Just My Luck (2006)

Ashley Albright (Lindsay Lohan) has lived a charmed life. When she goes outside in the rain, the sun comes out. She just misses a crowded elevator and winds up alone with a very cute guy. And when she must substitute for her boss at a meeting, she gets a promotion out of the deal.

Jake Hardin (Chris Pine), on the other hand, could use a few good luck charms. He works at the Rock 'n Bowl, a bowling alley with live musical entertainment. He's found a great new group in McFly (playing themselves), but can't get their CD to an executive no matter what he tries.

Ashley has put together a masquerade ball as a promotion for record label Masquerade. Jake tries to crash the party to get McFly's CD to the label's executive just one more time. The two meet, and its love at first site. When they kiss, however, everything changes.

It starts with Ashley breaking the heel of her shoe. Things go downhill from there, and she's soon unemployed and living with her two friends. Jake, meanwhile, gets McFly signed to a record deal and finds himself living in a great, spacious apartment with a limo at his service.

Ashley hates her new life, and tries everything she can think of to get her luck back. Her path keeps crossing Jake's and the two begin to fall in love. What will happen when Ashley learns the truth?

Yeah, I'll admit it. I'm a Lindsay Lohan fan. That coupled with some very funny previews made me want to see this movie. Unfortunately, it didn't live up to its potential.

Obviously with a movie like this, the story is fairly predictable. It falls on the humor and the actors to make the journey to the end well worth watching. The actors do a great job with their material. You can't help but root for Ashley and Jake to find some way to deal with whatever it is they are currently facing. And, of course, you're rooting for them to get together.

Unfortunately, the humor fell flat. While I don't mind slapstick, I don't enjoy humor where the person is in pain or is constantly making a fool out of themselves. The humor in this movie fell almost entirely into those categories. Instead of laughing, I spend most of the movie cringing, waiting for the joke to come.

The ending works well, however. It was very sweet and redeems much of the earlier parts of the film.

The musical group featured in the film, McFly, is a real band. They've just released a CD entitled (surprise, surprise) Just My Luck. I was impressed enough with them to consider buying it but haven't yet.

The movie's ok, and the friend I went to see it with loved it. I just couldn't stop cringing enough to fully enjoy it. Three and a half stars rounded down.

As Lindsay Lohan transitions from Disney children movies (which I adored her in The Parent Trap), this movie is best called a good first attempt. It drags a bit and is quite predictable in its story line. Those are the only reasons that I did not give it 5 stars.

I hope that this is an indication of what Lindsay will be pursuing in her career. The humor is not crude or tasteless. The supporting cast is fairly good in this. I wish the fortune teller would have been more incorporated in the story. She was interesting and funny.

I am not sure why this movie got the PG-13 that it did. I have see plenty of PG-13 movies that should have been R or worse.

A good enjoyable movie worth renting and possibly adding to your collection.

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Ashley (Lindsay Lohan) stars as a yuppie who takes life (and her luck) for granted. After meeting loveable loser Jake (Chris Pine), he siphons away her luck with a kiss turning her luck sour. Can Ashley restore her luck to its former greatness or is she destined to be a loser?

This was an enjoyable lightweight comedy with unchallenging dialog, pretty people and a few really funny scenes. I enjoyed it, but I got a bit bored during the part where Ashley's luck runs bad. I don't really like watching someone constantly humiliated and embarrassed, even fictionally, and I'm not a huge fan of slapstick so the scenes with the washer and dryer and the blow dryer were 'meh' moments for me. Overall, it was a cute film but nothing ground breaking. 3 stars.

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Oh Lohan, didn't you learn anything from "Freaky Friday"? You should never coy with fortune telling, because the plot device will just conveniently turn your life around and hope you'll learn something from the nightmare. First, you were a 50-year-old Laurie Strode, here you became unlucky, and now you went from a career rise to a career splat.

"Just My Luck" may not be as bad as her recent box-office disaster, but this is still ridiculously uncanny. The movie thought God likes to tempt fate with certain people, and so Lindsay Lohan's character is livin' the Mary Tyler Moore life while Chris 'James T. Kirk' Pine happens to receive crap on a sliver platter every step of the way. Then convenience circumstances at a party happened when these two unknowns kiss after a warning form the fortuneteller, and their luck has switched. Then Lohan's character faced the 'wackiest' of unfortunate situations, like gettin' splashed on by the road, getting her hair caught in a dryer, having her home flooded, and reduced to working in janitorial work, while Pine gets a high-paid job by a record producer and has a secretary/call-girl the within a day.

There's a difference between luck and stupidity, and the movie doesn't quite get it. The character who had bad luck seems more irresponsible than unlucky, considering most of their actions caused them to be unfortunate. Pine picked up a dollar bill from a trash can, not thinking it could be dirty, and Lohan tried to replace a tube lightbulb while holding another one while standing on a ladder, these characters simply didn't think things through and I'm suppose to believe this is bad luck; come to think of it, I'm surprised bad luck itself didn't kill them earlier on. Nevermind the whole good luck aspect which is handled absurdly and coincidentally, one has to be brain-damage to think they weren't graced with internal fortune.

Everything here is set up like a Disney Channel Original Movie. All the jokes were cartoony, the cast overexert themselves with endless chatter, and the story is farfetched. I can understand it wants to be over-the-top, but it's not really funny. The characters are so annoying, Lohan kept verbally defending herself every time she gets into a jam and Pine plays like a one-dimensional meat package. "Just My Luck" is romantic shlock, all bubbly and asinine catering to the young girls for sleepovers. To think the best moments were the ones where Lohan's character is in prison and she got her face clocked (twice). At least the movie didn't make that whole 'you make your own luck' speech, which after how divinely controlled it's set up, the message would be hard to believe.

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In fact, the only thing original in this movie is that the lead actress (Lohan) starts off with luck, then gets bad luck after kissing some stranger (Pine) at a mascarade party and then kissing him later on (shedding bad luck) to kiss again and get it.

Weird, I know. But more or less, that's the premise of this been-there-done-that-but-still-cute tale...

Lindsay does decent acting once again, but it's not her best. Mean Girls and especially Freaky Friday were her highlights.

Lindsay and Pine have great, great chemistry but Katie "gets in the way" at first. Later, things are realized and "fine" again.

Like I said a many movie clichés roll, punch after punch, but the heart of the movie is still realized.

Do the lead actor and actress end up together? YOU figure that one out!

Positives:

You more or less stay glued, regardless of some of the bad and overused clichés popping up.

Great chemistry between the two leads.

Acting is decent.

Music is OK, but a bit too predictable.

Band's music is OK too but one song when they rehearse REALLY sticks out well.

What Lindsay's character thinks of Katie at first is HILARIOUS! :)

The real Katie rocks. \m/

Nice length.

Negatives:

Cliché, cliché, cliché!

Very predictable sometimes.

There's nothing new here.

Ending was as predictable as the movie.

3.7 stars.

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Just Wright (2010)

JUST WRIGHT

STARRING: Queen Latifah, Common, Paula Patton, Pam Grier, James Pickens Jr. and Phylicia Rashad

WRITTEN BY: Michael Elliot

DIRECTED BY: Sanaa Hamri

Rated: PG

Genre: Romantic Comedy

Release Date: 14 May 2010

Review Date: 25 May 2010

It's been refreshing seeing so many romantic comedies as of late, that were not only good, but clean as well. Leap Year, Letters to Juliet and now Just Wright, have all been very tasty films and were all rated PG.

The adorable Queen Latifah who is one of the few people in Hollywood you can tell has a good soul just by looking at her; stars as Leslie Wright. All of Leslie's life, she has been the `friend' to charming and available guys. No one has ever wanted to be more than that with her in the end, and to add insult to injury, guys tend to fall for her best friend Morgan (Paula Patton).

