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I Love You, Beth Cooper (2009)

With the characteristics listed that led to its PG-13 rating you might think that I Love You, Beth Cooper would be piece of crap. But, the trailer had hooked me so I checked it our anyway. I was quite pleasantly surprised.

Denis Cooverman (Paul Rust) is the valedictorian of Buffalo Glenn High School. He is obviously a smart kid for in addition to his class standing as he has been accepted into a premed program at Stanford University and he is the captain of the debating team. On the downside he isn't very good looking, isn't an athlete, and isn't very successful with girls. He has had a long time crush on the head cheerleader, Beth Cooper (Hayden Panettiere), but has been too shy to speak to her. Besides she has a boyfriend in the army who perhaps just might be special forces material.

Denis has a very sexually confused friend, Rich (Jack Carpenter), who everyone else thinks is gay. Rich puts Denis up to telling Beth what he really thinks during his valedictory speech. This was clearly out of line. While he is on a roll he also tells what he thinks of everyone else including Beth's boyfriend who is on leave for the event, the school bully, and the schools rich . Finally he suggests that his Rich embrace his presumed sexuality.

This leads to several reactions the most encouraging for Denis is that Beth speaks to him and "lets him live." Denis manages to invite her to his graduation party before being assaulted by her very angry boyfriend. Being spared serious bodily harm by the intervention of the school principal, Denis and Rich go home to their party which seems to be only the two them. Then surprisingly Beth with her two sidekicks Cammy (Lauren London) and Treece (Lauren Storm) actually show up to the party. Denis and Rich descend into complete dorkiness and probably the whole incident would have been a joke for the girls. But, then Kevin (Shawn Roberts) and his two army buddies crash the "party" resulting in the two nerds and the three hot girls spending an evening together, mostly on the run from the army guys.

While much of the action is typical of teen flicks, Beth Cooper manages to capture something very special. One begins to realize that Beth's life as one of the coolest girls in Buffalo Glenn isn't really all it's imagined. She is smart enough to realize that it over. While graduation marks the beginning of a upward tend in Denis's life, it will mark beginning of a downward slope for Beth's. This brought home in a scene in which the girls go back to the school and do their cheerleading routine for the Denis and Rich. Panettiere portrays Beth's sadness convincingly in this scene.

The teen antics are overplayed as is typical in films of this genre. In real life Beth and Kevin would be arrested for the excess depicted. They would be sued for more than they could payoff in a long time as well. But, It's all in good fun and I'd chalk it up to comedic license. The same goes for the bedroom scene envolving Rich with Cammy and Treece. Perhaps he really isn't gay after all!

Some have criticized the movie based on the implausibility Beth being temporarily interested in nerdy Denis. However, Beth isn't stupid even if she is far from the idealized dream girl Denis had long fantasized . Her relationship with Kevin was clearly deteriorating. Perhaps she saw a chance to move up to a future doctor. Cetainly her life the popular girl in high school is over and she knows it. Beth turned out to be quite a bit different than Denis has imagined but the reality had its own merits. But, she really does need to learn to drive safely if she wants to be around for the ten-year reunion!

Surprsingly well written coming of age movie. Script and acting not bad at all. Not bad script as a unpopular guy gets the Hottest Girl thats very popular. High School at at Its best. Only buy if you like this type of movie but acting is great the script moves and this better one of thse movies need to watch.

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Great teen romantic comedy. The plot is predictable but the funny moments gets you through the experience with a smile on your face. Beth Cooper is every boy's high school crush they wished they had kissed.

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I can watch this movie over and over. I loved her in Heros. It starts off good, the middle is great , and the end is worth it.

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Hayden + Nails + Chalkboard

I've said Hayden Panettiere could rake her nails across a chalkboard for 90 minutes and it would still make a great movie. Apparently this inspired director Chris Columbus.

'I Love You Beth Cooper' isn't just a bad rip off of "wild girl falls in love with shy guy" which we've seen over and over and over and over and over and over again. ('Risky Business' 'Girl Next Door') IT IS NAILS ON A CHALKBOARD from beginning to end.

The screenplay is almost as bad as a Stephanie Myer book. Almost. I laughed three or four times total. The jokes are plain unfunny and predictable. The bullies show up for a fight. What a shock, Hayden saves the day by crashing a car into the house.

Even worse, the injuries. People being run over by cars or falling off of buildings is funny because it's unreal and ridiculous. People having real accidents and spurting blood out of their fingers, mouth, and nose, isn't funny. It's nauseating. Is this a teen comedy or is Chris Columbus remaking his 'Homes Alone' films with more blood?

Hayden's nails on a chalkboard might be entertaining but it's star Paul Rust's nails that we have to put up with for 90 minutes. Is this his real voice or is he trying to outdo Jerry Lewis' "Laaaaaddddaayyy"? Either way he far out ranks Sandra Bullock, Rosie Perez and Fran Dresser as more annoying than a car alarm. Seriously. It will be days before I can erase his screeching voice from my mind!!!

Another sign of doom is that this is a raunchy teen comedy rated PG-13. DOOM!

Whatever falling out Chris Columbus had with the studio whom kicked him off the 'Harry Potter' series he has really sunk to the lowest level of low.

Worse yet Columbus has the nerve to embroil the celestially beautiful and talented Hayden Panettiere in this cesspool of a film.

The two stars go to Hayden who deserved far better than this! All Hayden fans be warned! Just as with 'Heroes' fast forward to the Hayden scenes with your one free hand. But with 'I Love You Beth Cooper' also apply the mute button!

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Mr. Deeds (2002)

This was an entertaining movie with a sound cast. The story didn't quite measure up to the original as the remake, but there were some funny shining moments. While this is supposed to be an Adam Sandler film, John Turturro literally steals the movie. He is hilarious as Emilio Lopez the "sneaky sneaky" butler. This movie showcases his well timed comedic talent. Without his contribution, it would have been just an okay remake of a 1920's classic.

Mr. Deeds is a great movie. It's not intelligent or powerful or anything so lofty. But it is a sweet, silly and very fun movie to watch. Adam Sandler is perfect as the kind-hearted small-town boy experiencing big city life for the first time. Winona Ryder is fantastic to look at and fun to watch. She shines. But the character who steals the show is John Turturo as the butler. His bit parts are big scene stealers. I liked this flick so much I saw it at the theater twice. It is a feel-good movie with some real tender parts and is filled with under-keyed hilarious moments. I like Adam Sandler's raunchy humor, but it is very cool to see him play such a great nice guy. And don't worry, some of the humor in this movie is downright "weird" like only Sandler can deliver. I loved this flick!

