One for the Money (2012)

As a fan of the books, I was not expecting very much. You know how it is. Someone in Hollywood reads maybe a chapter and half and then goes to town and puts a ton of their own ideas in, changes names and does a real hack job on the book we all know and loved. This DID NOT happen here at all. The movie exceeded my expectations in every possible way.

The basic plot is that Stephanie Plum of Trenton New Jersey has recently (okay---six months ago) lost her job, has a bunch of bills and rent to pay and needs some fast cash. She blackmails her cousin Vinnie into giving her a job at his bail bonds business as a recovery agent (okay---bounty hunter). He'd prefer to just assign her the easier stuff (naked flasher ftas) but she wants to go after the big money, trenton cop, Joe Morelli, with whom Stephanie has shared some intimate moments (okay---one intimate moment)in the past.

I'm not going to spoil too much with this review, I'm just going to address the things that I would have wanted to know before going to see this film.

First, I was not very happy when Katherine Heigl was cast as Stephanie. I like her, but I don't think she is much of an actress. She was a great Izzie Stevens, but since then she has mostly played Izzie Stevens. But, surprisingly, she was goooood in this! She played Stephanie perfectly, and I will probably have more respect for her as an actress in the future. Stephanie herself grows up a little through the film. She becomes more assertive and she tries so hard and she remains cheerful no matter what sort of bad things happen to her. I don't think we could have recieved a better cinematic treatment of our favorite bounty hunter.

The other characters are great as well. I felt Grandma Mazur was a little too lady-like, I wish she'd been in her track suit, and had seemed a little more Grandma Mazurish, but I hope there will be a sequel or six and we will get to see her develop more. Morelli and Ranger are exactly what I hoped for. Vinnie and Connie and Lula were pretty good as well. You'll see Connie and recognize her instantly---she's entirely faithful to Janet's depiction. And yes, the man who plays Vinnie does sort of look like a weasel.

The only tiny gripe I have was that Ramierz seemed a little too sane in the movie. I understand that having that subplot in there would have probably extended the movie by at least twenty minutes, but I was so looking forward to him whispering about himself in 3rd person...and he seemed smarter in the movie, being more involved in the Jimmy Alpha operation. And of course, I wanted more Lula, but the writers were very faithful to the book and Lula was not in the first book very much. You can't have your cake and eat it too, I guess.

The last thing I have to say is that the people who wrote the script obviously spent a lot of time reading the books and there were plently of details in there that a fan will recognize and appreciate. As Stephanie scrolls through her phone, we see the number for Pino's Pizza, Rex is in her kitchen always running on his wheel, Lula says she'll talk more if Stephanie brings her a snack, Lula tells Jackie it's hot and she's hungry (always), Ranger and Morelli refer to Stephanie as "Babe" and "Cupcake," respectively, and there are a lot of other little details that I can't remember just now, but which helped the movie to have the feel of the books. I love it so much when a movie is adapted this well. I cannot wait to see this again, and I really hope there are is a sequel which remains as true to the series as this one. I cannot say enough good things about this movie! Go and see it soon, it will not dissapoint you.

Okay, so the casting doesn't meet your expectations. How can it? We all picture someone different in the roles. I wanted a sexier Ranger, a fatter Lula, a Danny DaVito for Vinny, and an Estelle Getty for Grandma Mazur. But all in all it was very enjoyable. I read a reviewer who said that Rex didn't seem to like Stephanie. Really? That's your review? The movie followed the book, the actors did a great job,and all Janet E fans will love this movie. Not every story has to have a tough modern woman as the lead. Morelli's last scene at Stef's front door put a smile on my face. Enjoy it for what it is.

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I've only read a few of the books, so I'm maybe not the best judge of how well this was pulled off. That said, Katherine Heigl surprised me by playing someone a lot more like Stephanie Plum than like the other characters Heigl has played. I enjoyed watching her character (Stephanie) grow and become steadily more competent (if still unsure) in her new role as a recovery agent. For those who haven't read the books, the main culprit may be a surprise because of the way things were played.

All in all, I enjoyed it enough that, if there were a sequel, I'd watch it.

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I loved the first twelve Plum books so I was hoping I would enjoy seeing the characters come to life on the silver screen but sadly that was not the case. My first issue is with the casting which is beyond awful! Katherine Heigl is terrible as Stephanie; she overplays in every scene and she is completely lacking in any kind of warmth which is one of Stephanie's trademark characteristics. (Let me clear, I am comparing Stephanie and all the characters to the way they were originally wonderfully written in books 1-12 before JE started letting her daughter and ghostwriter simply slap pages together)

Heigl has zero chemistry with the men in her life or with anyone else in the movie. Jason O'Mara is not a bad actor but he was miscast as Morelli. No one so blatantly and quirkily Irish should be portraying a macho Italian cop. Sunjata also fails as Ranger...he isn't good looking enough and he lacks any of Ranger's sensuality, quiet intelligence or strength. He also gets very little screentime in the film which won't make some fans (me included) happy. Grandma Mazur is too young, too well preserved and not eccentric enough. Mr. and Mrs. Plum seem off...she's grating and he's pointless; I just couldn't buy them in their roles.

The only characters who worked were Vinnie, Connie and Lula. The plot deviates from the book and not in a good way since it minimizes the suspense and makes the ending more anti-climatic. The sets were also lackluster...not gritty enough for Trenton.

"One for the Money" was a great book but it is a terrible disappointment as a movie.

