This Is The End (Two Disc Combo: Blu-ray / DVD + UltraViolet Digital Copy) (2013)

f you thought that the Red Wedding on that one episode of Game Of Thrones was bad, just wait until you see This Is The End, the new film from writer/directors Seth Rogan and Evan Goldberg. Spoiler Alert: Virtually any popular comedian or pop-culture icon you can think of dies on screen in the first fifteen minutes. You're left gasping for air as the likes of Michael Cera, Aziz Ansari, and Paul Rudd all suffer hellish fates. Not just because it's insane that Seth & Evan cinematically kill all of their friends, but because it's so goddamn funny as it happens. Such is only the start of the pure chaos that resides within This Is The End.

This is one of those movies that makes you sound like a lunatic while you try to describe the plot to your friends afterwards. Jay Baruchel arrives in LA to hang out with Seth Rogan (the actors all play themselves) and ends up getting talked into going to a huge party at James Franco's new extremely expensive house. This party, which is filled with the entire Apatow crew and countless other Hollywood celebrities, serves as many things. It serves as a mini reunion between 3/4s of the principle cast from Freaks And Geeks, a Superbad reunion, and while I won't spoil the fun, it's also a chance to never be able to look at Michael Cera the same ever again. During the party, the Apocalypse erupts around LA in which the only survivors are Jay, Seth, James Franco, Jonah Hill, Craig Robinson, and Danny McBride. The group takes shelter inside of Franco's ridiculous house, and thus from their on out the film becomes a love letter to Seth Rogan and Evan Goldberg's favorite films and pop culture references.

After nearly a decade of films from the Apatow crew, such as Knocked Up, Superbad, and Pineapple Express, This Is The End feels like the best, if not at least the best since Superbad. It's a solid two hours of non-stop fun. Not only was it fun seeing all the actors share the screen together once again, but it was a blast seeing them all play exaggerated versions of themselves. Jonah is the typical so far up his own ass Hollywood celeb after his Moneyball Oscar nom; Jay hates everything and everyone because he's a Hipster; Franco is secretly obsessed with/in love with Seth, who is, well, I guess the same Seth he's always been; Danny McBride plays practically an amalgam of every character he's ever played; and Craig Robinson has a hugely popular catchphrase, "Take Yo Panties Off" and spends 98% of the film with a towel emblazoned with his name resting on his shoulder. Since they're all playing themselves, they're able to take the fun to extra heights by constantly mocking their previous movies and while exploring James Franco's basement, in which he stores all of his props from past movies, you're treated to such gems as a gun from Flyboys, his severed arm and camcorder (which they all use to film The Real World style confessionals) from 127 Hours, and more importantly, his costume from Pineapple Express. Any fans of that flick will be overjoyed at how that costume plays into This Is The End.

One of the things that made Superbad such a great film was how aside from the fantastic comedy elements, the film also had a heart. It dealt with the awkwardness of growing up in high school and co-dependant friends learning to adjust to social life in separate directions. Seth Rogan and Evan Goldberg have again put a heart underneath all of the craziness found in This Is The End, essentially touching on the same subject but just at a much older age. Covering once again the co-dependance of friends, and the unwillingness to accept your friend's other friends, but taking it one step further by showing the importance of treating each other well and always being there for each other. It's not as deeply seeded as it was in Superbad, but it's there and it gives the film more than just a "crazy action comedy" vibe. You can actually emotionally connect with it.

The one thing that everyone will be talking about this most after seeing This Is The End will be the film's third act. To some, they might not like or appreciate how truly off the rails it becomes, but for a film as ridiculous as it already is, it actually works to the film's advantage. Using plenty of references to Rosemary's Baby and The Exorcist, and countless other horror films (I swear the scene in Franco's neighbor's house is an homage to Ghostbusters), Seth and Evan just start throwing you curveball after curveball until it ends in one huge heavenly reunion that rivals the Britney Spears scene from Spring Breakers as best Pop Culture Joke of 2013.

This Is The End is not only the best comedy of 2013 so far, but it's one of the absolute best outings from the Apatow crew yet (only marginally behind Superbad). If for no better reason than to see a brief Freaks and Geeks reunion and Jason Segal talking s*** on How I Met Your Mother. Oh, and that Michael Cera thing I mentioned earlier. Definitely for the Michael Cera thing.

One of the great things about THIS IS THE END is the concept. It's a bit obnoxious...but it's also really darn clever. An "end of the world" movie starring actors like Seth Rogan, Jay Baruchel, Jonah Hill, James Franco & Craig Robinson PLAYING THEMSELVES! These actors and a number of their Hollywood friends (Danny McBride, Michael Cera, Paul Rudd, Aziz Ansari and most randomly Rihanna and Emma Watson) all assemble at a party at James Franco's house just when all hell literally breaks loose. True, it sounds a bit self-important and self-indulgent...but who cares when the results are as obscene and hilarious at it all turns out.

This end of the world scenario involves the biblical apocalypse, and it all starts with the rapture, as people all around are suddenly drawn up to the skies by heavenly tractor beams. This is witnessed by Jay Baruchel and Seth Rogan...and they run back to the raucous house party only to discover that NO ONE has been raptured from amongst these Hollywood partiers. That alone is pretty hilarious.

As the scenario plays out, horrible things happen to many of the stars until only a few are left to ride out the end, trapped in Franco's house with a woefully under-stocked pantry. The "plot" of the film isn't terribly important, to be honest...the fun is in watching these guys play versions of themselves that are HIGHLY unflattering, and yet not necessarily so far off the mark to be totally unbelievable (although I sure hope Michael Cera is NOTHING like his character in the film...absolutely disturbing and hilarious). Seth Rogan has some fun riffing on the idea that he plays the same character in all his films. Baruchel HATES all these guys. Jonah Hill comes off as effete and creepy. (And Emma Watson gets to drop some f-bombs and endure some funny Hermione jokes.) And James Franco is looser than he's been in awhile...reminding us of why he became such a big start in recent years.

It's a sloppy film that feels like it was LOADS of fun to make. The laughs are frequent (and frequently around some pretty R-rated material...this film is not for delicate constitutions). The budget is high enough to allow for some pretty amusing sight gags. The jokes and insults fly fast...this is certainly a movie that will reward a repeat viewing, as there is no way to catch everything the first time. And yet, as is often the case with Seth Rogan related comedies, the film has a heart as well. I'm not going to say it's "moving"...but it has moments of redemption which is important, because I think the film might come off as too mean-spirited without them. We need the "soft" moments to take off the edge. This tendency is what has made movies like KNOCKED UP or SUPERBAD into classics...the fact that underneath the edgy, foul-mouthed, "screw it all" attitude is some old-fashioned feeling.

THIS IS THE END doesn't always work. The jokes and bits come so frequently that some of them must misfire. Danny McBride and James Franco have a lengthy scene together in which they discuss...well, let's just say it involves McBride's self-abuse proclivities...and it goes on for too long. It's funny at first, but then just crosses the line. This is a film that really tries hard to come up to the line over and over...sometimes it crosses over with crassness and sometimes just by letting the jokes go on a few beats too long. But it HITS far more than it misses.

THIS IS THE END is VERY funny and very offensive (in the best possible way). It is deeply politically incorrect (yea!). It is certainly not for everyone. If you like the group of actors mentioned and the films referenced, it should please you immensely. But if you've seen 40 YEAR OLD VIRGIN and hated it and wondered what the fuss was about...it's unlikely you'd want to spend your time with this film. I really enjoyed it myself, and certainly would highly recommend it to the RIGHT group of friends.

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With the amount of talent this has lined up, it would be strange if it was not a good time at the movies. Based on a short film called Jay & Seth vs. the Apocalypse, this movie ups the ante in every sense of the word. The comedy you have come to expect from Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel, Craig Robinson, James Franco, Jonah Hill, and Danny McBride is top notch. The rest of the cast, all playing themselves, is also played perfectly. Injected with horror in fact, some right out of famous horror films like Rosemary's Baby and The Exorcist, this movie also brings the scares and gore, although it never loses sight that it is a comedy, first and foremost.

When Jay comes to LA to party with Seth, they end up hitting a party at James Franco's new, druglord-type mansion. All the celebrities are there: the main cast of 6 mentioned above, Michael Cera, Rihanna, and others that I won't spoil the cameos for. Then, it comes to a crashing halt when the party is stopped by the oncoming End of Days. Death and destruction leave the 6 leads trapped in James' house, with very little but themselves to entertain each other and survive. Comedy ensues in every form, from spoofing themselves in nearly every movie they've been in, to the explicit vulgarity we have come to love in their films like Superbad, Pineapple Express, Knocked Up, and so on, but kicked up a few notches. Everyone gets a chance to shine too, which is great, because they all give 110%, and the movie is all the better for it. The horror is in top form too. It is surprising how easy it just comes to the screen in such a raunchy comedy with these recognizable faces, but that is part of what makes the movie so enjoyable.

You will laugh at nearly everything that this film throws at you, even if you feel you shouldn't be laughing at, such as exorcism and drinking urine. I expected this movie to be funny, but not near as funny as it turned out to be. Not only did Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen write this, they also directed it. Keep them in mind, because they will be getting much more to do when this movies hits hard. I expect this to be one that we talk about for years to come, and has set the bar high in the world of comedy.