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Adam Sandler has always been my favorite actor. His movies are all similar, in which he usually plays a character who is either slightly retarded or a big loser. Nonetheless, his characters have all been hilarious. In Mr. Deeds, he strays from his normal character to a nice, small-town guy who owns his own business and is loved by everyone. Sandler proves that he can be just as hilarious when playing a completely normal character. When he is told that he has inherited 40 billion dollars from an uncle he didn't know existed, he acts as though nothing unusual has happened and remains the same guy who everyone loves. He goes to New York City with the managers of his deceased uncle's company and gets the rather stiff servants in his uncle's mansion to loosen up. You can't possibly have a sense of humor if you don't explode with laughter when an extremely old man yells, "BOOB!!!" in a hallway that echoes. John Turturro plays Emilio, a hilarious addition to the movie. His character is an adorably funny servant who befriends Deeds during his stay at the mansion. Besides being funny, the movie has a nice love story within it. Winona Ryder plays Babe Bennett, a reporter, and although she originally manipulates Deeds into thinking she is someone else in order to learn personal information about him, she falls in love with the compassionate small-town guy that he is.

Adam Sandler's movies are usually pure comedy, with the exception of few (such as Big Daddy) but in Mr. Deeds, he delivers just as much humor as we have come to expect from him, as well as a solid, wholesome plot. I give this movie five stars, and two thumbs up to Mr. Sandler.

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...As the title character, Sandler is a hero we pull for, but his old screwball antics do get in the way at times. No real hero would clobber senseless a whole reataurant full of people because they ridiculed him. But here, Sandler as the title character does so in a return to his screwball persona. One might even argue that that persona goes over the top when he goes after a purse-snatcher and doesn't stop with merely subduing him but continues to beat him while he is down, with a seemingly sadistic glee. Perhaps a real hero should show some restraint in such a situation, even considering that the purse-snatching could actually be a setup, as it in fact is in this case. To buy into the heroism of Mr. Deeds, we have to do some considerable winking past these gratuitous farcically sadistic episodes. For those who can do that, the movie can be passably enjoyable. Sandler is entertaining, even when incongrously so. The movie is elevated considerably by the pleasant surprise of Winona Ryder's performance, even though her character starts out as a participant in that purse-snatching setup...MR. DEEDS should be remembered as one of the brighter spots in her uneven career. Here she puts forth a charm we haven't seen in a long time, and her acting fits well into the story. As a co-star to Sandler, she meshed with his character well, certainly the best since Drew Barrymore in THE WEDDING SINGER...She might just be the most uniformly good part of MR. DEEDS, and that gives hope for a more evenly successful career in her future. All in all MR. DEEDS is a watchable bit of entertainment for those not too put off by its incongrous swings between irreverent farce and heartwarming feel-good story and romance.

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Sandler does it again with another great set of movies. all movies were great like always and i cant complain here.

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Who Framed Roger Rabbit: 25th Anniversary Edition (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo in DVD Packaging) (19

Filmmakers have been combining animation and live action since the days of silent film--but 1988's WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT not only bested everything done previously, it set a standard that is unlikely to be surpassed. Although it has been available on VHS and in a mediocre DVD release for quite a few years, the film finally gets the star treatment in this "Vista Series" double DVD release, which includes the film in both pan-and-scan and letterbox formats and an assortment of extras, many of which are quite interesting.

The concept and story are well known: cartoon characters are not drawings, but are living entities who work in the film industry, and when Maroon Cartoon star Roger Rabbit is accused of murdering Marvin Acme (Stubby Kaye), he turns to private detective Eddie Valiant (Bob Hoskins) for help. Trouble is, Eddie hates "Toons." After all, one of them offed his brother, and Eddie hasn't been sober since. The concept is a clever one, and the story could have gone in any number of directions--but ROGER RABBIT hops down a completely unexpected trail. Set in 1947 Los Angeles, the film uses classic "noir" elements (and references everything from THE MALTESE FALCON to CHINATOWN); it also makes considerable sly social commentary on racism, with the "Toons" performing in a Cotton Club-like nightclub, literally working for peanuts at the studios, and more or less confined to living in "Toontown," which might easily be read as social ghettoization. And all of these sidelights are interesting and entertaining. But the most attractive thing about ROGER RABBIT is that it is just plain fun to watch.

Part of that fun comes from the marvelous performances of Bob Hoskins, Christopher Lloyd (as the evil Judge Doom), and Joanna Cassidy (Valiant's sidekick Delores), who lead the live action cast. Another chunk of the fun is the way in which the film cameos a host of famous cartoon characters, ranging from Betty Boop to Bugs Bunny and the Warner Bro.s gang to Dumbo--and animation buffs will love the fact that Betty Boop and Bugs Bunny, to name but two, are voiced by the artists (Mae Questel and Mel Blanc) who created the character voices in the first place. But the big deal here is the extremely believable way in which the "Toons" fit into the real world. They rendered with astonishing detail and remarkable three dimensionality. It's just an amazing thing to watch.

The overall DVD package is a bit odd, for it offers less in the way of bonuses than one might expect. The first disk includes a pan-and-scan version of the film, three Roger Rabbit/Baby Herman shorts, a kid-friendly documentary, and a CD-ROM game; the second disk offers the letterbox film with extras that will appeal to more mature viewers, most particularly on-set shots and a nifty documentary called "Behind the Ears." The upshot is really a one-disk release that has been expanded to two by the trick of cramming both pan-and-scan and letterbox versions into a single package. That's annoying--but even so, this is easily the best release of this film to date. It at gives the rabbit some justice at last, and I give it five stars on that basis.

One of the great joys of movie-going is to see a concept, that on-the-face-of-it is so goofy and off-beat that it should never work, but, in the end, does work and works in spades! So it was for me with Who Framed Roger Rabbit. This Vista Series DVD brings the film to us with a crisp & clean picture, THX sound, and a beautifully packaged set of extras that include a very clever interactive menu, plus loads of goodies presented smartly, with humor and surprises.

Seeing the film again reminded me how impressed I was with the audacity and accomplishment of Bob Zemeckis and his collaborators on bringing off with care and intelligence, a sharp & funny film that plays to both children & adults. Who would have thunk it?