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As a fan of the books, I was disappointed when I first heard who was cast in the lead roles. These books are character-driven, and need to hang on to that for a film to succeed. It's not that I thought these weren't good actors; I just didn't initially "see" them as Stephanie, Morelli and Ranger. Given slight differences for reader imagination, though, the three here did a great job. Lula is perfect--can't wait to see more of her!

The script managed to hang on to the mystery/ comedy/ romance/ action mix. Kudos to Hollywood for not ruining a perfectly good book by "improving" on the story line.

I would like to have seen Stephanie's relationship with Ranger a little more established. The spark that explains why Ranger would do all this for her was missing, making his character seem an odd fit. He pops in and out to save her with little explanation, reason or rhyme. Still, it's early days yet, and hopefully we'll see sequels that can accomplish that.

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Ramona and Beezus (2010)

I'm just going to go out there and say it: Elizabeth Allen's "Ramona and Beezus" is the best film of the summer. It may not be the most visually thrilling ("Inception") or the most complex ("Salt"), but "Ramona and Beezus" is utterly charming from start to finish. In a age when films about children are laborious to endure, this is a bright, sweet and fun film. The acting is genuinely great from the very human cast. Joey King as Ramona hits every note like a seasoned professional. Her back up from John Corbett, Bridget Moynahan, Selena Gomez, Ginnifer Goodwin, Josh Duhamel and Sandra Oh is so solid and seamless that you believe this lot is a family. And family is what this film does so right. "Ramona and Beezus" captures in spades what "Where the Wild Things Are" tried so desperately to create: what it feels like to be a misunderstood child. It also deals with modern day family issues like the recession, divorce and dating in ways that never ring false. Sure, the film never gets dark but it also never skimps on the emotion. It's such a treat to see a film that families can enjoy, relate to and take something from without it being overly melodramatic, overly childish, or overtly religious. "Ramona and Beezus" is a wonderful film that deserves to find an audience. There really is something for everyone to enjoy in this truly, truly delightful gem.

Ramona Quimby doesn't mean to cause trouble. If anything, her intentions are purely honorable. It's just that ... well, she's nine years old; she has a lot of energy, her imagination is vivid, and her goals are ambitious. The unfortunate side effect is that she makes her life and the lives of those around her chaotic. Her teenage sister, named Beatrice but saddled with the unwanted nickname of Beezus, thinks she's a pest. Her teacher, so stiffly matter-of-fact, doesn't like it when she makes up her own words, even if they happen to sound a lot more fun. Her mother, busy at home with an infant daughter, would love it if she would learn to control her enthusiasm. Even her father, so pleasant and involved with his children, would sometimes like to see her grow up just a little bit. The only one who seems to understand Ramona is her aunt Bea. Of course, it's easy to understand a rambunctious child when you don't have to live with her every day.

"Ramona and Beezus," adapted from the books by Beverly Cleary, is a film that could have easily gone wrong, appealing to younger audiences with endless juvenile slapstick routines. But there's so much more going on here than the mischievous antics of a third grader. It tells a bright, funny, heartfelt story, and despite its innocent tone and waning nostalgia, it never plays down to its audience. It supplies little Ramona with dialogue just sharp enough to make her seem observant, but not so sharp that she sounds like a nine-year-old psychotherapist. It's sweet without becoming sappy. It makes the characters likeable but flawed at the same time. Its plot is fun but not so light-hearted that it sidesteps unfortunate realities. The target audience is young girls, but one doesn't necessarily need to have a daughter or even a family to enjoy it one only needs to remember what it was like being an imaginative child.

Ramona is played by Joey King with just the right mixture of cuteness, pluck, and clumsiness, a girl so charming and loveable that you can't help but want to be her best friend. Beezus is played by Selena Gomez not as a typecast of the mean older sister, but as a blossoming teenager with real insecurities. The two have natural onscreen chemistry. They don't play dumb. They have genuine feelings, a testament to screenwriters Laurie Craig and Nick Pustay, who clearly know a thing or two about human nature. They work just as hard on Ramona's father (John Corbett), a man who does everything he can to make his daughters feel loved and always puts a positive spin on things, even in bad times. The actual state of his well being is debatable, but the fact that he cares enough to keep smiling for his children is genuinely touching.

The plot involves Ramona's well-intentioned but misguided efforts to save her house after her father loses his job. She tries selling lemonade. She tries washing the neighbor's car. Neither yield the desired results (the latter especially). She tries circling various jobs in the classified section and showing them to her father; she even encourages him to be a firefighter. She will soon notice that he's quite good at drawing cartoons, and of that, I will say no more.

If there is a weakness to "Ramona and Beezus," it's that we find ourselves caring about too many characters, some of whom aren't given enough screen time. There's a subplot, for example, involving Aunt Bea (Ginnifer Goodwin), her high school sweetheart Hobart (Josh Duhamel), and their attempts at forming a relationship; I liked them as individuals, and they get along wonderfully with Ramona, but the romance is so condensed that it seems almost trivial. We have the same problem with Beezus' adolescent crush on her classmate, which is bad because, as a plot point, it nicely plays into the film's themes of growth, individuality, and connection to family. It can be argued that the story is a little like Ramona Quimby herself fun and adorable but also a bit unfocused.

I also would have appreciated more moments of Ramona using her imagination. Early scenes, such as when Ramona swings across a playground jungle gym or when she bounces on her bed, feature wonderfully whimsical shots of deep canyons and floating planets; late in the film, as she walks down the street, she imagines a city skyline comprised entirely of landmarks. I refuse to believe her imagination is limited to three shots, especially after hearing her opening monologue, in which she logically and understandably describes the way she views the world.