Morgan is indeed beautiful, but then so is Leslie, and only an idiot wouldn't be able to smell Morgan's BS from a mile away. But then again there are a lot of idiots in the world, so this makes it easier for those of us with two or more brain cells watching, to accept this in the film.

To call Morgan high maintenance would be the understatement of the century. At least she is honest with Leslie about her intentions however, which was one of two small problems I had with this great film.

The first being that I just can't buy that Leslie would after all these years be friends with someone so manipulative and deceitful. Morgan has made it her mission in life, to wed a cash flow. Whereas Leslie you see, is basically every bit as sweet as the real Queen Latifah.

After Morgan fills Leslie in on her plan to snag an NBA player as her ATM of a husband, Leslie just so happens to run into such a man at a gas station following a game. His name is Scott McKnight and he plays for the Nets; which coincidentally is the team that Leslie is nuts about.

Common plays Scott, and the enthrallment is there from the get-go between both the actors and the characters they portray and lasts all the way till the credits. Taken aback by Leslie's unique charm, Scott invites her to a party.

Naturally, Leslie brings Morgan along with her, and Scott finds her intriguing. Morgan plays Scott like a fiddle and soon enough they are dating. Being such a sweetheart, Leslie is happy for Morgan and allows this to go on when Morgan expresses that she is truly developing feelings for Scott.

Leslie is a physical therapist and when Scott gets injured on the court, he hires her to move in and take care of him. Based on the description of Morgan's character and the necessary formula of romantic comedies, you can guess where it goes from there.

And it does go there, but we really enjoy the ride it takes us on along the way. The film doesn't force the inevitable down our throats, but slowly and innovatively leads us to the romance of Scott and Leslie.

I mentioned earlier that there were only two small problems I had with the film. The second one takes place in the third act and involves a ridiculous decision made by Scott. It took my like for the character down a notch or two, but those are tiny notches and both of these problems I had were minuscule to the overall effect the film had.

I've had my eye on Paula Patton for quite some time now; ever since I saw her in Déjà vu. She has a rare quality to her and I think she will do big things in the world of movies. In the small handful of mainstream films she has done, you can see a vast variety of talent. She is enduring and the fact that she makes us absolutely hate her as Morgan in this film, shows how truly talented she is.

Director Sanaa Hamri has gone from Something New; to Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2; to Just Wright; and each of them compliments her well. Insert offensively cheesy Just Wright one-liner here:

Nothing about this film seemed any more unique than any other romantic sports style film. Boy chases girl. Boy gets girl. Boy dogs girl. Boy makes it better. The end. While other friends and family around me were just dying for the release date of this film, I wasn't going to see it. However, when I saw Common and Queen Latifah (fake?) flirting it up on "The Mo'Nique Show," I found them entertaining. They sure did look believable, so it made me want to see them in action. I saw the film. I won't lie to you. It is about as predictable as you would guess. Leslie is the girl's guy, the next-door-neighbor style lady who is chummy with all the guys but they don't really get a spark out of her. She's every guy's best friend who's a girl but not girlfriend material.

But her roommate Morgan (Paula Patton) knows what to wear and what to do to sink her teeth into a man. Her eyes are set on Scott McKnight (Common), and he of course chases her. She badly wants to be a basketball wife and is thrilled when he proposes. A little bit later, he has an injury on the court. Leslie is a physical therapist. Guess who ends up being his physical therapist? Whatever you believe happens after that is probably true. Now if I based my rating on the plot, it'd be one star, maybe two.

But what I did like was the chemistry between Queen Latifah and Common on film. I didn't think Paula Patton was very good at playing a golddigger and manipulator. She just looked too happy and had this glow on her face the entire time, that kind of glow pregnant women have or a woman who has been sexed up really good. I think she was great in "Precious" but playing the villain wasn't convincing. But again, it was entertaining watching the two rapper actors prove that they are just as talented at both. The jazz scenes were great for me. I loved those! I could've watched the piano and singing performance all day.

Another great part of the film for me was watching Phylicia Rashad (who played Scott's mother) and James Pickens Jr. (who played Leslie's father) on the screen. These two veteran actors were great to watch as usual, and I liked their movie relationship with the two main characters.

It was a cute film but if not for these particular characters, it would've been a bust. I will warn you that it's not worth paying evening rates though, stick to the matinee prices.

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I love this movie so much. I have watched this movie at least 4 times since I purchased it. Every time I watch it I always feel so positive about meeting the right man for me. Queen Latifah and Common had such great chemistry. Paula Patton was just too cute and funny. James Pickens Jr., Phylicia Rashad and Pam Greir were so good as the parents. The story was so positive. It is too bad that Hollywood doesn't produce more postive movies about African-American relationships like this.

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You know me. I'm very critical of romantic comedies. That doesn't always prevent me from enjoying them, however. I enjoyed "Just Wright" very much, in large part because of Queen Latifah, whose character, Leslie Wright, is caring, independent, warm, self assured, and genuinely likeable. Her only flaw is not being able to find a man that wants to be more than friends, and even then you can't really blame her because she is trying. Part of the problem is her godsister and best friend, Morgan (Paula Patton), a shallow man hunter who gets what she wants ... even if Leslie had it first. Morgan is classically beautiful and not yet thirty, and loves dressing fancy wherever she goes. Leslie is thirty-five and has curves, and while she certainly can dress nicely, she isn't opposed to casual clothing, either.

Movies like this are inherently contrived, so liking them really has nothing to do with believing in them. It has more to do with how they present themselves, if they're pleasant and fun and have good characters. "Just Wright" exudes such charm and goodwill that it entertains at a fundamentally emotional level. I also appreciated the fact that, while there's almost nothing plausible about what leads to the obligatory romance, the romance itself is compelling, focusing more on the process of falling in love than the end result. Anyone can capture immature puppy love on camera and call it a movie, but we don't often see older characters allowing something to develop naturally.

Here's the story. Leslie, a New Jersey physical therapist and Basketball fan, has a chance encounter with Scott McKnight (Common), a star player for the Nets and a recent free agent. He's decent enough and seems to like her. He even invites her to his birthday party. All prospects of starting a relationship are seemingly shot when Morgan tags along; her goal is to become a trophy wife and live out the rest of her days shopping, dining, and looking good for photographers. Almost as quickly as they met, Scott and Morgan become engaged. But then Scott injures his knee during the NBA All-Star Game, and it's bad enough to put his career in jeopardy. If he's to take part in an upcoming game, he must undergo weeks of physical therapy, and he must turn to someone good. His first choice of therapist is too pretty for Morgan to compete with, which is why she hires Leslie.

It turns out to be a very good move. Not only is she well trained, she's also a great motivator, taking a firm and no-nonsense approach. She takes care of Scott, but more to the point, she inspires him. A friendship develops rather quickly, although it takes a bit more time for them to realize that they're falling in love. Or perhaps they do realize it, but they're afraid to act on it for fear of actually finding what they've been looking for. Success, be it professional or personal, can be frightening, no matter how much one claims to want it. But what about Morgan? It shouldn't be too hard to figure out, but you should know that she isn't as shallow as she might seem. Misguided perhaps, although not without her good points. If only they weren't revealed at just such moments when they're the most convenient.

But what am I complaining for? That's how movies like this work. What I cared about most was that I liked the characters, and I especially liked Leslie. She has such a wonderful personality bright and accommodating yet not so desperate for affection that she allows herself to be trampled on. Perhaps she's an extension of the real Queen Latifah, who seems genuinely confident and good natured in all of her public appearances. As for the other cast members, they all hold their own, although some get less screen time than they probably deserved. Case in point: Phylicia Rashad as Scott's kindly mother, who seems to have a sixth sense when it comes to women like Morgan. She also has an affinity for people like Leslie, decent people who are strong, level-headed, and even a little opinionated.

