Don Juan Demarco (2012)

A young man believing himself to be the greatest lover in the world, Don Juan(Johnny Depp), is depressed at losing the one great love of his life and is ready to committ suicide. (But first must have one last romantic encounter with a woman in need). He is rescued by a psychiatrist who cares for him at a state mental facility. Doctor Jack Miglon(Marlon Brando) is fascinated by this case and takes it on, even though he is to retire in 10 days, which by the way is the amount of time "Don Juan" has to convince everyone he really doesnt belong there.

Over the next 10 days, as doctor listens to his tales of romantic adventures(and they are numerous),Don Juan charms everyone he comes into contact with.(except some of the other doctors who feel he should be medicated.) The stories make Jack look at his own life after 32 years of marriage to Marilyn(Faye Dunaway), and starts him trying to rekindle an old flame. So the question is here, who was curing who?????

The story will grab you fom the beginning, put a smile on your face and keep it there to the end of the credits, during which you can still listen to the Carmenesque score and the Bryan Adams song "Have you ever Really loved a woman".

The cast is perfect in their roles. You will believe that Johnny Depp IS DON JUAN!. Brando was funny and charming, Dunaway, glowed.

The DVD is excellent. The sound quality so good, the musical score filled the room, the dialouge crisp. Picture quality, color, and widescreen excellent as well. The Dvd comes with some nice features, there's a music video featuring Brian Adams, theatrical trailers, filmographies of the cast, and if you cant' get the music out of your head and want to hear more of it you can isolate the score and have the movie dialouge silent. There are also subtitles if needed.

This film may not go down in the annals of Hollywood history as one of the classics but it took me somewhere else for a little while and kept me there. Maybe it will do the same for you.

Enjoy.......Laurie

more delightful romantic comedy:

A Couch in New York

Some Like It Hot

Maxie [VHS]

Don Juan isn't just a great romantic comedy; it is THE romantic comedy for anyone looking for just as much romance as laughs.

The movie deals with a mental patient (Johnny Depp)who believes he is the legendary Don Juan, greatest lover in all the world. Marlon Brando plays Dr. Jack Mickler, the retiring pshychatrist who tries to cure him.

After Don Juan tries to kill himself and winds up in a mental hospital, Jack listens to him tell his life story and decides how to interpret it.

The cast is excellent. Johnny Depp is as soulful as he is sexy. Faye Dunaway is perfect as Jack's loving, devoted and somewhat neglected wife. And you can't help falling in love with Dr. Mickler.

This movie is quirky, heartwarming, funny, romantic, sexy and beautiful. It will make you want to fall in love if you're single, and make you want to rediscover your partner if you're not.

I highly recommend you buy this movie and watching it with your boyfriend/girlfriend, fiance, or husband/wife immediately.

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This glorious and enchanting film is one of my favorites. Johnny Depp is contagious as the mental patient who convinces everyone with latent, romantic hearts, that he is indeed Don Juan de Marco, the greatest lover who ever lived. I love Johnny Depp in offbeat roles. In spite of all the controversy he has incurred over the years, he still captures my heart, especially when he plays roles like Don Juan and the Charlie Chaplin copy cat in Benny and Joon. I always thought he would have been sensational in the movie, Chaplin. Marlon Brando is also superb as the rotund, tired psychiatrist whom Don Juan, the patient, rescues from mediocrity. Faye Dunnaway is beautiful as his pragmatic, middle-aged wife. Together, they recapture the spirit of youth and demonstrate that regardless of advancing age, fun, sex appeal, and energy don't have to be wasted on the young. If you love adventure, passion, and joy, don't miss this alluring, little gem!

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This is a very entertaining movie. The cast is excellent and the story is quite a bit of fun. There are some short comings in the film, but who cares.

Johnny Depp plays a deranged man who believes he is Don Juan. After he tries to kill himself he is sent to a mental hospital where he begings to tell his story to his doctor, Marlon Brando. Brando is about to retire and he takes on Depp as a last case in more ways then one. Brando is seemingly having troubles of his own and in an odd way these two characters end up helping each other.