But in the grand scheme of things, these are minor complaints. Watching "Ramona and Beezus," I was reminded of 2008's "Kit Kittredge: An American Girl," which stirred within me the same feelings of fun, adventure, and nostalgia while maintaining a sense of reality. It also gave me everything I looked for and missed in this year's "Diary of a Wimpy Kid," namely the sense that childhood, family, and friendship were accurately being depicted. It isn't often you come across family films that really are for the whole family and not just kids; even though I'm an adult, I left the theater feeling as if I had actually experienced something worthwhile, something that was playful but respectful at the same time.

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Beverly Cleary's "Ramona" books, as well as her other series and standalones are about half a dozen chapters long. Each one is carefully detailed and paced even if the event would seem minor to an adult it's treated with the importance as a child of Ramona's age would view it.

In contrast, this movie pitches Cleary's plots to you like fastballs. For example, first Ramona gets a bad report card and curses (Ramona the Brave), then she makes a mess with toothpaste (Ramona and Her Mother), and then her dad brings home Gummi Bears for her and sister to share (Ramona and Her Father), and so on. There's also some fantasy sequences to emphasize Ramona's runaway imagination and to give the film even more of a child's eye-view perspective.

The overall plot is basically borrowed from "Ramona Forever," as Howie Kemp's annoying Uncle Hobart tries to (re) woo Ramona's Aunt Bea. There's also a storyline (Ramona and Her Father) about their dad losing his job (which caused an audible gasp in my audience). This isn't sugarcoated, although there's a happy ending for all the characters.

Joey King does an outstanding job as Ramona, as does Selena Gomez as Beezus (although physically, she's too glamorous for my idea of the character), and the rest of the cast is solid, too.

Adult-appropriate only material: Absolutely none, although if your kids know someone who's lost their job, they might ask questions about the bank repossessing their home. So be prepared.

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When I was younger I used to always read these books and loved them. As an young adult I wanted to see what the movie was like. I guess I wanted to take a trip down memory lane and I'm sure glad that I did. This movie is not just for kids. Granted it doesn't have any nudity or cursing if you're into that stuff you will be disappointed BUT it does have a wonderful story if you like that kind of stuff. This is actually a movie that many people can relate to especially if you have a sibling. This movie is about Ramona which is the middle child just trying to fit in any way that she can. She feels like her older sister Beezus is perfect and her younger sister is cute no matter what she does. Ramona and Beezus is really a movie all about family which you do not find much nowadays. The entire cast had so much chemistry together and it really showed in their acting and made it all the much better to watch. If you want to just sit back and watch a good heartfelt movie then look no further than Ramona and Beezus.

I highly recommend Ramona and Beezus to anyone who wants to watch a great movie.

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I saw "Ramona & Beezus" in the theater and was thrilled! After growing up with the original "Ramona" television series, it's so neat to see a classic children's movie preserved in today's society. The innocent, creative, and curious mind of a young child will have you laughing out loud with delight! It's the perfect family movie for all ages!

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Not the Messiah: He's a Very Naughty Boy (2010)

At the outset, I must admit that my view on this piece may be slightly prejudiced seeing as I was fortunate enough to have been in attendance at the Royal Albert Hall that wonderful night and saw this live.

Having been there and having seen this already, and that as a Python fan since 1973, I can not imagine not having this in my DVD library.

The sad truth is that it is rare for these amazing and gifted performers to get together at all as time goes on and since they are all in their late 60's (at best) future reunions are not quite bloody likely, so gang let's enjoy them while they are here. The only regrettable thing is that the great John Cleese chose not to participate in the grand evening.

The concert performance of HE'S NOT THE MESSIAH, HE'S A VERY NAUGHTY BOY is quite fun. Written by Eric Idle and Jon Du Prez (One Foot in the Grave) and accompanied by a rather impressive choir and the BBC orchestra is a adrenaline shot that most of us geezers-in-waiting really need.

Treasured moments include seeing the look on Eric Idle's face as he sees 6 Gumby's in the front row. Also a great deal of fun is the first appearance of "Mrs. Betty Palin". Not too mention the first note and the audience reaction as the orchestra begins THE LIBERTY BELL MARCH. Although the main focus of the evening is HE'S NOT THE MESSIAH, what Python "reunion" would be complete without a sing a long to conclude the evening.

This DVD is a must for all Python fans!!!!!!!!!

Apparently I am the lone Python fan here who was not only less than thrilled by this show, but almost bored silly.

My MP credentials had me ready for hilarity: I've seen Brian dozens of times since the week it came out and know it pretty much word for word; love the Pythons in general, have seen all the tv shows many times and all the movies many times; have all the records and most all the '70s books, even the rare ones that only Cleese's Mum ever read; love their sense of humor in general and consider them some of the funniest and most literate of all comedians. So, you know, I was well disposed to liking this.

But, at the risk of being a heretic like Brian, and attacked for not agreeing with the herd here ("Stone him! Stone him!!"), I found Not The Messiah to be Not The Greatest, and possibly Yes The Worst Of All (Ever-Increasing In Number) Tertiarily Semi-Pythonic, Sadly Ironic, Somewhat Related, Eric Idleberg-hatched Further Chances To Milk The Python Catalogue.

"Spamalot made a LOT of money! What might we do next along that line?"

"Nothing, Eric. Bugger off. Python is over. Let it go. Haven't you enough money yet?"

"But John, the others have all agreed to do guest spots!"

"That's wonderful, Eric, and I wish you well, but I'd rather not be part of something that's a little too close to the sort of non-stop merchandising we used to mock on the BBC 40 years ago. All the best, but please don't call me for the next project, either. And we all know there WILL be a next one, Eric. You have indeed found a goldmine here. You can market the old bits with new window dressing to the old fans who will do anything to relive the glory days, and that's wonderful, but really....those bits have been done. Move on. Write something completely new. Let it all rest in peace."

