Hava Nagila: The Movie (2013)

This movie previewed at KlezKamp, held annually during Christmas week (when else?)in the Catskills (where else?) One section was filmed a KlezKamp 2011. I laughed til I cried.The work brings up so many memories of Bar Mitzvahs and weddings, and alot of the stars of the '50s and '60's who recorded Hava Nagila, successfully and not so successfully. Why do many Jews, especially those who are musicians, hate and resent this song? Find out!

Laugh out loud funny, uplifting, and informative. I viewed the film at the CCA in Santa Fe, NM. The entire audience was laughing. Smiles and positive comments from all.

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Happythankyoumoreplease (2010)

I'm not going to summarize the story. Plenty of that already out there. My thoughts about the movie are that if you like movies that focus on the characters and their relationships rather than a linear story, this movie is a rare treat. Extremely well thought out. Bad title almost kept me away. Glad I took a chance. I thought it was fantastic in all areas. Interesting relationships with likable people, many life lessons mostly well presented, good production value, score was beautiful, smart character studies, perfectly understated delivery by the actors. Found myself pausing to think about what was presenting at the moment. Clearly the best of the current bunch playing.

I think that it's become my mantra--"quirk is the curse of independent cinema." In an effort to be cutesy and/or clever, films have been systematically stripping away genuine warmth and humor by presenting character types and sitcom contrivances instead of mining what is really funny in our everyday foibles. It becomes a fine balancing act, then, because a good quirky film can be both hysterical and touch your heartstrings. However, one that goes over the top can be painfully unreal and hard to sit through. And, in my opinion, there is very little middle ground. Josh Radnor's (How I Met Your Mother) debut feature "HappyThankYouMorePlease" cues you in right away with its title to its eccentric feel good nature. But after a pretty painful beginning and one incredibly off-putting storyline, Radnor's film overcomes its cliches with a likable cast selling even its most awkward moments.

Radnor, who also wrote and directed the film, stars as a typical commitment-phobic man/child. A New York writer (who supports himself with absolutely no discernable source of income), Radnor engages in an appropriately zany new romance with a very appealing Kate Mara. In addition, he encounters a little boy on the subway that seems to have nowhere to go. While I won't divulge much here, what Radnor does with the boy is so outrageously improbable and illogical--it strains every notion of suspension of disbelief. As a central plot line, you have to give up all reason and just go with it. But it seriously almost completely derails the entire film. Much better are the other two story lines--co-workers Malin Akerman and Tony Hale beginning an unlikely romance and couple Zoe Kazan and Pablo Schreiber entering a new dimension of their life together.

Aside from Radnor, the other main characters seem much more grounded and relatable. As their relationships evolve, there is a tender believability that can be quite engaging. And Mara, despite the script's uneven tone, brings real warmth to her role as a struggling cabaret singer and waitress. But the film still relies on some unnecessary quirks to make it utterly irresistible (but trust me, I resisted!). Radnor is apparently supposed to be so winning that everyone forgives his eccentricities and irresponsibility, but he doesn't come off very well. Akerman's character has alopecia (isn't it wacky that she's bald?), but far worse is the fact that she has a party to lecture all her friends about her condition. What--didn't they notice when she lost her hair? Seems the subject probably would have been dealt with on an individual basis, but it's so much more eccentric to have a party! Of course, the soundtrack is also littered with expected indie artists delivering heartfelt songs that parallel the plot--Radnor really followed the play book. Yet, the film still had a sweet tone and some nice moments. For lighthearted escapism, it works fine. About 3 1/2 stars, I'll round up for the extended cast and two of the three central stories. KGHarris, 5/11.

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Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program Sam Wexler is a lonely, struggling writer living in Manhattan. While rushing to make it on time to an interview with a publisher, he rescues a cute orphan boy, Rasheen, who is lost on the subway. The interview is ruined. To complicate matters, Rasheen won't allow Sam to take him to the police. Sam falls in love with Mississippi, a gorgeous waitress who is a struggling singer. Sam's best friend, Annie, has low self esteem because of an autoimmune deficiency that has left her bald; she is attracted to losers like a magnet but has been deflecting the advances of a successful, kind-hearted lawyer, Sam 2, who works in her company. Sam's other friends, Mary-Catherine and Charlie, who live together, are afraid of taking their relationship one step further to the marriage altar.

