Friends With Benefits (Limited Edition Blu-ray + DVD Combo Pack with Bonus Disc) (2011)

Both Timberlake and Kunis have recently broken up with their partner. Kunis plays a recruiter for GQ magazine, and Timberlake is someone she "stalked" to head up their Art department. Timberlake's ex-gf is Emma Stone. What is interesting is that Kunis' character is the laid back type of person we would expect Emma Stone to play, while Stone (what little we see of her) plays an emotional character we would expect Kunis to play. I don't know if the producers did this by design, or they just lucked into it, but knowing this made the movie funny on a different level. Kunis is savvy enough to realize she has been ruined by romantic movies as she awaits her Prince to sweep her off her feet. You know at the end of the movie, come running to her as she is about to leave, and pour his heart out to her.

Kunis gives Timberlake a fast paced tour of NY, perhaps one of the best sells for Manhattan I have seen in a long time. The movie verbally condemns Hollywood's romantic comedies while ironically creating one identical to it. With some quick character build up, the film goes to a scene where Timberlake and Kunis decide that they will have sex without the emotional baggage while swearing on a Bible app. No complications, just sex. Guess how that turns out?

Woody Harrelson plays a gay sports editor who is not shy about being gay. Woody gives Timberlake love advice, "It's not who you want to spend Friday night with, but who you want to spend all day Saturday with."

The sex scenes between Kunis and Timberlake are more comical than romantic. Timberlake likes to keep his socks on and sneezes after an orgasm, and Kunis is a screamer. Patricia Clarkson plays Kunis' super hip mother, who has never really told her daughter who her father was. In her first few minutes he was Greek, Puerto Rican, or Russian...she is sure he was Eurasian.

The dialoge is fast and witty. Kunis did a background check on a guy she dated.

Timberlake responds: "Did you do a background check on me?"

Kunis:"How could you possibly max out an Old Navy card?"

Timberlake: "I was just out of college and really into cargo pants."

In spite of the adult themes, the movie has a lighthearted chick flick Disney quality to it. The acting was good. The movie was very clever. If you liked "No Strings Attached" you might find this one on par or slightly better.

F-bomb,sex, brief nudity, deals with Alzheimer's. 5 star chick flick

"Friends with Benefits" has a lightning fast, very smart script, it moves like a limousine, and it features another stunningly moving character turn by Richard Jenkins. It's good enough that it revives hope for that troubled genre, the Romantic Comedy. It's worth seeing, more than once.

"Friends with Benefits" surprised me. I don't understand why Justin Timberlake is famous what is remarkable about him, really? and Mila Kunis does nothing for me. We live in the age of decline of the Romantic Comedy. "Friends with Benefits" was not the forgettable, rote, mass-produced studio product I expected. It was actually really good.

"Friends with Benefits" began really fast, and I found myself bobbing along on the script's energy. I noticed how much I was enjoying it and I kept waiting for the film to drop the ball, to let me down, to betray itself, to fall into predictable clichéd traps. That didn't happen for quite a while, and the film's failings were slow in coming, minor, and didn't ruin the film.

What "Friends with Benefits" does right it does very, very right. The script is amazing. There are jokes that you'd need some literacy and maturity to understand. They fly right by, no pause for the viewer to laugh, or to google the references, before the next one-liner or trenchant observation rolls down the chute. Our culture has been so dumbed down that hearing a joke that one would have to have some knowledge of history or culture or even just the front page of the newspaper to understand amazed and gratified me.

The movie's strong point is that it is so fast; that's also a bit of a weak point. Legendary director Frank Capra said that "sometimes your story has to stop and you just let your audience look at your people. You want your audience to like them...these scenes are quite important to a film. When the audience rests and they look at the people, they begin to smile." "Friends with Benefits" is so frenetic, it never creates a memorable screen moment where Dylan (Justin Timberlake) and Jamie (Mila Kunis) do nothing but look movie-star lovely and get under our skin.

Richard Jenkins works some powerful mojo. He's a character actor, older, bland-looking and bald, but in every movie I've seen him in lately, especially so in "Eat Pray Love," he seems to be visiting from a different, better movie, and I want, after the movie I'm watching is over, to watch the superior film from which Jenkins has visited. In "Friends with Benefits" Jenkins plays Dylan's father who is suffering the early stages of Alzheimer's. He is funny, profound, arresting and truly lovable. What is Jenkins doing? Whatever it is, more actors should do it.

Jenna Elfman, Patricia Clarkson, Woody Harrelson, Nolan Gould and Masi Oka are all very, very good in supporting roles. Clarkson, as Jamie's mother, delivers a liner about Jamie's father that made me laugh out loud.

On the surface, "Friends with Benefits" looks like too many other, lesser movies. It's not. It's a really good, worthwhile film.

