Mad Money (2008)

Bridget Cardigan (Diane Keaton) suddenly finds herself out of money and upper class home when her husband Don (Ted Danson) gets downsized from his company. Unable to find a job, and out of desperation, she takes a job as a janitor at the Federal Reserve Bank, and as soon as she lays eyes on the vast fortune sitting around locked in plain sight, she starts hatching a plan to liberate some of it.

Her ingenious and simple plan requires the help of two other people, and soon she persuades the reluctant Nina Brewster (Queen Latifah) and the ditsy Jackie Truman (Katie Holmes) to aid and abet her scheme to steal worn out bills before they get shredded.

All together now:

And the money kept rolling in from every side

Jackie's pretty hands reached out and they reached wide

Now you may feel it should have

been a conscience-pricking scheme

But that's not the point my friends

When the money keeps rolling in, you don't ask how

Think of all the people guaranteed a good time now

Bridget called the needy to her, opened up the doors

Never been a fund like the Federal Reserve Bank plan*

After a while, there are thoughts of calling it a day, but Bridget pushes hard for milking it for all it's worth.

Short Attention Span Summary (SASS)

1. The lack of money is the root of all scheming

2. People who live with poor spouses shouldn't clean banks

3. A dollar saved is a dollar earned

4. Don't throw the money out with the trash paper

5. Money changes everything

6. Two things are certain theft and taxes

This is a light hearted comedy about three women from different backgrounds who come together to pull off an unlikely heist from a secure facility. Undeniably, there are more plot holes than plot, but who's counting? There are some funny moments, and some interesting twists, and even though the movie mostly misses the mark, Keaton and Latifah are as good as always. Wait for it on cable.

*Based on "And the Money Kept Rolling In (and Out)" Andrew Lloyd Webber "Evita"

Amanda Richards, March 21, 2008

Mad Money a brainy scheme of 3 women Diane Keaton, Queen Latifah and Katie Holmes try to smuggle millions of worn out currency that is headed for the Federal Reserve shredder. This movie is full of laughs and excitement and most of all lots of Mad Money. This in my opinion is a must see. I enjoyed these 3 actresses who are my favorite so much I now own it.

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This is a rare movie, where some of our favorite actors are involved in less than desired activities, and yet we found ourselves rooting for them. The movie is about three women in difficult situations, needing money and a change of perspective for their families.

Ted Danson delivers a great performance as the unemployed husband of Bridget, who not only lost his highly paid executive job, but is now depressed and confronting reality for at his age, he no longer feels confident enough to start again.

The three women work at what looks like Fort Knox, where money is disposed off by banks because it becomes too old to circulate. They simply shred millions every day. To support her family, Bridget, played by Diane Keaton, comes up with a rather ingenious plot that is both fun and believable.

In order to be successful in her plan to steal lots of money, Bridget enlists others. Nina, played by Queen Latifah, and Jackie, superbly played by Katie Holmes, become the other two in this trio of thieves. We found ourselves laughing, enjoying the suspense, and hoping that they get away with their creative money recycling business.

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Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program I thought this was supposed to be a comedy. While the movie was good, I wasn't laughing much. It's full of excitment but no so much on the laughter.

MAIN STORYLINE : When her husband loses his job, Bridget (Keaton) need cash fast. When she lands a job as a jaintor at the Federal Reserve Bank, her plan : steal money going out of circulation. She enlists the help of 2 people : 1. The one who shreds the money (Latifah) and the woman who pushes the carts of money around (Holmes).

PROS

1. Overall, it's a great movie

2. great Casting

CONS

1. Not so comedic

2. Unoriginal storyline The movie is a remake of the British movie "Hot Money"

3. No Subtitles.

I just felt the movie could have been funnier and the dvd to have subtitles. I like to read what I am hearing. And while the movies gets a thumbs up, because I didn't laugh so much at this "comedy", it's not worth the whole 5 stars

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Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program Mad Money accomplishes its goal of treating a serious topic in such a light hearted way that you actually enjoy watching the film. The acting is extremely convincing and the plot moves along at a good pace. It held my attention every step of the way!

The action starts when Bridget Cardigan (Diane Keaton) finds out that she and her husband Don (Ted Danson) have finally gone broke after a year of his being unemployed after a "downsizing." Bridget tries in desperation to find work until her former maid gives her a tip that the Federal Reserve Bank is hiring--janitors. Bridget goes from being a wealthy suburbanite to a bank janitor very quickly as she attempts to save the house she has with her husband Don.

When she works at the bank, Bridget can't believe how much money she sees--and none of it, of course, is hers. They actually shred it! She soon concocts a plan to "recycle" some of the money and therefore steal it for herself and her husband. Yet Bridget knows she will need help; she can't do that big a job by herself. She eventually enlists "space cadet" Jackie Truman (Katie Holmes) who lives in a trailer with her husband Bob (Adam Rothenberg). She also gets help from an initially very reluctant Nina Brewster (Queen Latifah) who does the actual shredding of the money.

It isn't long before the women successfully make their first robbery--they pull it off! They're just beginning to celebrate when Bridget's husband Don walks into the room and there's some pretty big explaining to do. Bridget, no matter what, eventually convinces everyone with her aggressive attacks that more heists are necessary for them to have "what they want."

Of course, from here the plot can go anywhere. What happens when a security guard finds out what these three women are doing--will he go along with them and join them or will he turn them in? What about Bridget's plans to spend the money--that doesn't sit well with Nina who wants it very inconspicuous that there's been any changes in their financial situations--will Bridget or Nina win the tug of war? What about the management of the bank and the people they call in as advisers about theft--will THEY catch on and find that these women are stealing? No plot spoilers here, folks--watch the movie and find out! The ending has a few plot twists that may surprise you!

The DVD comes with a commentary; and you can watch it in either widescreen or full screen mode. There's also a cute but very brief "making of" featurette.

Overall, while Mad Money is not exactly going to win best comedy of the year, it isn't bad either. I recommend this movie for a few light hearted laughs and the acting is splendid. People who like Queen Latifah, Diane Keaton, Katie Holmes and Ted Danson will enjoy this movie, too.

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This Is Spinal Tap (1984)

Superb (m/r)ockumentary of the semi-fictitious band "Spinal Tap", made up of Michael McKean ("Lenny", soul mate of Squigy, on the TV series "Laverne & Shirley"), Christopher Guest (actor/director of "Waiting for Guffman"), Harry Shearer (performs voices of 22 different characters on "The Simpsons"), and a random selection of ever-changing drummers. The movie is a tongue-in-cheek parody of washed-up hard rock bands that still think they are God's gift to the universe. The inspired idiocy borders on genius at times, lending weight to Michael's observation that there is a "fine line between stupid and clever".

The DVD is simply amazing. For starters, everything is in character. From the style of the main menu title screen, to the menu voice-overs by the band, and extending through all of the extra material included on the DVD, the personas of the band (and the fictitious director as well) are maintained with perfect consistency.

What makes this all the more amazing is the shear quantity of extras on the disk. For starters, there is about an hour of "deleted" scenes provided. In addition, there are numerous music videos, TV commercials (fake I presume???), and trailers. And as if that weren't enough, there is also a commentary track throughout the entire film with the band members, completely in character, being as hilariously idiotic as they are in the film. The Spinal Tap commentary track is easily the most entertaining commentary in my extensive DVD library.

The DVD medium is put to splendid use as well. Menu transitions are computer animations inspired by some of the film's funniest moments. Each menu plays a different "Tap" song, giving you access to a decent percentage of the sound track. And, just as importantly, the animations are not overdone; the menus are still easy to use, and the transitions only take a few seconds.

Overall, this DVD is a great value, and provides a vast amount of material not available in the VHS version. If you are a Tap fan, or would like to be, you NEED this DVD!