There's also Pam Grier and James Pickens, Jr. as Leslie's parents, and while they play their roles as best they can, neither are given all that much to do except be supporting roles. Pickens' character in particular is nothing more than momentary comedy relief, a well intentioned but inept Mr. Fix-It who helps Leslie renovate her home. I can understand the renovation aspect, for it's symbolic of the change occurring slowly but steadily in Leslie's life. The parents, however, did not seem necessary to me. It's a good thing they appeared so infrequently. All we really needed was Leslie, a great character in a story that isn't quite deserving of her. It gets the job done, but still, was there no way to go for something less conventional? Romantic comedies are a dime a dozen effective, but often times forgettable. "Just Wright" entertained me because of its characters and tone, but the plot is just another face in the crowd.

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A simple wholesome feel good movie with a strong woman character. This movie leaves you feeling enthusiastic about love and life!

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Here Comes the Boom (+ UltraViolet Digital Copy) (2012)

Kevin James fills that niche. The one that his pal Adam Sandler surrendered years ago when he opted for those loopy roles. Kevin James remains very much down-to-earth and relatable. He's that likable everyman. HERE COMES THE BOOM is all kinds of predictable. It strives to mash-up two of cinema's most enduring narratives: the plight of teachers under duress and the inspirational underdog sports story. I was ready to roll my eyes a lot at this film. I walked out of the theater grinning. HERE COMES THE BOOM follows convention, does it ever. There's no earthshaking plot twist. But the film's expert execution of those tropes and Kevin James' warm, committed performance won me over. And there are enough laughs. And I'm a devoted enough sports fan. And I'll always root for endeavors that promote educators and expose the disadvantages that hinder them from doing their job. That Salma Hayek is in the movie doesn't suck, either. Her character's name is Bella, and I'd be hard pressed to think of something else more appropriate to call her.

Once upon a time, 42-year-old high school biology teacher Scott Voss (James) won the Teacher of the Year honors. But that was a decade ago, and he's since lost his spark. Today Scott Voss is an indifferent cog in Boston's educational system. But when budget cutbacks threaten to eliminate the school's extracurricular activities including his friend Marty's (Henry Winkler) music department Scott Voss is galvanized impetuously into action. Except how do you now raise $48,000, especially in the face of a looming deadline?

Once upon a time, Scott Voss was a Division One collegiate wrestler, a pretty good one, never mind that that was two decades ago. Scott arrives at the deranged idea of competing in the mixed martial arts circuit to drum up money for his school. You'd think the fact that he doesn't know much about the MMA sport would give him pause... Anyway, early on, anticipate scenes of Scott's getting harshly beat down.

By the way, I like that his ring walks are serenaded by a Neil Diamond track. Makes me smile.

Oh, most critics will hate this film. They won't take into the equation that there's a sweetness to this story, that there's heart and warm sentiment nestled in that gauntlet of cliches. Thankfully, the story isn't too sanitized. There's some bite to it. There's even a moment in which a debate surfaces regarding the validity and morality of resorting to violence, even if it's only in a sporting venue, in order to resolve a school's financial dilemma. I'm not sure that the film adequately addresses that. But let's not get too mired in deep moralizing. This movie isn't trying to change the world. It's trying to entertain you. There's a time and place and a mood for these kinds of films. There's a time for navel-gazing, and a time for popcorn and twizzlers.

To my surprise, Kevin James and Salma Hayak manage to ignite a few sparks. I'm not saying they replicate that heat between Richard Gere and Debra Winger, but, after a while, I bought into James' character actually having a shot with Hayak's school nurse, never mind that she'd already rejected him the fifteen times he'd asked her out. But there's a nice, easy rapport in their interactions. Note that, this time, Hayak's sexy nurse isn't singing back-up or possessed by a malevolent creature from outer space.

I suppose the presence of MMA fighters and personalities lends credibility. Fight commentators Joe Rogan and Mike Goldberg play themselves. MMA fighter Krzysztof Soszynski (not playing himself) squares up with Scott in the Octagon. But Bas Rutten turns in one of the best performances, playing Nico, an outlandish, scene-stealing former MMA fighter who trains Scott in exchange for getting tutored as he bones up for his coming U.S. citizenship exam.

I don't know if, like I heard in a Bas Rutten interview, Kevin James had trained for 14 months going into this film, but I'm happy to say that he doesn't embarass himself. Kevin has got that unsvelte, bearish figure, but he did get into a decent enough shape, considering. And it's not like his character is playing this elite gladiator, anyway. Scott Voss's clumsy, amateurish style is based on his playing defense and getting lucky with a strike. His chances of winning rely more on his perseverence thru sheer gumption and an ability to absorb punches and a stone-cold reluctance to disappoint his students. It makes you root for him all the more. So set aside the artsy-fartsy mindset, assemble the homies, and check out this feel-good show. In the face of impending ridicule, I'm rating HERE COMES THE BOOM 4 out of 5 stars. I really enjoyed it.

Finally a movie where I don't have to worry or cringe every other minute from vulgar language or sex scenes. There is the violence in the fighting scenes but I wasn't bothered by it since it is in the ring. We found this movie to be humorous and uplifting and just a great movie for family night. Finally...not an animation movie!

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I was not expecting this movie to be as good as it was. I was expecting a regular comedy with a sports theme but I was wrong. This movie is actually one of the best underdog stories I have seen in a long time. The comedy of the movie just adds to it but it is not the main selling point. Kevin James did a good job actually looking like a mma fighter. I definitely recommend this movie to anybody who likes mma or even just sports underdog stories. You will not regret it.

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Finally, a movie we can sit and watch with the kids. Language is acceptable, innuendo is there, but not excessive. Always fun to see Henry Winkler as well!

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All around great movie. Good for any age group. Very good story line and theme to the movie. Would pay to watch more than once.

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The Ultimate Buster Keaton Collection (1920)

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

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

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

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

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

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

The General [Blu-ray]

The Navigator: Ultimate Edition [Blu-ray]

Our Hospitality: ULTIMATE EDITION [Blu-ray]

The Saphead: Ultimate Edition [Blu-ray]

Seven Chances (Ultimate Edition) [Blu-ray]

Sherlock Jr. / Three Ages [Blu-ray]

Steamboat Bill, Jr. [Blu-ray]

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

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

College: Ultimate Edition [Blu-ray]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989)

Someone already made the point that Amazon's official reviewers often seem entirely out of step with their hordes of unofficial ones. This movie is a great example. It deftly avoids pitfalls that sink other films and does so seemingly effortlessly. It gains so much in sublety that it falls beneath the Hollywood radar of critical acclaim.

First, here's a film that delves into the real entanglements of time travel, but unlike Back to the Future, keeps it light. George Carlin plays himself, a burnt out hippie in the role of enlightened visitor from the future. Like Jeff Goldblum, he always plays himself, only the scenery changes-check him out as the priest in Dogma (which is not at all a family film). Keanu Reeves does a great job in this film which, if it falls in the Doofus Duo genre, is at least as good as the Wayne's World and Dumb and Dumber films.

It's also cleaner. Anyone can write a dirty joke; try writing a clean one. This movie is full of them. Chesterton said it's harder to write a joke than a sermon. Obviously that's why there are so many (bad) sermons. This film succeeds with both good-natured humor and the light-hearted message of "Be excellent to each other." Has the Golden Rule ever been put better?

