Inglorious Bastards (1978)

I watched this classic on HBO as a child and loved it. I recently bought it and watched it the first day I received it. It is the best "B" class WW II movie out there. The acting is pretty good and the story, while implausible, is pretty cool. All of the actors were perfect for their role. Other than Bo Svenson, Fred Williamson, and Ian Bannen, I have not seen any of the other actors since. It's too bad. I would like to see them in something else. By the way, if any of you out there who were in the service is wondering why Bo Svenson sounds authentic calling cadence in the movie, it is because he was in the Marines for six years.The movie is relatively short by today's standards so pause it if you go to the bathroom. Anyway, a great and fun movie. I loved it as a kid and do today.

Thanks to the odd impressive matte shot and a skilful marshalling of its limited resources, Enzo Castellari's Inglorious Bastards doesn't look cheap even if the same extras keep on getting killed in every action scene, but despite Quentin Tarantino's slavish devotion it's more Garrison's Guerrillas than the Dirty Half-Dozen. Castellari's heroes are a standard issue group of American military prisoners: black marketer (Michael Pergolani), would-be mobster (Peter Hooten), coward (Jackie Basehart), proud black man who got tired of taking s*** (Fred Williamson), mildly sympathetic disillusioned German deserter to avoid offending the lucrative German market (Raimund Harmstorf) and the obligatory cocky but heroic one who got busted for using his fighter plane as a taxi for dates across the English Channel in his downtime (Bo Svenson). Naturally their plan to make a break for the border when they're waylaid en route to the stockade by some Nazi planes naturally ends up with them embarking on a mission vital to the success of the war (admittedly only after inadvertently killing some of their own side), but then this is a film that exists purely to do only what's expected of it rather than offer any unwelcome surprise. Sure, there's the odd spin on some of the old favorites, but there aren't nearly enough naked women with machine guns to truly lift it above the formulaic.

Dialogue isn't exactly sparkling "All Americans are mongrels... and your women are whores!" and half the cast are dubbed anyway (Ian Bannen's Scottish tones are replaced by an American actor and Hooten by what sounds like John Dall), but the film does its job even if it's more supporting feature than main event. Castellari is the best kind of hack, one with a good eye for framing and who knows how to shoot action (although the sight of one German soldier being lifted up, Peter Pan-style, on a visible wire in an explosion is worthy of one of the sight gags in Top Secret! It's a minor film and one it's best not to expect too much from, but there a lot worse exploitation films out there.

The three disc US Region 1 NTSC DVD comes with a decent array of extras, including Easter Egg alternate title sequences for a couple of the film's many video reissues as Deadly Mission and G.I. Bro (it's also known as Counterfeit Commandos, Hell's Heroes and Commando Bastards) a cheap-and-cheerful hour long making of, brief then and-now tour of the locations with Castellari and a CD (not included on the 2-disc set) of what little remains of the score the composer recorded his son's school play over most of the masters! By far the most curious of the extras is an interview with Quentin Tarantino and Castellari, with the chin treating it as part confessional, part therapy, unburdening himself on the engaging director as if an unworthy disciple at the feet of a true master.

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it's hard to say what I think of this film. It's, in some ways, a brilliant war film that deserves recognition, while it can simultaneously make you shudder. it has a clever plot but then you have dialogue like "hey, those are our flyboys!" (impersonates an airplane while making a machine gun noise); there are some great effects and sets that are made good use of, but you can see the ropes pulling men from an explosion more clearly than you can see the strings in an Ed Wood film; you have naked german women firing machine guns at retreating American troops, and then you have the fact that this scene only lasts a couple of seconds (this is first time that an Italian movie has skimpped out in this category, let alone not completely over do it. It should have been at least a few minutes long, if not for the sex appeal then for the pure hilariouty of it.)

It's like a movie that's so bad that it's good, but at the same time is actually good. And, like many films of this sort, it's main source of entertainment comes from it's cleverness that simply oozes from it's different aspects including plot and filmwork.

The only major problem is that I had expected it to actually go on for about two hours or so until it ended. I would've given it four stars if it were only longer (especially certain *clear throat* scenes).

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Wahoo!! Let's grab some beer and go shoot our machine guns at some Nazis!

Inglorious Bastards is a campy cult war flick, high on violence and insanity but a little low on common sense. You've got a bunch of reject U.S. soldiers facing court martial for various infractions, like flying the jetplane to visit their girlfriend a few thousand miles away.

On the way to the military prison the convoy gets hit by some German artillery. This enables a few of the prisoners to escape. This ragtag group decides to head for neutral Switzerland while avoiding the American armies plus the Nazis.

Now along the way there is all sorts of unrestrained madness. The highlight has got to be when they stumble across the female German soldiers skinny dippin in the lake. Allright! Just what you expect to see when running for your life through Europe. The soldiers masquerade as Nazis and get ready for some wet-n-wild fun.