Movie

----------------

Originality: A

Creativity: A

Complexity/Depth: B-

Relevance/Message: B

Artistic Merit: A

Overall Entertainment Value: A



DVD

------

Transfer Quality: A

Extras: A+

Use of Medium: A

It amazes me that to this day, nearly 20 years later, there are still some people who thought this was real. That Spinal Tap actually existed. It's hilarious. This film is truly one of a kind. It perfectly lampoons the life, success, and downfall of a rock group. The film is shot as a documentary, or as this kind of film is, a 'mockumentary'. It's being done by director Marty DiBergi(Rob Reiner, who also directed and co-wrote the film), who is best known for commercials. He chronicles the life of legendary british band, Spinal Tap. The members of this band include David St. Hubbins(the always great Michael McKean), who is the vocalist of the group. Nigel Tufnel(the brilliant Christopher Guest), is the lead guitarist. Big mustached Derek Smalls(the great Harry Shearer), is the bass player. They started out in the mid 1960's as a mellower hippy/pop type band with songs like "Listen(To What The Flower People Say)". The documentary chronicles that to where they are today. They turned into a long haired, heavy metal group with songs like "Big Bottom", "Sex Farm", and others. The entire film shows their struggles to maintain their career as it appears to be falling down the tubes. Producers won't release their album, concerts are cancelled, no one comes to autograph signings. The inner turmoil within the band is showcased as well. They suffered from we could call, 'the Yoko syndrome', where St. Hubbins' girlfriend, Janine Pettibone(June Chadwick), comes into the picture and causes friction within the group. Throughout the film and interviews, there are concert clips showing the band in glorious action. The film was written by our three stars, and they must have spent time in this world because many musicians have stated the authenticity of it all. Not only did they write it and get it down pat, but these three guys also wrote every song and really performed them. They might not of been a real group, but they could of been. Keep your eyes peeled open for appearances by Billy Crystal, Dana Carvey, and Fran Drescher at a party. Fred Willard and Ed Begley Jr., who have become Chris Guest regulars in his future films, appear here as well. Willard, as he will in the future films, steals every single frame he is in. Ed Begley, Jr. plays the band's original guitarist who died in an awful gardening accident. This continues as a running gag(that always works)thru the rest of the film concerning their drummers. The movie is funny. It's not the kind of comedy that a lot of people will get. Read the one star reviews below for that. It's a type of comedy that is very dry, but also very funny. If you are not in on it, you will not get it or respect it for what it is and is trying to do. Same goes for Guest's future films(Waiting For Guffman and Best In Show). The DVD comes with a great load of cool extras. The three guys, in character, give audio commentary. It's priceless. There is a new interview with Rob Reiner. There is a slew of other special features here. Over an hour of never before seen footage; Theatrical trailers; 6 TV commercials; an appearance on "The Joe Franklin Show"; 4 music videos for "Listen(To What The Flower People Say)", "Hell Hole", "Big Bottom", and one I can't remember the name of. It's a hysterical film that hits on every mark. Definitley the funniest movie about music ever made, and the all time best 'mockumentary'. And once again, just to make sure, this was not a real band. Go ahead and see this. It's one of a kind.

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The gods of comedy rock, Spinal Tap, will be re-releasing theirhilariously brilliant mockumentary This Is Spinal Tap by releasing itin theaters again and presenting anew video and DVD version of the infamous film. MGM Home Entertainment notes that the 1984 rock comedy, about a fictitious over the hill heavy metal band on their comeback tour, will re-released on VHS and DVD after being out of print for several years. The new special edition home video versions of the film will boast new audio commentary from the cast, an hour's worth of deleted scenes, beefed up sound and video, and more. Some of the goodies turned up on a This Is Spinal Tap CD-ROM that surfaced in the early '90s and later on the first DVD version, but this new release will be different in many ways. Most notably, the new version will feature entirely new audio commentary. The previous DVD featured the cast members commenting out of character, this time actors Michael McKean, Harry Shearer, and Christopher Guest will offer commentary in character (as David St. Hubbins, Derek Smalls, and Nigel Tufnel, respectively).

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Well, Spinal Tap just won't give up. They're approaching 60 and still rocking. This new edition of the comedy masterpiece This is Spinal Tap is loaded with goodies, especially for die hard fans. The intro alone is worth the price of the DVD, with all three members (in character) commenting on the title sequence of the DVD. Then some commentary as you navigate the menu (especially funny is the subtitles bit). Then there are the extras! Man...some of the extras aren't the funniest, so it's obvious as to why they were removed from the final cut, but some are hilarious! My favorite out-take was a bit featuring Nigel (Christopher Guest) explaining to Marty Dibergi (Rob Reiner) the similarities between tradtional Indonesian music and true American Western music. This scene is as funny as anything in the movie. A nice touch is the audio commentary featuring all three in character as they analyze the truthfulness of DiBergi's representation and recall old times. Funny as hell. All in all, if you're a Tap fan, this will make you forget about the "Hellhole" you live in! A great continuation of the Tap legacy.

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This is the movie that turned me on to Christopher Guest's unique style of subtle comedy (though This is Spinal Tap is hardly subtle). After watching Best of Show and Waiting for Guffman, it's clear that this is disproportionately Guest's movie, despite the (obvious and extremely beneficial) shared writing credits between him, McKean, Shearer, and Reiner.

I recommend this movie to pretty much everyone who has an interest in music (especially the music of the 60's, 70's, and 80's) and a healthy sense of humor. No one is immune to this satire, with pretty clear (and not so clear) jabs at the Beatles, The Who, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, and countless other groups. Add to that a "fake" music group that has about as much musical talent as some of the "real" groups from the era that they're satirizing, and you've got a masterpiece of a movie.

This DVD takes it another step and adds in over an hour of cut footage that adds a lot to the story, and adds a lot more laughs. It would have been nice to have the option to plug the outtakes back into the movie in their original places (like in the X-Men DVD), but merely having them there is a big plus in itself. Other extras, like commentary from the characters, music videos for some of their songs, multiple trailers and TV advertisement spots, and other more minor extras make this a must have DVD for anyone who enjoys this type of movie.

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Clue: The Movie (1985)

Clue is Paramount Pictures' comedic film rendering of the classic Parker Brothers board game of the same name. But don't let that dissuade you from seeing this one. Although you'll recognize the chromatic character names, unlikely murder weapons, and Victorian mansion settings, tracking down the murderer in the movie version of Clue requires a good deal more than a deck of cards and a notepad. (It's a lot more fun this way, too.)

Involving the talents of seven of Hollywood's funniest funny people, including Madeline Kahn as Mrs. White, Christopher Lloyd as Professor Plum, and Tim Curry as Wadsworth, the requisite butler, the film is guaranteed to keep you laughing. The script is packed with sparklingly witty exchanges, such as this one between Wadsworth and an angry Colonel Mustard (Martin Mull):

Mustard: Are you trying to make me look stupid in front of the other guests?

Wadsworth: You don't need any help from me.

Mustard: That's right!

Later in the picture, as the by-now-blasé guests glance down at the most recent victim, Mr. Green (Michael McKean) updates the count to "Six murders." Wadsworth's grave response? "This is getting serious." And Wadsworth's explanation of "who killed whom where and with what" at the end of the picture is packed with the impersonations, facial expressions, and things not-quite-British that rank Tim Curry among the funniest Britons ever to defect to Hollywood.

Madeline Kahn, too, liberally sprinkles commentaries, both vocal and facial, into any and all situations, the sheer spontaneity of which make one wonder whether or not they're actually in the script. The line in the show which had me laughing the hardest, anyway, was not really a line at all, but rather a high-pitched, yodeling scream from Mrs. White. (You'll know it when you hear it.) And her operatic descant over the guests' chorus of "For She's a Jolly Good Fellow" had me rolling in the aisle.

Another facet of the movie, disguised by the humor, but every bit as important to one's enjoyment of the film, is the maze of leads, lies, and leaps of logic which ultimately culminates in not one, but three possible answers as to "Whodunnit." And here's the amazing part: each of the three endings (I checked) stands up to close scrutiny of the clues provided earlier in the film. From the time Wadsworth verifies Yvette's mysterious "instructions" until the last pull of the trigger, each minute detail is essential to the plot. A word of warning to the dedicated popcorn-munching detective: the guests at this dinner party are all experts at using comedy to distract. While you're busy laughing at Miss Scarlet in the ballroom, a desperate dinner guest wielding a monkey wrench is hurrying through the secret passage to the study, trying to silence that unfortunate motorist before he says too much....

