Seven Chances (Ultimate Edition) (1925)

Buster Keaton movies have a similar formula; naïve young man gets thrown into a situation where his ultimate manhood is put to test. Most classic Keaton films are written specifically for him, however "Seven Chances" is an exception in this area. Adapted from a 1916 stage play by Roi Cooper Megrue, "Seven Chances" puts Keaton to the task of finding a bride and getting married by 7:00pm that day, or else lose claim to a 7 million dollar inheritance. Before the plot, it is known that Keaton and his stockbroker business partner are very much in debt and the will face public disgrace and even jail time if they do not find much needed capital. So not only is Buster wanting the 7 million dollars, he needs it to keep his freedom.

Without giving away too much of the plot, the rest of the movie involves his unsuccessful pursuit of an immediate bride. He can't seem to get a break, when all of a sudden the news of his inheritance breaks and sends a mob of brides chasing him through the streets & country. It's the classic "Buster-Vs-The Elements" chase that Keaton is so well known for.

"Seven Chances" is an excellent film, although historically it was one of Keaton's least favorites. Keaton was initially perturbed by his producer, Joe Schneck, purchasing the play rights and 'Keaton-izing' it, rather than starting from material originated by Keaton himself. From viewing this film, I am stumped to see any inferiority and consider the end result to signify a very wise and entertaining move on Joe Schneck's part. "Seven Chances" ranks with some of Keaton's best work, including "Streamboat Bill Jr." & "The Navigator".

The 2 shorts included with this DVD are "Neighbors" and "The Balloonatic", both of them absolutely hilarious. "Neighbors" has some of the most inventive high-action scenes in any of the Keaton films, and "The Balloonatic" has some excellent scenes as well.

It's hard to go bad with a Buster Keaton silent movie and "Seven Chances" is no exception. The Kino/David Shepard duo does it again, by preserving a marvelous copy of this excellent film and by packing and distributing it with 2 excellent shorts. You and your family will like this DVD.

Seven Chances is just below Keaton's very best work in The General and Our Hospitality, but is still easily worth its five star rating. All that I will say about the plot of the film is that it is consistently funny with many laugh out loud moments. Moreover, some of Buster's stunts are truly frightening and they do not appear to have been faked. One of the great pleasures of this film is to catch a fleeting glimpse of a very young Jean Arthur. She is the receptionist who turns down Buster's marriage proposal by showing him her ring. Also, for Keaton fans, it is worth noting that the lawyer with the rubber face is the Principal in College. The print on this DVD is very fine. It has an introductory series of episodes in early two-strip technicolor, which is interesting even if the colour is somewhat bleached and damaged round the edges. The main body of the film however is in wonderful sepia. The music has some fine themes and adds to the livliness of the action. It is well played on what sounds like a cinema organ. Of the two short films on this DVD, I will just say that I prefer Neighbors to the Balloonatic. Both are funny, but do not rank with the best Keaton shorts.

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SEVEN CHANCES (1925): Buster is to inherit $7 million on his 27th birthday, providing that he is married before 7:00 p.m. Through a misunderstanding about how worthy she is to him, his girlfriend, at first, turns his marriage proposal down, and this sends Buster on a crusade to hurry and seek a bride in a race against time.

The best scenes in "Seven Chances" occur in the last third of the movie, where athletic, speeding Buster is being chased by a thousand angry potential brides, and we get to see the actual houses, shops, cars, gas stations, banks, signs, etc., of 1925 Los Angeles and the Hollywood hills. During the silent era, filmmakers were able to film out of the studio and onto the actual street. With the emergence of sound, outside scenes had to be made using what little acreage the studio had on their back lot, or the use of (phony-looking) rear projection (that sometimes moved way too fast). Another reason the last third of "Seven Chances" is so good is because it contains one of Buster's most famous scenes: being chased down a mountain by an avalanche of gigantic boulders.

"Seven Chances" is a story that was bought by Buster's boss, who expected Bus to mold it to his style of comedy. The script is credited to someone else, but I spotted that Buster probably wrote at least one of the title cards because it contains Keatonese grammar: "It don't matter who I marry".

NEIGHBORS (1920): This is a great 2-reeler that starts off as a Romeo and Juliet kind of story, then veers off into Bus getting into silly situations using blackface and being chased by cops, then goes back to the Romeo and Juliet theme. Some of the funniest (and dangerous) gags of his career are shown here between Bus and his father, played by his real father Joe, like Bus being hung by his toes on a clothesline with Joe accidentally whacking him with a carpet beater that throws Bus into a spin-around. "Neighbors" continues with the title card "that afternoon, the inventor tries his patent fly-swatter". The fly-swatter is just a big board that teeter-totters on the fence that separates the sweethearts' backyards. Weeeeee! ....a disoriented Joe Keaton is flipped into the neighbors' backyard by the fly-swatter, and with this, I noticed that a very funny (and very stiff) dummy was used in the long shot.

THE BALLOONATIC (1923): Buster's first era of his 2-reelers is nearly coming to a close. In a few months, success will demand that he start filming more elaborate features (5-7 reels). This 2nd to last 2-reeler starts off at an amusement park where Buster is trying to pick up girls. He proceeds to a balloon launching where he accidentally is launched with it into the air. After traveling for a while, he is shown idiotically playing hunter (with duck decoys hanging from the balloon) and shoots at a bird that is resting against the side of the balloon. The blast plummets him to the earth, where a series of gags follow with Bus in the wilderness, including the use of lots of animals and a canoe named Minnie-Tee-Hee.

Read Best Reviews of Seven Chances (Ultimate Edition) (1925) Here

In 1925, Buster Keaton created a film adaptation of Roi Cooper Megrue and David Belasc0 play "Seven Chances". His fifth feature film and identified by many of his fans as possibly his best romantic comedy film ever made.

While film critics were a bit split because it was an adaptation which featured several writers responsible for the screenplay, while a simple story that is introduced in the beginning and concluded at the end, it's the middle...the main storyline which features one of the craziest chase scenes ever featured onscreen at the time, and quite timeless even today nearly 90-years later.

While the film would also feature a cameo role by future screwball comedy princess Jean Arthur, the film is also quite notable for its use of a very early Technicolor process at the beginning of the film which was recently restored by Kino for this 2011 Blu-ray release.

VIDEO:

"Seven Chances" is presented in 1080p High Definition and the film looks absolutely beautiful on Blu-ray! But first, let first preface with discussion of the introductory Technicolor scene.

"Seven Chances" was a film that utilized early Technicolor for the introduction and before this Blu-ray release, the Technicolor portion was in bad shape and degraded to the point that many people who saw the film felt it was color tinting combined with Nitrate damage on the sides. And then the US Registry has their own version of the intro which is in black and white, so there were people who were unaware of the Technicolor process that was used and thought it was just bad color tinting and Nitrate issues with the original print.

For this 2011 Blu-ray release, according to a special feature included with this Blu-ray release, film historian Eric Grayson talked about how the scene was remade by Kino to keep it as close as what people have watched back in 1925. With newer technology, they were able to restore the early Technicolor introduction and it literally took 80 hours to fix 3 minutes of footage. Sure, the Nitrate damage is still there in the introduction but now you can tell it is an early Technicolor process and not bad color tinting. But it's great to see Kino having redo those scenes, especially utilizing the best source material out there to recreate it.

With that being said, "Seven Chances" uses the restoration mastered from 35 mm materials preserved by the Library of Congress. While there are a few white specks from time-to-time, the clarity of the film is absolutely beautiful and for those who owned Kino's "The Art of Buster Keaton" DVD box set and watched "Seven Chances", there were many scenes, especially during the outdoor sequences that really never registered to me as a viewer because it looked quite blurry, but with this Blu-ray releae, you can actually make out grass, leaves, water, etc. Especially the contour of objects. The detail of this Blu-ray release compared to the older Kino DVD release is noticeable and definitely an example to silent film fans of why upgrading to Blu-ray from the older DVD is worth it!

There is a good amount of grain on video but its the detail and clarity that is possibly the highlight of this Blu-ray release. The contrast is great and black levels are deep and for the most part, the film via HD looks fantastic!

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

For the release of "Seven Chances", Kino has kept to the wonderful score by Robert Israel and we are given the LPCM 2.0 stereo score (which was featured on the original DVD release) but also a brand new DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack. The score actually sounds wonderful via lossless, absolute clarity and definitely a major difference from the original stereo track that I watched the film on DVD nearly a decade ago.