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I don't get brought to tears much in comedy, but these guys nailed it, for me anyway. I recommend this if you like any of these actors, or the overall concept of "making fun of one self".

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Theater Review *spoilers ahead*

Okay, I saw this in the theater a few days ago and here is my view on things...

I haven't seen many films but it seems like the script was thrown together over a drunk weekend. But, from what I've been told, these actors seem to make movies together and that is how they "roll"

The script isn't a new one but they seem to pull it off and makes the audience wonder what exactly is going on. I personally thought it was aliens what were abducting people but when he started talking about the bible, I put it all together. He doesn't seem to get much right but I guess that was the intended purpose. We go through a lot of dialogue with a bunch of it way "over the top" (too vulgar to say on here but anyone that's seen the movie would get it) One scene that was funny was when the girl with the Axe was going to get some sleep and the guys were joking around about which one of them (the guys) they will rape first...she overhears and gets out of the house.

Okay, from start to finish......The party and the scenes were very funny. the "obnoxious" guy with the two girls was....not. Taking a look at the scenes with the fires all over and the pit that swallows up most of the party goers (who none of them get "raptured" isn't really surprising...lol) was funny to watch, yet, sad to see.

When their other friend shows up and eats their food (you know, the ignorant one), I could see the situation for these guys to be going downhill fast. They fight, fight, fight until he leaves, only to reappear as the demonic carnivore. The premise of how the guys get "raptured" for doing "good" deeds is very cheesy and over the top. They witness demonic flying creatures, chimera (I think) and one demon who sneaks into one of their room with a 5 foot long...well.....umm.....never mind. (another example of over the top humor)

Well (without giving the movie away) some of them get raptured (one gets raptured but was arrogant..thus wasn't....and gets eaten) some just die from various things. But, overall, at the end when you see 1,000 foot tall Satan and his "package" (something I did not want to see) and they get away, I knew that the movie was most likely over.

Overall, this movie will most likely turn away anyone remotely "religious" and send them out of the house screaming "Blasphemer" and running to get holy water to get out the demon that is in pocession of the person's body (oh, the homage to the horror classic was well done)

A little too vulgar for me to give it 5 stars. Enough of a plot and twists and turns to get three.....

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Heavy Traffic (1973)

I remember very well the effect this film had on me right after leaving the theater; everywhere I looked on the drive home, people looked like cartoons. In Heavy Traffic, animation artist Ralph Bakshi presents us with a look at life in the early 70s (late 60s?), city style .... and this city is gritty, not entirely pretty ....

Michael Corleone (not the only reference to other popular films of the times) scribbles away at his drawing board while his Catholic father and Jewish mother wage Armageddon outside his door. He finds comfort and release seeing the world as an absurd, psychotic cartoon. Pretty much a loner, his main connection to the outside world is a black bargirl named Carol who works right downstairs from him and slips him drinks for his entertaining sketches. An unfortunate incident with a drag queen associate costs Carol her job, and she and Michael end up out on the streets together, since he can't seem to make ANY sort of job situation come together. They form a sort of hustling alliance, with him as her pimp, and they nosedive into dark urban realms of the quick buck and the inevitable personal compromises involved.

All this is interposed with images of live city backdrops and numerous references to a pinball game. Ralph Bakshi's animated vision is a moving work of underground pop art which, despite limitations, was a groundbreaking achievement that pushed the frontiers of American animation thousands of miles. I can see the influence of this film (and Bakshi's work in general) on the likes of Matt Groening, Don Bluth, and yes, even parts of Who Framed Roger Rabbit.

Heavy Traffic is dark, rude and dangerous. At times it has an almost experimental feel, moving at a stream of consciousness pace more than any conventional narrative. Its portayal of characters is raw and extreme, has an exaggerated sort of believability to it. It also has the feel of a semi-autobiography, with its portayal of a creative misfit struggling against the odds for survival, if not personal validation.

This very personal work goes places other animations of the time wouldn't even consider, was rated X at the time of its original release, and was re-released very shortly afterward in a lightly watered-down R-version. The recent DVD release appears to be a restoration of the original artwork, is a nice clean print, despite the full-frame format and mono soundtrack. It would be nice to see this touched up with a slightly refurbished soundtrack (it IS animation, after all); at the same time the compressed sound lends to the quaint sort of 70s feel to it, creating an air of nostalgia rivaling that of The Iron Giant. And these guys weren't even trying!

My appreciation for this special film has not diminished over the years; indeed, I understand it a bit more as an adult. It captures the dark, skewed out, surrealistic beauty of the urban underbelly, delivers some nasty bellylaughs, shows us the world as an oversized cartoon arcade game, and reminds us that all we can do sometimes is just keep playing that game. Even if we do end up getting our head blown off by a paraplegic midget on a skateboard. This stuff happens .......

Heavy Traffic will likely never receive the attention or respect it deserves as a piece of honest to goodness Americana. Like most of Ralph Bakshi's most personal work, it is rough hewn, obscene (though never pornogaphic) outrageous and damn honest. Along with Coonskin and Fritz the Cat, Heavy Traffic is about life in the 60's (in fact, taken together these three films form a kind of animated triptych). All three films are about revolution of one kind or another, personal or social, contain plenty of poetry, both visual and narrative and are more about life as we know it then the fantasy of life as we might wish it to be, which seems to be the standard for most animation today. Let's hope that eventually Ralph will get his due as a pioneer of animation.

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"Heavy Traffic" is a masterpiece of animation, despite the flaws it has. It dares to tackle with more complex human emotions and issues, far more than had ever been done since the Golden Age of Animation. The story deals with the trials and tribulations of young Michael Corleone (yes, that's his name), a 22 year-old Half-jewish, Half-Italian aspiring cartoonist. He lives with his parents, Angelo and Ida Corleone, whose relationship make Al and Peg Bundy look like Ozzie and Harriet. The film also talks about life in 1973 New York (tough place to be).

First off, there is a lot of great animation in here, although it lacks precision and professionalism , although I chalk that up to lack of funds for pencil testing and Bakshi's relative inexperience with feature animation. However, the animators do manage to get the personality of the characters across quite well. The characters in this film feel real, although they have caricatured appearances, but in some ways, the cartoony drawing style of the movie enhances the emotional realism of the characters. They're both lovable and deplorable at the same time, which makes them feel like real people. You'll never see Mickey Mouse or even Bugs Bunny do any of the stuff they do in this movie. One of the most interesting aspects of this movie is that it prides itself on being a animated movie. A lot of animated films have followed the Disney pattern of trying to disguise the animated factor by following a live-action pattern (trying to emulate live-action). This film tries to do what can only be done in animation. As such, there is a lot of surreal moments loaded with symbolism, although you will have to watch it a few times to get them. A key strength to any Bakshi film, but particularly his early ones, is collage of different styles. The characters are sometimes traced over live backgrounds (actual photographs), or the animation takes a whole new turn and transforms into something like the brilliant Maybellene sequence (set to the classic Chuck Berry song). Bakshi in those days was all about forging ahead and trying to create something new.

However, despite its brilliance, this film has a few rough patches. There are many good parts to this movie, but it's only after multiple viewings that the film connects as a whole. This shows a lack of clarity in storytelling, which isn't surprising since Bakshi tended to improvise as he went along. Although it adds a sense of adventure for production, it doesn't help create a coherent film. Also, did we really need to see Ida's breasts or have the gag about Angelo crapping his pants. I could have done with out those.

Aside from these minor complaints, "Heavy Traffic" is a great movie that is lightyears beyond Bakshi's previous film, "Fritz the Cat". This DVD does no justice to the films. We need a DVD commentary from the man himself, along with the animators who worked on this. Thank you for reading.

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It is about time that studios started looking into their back catalogues and releasing some old gems especially animated ones. This is a surreal reality cartoon from the genius Ralph Bakshi, a blighted but brightly lit urban landscape filled with far out characters. NOT FOR KIDS Now if we could get them to release all of Bakshi's work

Wizards Fritz the Cat Fritz the Cat 2 Streetfight Lord of the Rings I would especially love to see the short lived but spectacular Mighty Mouse series he did put on dvd! Even todays animated laugh fests on tv don't compare to this mans work.

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What is to be highlighted: The highest quality of this truly classic surrealistic piece. I take it as a qualifying American answer to such European surrealistic classics as Luis Bunuel's "The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie." Each absurd of our life, pictured there, is blown-up to a quite visible and sensible proportion. It is my opinion, that "Heavy Traffic" even surpasses "Fritz the Cat," regarding such qualities as range and depth of depicted ugliness of the "dark side" of human nature.

Also important is than not everybody appreciates surrealism. Therefore, this item is not for everyone, and especially is unsuitable for not mature audience (because of quite credible quality of certain graphic scenes).

I find as no surprise that some of the most notorious faces from "Heavy Traffic" can be spotted in recent times in many places, take "The Simpsons" as example.

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Ping Pong Playa (2009)

First saw this at the Eugene DisOrient Asian Film Festival over a year ago. Funniest movie I've seen in ages. Minimal spoilers below...

This is the story of a younger son in a Chinese-American family who is struggling with his identity and his cultural responsibility. His elder brother is a ping pong champion, and the entire family's finances are contingent on the reputation of the family and their performance at a local ping pong tournament. You can figure out the rest from there.