Why is this film so much better than its sequel, Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey, which has an excellent if unrealized story line? Because all the special FX budget was spent on the "hell" sequence in that film, which bogs down the rest of the picture. There's a most excellent line of comic books that accompany the Bill and Ted saga, by the same artist who did Milk and Cheese. The story arc is both humorous and gripping. This is one of the few properties that really could deliver a few sequels and works well as an animated series. I join hundreds of reviewers who love this film in recommending this most excellent DVD.

This is brilliant, and has inspired many imitations, but none come close to this unique, goofy comedy that reminds me more of the silent screen gems than of what has passed for funny in recent years.

The pairing of Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves was a stroke of genius...they work so well together, and are so convincing as naive airheads that some people, DUH ! actually believe this is what these marvelous actors are like in real life..NOT ! This is great acting, folks. Wonderfully written, the premise is hilarious and all the characters so perfectly cast. I love Al Leong as Genghis Khan. His antics in the mall never fail to make me roar with laughter..."we've got a live one !".

With every viewing, I see more details to amuse me...and it has an endearing, sweet spirit that warms my heart...and always remember: "Be excellent to each other !".

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Here's a whoppin' good adventure comedy that succeeds bedause it so unabashedly pushes the limits and risks absurdity. A couple of high school students are so clueless that when asked who Joan of Arc was, one replies "Noah's wife?". But this title pair are about to embark on a life-changing adventure! Suddenly they meet a strange dude with a telephone booth altered into a time-machine! What a concept of how to build a time-machine! I wondered if they thought about how we're living in a time when phone booths have become a rarity? How it won't be long, if things continue on their present course, until you couldn't make a time-machine out of a phone booth until you first used another time-machine to go back in time and get a phone booth? Well it's an interesting twist, whether intentional or not! Once back in time, the title characters transport several historical figures to the present, and thereby change their world. One of those figures is the very Joan of Arc they shortly before didn't know from Noah's wife! I found it most uncanny what historical figures they were able to bring back to the present, including no less that three that were me in former lives! They got it pretty right about Genghis Khan! I'm sure I would really really have liked twinkies when I was he! The part about Billy-the-kid they stretch a bit, even addressing him as "Mr. the Kid". Now no one really ever addressed me that way in my former life as Billy-the-Kid, but what a neat concept! Now some things of the present get streched just a bit too. For example, Bill and Ted get themselves out of one bind by use of a programmable audio tape player, programming it to play a certain message on the following afternoon. Now who's ever heard of that? Time-machines have become a familiar thing, at least in movies. But programmable audio tape players? Not even any video recorder that I know of can be programmed to play at a certain time; programming applies only to recording. Much less have I even imagined an audio tape machine programmable as to either recording or playing. So the movie does employ a few unrealistic devices. But it employs them most cleverly and hilariously!

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As a graduate student in history and a onetime Californian, Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure is my favorite guilty pleasure. I adore this movie.

Honestly, what's not to love? Two clueless but loveable high school guys from 1988 use a telephone booth that travels through time to collect historical figures for their history report. This goofy-sounding plot is pulled off so astonishingly well that you never stop laughing.

So, what about historical accuracy? I'm going to go out on a limb and say that as far as comedies parodying history go, this one stays remarkably true to the characters of the historical figures. While they don't get enough on-screen time -their interactions with modern-day San Dimas and with each other are for me the best parts of the movie -you still get to see occasional small flashes of what makes them tick. Freud is intellectually curious, Napoleon is megalomaniacal, Joan of Arc thinks Ted must be a part of God's plan, and Billy the Kid tries to fit in with Bill and Ted while subtly attempting to flirt with Joan. (If you don't believe me on that last bit, watch the scene where they're washing dishes together.) Of course, some lines are played purely for laughs, like Socrates's profound revelation, "Like the sands of the hourglass, so are the days of our lives." But those lines are rarely done at the expense of a character's integrity. And before you come down too hard on Lincoln ending his speech at the history report with "Party on, dude," remember that in real life, Lincoln was our wittiest president, a man who contemporaries say could never pass up a joke.

So for those of you who don't mind your history tinged with a bit of irreverence, watch, relax, and enjoy, because somehow this movie just comes together. With its fast pace and cheerful sense of fun, it's one of the best comedies there is.

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This movie is fun for kids and adults alike, and to learn historical figures on the way. The idea of two rocker dudes going back in time in a phonebooth to kidnap historical figures for a high school history report is hilarious. Billy the Kid, Ghengis Khan, and Socrates are really funny, and especially Napoloeon. They also capture Joan of Arc, Sigmund Freud and Abe Lincoln. Watch for Rufus played by George Carlin. Man, when I was young, my best friend and I went to the movies 5 times to see this movie. It became a great movie that me and my dad mutually loved and watched over and over...if i was feeling bad or my dad came in the door, he would open his arms and smile, saying "party on, dudes!!!!"

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Fantastic Fear of Everything

Jack (Simon Pegg) is a children's author who has switched to the dark and eerie world of crime writing. Having researched Victorian murderers for his book, Jack has become paranoid that someone is out to get him and he now barricades himself in his London flat. He does manage to venture out to meet with his agent, Clair (Claire Higgins), who isn't enthusiastic about his latest work, wanting him to work on a children's story about a hedgehog instead. Clair's opinion changes somewhat when a Hollywood executive expresses an interest in Jack's crime novel and there is talk of a possible movie deal. Jack has to get himself together to meet Clair and the executive for dinner and so begins a series of mishaps.

Jack's flat is run down and in need of a clean up. He parades around the place in his dressing gown and underpants, has no clean clothes and is reluctant to answer the door to anyone. Managing on little sleep, Jack spends his time trying to stay sane and piecing together suspects including one man who he is convinced must be a descendant of Dr Crippen. Forced to venture out, Jack has the difficulty of going to a launderette to wash a handful of clothes and make himself presentable for his meeting. This is far from straightforward though. Jack senses someone is after him and his fears are not helped by strange noises in his own home and peculiar figures wandering the streets. The basic routine of getting ready to leave the flat goes somewhat awry when Jack is forced to leave with a knife and drying his clothes in the oven literally backfires. The question is, is Jack's fear of danger on the streets of London all in his head or is there something to justify his fears.

A Fantastic Fear of Everything started well enough and Pegg raised many smiles having to carry the film on his own for a time. The problems he creates for himself are very funny but the film loses its way somewhat in the second half when Jack heads for a launderette. What began as a fairly straightforward and quite funny comedy grew a little too incredulous in the latter stages which is a shame. This is still a good comedy and Pegg fans will likely enjoy this but compared to his other work such as Spaced and Shaun of the Dead this one pales significantly.

A Fantastic Fear of Everything is an okay comedy about a writer losing his grip on reality in switching to a genre that has him constantly on edge. There are some very funny moments in here but the second half of the film does not live up to the first. Pegg puts in another good performance but the film doesn't quite match up to his talents as a comedian.

First of all, I'd like to say that one of the advantages of Blu Ray is that the region codes aren't as stingant as with DVD. Any Blu Ray player in the states will play European disks, which makes many titles available and often at more reasonable prices than you can get in the US. This film doesn't have a US release as of yet (and might not find a large audience to merit one). I find Simon Pegg to be a comic genius, he can rarely do wrong. Spaced is one of my all-time favorite television progams. This film doesn't compare at all to Spaced, but I enjoyed it all the same. Like some of his other films, this is a dark comedy (although some won't find it "funny", there aren't any zingers or jokes, but I find the situations and Pegg's reactions to be real and humorous). It's a sort of one-man act through a large portion of it, following him around his flat as he narrates his paranoia. His character is a real sad sack, but even while watching his pathetic misadventure, you still find something relatable about him. His delusional, irrational phobias are wildly exaggerated, yet most of us can find something about them to identify with. An oddball film, unconventional story which isn't something a mass audience, or even fans of Pegg's previous work will all enjoy. Worth watching if you like off-the-wall, random movies which don't follow a standard format. It's not a story I've seen before, perhaps with good reason!