From that description, you would never guess it, but this is a comedy. So now that we are past that, it is the relationship between Depp and Brando is the real charm of Don Juan DeMarco. They seem to really enjoy working together. The diologue Depp delivers in this film is enormously cheesy, but he is so great he pulls it off. Certainly for Brando this is the most substancial role(as far as screen time goes) he has played in twenty something years. I find his role amusing and it is always good to see Brando having a good time.

Don Juan DeMarco is a fun little movie. It is kind of light though. However to me that does not really matter because it is witty and clever. It is definately a must see for Brando and Depp fans. People who enjoy quirky comedy should enjoy it as well.

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Johnny Depp in the title role is more a Casanova type than a Don Juan. Don Juan only enjoys the chase; once he has captured the female, he abandons her. Casanova adored women, all women and found in them spiritual and physical perfection. This last describes Johnny Depp's role.

The movie opens with a gloriously romantic seduction of a modern day young woman by a masked, 18th century Spanish aristocrat. He leaves her stunned and ecstatic with joy while he dashes (cape swirling) to a building top to ---commit suicide? It appears he has disgraced his true love. Marlon Brando, a psychiatrist, is called to the scene to "talk him down." No ordinary stairs or elevators to reach the rooftop for Mr. Brando. In a memorable scene, the portly gentleman grandly rides to the top in a cherry picker for his first meeting with Don Juan reincarnated. Their rapport is instantaneous (Depp identifies Brando as Don Ottavio de Flores,) and they ride down to street level together.

The real world intervenes. Don Juan is detained for psychiatric observation for his delusions and attempted suicide. Brando, about to retire, wants Depp to be his last case. Their meetings are florid reconstructions by Don Juan of his history (he was even as an infant enchanted by the ladies, seduced a gorgeous unhappy wife at 14, dueled with her husband, was sold in slavery to a Turkish caliph and not too surprisingly found himself in a harem). Brando becomes increasingly intrigued and gradually their positions are reversed. He is learning from Don Juan. He wants this romance in his own life as well. At home, he woos the bewildered Faye Dunaway with the strains of Mozart's magnificent "Don Giovanni" in the background.

The movie is a froth of visions---it is worth the price of admission to see Brando dancing a chiffon-clad Faye Dunaway on an exotic beach. They are touchingly in love. Johnny Depp never once steps out of character (or his well-done accent) and you almost conclude he is indeed the real Don Juan. It is his genius to be completely serious and yet wildly comic at the same time. "Don Juan de Marco" is a film for the romantic in all of us.

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High School (2010)

I sat down to watch "High School" with no preconceived notions about the movie. All I knew was that Michael Chiklis was in it and that was good enough for me. I can't say Chiklis stole the show here, but he played a part so different than what he's played recently in Vegas and The Shield that my wife didn't even recognize him. Chiklis plays a high school principal hell bent on getting drugs out of his school but of course that becomes impossible to do when honors student and soon to be class valedictorian Henry, played by Matt Bush, decided to toke up for the first time the day before a school-wide drug testing program is implemented.

Henry and his stoner friend Travis, played by Sean Marquette, decide that if EVERYONE fails the drug test then nobody can really be held accountable. Sound thinking, right? Well, in order to get enough drugs to dose the whole student body they have to rip off the local drug dealer "Psycho Ed," played with gusto by Adrien Brody who absolutely steals the show here. "Psycho Ed" is one part Snoop Dogg and one part white suburban lawyer who had a nervous break down. He somehow comes off as hilarious and terrifying at the same time!

There's no doubt that the premise here is over the top, the characters are over the top and the delivery here is over the top. All of that doesn't take away from the fun of the ride. There are a ton of "stoner comedies" out there but this one really does stand on its own as a movie with a little more substance to it. Well worth the rental for Brody's performance alone!

Hank (Matt Bush) is a high school student who is MIT bound. He has become reacquainted with his junior high friend Breaux (Sean Marquette) who is not MIT bound, and might be classified as a "Stoner." Breaux convinces Hank to share a bone with him. To their surprise the principal (Michael Chiklis with a bad wig) announces a drug test for the entire student body with everyone who fails being expelled.