The film isn't perfect-the physical humor becomes strained at times, and there are a very few lines whose comedic and textual value I question. Still, the film bears enough good comedy and old-fashioned mystery, garnished with a sound track that adds just the right spice to the flavor of both humor and suspense, to earn a "five-star comedy" rating from me.

This is one of my favorite films of all time. It's loaded with outragous, silly slapstick humor and the entire cast is superb! You'll be amazed at how many of the lines and gags get stuck in your head. I'll never be able to forget the flusterd looks of Mrs. Peacock, the wit and charm of Wadsworth or the subtle facial expressions of Mrs. White. Thankfully I'll be able to see all this and more as Clue is finally presented in anamorphic widescreen! The picture is the best yet of this film since it's initial release, but there are moments when the image appears too soft and the entire presentation leans to the dark side (no Star Wars pun intended). The darkness though, does help to heighten the mystery/suspense aspect of Clue. From a purists point of view it's good that the soundtrack is kept in it's original mono, still I'd greatly enjoy hearing a stero or, even better, a surround sound version in the future. Unfortunately there are only 13 chapter stopsincluded on the DVD. Any film requires at least double this amount to be really effective.

Without a doubt the best feature of this DVD is the multiple endings feature. After you select "play" you will be asked if you would lilke the player to randomly choose one of the three endings for you, or see all three of them at the end. Whoever thought of this feature deserves a raise as it greatly enhances the longevity of the disc and brings the film closer to it's board game roots. Now you have the option of really not knowing who did it until the final scenes play bringing suprise into the untold repeat viewings that are sure to occur.

The technical imperfections mentioned before are slight and I believe are primarilly due to original production decisions and the films age. To make a long review short (too late), this is a must own for any fan of one of the numerous stars, comedy or film firsts. You won't be disappointed.

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Almost everybody has played the game Clue. We all have heard of Mr.Green, Professor Plum, Miss Scarlett, Col.Mustard, Mrs.White, and Mrs.Peacock. Now we actually get to see the game on screen.

The story to Clue is a great mystery. Six individuals Mr.Green(McKean), Mrs.Peacock(Brannen),Col.Mustard(Mull),Mrs.White(Kahn), Miss Scarlet(Warren), and Pro. Plum(Lloyd) have all received invitations to a mysterious house. They all have been invited to dinner and have no idea while they are there. When they reach the house they discover that the master is not there, but his butler Wadsworth(Curry) and Maid Yvette(Camp) are the only poeple there. The guests are informed that they are there by the invitation of Mr.Boddy. Mr.Boddy is blackmailing them all and thats the only thing in common the six people have. Then people start dying in the home and now it's up to the whole group to see who is doing it and to see if they can get out alive.

This really was a great cast. It had a bunch of big stars from that day. All have pretty good performances in there roles as the character from the game.

Tim Curry gives the best performance of the movie. Curry is a very talented actor. He's been quite underrated in Hollywood. He really takes the role as Wadsworth the Butler and runs with it. He is such a weasal and nobody plays a character like Curry can.

The other actors in the movie really do give good performances in the movie.

The movie is quite funny and has a bunch of slapstick in it. Mull as Col.Mustard is the funniest out of the six characters because he sets himself up to be made fun of so well. The dialogue is also quite funny and when the characters start ranting it gets quite good. John Landis(Blues Brother, Animal House) wrote the story with Johnathan Lynn writing the screenplay. They've combined for a fantastic written movie.

It's a great mystery and the three different endings are fun. You get all three of them on the DVD and all are enjoyable though some are better than others. You really are kept quite clueless as to who has killed who and that again is credited to the writing skills of Landis and Lynn.

Thi is a funny movie. If you like to play Clue the game then you will definetly enjoy this movie. If you like slapstick comedies you will definetly enjoy the movie as well. This is a funny movie that can be watched by the whole family. So go get Clue and be prepared to laugh and have a good time.

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Of all the `80s comedies to apparently generate some kind of cult following, you wouldn't have imagined Paramount's holiday `85 offering "Clue: The Movie" to be one of them yet this box-office disappointment arrives on Blu-Ray this month, in a solid presentation from Paramount that suffers from the same primary issue as its DVD predecessor.

Originally a John Landis vehicle (he's still listed as an executive producer and receives co-story credit), director Jonathan Lynn's "Clue" is a fast-paced, wacky whoduneit with all the principal characters from the famous Parker Brothers board game assembled for a night of murder and mystery. The cast tries their hardest to make the frantic shenanigans of Lynn's script come to life (Tim Curry is terrific as the Butler, while Martin Mull and Michael McKean provide some laughs as iconic characters from the game), but the problem with the movie is that it often tries too hard to be funny leaving you exhausted by the time the outcome is revealed.

"Clue" was shot with three different endings (A, B, and C) and was originally released that way to theaters, with multiplexes advertising the specific version of the movie they were showing. On its initial video releases, all three endings were clumsily assembled to create a disjointed finale that didn't really work too well.

For the Blu-Ray much like the DVD Paramount has taken the three endings and presented them in a frustrating manner: you can either choose to watch the movie with all three finales (as it was released on video), OR you can choose to watch the film with a random ending selected from all three conclusions. Good idea, right? Well, not if you've seen the movie once, played one random ending, and then viewed the same finale again the next time out! A better idea would've had the viewer select which ending they'd like to see, but alas, once again that didn't happen.

One area, at least, where the Blu-Ray improves upon its predecessor outside of its generally pleasing, AVC encoded transfer which hasn't been doused with DNR is that all of the different endings (including the home video "trilogy" compilation) are available to view separate from the film in the supplemental section, along with the theatrical trailer (in HD). The DTS MA mono audio is fine for what it is (I haven't looked it up but you'd imagine this was one of the last big studio releases to be released in mono), with John Morris' score working as hard as the ensemble cast.

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Clue: The Movie [Blu-ray]

I have to say this is really disappointing.

I have the DVD which is pretty good quality for a DVD, and perfectly watchable on an HD system. However, I have seen the HD broadcast transfer and while it looks pretty good, it doesn't really appear to be worth the money for a minor bump in video quality.

Paramount really missed the boat here as far as extras are concerned. Clue has definitely achieved cult status And as such is deserving of equal treatment.

At a bare minimum, Paramount should have pulled from their vaults and given us the legendary 4th ending in which Wadsworth kills everybody (and made it in for several late cuts of the movie, so prints exist suggesting little effort to add it). This ending has been talked about since the movie was first released, and is included in both the novelization, and storybook released simultaneously with the film. Even some shots used in the trailer and publicity stills were taken from it.

But there was so much more they could have done for this little cult gem in their catalogue, and justified the cost of constomers spending the money to upgrade to BluRay on a movie which plays on DVD pretty well. For instance, LaLaLand Records released the full score of John Morris' music last year, and on that release were two cues that had been cut from the film -the introduction of Miss Scarlet, and the match cutting scene. Even including these two scenes with the alternate soundtrack would have been terrific. And of course, so many interviews that could have been included from Landis and Lynn about how this film came about, with first hand details about how the film was to originally to be set in Flordia ...

And while I appreciate that the original mono track sounds great, honestly isn't that all this movie really had going for it in terms of new technology, considering the quality of the original DVD transfer? The constant rain in the surrounds for instance, thunderclaps, rich orchestral underscore fleshing out the restored picture, effects and dialogue coming from proper perspectives? Remastering the audio track alone would have breathed so much new life into this movie. Surely the original elements still exist ...

Personally I can't imagine any reason to buy the Blu Ray disk unless I just want another case sitting around my shelves collecting dust. the 1080p HD transfer from this BluRay has been available at iTunes now for a while, so I'm thinking this is one for the digital library, especially for the $20 price tag ...

I just don't see the purpose in dumping releases out simply to get them on BluRay, but offering nothing else. Maybe one day Paramount will get it.

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Unicorn City - Blu-ray - Feature Film (2012)

I was lucky enough to see this movie in chicago at comic con, and couldn't wait to get my hands on a copy of it to show all my friends. The movie never gets old the jokes all stay just as funny as the first time you watch it, and the more of your friends who see it you start to say jokes from the movie to each other. I would buy more copies if i could and give them out as gifts to every one i know just to get more people to watch it.