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The Kentucky Fried Movie (1977)

Ah... there's nothing quite like sitting back and spending an afternoon watching a series of sophomoric jokes, uproarious site gags, and ample naked breasts to make just make the time fly by. The team of Zucker/Abrahms(sp?), that wacky team that done brung (poor grammar is intentional here) you great films like "Airplane" first cut their teeth on a sketch comedy forum they called "The Kentucky Fried Theater". By having the audacity to go places that Saturday Night Live and their censors could only dream about, the Brothers Zucker and Jim Abrahms were able to create raunchy, racy, and hilarious sketchy comedy. In the late 1970's they finally made the big leap and took their `talents' the big screen with the cult hit "The Kentucky Fried Movie".

"...Movie" is a somewhat uneven compilation of sketch comedy that is crafted in the Monty Python mold. Don't let the uneven aspect deter you, though. When "Kentucky Fried Movie" hits its targets, it makes for some of the funniest and most titillating comedy on film. One of the raunchiest skits is a `promo' for an upcoming movie called "Catholic High School Girls in Trouble". The shameless display of naked females, graphic (but, humorous) sex, and crude humor make this sketch one of the all-time classics. Even people who have never seen "The Kentucky Fried Movie" know about this famous sketch. There are some other fairly inspired bits in this film, including another extremely raunchy skit called "Eyewitness News (Nudes?)" where a young couple gets quite amorous while watching the evening news. "Cleopatra Schwartz" which pairs a Hassidic rabbi with a Pam Grier-type as a crime fighting couple seems just plain wrong, but is just plain funny. Other skits like the `Feel-O-Rama' movie theater and `Big Jim Slade's love record' are quite funny.

However, the true crown jewel of this movie is an inspired spoof of the old Bruce Lee movies called "Fistful of Yen". By far the longest sketch, it also packs the most comedic punch per square inch. The Bruce Lee type character must break into an evil criminal mastermind's palace and rescue a damsel in distress. This mastermind has a secret weapon, a prosthetic arm that looks like it was made by Snap-On Tools. Nothing is spared in this set. Shots are taken ridiculously sexual names that are given to Asian characters in these movies; the easy duping of an `expert' bodyguard is spoofed; and, even Detroit is spared no punches. For me, the most hilarious aspect is the criminal mastermind's palace `alarm system'. When you see it, you will know what I mean. This one sketch, alone, makes the movie worthwhile. The shameless amount of raunchiness doesn't hurt, either. If you're curious about how the deranged minds that created "Airplane" got their start, or just enjoy a good film that seems to have been the inspiration for every sex comedy to come along since, then "The Kentucky Fried Movie" will be time well spent.

This midnight movie staple is a great example of (dirty) skit comedy. Another in the great line of quotable movies, there are some skits that are extraoridinarily funny. The "Fist Full of Yen" is so good you will find that you will want to build a Martial Arts Army of Extra-Ordinary Magnitude.

Some of the humor is not for everybody, as it is very sexually explicit. There is a great deal of nudity, so it is definitely not appropriate for the kiddies. But if you find early Saturday Night Live or Monty Python funny, you will definitely get a kick out of this picture. You will certainly never see the Evening News the same again. There are parts of this movie that do not hold up to time and some of the humor falls flat, but most of the skits are timeless and the slow parts are few and far between. Plus, the 70's wardrobe and music are funny, in and of itself.

People from Big Jim Slade the former tight end of the Kansas City Chiefs to all the Catholic High School Girls in Trouble recommend this movie, and so do I. It is very funny.

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Wildly unevenly funny spoof of movies and TV from the team of John Landis and Zucker-Abrams-Zucker, who went on to do Airplane and the Naked Gun franchises.

KFM is notable for its crass humor, celebrity cameos and several unrelated bits. Most of the bits are short and some aren't very funny anymore (Bill Bixby's Headache Clinic and Henry Gibson's United Appeal for the Dead are notable in the aspect, although it is great to see the former "alive again"). Working better are the movie spoofs from "Samuel L. Bronkowitz". The classic is "Catholic High School Girls in Trouble", with its gratuitous nudity and inane jokes. "That's Armageddon" (with Donald Suterhland as the clumsy waiter" )is a great parody of and would probably be better than the future movie of a similar title. ZAZ also use the Bronkowitz name in their later movies.

The centerpiece of the movie is Evan Kim in "A Fistful of Yen", which is part Kung Fu Movie, part adventure movie and part Wizard of Oz (this begins with Dr. Klon melting a la the Wicked Witch of the West and ends with Kim as Dorothy, complete with Auntie Em, Toto, and a very familiar figure from Klon's Mountain.) This sketch comes complete with the evil villain ( Klon, who has a number of attachments such as a hair dryer to an artifical hand), a damsel in distress (Anna) and Kim as the hero. Of course, Kim gets to use his kung fu skills to kill about 50 or 60 men. Pay attention to the end, when Kim returns to Kansas. Some of his dialgoue finds its way into the credits of a future ZAZ movie. Also used in in the future Airplane is the basketball bit, only this time it is martial arts fighters playing basketball instead of aborigines.)

Another longer form sketch is "Courtroom" a black and white parody of the 1950's court shows (and better than the ones on TV today). This is replete with Tony Dow and Jerry Zucker as Wally and Beaver Cleaver, a morph into "What's My Line", and Steven Stucker as a gay court reporter, a role he would revise twice in the Airplane films. Colin Male, who was the reporter on the old Divorce Court, appears as the reporter in this spoof. Incidentally, Male's character is named "Steven McCrosky", a name that ZAZ would later use in Airplane. Also used again in Airplane is the character named "Rex Kramer".

Paying their usual homage to sports, the two opposing attorneys in Courtroom are named "Hornug" and "Taylor". No doubt inspired by Green Bay Packers greats Paul Hornug and Jim Taylor.

Some of the other bits include "Eyewitness News" where a news team watches a couple having sex, a spoof of the Today show (with Academy Award winning makeup artist Rick Baker as a gorilla) and a science film showing that zinc oxide is in everything.

ZAZ and Landis were just warming up for their future endeavors and while KFM is very uneven, it gives us a glimpse of the genius that was yet to come.

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From the guys who brought you the hilarious "Airplane" and the unintentionally funny "Ghost" and "First Knight" and John Landis, director of "Animal House" and "Blues Brothers," this is one hilarious movie. It's crude, it's sloppy, it's rude and wildly inconsistent, but when it's rolling it will actually injure you with laughter.

"KFM" is the evil mutant lovechild of Mad Magazine and the underground video movement that also spawned the original "Saturday Night Live." It features parodies of everything from commercials to those incredibly boring films your teachers made you watch in class when they felt too downtrodden by their crappy pay to actually make a lesson plan. The film's centerpiece is a pitch-perfect Bruce Lee/"Enter the Dragon" parody called "A Fistful of Yen" that devolves into a "Wizard of Oz" parody.

Features no budget, no stars (although Donald Sutherland makes a non sequitor cameo) and about 5 million laughs. Buy it, rent it, own it, dream it. Dare to live it.

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THE KENTUCKY FRIED MOVIE is a series of sketches that lampoon various venues of its day: industrial training films, television commercials, news shows, martial arts flicks, and talk shows--in fact, it is very much like the original SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE. But while being on the big screen means the film can go a lot further than SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE ever could on television, KFM doesn't have the same level of talent behind it. When you add in the dated quality of the humor, the result is very hit or miss indeed.