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For me, the track record of the 2011 comedy releases did not seem great, so I was a bit nervous about watching this movie. That being said, I was completely wrong and surprised by this film. Starring Justin Timberlake, Mila Kunis, and Woody Harrelson, "Friends With Benefits" is, well, exactly about what it sounds. Timberlake, upon moving to New York to take a new job, has as his only friend Kunis, who lured him to New York for the job to begin with. As the two develop as friends, so does their relationship develop. While the ending may be predictable, the storyline of the friendship, a character with Alzheimer's, and the "realness" of the film lend reality to comedy.

ACTING: A

Justin Timberlake, Mila Kunis, and Woody Harrelson all shine in this film, with Timberlake and Kunis taking charge of the lead roles and producing a sense of positive interaction and giving believability to the plot and the humor. Harrelson, as a side character (Timberlake's gay co-worker/friend), is flamboyantly gay and unafraid to show it: creating many entertaining moments in his own right.

PLOT: B+

Sure, the plot is believable. Most plots of romantic comedies are. This film, for me, was different in that it was also about Timberlake's film-dad suffering from Alzheimers, about Kunis' mommy-issues, and about the development of the characters as adults. This is far from a rote comedy along the lines of every other script, making it enjoyable!

COMEDY: A

At points, I couldn't stop laughing, particularly in the interaction in the bedroom between Kunis and Timberlake as well as due to Harrelson's character. To be sure, the humor is crude and sexual most of the time, but you could probably guess that from the title.

FINAL REVIEW: BUY IT

This film is definitely one to purchase. I will be doing so as soon as it leaves theaters. It was more than a romantic comedy, for me, just as it was more than a raunchy, sexual comedy. If you like Kunis and Timberlake, they are at the top of their games in this film. Don't hesitate to buy, but be aware that it is a very sexual movie!

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This has been a magical summer for movies. A lot of movies that I was really looking forward to, have turned out to be lousy. However, I've seen a lot of movies that I expected to be awful, but ended up being really good. Thus, "Friends With Benefits". Romantic comedies are always awful for me. I love them, but they make me feel like crap. The reason why this is, is because most of them are dishonest, and make you feel like only in the movies, things work out in love. "Friends With Benefits" is refreshingly honest, kind of sad, yet hopelessly optimistic. Its dialogue is fast and quick, kind of "Juno"-esque.

Mila Kunis and Justin Timberlake are both coming off Oscar roles. Justin Timberlake was surprisingly good in "The Social Network", as was Kunis in "Black Swan". Maybe it was a fluke that both of them were so good in those movies, but this is the kind of movie they belong in. Their characters, Dylan and Jamie, have personalities, and characteristics that mesh with each other in a really awesome way, which doesn't come very often in romantic comedies.

The story, as for most romantic comedies, isn't surprising at all. It's two people who are coming out of bad relationships, who meet in a classic cute romantic comedy way, and decide that relationships don't work out, and to remain "friends with benefits", or friends who (constantly) have sex. As you could imagine, this doesn't work out the way they had hoped. There was a similar movie released this January, with Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher called "No Strings Attached", which, clearly will be referenced in most, if not all reviews for "Friends With Benefits". I, admittedly, didn't hate that movie. But it's a piece of dreck compared to this one.

It's a typical hour-and-forty-five minute romantic comedy. However, it's kind of this generation's "When Harry Met Sally". It's "When Dylan Met Jamie". The two leads are so great with each other, one the yin to the other's yang. You can tell that they would be conceivable as a real couple. They aren't the perfect, immediately compatible couple that usually headlines a movie such as this. Justin Timberlake keeps proving that he's a better actor than a lot of pop stars. He's insanely likable in this movie. Mila Kunis had a smaller, haunting kind of role in "Black Swan", where I thought she was above average. She's really allowed to shine in this one, bringing life to a character that could have been much less. The attitude of this movie is sometimes gritty, always quick, witty, and urban. It makes good use of the time it's given. It acknowledges the ridiculous romantic comedies that it could have been. Jamie and her friend, at one point, walk by a poster for Katherine Heigl's "The Ugly Truth", and says "Shut up, Katherine Heigl! You stupid liar!". A fake in-movie-movie, with Rashida Jones and Jason Segel, is meant to emphasize how ridiculous most romantic comedies are. Great stuff.

Another thing this one has that "No Strings Attached" didn't have is a great supporting cast. Patricia Clarkson plays Jamie's mother, a hippie lush who is really damn funny. Woody Harrelson also does a good job as Dylan's unapologetically bold and hilarious gay boss. He gets kudos for not making a gay character a stereotype. Richard Jenkins plays Dylan's Alzheimer's stricken father, and Jenna Elfman plays his sister. They add to the quick and zippy feel of the movie. Cameos by Emma Stone and Andy Samberg are always welcome, too.