Hank envisioning his life going down the drain, because what college would ever take a high school kid who got high once in his life, our duo gets an ideal that if everyone was stoned and failed the test, they would throw it out. The brownie bake sale being held the same day as the drug test provides them the delivery method and the film director says, "Okay cast, everyone act stoned."

Sure it was nice to see Lisa Simpson and Booger as instructors and Adrian Brodie as a mentally unstable drug dealer. But as a stoner film goes, this one doesn't measure up. Consider the first joke, that of an oriental girl named "P-h-u-c." This type of humor was done in an Austin Powers film, or for you older stoners, "Groove Tube" had it in a fake Vietnam newscast or was that "Kentucky Fried Movie?" While a younger generation might laugh at this humor, us older guys have been there, done that, got the t-shirt, and are now using it for the cat's bed.

Some of the humor rolls quickly, such as when the principle claims that the downfall of America is "drugs, fornication and a grown man singing about his feelings." Nice words from "The Thing." The film needed more of this type of humor.

The movie also includes a man with "the munchies" and people feeling paranoid. The cliche cup over flowed. No rush to buy this one.

Parental Guide: F-bombs, no sex, minor shower nudity. I thought "Budz House" was superior for a modern stoner film.

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"Drugs, fornicating, a grown man singing about his feelings, it's time we win this war, expunge this school of all dope fiends." Henry Burke (Bush) has everything going for him. He has a scholarship to MIT and is in line to be his classes valedictorian. After an accident leads to detention he is brought back together with his old friend Travis (Marquette). They decide to take a break that night and unwind with a joint. After the school's representative in the national spelling bee loses it on TV the principal (Chiklis) institutes a mandatory drug test for everyone in the school. Fearing he will lose everything Henry and Travis come up with a plan. I am not really a fan of "stoner' comedy (I did like the Harold & Kumar movies) but the plot to this and the cast made it seem interesting to me. I was not disappointed. Adrien Brody is very funny as the man they steal from and Colin Hanks is good as a clueless asst. principle but Michael Chiklis steals the movie. Playing a clueless borderline pervert in charge of the school he is perhaps the funniest clueless principal since Ed Rooney. This is a very different style of stoner comedy and it is more like "Girl Next Door" then "Pineapple Express". This is nothing amazing but I enjoyed it and laughed quite a bit. Overall, a funny movie you can just put in and not think about, those are fun sometimes. I give it a B.

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Sadly, "High School" was only released in a handful of theatres this summer...If it didn't make it to your town, you need to buy a copy! It is the funniest movie I have ever watched. I saw it at Sundance a few years ago and have been eagerly wating for it to hit the theatres so all of my friends could see the movie I have been blathering about for two years. I am really disapointed that it didn't reach a larger audience, I was certain that it would be the next Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Hopefully it can have a great DVD life! Show your support for independent film makers who have the stones to make a comedy that isn't a stupid rom-com starring Ashton Kutcher...that said, if you are a fan of Ashton Kutcher rom-coms...this movie probably isn't for you.

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good movie funny parts. would not recommend for younger kids as there is extensive drug scenes

interesting story line. y

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Definitely Maybe

The concept here is great: on the eve of his divorce, a father tells his daughter the story of how he fell in love with her mother by changing names so she has to guess who she is in the story. What's so amazing is how they were able to pull off this story with three female leads all interacting with the same man, and yet somehow make us cheer each of them on in their own way. Ryan Reynolds is great in the lead, easily flowing from the caring father of the present to the stricken college student of the past and beyond. As the story unfolds, you'll meet Emily, April, and Summer--three women who will have a dramatic impact on his life in various ways.

There are some genuinely funny moments in this film, and I honestly can say I never really got bored at any point. It was like watching three romances unfolds and ultimately fall apart for different reasons. No doubt you will find yourself choosing a favorite, and like Maya (the daughter), you'll be hoping your favorite will turn out to be her mother. Be prepared to be surprised though.

As the movie drew closer to the end, I honestly thought I was going to be disappointed in how it ended. But the movie managed to end perfectly. Reynolds is a great actor who can be flippant and cocky one moment, then broken-hearted and in love during the next. Isla Fisher does a great job as April, the outgoing copy girl who works with him during the Bill Clinton campaign.