The film originated when two brothers and their best friend--David and Jerry Zucker and Jim Abrahams--created a live show called "Kentucky Fried Theatre," and it proved such a hit that the three took the show to Los Angeles, where they managed to interest director John Landis and producer Robert Weiss in turning the whole thing into a low-budget film. Filmed with a no-name cast interspersed with cameos by Bill Bixby, Donald Sutherland, and Henry Gibson, KFM became the surprise hit of 1977.

Some of it holds up extremely well, most notably the "movie trailers" for such imaginary no-class explotation films as CATHOLIC HIGHSCHOOL GIRLS IN TROUBLE and CLEOPATRA SCHWARTZ, both of which will probably have film buffs screaming with laughter. And then there is a sketch which has a couple making love according to directions issued by a phonograph record, an instructional film on the uses of zinc oxide, a wicked take-off on "Point/Counterpoint," and a still darker take-off on television public service announcement--all of them a hoot and half.

But when the film falters, it falls with a thud. Fans of Bruce Lee will probably appreciate the film's centerpiece more than I did, a twenty-minute take-off on martial arts films called "A Fistful of Yen;" I myself thought it would be more amusing if it were half as long. The "Feel-Around" selection was a clever idea that never actually took off, and really much the same can be said for most of the sketches. Some of it is a matter of datedness: what was topical in 1977 doesn't necessarily have a great deal of relevance for a contemporary viewer. Some of it is shock-humor that doesn't shock any more because it has been done so often and so much better. But even so, and while the film as a whole is perhaps best approached as a cultural artifact, it's still worth a look--particularly if you like such films as AIRPLANE, THE NAKED GUN, ANIMAL HOUSE, and THE BLUES BROTHERS, all of which were created by various members of the crew that originally created KENTUCKY FRIED MOVIE.

As for the DVD, the film quality is as good as it gets (and you should remember it wasn't great to begin with), and it offers the option of viewing the film in either widescreen or pan-and-scan--but the bonuses that seem so intriguing are actually less interesting than you might expect. The "behind the scenes" home movies and stills are actually rather dull, and as for the commentary... well, it sounds like the DVD package producers got the Zuckers, Abrahams, Landis, and Weiss together, gave them a couple of beers, and turned on the movie. They clearly haven't seen the film in quite a long time, spend a great deal of time trying to remember the names of the actors, and generally yuk it up. Now and then it is amusing and even informative, but on the whole it isn't greatly memorable one way or another. On the whole, I do recommend the DVD as a curiosity--and it would be a great party film--but this isn't one that you're likely to replay a great deal.

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Black Knight (2001)

The one thing that makes time travel movies so fascinating is how they show the cultural differences between the time traveler and the era traveled to. Throwing a Nike-wearing urbanite into medieval times might sound a bit out of place, but you do get some fun scenes. Unfortunately if it's not done the right way and the scenes that are supposed to be funny get tiresome. That is what this movie suffers from more than anything else.

Okay. You can't really expect much from a time traveling movie with Martin Lawrence in it. A Martin Lawrence comedy, no matter what genre they make it, is going to be pretty much the same. Black Knight does have some good qualities to it, but they get drowned out by... well... Martin Lawrence doing what he does in just about every comedy he's made. In other words it's funny the first few times, but how many times can you see this guy freak out over some predicament? It gets old really fast. The worst part about it is the other parts of the movie actually get interesting and you can see a lot of potential here, but then Martin starts up with his usual shtick and ruins the moment. Martin really needed to branch this character out more.

As far as making everything look and feel like a real 13th century kingdom they did a pretty decent job of it. I wouldn't go so far as to say it rivals the authenticity of movies like Dragonslayer or Lord of the Rings, but I would call it a good shot for a movie with a modest budget. That is until you start getting the music in. These people need to do their research on those long trumpets because they certainly didn't sound right. Also there is a scene where Martin Lawrence gets the local minstrels to play some Motown which ended up being not only unbelievable but just plain silly (and not in a good way). Yeah I know... Martin Lawrence and all that.

To be fair the plot and back-stories were solid. There were a couple of bumps here and there, but good enough nonetheless. I really did like how the whole movie came together in the end. You also get some good performances from Kevin Conway and Vincent Regan. Marsha Thomason does surprisingly well in spite of looking out of place in medieval England. Her performance definitely makes up for that. Martin is Martin so I can't say he really made a stretch in his performance.

Black Knight is mostly just for people who like the comedy style of Martin Lawrence. If his style gets on your nerves then you might want to shy away from this one. Still it's an okay movie if you can get past Lawrence's annoying recurring fish-out-of-water theme. Just don't expect Braveheart.

Fast-talking con-man Jamal Walker has big-time plans--but for now he's stuck in a menial job at a medieval theme park. After slipping into the park's fetid "moat," Jamal finds himself in 14th century England--a world of knights in shining armor, a wicked king and damsels in distress. The Middle Ages will never be the same after Jamal uses his 21st century street smarts and attitude to help a down-and-out knight and a beautiful woman defeat an evil king. Black Knight is extremely funny but slow on the on plot and not as much action as I thought. Martin Lawerence wasn't his best but he brought the laughs.

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The main idea of this Martin Lawrence vehicle had some potential. A black, young adult, under achiever with potential gets sent back to medieval times to learn a valuable lesson. Some of the bits are funny and Lawrence shows he has some talent, but there was nothing solid enough here that to make us feel that we wanted to watch it again, unless it came on TV with the language edited.

It could have even been done to be more family friendly, but it wasn't. This movie is at best AVERAGE or 2.5 stars. I'll round down to 2 stars for some language.

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This is one of the more offbeat movies that Martin Lawrence has starred in. He's a 20th century black man transported back to medieval England and the hilarity starts. He even teaches WWE wrestling moves to the natives when they rebel against the king.

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Martin Lawrence is a favorite of mine, and I'd missed "Black Knight" in theaters and on DVD until a friend of mine brought it over recently for me to see.

I still really like Martin Lawrence, he's still a favorite, but boy was this movie a mess. Martin Lawrence plays a goofy (and goof-off) employee for a Renaissance Fair-like amusement park in southern California named Jamal, who dreams of a better life when a competing attraction called Castle World prepares to open down the road. As he contemplates this possible new job, Jamal spies a glowing medallion necklace in the fake moat at work, and in reaching for it accidentally falls in ...

When he comes out again, he's been tranported to the late 14th century, is promptly mistaken for a messenger from the Duke of Normandie, and becomes the jester -then head of security -while all the time plotting to get into the dress of a beautiful servant girl, whom he learns is part of a rebellion to overthrow the evil king and put the rightful queen back onto the throne.

When Jamal comes out of the water in the 14th-century, in jeans and a football jersey and sneakers that no one questions, I knew the script suffered from lack of common sense. Martin, good as he is, can't overcome the bad writing of a film that just never crosses the line to be believable. His clothes, style of talk, and slanguage fit right in from the beginning, and the silly sitcom-style circumstances that lead to his being made head of the king's security will just make you roll your eyes, and the cast surrounding Martin Lawrence are adequate -but still can't make up for a script that just isn't funny.

Skip this one, and turn on some "Martin" on tv instead -and say Good Night to this "Black Knight".

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Burning Palms (2010)

Christopher Landon's "Burning Palms" is a cult oddity that has yet to be discovered. Macabre, ridiculous, disturbing, hilarious and sometimes harrowing--this dark anthology of five stories, told as an adult comic book, highlights the eccentricities and perversions to be found within different neighborhoods in the greater Los Angeles area. As a former Angeleno, I appreciated the specificity of each tale as it related to its geographical locale--but a knowledge of the city is not essential to enjoy this provocative film. For make no mistake, the goal of Landon is to provoke and push buttons with his uncompromising satire. Many people will loathe this film, I'll tell you that right now. But whether you love it or despise it, one thing is certain--it will elicit an emotional reaction from you. I may be wrong, but I think this film will continue to attain an audience through the years simply because of its willingness to be different, absurd and challenging. In no way is this a perfect film as some resolutions didn't always push far enough, but I admire a film willing to take chances in this world of formula movie making.