While some probably won't like this one as much as I did, I liked all of its characters. I felt like each character was well-developed and interesting. The quick writing is what makes it better than a lot of similar movies, but when everything in it is mashed together, the whole package is very good. I look forward to watching it again.

Grade: A-

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The story follows Dylan, an artistic web designer turned GQ artistic director by Jamie, a NY head hunter, as he moves to NY and they form a friendship...and then some. The first few minutes gave the writers a chance to prove that you weren't wasting your time with this movie. We are monsooned by a clever mix of classic and rather risqué anecdotal break-up quips as both Dylan (the ever-charming Justin Timberlake) and Jamie (the saucy Mila Kunis) both find themselves single again via synchronous break-ups. They both make the same claim: that they'll essentially be sexually aloof and just enjoy themselves.

For some reason the movie depicts LA folks like they're from some kind of cow town--extra cautious about crossing the street, mild-mannered, socially naïve, non-confrontational and claustrophobic in the skyscraper-rich concrete jungle. Likewise, New Yorkers come off as more in-your-face and edgy. I really think of LA as sort of a drier NY with a tan, but otherwise city folks are city folks. Despite the constant flinging of pro-NY propaganda both actors are their naturally charismatic, audience-pleasing selves.

The first (sex) scene that lives up to the movie's title is a hilariously endearing and very chatty session which seems like a rehearsal before filming a how-to instructional video on sex. Great moments of this movie include a sex scene montage with a lot of well-placed and relatable dialogue, Woody Harrelson thinking JT is gay, every single Shaun White cameo scene, JT rapping and busting out some old school Criss Cross, and Woody Harrelson choosing Shaun White over Barrack Obama for a GQ cover. Yup, that's what America has been reduced to.

With small roles, the brilliantly cast Jenna Elfman (Dharma & Greg), Nolan Gould (TV's Modern Family), and Richard Jenkins (HBO's Six Feet Under, Burn After Reading) are the sister, nephew and father you want to bring a girl home to meet. All actors do a perfect job of showing us that they see what Dylan and Jamie don't. It reminds me of my own friends waving their hands at me saying "it's nothing serious" or "we're just friends" and then getting a wedding invitation a year later. It's so cute when they don't see it yet, isn't it?

Kunis and Timberlake's on screen chemistry is so strong that it just made me feel good whenever they were interacting with one another. The movie gets tactfully real a bit towards the end, but it should come as no spoiler alert that you feel all warm and fuzzy at the end. This adorable RomCom is well worth the watch.

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Clerks II (2-Disc Special Edition) (2006)

I bought this set at Best Buy on New Year's Eve for only $30, and I wasn't dissapointed.

It comes in a Happy Meal-esque box, complete with a plastic cup with straw, a Mooby's visor, a Mooby's nametag, and a little worksheet with puzzles and stuff on it. The visor is actually pretty cool, and the cup is a quality thick plastic cup. I wouldn't pay over $50 for this at any time, but if you can get it for a decent price, it's easily worth it.

The film itself is also very good. It ranks near the top, if not my favorite of all Kevin Smith films.

The final chapter of the "New Jersey Chronicles" is am almost satisfying ending to a series of films extending about 15 years.

its more than 10 years after the events of clerks. Dante and Randall's situation hasnt improved much. they're still working basically the same jobs. in the opening scene the quick stop pretty much burns down. the rest of the movie after that takes place at Mooby's fast food place, Dante and Randall's other job.

ive always found Dante to be a kind of bland character, just like TC in Mallrats, but they both have that outrageous sidekick (randall) so it balances out well.

Clerks 2 carries the torch of the original perfectly, with classic characters and always entertaining strings of dialogue. the movie has a satisfying ending which properly brings closure to the chronicles. i wish Kevin would keep it up though. even after all these years, these characters havent played themselves out at all, even if their own creator thinks thats the case. Kevin Smith is arguably my favorite writer/director, so im kind of biased, but all of his work that ive seen couldnt be any better in my opinion.

like most DVD's Kevin Smith puts out, this has the special features to keep anybody busy for a while, including an hour and a half long documentary on the making of Clerks 2.

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The original Clerks is a landmark movie; made on a budget of $28,000, it became a huge cult hit and began the "Askewniverse", the film and comic book world populated by characters like Jay (Jason Mewes), Silent Bob (Kevin Smith), and the Hicks family (all played by Brian O'Halloran). While Clerks II is the first direct sequel to any Askewniverse film, it, like all the others, has certain elements that have writer/director Kevin Smith's fingerprints all over it.