An evangelist once taught me that Christians should have an attitude of gratitude. In other words, we should always be thankful for what we have been given. When Annie once stepped into a cab, the Indian driver told her she had the potential to be very happy if she always said "Thank you" and followed it with "More please." Charlie once told Mary-Catherine that LA was a blank canvas that reflects one's attitudes. If you believe you're going to love LA, then you'll see it as the best city in the world. From watching "HappyThankYouMorePlease," I've learned that, in order to achieve success, love, happiness, and all the other good things in life, one must believe in oneself and have a positive attitude that one will obtain them. This is a spiritual concept that is prevalent in most religions.

"HappyThankYouMorePlease" is a sweet, quirky, uplifting film that is fun to watch. It will encourage the lovelorn not to lose hope in finding someone special and eventually having a family. I believe that Sam's reluctance to surrender Rasheen to the authorities is the product of his subconscious desire to have a family. He is pushing thirty and his biological clock (men also have them) is probably screaming for him to begin reproducing. As soon as Sam finds the adorable surrogate "son", he finds the adorable surrogate "wife", Mississippi. He barely knows her when he practically begs her to move into his apartment. Mary-Catherine and Charlie are close to the altar but are having commitment issues. Several surprises help spur them onward. I think Annie is extremely attractive (I love her wardrobe); unfortunately, she doesn't. She soon learns after dating the witty, sincere lawyer that true beauty comes from within.

The soundtrack is excellent. Much of the music, provided by singer/songwriter Jaymay, contains lyrics that complement the film's drama. The DVD contains a short featurette that focuses on Jaymay. Also, the DVD has deleted scenes that further explain what is transpiring in the film; they are essential viewing. They include one disturbing scene in which Rasheen kicks and beats on a boy who purposely walked into him. When Sam scolds him, Rasheen asks him if he's going to beat him. This scene hints at the abuse the little boy must've suffered at the hands of his foster parents and why he doesn't want to return to them. Without this scene, the film does not contain any violence. Neither does the film contain graphic depictions of sex. There is only the frequent use of the four-letter "f" word, which gives it an R rating.

Anchor Bay Entertainment has provided an excellent presentation of "HappyThankYouMorePlease" on DVD. As mentioned before, it has a featurette on Jaymay and deleted scenes; it also has a theatrical trailer and audio commentary provided by Producer/Writer/Director/Actor Josh Radnor (star of the hit television series "How I Met Your Mother") and Producer Jesse Hara. The film is presented in its theatrical aspect ratio of 2.35:1 and has English and Spanish subtitles. Thank you Anchor Bay for providing subtitles for those of us who are hearing impaired.

"HappyThankYouMorePlease" is not a raunchy, hormonally driven sex comedy. It is an emotionally uplifting, inspirational, teary-eyed romance that gives people like me, who've been single for a very long time, hope that there is someone out there for them. Though it is not totally realistic, it does, however, provide excellent advice on having a positive attitude towards one's self image and self worth. In order to be loved, one must first love oneself. Remember Whitney Houston's hit song, "Greatest Love of All." The greatest love of all is learning to love oneself. How very true. In conclusion, I must state that this film has made me very Happy. To Josh Radnor, I must say, "Thank You." Furthermore, I beseech him to please make more movies like this one. "More Please."

Joseph B. Hoyos

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Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program This movie has a "little engine that could" feel about it: it wants to be better than it is. And it's trying very hard. The actors are talented, the script has potential, but the characters could be more interesting than they are allowed to be, and somehow it never quite pulls together.

A slice of life movie, there is no great plot twist or even much of a character arc-it's just a few days in the lives of young adults finding their way in New York City. Which is part of the problem: too many other (better) films of this genre come to mind. This film adds nothing new to the genre. And the ultimate fate of the characters is just too neat and nice.