I was able to take my kids to see this while it was still in the theaters. My kids (11 & 9) still talk about this movie and can't wait to see it again. As for me... I LOVED it! Kind of makes me want to find friends that Larp now. Such imagination! will not disappoint.

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I saw this movie at a festival in Provo and LOVED it! It's hilarious and original. The costume design is so great. You can't beat the centaur costume. It is a great, funny, family friendly movie and I can't wait to get my hands on it. I have to own this movie and have been counting down! :)

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Audiences frequently complain about remakes, and beg for something new and original. Unicorn City is it. Even if you've never heard of LARPing* or LARPers** you will be a fan after watching this clever Indie film.

Devin McGinn plays Voss, a depressed, unemployed young man living in his brothers closet, and rebelling against selling his fish tacos. Voss has high hopes for his dream job, but doubts he can prove himself in time to get it. Jaclyn Hales is Marsha, the lovely, shy, tall girl who wishes Voss would notice she has loved him for years. Add Jon Gries, the slimy, conniving game-master (we all loved him as Uncle Rico in Napoleon Dynamite, and will detest him in Unicorn City), things start happening that will have you laughing your guts out in no time, even if you try to convince yourself you'll hate this movie.

Newcomer Clint Vanderlinden is hilarious as Rhubarb the Centaur, and Matt Mattson brings such a fresh, honest performance, you love him from the minute he appears onscreen, cat ears and all. The ensemble cast is over-the-top yet completely believable at the same time. Why? Because we all have friends just like these people.

Costumers Kish Carter and Bree Evans should be nominated for a major award for these great get-ups. You may never rid your mind of Dash Wolf's Quargooz, but then, why would you want to?

A film the whole family can enjoy together, Unicorn City gets two thumbs up from me, and I hope to see a sequel soon.

*Live-Action Role-Playing **Live-Action Role-Players

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I saw this movie in a theater in Provo. I laughed harder than I've laughed in a movie theater in a long time. It was witty and hilarious. One of my new favorite movies of all time!

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Doghouse (2009)

The zombie resurgence continues (really now, the undead are everywhere!) in the delightfully silly British import "Doghouse." The horror/comedy zombie mine has been drilled so many times lately, I was afraid this film might be dead on arrival. But with a playful wink at sexual politics, "Doghouse" adds a new man versus woman angle that keeps things lively. Director Jake West manages to infuse the film with plenty of appropriately gruesome moments, gross visuals, hilarious sight gags, and then tops it off with a biting social satire on sexism. With no pretensions, "Doghouse" qualifies as a rollicking good time and I was pleasantly surprised by how much fun I had.

The film starts out as a bit of male wish fulfillment. To support a friend going through a divorce, a group of guys decides to take a "boys only" vacation. The joke is that they decide to go to a remote town where women reportedly outnumber men four to one. Even though the logic of this escapade is a bit sketchy, the guys are eager to take a break from their everyday lives (it helps that all their introductions present cloying spouses and unpleasant situations). So maybe this vision of a town with randy and willing ladies seems perfectly reasonable. Traveling via bus (in scenes eerily reminiscent of "Severance"--check it out as well), the guys eventually discover things all but deserted--until they start finding body parts and bloody remnants. But that's not all--the women have been turned into ravenous zombies!

A military/government experiment has gone awry and the resultant virus affects only the fairer sex. The zombies are hysterically attired in various garish outfits--sexy bride and maniacal beautician are my favorites, at least until an unlikely encounter occurs with one of our heroes (Danny Dyer) and a very large negligee-wearing seductress. Once the guys hit town, "Doghouse" becomes a frantic and non-stop adventure. Dyer (who co-incidentally was also in "Severance," about the ultimate corporate retreat) is spot-on as the biggest dog in the pack, but all the guys fill their roles nicely.

"Doghouse" is first and foremost a comedy. While the attacks and splatter scenes are well choreographed, there will be more laughs accompanying the slapstick antics than jolts from pure fright. "Doghouse" is very successful at achieving its modest goals. Entertaining and strangely endearing, you might find yourself liking the film and its heroes more than you might want to admit. So, I'll go ahead and make my confession--I loved "Doghouse!" KGHarris, 10/10.

I saw that this had one of the actors from Kidulthood so I looked at the preview. The preview cracked me up. The movie itself walks a line between thriller and comedy and I think they did a great job. It's not an all-out comedy like Shawn of the Dead, but it has some very funny parts. It is definitely worth a watch.

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This movie is a zomedy from the U.K. and it looks great on blu ray for sure. It features a group of average brit blokes who take their divorced friend on a vacation tour trip and end up in a village filled with female women infected with a virus that makes them zombie like. But they are not zombies really , instead mutated would be a better word for them. The music in this movie is really cool rock and that helps the feel of the movie. The cast itself are all veterans of british tv and film and NOT first timers, in fact this is way above some amuteur film made by beginners. So you get a low budget flick done by seasoned professionals all the way here. The negative reviews on amazon about acting are not accurate at all I believe, the sets looked fine to me as well. It was a small village set and that's that. The story is not pollitically correct at all and of course we get silliness some. The whole idea that the brit government would test a virus on a village in their own country is lame but who else would this movie work? well it could have been a meteor and that would have been less distasteful but it's now become part of filmland to always blame governments for everything so this is what you get. However it doesn't matter as this is a zomedy anyways. I thought the movie moved fast and was funny and even offensive which is what it aimed to be anyways. However the idea of men finding themselves in this horrible situation seems far fetched.

Instead regardless if you knew these cannibal women you'd be filled with horror and not take this lightly. But this does have the actors act that way to a degree which lets us all know that this is a comedy to a degree. Still it's a fast moving flick and if you don't take it seriously you'll have fun watching it. The blu ray has deleted scenes and extras as well. the blu ray is all region but the extras are not though. you'd need a all region blu ray to watch the extras but the feature film is fine on your american blu ray player. The uk has lots of horror blus that aren't making it out over here and most of them are all region so it's a good idea to grab them if you want a hd version of a movie like this.

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I wont bore you with too much back story cause it's all been done here, lets just say male friends on a male weekend and they so go to the wrong town. This movie was just funny, and I actually liked the guys, I was sad to see bad things happen to some of them. The crazy psycho women are just over the top. But it was one thing after another with these poor guys so it's certainly not boring on any level. And it will make the gore lovers happy as well. But this movie will make you laugh if you have any kind of sense of humor.

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Review originally posted on my website, From the Mind of Tatlock

Here I was saying there wasn't many funny zombie movies out there in my Aaah! Zombies!! movie review and then a certain streaming service recommends I check out Doghouse. Boy, am I glad I did, cause I loved it! It was funny, gory and has a fun 80's horror vibe throughout. If that piqued your interest, read on for more...

Short nitty-gritty plot description from IMDb is as follows: A group of men head to a remote village to help one of their friends get over his divorce; when they get there, though, they discover that all the women have been infected with a virus that makes them man-hating cannibals.

Okay, I said in my intro that Doghouse is a funny zombie movie, but I'm kinda stretching the truth a little, as the movie's creatures aren't really zombies per say and are more just weird infected... well, creatures. They will munch down on flesh and tear you apart, but they are so weird looking and go through different phases, that I wouldn't really classify them as a straight zombie. So, with that out of the way, what is the movie about.

Doghouse follows a group of friends, Niel, Mikey, Graham, Matt and Patrick, as they console a fellow friend, Vince, who is going through a rough divorce. The plan is to go on a road trip to the small town of Moodley, where the women outnumber the men and get drunk, get laid and just forget their troubles. They arrive in Moodley and find out that Mikey, the one who planned the trip and who was originally from this town, was fibbing a little on the size and excitement of the place. Thankfully for us and not so much for our friends, the town has been infected with a virus and all the women are ravenous creatures, who will stop at nothing to tear you apart!

Doghouse has a lot of positives in my useless opinion. It was pretty damn funny, the guys are pretty dumb, but I enjoyed them all and didn't find any of the actor's annoying. Well, the character of Neil, was a little grating at first, but he grew on me. The other big positive is the creature effects. The women monsters are all unique and memorable. They brandish weapons and snarl, vomit and just spew grossness. It's awesome! The movie also has some lovely gore and doesn't shy away from showing the guts.