SPECIAL FEATURES

"Seven Chances" comes with the following special features:

Audio Commentary Audio commentary by film historian Ken Gordon and Bruce Lawton who give us an idea of the time period that "Seven Chances" was shot in and comparisons to Chaplin and Harold Lloyd films.

A Brideless Groom (16:48) In 1947, the "Three Stooges" remade Seven Chances, not surprising as "Seven Chances" co-writer Clyde Burkman worked on this "Three Stooges" short.

How a French Nobleman Got a Wife Through the New York Herald Personal Columns (9:44) A 1904 Edison short showcasing a similar style of story to "Seven Chances".

Tour of Filming Locations (10:17) John Bengston, author of "Silent Echoes" and well-known for visiting filming locations for Keaton, Chaplin and Lloyd films, showcases how various locations where "Seven Chances" was shot looks like now.

About the Technicolor Sequence (6:15) Film historian Eric Grayson talks about the restoration process of the early Technicolor scene for "Seven Chances".

Stills Featuring a gallery of 16 stills.

EXTRAS:

"Seven Chances" comes with a slipcase.

JUDGMENT CALL:

I can remember the first time I watched "Seven Chances" and literally seeing hundreds of women out on the street of Los Angeles as they tried to chase down and catch the character of Jimmy, played by Buster Keaton.

For the most part, Keaton's classic film "Seven Chances" can be seen as not deep as his previous films because the premise of the story is rather easy to follow. Man needs money, many has a chance of inheritance but must get married, so man needs to find a wife to get inheritance before 7:00 p.m.

Keaton's style of making sure the beginning and the end were worked out by the writers, what he needed to complete on his own was the entire middle section of the film. Where people would gasp at the stunts or whatever he would bring to the big screen.

While D.W. Griffith was a filmmaker who loved using hundreds of extras in his film, Buster Keaton loved utilizing masses. As he did in "Go West" with dozens upon dozens of cattle walking through the streets of Los Angeles, this time around, it's over a hundred women who wanted to marry the character Jimmy.

And like other Keaton films shot around that time, as a filmmaker and actor trying to raise the bar of how much risk he can take in creating the best stunts on film, one stunt featured Keaton dangling from a mechanical fork lift, another featuring the actor jumping from short cliffs to a large tree that falls to the ground after being cut by a logger.

But possible the most visual scene in cinema was Keaton running downhill but this time not being chased by women, but boulders. Sure, the boulders were specially made but according to Buster Keaton, these boulders were so large that they could hurt someone if they weren't being careful. According to Robert K. Klepper, "The Golden Era of Silents 1877-1996', Keaton's body was covered by bruises for weeks because of the filming of this chase sequence.

While film critics were inundated with actors doing these stunts, while Buster Keaton was a marvel in doing his own stuntwork, it was part of the banality of silent films as others like Chaplin, Lloyd, Fairbanks and others were doing physical work onscreen in order to entice their viewers.

And suffice to say, the stunts done by Buster Keaton were risky but how awesome do they look onscreen. Wonderful, physical comedy, risky and amazing and from the hundreds of women in the chase scene, to those hundreds of boulders falling down hill and heading towards Keaton's character, how thrilling was a scene like that. And the fact that it does last a long time, it's definitely one of my favorite chase scenes in a film!

And I believe that is why a film like "Seven Chances" is so intriguing for us today. Unlike those filmmakers who were bombarded with action sequences in silent cinema back in the day, for us, many of these scenes are done via stunt men and large crowds are now created in CG. Watching "Seven Chances" was intriguing in the fact that you see so many people utilized in one film but also, to see a part of Los Angeles that while the streets and some buildings are still around, they looking nothing like what we see in this film.

This film is a great time stamp to an era of what once was of early Hollywood or Los Angeles. "Seven Chances" for me, was more than just a comedy film but that captured the look and feel of Los Angeles in 1925 but also the pop culture fashion and hairstyles of women during the 1920's. And because there were a good number of women featured in this film, it was rather interesting to see those styles come to play. May it be the dapper teen that was about to get married to Jimmy, to the women with the Louise Brooks hairstyle. For me, as a silent film fan, I'm drawn into the historic pop culture of that era and "Seven Chances" does capture that moment in time quite well.

As for the Blu-ray release, the picture quality of "Seven Chances" is fantastic. Especially if you compared it to the original DVD release, watching the film in HD definitely made a big difference that I feel that for many silent film fans who have not wanted to stray from Blu-ray because they can't see a difference, well...watch this film and compare it to the older Kino DVD and you can see a difference in quality! As for the lossless audio, Robert Israel's score is magnificent via DTS-HD MA 5.1 but it would have been nice to have another musical score.

But I'm quite appreciative of the special features included with this release. I would have never expected to see a "Three Stooges" short on Blu-ray let alone on this Blu-ray release, but I was pretty happy about that. Also, for a film that showcases so many locations, I am so grateful that Kino once against featured John Bengston's visual essay. And of course, you get more features including audio commentary as well.

Overall, "Seven Chances" may be a shorter Buster Keaton feature film than others that were previously released on Blu-ray, but it's definitely one of his most delightful romantic comedies that he had partaken in. Also, for those who love Buster Keaton's risky stunts, "Seven Chances" doesn't disappoint in that either because this film required a lot from Buster Keaton in terms of physical comedy. And last, "Seven Chances" features one of the coolest chase scenes ever featured in early American cinema.

Once again, another magnificent Buster Keaton on Blu-ray release from Kino Lorber!

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The biggest improvement of the Blu-ray disc over the old DVD is the 80 hours of work done by Eric Grayson to improve the deteriorating technicolor sequence. In the old DVD it just looked like a red-tinted film with possibly a hint of another color. Now it is clearly a 2-color sequence. There is a demonstration in the bonus materials showing you the evolution of this restoration.

The remainder of the film was always very good on the old DVD, now the Blu-ray technology brings out sharper details and a bit more picture around all four sides. The tinting is different, the old DVD was presented with an AMBER tint through out the film while the Blu-ray has a mild BROWN tone giving it an almost monochrome look.

The Bonus Shorts on the old DVD are already on the Buster Keaton Shorts Blu-ray collection Buster Keaton Short Films Collection: 1920-1923 (Three-Disc Ultimate Edition) [Blu-ray], so no need to present them here. But with a feature running under an hour Kino needed to add some time with new bonus material.

Bonus Material:

A BRIDELESS GROOM (The Three Stooges) probably the biggest waste of time including this public domain 16mm film transfer here. It is presented because Clyde Bruckman wrote both the screenplay for SEVEN CHANCES and this 3-Stooges short. Too bad they could not get access to the 35mm material used for Sony's Three Stooges Collection release. 16mm in Hi-Def?

HOW A FRENCH NOBLEMAN GETS A WIFE FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES PERSONAL COLUMNS try to say that title fast! A novel short that is fun to see, still a 16mm transfer but not as common.

FILMING LOCATIONS More great then & now scenes to show you where SEVEN CHANCES WAS SHOT.

ABOUT THE TECHNICOLOR SEQUENCE a brief documentary about how 1925 Technicolor was shot & what a poor state the footage was in. A 4 way split frame shows you the progression of the restoration work.

PRODUCTION STILLS

Bottom line question: Is it worth it to upgrade the old DVD with this new Blu-ray? I would say "YES". Wile most of the old DVD does look good, it is a big upgrade for the technicolor sequence.

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Dragon Lord (1982)

Dragon Lord is the first good Jackie Chan film. All the elements of a classic Jackie Chan film came together in this film for the first time: 1) The well-trained but clumsy underdog hero whose adolescent tendencies get him into big trouble. 2) The use of almost cartoonish humor, blended with spectacular, sometimes death defying stunt work 3)sometimes brutal hand to hand fights with a bare minimum of bone breaking sound effects or blood.

This was only the second film Jackie directed. His first was Young Master and that film established Jackie as the martial arts Buster Keaton. However that film could not break out of the utterly formulaic restrictions the martial arts film and producers insisted upon.