Even though parts of the film really made no sense (the main character doesn't seem to have much of an income yet maintains an apartment alone in NYC; he essentially kidnaps a child, but that's somehow OK because he means well-even though he leaves the child alone in his apartment?) there's an overarching sincerity about the production that makes it hard to completely dismiss.

The supporting couples played by Zoe Kazan and Pablo Schreiber, and Malin Akerman and Tony Hale are actually more interesting than the lead couple, Josh Radnor and Kate Mara. The movie would have been better if those characters could have been developed more.

The movie tries hard. I suspect director/writer Josh Radnor learned a lot while making this film, so his next effort will be even better.

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"What if you don't know whats best for you?" After struggling writer Sam Wexler (Radnor) takes in a small child who is left behind on a subway he begins on a course that will change his life. Stuck in a posisition of what's more important between the kid, his book or love life, Sam is left trying to find out who he is. This is the type of movie that I have talked about before, a movie that because of no CGI and small budget gets forgot about by the studios and does not get the advertising it deserves. This is one of the best movies of the year, and will continue to be one of the least scene. Very dissapointing considering more people have seen and will continue to see movies like "Drive Angry". Taking away the fact that Radnor both wrote and directed this, Malin Akerman is a huge surprise in this one. Much like Milla Jovovich in "Stone" she is the definate break out acting star in this one. In a drastic change from her usual choice she far and away steals the movie and proves that she is a joy to watch even with her clothes on. Besides Akerman, the acting all around is excellent, but the fact that the budget is under $100,000 and no comic book hero or a car that becomes a robot this will not be seen by the audience that it deserves. This is the type of movie there needs to be more of, but because of greed the studios refuse to take a chance on interesting movies like this one in favor of the next comic book hero, or the next sequel that doesn't seem necessary. Overall easily one of the top ten best movies of the year so far. I give it an A.

Would I watch it again? Yes, I would.

*Also try Garden State & Jolene

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Lucas (1986)

This 1980's movie helped to make Charlie sheen a big star. Unlike today where we don't have many actors who become big early on , back then it happened more often. You just knew Sheen was going to the top. And Cory Haim was bound for a great career too it seemed , this movie which did quite well made them even more popular. This movie about a young 14 year old who will do anything to impress a older girl was right on the mark. This blu ray which looks pretty good is worth owning and very family friendly. It's a good story of teen angst and it has both touching and comedic moments. Even today a kid could emphasize and relate to the basic story here. The characters are played as real people and not stereotypes. It's worth owning on blu ray if you love these type of movies. Watching this close to 30 years later it's easy to see how much charisma these actors had and sadly both of them would let drugs destroy their careers (sheen could have stayed a giant movie star but by the mid 90's that prospect was gone) and they even completely destroyed Haim's health. He died a few years back , broke and barely functioning. Thankfully this movie isn't about drugs. Because even back then , a drug movie was about teens out of it, and this is a story with a better message. And it has a good blu ray release finally.

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Fantasy 3-Pack (Nim's Island / The Princess Bride / Big) (2009)

I never thought I'd see these movies put together in one bundle. Hmmm.

The Princess Bride is undoubtedly a classic. It's full of humor, adventure, catchy lines, and lovable characters. A must see for all ages.

Big has been a favorite of mine for years. Tom Hanks does a great job acting in this movie(he's supposed to be a boy who is granted his wish and has grown up over night). Big is a lot of fun and sweet.

Nim's Island is different. I enjoyed this movie, but it's not an absolute favorite by any means. It's a decent kids movie and has a bunch of excitement thrown in throughout. The style of the movie and plot kind of threw me off (while at the same time most of it was predictable) and the imaginary character and other events had me rolling my eyes sometimes, but it's worth watching a couple times... maybe.

An absolute classic, thrown in with an old favorite, plus a kid's adventurous tale.

I don't know who came up with this odd combo, but I think it's worth buying.