To highlight the stories, in particular, might be to lessen the surprise factor. But very briefly--the tales include (1) a father/daughter bond that gets uncomfortably close for his new fiancee, (2) a love making experiment that haunts the psyche of a young college student, (3) a spoiled brat whose bad acts might lead to surprising discoveries, (4) a male couple who takes on the latest designer accessory--an African orphan, and (5) an act of assault that has unexpected repercussions. I won't reveal any more as the tales really should unfold on their own merits for maximum impact. But with a strong cast including Nick Stahl, Dylan McDermott, Paz Vega, Rosamund Pike and many other familiar faces--the tales are brought to life with precision. The whole film maintains a car crash appeal. At times it may be uncomfortable, but you can never look away. This is never more true than in the film's final act featuring a fearless performance by Zoe Saldana.

Again, I don't think that "Burning Palms" is a perfect film--but it has a strong and unique satiric voice that should be seen by lovers of adventurous cinema. In case you missed it--I loved this movie despite its shortcomings. It is a real discovery--one that I will talk about to my friends and FORCE people to watch (that's what you have to endure if you're my friend!). I laughed out loud several times and squirmed uncomfortably other times. And for a film to make you genuinely have a visceral reaction--that's always a good thing in my book. Again, I reiterate, even if you hate this movie--you won't be apathetic to it. But hopefully, like me, you will embrace its excesses and go on a wild and bumpy ride through the streets of Los Angeles. About 4 1/2 stars for impact--I'm actually going to round up because this one caught me completely unawares! KGHarris, 5/11.

Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program This movie was a total shocker for me. I watched it with friend one night while have a girls night. I didn't know what to expect when I popped it in. The cover so innocent. But we were both in for a surprise. Our mouths were gaped open much of the movie. It tells of 5 stories each with a twist at the end. If nothing else it was interesting to watch. It was very weird but at times disturbingly funny.

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Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program This movie isn't what I expected. This actually came sugested to me as 'suited' for me through the Vine program.

Otherwise I wouldn't have likely ordered this movie, but it looked interesting, so I did.

It turns out that it's not suited to me, go figure the Vine.

This is a VERY unusual movie of five different segmants. ALL of which are quite disturbing.

The D.V.D. case said "It's like "Crash", but with crazy, perverted people".

"Crash" had some continual connectivity. This movie does not, nor do I see any other likeness to "Crash".

The editoral review, nor the description on the D.V.D. case prepares you for this content.

It has beem repeatedly stated what the content is about,

so I'll only say that this movie is for a select group that may enjoy this style of Macabre,

twisted satirial excitement.

This movie IS DEFINITELY R RATED OR MORE, as said on the editorial review.

This is obviously NOT family entertainment.

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I really liked this movie. I thought it was very original. I enjoyed the way it was structured. It takes topics that are unfortunately very real and turns them around in a different direction. I give kudos to the writers for disecting topics that are very "taboo" and exposing them in a way that really makes tou think. Good job all around by the cast. I really wish there were movies that take such a great leap in something so inspring that you really have to take a close look in our society these days. Kudos all those involved in this production.

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Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program The short stories that make up this movie kept me interested and the actors did a great job, but overall, this movie is no big deal. Also, I didn't think they "messed me up for life" as the cover claims. This is not a movie I would watch over and over again. I'd say, don't buy it if you can rent it.

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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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Wild Target (2010)

WILD TARGET (2009) is one of the most enjoyable, relaxing and hilarious films I have ever seen. The British have a way with this kind of black comedy that we have yet to perfect, though we try.

The legendary assassin Victor Maynard (Bill Nighy in yet another cool-as-a-cucumber role of a lifetime) is reaching a midlife crisis. He falls for his latest hit, young swindler Rose (Emily Blunt in a role that actually fits her well). As she throws him off his game initially, he begins to like her immensely.

A fateful encounter in a parking garage introduces them to each other and to Tony (a sweet Rupert Grint), a bisexual pothead garage attendant who saves first the life of Rose, then Victor. They flee together, and a sort of sweet madness ensues.

It is not what you'd expect, and were it not for occasional foul scenes (which we can bear with a guffaw) I'd recommend such caliber of comedy for children. Sadly, black comedy of this caliber is not for children's innocent eyes. But here I'll leave this fantastic film, for you to discover and judge.

The cast is rounded out by crooked art collector Ferguson (Rupert Everett, appearing apparently because he needs the work) and the immortal Aileen Atkins as Victor's former-assassin mother and first teacher. (In a bit of a snit, she excoriates Victor for his crisis: "A Beretta! The gun of princes! For your SEVENTH birthday!") Also moving to me was Victor's white cat Snowy, who has the most wonderful MEOW.

With all the great talent here and others whose names I'm too tired to mention, I have to say a word about Rupert Grint. Rupert's a handsome, rising star with a flair for sweetness, drama and comedic skills I have often compared to those of Buster Keaton. Sometimes I wonder if old Buster from Kansas and Rupert from Stevenage are somehow related.

Rupert is the busiest of the HARRY POTTER 'children', with two excellent films under his belt already (CHERRYBOMB and DRIVING LESSONS). This, his third major film with major work to show for it, is his third film off the POTTER reservation. Here's a toast: a long and successful career for Rupert!

And a long, cult-classic status for WILD TARGET ... one of the best films (for its genre) that I have ever seen.

WILD TARGET is an English remake of the French film "Cible émouvante" (1993) which I am now anxious to see. I understand the great Jean Rochefort plays "Victor Meynard" in this original version.

Bill Nighy has a following in my store no matter what the film's theme is, and in this case he plays his age and character beautifully.

The story follows an aging hit man revered as the best at what he does, but an assignment to snuff a young klepto/con-artist played adequately by Ms. Blunt goes awry and the fun begins. It is like a bumbling Stooges act for the middle of the film as he decides to protect her instead, while also apprenticing a hapless young man. Nighy's mom is a little over-the-top by Eileen Atkins who I last saw in the nice film Evening, and the remaining cast is average to overly cheesy. The comedy tried to be dark as the body count goes up, but Nighy carries this overall without letting it get too slapstick.

The Blu specs are solid as the picture is clear, so much so that the background failings can be obvious (can see the rain outside nearby windows when they are trying to make it look sunny, crew reflections, etc.) and the DTS is mixed nicely. The car chase scenes are where the channels get used the most and it surrounds you just right. Unfortunately though Fox once again dumps this BD with nothing extra. The "On Target with Emily Blunt" lasts a few minutes and is immediately forgettable. You really want to have there be a making of documentary or commentary as quite a few questions come up about the production (why he holds the gun in such an obscure way throughout the film, locations, etc). 3.5 for the film and .5 for the Blu specs. Region coded A with English language only and subs in same. A light comedy that does not take itself too seriously, enjoy.

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Victor Maynard (Bill Nighy) is an erudite, posh gentleman who also happens to be a professional hit man. Hired to terminate Rosie (Emily Blunt), a pretty young thief, he instead falls for her. On the run from the men who hired him, they are accompanied by a confused stoner (Rupert Grint) as they hide out till the coast is clear.

I always enjoy the wonderful Bill Nighy and he has many witty scenes early on; unfortunately, none of them are shared with Blunt or Grint. Blunt's character is thoroughly unlikable and she has no romantic chemistry with Victor; Grint's drifter serves no purpose in the story, he's awkward, and mumbles his dialogue. The film starts out promising enough as we watch Victor alone, but once the three come together it's absurd and silly.