Taking a Chinatown-like story of early Los Angeles with some basis in fact (destroying the Red Line to make way for freeways) complete with murder & intrigue & marrying it to the screwy conceit that cartoon figures, aka Toons, actually lived and worked as live actors and inhabited a section of LA called Toontown is such a manifestly dopey idea that it would take enormous inspiration, intelligence and attention to detail to make it even nominally work. All of those qualities were present, as the extras demonstrate, in abundance here, and the result was movie magic.

Made prior to CGI coming into its own, the characters were brought to the screen brilliantly. As one of the animators pointed out, even early CGI was rejected because the film-makers wanted the characters to maintain their cartoon look, only brought into 3 dimensions. The hows and whys of what they did to achieve this magic are worth a look.

Anchored by the great casting of Bob Hoskins, Christopher Lloyd and Joanna Cassidy and Charles Fleischer, brilliant technical work, and a clever story strung through with great good humor, dialogue and jokes for kids and adults, this film has some cherished, favorite lines, from Baby Herman's "That's my problem, I've got a 50 year-old lust, and a 3 year-old dinky.", to Jessica Rabbit's: "I'm not bad, I'm just drawn that way.", to Eddie on the wayward bullets "Eh, Dum Dums!" This is great stuff.

"Toons, gets em every time!" Some kind of classic here, and well worth your while.

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This is one of my favorite movies ever; there's not a moment that I don't believe that toons and humans are interacting...but this version is a censored version of the film. They cut parts without the consent of the director, and for this reason, I beg you not to buy this version. Wait until they correct the bowdlerization of this masterpiece

Read Best Reviews of Who Framed Roger Rabbit: 25th Anniversary Edition (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo in DVD Packaging) (19 Here

"Who Framed Roger Rabbit" was a huge hit when it was released in 1988 and made Bob Hoskins a star. It successfully combined live action with animation and featured a strong and funny cast of characters and an entertaining storyline.

To best describe this film to the uninitiated would probably require a comparison with "L.A. Confidential" (with PG-friendly/cartoon violence) and a Looney Tunes movie. It is fun, boisterous and entertaining with memorable performances by Bob Hoskins (as Eddie Valiant), Christopher Lloyd (as Judge Doom), Roger Rabbit (as himself) and that sultry scene-stealer Jessica Rabbit (as herself and voiced by Kathleen Turner). A veritable who's who in animation, this film features cameos by Mickey & Minnie Mouse, Bugs Bunny, Yosemite Sam, Daffy Duck, Goofy and Betty Boop, to name a few.

The VISTA SERIES is especially impressive given the many, many special features that are included. The packaging alone with a case that looks like a detective's portfolio/folder is a treat. Add to that the following:

1) Audio commentary by the filmmakers led by director Robert Zemeckis (Forrest Gump)

2) Facts and trivia

3) "The Pig Head Sequence" deleted scene

4) "Before and After" split-screen comparisons

5) 2 behind-the-scenes documentaries, including an new, exclusive in-depth featurette

6) A DVD game

7) 3 animated shorts

and more!!

The film itself is well worth the price of the DVD. Add to that the wealth of special features and this promises to be one of the best DVDs of the year. Animation, action/adventure and comedy fans will find this a special treat and I highly recommend this family-friendly (PG) film to everyone!

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I have not seen this film on DVD, as nearly every review I have read has advised otherwise, but I can say that to release a featureless disc of one of the most technically significant films of all time is nothing short of travesty. I'm ignoring the fact that Disney actually removed footage from this film, and we're not talking about the infamous laserdisc edition. Is it possible for Criterion to get their hands on this? They did do the super edition of "Armageddon", now let's see them work on a film that actually deserves it. I don't care if it costs $60, issue a two-disc set with commentaries (by Zemeckis and Richard Williams, the great animation director who was completely screwed over on his labor of love, "The Thief and the Cobbler), an extensive documentary, every piece of promotional material, an anamorphic transfer, a guide to all the cartoon characters who appear, and, while we're at it, how about those three "Maroon Cartoons" (Tummy Trouble, Rollercoaster Rabbit, and Trail Mix-up) that were until recently available on video and laserdisc before the Mouse house decided to pull them off the market. All right, I've ranted long enough. The point is, put out an edition of this film that truly does justice to the film itself and people will spend the necessary currency to obtain it. May the dream of an ultimate "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" DVD one day become a reality!

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The Frighteners (1996)

Just before doing "Lord of the Rings," director Peter Jackson (who can be seen in a cameo as "Man with Piercings") made an off-kilter horror/comedy movie called "The Frighteners," the tale of the undead and the guy who makes a living off of them. Though "Frighteners" was barely in theaters at all, this cult flick is funny, creepy, well-acted and wonderfully directed.

Frank Bannister (Michael J. Fox) has seen spirits and apparitions ever since the car crash that killed his wife. Now he operates an amateur "ghostbusting" operation that is supposed to exorcise ghosts from people's houses -the problem is that the ghosts who haunt those houses are in league with him (Chi McBride as the opinioated afro-ed Cyrus, Jim Fyfe as the nerdy Stuart, and most of John Astin as what is left of The Judge).

Frank's business certainly isn't hurt by the fact that for years after a serial killer's murderous spree, people have died mysteriously of heart attacks. Then Frank starts seeing fiery numbers emblazoned on the foreheads of people who will die, including the husband of doctor Lucy Lynskey (Trini Alvarado). As if trying to stop a specter of death weren't hard enough, crazed FBI agent Milton Dammers (Jeffrey Combs) believes that Frank is the one murdering people. But the evil specter is still killing -and Lucy is the next victim.

Peter Jackson once said that he has a "moronic" sense of humor, and it shows up in all its glory here -from bug spray dissolving a ghost's face to a piece of talking oily sludge to a drill sargeant ghost with submachine guns, this is weird and absolutely hilarious. It's the perfect blend of comedy and horror.

But he's also good during the more serious moments, such as Bannister's flashbacks to his wife's death, or the eerie sight of homicidal young lovers dancing with a gun. The opening shot is pure Jackson, with the camera swooping through a window, past fluttering curtains, and though a hole in the attic floor to a screaming woman below.

Jackson also takes the opportunity to poke a bit of fun at more conventional ghost movies: the big Gothic house, crazy old lady, ghost in '70s clothes, and Fox's hilarious turn as a ghostbuster. Nothing horrific is sacred. "There ain't nothing worse than a bunch of pissed-off brothers... that's ALREADY DEAD!" Cyrus yells at one point.

Does it have a flaw? Yes -the opening scene doesn't seem to make much sense later on in the movie. But Jackson makes up for that with a surprisingly tight, coherent plot, and a satisfying finale that makes more sense than most other horror movies do.