Dragon Lord does change the formula and drastically. It also was not a box office success in Hong Kong and Jackie would work with his friends and Sammo (and fufill his contractual obligation to appear in the dreadful Cannonball Run 2 in 1983) before directing his first full-fledged Chan-masterpiece Project A in 1984. Dragon Lord was originally conceived as a sequel to Young Master, to be called Young Master in Love. But continuity did not allow the film to be an official sequel. It was first released (barely) to the U.S. as The Dragon Strikes in 1982. At this point in his career, Jackie knew he was not going to follow in the footsteps and be the new Bruce Lee for producer director Lo Wei. He had other things in mind and almost got what he was after with Dragon Lord.

For nearly the entire first hour of Dragon Lord , Dragon (Chan) and his best friend Cowboy (Mars) vie for the attentions of a young woman who's name we later learn is Sexxy. We are treated to an incredible display of stunt work in a opening title sequence of a Football game (not soccer) , Chinese Style. Forget about protective gear or the refs calling anyone for unnecessary roughness. 90 stunt people received minor injuries and Jackie hurt his chin so bad he was in pain when he tried to talk .

Later Cowboy and Dragon run into a field of tall grass after a pheasant and meet a desperate man trying to hide from some thugs. The thugs start to rough up Cowboy and Dragon but realize they are just kids and not connected to the man they want.

Dragon, sneaks out of his house and gets away from his studies to try and meet the young woman of his dreams but runs into his best friend and rival Cowboy. Cowboy seems to take the upper hand with a dirty trick performed in front of Dragon's father. But Dragon gets another opportunity and he has a plan. The plan involves staging an attack so that supposedly Cowboy can be a hero, but instead it's Dragon that is about to become a hero. Tempers flare however and Cowboy and Dragon fight and it becomes clear the attack was staged. The girl is not impressed and Cowboy and Dragon get into trouble and stop being friends.

Eventually the two friends make up and compete in a Chinese shuttlecck match which is played like soccer only instead of a ball the players use a shuttlecck )without rackets keeping it off the ground and moving it around without using their hands). The nearly fifteen minute sequence involving the playing of this game is a highlight of physical dexterity and stunt work. Picture the best hacky-sack players you have ever seen , now add non-stop acrobatics to the mix. Wow.

Next Dragon tries to send a note to the girl Sexxy. The kite carrying the note blows in the wrong direction and Dragon goes to retrieve it. He finds himself on a roof top and there is a top secret illegal smuggling operation going on below him. Men with spears try to get him and they almost succeed. Smugglers are stealing Ming Vases to ship out of the country illegally.

Dragon's father gives Dragon a test on his studies, and in another comic slapstick sequence Dragon manages to cheat himself through his father's examination.

This eventually all leads to a show-down with the thugs and smugglers for Cowboy and Dragon and the incredible 20 minute fight sequence finale of the film. A fight sequence which is full of all of the best of Jackie's trademark moves and humor, with only the barest minimum of any wire work or trickery. It's pure Jackie acrobatics for 20 minutes straight and a must see for all Jackie fans. He would re-stage and upgrade the fight slightly (with different characters) to end the Hong Kong film version of The Protector (the American version of this film with Danny Aielo is to be avoided except for the curious to compare it to the superior Hong Kong version of the film which Jackie re-edited and directed additional martial arts sequences for -including a new ending).

Dragon Lord doesn't represent Jackie's finest (look to Drunken Master 2 aka Legend of the Drunken Master and Project A part 2 for that). The first hour of the film feels too light and episodic. The use of music punctuates sequences in much the same way cartoon music is used. The sports sequences are knock-outs but they feel disconnected from the narrative of the film. It isn't until the final 40 minutes the film seems to come together when it generates a little bit of suspense and then delivers the knock out final fight sequence. Chan's direction and choreography though a bit repetitious after a while is impressive.

If you like Jackie Chan at all, put this one on your must see list and if your thinking maybe you'll buy it.. it's worth having!

-Christopher J Jarmick,is the author of the steamy suspense thriller The Glass Coccon with Serena F. Holder

This film was originally going to be the sequel to Jackie Chan's blockbuster hit "Young Master" and carry the title "Young Master in Love", however, during the making of this film the plot changed from having connection to the original so the title "Dragon Lord" was given. This film was given the title Dragon Strike though because it is the English dubbed version. Jackie has many scenes, which actually included no gung fu at all and were taking place inside a sports arena. Some 50-200 shots were taken on a hackiack scene! Jackie ends up accidentally finding a gangs secret hideout and discovers a smuggling plot to illegally export Chinese artifacts. This film does have a few good fight scenes and is the first of his modern Hong Kong films. It also stars the famous Yuen Biao, which is a happy side note. Not a bad film for the martial arts/Hong Kong film viewer. Also a good pick for Chan fans. All together, Dragon Strike is a film worth owning.

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My jaw dropped when I watched the Chinese hackey sack game. You'll cringe at the beginning of the movie as Jackie falls fromt the top of a human tower! OUCH! But the fight scenes were pretty lame and there wasn't a very good villain either. If you want a movie with a good villain and great action, get Young Master.

Read Best Reviews of Dragon Lord (1982) Here

If you want action and comedy at the same time this is your movie. With a 1/2 tea spoon of comedy, a 1/3 tea spoon of Action, a 2/4 tea spoon of comedy and a hole lot of Jackie Chan makes any movie awesome.

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The quality of the disc itself was good, and also a good movie. The price was very fair and it shipped pretty fast.

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Another Year (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo) (2010)

Tom is a geologist, at the start of the film, checking drill core to ensure strong foundations for coming construction. Gerry is a medical counselor, gently attempting to help her clients tend to their lives. Both are gardeners who know that you can have almost anything you want, provided you plant the seeds and take the time to tend and direct their growth. Their reward is shared time together and a bountiful harvest freely shared with others.

Mary, a middle-aged secretary at Gerry's office, knows none of this.

She repeatedly comments on Tom and Gerry's "luck" but is clueless about its source. She has no interest in others beyond finding the perfect man who will love her and even cook for her. She doesn't cook for herself or others (replacing food with alcohol)and besides, it's so much easier to go home to Tom and Gerry's where she is cared for. She even imagines a romantic relationship with their son, half her age, who she used to babysit, and is shattered (and unspeakably rude) when he brings his girlfriend home to meet the parents.

She buys a wreck of a car imagining that it will make her even more free from responsibility (in this case, train schedules) but has no clue how to care for it or even what its needs might be. At a garden party, where she imagines her mechanical difficulties to be the main topic of interest, she completely fails to notice a co-worker's new baby.

Yes, Mary is unlucky, much like the profoundly depressed insomniac woman at the very beginning of the movie -who has only two brief appearances. So why is SHE there? Because in another year or two or three, that will be Mary. She is the harvest.

There are no entertaining shoot outs or car chases here, and the only monsters are real ones. This is a quiet meditation on real life, the foundations and the seeds and patterns of growing and dying that we put in place through our own choices and desires and their consequences. Sadly and beautifully and brilliantly done.

If "Another Year" comes off as unsatisfying, perhaps that's a testament to director Mike Leigh's affinity for depicting real life as it naturally unfolds. The movie doesn't have much of a plot, but it does have a strong sense of character, believable dialogue, and a definite theme, namely that life simply goes on. It's about ordinary people with ordinary problems; they may initially seem otherworldly, but they become more real as the film progresses, and by the end, we feel as if we've known them for years. This isn't to suggest that we automatically like all of them. You can understand a person and still think they're better suited in someone else's company. The film doesn't offer a lot in the way of resolution, but then again, neither does life, so I guess there's no sense in complaining.

Taking place in England, the center of the story is Tom and Gerri (Jim Broadbent and Ruth Sheen), and before you ask, yes, they get the occasional joke about how their names are pared. They're in their autumn years and have been married a long time. They're perfectly content; Tom is an engineering geologist, Gerri is a counselor, and after some years of travelling, the two now enjoy gardening and harvesting vegetables. Their thirty-year-old son, Joe (Oliver Maltman), hasn't yet found a girlfriend but is about as content as his parents. They address each other simply and don't seem to have any issues with one another. We follow them through the course of four seasons as they interact with friends and family, who all seem to suffer from some degree of unhappiness.