If you're looking for a great romantic movie, this is the one.

In most romantic comedies, you have a story where boy meets girl, then boy loses girl, and finally boy and girl re-unite and live happily ever after (or v.v.).

"Definitely, Maybe" is definitely not your usual run-of-the-mill romantic comedy, and refreshingly so: taking a very different approach to the subject.

For starters, the storyline revolves around the relationship between a father (Ryan Reynolds, played by Will Hayes) and his daughter, Maya (played by Abigail Breslin). Throughout most of the film, Ryan's romantic adventures (and misadventures) are potrayed as a series of flashbacks, as he relates the story of his life to his daughter in the form of a bedtime story.

Some of the dialog, particularly Maya's lines, are hysterically, if not shockingly funny such as a very clinical discussion she has with her father about procreation as he picks her up at school after a "sex ed" class: she asks, for instance, how a baby could be "mistake" after going through all that effort to try and make one. Later, she asks her father (after he relates his past relationships to her) "What's the male word for 'Slut'?" To which he sheepishly responds "They're still working on that one."

An interesting twist is that the father thinks he's helping Maya to become more mature and sophisticated in her knowldge of the many emotional dimensions and complexities of adult relationsips. In fact, there's more to it than that: as Maya's dad tells the story of his relationships with three very different women: "Emily", "Summer" and "April" to his daughter, you see him growing in maturity as he drifts from one relationship into another (and back again). You also begin to understand why his marriage to Maya's mom failed (as is hinted at the start of the film): he's the one who needed to grow up. A point emphasized when Maya explicitly tells him so.

Ultimately, this movie spoke to me about the importance of maturity in relationships, and about how Love doesn't always come in the package (or place) you expect.

I give "Definitely, Maybe" four stars not likely to get an Academy Award, but certainly a sweet, funny story with excellent performances.

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Wow, what a great movie. I havent seen such a heart-felt romantic comedy in so many years and this really jumpstarted that romantic side of heart that's been dying to see a good romantic comedy. This movie is simply superb in execution and performance... touching and funny in all the right places and I never once felt bored despite its seemingly long duration. I thought of doing some internet surfing but couldnt bear to tear my eyes away and miss those good moments, and there are many.

I would rate this on the top of my list for romantic comedies. I hope we see more of Ryan Reynolds because I liked him a lot in 2 guys and a girl and a pizza joint. The actresses were all memorable and amazing (especially Isla Fisher). Anyways, you cant go wrong with this one when you want to make your heart warm a little.

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Is Ryan Reynolds capable of making a bad movie? I am sure he must have somewhere, but I have yet to see one. And this film may be the best one yet. All three of the leading ladies were good, with Isla Fisher pitch perfect. And young Abigail Breslin will surely be a gem for decades to come.

A good comedy shows us things about human nature and truth. It is no accident that the only great writer who appears in any of Plato's Dialogues is Aristophanes [in the Symposion]. Even the ancient Greeks understood this simple factthat comedy can teach the deeper truths about humanity far better than drama. This comedy goes far beyond the usual cheap Hollywood formula to truly explore what happens as people fall into and out of loveand perhaps how real love begins. This is not about winning or losing at loverather it is about how our character is what makes love possibleor impossible. In short, this film really explores that part of human nature that is entertwined with romance. Aristophanes would have approved.

So this actually is a romantic comedy that does not follow the standard formula. Yet, despite the premise, it DOES have a happy ending.

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This was billed as a romantic comedy but I didn't find it anywhere near a comedy. Maya delivers the best comedic, if not the only, comedic lines. That being said, it was a nice family film. Will is reluctant to talk about his past because it's "complicated" and Maya is tired of hearing "it's complicated". Finally, the two make a truce and Will shares his life's story--romance wise--with as much innocence as he can muster up. But as the story unfolds, it's not Maya that gets a lesson in life, but Will. Some consider the character of Will to be rather dull, but you have to remember that he's supposed to be depressed. He'd gotten burned so many times in his relationships--his best friend, his girlfriends, his job--that he's all but given up on finding true happiness. When his daughter tells him he needs to get happy again, he tries to tell her that he is--that he has her, but wise beyond her years, she sets him straight. She loves that he feels she's the best thing that ever happened to him, but she knows he needs more, he deserves more. If you spend your life doing everything for your children and find that you aren't as happy as you'd like to be and worry that doing things for you--to make you happy--could hurt your children's happiness, then you must take a queue from Maya and find happiness because when you are happy, so are your children.