The story starts 10 years after the end of Clerks. Dante Hicks (O'Halloran) and Randal Graves (Jeff Anderson) still work at the Quick Stop and RST Video stores, respectively, despite the fact that they are now in their 30's. As the movie opens, Dante opens the shutters to see that the building is on fire due to Randal's negligence. For the next year, the two of them work at Mooby's, a fast food restaurant. Though their setting has changed, they are still clerks. They still have to put up with annoying customers, but now they have to make food as well. They also have coworkers to put up with, notably Elias (Trevor Fehrman) a 19-year-old who still kisses his mother goodbye everyday when she drops him off. He and Randal are usally arguing about who grew up with better pop culture, with Randal backing Star Wars and Elias championing Lord of the Rings and Transformers. We also meet their boss in this movie (in the original Clerks, we never met their superior and only knew him as "The Boss"). Becky (Rosario Dawson) is a cool and very tolerant (in Randal's case) manager who likes hanging out with Dante while Randal and Elias work. Jay and Silent Bob are also still in the lives of Dante and Randal. Since the Quick Stop burned down, they had to find a new place to hang out in front of, and they chose Mooby's. They are still drug dealers, but now they themselves are clean.

The majority of the film takes place on Dante's last day of work. He is leaving New Jersey forever with his fiancee Emma (Jennifer Schwalbach Smith, Kevin Smith's real-life wife) the following day, much to Randal's disappointment. Randal doesn't like Emma very much, and the feeling is mutual, and Dante himself seems to prefer Becky. He seems a lot more relaxed and happy around her than with Emma, who was a jerk to him in high school (though more on this subject later).

Clerks II has many callbacks to the first and has all of Smith's trademarks, but it is definitely its own movie. In both this and the original, we see Dante's morning routine for opening the store, he paints a girl's toenails in each film, Dante does something on the roof, Dante is caught between two girls, and there are some others that I don't want to spoil. Jason Lee and Ben Affleck both make appearances, who have appeared in every Smith film since Mallrats (the movie after Clerks). This film, according to Kevin Smith, is the last film of the Askewniverse (though that's what he said about Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back), and it serves to tie up most of the loose ends (as Smith calls it, it is an epilogue of the Askewniverse).

This is definitely a film that merits repeat viewings. On top of being laugh-out-loud hilarious, it is so good that you will most likely miss parts of the dialogue due to the audience laughing so hard. I would see it now, then wait a few weeks when the crowds have thinned out, then go see it again.

This film was made for only $5,000,000, which is small by Hollywood standards, but is 185 times greater than the budget for the first film. It is my opinion that Smith tried to do a lot of things that he could not have done in the first movie. Dante and Randal leave the restaurant to go somewhere, but this time, we actually see where they go (in Clerks, they went to a funeral, but we didn't see what went on because it would have been too expensive to hire extras and rent another location). There is also a hilarious dance sequence where Dante and Becky are dancing on the roof while other people in the film start dancing in their various places (and Randal "wrangles" across the counter), and the shots of Dante and Randal in their car are not shot from the back seat.

The one problem I had with this film is the love story. I don't think it was terrible, but it seemed a little trite for a Kevin Smith movie. It was very straightforward; the minute that Becky even hinted at her feelings for Dante, we knew that these two were meant for each other. In the first Clerks, thing were more ambigous about which girl Dante should go for. Still, when it wasn't being cheesy, it provided for some laughs.

This part isn't so much a problem as an observation. Clerks II definitely does not feel like an indie film. I guess that's natural, because if you have $5,000,000 to make a film that will be inexpensive, you might as well go the whole nine yards. Also, and this is a very convoluted analysis (and is probably over-analysis), but one of the things Kevin Smith said is that this is a film about being in your 30's while the first was about being in one's 20's. Maybe the indie film has a closer connection with one's 20's (you are young, just starting off in your life as an adult, can't afford much), but once you get to your 30's, things are more mainstream and you can achieve just a little more if you try.

In summation, Clerks II is a great movie, definitely one of the funniest I've seen since The 40-Year-Old Virgin. Be warned that it is extremely vulgar (Smith was afraid of getting an NC-17 rating despite no violence or nudity), so don't bring the kids or easily upset friends. But with Kevin Smith, you really can't expect anything else.

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Well, I know Clerks II doesn't come to mind when wanting to show off HiDef Picture and Sound quality, Clerks II still looks damn fine in HD, and will impress any fan.

Video Quality:

Clerks II is presented in the MPEG-4 AVC codec, and holds up nicely against VC-1. Many reviewers have complained about the hot overblown contrast of the cinematography, but to tell you the truth, it never bothers me as I think it feels more real. Considering most of the film is set inside a fast food resturant in the middle of the day, you'd expect that.

Film Grain is evident but never really distracts, as it just adds to the low-budget nature of the film. Clarity and sharpness are top-notch and is never an issue, and detail always manages to hit it's mark. There is some slight digital grain on BG walls and floors, but overall not a bad transfer.

Score: 3.5/5

Audio Quality:

Sound wise, Clerks II HD-DVD fairs up as you could imagine for a dialogue driven film. Dialogue is always clear from the front speakers, yet the surrounds and LFE are rarely used. It does it's job, and the HD-DVD comes with a bonus Dolby Digital TrueHD track (which is not displayed on the back cover).