The cast is brilliant, whether it's the twitchy, wild-eyed FBI agent, or the three weird ghosts. Michael J. Fox does an excellent job as Frank, with the right combination of cockiness and pathos, while Alvarado is solid as the idealistic young doctor. But the scenes are reallystolen by Dee Wallace-Stone and freaky-eyed Jake Busey, as homicidal young lovers.

"Frighteners" might not make you believe in ghosts, but it will make you laugh, shiver, and maybe even shed a tear or two. Wildly funny, weird, gross, and sometimes really peculiar, this is Jackson's splatter-gore at its best.

Practically bashed by critics everywhere when released in 1996, the Frighteners can be appreciated today as an underrated gem. After crafting a landmark gorefest with Dead Alive and scoring a hit among critics with Heavenly Creatures, future Lord of the Rings trilogy director Peter Jackson directed this wildly inventive and surprisingly innovative film starring Michael J. Fox as a psychic investigator who, with the help of three ghost pals, runs a phony ghost busting business. Soon enough, people are getting picked off by Death himself, and it's up to Fox to find out what's really going on. So much is going on in the Frighteners that it's easy for the film to become incoherent, but it's exciting visuals and special effects, along with the performance of Fox and the energetic direction of Jackson, make this film a surprise gem that should be (and very well may be) a cult classic. The rest of the cast includes R. Lee Ermy, Jake Busey, and genre stalwart Jeffrey "Re-Animator" Combs.

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I caught this movie on TV, and it was entertaining enough for me to sit through the whole film. I would have liked to give it a 3.6 stars if I could. I think it has a spark of something which makes it a little better than average, but I hesitate to call it excellent (4 stars). Since I knew nothing about this film, I was quite amazed to find people categorize it as a horror-comedy when I later looked it up here on Amazon.

I am an easily terrified person, so I generally stayed away from horror or gory movies. I remember when I finally gathered enough courage to watch "The Shining" because it is said to be such a classic, I had to turn my head away every time I sensed something potentially scary coming up. In the end, my total viewing time of that movie was less than 5 minutes. I suppose this explains how much I can stomach a horror movie. When I watched this movie, the word "scary" never came into my mind. I though it was fun, the special effect nice, and it was nice to see Michael J Fox again after a long while (although I wished his character wasn't so headstrong, as usual). The plot could have been a little more unpredictable. But it was fun, entertaining, but no horror movie.

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Originally, this film was supposed to have had a Halloween 1996 release date, but Universal, in its infinite wisdom, elected to shift the release date into the summer probably because of the awesome special effects. Unfortunately, the summer of '96 was dominated by ID4 and its city-destroying effects, which left the ghosts of Peter Jackson's The Frighteners spinning in the dust. I didn't think much of the film then.

I remained aloof until one night two or three years ago; I was up late, just flipping through the channels, when I just happened to run across this film. I recognized it, and seeing as nothing else was on, decided to give it a chance. Needless to say, I enjoyed it. It had quirky humor blended with horrific dark elements; the blending is done in such a clever way that it never completely loses either element, yet the tension is ratcheted up by shifting from more humor in the beginning to more horror towards the end. The film really walks a fine line, and it does so beautifully.

Being so impressed, I had to have it on DVD, and within a few weeks of that late night viewing, I had the original DVD release. Happy as I was to have the film, I was somewhat dissappointed by the lack of special features and, knowing it was from Peter Jackson the man behind LOTR and the bevy of supplemental materials those films had on their DVD releases somewhat surprised. I figured it must have been due to the film's poor box office, and assumed a more comprehensive release was out of the question.

I am pleased to say I was wrong, and this new Director's Cut DVD edition is the answer to any desires I might have had for a better release. A full 14 minutes has been restored to the movie, there's a full-length commentary by Jackson, storyboards, a trailer...but, by far, the best thing about this disc is the 3 hour and 45 minute documentary on the second side. It is the most comprehensive special feature I have ever seen, and considering I managed to watch it all in one sitting, it's also one of the most enjoyable. It's very in-depth and virtually any question one might have had about the making of the film is sure to be answered within. Regardless of the other features, the upgrade to this disc is worth it for the documentary alone.

I whole-heartedly recommend a purchase.

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Just Married (2003)

I found this movie to have two distinct halves. I somehow did not find it funny when Ashton Kutcher pushed Brittany Murphy near the beginning of the film. Getting liquid all over her front was supposed to be slapstick, but I thought it was cruel and mean, even if they weren't getting along. Because of this beginning, I found it difficult to get into the movie initially.

Our story is an old one. Poor boy meets rich girl. The two fall in love. The families object. The two persist, and get married, and it turns out badly until the end of the movie; sort of like "Romeo and Juliet", only nobody dies, and it's funnier.

However, I didn't get my first laugh until about 22 minutes into the movie. I had to wait until about halfway through the movie before it started to get really funny. The movie was supposed to be funny before that, but the humor was flat. For example, Ashton Kutcher is plugging a sex toy into an electrical outlet. Of course the toy has a plug for 110 volts, and the European hotel they are in has 220 volts, the European standard. Ashton somehow believes he can get the plug in. His rather more experienced wife stands by while he jams the plug in and predictably causes all sorts of havoc.

Later the couple plows into a snow bank. Ashton throws a snow ball at a passing car that doesn't stop to help them. The old lady driving the car backs up and, again predictably, pushes their car over the edge while giving the two of them an obscene gesture (that part wasn't predictable).

While I found the first half of the movie predictable and funny only in places, the second half of the film picked up substantially. I finally identified with the characters, the movie became funny, and I thought the ending was touching.

This movie does one thing really well. Most movies about weddings and honeymoons try to paint a picture of how perfect everything is. This movie shows a honeymoon disaster. Further, it shows how two people who truly are in love with each other can find how truly difficult life can be when things go wrong.

If you like light romantic comedy, this movie may be for you. You may find more humor in the first half than I did. If so, the second half will be an absolute riot. The ending touched me. Worthy of watching at least once.

This movie was a surprise hit with me.

I found it to be very very funny, and Brittany Murphy's laughter in the film is extremely infectious.

Ashton Kutcher and Brittany Murphy were such a great pair.

The extras were pretty average, but the commentary was really inspiring and fun. The film gets 3 stars, but the great DVD commentary gives it major bonus points, equalling 4 stars overall.

Have fun checking it out.