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Ocean's Thirteen (2007)

Danny Ocean (Clooney) and his gang are back, this time to get revenge against Willie Bank (Pacino). Bank has screwed over Reuben Tishkoff (Gould), and taken his land and money to build a new casino, causing Reuben to have a heart attack. The gang, led by Ocean, Rusty Ryan (Pitt), and Linus Caldwell (Damon), decide to put the new casino deep into the red and steal Bank's diamonds.

"Ocean's 13" is a vast improvement over "12" and on par with "11", if not a little better. The cast know their characters so well by this point and have a great chemistry. You know that they had fun making this movie, and it shows. The action is minimum, but interest is sustained through following their plan as it comes to fruition. There are some twists, but nothing earth-shattering. Mostly, this is a chance to see good actors doing their thing. Fans of this series will not be disappointed, and although director Steven Soderbergh says this is the last one, I can't help but hope that he changes his mind.

Movie's good! But DVD sucks big time!!! I've got VHS cassettes in better quality than that DVD. At the beginning, I thought my Sony Home Theatre System(DAV HDX500) & Sony Bravia TV got totally messed up. Turned out, there's nothing wrong with the equipment thank God! DVD's a problem!

Sound (Only 2.1) & Picture Quality (Very grainy, lack of focus etc.) make that movie "unpleasant" to watch. Even if you have decent TV & HTS. Kind of a bad copy of a very used VHS cassette. Shame on Warner Bros. or those guys who release such poor quality DVDs. I decided to buy/rent a couple more copies and compare the quality. If they're any better, than Amazon.com should reconsider their partnership with the distributor or whoever they are, 'cause it's definitely not the product I've expected!

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Warner Bros seems to be trying to populate their Blu-ray portfolio on the cheap. The sound is just Dolby 5.1, the same as a cheap DVD would have (some DVD have better) and the picture... it might have been some artistic selection to make it so but, I am not kidding, I spent 15-20 minutes while watching this movie trying to adjust my TV, thinking that maybe it was something wrong with it.

I will not recommend buying this. News to Warner Bros: Blu-ray allows you to include nice things such as 'uncompressed' audio and I can't think of any excuse for not having it on a relatively recent movie.

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All I can say is that I am extremely disappointed in the video quality for a high definition disc. Sure, the picture sharpness is way better then DVD, but there is SO much noise and grain in the video, it is almost unwatchable. A friend got the DVD and even though it is not as crisp, the grain and noise is so much less. I am completely disappointed in this Bluray version. So much in fact that I am trying to exchange for the DVD version it is so bad. It is as if the disc is defective, but from reading other reviews, that is just how bad this version is. Stay away.

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The movie was ok.

The picture quality on the DVD sucks. I'm taking it back to the store where I purchased it.

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Chawz (2011)

Being a huge fan of South Korean cinema ("The Host", "Old Boy", "A Tale Of Two Sisters", "Bedevilled", "Natural City", "Save The Green Planet", "Mother", "Memories Of Murder", "Secret Sunshine", "Phone", "The Isle", "I'm A Cyborg But That's Ok", "Haeundae", "Conduct Zero", "Bunshinsaba", "Samaritan Girl", "3-Iron", "Hansel & Gretel", "The Red Shoes" and many, many more.), I am happy to say that "Chaw" delivered exactly what I was expecting: quirky fun with some monster action spliced in. The Police Chief dude that keeps asking for his club is absolutely hilarious! The blu-ray transfer is very nice. The film is just mindless fun with some interesting characters. Kudos to Magnolia/Magnet for picking up this film. I REALLY HOPE THEY PICK UP "Bedevilled" next for a blu-ray release.

I found myself waiting for this film to end about 20 minutes into it.

It was bogged down by silly Korean slapstick that wasn't very funny,and it took quite awhile to establish a storyline.