Score: 3/5

Extras:

Like it's DVD cousin, this HD-DVD gets all the bells and whistles of special features, but THIS TIME round, they're displayed in 1080i HD glory. Ok, it's not everything, but it's nice to see the behind the scenes in all their glory. The docos are very funny and entertaining (as you'd expect from Kevin Smith), and the 3 audio commentaries will not dissapoint any fan.

Score: 5/5

Overall:

I am a HUGE fan of Kevin Smith, and in my opinion Clerks II is his strongest film to date. It's hilarious, laugh-out-loud gross yet heart felt at times.

Call me insane, but Clerks II was one of the main reasons I chose HD-DVD over Blu-ray. It's a gem of a movie that any fan should be without in there HD-DVD collection.

Overall Score: 5/5

-zallapo

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SPOILERS alert here. Also, I have to say this upfront: I actually liked JERSEY GIRL, so take this review for whatever you think it's worth.

No worries, fans of CLERKS. Kevin Smith didn't eff it up. With CLERKS 2, our trousers-challenged maverick writer/director crafts an admirable and wickedly funny sequel to his 1994 indie, black and white cult hit. Once again, Smith creates a rallying film for the disenfranchised and the disinclined. And he brings his usual bag of tricks: the bawdy humor, the character-driven interplays, the pop culture indulgences, and the beloved characters.

Here's the plot: It's been a decade since we last met up with Dante Hicks (Brian O'Halloran) and Randal Graves (Jeff Anderson), who had been whiling their dead end lives away in a convenience store and a video shop. Well, CLERKS 2 finds the Quick Stop burnt down due to a coffee machine mishap and the hapless duo now toiling at the haphazardly frequented fast food joint Mooby's. At first glance, not much has really changed. With the lack of steady customers, the duo still finds plenty of time to goof around and mouth off. Now in their thirties, Randal is still as abrasive as ever, but Dante seems to have finally decided to get his life into gear. This is his last day working at Moody's. Tomorrow, he's driving out of Jersey with his cute fiancee Emma (Jennifer Schwalbach Smith, the director's wife) and moving to Florida, where he's promised a job by her pops and even a house by her moms. He's pretty much made up his mind, though certain doubts linger. His best buddy Randal thinks he's taking the easy way out, a sentiment echoed by Becky (the easy-on-the-eyes Rosario Dawson), their sexy and cool supervisor at Moody's, who herself doesn't buy into romantic love. But Dante is determined to go. What he doesn't know is that this day has some life altering surprises in store for him. There, so much for the plot.

First of all, Kevin Smith's great strength is his ear for dialogue. Folks have already made mention of Smith's directing skills, or, rather, how little they've progressed ever since the first CLERKS. I happen to think he's a pretty decent filmmaker, but, I really believe the field in which he truly excels is writing. And I'm not talking about flowery diction and high-faluting prose. I'm talking about words from the gut, the real-life crap that people say or want to say as they go thru their day to day existence. CLERKS 2 revels in its playful but obscene riffs as much as it does in its theme of slackerhood and its tendencies for pop culture references. Whether the topic is sexual etiquette, the superiority of one cinematic trilogy over another, or the sensitive issue of standing still as life passes one by, Smith's words, as spoken by the film characters, are honest, sometimes vulgarly honest.

The humor in this film made me howl. It's not drawing board wit, no. The comedy is vintage CLERKS, ranging from scatological, to sexual, to racial, to just plain juvenile. Off the top of my head, the scenes where I laughed the longest and loudest are the LORD OF THE RINGS versus the STAR WARS trilogy debate, the "porch monkey" bit, and the donkey scene (or to quote the Sexy Stud: "interspecies erotica").

I have to say that Rosario Dawson helps greatly to elevate this movie from being merely an exercise in incessant hanging out and talking trash. She is sunny, winning, beautiful, and is a natural actress. You might wonder initially what draws her to a frumpy looking guy like Dante, but it's her attraction to such a normal guy and even kind of a loser that makes the movie work even better for me. Her Becky exudes such a level-headed yet whimsical personality that I thought, yes, she could actually fall for this numbnut, bless her heart. Their relationship nicely depicts how a good friendship could, in time, transform into something more. From the special features, I found out that Bryce Howard, Sarah Silverman, and Liv Tyler were wooed for the part of Becky. Frankly, I now find it hard to picture anyone but Dawson in that role, though I'm sure Liv wouldn't have been too shabby.