I picked this up due to the price. It was cheaper to buy the set than "Big" and "The Princess Bride" individually. I just consider "Nim's Island" as a bonus. I picked this set up when it was 34.99 around the holidays.

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They give you two movies you love/like and one you know you'd NEVER buy. It's their marketing plan. Of course everyone loves the favorite's Big and The Princess Bride but who's ever heard of Nim's Island? EXACTLY! They want you to get all 3 thinking it's a deal when it's really a scam.

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The Dictator - BANNED & UNRATED Version (Two-disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Copy) (2012)

Sacha Baron Cohen does a great acting job in his latest film, "The Dictator." The gags are mostly good and although some are tacky and racist (with a few being crude) it still held my attention on a very rough day for me because it works as a parody of dictatorships. There is little about the plot and the film that I can add to the reviews already posted here; but I can certainly vouch for other reviewers who write that the film is actually pretty good entertainment, a parody and nothing truly offensive even if Sacha Baron Cohen is very daring when it comes to topics for jokes and gags.

The plot is not terribly deep; but it moves along well and you shouldn't get bored. Sacha Baron Cohen (who plays the brutal dictator of the fictional, northern African country named Wadiya) surrounds himself with excellent actors all turning in convincing performances that make the film even funnier. Sir Ben Kingsley plays Tamir, the rightful heir to the dictatorship occupied by his apparently younger brother General Aladeen (Sacha Baron Cohen). Anna Faris is brilliant as Zoey, a Brooklyn, New York vegan small business food store owner who's liberal activism clashes sharply with Aladeen's "take no prisoners" and kill-`em-all policy whenever anyone disagrees with him. Nadal, a scientist ordered to create nuclear weapons for Wadiya, is well played by Jason Mantzoukas; his timing is just right and he supports Baron Cohen really well.

Soon after the film starts with some gags and basic introductions, General Aladeen is practically summoned to the United Nations. They want his assurance that he isn't developing nuclear weapons--otherwise they may use military force against Wadiya. Aladeen travels to New York with Tamir and an extensive entourage--but soon after that he is kidnapped and nearly killed in a very funny scene with one of my favorite actors, John C. Reilly, playing the would-be murderer. Tamir hopes that with the real Aladeen out of the way he can use a phony "double" for Aladeen and use the double to make Wadiya a democracy so Tamir can sell its oil to countries around the world, most notably America and China.

But what Tamir doesn't know is that Aladeen escaped being killed and wants nothing more than to gain back total control of Wadiya. Just how Aladeen and Zoey get to know each other and how Aladeen tries to win back control of his country is how the rest of the film plays out, complete with gags and jokes about anything Baron Cohen wants to tackle, including 9/11, blacks, Jews, Asians and just about anything else you can imagine.

All in all, if you liked Sacha Baron Cohen's other films, I think you will like this one. It is better than "Bruno" and while it isn't quite as good as "Borat" it's definitely funny. It managed to divert my attention on a rather stressful day and that's actually saying a lot. In addition, if you're new to Sacha Baron Cohen's sense of humor and you're not that easily offended, you should enjoy this film.

I'll make this short and sweet, and also mention this is not manipulative attempt to change your view, but in order to enjoy this movie, or anything by Sacha, you have to understand the psychology behind it, you can't be offended by anything, if you are there is personal issues you have to go inside of yourself and face, rather than ignoring them, and you have to have intelligence beyond what you learned in an educational institution. Furthermore, this movie is hilarious, don't listen to the reviews by morons who don't understand what the point of this mans work is, I literally could not go 2 minutes without laughing.

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This movie was absolutely hilarious! Me and my family loved it. It's a great movie to own and watch. Highly recommend.

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Awesome movie and great with friends! I absolutely loved it. And u guys have to stop comparing it with Borat. That's a whole different movie. You can't compare a movie and give the the one u liked more a better review. These reviews is intended for someone's review on a movie, not two different movies.

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I laughed out loud so many times I lost count. The humor goes between ridiculously offensive and just ridiculously funny. The supporting cast is great.