But this charming, hilarious, incredibly well-thought out movie by relative movie unknowns has more class, humor, and intelligence than most mainstream Hollywood comedies I've seen. The vast majority of the humor is applicable to all races, all cultures, all walks of life... there are a few jokes and intimations specific to the Asian-American community... but I loved this movie so much I pre-ordered the DVD, feeling grateful that it actually made it out of it's film festival beginnings (into limited more mainstream release, but not where I live), onto DVD.

It's based on the classic athletic competition motif. The oppressive, aggressive professional athlete coming to take over small local town ping pong hero. Family obligation. Cultural expectations. Identity/social self-exploration/finding. Touching characters with some depth.

The humor is classy, clever, witty. It is not very subtle, just outright fun. Language is pretty clean for a comedy, but still has quite a bit of profanity (teenage locker room talk) that is partially obscured by the sound of a bouncing ball or ping pong paddle hit or similar as a sort of tongue-in-cheek (ha, that's a pun!) censor. Depending on your sensitivity to this sort of thing, appropriate for teens (13-14+), but prepare to cover the ears of your child if younger. Subject material is otherwise pretty clean, and appropriate for even younger than teenaged kids.

It's a great film, IMO.

-vk

This movie, starring Jimmy Tsai, is funny and uplifting. It is a unique film that not only I enjoyed, but my children also found it to be an awesome movie! Buy it on DVD, it's great to watch over and over.

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This movie was just about what I was thinking it would be. It was funny throughout but not just hilarious.

There is a good bit of profanity along with f-bombs that are presented as "f(sound of a ping-pong ball hiting a hard surface)k". So I don't know if it is for younger kids. Many of the profanities are hidden but not completely.

The story is good and kept me interested. There is a lot of humor though I don't think it is most people's type of humor and I felt like there were some aspects I didn't think were funny but felt like it was intended to be funny.

I will probably watch it again sometime. There's a lot of ping-pong in the movie.

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This movie started me laughing and I never stopped. It was great fun. It felt like "Strictly Ballroom" meets a hyper "Napolean Dynomite". Very fun.

Ping Pong Playa

Ping Pong Playa [Blu-ray]

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It was a very amateur level acting. Direction was equally horrible. Couldnt watch the movie beyond the first 15 minutes.

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13 Going on 30 (2004)

Despite the unoriginal premise (the movie Big recast with a woman), 13 Going on 30 is a very entertaining movie and this is due in large part to its star, Jennifer Garner, who brings to her role loads of charm. This movie is the perfect vehicle for the actress because it allows her to break away from the action hero persona that she cultivated with the T.V. show Alias and Daredevil and prove that she can do a romantic comedy.

Garner, with her warm, disarming smile has a wholesome, girl-next-door quality that is quite endearing. She's beautiful but not in an unattainable way. She also has natural comedic ability, for example, in one scene, Jenna livens up her magazine's boring party with an impromptu dance to Michael Jackson's "Thriller," inspiring others to get up and dance as well. Garner also has a very expressive face that is perfect for the broad comedy of this movie. She is willing to take risks and make fun of herself. She is also willing to put herself out there and is not afraid to appear goofy and this only makes her that much more appealing.

13 Going On 30 is the victim of the dreaded double dip. If you already own the Special Edition version of the movie, the two new extras hardly warrant a re-purchase. Also, if you already own the previous edition you might want to hold onto it as the audio commentary by director Gary Winick and the commentary by producers Gina Matthews, Donna Arkoff-Roth, and Susan Arnold is not on this edition.

New to this edition is "Fashion Flashback: Into the 1980s" that features teen models gushing about how much they love the "retro" look of the `80s. It tells you what to look for and where to track down "authentic" clothes of that era.

"Making of a Teen Dream" takes us through the making of the movie in a fun, breezy way that is customary of most press kit type featurettes. The cast speak admiringly about each other in this self-congratulatory extra.

There is a "Bloopers" reel, a collection of blown lines and other assorted goofs that are quite cute.

Also included are two music videos, one for Pat Benatar's "Love is a Battlefield" and another for "Jessie's Girl" by Rick Springfield that allows you to immerse yourself in pure `80s cheese.

The most enjoyable extra is "I Was A Teenage Geek." The cast talk about what they were like in the `80s. Everyone tells amusing stories of what they were doing in high school with photos of what they looked like at the time.

There is also an "Alternate Beginning and Ending" that features different actors playing Jenna and Matt when they were kids. The scene is about the same length as what is in the movie but is edited differently. We get more detail on Jenna's desire to be one of the popular girls. Thankfully, these were not used.

Finally, there are 15 deleted scenes with more footage of Jenna and Matt at the magazine party and so on. These scenes flesh out the relationships between the characters.

Although this movie is often inaccurately referred to as a girly version of Tom Hanks BIG the movie is actually so much more and so much better. Whewreas in the previous movie Hanks character stays in the 1980s when he receives instant adulthood, in this movie an element of time travel is involved when 13 year-old Jenna goes to sleep in 1987 and wakes up all grown up in 2004.

The movie is all the better for this plot device, we get to see where most of the characters from 1987 are now, and the implications of the decision Jenna makes at the beginning of the movie. Its both piognant, romantic and funny in its execution and you would be pressed to find a truly more involving comedy drama in recent years.

Carrying the movie is star of television show ALIAS, the impossibly beautiful and talented Jennifer Garner. She proves that her entertaining turn as Sydney Bristow was no fluke by ably showing of her comic timing and delivery. Not a slam-bang comedy of the Ben Stiller or Adam Sandler vein this movie is more subtle and less in your-face.

As a 32-year old who remembers 1987 well the pop culture references to that era in the initial scenes were drenched in nostalgia and as someone who has chosen a similar career path as Garner's character it is even more involving and interesting. Without giving too much of the well crafted story away, this movie makes you reflect on the decisions you make and the impilcations each decision makes. In this sense it is like the recent Kutcher movie THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT although far more entertaining and light hearted.

This movie is well recommended.

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I was rather pleasantly surprised by this film. Obviously, the storyline is by no means unique, and I've seen too many films featuring kids and adults miraculously switching places to feel all that confident about going once more into a similar breach, but 13 Going on 30 is actually, well, delightful. I'm a big Jennifer Garner fan going all the way back to her role in the short-lived Time of Your Life; by and large, I think she did a wonderful job in this role. It is certainly a different Jennifer Garner than we see on Alias, and it certainly appears as if she relished a role in which she got to be silly and whimsical. I would have to credit Mark Ruffalo with an even more impressive performance, though, as his was the subtle glue that held the fantastical elements of the plot together.

Young Jenna has just turned 13; already unhappy with the way she looks and anxious to be popular, she suffers an embarrassing indignation which has her fervently wishing to be 30. Thanks to some wishing dust on the model dream home her obviously infatuated by "not cool" friend Matt built for her, she gets her wish. I thought the early scenes featuring 13-year-old Jenna reacting to the instant passing of 17 years and adjusting to her new, uh, accessories was a little awkward, and a certain lack of continuity in regard to her reactions to new stimuli popped up sporadically as the film progressed. One minute she's acting like a young teenager, and then she will suddenly seem to have grown up into her new age to a significant degree. Anyway, she discovers that all of her dreams have come true: she was popular, and she has become mighty successful in life actually sitting atop the fashion magazine she was addicted to as a kid. Before long, though, she begins to see that having it all isn't all it is cracked up to be. This grown-up body she inhabits is actually a rather empty shell of a not so nice person. She learns that she has done some rather nasty things over the course of the missing 17 years. The only person she can turn to is her friend Matt (Mark Ruffalo), but the two have gone in very different directions over the years. In the process of trying to save her magazine, Jenna learns that the dreams of childhood don't turn out the way you thought they would and other obvious life lessons, etc., etc. You can probably guess what happens at the end.

The film does succeed rather well as a comedy; the Thriller dance scene, while uncomfortable to watch, is indeed quite silly, and some of adult Jenna's interactions with young teens also play well. I also loved the fact that the movie helped take me back to the 1980s, to some degree. There are some classic 80s tunes on the soundtrack, and beginning the film with the sound of the Go-Go's definitely qualifies for a star in my book. That being said, I have to say that I don't remember some of the awful hair-dos of the film actually existing in the late 80s certainly not among the girls my eyes gravitated toward in those halcyon days of youth.

In the end, this is basically your silly, entertaining, feel-good comedy, and it stars one of Hollywood's most attractive, talented actresses. It doesn't try to be anything more than what it is, and that is a big reason why it works as well as it does. It is by no means a must-see, but I do believe it is a film you cannot help but enjoy.

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Jennifer Garner is wonderful in 13 Going on 30 ! She is so believable as a young girl who wakes up to find she's turned 30 over night.

The storyline and script are really funny and enjoyable, with a very heart-warming ending. This is a great movie for a Mom and young daughter to go see together both will be able to relate to it.

Even the guy I dragged along, said he was amazed at how good the movie was.

Also, if you are into 80's music this is the movie for you ! The soundtack is Excellent !

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This is an absolutely charming and delightful comedy with an excellent cast. Do not, however, see this film unless you are ready to suspend disbelief. After all, the premise of this film is that a distressed thirteen year old girl suddenly finds herself propelled into the future and into the body of her thirty year old self.