Now, things aren't all sunshine and lollypops unfortunately. The movie misses it's mark a few times with the story. The movie hints at something terrible in the woods and the guy's shouldn't go in them. So, I figured they would at least once walk into them and we would get a giant hoard of creature women chasing them, but sadly, the movie never moves away from this small town. Yes, the town does vary enough that you are never bored of the surroundings, but I still would've liked to wander in those woods and see the horror. Finally, the movie doesn't really explain much and leaves a lot of plot threads just hanging. Before you know it, the movie's credits are rolling and your left with several questions unanswered.

All negatives aside, Doghouse is a riot, filled with gore, humor and buxom zombie/creature ladies. This is one doghouse I wouldn't mind being in. It doesn't slow down and always left me entertained. I'm a little disappointed in a few questions left open, but that doesn't stop me from highly recommending any horror fan to check it out.

Rating: 4/5 (-1 for unanswered questions and leaving the woods out of it. +4 for gore, humor, a fun story and some gnarly ladies.)

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Jumping the Broom (2011)

Update 9/7/2011: I bought the film and listened to the commentary. It was so dreadfully boring. I'm always hesitant to listen to commentary when the director is the main speaker because they bring up all this stuff that viewers truly don't care about (ex. tent leaning to the side, boat in the distance, why a certain color was used). But this director just went on and on with these long-winded lectures about culture, skin complexion and relationships. I wanted him to talk about the actual movie, but I felt like I was sitting through a motivational speak, which would've been cool if that was what I was looking for. I liked the playful arguing and friendly flirting between Laz Alonso and Paula Patton though. I did learn a few things like Tasha didn't know how to swim, Mike Epps hurt his leg and like a trooper kept going and Paula Patton's obsession with her breath. These were those funny quirks I wanted to hear about. Oddly enough, Romeo was never acknowledged during the commentary (unless I missed it), but all the other actors were. I wondered why, but every time Romeo came up, the director was back into another lecture. My opinion: Just watch the film without the commentary.

Cons: Absolutely none (Edit: 9/7 minus the commentary)!

Pros: I loved this movie. From the previews, we already know that two people are getting married, and their families are from two different classes. What I was worried about was the non-elite group would be extra ghetto, stereotypical, loud and obnoxious, basically everything that awful "Tyler Perry's Madea's Big Happy Family" was. Instead we got an intelligent group of blue collar workers with a couple family members who just weren't impressed with the bells and whistles. Yeah, they kept it "real," but it was real in the sense that it wasn't degrading, and I LOVED that about this film. I'd never seen Loretta Devine play a role that wasn't overly nice and motherly in the sweetest way, so it was fascinating to see her as the obnoxious post office worker and mean mother-in-law-to-be. I was equally ecstatic to find out that Tasha Smith would FINALLY not be playing the angry black woman. I was completely thrown off at how Angela Bassett pulled off such a snobbish, catty role. She did really well, even though she seems so chill in real life. Paula Patton continues to progress as an actress, and I loved her in this film. I already knew Laz Alonso and Mike Epps (the latter being ridiculously funny) were going to kill it, and Laz Alonso and Paula Patton had a ginormous amount of onscreen romantic chemistry. Romeo did his thing, and his acting has improved a lot, too. DeRay Davis was funny in the way only DeRay can do, and I liked him and Mike Epps in the same movie together. Neither was trying to out-funny the other, and they both worked well. Mike Epps was actually doing a lot of serious acting in the middle of his jokes, so I give him MAJOR respect for doing it in such a convincing way.

I just read that Brian Stokes Mitchell, who played the elite father, was Trevor on "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air." Although I don't recognize him from that television show, he's so handsome and he did so well in this film. I would love to see him in more stuff, but apparently I've never seen anything he's done outside of that television show. When I first saw him, I was thinking, "Where did he come from? Please hire him more often." I almost always like anything Meagan Good is in, and I love everything about Valarie Pettiford. Her personality just bursts on television and in movies.

To sum it up, two people are getting married after going out for six months. Paula Patton's character, Sabrina, got a job in China. Laz Alonso's character, Jason, doesn't believe in long distance. They decide to get married but Sabrina's family hasn't met Jason's family. That's where the fun starts! When Mrs. Taylor's relatives come into town to this rich family's home, there are definitely some choice words, side eyes, secrets released and a lot of laughs.

I definitely recommend this film for anyone looking for quality work that you may not expect.

At the risk of sounding prejudice, I saw this movie with a theater full of black people, which I contend is the best way to enjoy this movie as the audience reaction was perhaps more enjoyable than the movie. Paula Patton plays Sabrina Watson who has prayed to God to meet the right man. She gets her sign when she runs into (with her car) Jason Taylor (Laz Alonso). After dating for 5 months they opt to get married. Sabrina's family is wealthy and act like "white people." They frown on black culture. Jason's mom works for the post office and takes anger management classes. When the families get together for the first time for the wedding, there is a clash of personalities and cultures as Jason's mom (Loretta Devine) reminds the bride's family they are still black. The phrase "jumping the broom" was new to me. It is what black people traditionally do at weddings, dating back to the time of slavery. Since slaves were not allowed to marry, they would perform their own marriage ceremony by jumping the broom.

By having the bride's family be black also, the film could do more with the cultural clash and get away with it than if it was a black-white wedding. For instance, the groom's family wants to do the Electric Slide, a nearly time-honored tradition at black weddings. The bride's family rejects the idea to wit the groom's family responds, "So I suppose you are going to do the River Dance?" This would never work with a black-white wedding, but works remarkably well with two black families, judging from the roar from the audience.

Oh yes. And the happy wedding couple have not yet consummated their relationship and everyone knows it and thinks it is odd. And the bride's family has a few secrets. The low point was when Jason's mom plays the trump card. The movie shifts from funny to awkward.

No swearing. No sex. No nudity (bra/panties). Adult themes.

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This movie is so awesome in every aspect! This movie is filled with comedy, drama, love and inspiration and many more things that impact our everyday life. I could not believe the feeling of joy that this movie left me with.

My mother, sister, and I went to see this movie today for mothers day and this movie did not disappoint. Bishop Jakes and the characters of this movie out did them selves. Mike Epps was soooooooo funny to me in this movie! To me he put on a great show as did the other characters.

This movie was so good to us that we wanted to see it again at midnight... I can not wait until this movie comes out on DVD, as I plan to watch this movie over and over again!

We needed a good clean movie with comedy like this to make us laugh, after all laughter is the best medicine!

I also can not begin to tell you about the scenery in this movie.. It was breath taking!

Each and everyone will be able to relate to both families, I love the story line as it felt so real! I felt like I was there with the characters just waiting for the next incident to unfold!

This movie has great characters and lots of fun and unfolding events that will keep you on the edge of your seat or rolling on the floor laughing! Everyone in the movie theater was laughing and carrying on at the comedy and great acting by the characters in this movie.

If you have not seen Jumping the broom, you need to get out and go see it right now... You are missing out... I could not wait to write a review about this move, as it is that good!

I wish that more movies like this would be made.. This is just great clean family fun at its best!

Thanks to Bishop Jakes, all of the characters of this movie and everyone who had a part in bringing this movie to life and to the movie screen! Please please make more movies like this.. And keep of the great work!

Thanks, as you made a joyful day for mothers day for my family and I! We were truly Blessed and many who view this movie will also be Blessed!

Get ready to get your laugh on, your tears on and dust off your dancing shoes!

Another good movie to view is called A Good Man Is Hard To Find, I purchased this movie through Amazon... You won't be disappointed.

Enjoy we sure did!

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I've seen this movie before... it was a film released not too long ago called "Our Wedding", which featured America Ferreira, Forest Whitaker and Carlos Mencia among others. The cast actually was pretty good, but the film itself was a little poor. Though that one tried to deal more with ethnic twists (one of Latin background, the other of African-American), the premise and in some ways even flow and scenes of the movie felt eerily similar. "Jumping the Broom", produced by Tracey Edmunds, ex-wife of Babyface. She has had some fair movies in the past and this one is another that was 'ok'. Not good, not bad, just ok (to me).