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I was completely surprised to read so many bad reviews about this movie. It's high up on my list of favorite movies. It makes me laugh every time I see it, and it has some incredibly romantic, touching moments. Ashton Kutcher and Brittany Murphy did a fantastic job of portraying newlyweds. I adore this movie and hope people will read this and think about buying it.

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Alot of people see Ashton Kutcher and Brittany Murphy and they write Just Married off as another silly teen movie made for the MTV crowd. Think again. From start to finish Just Married shows the trials and tribulations a young couple face when they fall in love too quickly and become impulsive.

The movie starts out after the honeymoon when Kutcher and Murphy are at eachother's throats wanting a divorce. They can't stand to be together, but can they bare to be apart? The movie then begins to unfold when a lonely and miserable Kutcher tells how it all started.

At first, you believe the whole movie will be shown through flashbacks and his memories, but that's not the case. Soon he starts at the beginning and that's where we watch these two people fall so madly in love. To say much else would give the movie away. So I'll shut up and just say what I liked about it.

From their first kiss to their wedding and even into their honeymoon, Kutcher and Murphy bring realism and charisma to their characters all while exuding a rare chemistry on screen that many romantic comedies lack.

The couple have the typical problems: their in-laws fight, they have different ideas about how to spend their free time and jealousy from past lovers ensue.

They also have their not so typical problems: getting married and realizing they don't know who the other person is or what they want out of life and eachother.

He just wanted a buddy, someone to give his empty life meaning, but he's too clueless and hard headed to fight for love. She wants a dream man, someone to sweep her off her feet and prove her rich, over bearing daddy wrong, but her spoiled past makes her not so willing to fight when times get tough.

Will the couple survive and have a happy ending? Before you say of course they will, watch the movie and see for yourself how this original love story unfolds.

Sometimes the most exciting thing about love is also the scariest: No one said love lasts forever.

This movie goes with this notion and fills in all the blanks with alot of funny jokes and zany mishaps the honeymooners find themselves in.

I would highly recommend this movie to anyone who wants to laugh, cry or remember what its like to fall in love. An excellant movie!

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A happy young couple, Sarah (Brittany Murphy) and Tom (Ashton Kutcher) marry against the wishes of Sarah's friends and family and go to Europe for their Honeymoon. Unfortunately for them, Sarah's parents send Sarah's ex-boyfriend Peter (Christian Kane) to break up the happy marriage.

The European honeymoon is entertaining. They happy couple spend a night in snow drift, and another night blowing electrical circuits in a castle (5 star hotel) and being ejected. Desperate to find lodging they spend a night in a cockroach infested Venice pension and a night fighting in a classy Venice hotel. As a final treat they spend a night in jail.

This movie has lots of slapstick comedy, but social lessons as well. Tom demonstrates why a man needs to avoid getting his ego in the way of his actions when he blows hotel circuits, insults a hotel manager and gets kicked out of a five star resort Sarah demonstrates why some secrets must be told and others withheld and why guilt gets in the way of starting a marriage. Both learn that love can conquer a lot of trouble if you allow the love to work.

Just Married is a comedy worth viewing. It is an above average film that can tickle your funny bone. I recommend it for a good laugh.

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Chillerama (Unrated) (2011)

Personally I've grown quite weary of all these homage/throwback style grindhouse films that have been coming out over the last few years. Every now and again a decent one comes through, but for me it's like watching a tribute band-It may be decent, but all it really makes you want to do is see the real band.

Chillerama is another one of these of course, and it really wears it's influences on it's sleeve. It's a full on comedy, and aimed solely at exploitation/horror junkies like myself. Not that you have to be horror fanatic to appreciate this film, but you will definitely catch most of the references, homages and jokes if you are. Just like you don't have to be a James Bond fan to enjoy the Austin Powers films, but it helps immensely. The humor is mainly of the crude sexual variety-Definitely a What-Can-We-Get-Away-With approach. Many reviewers compare this to Troma, and that's a fair comparison, though I'd say that Troma is still the undisputed king of pushing the limits of sex/violence and bad taste.

Chillerama, in the Creepshow and Amicus Pictures tradition, is an anthology film(remember those?). It's four stories by four newschool horror directors(though Adam Rifkin has been around for awhile now). The film takes place in a drive-in theater on it's last night before it's torn down. Three "lost" horror films are being shown, and we watch those three films with the audience.

The first is WADZILLA by Adam Rifkin, and arguably the best one. A nerdy guy takes an experimental drug to increase sperm volume and before you know it there's a gigantic sperm terrorizing New York. This film takes place in the 50s and is an homage to the giant monsters on the rampage movies of that time. However, the look and style of the film seems to be more in the vein of horror films from the 70s and early 80s. A kind of two for one deal, and a very good homage on both counts.

The second film is I WAS A TEENAGE WEREBEAR by Tim Sullivan. This is story set in the early 60s about a guy who is struggling with the fact that he might be homosexual. He's not so much interested in his girlfriend as he is in the local gang of leather clad bad boys. When he's bitten by the James Dean-esque leader of the gang(the two sidekicks look like they stepped out of the Blue Oyster Bar from the Police Academy movies), he becomes a gay werewolf-A Werebear!! He refuses to join the fold however. Kind of a gay Lost Boys if you will. This film is less an homage to horror as it is an homage to both teenage 50s films like Rebel Without A Cause and the Beach Party films of the 60s. There are even a few musical numbers.

This is the episode that gets the most heat from reviewers. While I agree that it is the weakest link here, I don't share the animosity towards it. It is actually a good homage to the genres it's spoofing, it's just that it probably doesn't belong in this movie as it's really the odd one out and throws off the momentum.

Then there's Adam Green's DIARY OF ANNE FRANKENSTEIN. This is about Hitler obtaining Anne Frank(enstein)'s grandfather's diary, which of course contains the secrets of creating life from the dead. Hitler creates his own hulking brute to help him take over the world. Green did a great job on this homage to films of the 30s. It's all in "German" with English subtitles. The "German" here is impressively and humorously improvised instead of being actual German. The 30s look is fantastic, and the slapstick buffoonery of Hitler is like many of the American films and cartoons of that era that poked fun of him. Great stuff.

A fourth film called DEATHICATION is set to show, but is interrupted by the proper fourth film, ZOM-B-MOVIE, which is the wraparound story about a zombie invasion at the drive-in showing the CHILLERAMA. We only see the first few minutes of DEATHICATION, but it's a hilarious collection of poop themed carnage. Definitely the most TROMA-esque.