Brian O'Halloran as the quietly harried Dante is again effective here, but it is Jeff Anderson who shines brighter as the rude, crude, and irresponsible Randal. His moments with Dante while they were incarcerated near the movie's end are searingly real, raw, and heartfelt. And to think that Anderson, at first, had to be talked into doing this sequel. Jennifer Schwalbach Smith, in the thankless role of Emma, Dante's fiancee, manages to pull off a nice performance in her few scenes. Trevor Fehrman as the 19 year old, Lord of the Rings and Transformers fanatic, Elias, is a bit over the top, but funny enough (his Pillowpants bit is giggly funny). Meanwhile, Jason Mewes as Jay and the director himself as Silent Bob are back after spending six months in rehab (the characters, not the actors, though Mewes did have his drug problems) and remain amusing, as ever. It's nice to know that, though they continue to ply their drug dealing trade, they've at least found Our Savior, Jesus Christ. Cameos are also made by Smith regulars Ben Affleck and Jason Lee, and even Wanda Sykes pops in for a while, but not long enough to hurt the film.

The bonus features (of over six hours, as boasted on the dvd cover): disc one includes three film commentaries (the best one is the second commentary selection, which offers Smith and most of the cast), plenty of deleted scenes, and "A Closer Look at Interspecies Erotica"; disc two has the engrossing hour and a half long behind-the scenes-look "Back to the Well: Clerks 2," an extended blooper reel (which is mostly bland, excepting those takes with Rosario yep, she got to me), and "Trains Wrecks: Video Production Diaries" (including Jason Lee's "The Tongue Song"). Most of the special features come with the option of an intro by Kevin Smith and Scott Mosier.

This flick is low brow, vulgar to the extreme and, certainly, gasp inducing. But CLERKS 2 also has plenty of heart and, surprisingly, several sweet moments, which surface when you least expect it. Kevin Smith made this film as a fond salute to the slacker generation who adored the first CLERKS and also as an homage to his younger, more unsure self who was just starting out and who believed back then that more things seemed possible to achieve. CLERKS 2 is a movie about a day in the life of several ordinary folks, whose copious downtime, on the surface, is filled with nonsensical junk. But, when you get right down to it, these seemingly throwaway moments depict and define their lives, and, as such, they prove to be very real. I'm personally giving this one 5 stars, but, remember, I also liked JERSEY GIRL.

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Doomsday Book (2012)

Zombies, robots and asteroids out of control! Yes, you've seen similar flicks on these subjects, but not covered in the fashion of "Doomsday Book"! The three vignettes in this film are markedly different, but each seems to flow seemlessly into the next, as we wonder how the world might end in each episode.

Perhaps the most enticing and maybe frightening is the innocuously-entitled "Happy Birthday," where a little girl calls up an alien website (they exist, don't they?) and accidentally ends up ordering, perhaps, the end of our planet!

A fascinating exploration into what might just happen in the near future; I recommend "Doomsday Book" to all adult audiences.

Today, as I write this, is December 23, 2012, and we are still alive. If you recall, the end of days was supposed to have been two days ago, on December 21. Happily, that didn't happen for now --, but the entertainment world keeps busy doing films about the destruction of life as we know it. Nothing wrong with that, I guess, but it is really good when a film with doomsday themes that make you think comes along an intelligent and plausible one, that is. "Doomsday Book" is such a movie. It is fascinating and overpowering, with many possibilities to ponder.

"Doomsday Book" is really three films into one, helmed by two different Korean directors. The first segment, "Brave New World," directed by Yim Pil-Sung, hits you in the gut, and you should see it a couple hours after having dinner, as it deals with the effect of an epidemic a la "Mad Cow disease," when people become zombie-like creatures after eating infected beef. We meet a young man on a date with an attractive young lady, and how, after eating in an all-you-can-eat Korean barbecue, they get sicker and sicker. It follows the epidemic from the slaughterhouse all the way to the media frenzy created by it. And it is the media frenzy, I think, that steals the show, as it might remind you of the current state of the art of our media sensationalism. The second segment, "The Heavenly Creature," helmed by Kim-Ji-woon, is, in short, a masterpiece, one of the smartest films despite its length I have ever seen. It's about a robot that is member of a Buddhist monastery. He is the only non-human within all the humans. However, one day the repairman is contacted, because the lead monk believes that the robot is not well; apparently, it is claiming to be Buddha. The repairman can't find anything wrong with the robot, and the owner of the company, as well as his henchmen, arrive to the location, ordering the destruction of the robot as well as others of the same series, because it has become too intelligent and, thereby, a threat. The owner of the company asks, in regards to the robot, "Who could have known its greatest gift would become its mortal affliction? A robot must never construe or trespass on the domains of man." And there are, of course, philosophical answers to these arguments, which are explored in this awesome segment. The last part of the movie, under the direction of Yim Pil-Sung, and called "Happy Birthday," is about a meteor that will hit earth in a few hours, and the frenzy that it generates. The meteor is shaped as a number eight billiard ball, which coincides with a ball that a little girl lost from her uncle earlier in the film. Years later, while being in an underground shelter waiting for the meteor's impact, we find out the meaning of it all. Again, the director explores, in a hilarious way, the media frenzy over this event.