The characters were uninteresting and some most unnecessary.Although there were a couple of characters that I did like,it wasn't enough.The gore factor was virtually non existent and that's usually one reason we watch giant marauding creature flicks.

The pro is that the monster effect was quite good but you can't get into a movie just because the creature effect is good,there has to be some sort of motivation to keep you watching be it storyline,interesting and likable characters or even "good" comedy which I felt there were none of the above. I was really looking forward to it because I saw Pig Hunt and really enjoyed that giant killer Boar film.I say skip this one and watch Pig Hunt,you won't have to read subtitles either,and I just watched "The Man From Nowhere and loved every minute of it subtitles and all,so I have no problem reading them for if the film is good.

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IT was a exciting and off the wall Asian thirller and monster flick that turns out to be a gaint boar that even likes ramming doors and walls a lot of fun goog popcorn movie at a easy price nice tansfer and fast shipping!

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This movie is great! It's funny and scary! There are some really funny, laugh out loud parts and then suddenly you're jumping out of your skin from being scared! Unique and very well done! Very refreshing movie!

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I purchased a Korean DVD of this movie last year and thoroughly enjoyed it. It doesn't measure up to The Host in sfx or plot but is a fun popcorn monster on the loose romp. There is the usual Korean-style humor throwm in with a cast of characters you've seen in most modern creature on the loose productions: earnest/troubled young hero, cute female scientist, crusty wise old expert, brash hunter, etc. Better than a Syfy Channel cgi monster of the week with good actors, adequate if not spectacular sfx, and a tried and true plot.

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Small Apartments (2013)

We watched the film last year at a screening in Austin Texas. The film has some great performances especially Bill Crystal, Matt Lucas, James Caan as well as memorable performances by Rebel Wilson Dolph and perhaps the best performance by Johnny Knoxville in his entire career. But the star is the story, which is bittersweet but really really funny. May be a classic, its stays with me unlike most films.

But when you're confronted with a movie of such raw emotion, you don't worry about your track record or whether you took your insulin that day. You just LIVE, DAMMNIT!!

Every performance is a standalone treat, every line of the script a dance on the razor's edge of sanity! This is the film David O. Sleznick did not have the courage to make! (no relation to David O. Selznick BTW).

I laughed too many times during this film. I also cried once when a portly man came down my row and stepped on my foot with a full 44 oz. Lime Coke Zero in his hands and a look of hubris on his lips. I'm not ashamed to say that gentleman had a strong dose of my evil eye that evening. And I make NO apologies for that!

I don't mean to compare down but I would rather watch this film in a prison cell with a healthy population of Dallas Cowboys fans than have to watch the interminable "Silver Linings Playbook" in a floating island in the sky while my feet were alternately being rubbed by Gore Vidal and Dr. Jonathan Miller. That's how much better Small Apartments is! I shan't restate it!

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In a world of formatted films, sequel, slasher pix this is an original. The book was great and the story is much bigger than the lives of the inhabitants of their small apartments. Hope you like the show. respectfully submitted

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I have this movie on my wishlist but haven't purchased it yet. I rented it from the Redbox, didn't really expect much but what a movie! I haven't felt so much emotion (happy, sad, angry, etc.) while watching a movie in ages! This is a haunting type of inspirationally, twisted, hilariousness...it's really hard to describe. But seriously...the best movie I've seen since Harold and Maude!

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I enjoy strange movies. This is a strange movie. Lots of chubby people in their underwear and a man named Franklin Franklin.

I thought there was too much narration and not enough of Rebel Wilson and some of the scenes did not ring that true or make much sense. But at the end of it all you're cheering for people that aren't that great of people and that means that somewhere in the course of the film I was convinced to care about them and that's what happened here.

It is weird though and sort of heartbreaking but Crystal is really the focus and it's about him and Franklin Franklin is just the reason that Crystal comes around.

And Johnny Knoxville is very good as a stoner and his final scene is heartbreaking like I said. The music is very good, though it gets a little melodramatic at the end but the first song is catchy.

All in all five stars *****.