Jenna Rink is a typical teenager, a little gawky, a little insecure. She pals around with her uncool best friend, Matt Flamhaff, but, at the same time, is trying to make it into the cool six chicks clique at her school, a nasty little group of teenage hotties who use Jenna for what they can get from her. They agree to come to her thirteenth birthday party, if she will do a class report for their leader. She agrees.

Matt is the first guest to arrive, and he gives her a little, doll sized dream house that he has made for her, replete with magic dust. When the other guests arrive, they soon depart with the needed report in hand, after playing a very mean trick on Jenna and leaving her desolate. A set of circumstances causes the magic dust to fall upon Jenna, just as she makes a wish that finds hers transported into the future and into the body of her thirty year old self.

Jenna discovers that she now has every thing for which she had dreamed when she was thirteen. She also discovers how she has changed, and it is not a change for the better. She turns to Matt, whose friendship, she is shocked to find, has been lost somewhere along the way. Jenna then sets about putting to right what went wrong. Of course, there are any number of humorous incidents that arise out Jenna's current situation.

Jennifer Garner is sensational as a thirteen year old girl trapped in the body of a thirty year old woman. She infuses the role with just the right amount of innocence and joyous abandonment that teenagers often exude. Kittenish and coltish all at once, her charm is infectious. Mark Ruffalo is perfectly cast as the grown-up Matt. He exudes sensitivity and niceness, all rolled into one very compelling package. One cannot help but like both characters tremendously.

This is an entertaining film for those who enjoy light-hearted fantasy films. This film has been compared to the film, "Big", and while there are some similarities between the two, this film stands on its own two feet and deserves its own accolades. Deft direction by Gary Winnick and excellent performances by the entire cast make this film a comedic gem to be enjoyed by those who like a charmingly realized film.

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Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (2011)

I'm not a Mike Myers fan, and I avoided this film--and its sequels--like the plague when they were on the big screen. But I now know the error of my ways: AUSTIN POWERS is one of the freshest bits of purely entertaining, mindless fluff to come along in quite a while, the perfect antedote to an overcast and bad-mood sort of day.

The story is an amalgamation of the more excessive plot ideas of such films as DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER and OUR MAN FLINT. Fashion photographer by day and swinging spy by night, Austin Powers is the toast of psychedelic London--and more than a match for Dr. Evil. But when Dr. Evil has himself frozen, Powers does the same, and the two defrost some thirty years later and resume their battle in the much more up-tight 1990s. The most obvious target of the spoof is the James Bond films, but fans of 1960s film will have a field day spotting the film's take offs on such characters as Matt Helm, Derek Flint, Emma Peel, celebrities like The Beatles and Andy Warhol, and such diverse films as THE TENTH VICTIM and the camp classic DR. GOLDFOOT AND THE GIRL BOMB. And dare we mention the sixties' own classic swinging spy spoof, the infamous CASINO ROYALE?

Myers is greatly amusing in the double role of Austin Powers and Dr. Evil, both of whom have considerable difficulty adjusting to everything from safe sex to inflation, and Elizabeth Hurley is quite good in the Diana Rigg-ish role of sidekick Vanessa Kensington. But the real fun here is in the details--and the details include every one from Michael York to Robert Wagner to Burt Bacharach to Carrie Fisher, "Fembots" with killer pasties, and Italian sexpot Fabiana Udenio as a character with the most devastating name since Honor Blackman hit the screen in GOLDFINGER. The soundtrack is just as swinging as it gets, with blasts of everything from "These Boots Are Made For Walking" and "I Touch Myself." And look for a hilarious spoof of Bob Fosse-inspired choreography during the main credits!

You won't find any deep thoughts in AUSTIN POWERS, and thank heaven for it: giggles and grins are the order of the day, and the film delivers them in abundance. The DVD is a nice one as well, offering your choice of widescreen or pan-and-scan, some entertaining notes and deleted scenes, and amusing commentary. Buy it and keep on your shelf for that rainy day.

Mike Myers is rapidly becoming, if he isn't already, the heir apparent to Mel Brooks in the sense that he is a master of jokes based on bodily functions. AUSTIN POWERS--INTERNATIONAL MAN OF MYSTERY has all the elements of scatalogical humor: urination, fornication, masturbation, penis enlargement (almost anything to do with the penis really), allotta fagina, femmebots with gun barrel breasts... jeez, he even has a long scene in a toilet booth (with a fun cameo by Tom Arnold). And like Brooks, Myers is a master of movie genre satire. If Brooks had taken on a 007 spoof, it would pretty close to this. And Brooks would play multiple roles as well.

Still, Myers is to be congratuated for his undoubted originality. His interpretation and reinterpretation of 60s and 70s pop culture, which he also demonstrated a mastery of in WAYNE'S WORLD, is his own. Part Bond movie, part Laugh-In, part sci-fi, all hilarious, AUSTIN POWERS is one of the best comedies to have emerged in the 90s.

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I have to laugh my head off when I read negative reviews from people who say the movie is stupid. Gee, you think?. It is supposed to be. Some people, like the one star review below, were completely lost on the joke. Over their heads. So many don't understand comedy like that. Mike Meyers created one of the funniest and most memorable comedic characters of the last decade with this hilarious and silly and over the top comedy spoofing the James Bond series. Auatin Powers is a British spy with horrible teeth and a raging libido. Austin's main arch nemesis is Dr. Evil(also played by Meyers), who, with his bald head and cat and manner of speech is an obvious spoof of recurring 007 villain Ernst Stavro Blofeld. Evil freezes himself and programs the cryogenic chamber to unthaw him in the late 1990's. Austin decides he will do the same thing so he can be there to stop Dr. Evil with his dastardly scheme for global domination. Did I mention that Austin was also a photographer by day?. The guy just never stops. There are rumors that Meyers also fashioned the Dr. Evil character after his old boss, "SNL" maestro Lorne Michaels. Seth Green(who seems to pop up all the time)is hilarious as Scott Evil, Dr. Evil's angst ridden teen son. There scenes together are priceless. Equally as good is Mindy Sterling as Evil's assistant. Robert Wagner(does this guy age?)plays Number 2, another henchman. "SNL"'s Will Ferrell pops up as well. The 'girl' is none other than the lovely and beautiful Elizabeth Hurley, as Vanessa Kensington. A most perfect choice in the casting department if you know what I mean and I think you do. This movie is written, designed, filmed, and acted with the intention of just having a good time. This isn't comedy that'll make you think days afterwards. This is pure popcorn cotton candy people. Meyers is a master at different characters. He really brings them to life with their very own characteristics and mannerisms. He is brilliantly talented. The movie has many laugh out loud moments that make this movie the best spoof in many a moon. Again, the humorless droids who ridicule it as stupid have obviously missed the point. Of course it is. You may think your bashing it, but your basically saying that it did what it was supposed to do and it succeeded. Totally lost on those people. "The Spy Who Shagged Me" was even better, and now "Goldmember" is coming up. Let's hope that Austin and Dr. Evil have more adventures down the road. Oh behave!!.

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I LOVE this movie, but I am reviewing the DVD, not the movie. The DVD transfer for this movie is atrocious. The aspect ratio is wrong. There are grainy scenes and scenes where the film was obviously dirty. Need a new transfer from the master laser disks.

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Austin Powers would have to be one of the funniest movies of the decade. That is why it is so disapointing that scenes in the original movie have been cut from this DVD version. Rob Lowe and Lois Chiles were relegated to the deleted scenes section of the DVD but at least they "appeared" albeit not in the movie itself. Where was Christian Slater and the famed "Orange Sher-bert" scene? Not to be found. True fans of Austin Powers may be disappointed with the DVD version.

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The War of the Roses (Filmmaker Signature Series) (2012)

How do you hold on to someone who want stay and how do you get reed of someone who want leave?

Oliver and Barbara (Douglas and Turner) meet at the auction. With instant chemistry between the two they are soon married. Typical American family perfect house, 2 children, work-slave husband and bored wife. As time goes by, Barbara realizes that she no longer likes Oliver and asks for a divorce. Unfortunately for her Oliver is still crazy about her, but agrees to give her the divorce. And as we all though this would be just another civilized split, all hell breaks loose. Barbara wants to keep the house that she found and decorated, but Oliver (who paid for it) will not give it up either. And after an advice from his lawyer (DeVito) he moves back into the house. While Barbara is determined to get Oliver to leave and Oliver is trying to rekindle the romance, there civilized coexistence quickly becomes very interesting.

Believe it or not I have not given much of the movie away. Yes, you now know what the basic story is, but to watch it is a completely different. Three of the return after two successful movies and deliver performances that's unmatched by anything else in there carriers. This film is one of the darkest comedies you'll ever watch. And I believe that everyone should watch it at least once. It'll make you think twice about a lot of things in life. Absolutely brilliant. An ending that will stay with you for a long time.

And when a person making $400.00/hr wants to tell you a story for free, you should listen to it.

It'd be a little redundant at this point out this film is a black comedy. That'd be like stating that Scream is a horror movie. But what exactly makes War of the Roses so funny yet so bleak? In my opinion it's the same type of entertainment one gets from listening to really nasty juicy gossip. Like when your tech-ed teacher tells you why it's bad to get your hair or fingers too close to the sanding machines.