"OK, John , but you're really missing out on something special here. We've got a whole symphony and everything! It's been tarted up to a whole new level of tarted-uppedness! It's ironic, it's meta-ironic, it's us laughing at us laughing at them laughing at us laughing at them for still paying more and more to see the same thing over and over! It's brilliant, John!

We'll also be getting 80% of the gross from the wolf nipple chips sold at intermission!

John!

John?"

Watched this with a fellow Python fanatic who was similarly non-enchanted if not disenchanted. We just didn't feel it. A few clever ideas, but it all felt forced and non-Pythonic, lacking the ensemble immediacy and genius writing that distinguished the Pythons. This just feels like another Broadway profit scheme. The singing is good, the symphony is good, but we just didn't laugh, were never surprised, and got none of that special Python feeling that the classics always deliver, time after time. The writing plus the group interplay is what made Python Python, and that was a team effort, even when they wrote in pairs or alone. This is just Idle without any contrasting input, and the group interplay is sorely absent. Idle on his own is simply not that hilarious any more, and he knows it, so he uses the mighty Python name to keep his career alive. Oops, sorry squire, I said it.

But each to their own. I would hope the average Python fan will accept that there are some among their number who are allowed to not worship every new, not-new-at-all Python project to dribble out of Eric's ledgerbook. Nudge, know what I mean?

In a nutshell, if this project sounds to you like the greatest idea since sliced Spam, perhaps for you it will be.

And if it sounds to you like another cash-in from Idle that lacks much if any of the old Python magic, perhaps for you it will be.

All in all, I prefer the Venezuelan beaver cheese.

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When it comes to "behind the scenes" material about a live production, you can't get any better than this short piece about the week leading up to the performance of "Not the Messiah" to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the "Monty Python" TV series. I really appreciated seeing short insights into the casting of the solo roles and the composition of some of the pieces, the amount of rehearsal it took, as well as hearing their un-polished thoughts on the entire rehearsal process. Composer John Du Prez's words about the musical choices are golden; I only wish that more focus had been placed on it. In fact, for a true Python geek or classical music geek, there probably should have been an entirely separate video about how the songs were composed and perhaps a different video on the first performance in Toronto.

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My husband (the original Monty Python fan in the family) and I stumbled across this DVD and now having watched it, I'm ever so glad we did.

First and foremost if you have any hesistation, buy it.

Secondly, I think it's the best 'concert' dvd I've ever seen. The lighting is stunning, the costumes are perfect, the staging is wonderful, the singers are brilliant and it's vintage Python. I'm in professional theatre (a stage manager) and I was absolutely blown away.

The only dissapointment I had and I know this is my opinion only was that I wasn't impressed with Rosalind Plowright (the lady wearing the blue dress who plays Brian's mother). I don't happen to like her voice, but that's just me.

I won't spill any beans for those of you who haven't seen it, and for those folks who were lucky enough to be in attendance it captures the excitement, passion and love of Python. I've never seen a live event filmed, then watched vhs or dvd that was able to do that.

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Call me weird, but I saw this *before* I saw Life of Brian, even though I've been a Python fan all my life. It just never came up. I laughed a lot while watching this DVD, and the various appearances of many of the old gang was awesome. There was one thing, however, that irritated me to the point of anger. I apologize in advance for random capsing, but seriously people. Seriously.

Whoever was filming/editing this forgot that Carol Cleveland was just as much a part of the Monty Python experience as anyone, and she was completely skipped over. When she came in with the sheep costume I had to rewind to be sure it was really her so quickly did they take the camera off her. I was so excited to see that she was featured, but the camera spent that WHOLE NUMBER looking at the stupid sheep puppets and the choir. Yeah it was a funny image for the first twenty seconds, but Carol Cleveland, not a substitute, not a look-alike, the REAL LADY who played so many of the genuine female parts on that show for YEARS got ignored. Why? To what purpose? Surely they knew who she was. I'm pretty sure the crowd recognized her. I just don't get it.

We'd rather spend almost an hour looking at Michael Palin in a dress but the awesome lady who could hold it together with those guys gets a few seconds of screentime? Any of the parts she rocked? The actress from Scott Of The Antarctic? The Science Fiction Sketch? "But it's my only line!" She was Zoot and her twin in Holy Grail for heaven's sake! That should mean something!

For shame! Editors, director, Python men, for shame for not making sure one of your troupe members was featured. Carol Cleveland, you are still awesome and deserved better representation.

As for the show itself, several of the songs seemed to go on *forever* but many were funny and catchy. I still find myself singing "What Have The Romans Ever Done For Us?" as it makes for a pretty good generic statement of irony. All in all it's an amusing conceit and it looked like everyone involved had a really good time doing it, and that can make up for a lot of genre shock.

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Scary Movie 2 (2011)

Hi, I'm from the UK and I'm not sure what US critics think of Scary Movie 2, but the UK critics hate it. I don't though, I thought it was better than the first movie ( which is my favourite comedy ) and it's a brilliant movie.

The first scene featuring their re-make of the Exorcist had me laughing so hard as well as everyone else in the cinema. The undertaker is also a funny character with his disfigured arm which adds many scenes of laughter.

Sure, the plot is kinda weird but it's very funny and mocks those films we love including "Hannibal, Charlie's Angels, House on Haunted Hill and Mission Impossible 2". The scene where Cindy and her new love interest are trapped in a walk-in freezer (Hollow Man) mocks that tear-jerking scene in Titanic (where Leo and Kate are freezing in the water) and made me laugh very hard.