In ZOM-B-MOVIE by Joe Lynch, all the drama we've been experiencing with the characters at the drive-in comes to a head when the zombie outbreak begins(the prologue shows how this infestation begins), and the characters find themselves fighting for their lives....and virginity. The zombies aren't so much here to eat them(though they certainly do), but to.....you know what!

It's a decent story, also quite TROMA-esque, but honestly I'm sick of zombies. With zombies having become so commercialized and becoming the Star Trek of the horror genre in recent years(along with vampires), I don't care if I ever see another zombie movie again. I'm so desensitized to it, zombies just don't do anything for me anymore(I never thought I'd ever say those words).

So, while Chillerama may not be perfect on all accounts, I think horror fans will find quite a bit here to eat up and enjoy. Plus it's really reassuring to see modern horror film directors keeping their love for classic horror and exploitation alive. A great love letter to the drive-in era that we horror fans all love so much. I'm glad this film was made and I'm glad to have watched it.

I've given this movie a 5 star rating, but I have to admit that it's not for everyone. Do you like cheesey low budget horror? Do you think a giant Godzilla sized sperm cell reaking havoc on New York city is good movie making? Do you think the idea of a 1950's pop musical style movie about a young man getting in touch with his homosexuality via the curse of the Werebear is hilarious? Can you laugh at subtitled black and white movie about Adolf Hitler making a Jewish Frankenstein? If the answer to these questions is yes, then buy this movie immeadiately. You'll be laughing so hard you'll cry. If you have like minded friends, have them over for some adult beverages and watch it together. Perfect recipe for a good time. As far as picture quality goes, these movies are intended to look like old movies, so there's scratches and black specs all over the place, but that's part of the charm. This is a horror anthology love letter to all those b-movies that could never be as boundary pushing as they wanted to be. Enjoy!

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This movie looked absurd and I am pleased to tell you, IT IS!

It crosses lines others are too scared to touch. It's the kind of movie I had hoped it would be. If you love Troma movies or Grindhouse this movie is for you.

Makes me long for the days of the Drive In. Tho, nothing could have been this cool.

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The twisted minds of Adam Rifkin, Tim Sullivan, Joe Lynch, and Adam Green come together to bring you the greatest midnight movie of all time! ...Well, not exactly. Not at all, actually... CHILLERAMA is in contention with CREEPSHOW 3 and SNOOP DOGG'S HOOD OF HORROR for the title of worst omnibus film ever made. It is vulgar and childish, but worst of all, it is dreadfully boring.

America's last drive-in is shutting its doors forever, but not before putting on one final show: It's Chillerama, featuring four ghoulish tales of terror! Up first, a giant mutant sperm cell goes on a rampage through New York City in WADZILLA! Then, a young teen fights his confusing new urges in I WAS A TEENAGE WEREBEAR. Next, Hitler develops the ultimate killing machine using THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANKENSTEIN. Finally, some tainted popcorn turns an entire theater audience into a pack of oversexed zombies in ZOM-B-MOVIE.

It is impossible to pick a favorite here. Literally impossible, because they are all so terrible. Instead of producing a campy satire of the drive-in fodder that was produced over the past forty years, we are given a cheesy spoof, and an idiotic one at that. Each of the stories begin with a silly enough premise, which quickly outlives the humor of the shorts, themselves. Any of the talent that these directors have displayed in the past is lost on CHILLERAMA, and instead traded in for stupid dick and fart jokes. The special effects are meant to imitate the films from these eras, and if looking awful was the goal, they certainly achieved it. While each of the entries drag on indefinitely, Tim Sullivan's gay werewolf musical simply becomes unbearable. He even makes the mistake of hiring his own Scream Queens winner Gabby West, proving once and for all that the show was a sham given her ridiculous performance. Only Joel David Moore succeeds with his hilarious play on Hitler.

CHILLERAMA is a wasted opportunity that will be hard-pressed to find an audience even with the Troma crowds.

-Carl Manes

I Like Horror Movies

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I watched this Tuesday night as a double bill with Girls Gone Dead on DarrellTV (actually, I purchased both here last month). Chillerama is a cross between Tales from the Crypt amd American Pie. The wrap-around story takes place at a drive-in closing its doors and the individual tales are shown as grindhouse features on the screens; the wrap-around also features multiple subplots from moviegoers and drive-in staff, in which the projectionist is contaminated with a zombie lust virus after digging his wife's corpse up and then spreading the virus to the drive-in patrons. First story is called Wadzilla and has to be seen to be believed (I won't even try to explain the amusement): 5. Second story is my least favorite but was well-crafted; singing and werebears just aren't for me (haha): 4. Third story is in black and white and marries Anne Frank and Frankenstein; Kane Hodder plays the Nazi-built Jewish creature that meows for his first word (I replayed it and laughed even louder...Yes, he said that!); Hitler sings!: 5. The fourth story reminds me of the Groove Tube and is the least of my interest: 2. This movie has dozens of cameos and in-jokes...and gallons of electric blue goo. Well worth my sheckles. Thanx to all four directors!

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Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992)

Joss Whedon was so upset with the way things were going on the set of the movie, for which he wrote the screenplay but over which he exercised no artistic control, that he walked off the set. Indeed, this is a very hard movie to watch today after the TV series. I did, in fact, moderately enjoy the movie when it first came out. I actually appreciated and enjoyed the absurd tension contained in the title, an airhead bimbo cheerleader called upon to be her generation's vampire slayer. But viewed today, the movie isn't terribly successful, and is in fact made much worse by the genius of the television series. It isn't just a question of Sarah Michelle Gellar being more appealing in the title role than Kristy Swanson (though SMG's much smaller stature increases the paradox of a tiny girl beating up large, supernaturally strong vampires) or the movie missing all the familiar characters of the show; the movie is almost completely devoid of its own style, look, and feel. Although the TV series started off on a tiny budget, it instantly had a compelling look and visual style that the movie completely lacks. Furthermore, on TV they managed a coolness and hipness that the movie never comes close to. Unfortunately, the series has pretty much reduced the movie to a curio.

Many talk of the movie falling short of Joss Whedon's vision in writing the original script. Actually, overall the plot isn't too terribly different. Buffy doesn't burn down the gym at the end in the movie as Whedon wrote, but while there are many stylistic differences, many of the main plot elements were retained. I find the main difference between the movie and the series to be in the "how" they tell the story rather than the "what" in the story. Cleverness and intelligence permeates the TV show; the movie is nearly entirely devoid of those qualities. Take the death of vampires. In the movie, they get staked and simply fall down. In the TV series, they explode, which is not merely a spectacular special effect used to great purpose, but, as Joss Whedon mentions on the DVD commentary, leaves less clean up as there are not bodies. Also, in the movie, there isn't anywhere near the emotional depth that one finds in the series.