A knowledge of world events reveals the cleverness in many of the lines. His speech at the end reminded me of Chaplin's in The Great Dictator. Heavy-handed social commentary, but sadly, true, as well as funny.

Don't miss the extra scenes in the credits-more laughing out loud! Someone had set the safety catch to Aladeen instead of Aladeen!

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Stan Helsing (2009)

Stan Helsing is a very funny horror comedy spoof, and I don't really understand why a majority of reviewers obviously don't care for it. Yes, it's stupid but that goes without saying; and, yes, the ending is extremely stupid, but that doesn't take away from all of the good bits leading up to it. I'll take Stan Helsing over any of the brain-dead Scare Movie sequels any day of the week. Stan "It's Stan, not Van" Helsing (Steve Howey) is one of the most likeable underachieving slackers you're likely to run across, his buddy Teddy (Kenan Thompson) is hilarious, and his ex-girlfriend Nadine (Diora Baird) is just plain hot.

It's Halloween, and video store clerk Stan has to drop off some videos at his boss's mother's house before he, Nadine, Teddy, and Teddy's girl Mia (Desi Lydic) an exotic dancer turned masseuse can go to the big Halloween party. Along the way, they encounter one crazy, oftentimes dangerous, and consistently comical obstacle after another. Eventually, they find themselves trapped in Stormy Night Estates, where Stan discovers that he is expected to save the town from the menace of six monsters: Lucky (Chucky), Mason (Jason), Fweddy (Freddy Krueger), Pleatherface (Leatherface), Needlehead (Pinhead), and Michael Criers (Michael Meyers). It turns out that there's some Van Helsing in him, after all.

Interestingly enough, Ken Kirzinger (who played Jason Voorhees in Jason vs. Freddy) plays the part of Mason. You also have Leslie Nielsen playing the part of a waitress, which certainly doesn't take anything away from the comedy of the story. A number of movies are, of course, mocked along the way, and I think the whole concept works quite well. I laughed out loud several times over the course of this movie. I know a lot of people are putting Stan Helsing on their lists of the worst movies ever made, but I hope those who haven't seen it yet will give it a chance. I think it's hilarious.

I believe that this movie was actually entertaining. I took it for what it was and you notice that just by off the cover art of the movie. it was fun and its great to watch with friends if your just looking for some laughs without having a story that has twist and turns to confuse you. i recommend this movie and believe that its worth every penny. Its cheesy and filled with hilarious punch lines that you could joke around with your friends later.

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Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program The only things going for this self-proclaimed horror film parody are decent production values and attractive actresses. The movie itself, which is not really a parody of anything but just a limp comedy, is dumb and often dull. The attempts at humor are usually mean-spirited, too, and usually made at the expense of the female characters (who the producers apparently want us to look at but not respect).

Look, to carry over the vulgar parlance of the movie, I'm usually an easy lay with this sort of dumb comedy: I don't need or expect Shakespeare. Just keep things minimally engaging, throw a few chuckles my way, and I'll likely give it three stars and recommend it for some modest home entertainment. Nothing wrong with something silly and fun, after all. But "Stan Helsing" is just boring (the supreme sin of a creative work, in my book) and eye-rollingly stupid. I'm guessing that comedy icon Leslie Nielsen is thankful he was only subjected to a fairly small role in this production.

I'm sorry to say all this, as the actors and folks behind the camera seem like perfectly nice people in the 10-minute "making of" bonus feature (though the script makes me wonder about writer/director Bo Zenda), but I have to call it like I see it. In the end, if you're looking for a fun little horror comedy to get you in the mood for Halloween, let me quote one of Mr. Nielsen's much better comedies and say, "Nothing to see here, move along, nothing to see here..."

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Good funny Halloween movie, cleverly blends all of the classic horror movie icons such as Michael Myers, Jason, Freddy, Chucky, Leatherface and Pinhead and makes fun of them in a humorous way. Great entertaining movie

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funny goofy movie laugh through the whole thing watched it over and over to plain old good funny movie haha

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