"Doomsday Book" gives us three stories or point of views about the future, at least two of them possible, and the other, with some imagination, might also be possible. It is intelligent filmmaking, not from Hollywood, but from South Korea. (South Korea, 2012, color, 114 min).

Reviewed on December 23, 2012 by Eric Gonzales for Well Go USA Blu-ray

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By their very nature, anthology films are a mixed bag. They'll contain two or three or four smaller stories essentially `shorts,' cobbled together into one complete film usually connected by one central theme. The upside is that, if the theme is flexible enough to support multiple interpretations, the audience is treated to an insightful exploration from different (and differing) perspectives. The downside? There can be several, not the least of which is the viewer ends up stuck in a loop supportive of that main idea where nothing all that original unfolds not once but twice, or thrice, or ... well, however many installments the producers managed to cram in there!

(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 I'd encourage you to skip down to the last two paragraphs for my final assessment. If, however, you're accepting of a few hints at `things to come,' then read on ...)

Since DOOMSDAY BOOK is a collection of three short films, I'll break them down individually for clarity.

In the first chapter, "Brave New World," a brand new virus incorporated into the food supply by way of food recycling brings the city of Seoul to the brink of social collapse by turning its victims into zombies. The short is bookended with the tale of two young people who find one another on their first date once the chaos begins, they're forced by circumstances to go their separate ways; as fate requires, true love will find a way, and our lovers are re-united in the segment's closing moments. In between, the story develops its satirical themes, showing us in some rather comical fashion, how civic leaders de-evolve while the rest of the world looks on. Technically, it's all very accomplished with some impressive effects, but, in the end, I found much of it fairly routine `stock' for a zombie picture. On my five star scale, I'd give it a strong three stars.

The second chapter, "The Heavenly Creature," a temple's service robot supplied by the UR Corporation experiences an epiphany, leaving the monks to believe they've found the latest incarnation of Buddha. The narrative focus for the tale explores the confusion experienced by the service technician sent by the company to diagnose whether the android is reparable or needs a system recall. This segment from start to finish is nothing short of brilliant; it's chocked full of exceptional, probing dialogue with questions by real people trying to understand these curious circumstances and what it means for mankind. Also, there's a wonderful little bit involving a debutante and failed her mechanical dog that explores humanity at its most crass. Technically, it's exceptionally staged and photographed with some images the sight of the droid locked in prayer that'll stay with you long after the story ends. On my five star scale, this one easily earns the highest praise with a perfect score.

In the last chapter, "Happy Birthday," a little girl hoping to please her father logs on to the web and orders him a new eight ball for his pool table. Two years later, an unidentified meteor is heading straight for a collision with the Earth, and, to her surprise, she learns what role she may've played in mankind's impending demise. This installment is a weaker satire than the first chapter, mostly because there's little substance to the grand `reveal' (which I won't spoil); instead, the story takes a rather serpentine route to deliver the audience to its destination, and it ends up being relatively routine. I do think, however, that "Happy Birthday" could've been stronger with more focus on the comic characters it's a family, and they all clearly love one another despite their respective quirks. In this anthology format, there just wasn't enough time for it all to mean that much. On the five star scale, I'd give it a middling two stars at best.

The single greatest strength to DOOMSDAY BOOK in the three-story format is that the audience doesn't spend too much time with the lesser sections, making most of it feel fairly benign. The weakness as I prescribed in my first paragraph is that the directors delivered three stories of vastly differing appeal. Yes, they're all sci-fi, giving us a glance at possible (but not all that probable) futures, but when the first and the final chapters feel more than a bit incomplete, I come away not feeling I've seen the best these stories had to offer (with the exception of "The Heavenly Creature").

Still, I'd strongly argue that each of these ideas had great foundation for fuller pictures completely on their own. Granted, a full 90 minutes dedicated to the eradication of mankind by a magic-8-ball (not the game, but a legitimate 8-ball from a pool table set) may not seem all that revelatory, but you have to take it in context. I would've loved to spend more time in each of these visions, especially one where a robot uncovers its desire to pray, and that's something to think about.

DOOMSDAY BOOK is produced by Gio Entertainment and Timestory. DVD distribution (stateside) is being handled by Well Go USA Entertainment. As for the technical specifications, it all looks and sounds impressive, and each chapter boasts some very solid performances by all of the players. Also, I'd be remiss in my duties if I didn't point out that the feature won the 2012 Fantasia Cheval Noir Award; and was an official selection of the 2012 Hawaii International Film Festival, the 2012 New York Asian Film Festival, and 2012 Fantastic Fest. Sadly, there are no special features to speak of.