The most prominent is Gerri's coworker, Mary (Lesley Manville). At first, she's a comical figure, a woman who can't seem to stop talking and always nurses a glass of wine. With every passing scene, she becomes more and more tragic until we realize that she's a desperately lonely alcoholic in serious need of professional help. She has known Joe since he was ten, and now that he's a man, she finds that she's incredibly attracted to him. He doesn't feel the same way, but he never avoids her; in fact, there are times when he makes it a point to have a conversation with her. And, when he finally does get a girlfriend, he isn't afraid to introduce her to Mary, who, as you can probably guess, is crushed. She realizes that she wasn't ready for her first marriage. She finally fell in love in her thirties, but it was to a man who ultimately divorced her and left her with nothing. At this advanced stage in her life, she just wants someone to talk to.

Mary's life is symbolized by a used car she purchased with what little money she had stashed away. We never see it fall to pieces, but there are a couple of densely worded scenes in which she rants about the mechanical problems, the break-ins, and the financial woes they entail. She's a terrible driver and gets lost quite easily, even on routes she has successfully walked many times. She relies a little too often on take-away food, since she's not much of a cook and hasn't dated anyone who would take that responsibility. She says in an early scene that she's happy to be independent, but the fact is, she wants to be taken care of. Gerri addresses her just as simply as she does her husband; if she considers Mary a friend, then I find it peculiar she didn't make more of an effort to get her help. She is, after all, a counselor.

Other characters are introduced. Some are written out much sooner than we'd expect them to be, begging the question of why they were included in the first place. Consider Tom's friend, Ken (Peter Wight), who's aging, overweight, a smoker, a drinker, and being dragged into retirement kicking and screaming. He realizes, with depressing clarity, that he doesn't want to take the train back home, for there's absolutely nothing there waiting for him. He's attracted to Mary. She most certainly doesn't feel the same way about him. The most curious character is Janet (Imelda Staunton), who appears in exactly two scenes as a clinically depressed insomniac unwilling to partake in Gerri's counseling. When the film was over, I was certain that nothing would have been lost had this character been eliminated.

A more substantial but equally subdued subplot is introduced later in the film, when Tom attends the funeral of his sister-in-law and invites his brother, Ronnie (David Bradley), to stay with him for a couple of days. Ronnie's son, Carl (Martin Savage), is an undependable hothead who I suspect was that way long before the death of his mother. Ronnie and Mary eventually have a conversation, although Mary does most of the talking. Is this her story? It might seem that way, especially since she's the subject of the final shot. Still, I have a feeling that "Another Year" isn't anyone's story in particular. Friends come and go. Families get together and separate. People live, people die seasons change. I grant you that this isn't a particularly fulfilling message. But this is a movie about the mundane, about still frames in people's lives. You see this movie, and then you move on.

Buy Another Year (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo) (2010) Now

Life isn't sweet for the characters of Mike Leigh's new film, and it's not happy-go-lucky either.

"Another Year" is, in short, another Leigh film about normal folk living ordinary lives. And yet, of course, it's about so much more.

It's about an allotment for one thing a small parcel of land lovingly tended by geologist Tom (Jim Broadbent) and his medical counsellor wife Gerri (Ruth Sheen).

It's also about a car: a dysfunctional little runaround that Gerri's lonely, wineslugging co-worker Mary (Lesley Manville) buys in the futile expectation it will open up new horizons.

It's about Tom's chum Ken (Peter Wight), a boozy, overweight sadsack. It's also about Tom's older brother Ronnie (David Bradley) and their respective sons: one a wry community lawyer (Oliver Maltman), the other an angry, volatile malcontent (Martin Savage).

Family and friends, children and parents, siblings and colleagues. Split into four parts, each one focused on a different season, Another Year has a formal, Eric Rohmer-esque structure that makes it one of its creator's most ordered works.

Yet the middle-class suburban milieu it shows is anything but, the lottery of humanity having blessed Tom and Gerri with married contentment and saddled the likes of Mary, Ken and Janet (a despondent patient of Gerri's, memorably played by Imelda Staunton) with disappointment and misery. Why do some luck out and others miss out?

You won't find an answer to that conundrum in Year. But you do see what happens when the two collide, Mary's inappropriate crush on Maltman's jovial Joe coming a cropper when he arrives for tea with a perky girlfriend (Karina Fernandez) half her age.

Manville is teriffic here, her pinched mouth and teary eyes conveying the anguish of a woman who's just had her last illusion shattered. Yet so too is Sheen, her benevolent compassion turning steely at the merest hint of her brood being threatened.

Throw in Broadbent's chipper, gently mocking patriarch and you have three of the finest performances ever to grace a Mike Leigh yarn. No mean feat from the man who gave us Naked, Vera Drake and Secrets & Lies.

Meantime, long-term Leigh collaborator, cinematographer Dick Pope, elegantly transports us from spring through to winter with a such graceful fluidity that one easily forgives the film's occasional longueur.

Leigh's take on life's rich tapestry its smiles, its frowns, its ups and downs is second nature to us now. Yet he's still made Another funny, perceptive, moving human drama. Neil Smith

Secrets and Lies

Naked Criterion Collection

Career Girls

Happy-Go-Lucky

All Or Nothing (2002)

Vera Drake

Read Best Reviews of Another Year (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo) (2010) Here

If you love character films, "Another Year" is the film for you. Granted, even for a British film, it seemed rather slow for most of the first half but I couldn't stop watching---the characters lured me immediately and persistently.

Lesley Manville plays Mary: a very pretty and exceedingly lonely woman who tries painfully hard to create a life for herself. The depths of her despair but valiant effort to be happy is paralleled by her best friend Gerri, played perfectly by Ruth Sheen. Gerri and Mary have worked together for twenty years. Gerri has always initiated kind and regular invitations to Mary to come to dinner.

Gerri and Tom (played by the brilliant Jim Broadbent) have a mature and loving ease to their marriage of so many years. They are solid realists. Their compassion for their friends and family is equal, their acceptance for a broad range of people in their lives is not only notable but admirable. They have a great heart each and melded together as a couple. Mary has had a tough time of it and it is apparent to the audience that she needs Gerri.

As she and Tom have always invited Mary to dinner for twenty years, Mary has also watched their son grow up---who is now thirty and still single. Mary has a gift for "getting ideas" about things that are not always true. She's a bit naive and therefore foolish---yet generally harmlessly so. Until one night....

Mike Leigh (writer/director) carefully develops---no, allows his characters to evolve---through ordinary, daily living that as each character's desires come more into focus, they also come into conflict with the desires of others. This drives the story to bring these relationships to a troubling climactic point: Mary's loneliness and deluded need to belong is more than awkward when she meets Joe's (played sweetly by Oliver Maltman) serious girlfriend when he surprises his parents by bringing her to dinner one night. While everyone "understands" Mary is quirky, no one foresees how toxic her pain has become. Nor how protective Gerri can be of her family.

Has Mary finally overstepped her bounds? Will Gerri and Tom turn on her afterall? Has she lost her best friend Gerri forever?

Other characters enter the story to fill out these three who are the pivotal characters. The film is tender and haunting. These characters will hold your attention and your heart.

It would seem that popular culture is spinning out of control with hypersensitivity to a frenetic need to be in touch with everyone---fast, furious, superficial hydroplaning relationships. Thank God for Mike Leigh. This film is human, rooted, stable, real in its depiction of how beautiful and calm life can be, and how each of us longs for friends like Gerri and Tom. Some of us even wish we could be them. We still need to slow down, to touch the earth, to touch each other, to linger in the presence of those we love.

It's not a feel-good movie, but it is hopeful and satisfying. The characters are so distinctive and memorable. I hope everyone involved receives the recognition they deserve for this meaningful collaboration.

See the film.

Light at Summer's End: A Novel

Julia's Quest: A Novel

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It is not very often that we have the opportunity to view a film about real people. People with flaws, people who are not movie star handsome, people we know, like our neighbors, our inlaws, our children. Mike Leigh has written and directed this superb film about these people.

Tom, played by Jim Broadbent, and Gerry, played by Ruth Sheen live in North London. They have been married for years, happily married, even. They have a son, Joe, played by oliver Maltman, who loves his parents and seems to be a perfectly normal young man. He is looking for a soulmate and feels the pressure from his parents, at times. Gerry is a therapist. For thirty years she has worked with Mary, superbly played by Lesley Manville, a secretary who has porblems. She wants the perfect man who will never be available, and she drinks too much to get her through her day. She has glammed on to Tom and Gerry. Their home is a warm, inviting place, and they are not judgemental. After a perfectly hideous evening of too much drinking and obvious jealousy of Joe's new girlfriend, Tom says of Mary, "It's Sad" That really says it all. A family funeral portrays a funeral like no other, but does point out the foibles we see in other families, and sometimes our own. All this time, going home to Tom and Gerry's is the best place to be. Tom and Gerry love their friends and family and support them, through thick and thin. We see much of the thin in this film, but that is real life.