So, anyway, go and see it and I'm sure you'll love it. I will definitely buy the DVD of it.

I usually wouldn't spend time writing a bad review of a movie, but this movie was so disappointing that I felt compelled to warn everyone I know not to see this movie. My husband and I went to see it, as we both LOVED Scary Movie, but we left in utter disgust and disappointment. We had no clue what the point of the movie was. Sure, there were some funny parts, maybe a handful of them, but mostly it was repulsive humor. I know a lot of people will like it, but I think it's an insult to people's intelligence to put garbage like that on the screen and expect people to laugh and enjoy it. I'm no prude I enjoy Scary Movie and I LOVE the American Pie movies, but Scary Movie 2 is pointless, poorly made, and just plain stupid. The movies they parodied weren't even popular movies, which defeats the purpose of spoofing scary movies. After seeing the movie, we saw the list of movies that were supposedly parodied, and we couldn't even point out where in the movie they were spoofed for example Castaway? Anyway, from the first five minutes of the movie the Excorcist scene I knew this movie would suck. We feel it was a complete waste of our time to see this movie. I warned coworkers and friends not to see it, yet some saw it anyway, and they returned in agreement that it was a horrible movie and wished they had heeded our warnings. Maybe, at 26, I'm just too old for this. The teenagers in the theatre seemed to enjoy it, so I guess if you are a teen who liked the first one, you may like it because of all of the sexual and gross-out humor. But, if you enjoyed the first one mostly because of the parodies of other movies, you will be completely let down by this movie.

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The slogan for the first movie said "No shame. No mercy. No Sequel". I wish they would've kept their promise.

First off, if you're thinking of seeing this movie, you should A.) Wait For The Video or B.) Just go out and rent the first one, because the first Scary Movie beats all.

The movie starts out with a parody on the Exorcist, which is funny, and really gets your hopes up for the rest of the movie... unfortunately after the tattoo spoof of "Dude, Wheres My Car?" it all goes downhill. They use alot of the same jokes from the original movie (You'll recognize it right away if you saw the first one)... and they said they were gonna avoid the same joke twice... yeah... ok...

The only highlights of this movie is Marlon Waynes as Shorty and a cameo from Howard Stern wack pack member Beetlejuice (Good cameo, even though it's for a few seconds). There are a few scenes that'll get a smile out of you, but not get you to laugh hysterically like the first one... dont get me wrong, i wasnt expecting to see the same thing as the first, but I wasn't expecting to see a bad movie either. I knew it would be different... but not terrible.

After seeing such a horrible sequel (Sequels always tend to be inferior to the original), I know why "Cats And Dogs" was number one at the box office on July 4th...

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When I read the reviews of "Scary Movie 2" I wonder..... DID THESE PEOPLE SEE THE SAME MOVIE I DID????? This movie was so not funny. The jokes all had to do with bodily functions, sex, and very tasteless other things. I guess that in order to make a few teens laugh, the only thing you have to do in a movie is make vomit, farts, and bowel movements the center of your story. I did not laugh for most of this movie. I will admit that there were some funny parts, but not very many. I was a very big fan of the first Scary Movie and had high hopes that this one could be as fresh and funny as the original. Apparently the best that the Wayans brothers could do was to use some of the same sight jokes as before (yes I will spoil it and say that Cindy does get splashed to a wall again with the "fluids of love") Unfortunately this was already used in the first Scary Movie and was not necessary for the next one. Is this to be a Scary Movie trademark such as Arnold's "I'll be back" line was for most of his movies? Let's hope that Dimension Films will realize that the Wayans brothers have pumped their wells dry and have no more funny things to say. Let's put the money into more creative and original funny movies. Not ... like this.

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Scary Movie 2 is an inert, unfunny movie about a group of kids who go to a haunded house as part of a college class and end up being scarier than the ghosts and monsters they come to discover.

Scary Movie 2's target audience is unintellegent, immature teenagers. This is the reason it will do so well. This is unfortunate, but a fact of life.

The only part of this movie that was even remotely funny at all is the preacher's solo on the piano at the start of the film. It is all down hill from there. This movie paridoies every scary movie it can find and it does it badly. A group of mentally retarded 4 year olds with A.D.D. could have written a better movie. And it is unfortunate to see Marlon Wayans in this movie after staring in Requiem for a Dream.

It is as if the creators of this film were saying, "here's a stupid movie for stupid people," and the whole of the United States population asked what time it's playing. I understand the movie was supposed to be a dumb movie,(after all "serious comedy" is an oxymoron) but it is not even funny. It's just dumb. I could feel my IQ level dropping as the movie trudged on. If I could have, I would have walked out on this movie, but it was my friends day to drive.

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Project X (1987)

One day my mother came home with a film she showed her kids in school that day. I was either 4 or 5 years old. The film was "Project X", a heart warming, no so far fetched idea, melodrama starring Matthew Broderick and Helen Hunt not to mention the extremely cute and hairy chimps.

The film is about an air force pilot who is transfred to an "Experimental Pilot Preformance Project" conducted by a strict doctor. From there he meets Virgil, an extremely smart and loving chimp who ended up there by mistake. He falls for the chimp like anyone else would and tries to save him with the help of the researcher who taught and cared for Virgil in the begining.

I found this film by mistake and quickly bought it. It's only special feature is the theatrical trailer and TV Spots but the film itself is well worth the ten bucks. The film has some very emotional scenes and some harrowing. Some of the scenes were honestly hard to watch. Being an animal lover one can only imagine how bad these kinds of experiments got. However, like all family films, this one has a great and happy ending.