The premise has been talked about already, and I can't really review this without giving away spoilers. So be warned! Ok then what I did like about the movie was that there was an occasional twist to it. Especially with the aunt. And I also liked the way they handled Tasha Smith's character. I was also pleasantly surprised by Mike Epps role in the movie though at some times became a bit much not for the lechery but preachiness. To put it another way, though the film dealt with different African-American families from different ranges in social status, they did not make the individuals from the 'poorer' end particularly ignorant. Granted, they just couldn't quite get away from having SOME of that there in the movie but overall I think it was handled well. Now... what I did not like, is easier to talk about. Paula Patton really over-acting the part on this one and the person that said she seemed un-realistic, to me, hit the nail on the head. From the voice to even the shock news in the end, it seemed a bit far-reaching. The movie couldn't get away from the tendency to preach in just about every African-American movie where there is always this big moment, usually too late, where the main character has had enough. There also seemed to be some rather serious issues in the end of the movie that would have needed to have been discussed, so you are left with a seemingly incomplete product. That or Paula Patton's character really was that big of a push-over. And really in regards to the characters, not many of them were likeable at all from the bridesmaids (the one they forcefully had falling for the chef) to the groomsmen other than the person that Laz's character chose to be his best man. Funny but by not having that many lines and making the most of what he did have and actually standing for something; more than even Jason in my view.

All in all, I probably wouldn't recommend to buy this movie but renting it is ok. Seeing it once was probably enough for me. I didn't even get into Loretta Devine's character or Angela Bassett's, who were every bit as predictable as advertised one a little bitter, another a little disgusted, both un-necessary. But without conflict I suppose there really isn't a compelling story. I guess what is most frustrating is that there was quality here and good actors but perhaps not the best directing. There was real opportunity for some special moments in the movie, like having the bridesmaid fall for the chef, Jason's cousin putting to rest some of his demons & perhaps even being inspired for more out of his own life. Or what about noticing a bit more that Jason's uncle really was a good hearted individual doing more to highlight some of these positives. Oh, and how about going deeper into Claudine's background which I was honestly a little interesteed about. I am not saying that the movie had to be a 'feel good' story or Inspirational uplifting saga. Just that there was a missed opportunity to give it and the actors a chance to provide the characters more depth. Which makes me think that perhaps the movie wasn't thought out as much as it should've been and ironically suffered from a kind of identity crisis of it's own. The funniest moment though to me, was that in the end (SPOILER), you wonder what the heck was the big deal about jumping over a broom... if it was that important, just do it. lol

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I saw this movie on opening weekend and I can't begin to say how much I loved it. It was funny and wholesome and sexy without being over-the-top or inappropriate. As soon as it started showing on Starz I have watched it almost every day (sometimes twice a day). It's been too long since I've loved a movie this much, because there simply aren't many like this being made anymore. Most of the ones out now are filled with so much violence or sex or just silliness that they're almost unbearable to watch, and forget being able to watch them with your children. But my son and I can sit and watch Jumping the Broom without me having to worry about him hearing or seeing something he shouldn't. And that's refreshing. I even loved the soundtrack!

I liked Paula Patton before, but I love her now. She's such a great actress. And Laz Alonzo has grown so much over the years, and come a long way since his days hosting on BET. Loretta Devine has played many 'Mama' roles but this was a stretch from what I'm used to seeing her in. She effectively made me dislike her. Tasha Smith was endearing and a far (and welcome) cry from her all-too-familiar as the angry black woman (Why Did I Get Married?, For Better or Worse, The Game, etc). Romeo was smooth and sexy in his role as Sebastian, and while him and Tasha Smith's character Shonda was a bit of a stretch for me, they worked well together. The actor who played the father, Gregory Watson, looked way familiar to me and then I realized he was the one who played Cam Winston on Frasier, and Trevor on Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. He was awesome. And Angela Bassett was outstanding, as usual. They actually made me want to learn French! I could keep going but all of the actors in the movie were great, in my opinion. Even though I didn't care for Sabrina's friends, Blythe and whatever-the-other-one's-name-was, who seemed more catty and snobby than supportive of their 'best friend.'

I'm not ashamed to admit that I cry every time I watch this movie; it has so many touching and beautiful moments. It almost makes you believe in love and soul mates again. Laz Alonzo is just a pile of bow-legged yum who I love seeing go through this range of emotion over the course of the movie. This is by far my favorite role of his. I will definitely be getting the DVD to this one...awesome, awesome movie.

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The Ultimate Buster Keaton Collection (1920)

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

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

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

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

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

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

The General [Blu-ray]

The Navigator: Ultimate Edition [Blu-ray]

Our Hospitality: ULTIMATE EDITION [Blu-ray]

The Saphead: Ultimate Edition [Blu-ray]

Seven Chances (Ultimate Edition) [Blu-ray]

Sherlock Jr. / Three Ages [Blu-ray]

Steamboat Bill, Jr. [Blu-ray]

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

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

College: Ultimate Edition [Blu-ray]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Extract (2009)

OK, EXTRACT does not have a slap stick type of humor. I get that. Also, EXTRACT is not as memorable as OFFICE SPACE. Understood. But one thing is sure, EXTRACT is still one of the best all-around movies I've seen this year. JASON BATEMAN is one of the funniest actors around these days. His subtle nuances are what makes him so funny. From TEEN WOLF TOO & HOGAN FAMILY to ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT & JUNO, he is a brilliant actor that gets laughs without ever changing his restrained sense of humor.

The movie itself is about a young, moderately successful factory owner. The factory produces, of course,food extract. The story unfolds and plans backfire, thanks mostly impart to his best friend played by BEN AFFLECK. The role for AFFLECK is a nice return for him back to his roots of doing less than award-winning blockbuster films. With KRISTEN WIIG in a somewhat toned down role and MILA KUNIS as a bit of a vixen, the supporting cast is really well-rounded.

EXTRACT is an intelligent, funny movie that must be seen. Unlike OFFICE SPACE which was from the employees point of view on how management can be annoying jerks, this movie is from the managements point of view on how employees can be annoying jerks. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!! 4+ STARS!

"Extract, directed by Mike Judge (King of the Hill), is about Joel (Jason Bateman) who runs an extract factory. He has his regular ups and downs just like anyone, but when one of his workers loses his testicle in a freak accident things start to go from bad to worse. (Spoiler alert for those who have yet to see the film) The next thing that happens to him is a con-woman named Cindy (Mila Kunis) begins work for him. Cindy convinces the testicleless employee to file a lawsuit against the company. Also, his wife hasn't wanted to have sex with him for months, and he takes some bad advice from his friend, Dean (Ben Affleck), and hires a pool guy to seduce his wife so that he can guiltlessly have an affair with Cindy, and before he knows it the pool guy is coming over everyday and has fallen in love with his wife. Then the employees decide that they should get a piece of the pie of his company, since he is thinking of selling it to a prospective buyer, and decide to go on strike.

"Extract" is like one of those bad months where one thing after another keeps happening to Joel. Joel is a nice guy, who has always tried to be good to people and do the right thing. He knows all of his employees names. He can't even bring himself to yell at the pool guy for continuing to visit his wife at his house. "Extract" is a pleasant little film that just keeps moving along with one amusing ill event after another. We wonder where this is all leading, because it looks like fate is against Joel. He is about to lose everything, his wife, his business, et cetera. But then there's a turning point where he realizes that Cindy is probably not as innocent as she seems. And as gently as misfortune had swelled over him, it then begins to subside, and all begins to fall back into place as before. This film washes gently over one as mildly and pleasantly as does Joel's kindly demeanor.

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I've been waiting or this movie. Loved Office Space, even really enjoyed Idiocracy. I heard some mixed reviews which tempered my expectations, but even so, this was a disappointing and very uneven movie.

Jason Bateman plays his straight-laced, deadpan comedy to the hilt, much as he did in Arrested Development. He is Joel, the owner of a factory employing a real assortment of underachieving, funny characters. With an offer from General Mills to buy the plant and make him rich, Joel looks forward to early retirement. On the home front, he is a sexually frustrated husband with an unreceptive wife and an unrelentingly dull neighbor.