Another part of the problem with the movie is the casting. Kristy Swanson isn't bad except when compared to Gellar, but Donald Sutherland is just dreadful. He plays his part as if he were a cartoon character, with a degree of camp that subtracts considerably from his humanity. In fact, the performances are almost uniformly awful. Not just Sutherland, but Rutger Hauer (someone I have loved in many other movies, especially in his Dutch films) and Paul Reubens create one almost unwatchable scene after another. David Arquette is at his worst here as well. In fact, the vampires are both poorly conceived and horribly executed, in contrast to the TV series. Many have noted the number of performers in supporting roles who later became well known, such as Ben Affleck, Natasha Gregson Wagner, and Hillary Swank (not to mention Stephen Root, who memorably played Milton the stapler guy in OFFICE SPACE)

On top of all this, the thing that set the TV show apart from most other forms of popular entertainment was the degree to which it allowed for deep interaction among the various character, something made virtually impossible by the short format of a film (and something that in the long run should prove to be television's innate superiority over film, if it can ever overcome the resistance of television network execs to produce art rather than vehicles for selling airtime for commercials--my fear is that BUFFY could be an exception rather than a harbinger of things to come).

In short, while not an awful movie, the movie version of BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER is not the masterpiece the television series is.

Pity poor Buffy (Kristy Swanson). She just wants to enjoy her life as a cheerleader/Valley girl when some scruffy old guy (Donald Sutherland) shows up and tells her she is "the Chosen One." You cannot believe how being a Vampire Slayer puts a crimp in a young girl's lifestyle. But when vampires (Rutger Hauer & Paul Reubens) are snacking on your classmates, what's a girl to do but grab some stakes and get down to some serious slaying. Fortunately, there is a cute guy (Luke Perry) as a bonus.

For fans of the hit television series "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," the original movie is certainly a mixed bag. The strengths of the film come from Joss Whedon's script, which takes the ...idea of the blonde bimbo being chased by the monster and reverses it so that she end's up kicking the monster's butt. The weaknesses of the film come from director Fran Rubel Kuzui, who plays the whole thing for camp, personified by Paul Reubens over the top turn as "Lefty" and his agonizingly long death scene. But if you listen past the deliver to the actual lines, you can clearly find the foundation for the Buffy character on television.

Donald Sutherland lends a certain amount of weight to the proceedings as Buffy's Watcher, but Rutger Hauer's considerable presence is lost in his campy Vampire King. What looks the most out of place is the fighting style of Kristy Swanson as Buffy, which combines martial arts with gymnastics and cheerleading, which, again, fits more into the camp style of the film. Ultimately the direction overwhelms the promise of the script and we are left with basically a one-joke film that does not get too far off the ground. But if you compare this to the pilot for the television series, you certainly get a better feel for how Joss Whedon refined his vision of the Slayer.

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This movie is funny. Unfortunately, it is dissected by the hardcore Buffy fans that were lured in by their love of the television series, and subsequently bashed.

I liked this movie back in the day, and I still enjoy it. I never watched Buffy the Vampire slayer on TV, so I don't hold a grudge against this movie as its predecessor.

If you watch this movie expecting what you saw on TV, you will be disappointed, but it's unfair to drag this movie into the mud just because it's not the same thing as the TV show.

Overall, it's a funny movie that will give you a few laughs and that you'll enjoy, as long as you don't watch it expecting Buffy from the WB series.

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As many know, Buffy the Vampire Slayer is now a cult hit tv show. This is what started it all. Joss Whedon wrote the script for the movie, but always envisioned it as a tv series. And although his script was tinkered with, for the movie, I think the movie turned out good. Of course, it's campy and cheesy. But that's what makes it good. Kristy Swanson stars as Buffy, she who must rid the world of the forces of darkness. She is guided by Merrick, her watcher, played by Donald Sutherland and a friend, Pike, played by Luke Perry. There are also appearances by the then up & coming David Arquette and Hilary Swank. When Buffy finds out her destiny as the Slayer, she must help Merrick slay a very powerful vampire, played by Rutger Hauer. Of course, chaos ensues, but Buffy saves the day in a final showdown worthy of all the one-liners shot out by Rutger and Kristy. Although the hit show created by Joss is superbly better, the movie still holds it own and will go down as a cult classic.

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Long before the public was provided the television series: "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," there was the film of the same name. Both are the brainchildren of writer/creator Joss Whedon, but Whedon has said that the film was NOT his vision of the story he had written. That is why he created the television series which, although at times humorous, is far more dark and serious than the film that started it all.

The film tells the story of valley girl cheerleader Buffy Summers and how she is led to the dubious career of vampire slaying. Buffy is head bimbo among the group of her vacuous friends in their high school. With little more than what the latest fashion trends are to toil her brain, Buffy is anything but concerned about anyone other than herself. Enter Donald Sutherland as Merrick, her soon to be Watcher (an individual who teaches slayers their craft). Merrick must not only convince Buffy that she is a slayer by birthrite, but also convince her that vampires exist no small feat.

The story is told in a tongue-in-cheek manner. Buffy, the film, never seems to engage the viewer to the action, as though the director didn't quite know how to present the subject matter. It's not that the film isn't watchable because it is it's just that it loses steam when it isn't funny and it is often funny. The valley girl schtick works well in this film.

The actors are up to the task and seem to have fun doing it.

Used as a reference for the television series, the film is surreal on an entirely different level. Watch it as a standalone and enjoy it. Don't try to compare it to the series.

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Hansel & Gretel Get Baked (2013)

When approaching a movie entitled "Hansel & Gretel Get Baked," you aren't exactly shopping for next season's Oscar winner! At best, you hope for a good time. And I'll tell you what, I was so stoked and surprised by how enjoyable I found the start of this experience. The opening third of the movie expertly combines stoner humor, skewed fairy tale lore, and over-the-top horror comedy. The screenplay is unexpectedly clever (silly, too, but enjoyably so) and I thought this might be a terrific sleeper surprise. Unfortunately, though, this delicate balance of creativity soon gives way to much less inspired action mayhem. Within a few scenes, the film all but forgoes the fairy tale parallel and drops the delightful stoner angle. Instead it focuses on its most generic element and becomes a rather toothless horror trifle with a witch and her zombie minions battling the young protagonists. Even this might be sufficient if it was super funny or unusual, but it simply isn't. In short, a potentially good movie loses its way and never really recovers.