This is simply a great movie that kids will love as well as adults. I'm 21 and I just love it!

I saw this movie when it first came out and have always wanted it. I could not believe I found it here at Amazon at such a great low price. This movie is so funny and yet so sad. It is the best movie I have ever seen. You have to see it. It is so sad to know that this kind of testing was actually performed on chimps by the US Airforce. This movie really makes you think. It gives you a sense of respect and love for these animals. (I was rooting for the chimps all the way.)

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PROJECT X is really a movie fairy tale for adults. It is billed as a comedy, and there are truly some humorous moments, but the basic thrust of the film is to transport the audience to a world of a deep and dark forest populated and run by evil witches and warlocks. The dark forest is a United States Air Force research test center and the resident warlock is a heartless and slimy researcher whose only stated purpose is to expose chimpanzees to lethal doses of radiation. Enter Matthew Broderick as a young and innocent air force recruit whose job is to bond with these chimps and basically and unwittingly get them ready for their lethal exposures. Broderick is young and boyishly goodlooking, but he is not the star. The one who steals more than a few scenes is Virgil the chimp. Virgil learns to trust Broderick, who in turn learns that the horrors of the dark forest are masked by the antiseptic environment that kills chimps in the name of science.

Director Jonathan Kaplan clearly tries hard to infuse PROJECT X with more than just the comic interaction between a chimp that is as at least as bright as his handler. Kaplan sets up the relation between Broderick and Virgil as a dramatic focus that zeros in on the rationale that the air force doctor slimily insists is the case: namely that if and when American pilots are exposed to killing radiation during a bombing run--perhaps to Russia--then how well will they be able to continue their mission? To Kaplan's credit, he has Broderick point out that unlike their simian counterparts in a flight simulator, a human pilot will certainly know if he has been exposed, and it is this knowledge that renders the entire PROJECT X experiment rationale as unneeded at best and evil at worst. Broderick is forced to juggle duty versus conscience, never an easy task at any time. By the film's midpoint Helen Hunt enters as a simian sign language teacher who, years earlier, had taught Virgil to communicate in contextually meaningful ways, thus intensifying Broderick's dilemma about the potential destruction of a sentient being that is not only cute but smart. It is this smartness that director Kaplan uses to ease the film into the slapstick world of farce. Not only is Virgil bright enough to help Broderick defuse a melt down in a lab experiment gone haywire, but he is also savvy enough to take an airplane up and pilot it in an escape.

PROJECT X is that odd but pleasant comedy/fantasy that brings the audience into the dark world of science to force the hero and the audience to wonder where duty ends and conscience begins. PROJECT X implies that a useful starting point is to define just what it means to be human--or in Virgil's case--near human.

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I am giving the movie 4 stars because It is one of the movies I remember from my childhood that really left an impact on my views about animals and humanity. As a child, soaking in every little bit of this movie really made me feel a lot more attached to animals and more intuitive to the fact that every creature on this earth has feelings and emotions, regardless of if they can't express them like humans do.

Project X is one of the few movies that I also can't get myself to watch again to this day. It always makes me cry. I just get so overwhelmed with emotions over the chimps and the testing. It's all so sad.

James Horner is my musical epitome of a soundtrack God! I will admit though that you can identify his scores immediately because they are all very similar, but they ALWAYS evoke such strong, powerfully moving feelings during the films and it really works here with Project X.

This is a movie that has a nice, happy ending..but there is sadness to get to it, and it makes me all mushy and emotional just thinking of it!

Just had to put some thoughts about this movie up out of boredom!

Great childhood memories film. Reminds me of being a kid in the 80's.

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This movie is a poignant reminder to me of how cruel and how kind the human race can be to other animals. I know it is mostly a fictional story, but I still root for the escape of the chimps, even for grumpy Goliath. Jimmy was being manipulated, same as the subjects of the "experiment" and he comes to realize he has to stand up for himself. He won't just be the wise-cracking card player anymore.

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Tyler Perry's Madea's Witness Protection (2012)

This is quite possibly the best Madea movie to date. Madea has a lot more screentime, making the movie better and funnier. There's hardly any random subplot drama at all. It's a flat-out comedy starring Madea and Eugene Levy. The jokes are hilarious and keep coming. Levy plays George Needleman, a dorky businessman marked for death by a crime family after his company goes bankrupt and he is framed for money laundering. Brian Simmons takes the case and suggests the Needeleman family stay at Madea's house. (That's when all heck breaks loose as she tries to teach them love and respect) Will George and Madea be able to find the money and give it back to the charities? I highly recommend MADEA'S WITNESS PROTECTION!!

This is another fun improbable comedy from Tyler Perry. George (Eugene Levy) has been set up to run a fake charity investment scheme which launders money for the mob. He agrees to testify and along with his family is placed in a witness protection program which places them in Madea's home.

The family suffers from low self-esteem. Barbara (Doris Roberts) is George's mother. She suffers from dementia and jungle fever. George is married to Kate (Denise Richards) his second wife who doesn't get along with Cindy (Danielle Campbell) the rebellious back talking daughter from George's first marriage. Howie (Devan Leos) is the proverbial overweight son.

The film is funny throughout with a smattering of predictable laughs. Tom Arnold has a bit part in the beginning and Tyler Perry plays three roles. 4 1/2 STARS

PARENTAL GUIDE: No f-bombs, n-words, sex, or nudity. Some minor sex humor, such as a play on words such as "hard" and Madea mentioning her stripping and prostitution days.