The film is narrated by DeVito, a lawyer retelling a tale he lived through when dealing with a once happily married couple... an especially materialistic married couple! So the entire movie switches from 'past' to 'present,' focusing mostly on the story of the soon to be unhappy lovers. After their so-called civil divorce, they are both determined to keep the dream house they both contributed to, and Oliver, the once husband, is determined to keep his former wife, Barbara, who can't stand him to the point of making them both miserable! From here, the story just gets crueler and more bizarre...

So if you're the type of person who likes to listen to stories where terrible things happen to ordinary and fallible people, if you watch car races to see a crash, or you laugh during the news, chances are you'll enjoy this movie, and other black comedies for that matter. If you like stories with resolve or warmth, or if you're an animal lover, you best stay clear of this unrelenting comedy classic.

So why four stars? Well, perhaps I just recognize that there are some people who will find this movie hysterical, and some who will just plain not find it funny at all.

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Kathleen Turner and Michael Douglas star in this movie with a chemistry greater than either of their previous films together, namely Romancing the Stone and Jewel of the Nile. Their shared screen time is filled with a frenzied mixture of passion, anger, lust, devotion, and resentment, a relationship that, however abstract and unrealistic it is skewed in this movie, reflects what's left of a lot of relationships once the lust leaves the marriage, or once a couple finally spends some time together (i.e. after the kids have left the nest).

It has been a long standing joke that once the kids go to college or leave the nest, many spouses find themselves wondering: "Who the hell did I marry?" Things that were never noticed now are found nagging; a sensitive husband suddenly becomes controlling; a neat homemaker suddenly becomes obsessively compulsive; a mother, now that her duties are cut, becomes anxious to get out of the house. This is exactly what this movie relates, from the Roses' passionate meeting, to their years of "struggle" as Douglas' character builds his career to support his growing family, to their subsequent wealth and success, and finally a lull is reached when they are wealthy and suceessful, yet they have nowhere seemingly left to go.

One of the things that a lot of viewers seemingly miss while watching the movie is the greater picturethe Rose's marriage was one built on attraction and lust. While that has been enough to sustain many marriages, this is not the case here. After the lust leaves the marriage the couple begins to notice every irritating thing the other half does, which is what happens in a lot of marriages. The difference here is that their personalities, both being uncompromising, ambitious, and, yes, more than a tad sadistic, cause Turner's and Douglas' characters to take things past the point where any realisic (i.e. amiable) seperation is possible.

Perhaps it is just me, but if anything I find this movie to affirm marriage, as long as it takes place out of mutual love and respect, not just lust. Sure this movie delivers plenty of shock power and may leave you with a feeling of bitterness, but overall this, as Devito's character (a lawyer and the narrator) mentions, is a "cautionary tale." Keep that in mind and you will find yourself wriggling in your seat with laughter and shock from the onscreen antics as Douglas and Turner terrorize each other onscreen.

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I have heard of this movie before but I had no idea what kind of a ride I was about to be taken on and let me tell you this flick is crazy! Here you have a man and a woman who have a good marriage and suddenly it goes kablam! They are like the ham and cheese cafeteria sandwich cut in half and placed with their backs to each other; the angry lovers on opposite sides of the bed...

Watching Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner slowly descended to a discord in their relationship, more her than him, is a never ending guillotine of a ride. The trials and tabulations in the movie are a parody on a bad marriage gone funny with opposite sides playing a Civil War witch each other, as neither one wants to move out of the "gorgeous" house they have made together.

Yes this movie is about a house and two stubborn people who play nasty tricks ala' Home Alone on each other with no mercy, often drawing some major laughs out of anyone who watches it.Also I need to give props to the climactic ending which is quite shocking and makes you think about this black comedy longer then you though possible as this story is quite intricate and has some great and funny outcomes, its not some empty comedy that gives you headache at the end or makes you angry about missing two hours of your life. This film is smart, funny, has the husband and wife ruin each others house parties, cars, jobs, friends and behave as if they are above all laws and just when you think they will patch it up some crazy event interrupts them with a mound of consequences growing like a hungry volcano. And the you watch it erupt! Enjoy.

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This is possibly one of my best movies of all time.The fact that a wonderful marriage started out with a huge family house and nice cars always meant that disaster at some point in the marriage would strike.Michael Douglas is at his very best in this film and when his wife one day turns round to him and says " Everytime i see your face i want to smash your face in" he has more than a battle on his hands to keep his estate. Danny Devito also plays a part as his wisdom is needed as a lawyer to sort out the messed up situation. This film is very gripping and the humour of the film is tremendous. A must see and buy film straight away, it will under no cicumstances dissappoint you unless you are currently filing for a divorce!

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Mystery Men (1999)

Being acutely familiar with the source material for this film as I collected many a comic book in my youth, I thought Mystery Men (1999) did a really good job staying close to its' roots. Based on characters created by Bob Burden and showcased within the pages of his 'Flaming Carrot' comic book, Mystery Men highlights those 'not so super' super heroes, the blue collar ones that don't necessarily have the most spectacular powers, but seem to share a desire to protect their fellow man against evil and it's minions.

The film has a pretty impressive ensemble cast including Ben Stiller as Mr. Furious, William H. Macy as The Shoveller, Janeane Garolafo as The Bowler, Paul Rubens as The Spleen, Hank Azaria as The Blue Raja, Greg Kinnear as Captain Amazing, and Geoffery Rush as the villain Casanova Frankenstein. The supporting cast includes Claire Forlani, Lena Olin, Tom Waits, Eddie Izzard, Artie Lange, and Louise Lassiter.

The story involves the kidnapping of Capitol City's most popular hero, Captain Amazing (Kinnear) by Casanova Frankenstein, and a small group of less than stellar heroes attempting to rescue him while thwarting the villain's evil scheme to subjugate the city to his will. The core group, consisting of Mr. Furious (his rage is boundless), The Shoveller (he shovels better than anyone), and The Blue Raja (flinger of cutlery), realize they don't have the numbers to go up against Casanova and his gang, so they have a recruitment drive and enlist the aid of The Bowler, whose bowling ball is imbued with the spirit (along with the skull) of her deceased father, Invisible Boy (who can only turn invisible when no one is watching), The Spleen (whose powers involve the ability to produce flatulence and direct it with precision accuracy), and The Sphinx (Wes Studi), whose main power seems to be the ability to produce a conundrum for any situation . Also they acquire some very interesting non-lethal weaponry from a local mad scientist Dr. A Heller (Tom Waits) to assist them in their mission.

The production values in the movie are really wonderful, creating beautifully detailed sets and serve well to create a comic book atmosphere that fit the story well. I was impressed with the director's ability to focus on the core characters just enough to provide the appropriate background, while keeping the secondary characters in the loop. There was a lot going on in the film, so I think this was quite a juggling act. A lot of the humor was tongue in cheek, sort of spoofing the image of the classic superhero, and doing so in a good-natured way. Some of the humor is crude, and the movie does get a little bogged down in silliness at times, but the actors all seemed to have a lot of fun putting forth their performances, and it comes through.

There are a ton of special features available, from deleted scenes, production notes, a history of the Mystery Men from their comic book origins, biographies, a commentary track with the director, recommendations, musical highlights from the film, and more. The deleted scenes are worth checking out as I think they weren't so much removed from the film due to the poor quality of the scenes, but probably a desire to trim the running time of the movie as it is at two hours as released. I probably wouldn't recommend this movie to anyone, but if you have an odd side to your sense of humor, and can appreciate a somewhat subversive look into the world of super heroes, then you may enjoy this film. I you liked this film I would also recommend The Specials (2000), another super hero movie of sorts, with a similar skewed view and a wry sense of humor.

Cookieman108

Champion City is the home of one of the greatest superheroes of all time: Captain Amazing. Unfortunatly for him, his crime fighting skills have left him without any publicity left except for the odd toothpaste commercial. Reduced to fighting gangs at nursing homes and steadily loosing his sponsers, Captain Amazing comes up with a plan. Using his alterego, the millionaire Lance Hunt, he bids for the release of one of his favourite arch-villains to be released in the hopes of defeating him and gaining some much-needed recognition. Thus, Casanova Frankenstein is released.

But there is another level to the superhero regime: the Shoveller (whose weapon is various types of shovels), the Blue Rajah (who throws forks, has a fake British accent and still lives with his mum) and Mr Furious (whose power comes from his barely controlled temper and has trouble coming up with suitable comebacks) are all wannabe heroes, who usually emerge from a fight with black eyes. Yet when Captain Amazing goes missing, they agree that it's up to them to stop Casanova and rescue the city from whatever terrible scheme he's cooking up.

To do this, the boys need reinforcements: after a rather dismal audition for new recruits to the team, the trio install the Bowler, whose murdered father's skull she keeps incased in a bowling ball, the Spleen whose power comes from the awful potency of his flatulence, and the Invisible Boy...who can only turn invisible when no one's looking at him. Rounding it off is the Sphinx, who takes the superheroes in for some physcho-babble training ("control your power, or your power will control you", and so on), and Professor Heller, who provides the team with the non-lethal weapons he invents. Its a somewhat troubled team, but one that has the rousing speeches and slow-motion walk down cold they just might pull this off!