This is an okay rental, just don't expect big laughs or a plausible script.

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I came across this as a complete lark, but found it well-made, well-acted, and pretty funny. The premise is great (what if the best assassin fell in love with one of his targets), and the character development is great.

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Wild Target is an off-beat dark comedy about a hit-man who changes his ways when he encounters Rose, a beautiful woman who was intended to be his next victim. After failed attempts to kill her, he can't seem to shake her, and soon finds himself connected to her. With the mission failed, Victor finds himself with Rose and a young slacker (Rubert Grint), as they are now the intended victims.

I don't mind understated comedy and love dry humor, but this film just didn't hit the mark (pardon the pun). Some comedies work at an understated level, but the story here just seems so stilted and dead in Wild Target. If there is any comedy ,it barely has a pulse, as many of the jokes are mistimed. Most of the acting seems uninspired and the script really lacks anything creative.

I differed from most in that I detested the film during the first half, but it kind of grew on me a little when we find more about the characters as they are hiding out in the second half. What I didn't like was that the resolution felt a little forced, and the main character's transformations a little contrived.

There were some enjoyable moments, though. I did think it was interesting to see Rubert Grint in a different kind of role, and there are moments when Victor actually is a bit of a sympathetic character. Over all, though, Wild Target is a bit average.

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Permissive

Since Mr. Cooksey has provided a rundown of BFI's Blu-ray contents, I'll focus on the package's main feature: Essentially a plotless, 90-minute acid-rock music montage/psychedelic cautionary tale, 'Permissive' is as much a test of one's nerves as it is an exploitative ode to London's vacuous hippie-era groupie culture. That isn't to say there isn't something for certain tastes-a snapshot of Britain's seedier side circa 1970; abundant nudity and passionless softcore sex; omnipresent soundtrack by and gig footage of, among other noisemakers, a really hairy bar band called Forever More, which could as easily have been named Jerry Garcia Fronting Led Zeppelin and They Only Know Four Songs (later to re-form as The Average White Band!)-but for the sentient moviegoer, this is independent filmmaking at its most dreary and self-indulgent. Poorly shot, poorly acted, poorly written, poorly conceived, 'Permissive' earns 1/2 star for a couple down-and-dirty guitar riffs by my new favorite gaggle of unwashed electric minstrels. Print looks decent in hi-def, considering its grainy 35mm source, and sound quality is very good.

Extra Features:

All films remastered to High Definition

Original Permissive trailer

Bread (Stanley Long, 1971, 67 mins)

Bread deleted scenes (13 mins)

'Ave You Got a Male Assistant Please Miss? (Graham Jones, Jon Astley, 1973, 4 mins): an unreservedly '70s take on the safe sex message

Extensive illustrated booklet with contributions by I Q Hunter and Lee Dorrian, and Comus band-members' recollections of working on the film

from Amazon UK.

Been looking for Bread for the Jucy Lucy Performance that is worth the price alone,

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Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993)

Love Robin Hood? Well, Mel Brooks has made fun of this timeless story in one of the "best ideas since pay toilets." This excellent and witty film has continued Mel Brooks' legacy of wacky, outrageous films such as Blazzing Saddles, Young Frankenstein, Spaceballs and History of the World Part I.

Cary Elwes probably described his own performance best: "Unlike some other Robin Hoods, I can speak with an English accent!" Cary Elwes brought comedic timing and a wacky calmness to literature's most heroic and stern characters.

Other great performances included Richard Lewis as Prince John who is constantly annoyed by the noise in his castle and his outstanding mobile mole. David Chappelle brings soul to the cast in a midevil attitude sort of way with impersonations of Malcolm X and famous lines such as "awww, white men can't jump!" Roger Rees also brings a wacky interpritation to one of history's greatest villains. Mark Blankfield brings and incredibly funny wacky blindman to life with excellent delivery and fast punchlines. Also, watch out for Little John, "but don't let the name fool you, in real life, he's real big!" played by Eric Kramer. Some other noticible performances were given by Amy Yasbeck, Megan Cavanagh, and Matthew Porretta.

Watch out for many famous stars making brief appearances such as Isaac Hayes, Tracey Ullman, Patrick Stewart, Dom DeLuise, Dick Van Patten, and of course, Mel Brooks.

You'll want to watch this hillarious movie over and over again to catch some of the faster jokes and to pick up on some of the older ones. I have seen this movie many times and I still repeat lines from it on almost a daily basis.

As Mel Brooks would say this movie is "the best thing to come since pay toilets!"

When Mel Brooks is "on," nobody is funnier. "Robin Hood: Men in Tights" is another side-splitting parody from the director, and like his other hits, it has some moments that have me falling out of the chair no matter how many times I see them.

The plot loosely (very, very loosely) follows the Robin Hood saga of yore. Robin, looking a lot like Errol Flynn, is surrounded by his Merry Men. They're merry, alright--they do a singing, dancing number entitled "Men in Tights" after trying to hike up said garments in "Ye Olde Privy."

Robin is lured into a nefarious archery contest concocted by the evil Prince John, with the help of Don Giovanni. This particular "Don" is played to the hilt by Dom DeLuise, doing a perfect imitation of Marlon Brando as Don Corleone. This is one of the aforementioned scenes that has me unable to sit in the chair! It is literally a show-stopper; so funny that it's hard to hear the lines.

When Maid Marion hears of the plot, she rides into the forest to warn her beau--accompanied by her massive Brunhilde of a chaperone (the aside to the audience by the chaperone's horse is another can't-miss piece of hilarity). Robin can't resist showing off his archery talents, however, and rides off to the tournament, knowing he is marked for death.

Need I say it--everything turns out great in the end. Except for the viewer, who has had a heart attack from laughing too hard! This is a must to add to your collection. Another Mel Brooks classic.

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My big question is why we can't find this movie in the States? I figure this movie has enough of a following to warrant putting it out on an acceptable medium opposed to VHS. I really just hope they wise up and put this one out for all of us to enjoy.

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"Oh look. It's Cary Elwes."

That was my line to my sister at the video store as she tried to choose between two films. We ended up with this one, and I have to say I could not stop laughing.

Although a sense of humor is appreciated with me, this was the first movie since I can't remember when that I couldn't stop laughing after I started. Usually I can stop when the first joke is over and begin again at the second, but I couldn't hold it back this time. This event took place during the Men in Tights song.

This wasbrace yourselfMY FIRST MEL BROOKS MOVIE. I'm pretty sure it was the first. I must have watched it 6 times in my five day rental period, and I am now addicted to it and Mel Brooks (doesn't that Matthew Broderick/ Nathan Lane version of The Producers look fantastic??). That's pretty good for the movie, considering I only recommended it because the last movie I saw before it was The Princess Bride and I wanted more Cary Elwes.

Rent this movie. It will hit your sense of humor every time.

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151 reviews (152 now) that give it an average of 4.5 stars...people BEGGING for this to be on DVD for years. Region free bootlegs selling on Ebay for $60+ (yipes), heck they didn't even try to capitalize on the fact it's one of Dave Chapelles first performances when he was REALLY being pushed. They've teased a release date several times (unfortunately they teased that it was being released in 1969 LOL) What more do we have to do to say that we want this movie before the studios finally release it? I hate that I can't get the movies I REALLY want to own (Robin Hood: Men in Tights, Mel Brooks' To Be Or Not To Be...heck I'd even like Madhouse,..reminds me of a very scary and unfortunately similar family experience) Meanwhile I can get absolute garbage-a-plenty. You couldn't pay me to take home The Simple Life or any number of Pauly Shore movies....but they're all available in quantity while movies I really want make me want to resort to bootlegs just to own them.

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