Mike Leigh has given us a film where we feel embarrassment, amusement and sadness. This is real life, folks. We all know folks like this and maybe it is us. We are peeking into the lives of people who have foibles and we can learn from their predicaments, and from the manner that Tom and Gerry deal with life and with these folks they welcome into their lives. This is a film that gave me a sense of joy, that good folks like Tom and Gerry abound. Life is not all about the beautiful people making too much money and getting into too much trouble. We are, after all, all too human.

Highly Recommended. prisrob 06-12-11

High Hopes

Happy-Go-Lucky

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Wayne's World (1992)

Wayne's World is directed by Penelope Spheeris (The Decline of Western Civilization.) The film stars Mike Myers (Austin Powers), Dana Carvey (This Is Spinal Tap), Tia Carrere (Jury Duty), Rob Lowe (St. Elmo's Fire), Brian Doyle-Murray (National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation), Ed O'Neill (Married With Children), and Donna Dixon. The film is based on the classic series of Saturday Night Live sketches of the same name, also starring Myers.

Wayne Campbell (Myers) and Garth Elgar (Carvey) are hold-over would-be rockers from the eighties. Wayne still lives in his parents' basement, and hosts his public access television show, Wayne's World, from there a strange show that isn't afraid to poke fun at its guests. A television executive (Lowe) intends to acquire the rights to the show, so that he can exploi t it and make big bucks from the production. Along the way, Garth will pursue his dream woman (Dixon), Wayne will meet a rock star girlfriend (Carrere), and the twosome will hear plenty of bizarre theories and experiences from a psychotic donut shop owner (O'Neill.)

Wayne's World is a classic because it succeeds on so many levels. In addition to giving us interesting, funny characters, the movie throws comical scenes at us at lightning speed and they succeed more often than they fall flat. Additionally, the film manages to make fun of just about every angle of the movie industry without ever losing its heart. Despite some harsh language here and there, it manages to succeed as a film without being explicit. Yes, it's a little bit dated almost two decades later. But when so many catchphrases from one movie become part of everyday American culture, you know the film has succeeded and cemented its own place as a classic piece of cinema (even if it goes against everything I usually call classics.)

There aren't enough good things to say about this movie. There is no shortage of stuff that will make you laugh here. In just over an hour-and-a-half, the movie pokes fun at the entertainment industry, product placement, alternate endings, public access television, and other films and genres yet at the same time manages to tell an effective, comical story that, unlike so many other comedies, actually has a heart. Wayne's World may not have the impact it did during its initial release two decades ago, but there is no denying that this is a great little piece of cinema. You'll laugh until it hurts and then you'll laugh some more.

Image and Sound:

You'll laugh! You'll cry! You'll Hurl! And this time around, you'll be doing all three in 1080p and TrueHD! The transfer here is a bit underwhelming, but this was never really much of a "visual" movie. This transfer is a slight step up in detail from earlier DVD incarnations of the movie, but it's not a massive improvement over them. Where the disc really shines, though, is its TrueHD audio track, which really gets a chance to shine in loud scenes, and features improved clarity over earlier DVD counterparts. However, if you own the older DVD, there's really not much of a reason to upgrade. This is a good-looking and sounding disc, but it's not that much of an improvement over an upconverted DVD.

Special Features:

There are no new special features here, just stuff ported over from the previous DVD release. First up is a Penelope Spheeris commentary track. No fan of the movie will be disappointed in this commentary it goes into quite a bit of detail on the movie, and she has no shortage of info to share. Still, you'll wish Myers and Carvey had been on board. The other major feature is Extreme Close-Up, your standard obligatory "making of" featurette. Like the commentary, there's a lot of interesting information here, and fans won't want to pass it up. Closing out the features is the original theatrical trailer. All in all, these are nice little bonuses, I only wish they had included some new stuff here instead of just porting over (what few) bonus features were on the DVD.

Final Words:

It's Wayne's World! Wayne's World! It's party time! It's excellent! And it's on Blu-Ray at long last! The film is an undeniable classic, even if it breaks all the rules for what I usually call a classic. If you already own the old DVD, this isn't worth the double dip since the upconverted DVD comes close to the quality of this disc anyhow. But if you don't already own the movie, this disc is a good bet. Get out of your parents' basement, get in the Mirthmobile, and head down to the store and pick up this disc. No fan should be disappointed, though only die-hards (who surely already own the film) need apply for this double dip.

Wayne Campbell (Mike Myers) and Garth Algar (Dana Carvey) have a television show on a public access station that they film in thier basement. A producer (Rob Lowe) buys the show and puts it on his network. But little do Wayne and Garth know that he plans to exploit the show and takes Wayne's girlfriend Casandra (Tia Carrere).

This is the best SNL movie ever and is filled with lots of memorable lines and scenes. This was filmed on a small budget but was a major sucess. There are plenty of famous people in small roles like Chris Farley, Laura Flynn Boyle, Alice Cooper and Ed O'neil to name a few.

The DVD is presented in widescreen and in DD 5.1 surround. It also contains a featurete filled with interviews and clips from the movie and the theatrical trailer.

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We all know that Austin Powers was a funny movie, but the way the press prattles on and on about it, you'd never know that there was life before Austin. Let me take you back to 1992 B.A.P (Before Austin Powers): Mike Myers takes a "Saturday Night Live" sketch to the big screen. The sketch was called "Wayne's World", and the movie version was greeted with major box office and critical praise (Excellent!). This movie kicks serious a--! The jokes are funny, even after you've seen it 50 times! The performaces are wonderful! The lines are classic! It's just such a great movie! It'll bring you up when you feel down! So, in conclusion, this movie sucks...NOT!

Read Best Reviews of Wayne's World (1992) Here

1992. "Saturday Night Live" was on fire with its current comedy lineup and one of the show's more popular sketch was "WAYNE'S WORLD" which featured Wayne Campbell (Mike Myers) and Garth Algar (Dana Carvey), two rock n' roll fans who host a cable access show in Aurora, Illinois.

The film featured an all-star cast with Rob Lowe, Tia Carrere, Lara Flynn Boyle, Robert Patrick, Alice Cooper, Ione Skye and a several more notable talent and was commercially successful as it made $121.5 million in the US and on various online polls, has been selected in their top 100 comedy films of all time.

Because of the film's tight schedule as both Mike Myers and Dana Carvey had to film during the summer vacation and then head back to New York City for rehearsals for "Saturday Night Live", Producer Lorn Michaels tapped producer and director Penelope Spheeris ("The Little Rascals", "The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years", "Dudes", etc.) who knew how to shoot an entire film in slightly over a month's time but most importantly, her background with working on music videos and the top rock bands.

"Wayne's World" is a hilarious film with many jokes, multiple endings and various film parodies and overall, trying to find out if both Wayne and Garth's relationship as friends can last and how they can take back their show.

VIDEO & AUDIO:

"WAYNE'S WORLD" is featured in 1080p High Definition and overall, it's an OK but not a vibrant looking transfer. At times it seems a bit soft but it definitely looks cleaner and better than the original DVD which I did comparisons with.

After watching "WAYNE'S WORLD 2' and seeing the disappointing picture quality of the sequel, I wasn't sure how the first film would turn out on Blu-ray. Fortunately, the picture quality of the original is much better than the sequel. Where the sequel had plenty or dust particles and the white speckles, there are very few on this transfer.

As for audio, "WAYNE'S WORLD" features a Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack (as well as French 2.0 Dolby Surround and Spanish Mono).

The film is primarily dialogue but it happens to be a film also strong when it comes to the utilization of music. There is a lot of music being utilized throughout the film. And I can tell you that the audio is quite clear but if I had one disappointment, the soundtrack of the overall film is primarily front channel usage. In fact, I don't think I've even heard my subwoofer being utilized during the whole film. If any bass was coming out, it was coming out through my two fronts.