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Win Win (2011)

Tom McCarthy is a young gifted artist actor, writer, director who has gifted us in the past with such memorable small films as writer/director of 'The Visitor', 'The Station Agent', and as writer for 'Up'. He deals with simple people encountering complex problems and shows us how cooperative relationships make life OK. McCarthy both wrote (with Joe Tiboni) and directed WIN WIN and if there were two words that would best describe this film the title supplies them. It is real, touching without becoming saccharine, and populated by a cast of some very fine actors who deliver a very human story.

Mike Flaherty (Paul Giamatti) is a sown on his luck lawyer in poor economic times who deals with elderly people as clients. His loyal wife Jackie (Amy Ryan) keeps their small house in Providence, New Jersey (McCarthy's home town, by the way) in order, managing their two daughters, the funky Abby (Clare Foley) and Stella (Penelope Kindred), in tow. One of Mike's clients Leo Poplar (Burt Young) is entering early senility and the court wants him placed in a home. Discovering that Leo pays good money for a guardian Mike accepts guardianship but moves Leo into a rest home, keeping his house locked up. Mike discovers a young 16 year old kid on Leo's doorstep and learns that the lad is Kyle (Alex Schaffer), Leo's grandson form Ohio who has run away from home because his mother (Melanie Lynskey) is in rehab and Kyle has escaped the abuse of her boyfriend. Kyle is taken in to the Flaherty family (tough Jackie melts and insists they support him). What Mike discovers is that Kyle is a Wrestling Champion and Mike happens to coach the high school wrestling team with his law partner Stephen Vigman (Jeffrey Tambor) and Mike's buddy Terry Delfino (Bobby Cannavale). Kyle's presence eventually leads the losing team to a winning position: Kyle is sensitive to the nerdy loser Stemler (David Thompson) and boosts the entire team's spirit. Problems arise: Cindy comes to town to claim Leo (and get his money) and hires lawyer Eleanor (Margo Martindale) to meet her aims. Mike's finagling of Leo's money backfires, Kyle loses faith in his new family, Leo only wants to go to his home, and all things seem to fall apart until unexpected changes occur in each of the characters.

Some viewers will see this as yet another 'Blind Side' type movie and that is a Positive! Too few films deal with the sanctity of the family and the manner in which true family relationships can improve society at large. Tom McCarthy has managed to create a tender, humorous, realistic, and deeply touching film. Paul Giamatti and Amy Ryan once again prove they are among our finest actors, but it the surprise debut of Alex Schaffer, a 17 year old lad who has been a wrestler but has no prior acting credits, that makes this film glow. The cameos by Burt Young, Jeffrey Tambor, Bobby Cannavale, Melanie Lynskey, and Margo Martindale along with all the other minor characters are superb. This is a film to restore faith in human kindness a film that would benefit time together with youngsters and adults to observe how the world can tick. Grady Harp, August 11

This is one of my favorite movies. No special effects or exploding cars, just great acting in real-life situations. And it's its funny and sad too. Highly recommended.

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Paul Giamatti is probably the smartest actor in Hollywood. From "Sideways" to "Barney's Version", he chooses (mostly) very good roles that rely simply on smart acting and writing. "Win Win" is one of my favorite movies in a while, as it evokes the small town joy of "The Station Agent" with an original story that is accessible to all audiences. Having seen it twice in theaters, I look forward to owning it on Blu-Ray upon release. It's worth every penny. If the people giving awards at the end of the year forget this movie, they are to be shamed Giamatti, Amy Ryan, and everyone else involved did something special here, and you really should watch it.

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OK, I am not really good about writing about films, but this is probably the best film I have seen in a couple of years.

First off, I love Thomas McCarthy's work. Station Agent is probably my all time favorite film. Paul Giamatti and Amy Ryan are also two of the best. This film is awesome.

I am not the kind of guy to over analyze stuff, I just like this film!

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I applaud Mr Giamatti for moving away from trite Hollywood fare to films with genuine character and substance. This is a well-written, superbly performed look into the struggles of real life. I'll avoid spoilers and the usual synopsis, but want to stress this isn't ham-fisted or angsty. Every actor is pitch-perfect, authentic dialogue, credible scenes...well done all around. Worth your time and money.

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