In my opinion, "Mystery Men" is hilarious, and is the long awaited spoof of superhero comics that we've been waiting for. The reason the humour works so well is in the performances of the top-notch cast, who perform with such seriousness that even the most rediculous moments come across as likely senarios. There are many moments from comic books that are easily familiar, such as the Shoveller's inability to believe Furious's theory that Lance Hunt and Captain Amazing are one and the same because: "Lance Hunt wears glasses. Captain Amazing *doesn't* wear glasses. He wouldn't be able to see!" Likewise, the good guys' distain at the evil henchmen who don't even have a theme to their costume and the many wannabe-heroes that turn up to the audition are continously funny.

Ben Stiller and Janeane Garofalo in particular carry their roles across with droll humour, and Geoffry Rush looked as if he had the time of his life playing the evil Casanova Frankenstein. All the characters, such as the Shoveller's long-suffering wife, Furious's waitressing love interest, and the Rajah's mother fit into the movie perfectly, creating a "real" backdrop for the heroes to work against.

It won't be everyone's cup of tea, and I admit that certain scenes (such as the fork-sitting, Spleen's farting and the skunk encounter) could have done with a little editing, but it suited my sense of humour perfectly, and had just the right amount of mockery and reverence toward the comic book heroes that makes it one of my favourite spoof movies.

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-so, just sit back and enjoy it! Original, very funny andentertaining movie about a group of superhero-wannabes who bandtogether to save their city's real, yet commercially-sponsored,superhero (Greg Kinnear) from the clutches of the evil Casanova Frankenstein (Geoffrey Rush) and his Bee Gees-loving henchmen. Led by The Shoveler (William H. Macy)and Mr. Furious (Ben Stiller), the "Mystery Men" -a misnomer since the group's person with any real powers is a woman (Janeane Garofalo at her sarcastic best)-team up with a non-lethal weapons expert (Tom Waits) to save their city. Some really funny moments and memorable lines, especially from the Blue Raja (Hank Azaria), the "British" superhero who doesn't have a shred of blue in his outfit, and the "terribly mysterious" Sphnix ("Dances with Wolves'" Wes Studi). I would have loved to seen more development of Invisible Boy's (Kel Martin) character -no pun intended -but less of scenes like Spleen's (Paul Reubens) encounter with the skunk. The movie's message is obvious -we identify with these heroes because they represent who we are. Bottom line -rent it first, because you'll either love it or hate it. If ya love it, I'm sure Amazon can hook you up. If not, then take comfort that there are worse movies you could've rented. Peace!... END

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Play it straight, and they will laugh; the credo of director Kinka Usher and a superb cast that propels "Mystery Men" to the status of #1 cult movie of all time. When the evil Casanova Frankenstein (Geoffrey Rush) is released from a mental institution and threatens to take over Champion City after capturing the local superhero, Captain Amazing (Greg Kinnear), a trio of wannabe superheroes, Mr. Furious (Ben Stiller), The Shoveler (William H. Macy) and The Blue Raja (Hank Azaria), come to the rescue. Before confronting such a formidable opponent, however (Frankenstein is joined by a myriad assortment of underworld denizens), they realize that more help is needed and decide to recruit. Soon they are joined by The Invisible Boy (Kel Mitchell), The Spleen (Paul Reubens), The Bowler (Janeane Garofalo) and a heavy hitter from down South, The Sphinx (Wes Studi). The result is a brilliant ensemble piece that delivers the goods without ever patronizing the audience, playing it straight at all times. Witty dialogue, exemplary performances (especially by Stiller, Garofalo and Macy), and a number of absolutely hilarious scenes make this an instant classic. The solid supporting cast includes Lena Olin (Dr. Annabel Leek), Eddie Izzard (Tony P.), Tom Waits (Doc Heller), Claire Forlani (Monica), Louise Lasser (The Blue Raja's mother), Jenifer Lewis (Lucille) and Pras (Tony C.). "Mystery Men" is a truly inspired film, laced with subtle humor that will keep you laughing and thinking about it for a long time. This is a movie that can be seen time and again, with a new chuckle to be gleaned with every viewing, guaranteed. For a good time and a lot of laughs, treat yourself to this masterwork of comedy; you'll soon discover it's the real deal, and you won't regret it. In the immortal words of The Sphinx: "We are number one! All others are number two, or lower-"

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The only mystery (excuse the pun) to me is why several DVD and film review magazines rated this film quite highly. With a strong comedy cast (Stiller, Garafalo etc...) I had high hopes for a great film. Sadly this film turned out to be a big let down. The comedy fell into two ballparks, blatantly obvious slapstick and subtle comedy thats so subtle its not even there. Theres one high point though, and thats the nonsical and nihilistic philosopher The Sphinx. His cliched sayings are the biggest and only laughs in the whole film. The quality of the DVD transfer is very high, and the added extra are quite varied (deleted scenes, origin of chars etc...). If you collect DVDs for collection sake then you'll probably get this no matter what I say, but if you are into good comedies hire it on video or DVD before you decide to add it to your collection.

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$5 a Day (2008)

I was surprised to see this at the local rental barn; I love Walken and had never heard of it. How can anything with him as the comedic star be shelved like this was? Chris has it all as an actor as well as a comic presence: tight timing, wryness to spare, and an endless reservoir of sly looks and moves. Not many actors have a resume with films like Pennies From Heaven, The Deer Hunter, King Of New York, Catch Me If You Can (another fine flim-flam film (say that three times fast)) and $5 A Day, to name but a few of Walken's best.

Not to mention his many classic skits on SNL (The Continental!), where his dancing and comedic skills finally gained the huge audience they deserve. This film is no exception; it's light on the hoofing but heavy on the laughs, mainly from Walken. The script has some fine moments as do the other actors, but 5AD is all Walken's, and he's fully up to the task. He easily controls every single scene he's in; you can't take your eyes off him---the sign of a true star---and he delivers the laughs here by milking every line for all it's worth with his trademark off-beat pauses. The guy knows how to use his eyes and voice to focus our thoughts exactly where he wants them, then bang! Yet another crisp bit of humor.

He makes a perfect con man here; Nat is charmingly duplicitous, and his never-ending schemes are rarely mean or uncouth...just slippery as an eel. He sucks everybody into his weird wake, and his son Ritchie has trouble holding the many grudges he has every right to. Walken makes Nat so likable that you end up cheering him on and cracking up every time he pulls another fast one. The only question for me here is why this took two years to come out on dvd, and got such limited release in theaters. It's a sweet little comedy, and even the oddly orange Sharon Stone is quite funny in it; I have a strong feeling this will be a real cult classic as the years roll by.

If you like Walken, have any charmingly roguish family members, or just love to crack up, $5 A Day will keep you laughing until its bittersweet end.

Recommended.

For some reason, Christopher Walken attracts people. His acting style is unique and his physical presence on screen is just magnetic. He is one of the very few actors who happens to be good in both dramas and comedies. So, when I learned that he was part of the film "$5 a Day," I couldn't wait. And I have to say this movie doesn't disappoint it is smart and funny, a total delight, with Walken being responsible for much of it.

Directed by Nigel Cole, who also helmed the wonderful "Calendar Girls" (2003), this picture has been referred by some as a road movie, which may be the case. Walken stars as Nat Parker, a good-natured and hearted drifter, con artist, scam operator he likes everything for free, provided he can get away with it --, who learns that he has a brain tumor and is about to die. He contacts Ritchie Flynn (Alessandro Nivola), his only son, and asks him to take him to New Mexico for a new, free treatment. Problem is, Ritchie has problems of his own, including an imminent divorce from his wife Maggie (Amanda Peet), and being fired from his job as a Health Inspector. Needless to say, he was also recently released from jail. As you can imagine, growing up with Nat, he inherited some of his "talents." Ritchie accepts against his will, and they travel by car from New Jersey to New Mexico, making stops in Pennsylvania, Indiana, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas. Along the way, as expected, many things happen some hilarious --, which make Ritchie learn more about his father. Along the way, too, they visit Dolores Jones (the very sexy Sharon Stone), who happened to be Ritchie's baby-sitter, and with whom Ritchie had a crush as a kid. This is pure gold.

"$5 a Day" feels fresh and it makes you feel good. It is also tender and touching, with awesome photography by Peter Donahue. The film also stars Peter Coyote and Dean Cain. The DVD includes director and cast interviews and more. (USA, 2008, color, 98 min plus additional materials). Image Entertainment.

Exclusively reviewed by Eric Gonzalez for on September 6, 2010.

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It seems like every year or so the cinema comes out with a 'road movie' an extended revelation of character deficiencies and nobilities played out on the open road (such as 'La Strada', 'Easy Rider', 'Thelma and Louise', 'About Schmidt', 'Motorcycle Diaries', 'The Adventures of Felix', 'Central Station' etc). They usually do well at the box office as a type of catharsis for the audience. That '$5 A DAY', given an excellent script by writing team Neal and Tippi Dobrofsky, a director with the comic timing such as Nigel Cole, and one of the finest groomed casts around, wasn't a major hit is puzzling. Timing, I suppose, but at least we have the great opportunity to see this little jewel of a movie on DVD. By all means pay attention.