With moments of genius, the movie was also dragged down by some poor realization of comedic potential. Kristin Wiig, a funny and versatile comedienne, is wasted as the housewife, and although she certainly has enough scenes, the writing doesn't allow her to perform.

The various subplots didn't mesh as well as I expected. Instead of a complete tale, this felt like a few sitcom episodes woven together.

That said, there are some great scenes. You will never think about call-waiting again. The personal injury lawyer is fantastic. Ben Affleck does a fine job as the slacker friend.

In retrospect, this is a rental. I wouldn't choose to pay theater prices for this film.

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THE PLOT: Joel (Jason Bateman) is the owner of an extract production plant that he built himself from the ground up. In spite of his success, he struggles with a frigid and distant wife (Kristin Wiig) and more than a few completely incompetent employees (TJ Miller and Beth Grant foremost among them). The latter end up causing a horrific on-site accident that could bankrupt the company. Making matters worse, the under-sexed Joel is distracted by the appearance of a sexy new employee, Cindy (Mila Kunis). Joel must try to keep his company from going under while dealing with his unsatisfying marriage and his nosy neighbor (David Koechner).

THE GOOD: There are a few funny moments in the movie, most of them at the hands of Koechner and some of Joel's workers. Ben Affleck, if you can believe it, steals more than a few scenes as Joel's drug-obsessed slacker friend (why straight-laced Joel would ever have such a friend is one of those mysteries that movies like these ask you to avoid thinking about). Bateman does his usual shtick; although I think his wide-eyed eager act is starting to get a little annoying (how many times is he going to keep reverting to his standard Michael Bluth persona?), it's at least consistent.

THE BAD: Most of the people here are phoning it in. Kristin Wiig is completely under-utilized in her thankless role as the jilted/jilting wife, and Mila Kunis doesn't appear to be trying to act at all. This is probably due to the sloppy script. Mila's Cindy appears to have no real motivation or personality at all; her name could just as easily be "Plot Contrivance #3." Joel's attempts to fix his work and life problems are all half-hearted, ridiculous, and just as contrived. His workers cause a vicious accident, setting Joel up for a massive lawsuit, but no one is fired. It is hard to sympathize with a man who willfully employs complete idiots. Bothered by his wife's lack of interest in the bedroom, Joel creates an elaborate plan to give him license to cheat, and when this plan falters, he behaves like a clueless child rather than a man who started and runs his own business.

There are some elements here that could work, had they been tied more neatly together. If Judge had tried to pin a message, moral, underlying theme, or even a single joke to the entire spine of the story, it might have given it at least some cohesion. Instead, the movie appears to be a slap-dash conglomeration of scenes that have very little to do with each other, and which aren't acted, written, or directed in any kind of new or interesting way. The movie ends almost as if it had never started, and the various conflicts/stories just kind of fade away rather than conclude meaningfully. Some funny moments, but altogether a disappointing effort from a normally enjoyable filmmaker.

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From the creators of Office Space Office Space Special Edition with Flair (Widescreen Edition) now comes Extract. A movie whose trailer left me wanting more. However when the movie arrived it turned out pretty much all the really funny scenes were in the trailer and the movie didn't add much more.

Yes, Jason Bateman is a funny guy. I mean, the guy played in Arrested Development Arrested Development The Complete Series (Seasons 1, 2, 3) and thus we will always respect him. Yes, Mila Kunis is a very beautiful girl, and even Ben Affleck does a good job here. But the film never managed to hold my attention and charm me the way Office Space did. Office Space which just has a better atmosphere, more and better supporting characters and a better feeling inserted.

Extract has some funny moments, some very funny even, but as a whole it disappoints. The extras found on the Blu-Ray don't add much either.

Paul

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Dogtooth (2011)

Certainly one of the more surprising moments of the 2010 Academy Award nominations had to be the inclusion of the Greek oddity "Dogtooth" among the Best Foreign Film nominees. This psychological freak show seems designed to polarize audiences with its controversial presentation of an isolated family as a horror construct. The film, with relatively no political or social context, is likely to be interpreted in many ways by viewers searching for a grand significance to the proceedings. Having seen the film twice now, however, I'm not sure that I can really establish the filmmaker's true intentions with any veracity. So I won't try. Somewhere between perverse satire, bent domestic drama, and disturbing psychological horror lies the film "Dogtooth"--a challenging and unrepentantly bleak, yet undeniably gripping and fascinating, example of experimental cinema.

"Dogtooth" depicts the unorthodox life of one family. The three teenage children have been raised in a controlled environment in which they've seemingly never left the family's secluded estate. Subjected to the teaching of their parents, they know nothing of the real dangers or inherent freedoms available in the outside world. As their story unfolds, in horrifying daily detail, the complete destruction of their psyches, intelligence, and individuality at the hands of their parents is absolutely repellant. This truly is one of the more disturbing depictions of psychological torture (even if the kids don't know it!) that has ever been captured on film. Not graphically violent, but emotionally disconcerting, this film will insinuate itself into your mind--and it's absolutely unsettling. One girl, in particular, starts to act out in increasingly violent ways and, as much as we do want to protect them, kids will grow up to experience life in ways we might not have intended.

To be sure, I love to be surprised by film--the more offbeat or skewed the better. In describing a movie's narrative for others, I try to only paint a picture in broad strokes and not spoil the mysteries yet to unfold. That's why I've been purposefully vague in my description (although, there is some controversial sexual content which might offend certain viewers). With "Dogtooth," however, I might make a disclaimer. This will not be a film for everyone--those that dislike "Dogtooth" will invariably hate it with every fiber of their being! Those that like "Dogtooth," however, will be caught up in a story unlike any other. I was unable to pull my eyes away from this film. Like a disturbing nightmare, my curiosity kept me glued to the every frame of this movie. It is well acted and well made--but this is just a caution to more sensitive viewers. "Dogtooth" disturbed and confounded me, in almost every way, but I was unable to tear myself away from its sick allure. KGHarris, 1/11.

****1/2

What if you could be the master of your own universe, able to make everything to your own specifications and liking? And what if, in that universe, you could have absolute control over your subjects, so that, not only would they have to do what you told them to, but you could even go so far as to shape the very way they look at the world?

The unnamed middle-aged protagonist (Christos Stergioglou) of "Dogtooth" has created just such a kingdom for himself and his wife (Michelle Valley), tucked away in a rural area of Greece, where the two of them have raised their children a boy (Christos Passalis) and two girls (Aggelika Papoulia, Mary Tsoni) who are all now in their late teens in such complete isolation that the kids have virtually no knowledge of the world that lies beyond the fenced-in little compound in which they live. They know only that it is a dangerous and scary place and that none of them will be able to venture out into it until their dogtooth falls out which is to say never. They are so misinformed as to how the real world actually works that they think planes are just tiny objects moving through the air, and that if one of those tiny objects were to fall out of the sky and into their yard, the children would be able to pick it up and play with it like a toy. They've also been taught by their colluding parents to believe that prowling cats are a mortal menace to be destroyed on sight. The kids spend much of the day doing repetitive chores, playing meaningless games and being taught an incorrect vocabulary (they use the word "phone" when they really mean "salt," for example). The father regularly pays a young woman (Anna Kalaitzidu) he works with the only person from the outside world the children are allowed to meet to come and have sex with his post-pubescent son, and severely beats the kids every time they step out of line.

A stunning allegory about the evils of totalitarianism, "Dogtooth" is somewhat reminiscent of M. Night Shyamalan's "The Village" in its basic premise and setup, only here the guiding principle seems to be less about protecting the young ones from the harsh realities of a modern world and more about this one man's finding a way to achieve a kind of apotheosis for himself making himself a god in the eyes of his children. For not only does he make them reliant on him for all the basic necessities of life, but he's made it so that they accept without question the "truths" of the physical and moral order he's established for them to live by.

The man and his wife have together inverted and perverted the very definition of parenthood. Rather than grooming their children for an adult life in the real world, these parents deliberately infantilize their offspring, making it virtually impossible for them to leave the home and start a life of their own. This ensures that the kids will be there to take care of them for the rest of their lives.