Even during certain sequences that would utilize low frequency sounds, no subwoofer usage. I did hear my rear surround at work a few times, especially during the airplane sequence but overall, the soundtrack is also OK. Was hoping for better directional usage of audio throughout the whole 5.1.

But overall, picture and audio quality were average at best.

As for subtitles, subtitles are presented in English, English SDH, Spanish and Portuguese.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

"Wayne's World" comes with the same features from the original DVD release. Primarily the one commentary and one featurette.

* Audio Commentary by Director Penelope SpheerisActually, a very cool commentary by Director Spheeris. She comes off as a rock n' roll, free and anything goes kind of director. Laughing and just having fun as she talks about working with the guys, making sure she was strict to the schedule but allowing various scenes that she wanted, what Mike and Dana wanted and then working with the best footage during post-production. A lot of behind-the-scenes information from how Mike Myers was initially against the headbanging scene for "Bohemian Rhapsody" because he felt it wasn't funny to why she was happy that Tia Carrere was cast for the role and how her rock n' roll and SNL experience helped her for this film. I also found it interesting as Spheeris talked about how Lorne Michaels promotes this competitive nature for the comedians on "Saturday Night Live" and thus, this film that did feature a lot of improvisation, was about the characters utilizing their surroundings and what they would do on the scene when the camera was on them.

* "Wayne's World Extreme Close-Up: Exclusive Cast & Crew Interviews" (23:14) This featurette features interviews with Director Penelope Spheeris, Producer Lorne Michaels and the cast of "WAYNE'S WORLD". You also get interesting tidbits of information about the screen testing of the film from the "Cream of Some Young Guy" scene, the headbanging scene and how Mike Myers neck hurt from reshooting that scene over and over, Dana Carvey forgetting the words to "Bohemian Rhapsody", the laughing scene of Wayne and Garth under the airplane, the friendship of Mike Myers and Rob Lowe began with this film, how Dana Carvey based Garth's way of talking from his brother and much more. (In Standard Definition)

* Theatrical Trailer (2:03) The original theatrical trailer in HD.

JUDGMENT CALL:

I absolutely enjoyed "WAYNE'S WORLD" when it came out on film. The way it was cut and the overall wackiness and improvised scenes, the parodying of other films and TV shows and of course, the multiple endings. Everything seemed to work perfectly.

Mike Myers and Dana Carvey do a great job with their characters. The guys were in their element and of course Mike Myers improvising especially the Wayne and Cassandra bedroom scene was hilarious! Both men did a great job in making the audience feel these characters and just laugh with them (or at them).

I also believe that part of the benefit of this film's success is due to Director Penelope Spheeris's extensive music and rock n' roll background. She knew what she wanted to capture on film, she knew she wanted the rock music to be integral to the film and even learning from the Director's commentary of how the talent didn't feel certain scenes would be funny, but she insisted for the talent to do what she instructed (unfortunately, it's been reported that because of this, she was not tapped to direct the sequel which was a shame). But you have to give Spheeris some major credit, to cut a film in 32-34 days is just unheard of these days and even at that time but because some of the cast and crew were used to the quick schedule workaround from their years at "Saturday Night Live", everything came together.

But there were so many memorable moments from the film that will always stand out, most importantly the "Bohemian Rhapsody" scene with the guys singing the QUEEN song which probably, many people not familiar with QUEEN may have never heard of until it was shown over and over on MTV. If anything, music played a major role for this film and it was fun watching how it was utilized.

As for the Blu-ray transfer, definitely much better than the sequel but picture and audio quality was average at best. Special features were quite slim and it would have been awesome to see some sort of gag reel or deleted scenes.

For those who own the DVD and wonder if it's worth double dipping and repurchasing it on Blu-ray, it's up to you. If the 1080p High Definition transfer is important to you. The audio quality is not exactly reference quality and for special features, there really is nothing added to the Blu-ray version of this release. So, in comparing both the DVD and the Blu-ray, it all comes down to if you want the film on High Definition.

From a sketch on `Saturday Night Live' and becoming a full-feature film, 16 years later, `Wayne's World' is definitely a unique, hilarious and crazy classic comedy film worth watching!

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The ultimate hang out and rock comedy, Wayne's World! This ia one of the really good SNL spinoffs that I personally was very glad that it hit the screen. Mike Myers (Wayne) and Dana Cravey (Garth), are hilarious in this and it shows that this sketch was easily one of the best on SNL ever!

It's a non stop rib shattering comedy from start to finish! Myers and Carvey are totally awesome and let's face it, Tia Carrera is hot! PLus with a little bit of parody (T2) and making fund of themselves a little (the sponsor scene).

WAYNE'S WORLD is totally excellent and of course having a pretty good soundtrack doesn't hurt either. This is really funny. You'll be laughing the whole way though! Pick this up and also heck out WAYNE'S WORLD 2 nad from Myers, check out the AUSTIN POWERS series. Enough said, it's Austin Powers! And if you're looking for any other good SNL spinoffs, check out NIGHT AT THE ROXBURY, CONEHEADS and BLUES BROTHERS.

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Jimmy Hollywood (1994)

Director Barry Levinson("Rain Man"),brings us this quirky comedy of life in the not so glamorous side of Hollywood. Joe Pesci plays Jimmy Alto, "Actor Extraordinaire". He knows it, his pal William(Christian Slater) knows it, it even says that exact thing on the bus stop ad he has invested in(using his girlfriend's money). Alas no one else in Hollywood has seemed to discover this brillant acting talent yet!

It seems the criminal element in his neighborhood make a much better living stealing car radios and such, then he does. When his girlfriend(Victoria Abril) is mugged and Jimmy's car is broken into("Why does anyone bother rolling up their windows, ya just have to pay to fix em when they rob your radio?"),Jimmy and William, who's a little on the slow side, decide to start video taping the criminals and turning them over to the police.And not just the tapes, the perps are delivered as well.This action turns into the biggest break in Jimmy's career he could ever hope for.

The police assume that some big time vigalante group is responsible for these actions, and Jimmy seeing at as the role of a lifetime makes himself over as "Jericho" the leader of this group, and really gets into "method acting".He's thrilled as he see's himself(in disguise) on all the news shows. He's finally got some attention! Pretty soon the police and the criminals are after "Jericho" and Jimmy must decide on an ending for this story.It's all very "Hollywood" right up to the end,and you should at least stay for the beginning of the credits as there are some great surprise cameos.

Joe Pesci is marvelous as the stuggling actor who is enthralled with the great movie stars of the past. Christian Slater plays the spacey William perfectly, and Victoria Abril has a great chemistry with Pesci and is wonderful as the girlfriend who can only sit back and say in her delightful Spanish accent"Are you out of your mind?!"

The film is alot of fun, the musical soundtrack is great, and the VHS has a nice picture and sounds terrifc in the Hi-Fi Stereo. I would even say 4 and 1/2 stars if the film hadn't been "formatted to fit your screen", but still very much worth the view.

If you've ever had a dream..this film is for you....Laurie

I saw this film when i was 15, and wow it is well played, great story line, just got the DVD a couple of weeks ago. The dude from home alone is awsome, why cant they make films like this today!!

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This movie was awesome. I loved it. I saw it at around one o' clock this morning and I'm buying it off of Amazon now. It was creative and clever with a Tarantino-type of nonsensical flow. The way everyone talked...it was great. The jokes were funny and the people were real in their own weird way. The characters were all unique and lovable and it was nice how amiable most of the people were. No one really got mad at each other. Anyway, if you haven't seen this movie, you should, and if you have, you should see it again. It's awesome.

Read Best Reviews of Jimmy Hollywood (1994) Here

Joe Pesci plays Jimmy Alto, an Average Joe from New Jersey who came to Hollywood to become a star. But Golden Age Hollywood is no more. Instead of glamour, Jimmy found a seedy town. Instead of fame, he's become one of thousands of unemployed actors.

It's an old story, but enjoyable to anyone who's shared Jimmy's dream. Probably less so for anyone who doesn't much care about "behind the scenes" Hollywood.

Then Jimmy Alto (aka Jimmy Hollywood to his buddies back in New Jersey) captures the thief who stole his car radio and dumps him off at police hq -anonymously. When this inadvertantly makes him a vigalante celebrity, he decides he's found his "role of a lifetime." He continues his vigalantism, upsetting police and criminals alike, while to him it's merely a "role," and the cheering citizens, his "audience."