Richie Flynn Parker (the gem of an actor Allesandro Nivola who can play comedy as well as he handles drama) is unhappy: he is a conservative Health inspector of restaurants fired when his police record is uncovered (he had taken the rap for one of his father's capers), whose girlfriend Maggie (Amanda Peet) is leaving him because he never communicates about who he really is, and discovers a letter from his gallivanting grifter huckster father Nat Parker (Christopher Walken in a pitch perfect comedic role) who claims he is dying from a brain tumor and needs a ride to New Mexico for a special treatment. Because Flynn's life is such a mess he consents to go and he and his father set out in a 'Sweet and Low' advertising little auto. Nat shows how he can live on $5 a day by sleeping in empty homes, pulling shenanigans to get free food, entry into parties (Dean Cain plays an 'old acquaintance'), and money and gas. The two spar about why Nat was never there for Flynn, how their relationship is broken, and gradually Flynn discovers the realities of his background realities he nightly shares on voicemail to his girlfriend Maggie. Along the way the two make stops including a visit to Flynn's previous babysitter Dolores (Sharon Stone, better than ever!), a woman who knows how to bolster Nat's morale and brighten his life as well as fill Flynn in on some important truths about his parental past. Flynn questions whether Nat really is dying or is just pulling off a scam to get a trip to New Mexico. But in Albuquerque Nat meets up with an old debtor Kruger, now wealthy because of Nat's assistance years ago, and in the process of correcting problems with the past, Flynn's true identity is revealed. What began as a raw, near hostile relationship between Nat and Flynn is transformed in a very touching manner.

It is such a pleasure to jump into the trip and go along with this entertaining ride with Walken and Nivola because they are so very fine in their roles that we feel like we know them well. The balance between hilarity and pathos is excellent and the quality of every aspect of this little Indie film is first class. Highly recommended! Grady Harp, August 10

Read Best Reviews of $5 a Day (2008) Here

A sleeper of a movie! Christopher Walken is fabulous. Interesting story, great characters, intriguing storyline, wonderful twists and turns. I loved this film and have shared it with many friends. The story and development of the characters is intimate, touching, enlightening and sweet. Fun, laugh out loud and tender all at the same time. Sharon Stone was sensational, too. A great surprise of a movie. I'd love to know what you think of it.

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For Christopher Walken and Peter Coyote fans, this is pretty much guaranteed to be enjoyable. Walken still has a thoroughly compelling screen presence and owns every scene. But the entire cast is solid, the writing is tight, the cinematography and direction provide a nonstop visual oasis, and perhaps all of this tends to underscore that the screenplay itself is not deep. Far from it, the storyline is very surface but yet contains enough twists and turns that the audience is subtly reminded that people's motives, good and bad, can be very mysterious indeed.

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General Education (2012)

The movie was okay and had some funny scenes, but at best, it was just okay. I should have waited until it came on public TV.

Hollywood likes to openly proclaim that it embraces American values, but, if GENERAL EDUCATION is any indication, I'm not entirely certain Tinseltown even recognizes what sentiments average Americans embrace any longer. Granted, children are always going to have some `secrets' they hold out on their parents, but why glamorize it? Also, parents are always going to want something better for their children, but do they seriously force them to pursue dreams that'll more likely drive their kids into bankruptcy instead of having a life of personal fulfillment? I could go on, but methinks I don't want to spoil too much of this political claptrap in the first paragraph!

(Note: the following review will contain minor spoilers necessary for the discussion of characters and plot. If you're the kind of reader who prefers a review spoiler-free, then skip down to the last two paragraphs for my final words. However, if you're entirely accepting of some hints at things to come, then read on.)

Levi Collins (played by Chris Sheffield) appears to have a bright future. He's just "won" an athletic scholarship for tennis that should give him the `full ride' for tuition, but, as luck would have it, he has one problem: he hasn't yet successfully graduated from high school!

And therein lies the central problem of GENERAL EDUCATION: very little of what we're shown makes any sense. Only a few minutes after being granted a full scholarship by a sexually suggestive college recruiter (???), we're told Levi has to "compete" in a tournament and "win" in order to obtain it. Despite the fact that the script assures us that Levi is a tennis pro even descended from other tennis pros in his family history we're never shown him playing AT THE LEVEL of a tennis pro. In fact, we're only shown him repeatedly losing.

As the film unfolds, we learn that this is what accounts for "plot development" because Levi's father (and town mayor), Rich Collins (comedy veteran Larry Miller), is the only one who's pushing for his son to become a tennis star. Levi has no interest in it which is good since he can't play it or, rather, plays fairly poorly nor does he have any aspirations for college except for the fact that he knows he wants to attend Arizona State University, a choice apparently not to his father's liking.

Somehow, the audience is supposed to find all of this "funny."

To further complicate his family life, mom Gale (woefully miscast Janeane Garofalo) is taken to speaking in slight sarcasm while repeated swilling glasses of wine. At one point, Levi along with his older brother and younger sister find Mommie Dearest modestly incapacitated (think `drunk') while fully clothed in the bathtub late in the day after a grueling evening of drinking. Weakly, she waxes on about the troubles of raising children who will all grow up and leave home someday like she's the only parent who ever suffered from such a revelation.

And again, somehow, the audience is supposed to find all of this "funny."

However, back to Levi's antics. See, he's forced to lie to his parents about graduating from high school for which he's wistfully forgiven because it's all their fault, after all. In order to get his diploma, he'll suffer through a ten-day summer school program in Earth Sciences. Eighty percent of his grade for the class is the presentation of a class project, and, on a whim, Levi decides to convert his new car into `hybrid' that'll run on vegetable oil. The main problem with this `project' is that he never does any of the work! His brother also a failed tennis pro is suddenly revealed to have world class automotive skills and installs the already invented filter into the engine and ... voila! Passing grade! Plus, a happy ending!

And still, miraculously, writer/director Tom Morris expects audiences to find all this scathingly "funny."

There's so much wrong in the presentation of GENERAL EDUCATION that I won't trouble readers with the lion's share. What I truly found relevant was the fact that this appears to largely have been an independent production outside the standard Hollywood studio system but, under Morris's direction, it all kinda/sorta stinks like a failed Disney Channel Saturday Night Movie. None of the right sentiments are baked into the cake indeed, many of the jokes come off as half-cocked puns that even Disney stars quite possibly wouldn't be caught dead performing and, instead, we're treated up to the slightly veiled "it takes a village to get a kid to pass high school" formula. Before all is said and done, Dad's at fault, Mom's at fault, the school's at fault, the law's at fault, society's at fault, but rest assured the kids are alright.

Poorly conceived and woodenly acted, EDUCATION has a few moments of mirth that play out honestly. I can't help thinking that those were the accidents here and not what Morris and his cast and crew intended.

GENERAL EDUCATION is produced by Pelican House Productions. DVD distribution is being handled through Well Go USA Entertainment. As for the technical aspects, the sights and sounds are acceptable though nothing grand the sound mix was a bit off (I had to crank up the center speaker volume in order to hear the actors' dialogue) in the opening sequences, but it seemed to even out about twenty minutes in. The disc comes with a respectable assortment of bonus features an audio commentary, outtakes, making-of short, and the original theatrical trailer but I didn't invest any time with them as the overly maudlin quality of the picture turned me a bit sour in the conclusion.

SLIGHTLY RECOMMENDED but with some strong reservations. There's part of me that wants to recommend GENERAL EDUCATION to families because, in many respects, it's clearly intentioned as a light-hearted romp about a boy, his family, and his misadventures. Still, there's another part of me that sees the film for what it is: a slightly veiled attempt to discredit traditional American family values and supplant them with some Liberal / Progressive hogwash hoping no one will notice. As it is, there are far too many weird secondary subplots (many of which come get introduced and then brushed away from some genuinely bad comic writing) that spoil whatever good intentions the filmmakers may've been able to muster.

In the interests of fairness, I'm pleased to disclose that the fine folks at Well Go USA Entertainment provided me with a DVD screener of GENERAL EDUCATION for the expressed purposes of completing this review.

Buy General Education (2012) Now

Tom Morris has worked on quite a few films as a camera operator and has even written and directed several short films. But this time Morris joins writers Elliot Feld and Jaz Kalkat as co-writer and director of the coming-of-age comedy "General Education".

The film would star veterans Larry Miller ("Pretty Woman", "10 Things I Hate About You", "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang"), Janeane Garofalo ("24″, "Mystery Men", "Ratatouille") and feature Chris Sheffield ("Transformers: Dark Side of the Moon", "The Rookie"), Maiara Walsh ("Switched at Birth", "Cory in the House", "Desperate Housewives", "Mean Girls 2″), Skylan Brooks ("Seven Pounds", "Our Family Wedding") and Elaine Hendrix ("The Parent Trap", "90210″, "Superstar").

VIDEO:

"General Education" is presented in 1080p High Definition (2:34:1). Outdoor scenes are quite vibrant showcasing wonderful contrast while indoor scenes were good. For the most part, "General Education" does look very good on Blu-ray!

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

"General Education" is presented in English 5.1 DTS-HD MA. The soundtrack is primarily dialogue and music driven. But there is probably a few scenes where the surround channels and LFE are used (scenes with fireworks). But for the most part, dialogue and music are crystal clear and primarily front and center channel driven.

SPECIAL FEATURES

"General Education" comes with the following special features:

Audio Commentary Featuring audio commentary by Tom Morris and the co-writers and producers of the film: Jaz Kalkat, Kevin Liang, Elliot Feld and sound editor Tim Hoogenakker.

Outtakes (5:39) Outtakes from "General Education".

Making Of Featuring interviews with the cast about their characters and the crew about the making of "General Education".