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Super awesome movie. The very best one I have seen yet. Super funny and certainly everyone should have a chance to see it over and over again. Can't wait for the Blu-Ray to come out. Certainly plan on getting my pre-order ahead of time. It super and loved it totally!!

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Don't get me wrong this movie was gr8, but it wasn't Tyler's best! But regardless of the little flaws, I still loved it because Madea always has me laughing my a** off!! Just take it for what it is and enjoy! (^_^)

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Tyler Perry does it again, another hilarious movie to enjoy & smile about! I highly recommend this film! Judging the preview I wasn't too sure about this film, but I had nothing to worry about. Most movies have all the funny parts in their trailer, but not this one. You'll really enjoy this film.

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The Magic Christian (1969)

The first time I saw the hunting scene in which Ringo Starr opens up on game birds with a tommy gun, followed by a Peter Sellers-thrown hand grenade, British Army anti-aircraft artillery barrage, and a final flame-thrower toasting, I just about wet myself laughing. It is one of the most unpredictable, insane, fully-developed lambasting of British pomposity I've ever encountered, on film or in print. And this bit takes place early on in this wonderful movie.

The film is a series of excellently written and staged sketches, connected by Terry Southern's original concept of an aging billioinaire, bored with the world and his corporate life who turns his wealth and energies to proving that all things are corruptible. The individuals and groups then corrupted, and the settings for their betrayals are hilarious, including a strip-tease to Hamlet's "To be or not to be" at Stratford-on-Avon, a jaguar disguised as a dog at Cruft's dog show, two heavyweight boxers opting to neck in the ring rather than beat each other senseless, a sham of a Sotheby's rare art auction, and a riverine melee at the annual Cambridge v. Oxford rowing race.

Concealed in the comedy are some serious observations on the nature of modern society, growing more pronounced and direct as the movie continues. By the end, the shots at class systems, sexual repression, greed, religion, vanity and pretension, government, and the Vietnam War are plainly obvioius, and brutal.

This mix of serious satire and slapstick comedy come almost naturally from the cast. International comedy legend Peter Sellers is the lead, but he is not given the freedom to truly cut loose as Kubrick gave in Dr. Strangelove. The Sellers characterizations are stock and well-known, but the situations and venues succeed in making the combination very funny. A very seriously hippie Ringo Starr is the prime supporting actor, bringing along the Yellow Submarine, Help!, and A Hard Day's Night, as well as a deep understanding of the 60s psychedelic drug culture. Added to that are the then-emerging unpredictable surrealistic comedy of Monty Python's John Cleese and Graham Chapman. This all comes together in the chaotic train-disco scene.

Keep a sharp eye out for a number of wonderful, unexpected and well-disguised A-list cameos, including Richard Attenborough, Raquel Welch, Yul Brynner, Keith Moon, John Cleese and Graham Chapman, Spike Mulligan, and Christopher Lee.

This film is a hoot, no doubt, but it's also some very intense black comedy, exceedingly well done.

Sir Guy Grand is a pompous billionaire who, while strolling through St. James' Park, adopts a homeless young man as his own new son. With his protegee in tow, Sir Guy proceeds to tour the town; confirming his belief that everyone in London(and the world) is beholden only to the all-mighty British quid. Things really go bonkers when the pair joins the maiden voyage of a new luxury liner. The party becomes a riot. 1969's "The Magic Christian" is a zany, riotous romp released at the end of the turbulent, psychedelic 60's. Dated it is. Starring Peter Sellers and Ringo Starr(as his son), "The Magic Christian" is a pre-Monty Python extravaganza featuring some funny skits, cameo bits by celebrities, and a series of long, boring episodes with Sir Guy(Sellers) lost in total self-absorption. Among the guest stars are Laurence Harvey(in a strip-tease), John Lennon, Yoko Ono, Raquel Welch, Christopher Lee as Dracula, Roman Polanski, John Cleese and Yul Brynner in drag. The real glistening gem of "The Magic Christian" is the vibrant music by Badfinger and Thunderclap Newman. With songs written by Paul McCartney(and sung by his brother), Badfinger was once considered heir to the Beatles. Their meteoric success capitalized on British hard-rock and lilting gentle lyrics. But after 2 band members committed suicide, they quickly disappeared. As chronicled so expertly by Roger Lewis' "Life and Death of Peter Sellers" in 1994, the British actor/superstar was an amazing whirl of selfish, vain psychosis. Hidden behind wigs and make-up, Sellers had no real personality of his own, his psyche melting into his many odd roles with unsettling ease. Peter Sellers' temper tantrums destroyed marriages, wives, children, and fellow actors. Just 2 years before "The Magic Christian", Sellers had quit the set of "Casino Royale" during production. The real failure of "Casino Royale" is the fact that it's hero, James Bond, completely disappears half-way through the film. 2 years later, nervous "Magic Christian" producers wanted to avoid another calamity, and allowed Sellers to tinker with the screenplay and take over direction. In 2 sequences, Sellers acts with his back to the camera. "The Magic Christian" is a curious mish-mash of adroit British humor, shaky hand-held photography, and cut-and-paste story-telling. This new DVD is a bare-bones, but lovely full-screen transfer. How could a big-budget comedy with the premiere performer of it's day, 2 of the Beatles(and singing by a third) go wrong? It's well worth your time to find out why. Just once.

Buy The Magic Christian (1969) Now

Peter Sellers is one of my favorite actors of all time. He is British, after all, and starred in the Pink Panther series as Inspector Clouseau.

The Magic Christian, in which he plays billionaire Guy Grand, is one of his best vehicles, and what a bonus it is to have Ringo Starr as his adopted son, Youngman Grand.