A bit overlong, and it hits some very old observations on Hollywood past and present, but not a bad film. Spanish actress Victoria Abril is delightful as his girlfriend with dreams of becoming a "hairdresser to the stars."

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6/04/05 Comcast Cable 's HBO Channel's repay of this movie was a true "due" for all the replays of bad movies that they rerun.."Jimmy Hollywood" starring Joe Pesci,Christian Slater and Victoria Arril had something few movies have "No anti-climax"..As he(Jooe Pesci) repeats his rehearsal lines before facing the hyped police outside the California Egyptian Theatre,who are looking forward with "press /media prompting" to confront "Jerico"of the SOS membership a/k/a Jimmy Alto(the actor),who never got the break of a Brando or Cagney.. vs attending to "crime in the streets" etc. he keeps repeating the Lines "What You Going to Kill Me, Everybody dies"... In this time before the confrontation due to portable TV, he sees "fans" like he would want for the 1st time .Fortunately his friends played by actor Christian Slater(who had to delay his fugitive run from the city to keep his appointment for the 17th of the month "MRI")leaves the California Egyptian theatre,and his girlfriend Lorraine (played by Victoria Avril) lets the police know that "the actor Jimmy Alto" gun contained only blank..Thus 150 police don't shot at him as he leaves the Egyptian theatre.The movie's ending is the "stuff that kept the movie industry surviving strongly for so long".

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Motherhood (2009)

Greenwhich Village, NY (specifically the west village) provides the backdrop for this totally fun romantic comedy about a mom who has to plan out one crazy, yet typical mom-day that in this instance includes tonight's 6 year b-day party, but also includes protecting her car, saving her bike, getting the right goodie-bags, befriending her friend (Minnie Driver)and of course writing her blog about being a mom. Whew....

Uma Thurman, in a role so entirely different than anything she's done before, plays 'mom' and is fantastic! Her relationship with her husband (Anthony Edwards) seem quite real-life in that he wants to be of help but hey... he is a man, right? There IS a bit of magic between them indeed and while it might not be on the scale of "Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan" (yet), it peeks through nonetheless and proves itself by the end of the film in a scene sure to win you over entirely. I could envision the two together in more films going forward...

Minnie Driver plays the perfect supporting role as 'insightful best friend' and while the movie runs along a somewhat predictable course at times, it also provides some very nice surprises and follows that formula that always wins while laying in some interesting insights into what it's like to be a mom. I can see the mommy-blogs launching new discussions for sure and a plethora of subjects. OK OK... I realize that I am not a mom, but I am married to one...

If you enjoy films like Moonstruck, Sleepless in Seattle, Mask, You've Got Mail and so on, Motherhood is a likely winner for you.

I loved this movie. The Norman Rockwell/"Leave it to Beaver" view of motherhood never worked for me. Life is a wonderful, funny, heartbreaking juggling act...and I think this film "gets it." As I've raised my brood in a rural community, I was amused and fascinated by the film's take on raising kids in the city. Overall...the film fascinated me...amused me...touched me. It was one of the better films I've seen recently. It's smart, and the humor comes out of irony.

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This is probably a really good movie that lots of people will truly enjoy. I can say that this little story about a day in the life of this family, and especially the mother, does have a certain charm to it. And the acting is very well done.

But here is the thing that really turned me off: This day is very hectic. My, my. All the things the mother has to do in this day. What a busy, almost intolerable day. My. my. Of course, most of us have to do all that stuff, and still go to work. We get up at 4:30 every morning, do EVERYTHING this mother has to do, put in 8 serious hours, commute, trust our children to daycare, come home, clean, cook, shop, be cheerful....

Some people think that is a choice. But for most of us, it isn't. It is just the reality of needing a paycheck. So, this movie just didn't click with me. I felt like I was watching Marie Antoinette say, "Let them eat cake."

I don't think I've ever been so sarcastic in a review, but this movie was just very, very, very shallow.

Read Best Reviews of Motherhood (2009) Here

This was a very funny movie and well worth the hour and a half or so spent watching it... A lot of reviewers seem to want perfection as they see it in a movie about a mom making her way through a busy day, but this movie just offers some hilarious fun and good-natured escape. I'd recommend it to anyone with a sense of humor!

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I by passed this at the rental store but I wish now that I had not. Uma Thurman really did an awesome job in this film and every mother could totally relate to this film and if your a blogger mom you'll love it! I know the critics really got down on this film but they made a mistake it's a gem!

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The Geisha Boy (1958)

Those who have eagerly awaited some of Jerry Lewis' post-Dean Martin classics being released on DVD and Blu-ray for the first time will have a special Valentine courtesy of Olive Films as 1958's "The Geisha Boy," 1958's "Rock-a-Bye Baby" and 1965's "Boeing Boeing" get a 2/14/12 release. It's hard to imagine that these films have not been made available on DVD prior to now! Of course, Lewis still remains a love it or loathe it proposition for many modern era film goers--but there is no denying his legacy and impact on the contemporary comedy scene. Oftentimes content to play the fool, Lewis displayed an innocent appeal on-screen that engaged a sense of silliness in us all. But he had genuine heart too, and his good-natured screen persona created some indelibly beloved characters that stand in contrast to his more complicated personal life. These films are an interesting cross section of Lewis' film catalogue as we see him doing what he does best but bringing additional elements of seriousness to the table. Made of a certain time and place, these films offer great nostalgia value for those that love Lewis--but also an opportunity for new viewers to discover Lewis in his prime.

"The Geisha Boy" is a surprisingly big hearted comedy in which Lewis portrays a down-on-his-luck magician. The only paying gig he can secure is with a traveling USO tour. As the picture opens, Lewis and his amazing bunny Harry (who steals every scene that he's in) are headed to the Pacific theater to entertain the troops with a haughty actress (a great Marie McDonald) and a kindly sergeant (Suzanne Pleshette in her film debut). In Japan, Lewis strikes up a friendship with a lonely orphan boy and his aunt. With a minimum of actual development, it's an instant family with Jerry serving as a surrogate father figure despite the language differences. Along the way, there is plenty of comic mayhem involving everything from the Los Angeles Dodgers to "The Bridge on the River Kwai" with Lewis ably demonstrating the cartoon-like faces and physical comedy that is his trademark.

What distinguishes "The Geisha Boy," though, is the sentimentality of its second act. Personally, I enjoyed the more over-the-top excess within the first part of the movie. The relationships necessary for this to really tug at your heartstrings (and clearly, it is meant to do so) are not delineated with much precision or depth. While I enjoyed Lewis and his interactions with his new Japanese family, they lacked the sweetness they might have had if the screenplay had built them in more detail. But it's all very pleasant. Lots of sight gags abound and plenty of pratfalls, it's classic Lewis. Harry, the rabbit, also gives a stunningly adept performance. With effortless comic timing, Harry turns into a true star! Obviously, I'm kidding--but I did love Harry and the preposterous scenarios they put our fuzzy friend in. And I dug that enormous in-flight carrot salad--heck, I can't even get peanuts anymore. Family friendly and funny, this is a good one for children and the kids in all of us. KGHarris, 12/11.

Although Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis made a great team, this movie, The Geisha Boy, shows Jerry's true talent solo.

Jerry plays a magician named Mr. Wooley, who plans to entertain troops overseas to make a few bucks. Part of his tricks include a rabbit named Harry. This rabbit plays a big part in the movie (perhaps taking Dean's place?). Struggling, Mr. Wooley thinks that playing for the USO will make him a few bucks and give him, perhaps, the big break he's been waiting for. In this time he meets a beautiful Japanese woman, who has a nephew that laughs at practically the sight of Mr. Wooley, and is forever changed by Mr. Wooley. In this comical love story, also featuring Suzanne Pleshette in her first movie role, Jerry really shows true talent for clean comedy and laughs without a sidekick (if you don't count the rabbit). There are also a few surprise things in the movie that you really have to pay attention to catch, making it even more fun!

I highly recommend anyone who enjoys Jerry to watch this film. It will have you rolling with laughter and magically feeling good!

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Owing to Eddie Murphy remake, "The Nutty Professor" comes to our mind first as Jerry Lewis's most representative work, but it also tends to overshadow his other neglected gems, one of which is here, "The Geisha Boy." Despite its now corny title, the film has still a lot to offer for our laugh.