Molly Quinn (Castle) and Michael Welch play siblings Hansel and Gretel as typical over-privileged suburban teens. Quinn and her boyfriend Ashton (a very funny Andrew James Allen) are enjoying a leisurely day of smoking. When their stash runs dry, he heads over to the home of a local Pasadena purveyor with a new strain of Black Forest weed. The kindly old lady doing the selling (Lara Flynn Boyle) may not be an ordinary drug dealer, though. Something supernatural is afoot and her dealings with Ashton are appropriately macabre, sufficiently gory, and quite amusing. I LOVED the movie up until this point. From here on out, though, the screenplay just shuttles a variety of characters off to the house to be dispatched in different ways. We are no longer even trying to be clever or funny, the lightly comic horror elements are supposed to carry the rest of the movie. Even Hansel and Gretel share relatively little screen time. He's just set up to be another clueless victim instead of a resourceful partner.

Lara Flynn Boyle (looking a little worse for wear due to plastic surgery) embraces the lunacy of the movie and turns in a nice performance as the witch. Quinn is appealing enough in an underwritten role. Poor Michael Welch barely even registers, once again due to an undeveloped screenplay. And if you're a Cary Elwes fan (his name is featured prominently on the DVD/Blu-ray cover), he's sticks around for less than two minutes. I'm going to say it again. There is a good idea behind "Hansel & Gretel Get Baked." But after a strong start, no one knew where to take that idea. After a great twenty minute introduction, the movie embraces a ordinariness that is disappointing. 4 stars (for twenty minutes), 2 stars (for the other hour plus). KGHarris, 6/13.

With a title like HANSEL & GRETEL GET BAKED, what would you expect? Based solely on the title alone itself clearly a play on words (methinks) about how in the original fable Hansel and Gretel nearly find themselves in an oven I'm thinking ... comedy? No? Something certainly with drug undertones? No? Or maybe all director Duane Journey and screenwriter David Tillman intended was to delivered a contemporary twist on a parable as old as dirt. Whatever the case, you're likely to find yourself scratching your head as much as I did trying to figure it out when you give this a spin as their intent remains elusive.

(NOTE: The following review will contain minor spoilers necessary solely for the discussion of plot and characters. If you're the kind of reader who prefers a review entirely spoiler-free, then this is not it! Instead, I'd encourage you to skip down to the last three paragraphs for my final assessment. If, however, you're accepting of a few modest hints at `things to come,' then read on ...)

Gretel Jaeger (played by the comely Molly Quinn) loves Ashton (Andrew James Allen). It's a perfect young love. As our story opens, we find them sharing a joint in Gretel's bedroom; it's a lovely bit of a new, intense marijuana strain called "Black Forest." Once they run out, Gretel sends Ashton out into the world erm, well, the streets for some more. When her stoner boyfriend never returns, Gretel takes it on her own to investigate, much to the chagrin of her older brother, Hansel (Michael Welch). But before it's all over, they'll have to join forces to take down one sweet little ol' lady, Agnes (Lara Flynn Boyle), who's intent on sucking the life force out of both of them!

No doubt, you already know the story of Hansel and Gretel. What the participants here apparently intended to do as best as I can surmise is re-tell it with a contemporary, urban slant. Instead of Germany, you have the L.A. suburbs. Instead of a witch, you have a seductive old temptress. Instead of a gingerbread house in the forest, you have a posh two-story dwelling in a cul de sac. You get the idea. The problem is ... is that enough?

Certain, one would think that even a modestly cautionary attempt to `update' a classic tale would involve some measure of modern message, as well, but, for all its efforts, GET BAKED ends up being nothing more than ... well ... a modestly cautionary attempt to `update' a classic tale. It's plenty stylish and all, just as it's given the proper urban sensibilities. The problem is there's a heavy strain of humor injected unevenly into the production, starting with the title, then the opening sequence, and then perhaps one of the cleverest opening credits I've seen in some time. I'd be hard-pressed to deny that there's an honest attempt at humor here; it just disappears and re-appears with no appreciable frequency that I'm really not convinced it was intended.

I have no problem with the modern spin on old stories. In fact, I think it can be a mighty nice way to revisit some of those messages we're all given as kids don't take candy from strangers, don't go out exploring in the forest all by yourself, don't succumb to witches and I can appreciate any writer's attempt to liven up the source material with more than a few chuckles here and there. Still, BAKED feels half-cooked, and methinks the script could've used a few more minutes in the oven before putting it up there on the silver screen.

HANSEL & GRETEL GET BAKED is produced by Kerry Kimmel & Pollack, Dark Highway Films (II), and Uptik Entertainment. DVD distribution is being handled by New Video under its Tribeca Film imprint. As for the technical specifications, it looks and sounds about as well as any major motion picture does these days; there's some nice cinematography, and it's all given a wondrously stylish look, even in its darkest corners. Sadly, there are no special features to speak of; I would've liked to have known in the very least whether the creative folks intended this as a serious horror film or a horror parody because, for the life of me, I couldn't say for sure.

RECOMMENDED. HANSEL & GRETEL GET BAKED is a mixed bag of effective and ineffective bits, mostly thrown into chaos by no single guiding theme: is this meant to serve as parody or satire of the classic fable OR did they intend this to be a legitimate horror film? It's far too tame to be a legitimate horror film, and it's far too unfunny to feel like an honest attempt at parody or satire. Instead, you get maybe what you expected a modern day fractured fairy tale for the medicinally light-headed or an audience better known as `Judd Apatow's desired demographic,' but this is far short of the lunacy they've come to expect. Also, David Tillman's sometimes tired screenplay borrows liberally from other fairy tales and even mythology to the point where methinks not even he was entirely certain what it was all going to look like in the end.

In the interests of fairness, I'm pleased to disclose that the fine folks at New Video provided me with an advance DVD copy of HANSEL & GRETEL GET BAKED by request for the expressed purposes of completing this review.

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A fun flick with some talented actors. Seen it twice so far and will see a few more times. You must be comfortable watching people high as kites though!

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I hadn't realized this was a Tribeca film when I purchased it. It definitely surpassed my expectations. It does have some odd points, but I found it a rather clever interpretation of the Hansel and Gretel story. I definitely plan on watching it again.

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