I liken the smattering of cameo appearances as an extension of the guest stars in that other movie based on a Terry Southern novel, Candy. As another note of interest, Candy also featured in a small role as a Mexican gardner, yes, Ringo Starr! But those of us in the know already knew that. Right? Right and double right, as Guy Grand would say.

I recognized Joan Benham, who intermittently played Lady Prudence Fairfax in the Upstairs Downstairs series, as a socialite discussing the maiden voyage of The Magic Christian to her friends.

Dennis Price, who starred in some Ealing comedies in the 1950's and who was the ill-fated Hector Snipe in Theatre of Blood, plays one of Grand's company executives.

There's David Hutcheson, one of the hunters, who gets frozen to death by a hail machine in The Abominable Dr. Phibes.

Among the most notable is John Cleese's role as Mr. Dugdale, a museum attendant with a supercilious attitude and voice to match, who is understandably shocked when Grand snips out the nose of a Rembrandt he has purchased. Ringo finishes the scene off with a sensory organ joke: "Keep your eye out for a good ear." Precious!

Raquel Welch is the whip-wielding queen of the Magic Christian galley. And finally there is Yul Brynner, who in drag, sings Noel Coward's "Mad About The Boy" before whipping off his wig to reveal his familiar bald pate.

Wilfrid Hyde-White, best known as Colonel Pickering in My Fair Lady, has a lot of fun in his role as Captain Klaus, the skipper of the Magic Christian.

The songs by Badfinger also give a boost to this movie, such as "Come And Get It" which is the theme that permeates throughout this movie. The somber and heartfelt "Carry On Till Tomorrow" is a perfect reflection of Ringo Starr's pre-Grand life, as he is harassed by all sorts of nasty people, a groundskeeper, a bobby, and a hideous crone who gives him heck because of his sunglasses.

What I find infuriating is that the album by Thunderclap Newman, who sings "Something In The Air" during the scene where all sorts of people swim around in a huge vat of urine, manure, and blood to get tenners, is criminally out-of-print, which means we only have Tom Petty's version of it on his first greatest hits album, which is good by the way. But that's a mere minor complaint.

My two favorite scenes involve the strip tease version of Hamlet featuring Laurence Harvey, and the auction scene, during which Grand signals his bids in the most unconventional ways. The auction ends at the expense of a social-climbing American couple purchasing a Lancier painting.

The climactic scene of chaos inside the Magic Christian is the high point of the movie, and perhaps mirrors that chaos and turmoil going on, especially the upsurgence of the hippie generation, student revolutionaries, and anti-Vietnam protests in the late 1960's.

Comparing the movie to the novel, I say both are effective, but it was impossible to make the movie exactly like the book, but most of Grand's schemes made it, such as the Silky hair conditioner, the hot dog vendor, the opening of the stores with low introductory "get acquainted" sales, the newspaper that printed the news with foreign words, and the aforementioned vat of urine schemes were included. In the novel, Grand is having tea with his two sisters, and the story keeps intercutting between the tea party and his schemes, which were narrated in the past tense rather than being presented in present tense as it was in the movie. It would have been interesting if the subtle corrupting of the films (the novel) had been included. A classic period piece of the 1960's, and one that I hope will be enjoyed by all for all eternity. The Magic Christian is available, so, as the song says, "if you want it, here it is, come and get it."

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Few films come along that I watch and say "Yeah, that's exactly right. That's exactly how I feel." The Magic Christian is one of them. Its a perfect satire of our culture and perfectly relevant today as it was then. Peter Sellers and Ringo Starr are well-suited to each other in this off-kilter satire of a billionaire looking for everyone's "price". Why? To prove a point. To punish as well as teach.

Some may disagree with me, but I think the movie outdoes the book by some miles. (...) In fact, we have TV shows dedicated to just this fact. Don't people eat bugs on Fear Factor or Survivor? Do horrendously awful things for that all-mighty dollar? Yes.

Sir Guy Grand, a grand guy (Sellers), and his adopted son Youngman Grand (Starr) commit the ultimate heresy by faking a gigantic luxury liner for the cream of society only to mess with their heads with gorillas, Christopher Lee in full Dracula gear, and Yul Brenner in drag singing "Mad about the Boy" to Roman Polanski. In short, this film is dangerous and brilliant.

(PS to the reviewer who mentions the Beatles. John isn't in it, its a double ... and Paul isn't singing, he just wrote the song for Badfinger.)

Unfortunately, I can't give it a five for two reasons. 1. Much of the dialogue is ADR'd and Sellers can't give quite the subtle performance he might have done ala Strangelove (another Southern writing project.) 2. The DVD is pretty much a slap-dash full screen copy of the crappy version that was out on VHS for years. I hope one day they put out a good version.

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I saw this movie in the late '60's when it was made. I liked it then. I had not seen it since, but have been contemplating attitudes toward money lately and remembered the movie. It is interesting how 36 years (or so) can change one's perspective. Although the movie did not change (obviously), my attitude toward money has changed. I still have a certain amount of disrespect for money and for selling the days of my life for money. I still believe that people are much more greedy than they need to be. All of these things stayed the same, both in the movie (of course) and in my mind. I now have enough money to meet my basic needs and even a few "wants" that are not needs. When I first saw the movie, I was on the outside, not always knowing if I would have enough to secure basic needs. Either way, this movie is a biting satire and can allow one to step far enough from the current attitudes toward money that one might have and start to explore them from a different perspective.

Even if the viewer does not want to have that deep of an experience while watching a movie, it is interesting to see how many well known people, both living and (now) dead are in one movie; sometimes just walking through in the background, sometimes with important parts.

This movie is part of the culture and should not be missed.

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