Jerry is this time a second-rate magician, who goes to Japan and war-time Korea, to entertain the soldiers; instead, he falls in love with a Japanese woman Kimi (Nobu McCarthy). He also forms an unlikely relationship with an orphaned boy, who considers Jerry as a new father. As the time of returning to America comes near, he has to decide: stay or leave?

Besides the touching story, in which Jerry shows his tender side, he exhibits lots of his crazy gags as usual, and they are very funny even now. Among many others, my favorite is "the biggest splash in the world" that happens in the Japanese public bath. And Harry the Hare always steals the show -look how he runs in a hotel -and Sessue Hayakawa appears as a cameo, to parody his role in a David Lean film (you know what).

As far as I can judge from the film, Jerry's segments are all shot inside America, just like they did in Bogart's "Tokyo Joe" (though we see a big statue of Buddha in Kamakura, Japan, Jerry does not share the screen with it.) The town of Japan is obviously made in a soundstage, but these facts are not important. As a Japanese, I am not a little surprised (pleasantly) to find that the film is friendly to Japan, (remember both nations were at war 13 years before) and inaccurate descriptions of Japan, which are still often found in Hollywood movies, are reduced to the minimal level. It is quite possible that someone behind the production team gave information on Japan, not to offend Japanese audience. The biggest suprise is that some of the gag are clearly made for Japanese; check out the scene where a Japanese boy watches a TV program. An American is speaking (dubbed) Japanese, but his speech is in a dialect of Kansai, western district of Japan. This causes a big laugh in Japan, because it is like hearing a Japanese speaking with a strong accent of, say, New Orleans or Scotland. Who thought of this idea?

My only complaint is the film is longer than it should be, and the opening and ending reels move a little slowly. And Pleshette's character (her debut, and appears in military uniform) should be given more screen time. But these are minor things. A good film that makes you laugh a lot.

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After watching every Jerry Lewis movie I can get my hands on, and this being one of the first I ever saw, I would still say it is his best. As soon as the little Japanese boy laughs at him, he is asked by the family to stay and keep making the boy laugh. He rather reluctanlty does so, but soon realizes he is having fun, along with Harry, his white rabbit that travels everywhere with Mr Wooley (Jerry Lewis) The Magician, especialy to Korea to entertain the troops. A great movie for adults and children.

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I don't want to repeat what all the other reviewers have said. I know that when I went to see this movie when it first came out ( yes, I am "that" old ) I didn't have too much hope of it being a good movie. I mean it was Jerry Lewis without Dean Martin! How good could it be? Well turns out it was an excellent movie with an excellent performance by Jerry Lewis.

Just enough silliness without being stupid...and a surprising bit of seriousness also. I loved Harry the rabbit...and he really did almost steal the movie away from everyone...ALMOST.

My favorite line in the whole movie was "Oh look! Two genies, king-size and regular!" And those of you who've seen this movie know which hilarious scene I'm talking about!

Buy this movie and enjoy it...AND I really hope it will be released on DVD real soon.

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Schoolgirl Hitchhikers (1973)

Redemption Films should be lauded in bringing the films of French Director Jean Rollin to American audiences and now with his passing last year ,his catalog of films can be viewed and appreciated by lovers of Euro and erotic cinema. During his Vampire film years , he made a number of sexy, erotic films under the pseudonym of Michel Gentil and took his pairing of female heroines into different sexy encounters. This film 'SCHOOLGIRL HITCHHIKERS' was the first and stars the beautiful Joelle Couer who would also star in three other films of his and then disappeared from the screen in the late seventies. The film resembles a fairy tale with a 'Goldilocks and the three Bears' feel and then becomes a lethal jewel heist caper eventually succumbing to cartoon like shootouts and chases intermixed with soft core sexual encounters by each character. Rollin himself appears at the end of the film in a crucial plot enhancer. Its amazing how Rollin was able to find these beautiful abandoned chateaus for his films and in this one , he really utilizes them as characters unto themselves with gorgeous lighting and photography. If you are a Rollin fan, you will recognize many of the actors as they appear and this film holds up much better than the other sexy Euro films which came out in the late sixties/early seventies. Rollin would go on to direct the enjoyable 'BACCHANALES SEXUELLES' , but this one is a great introduction to these types of romps. Redemption releases it here under the Jezebel/Salvation logo and its a nice full screen print but suffers from jerky movements during the transfer when there is excessive camera movement. There is a repeat Rollin interview which is included on the 'LIVING DEAD GIRL' DVD and has a nice still gallery of the actresses during the filming. It's a hell of a lotta fun and should be in every Rollin collection.

Schoolgirl hitchhikers is a good sexploitation film with plenty of nudity.No,it is not a great film if your looking for a cinema masterpiece or something other then an sexploitation film,there are enough plot holes to make swiss cheese.The film is about 2 girls hitchhiking who find what they think is an abandon house.The girls are lesbian lovers who are bissexual.They make love in the house and when the jewel thief who inhabits the house comes back one of the girls makes love with him.In the morning the girls leave and the jewel thief finds the jewels missing.He tracks them down to their tent and kidnaps them which leads to a little S&m session to get the one hitchhiker to talk,the other escapes and goes to a private detective for some reason instead of the cops.They come back to the house,are captured which leads to more sex and another escape.If you like looking at nude,good looking women and a fairly nonsensical plot that moves along briskly,I recommend this movie.Its a fun sexploitation picture .

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This is NOT a REVIEW of the film "Schoolgirl Hitchhikers" the content of which has been ably covered by other reviewers I am mostly writing to WARN other potential purchasers of this fine little piece of '70's Euro sexploitation that the quality of the DVD released by 'Desert Island Classics' is VERY POOR!

This is the third product I have purchased that came from Desert Island Classics and the film transfer quality on all of them is bad! They all appear to be hastily produced DVDR products dubbed from low quality old VHS tape sources. The picture is grainy and degraded, often w/ tracking lines showing up periodically. IF this was the only version of the film available these Desert Island debacles might be considered marginally acceptable but (particularly in the case of 'Schoolgirl Hitch-hikers') they just don't cut it and should be avoided. Not only is the transfer quality pathetic, but the play time for the DIC version is only 67 min. while other releases of the same film clock in at closer to 74 min. alluding to some substantial cuts!

I have been very disappointed in the 'quality' of the presentation of all the product I've received from this DVD authoring outfit and really cannot recommend them.

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Here's another one of those delicious sexy comedies from the seventies that has been restored to Blu-ray quality, to the satisfaction of us lusty males (and females) who have fond memories of these films. Directed by Jean Rollin (1938-2010), under the name Michel Gentil, one of the masters of the erotic genre, as well as horror movies, "Schoolgirl Hitchhikers" is another delightful entry of classic erotic films that I'm glad came back, as best as ever.

Monica (Joëlle Coeur) and Jackie (Monica Stark, aka Gilda Arancio) are two free-spirited, young and attractive ladies that "decided to spend the holidays in the great outdoors." While walking through the countryside, they discover an apparently abandoned mansion, and decide to stay the night there. Bad move. As it turns out, the big house is serving as a hideout for a "small-time hood," who "adopts" both ladies. The lucky thief has his fun with Monica and Jackie, who, by the way, are also lovers. Unfortunately, when the owner of the stolen property shows up to the mansion to collect his stuff from the thief, they can't find it, so the gangster blames the girls for the mysterious disappearance of the goods. Enter a private detective and his beautiful assistant, and add more suspense and sexuality to the story.

"Schoolgirl Hitchhikers" is fun to watch, as the characters are silly and having a good time. Of course, this being a French erotic comedy, there's plenty of nudity and soft-core sex. Another jewel of the seventies. (France, 1973, color, 79 min)

Reviewed on May 23, 2013 by Eric Gonzalez for Kino Lorber Jezebel Blu-ray

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This was an okay movie, but better suited as a rental. For me, It was kinda comical in the way it was presented, Everybody kept getting the drop on everybody else. The Director, got the sex out of the way, such as it was, early on and got down to the main focus of the plot. Essentially, two girls picking the wrong place to hangout. When the robbers show up, things get a bit dicey. As I said, it was kind of comical in a way. Although dated, it was enjoyable, but only a one timer in my opinion.

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