is the nice pictures on the cardboard pages of the disc sleeves. Why couldn't FOX/MGM use the same plastic box they used with the KIRK DOUGLAS or PAUL NEWMAN 7-movie Collections?, these 2 sets were well packaged and protected and still a lot smaller than 7 regular dvd/ blu-ray cases taking up room on a shelf. Amazon should have posted an image of what the inside packaging looks like, showing the discs in their pockets, to inform potential buyers. Also looks like Amazon has gotten cheap and started recycling used shipping materials. When the package arrived it was in a box that had another shipping label under my address label and the box had been tapped shut after being opened. I'll get off my soapbox now, I'm thru venting.

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