Trailer (1:44) The theatrical trailer for "General Education".

JUDGMENT CALL:

"High Hopes" is a coming-of-age film that doesn't really break any new ground. There were a few times in which I thought the film would go one way or try to be clever with its storyline but instead, the film turned out to be quite banal and average.

It's a standard story about a guy who wants to graduate but his parents are pushing him to be something that he doesn't want to be.

Part of the problem of the film is that the writers play things too safe. How is Levi really being affected? I suppose the film could have been dark and had him becoming a drug addict, alcoholic or something terrible but I suppose that we have seen those type of films before.

But there are a few things that left me scratching my head of "why?". Why do some of the characters look like they came from a bad '80s film? Why is a 13-year-old Charles (portrayed by Skylan Brooks) walking around with no shoes on? Yes, he outgrew them but what is up having a young Black male in a film and his family can't purchase him shoes? Why have him shoeless to begin with? It makes no sense. You find out that Brian Collins has quit his professional tennis career because he finds out that his girlfriend is dating a big Black man. And why did the man have to hit Brian with a baseball bat? Makes no sense!

The nervous breakdown suffered by Gale Collins (by Janeane Garofalo), didn't seem natural. She's a mother who cares for her children, who are growing older and avoiding her. But not once do we see her going off about how she feels. She's just found laying in the bathtub. There was no build-up for that moment. Which would have been quite fascinating as it was probably the most reserved performance by Garofalo since her appearance on "24″.

You bring in Levi's friends which could have been fascinating in a "Superbad" kind of way as Levi's friend including Andy (portrayed by Harvey Guillen) was funny. But the film steers clear of them and focuses on Levi's relationship with the girl he likes and learning about how his brother wants to choose his own destiny. But you have Levi hanging out with Shady Nick (portrayed by Seth Cassell) who seems like a jock of the '80s and is a 20-year-old in high school. Once again, it doesn't make any sense and it would have been better suited to play the strengths of the comedic sides of Andy who was much more fascinating and funny that the character of Shady Nick.

But as much as I question the film for its use of characters and overall storyline, for what it is, you get a safe coming-of-age film. I just wish that the writers took a bit more risk because the storyline for "General Education" could have been a bit more serious or even darker. And even if it was too be all about the comedy, the film could have utilized characters much better.

But with that being said, for filmmaker and writer Tom Morris, a jack-of-all trades when it comes to his involvement with films and co-writers Elliot Feld and Jaz Kalkat, this is a good start and definitely a film that these guys received great experience and I'm sure we'll see something much better from them next time because of this film.

Overall, "General Education" is a teen comedy/coming-of-age film that plays it a bit too safe with its characters and its overall plot. It's an average film, not terrible, nor great but you can't help but feel that it could have been much better

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I don't laugh out loud much at films, but this one had me busting up in a couple of places. Good clean fun with just a bit of edge, If you like coming of age movies, this is a win!

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GREAT MOVIE! A great coming of age/family story with lots of quircky comedy! The cast and crew did a great job putting this together!

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Roadie (1980)

There is a lot of silly rubbish about this film scattered all over the Internet. Most of the time when I read a review of "Roadie" I wonder if the critic even bothered to see the film before they wrote about it (see above). Unlike most other critics, I have seen Roadie, and I promise--with certain reservations--that it is a very funny and very entertaining movie.

As an older man with a nervous disposition who has enough trouble sitting through many new movies once, The ultimate tribute I can give this great "on the road" rock'n'roll saga is that I watched it numerous times when it was on cable in 1981. Since then, I have watched it several dozens of times on VHS, and now that it's on DVD, I have watched it several times again. You can put a lot of mileage on this road movie. In a day when you build whole relationship with and around movies in your personal collection, that kind of stamina in a movie is critical.

The film has a rock'n'roll backdrop--a backdrop we rarely see from the workingman's eye the way we do here. There are no star turns in the film, at least none in the late 1970's early 1980's tradition. Rock is shown as hard work, and generally the product of blue collar hands (a view I agree with). The movie gives us what amounts to real-world views of several 70's favorites (Meatloaf, Alice Cooper, Blondie, etc.).

The movie has a great premise, the howling self-reliant "Everything Works If You Let It" theme. It also enjoys a background soundtrack that fires on all twelve cylinders. But what keeps me watching the film is that it is really funny in an honest, straight-forward way that we have enjoyed far too seldom since Hollywood started grinding out its cookie-cutter "farces" in the wake of "Airplane." The dual surprises of the film are the really solid performances put in by Alice Cooper and Meatloaf in their respective roles as rock star and roadie. I am unqualified in my admiration of this movie, but I will tightly qualify the people to whom I would suggest the film. This is a "cult" movie in the most real sense of the word and anyone who is made nervous by rock music, farce that is outside of the "Scary Movie"/"Naked Gun" mainstream, or three-hundred pound leading men (Meatloaf) should avoid this movie at all costs. Also, there is a certain good ol' boy mentality at work here that will not play for some parts of the audience. But to the core audience of the film, these are not qualifications, they are recommendations. The thing I am saddest about is that the movie's soundtrack is no longer available. The soundtrack was worth having simply for the long and messy "Brainlock" which plays during one of the few really funny car chases in the history of film.

Of course Meatloaf is the bomb, and you want to believe in the reality of his character, the astoundingly competent Travis W. Redfish. Sadly, there is no Redfish in the real world, but you'll wish there was, and there probably should be.

Art Carney plays Daddy Redfish, and steals every scene in which he appears. Alice Cooper plays himself (as always) and is great. In fact, all the walk-ons and cameos are amazing.

But the amazing presence in the film is Kaki Hunter's portrayal of Lola Bouillabaisse. The Lola character is a train wreck, a disaster area, a four alarm fire. She is our worst nightmare on a blind date, but the screenplay needs her to be that disaster. If Lola had been played by a different kind of female, or had she been played as an attractive girl, the part, and probably the film would have been ruined. Hunter actually holds her own against her mighty co-stars in the film. She is amazing.

Note: a movie that is equally funny and from the same time period, and sharing roughly the same theme is Roger Corman's "Rock and Roll High School."

Whoa-boy. ROADIE isn't a five-star flick by any stretch of the imagination (save that of starry-eyed fan-atics, who're no doubt clicking No with some vehemence right about now). Every one of the three stars are worthy, however, and I snapped up this DVD with all haste because the film IS a campy, rollicking, fun little tale. Meat Loaf is a charmer as Travis W. Redfish, cuddly and sweet, inventive and wise, a memorable character in even his head-butting, brain-locking, ox-like other side. Kaki Hunter is less memorable as Lola Bouilliabase, though often just as sweetly naive as anyone who's had a brush with fan obsession (y'all CAN click Yes later on and change your vote, if you didn't know). Completing the Redfish clan, Art Carney is a hoot and Rhonda Bates purely delightful. Watch for Kurkwood Smith in a bit part.

A no-frills DVD package. The feature cleaned up nicely, but the original trailer shows wear. The Dolby 5.1 audio was a surprise, though, and plays well front and back.

ROADIE is a guilty pleasure, but such camp was fun sharing with unsuspecting friends -we laughed 'til we cried. Chair dancing, the distinctive rattle of a beer truck, narcs snorting Tide. Some odd remembrances, too, of the brouhaha over cancelling concerts for energy conservation, often believed an excuse for censorship. Oddly enough, there's little or no swearing in ROADIE; Lola's quest for deflowering and a little substance abuse (and perhaps the close-up of Alice Cooper's codpiece) earned the PG rating.

"Everything works if you let it," a worthy sentiment.

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This is one of the funniest movies I've ever seen. A great cast: Meatloaf, Khaki Hunter, Art Carney, Jos Spano, Alice Cooper, Hank Williams Jr., Roy Orbison, Don Cornelius, etc. Great musical performances by Blondie, duet of Hank Jr. & Roy, Blondie, Asleep At The Wheel. Some of the greatest lines of all time. Story gets a little trippy but makes sense and one of the all-time strangest endings. If you are a 70s rock and roll fan, this is the movie for you.

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From the ambulatory phone booth to a candlelight dinner with The Snake, this just tickled my funny bone. Art Carney was great, and I loved Meat Loaf as the star-crossed lover. Yes, it's cheap, yes, it's campy, but I have been looking for the damn thing for like 20 years, and I am SO happy they finally re-released it. For years all I had was the soundtrack, which is quite goodlook at all the musicians in the darn movie! Ooohhh, I'm drivin' my life away....

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For it's time, Roadie is a great movie in itself. it's funny, sexy, and filled with alot of classic rock. Great cammeo's by Hank Williams Jr. and Roy Orbison to name a couple. Jr. sings Outlaw Women at a bar Redfish (Meat Loaf) set's up at.

The story is Hank Williams Jr.'s road crew breaks down on the side of a Texas road. A pretty woman hitching a ride steps out and catch's Redfish's eye. Two numb skulls diving the truck has no clue what's wrong. When Redfish offers to help, Lola (the pretty woman) talks him in to helping set up Hank Willims Jr. Soon after that Redfish becomes the best at what he does or what he has became a (roadie) but all Redfish is after is Lola and all Lola is ater is Alice Cooper.

I sew this movie on T.V. a long time ago and liked it alot and I was wantting to see it again. Still a great movie

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