RECOMMENDED. You like zombie films? Check! You like thoughtful heart-tugging science fiction flicks? Check! You like end-of-the-world tales told with more than a hint of irony? Check! Certainly, each piece of DOOMSDAY BOOK is solidly produced; but, as can happen all too often in anthology films, these stories end up wildly mixing influences and producing varying results. It's safe to say that I would have rather seen each installment expanded and turned into its own feature the zombie short had some solid ideas but methinks some of its dark humor was lost in translation, and the disaster from the heavens could've been elevated by more exploration of its decidedly quirky four main characters because, in their present format, there just wasn't enough. Only the middle chapter the robot who found enlightenment was strong enough to stand on its own, but I would've loved to have spent more time in that inspired, thought-provoking reality.

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

Read Best Reviews of Doomsday Book (2012) Here

This film is in Korean with English subtitles. It defaults to no subtitles. The DVD lacks any commentary, which I would have watched on this particular film.

This production consists of three sharp stories, the first being my favorite.

The first feature smartly utilizes the story of the apple in the garden of Eden as a metaphor for Pandora's box. A rotten apple finds its way into the food chain as cow meal. Humans consume meat from the cow and get a "mad cow's disease" which causes them to act like zombies. The film claims it is a virus, but clearly it is prions. Oprah was right! I loved this zombie explanation.

The second feature is about a robot who develops his own conscientiousness and is proclaimed to be Buddha due to his enlightenment. This segment contains heavy speeches concerning how man has become slaves to his inventions to the point that they impact on his evolution.

The third segment concerns a young girl who orders an eight ball on line only to find out it is being delivered from outer space in the form of a huge meteor that will destroy the planet.

I love colorful Asian cinematography. This one has adopted an appropriate western sound track which gave it the feel of a Hollywood production. The characters were well done. The movie oozes with comedy and satire as well as philosophy. This is without a doubt one of the best "end of the world" films that have come out here of late.

Parental Guide: F-bombs in first episode (spoken and printed in English). No sex or nudity.

Want Doomsday Book (2012) Discount?

there are a few different stories on this Disc, from zombies to just strange end of the world stories to robots with a soul movie.

the movies are each very short, There is no real meaning, no action, no strong gripping Drama, not amazing acting.

it's even awkward at times and mostly seems like a waste of time.

if you think of a cool futuristic looking movie, do not watch this, this movie has nothing going for it.

the cover looks cool, but the robot is in only one short clip, and the rest if very boring.

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The Deal (2009)

A thoroughly enjoyable romp into showbiz, The Deal exposes what must go on prior to the making of some films and explains why the indies rarely get made while stupid, overdone productions get a green light. The film contains what has become an almost signature role for William H. Macy that of a loathsome, self-deprecating man who somehow is able to win the audience over by the end of the movie.

The Deal is a film that will be studied in film classes in the future. It is a comedy approach to how a film is made, (like Singing in the Rain without signing and dancing). Both of these movies were condemned by critics upon the making of them. The Deal is funning and to be seen as a joke on the industry and then how to make a film and get it produced. I liked it and say it is worth buying just laugh at a film in a film.

Buy The Deal (2009) Now

I thought this movie was hysterical, but in a quiet, subtle way. Maybe it's because I'm a lawyer, and I've seen this kind of thing happen in attorneys' characterizations of their clients (or their adversaries). It's all in that moment when he looks at his nephew's script (I won't give the topic away), and then at the article in Variety about the recently converted to Judaism black action star . . . . and he puts two and two together and it adds up to about a hundred and sixty-seven. And everyone falls for it. Or maybe it's just because I'm Jewish. Anyway, this is a fine addition to this genre. It's not just about the zaniness of film shoots; it's about the zaniness of people's minds.

Read Best Reviews of The Deal (2009) Here

Although films about Hollywood, and movies about making movies, are always a difficult sell, "The Deal" with Meg Ryan and William Macy is better than most, and in fact is a fairly cute and entertaining Meg Ryan movie.

The film received poor reviews, and went straight to video. But it's surprisingly funny and well done. However, the problem that films in this genre always have is that they are, ultimately, about either the tragedy or the comedy, or both, of pimping and whoring.

People in the movie business, and some movie enthusiasts in the know, find this kind of backstage story great fun. But the audience doesn't seem to care for the implication that they are dolts and marks being gamed by various users and predators in the Hollywood system, who may just coincidentally have made films that the audience loves. In any case, it's worth a view, even if you have to deal with Meg's post surgery face -she's so cute, can't she just be cute and older, instead of botoxed, lifted, implanted, stretched and embalmed. Evidently not...

Want The Deal (2009) Discount?

I recently screened this film at the Sundance film festival. And even though i did not have high hopes for this film; the wit and comedy stylings of the cast really pulled through, and made this film very enjoyable. William H Macy and Meg Ryan oddly enough had great chemistry and succeeded at poking fun at the insiders in the film industry. Also LL Cool J is playing a Jewish Action star which is pretty much reason alone to check out this movie.

Enjoy!

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