On a broader scale, the movie is a searing indictment of the power of propaganda, showing how easy it is to mislead people and to compel them to do what one wants simply by feeding them false information and, thus, skewing their view of realty and the truth. And isn't this how totalitarian dictatorships are born and sustained? But there's also an innate desire for liberty and independence lurking in the recesses of every human soul that must finally assert itself in a desperate run for freedom, and the movie addresses that reality as well.

The movie is both raw and provocative as it takes on some rather touchy sexual themes mainly involving incest that some in the audience may find disturbing and discomfiting to put it mildly. There's also a fair amount of full-frontal nudity, brutal violence and more-than-simulated sex scenes in the movie.

Yorgos Lanthimos' direction is spare and stripped-down, as befits a parable, with off-kilter visual framing that heightens the bizarre nature of the piece.

"Dogtooth" is unnerving, thought-provoking and provocative and a must-see for the unconventional, adventurous movie-watcher.

Buy Dogtooth (2011) Now

Spoilers herein!!

Well, this film was highly anticipated by me (it had won the un Certain Regard prize at Cannes). The message is one of enclosed despair, it mirrors what it's like to be perpetually condemned to a preverbal state, and not having the tools to deal with it. It seems that, once play can no longer sustain oneself, one must retreat to a world of sexuality and aggression. Since the eldest daughter incorporated the nameless and hopeless lifestyle imposed by her parents, she was indeed an incarnation of their nefarious deeds. The only way to break free from their rules would be to attack their rules, and this could only be accomplished by attacking herself. The scene where she knocks her tooth out with a hammer is intense and realistic, yet behind pain and destruction there is beauty, in the disfigured and bloody smile leering back from the mirror. Life could no longer go on the way it had, the incestuous nature of the family unit had reached an extreme. In a bizarre bathtub scene, the brother sits there and gropes the naked bodies of his sisters, one at a time, I imagine in an attempt to see which causes him to be more aroused. As everything else that conveys true emotion in this family, the scene transpires in uncomfortable silence, the demon of preverbal communication again casting its shadow. Born preverbal, dead preverbal, as the labyrinth of abandoned speech is manifest in the eldest daughter's aborted escape, remaining locked in the car trunk, representing in a very vivid manner that, upon mustering the desire to leave the perverted Eden in whence she dwelled, she was in effect entering her coffin.

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Dogtooth

A mid level industrialist raises his family in an environment devoid of most modern conveniences but imbued with a special hatred of airliners. The telephone is carefully hidden, only his wife knows where it is, a fence erected around the house is also a boundary the children and wife have never trespassed, but most of all, in order to keep his the two daughters and son uncorrupted, (their hatred of airliners and the people who fly on them apparently doesn't count) they have been taught a sanitized language where "zombie" is "a small yellow flower" and the female reproductive region is known as "keyboard". Periodically, the industrialist pimps for the boy, and for a price, procures the services of Christina, a security guard at the plant.

Just when Director Giorgos Lanthimos seems to remove all limits to the level of parental control, Christina shows an interest not only in the boy but also the two sisters, conferring on one of them VHS tapes of Rocky, Jaws and other classics in exchange for libidinous favors. The daughter, of course, emulates what she sees and hears on the tapes, and such an obvious clash of cultures ensues that it changes the relationships in the household. All of this sets up the question: does the influence on children come from parenting or from the culture around us? The film's answers seem ambiguous and unsatisfying. Thimios Bakatakis' camerawork is good but not inspired we want some kind of resolution at the film's end, and Bakatakis seems determined not to give us one.

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This movie was interesting and entertaining, except for the end, which I thought was very unsatisfactory. It is the story of a truly strange family, yes, but beyond that there was little to capture your imagination or make you want to root for ANY of the characters. It only partially lived up to my expectations.

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A Little Bit of Heaven (2011)

Without revealing any real spoilers I have to say...

I'm not much for the "Chick Flick"/romance genre, but this movie wowed me.

Kate Hudson put in a performance of such quality, that I haven't seen from her since "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days". She starts out fun and flirty with a bit of despicable mixed in. Then her character moved me to a bit of hatred for the treatment she issued to her family and friends. Then towards the end she made me fall in love with her character and almost come to tears for her predicament.

There's a lot of teaching, learning and cameraderie throughout the movie. There are laughs shared and tears shed between the characters. Every single moment within the movie feels genuine, and I can genuinely see myself or anybody else going through the same phases if faced with a similar situation. I honestly wouldn't be surprised to find out that this was based on a true life story(don't remember seeing that stated anywhere in the movie though).

This movie has sufficient humor to be a comedy, sufficient grief to be a tragedy and just enough love to be a romance that doesn't make you nauseous. There is only one truly over the top moment in the movie, but it's at the end. The biggest tragedy is this movie will only be in limited release at a few theatres just weeks before the DVD comes out.

At the advertising agency Marley is asked if she is losing weight, a question that drives Marley to the doctor. Her new physician is Dr. Julian Goldstein (Gael García Bernal), a handsome but shy and dedicated young man who examines Marley and sedates her for colonoscopy: while Marley is under medication she dreams of being in heaven next to God (Whoopi Goldberg) who tells her she is dying and gives her three wishes Marley chooses a million dollars, a chance to fly, and to find love. Upon awakening she is informed she has extensive colon cancer and Dr. Goldstein suggests she see a Dr. Sanders (Alan Dale) who offers her two choices extensive chemotherapy or death. Marley chooses the former and from there she begins to alter her relationships with everyone around her. She gradually falls in love with Dr. Goldstein, confronts her parents and friends with her news, and the manner in which they accept her fate is where the film alters to a tender heart-warming gentle string of events that should be seen instead of read.

It is so rewarding to see Kate Hudson expand her acting talent into a serious role and she manages to find that perfect balance between the lighthearted personality we all recognize and the empathetic and vulnerable woman she becomes. Gael García Bernal assumes a new type of role and is completely charming and loveable. There is a fine cameo by Peter Dinklage a Special Escort hired by neighbor Peter to give Marley `a little bit of heaven' and Kathy Bates, Lucy Punch, and Romany Malco are particularly fine. This film will likely bring a few tears to the viewer's eyes, but those releases of emotion just make us feel better about life. Despite the few over the edge silly parts in the film this is a solid little gem that should find an appreciative audience when it reaches the theaters. Grady Harp, April 12

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If you are looking for a good combination of laughter and real life human drama with the spice of true love this is the movie. A fenomenal cast, Gael Garcia is a perfect cast for it, his crying is so passionate and sincere. Kate Hudson is a spectacular romatic gender actress. It's a light and sensitive movie about what it takes to come to peace with yourself when your time is up.

Positively recommend it.

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kate hudson is amazing in this story....such a beautiful movie. Funny as she usually is but with a different twist this time. Please take the time to watch this movie you will not regret it. Awesome cast

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The reviews run from almost zero to stellar responses. some reviewers reference folks they know who have one form of cancer or another[all cancers are NOT the same!],and how the script doesn't accurately portray the real struggle[s] as they see it through the eyes of friends,etc. or from reading books, watching documentaries,etc. this is a movie, folks, and so saying Hollywood sold out is kinda surprising to me; i halfway anticipate a 'sell-out' anytime hollywood tackles subjects such as cancer..as a person living with two last-stage lymphomas, i could if so desired pick apart its fragmented nature, or the plot holes, or a number of other things, e.g., underdeveloped character. played by Gael Bernal Garcia, Treat Williams,etc. but that would be picking and missing the point at least in the opinion of someone living with end-stage disease[s]. what i got from the movie, aside from ms. hudson's extraordinary performance, was that for some[?] or many[?] of us it often takes something, some kind of life shattering/life-threatening event to wake us up and out of our daily robotic way[s] of living and focus perhaps for the first time ever on what's REALLY important!! and it brilliantly shows the difficulties faced by the patient her or himself as to how to communicate with friends/family so as to not burden them while simultaneously informing them of your feelings, and also trying to care about their feelings too which is an ENORMOUS undertaking....and unless one is a patient, you just ain't gonna get it....so the messages contained in this yes less than ideal movie are critical and crucial IN EVERYONE'S LIFE, NOT JUST THOSE WITH LIFE-THREATENING ILLNESS!!! WAKE UP BEFORE IT WELL MIGHT BE TOO LATE!!!

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