Inglorious Bastards is an entertaining thrill ride that makes war seem like a party. The acting is decent. I recognized the cigar-smokin' Fred Williamson from Rodriquez's classic From Dusk til Dawn.

I'm anxious to see QT's remake, supposedly due out in 2010. Somehow I doubt it resembles this film too much. But PLEEEEASE Quentin, keep the naked nazi chicks with the machine guns. I'm begging you!

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A World War II adventure set somewhere in France, The Inglorious Bastards (1978) is solidly entertaining affair, where a group of escaped prisoners become involved in a top secret commando mission. Directed by Enzo Castelari, the movie is an Italian production with an international cast, and features some nicely executed combat scenes, creative cinematography, and interesting European locations.

A group of inmate soldiers is being transported, when their convoy is attacked by a German fighter. Led by Lieutenant Robert Yeager (Bo Swenson) and Private Fred Canfield (Fred Williamson), the surviving prisoners take command, and escape from captivity, heading off in a truck bound for Switzerland. The rest of the "Bastards" are Tony (Peter Hooten), Berle (Jackie Basehart), and Nick (Michael Pergolani). They eventually wind up on foot, where after taking refuge in a barn, they discover a German soldier named Sachs (Raimund Harmstorf) who is willing to help them to escape. Travelling through the French countryside, the group encounters various German forces, and has to fight for their lives several times. Sachs is killed in a skirmish, where a group of Germans is wiped out.

Soon after, the escapees fall into the hands of a group of Partisans. They discover that the German soldiers they just killed, were actually Allied soldiers in disguise. These men, were to have collaborated with the partisans on a top secret mission. American Colonel Charles Thomas Buckner (Ian Bannen) parachutes in to lead the mission, and is furious when discovers that his trained commando team is dead, and his only option is a bunch of misfits and deserters.

It's been a fun ride so far, but things ramp up to a new level as the complicated mission goes into operation. This is where the Bastards really shine, as the various pieces fall nicely into place. Buckner and Yeager impersonate German scientists in order to try and steal a vital V2 rocket component being transported on a train guarded by the German army. Meanwhile the partisans are setting up to take over a railroad station, and blow up a bridge. What follows is a number of nicely executed action scenes, large scale battle sequences, and action aboard the train, that all build up to a dramatic conclusion.

Like many war tales, it isn't necessary to have a lot of depth regarding motivation or character development. Since the Bastards killed the men who were to go on the mission, it seems fair that they take their place. Being an Italian production, many of the actors are dubbed, which kind of colors some of the performances. Bo Swenson (Walking Tall) is rather low key as Yeager, a capable leader that can kill when necessary. Being black, slightly restricts what Fred Williamson's character Canfield can do, but "the Hammer" definitely makes his presence known, and executes his role with style and a brash attitude. Williamson, Swenson, and most of the cast, perform many of their own stunts. Dubbing hides his British accent, and Ian Bannen may not quite look the part as an American General, but his performance still comes across as quite solid. The only thing that seems out of place, is the instant romance between Tony, and Nicole (Debra Berger), a member of the partisans. This is the only tenderness, in a bittersweet tale.

Director Enzo Castelari's commentary track provides lots of background information regarding the production of the film, and the cast. Quentin Tarentino, a huge fan of the film, is featured in an extensive conversation with Castelari, almost gushing with glee at times. This discussion is quite informative, as at the time Tarentino's planned remake (The Inglorious Bastereds) was still in its infancy. In the three disc edition, Disc 2 contains two featurettes, including Train Kept-A-Rollin', an extensive 75 minute retrospective with lots of meaty information, and interviews with Casterlari, Hopkins, Williamson, and various cast and crew members. Disc 3 contains four musical selections from the film's soundtrack.

The Inglorious Basterds (2009), has increased interest in the original film that impressed and inspired Quentin Tarentino so much. This is a good thing, as Enzo Caselari's film is well deserving of a wider audience. The Inglorious Bastards is a tough straight ahead war adventure, with some unassuming and unlikely heroes, who do what needs to be done without any fanfare. "Inglorious" they may be, but they operate with a sense of style, bravely accepting their fate and fighting hard till the end.

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Annie Hall (1977)

I have a confession to make.



Until now, I've never seen a Woody Allen movie.



Boy, I sure was a "miss out".



Annie Hall, made in 1977, is a classic. Why, oh why, did I wait so long?



First of all it's a story, and a very funny story at that, about a New York Jewish comedian, played by Woody Allen and his WASP girlfriend, played by Diane Keaton. It pokes fun at many social mores that we take for granted and I found myself laughing throughout. There's the New Yorker who never learns to drive, the mid-westerner who orders a pastrami sandwich on white bread with mayonnaise (which seems almost grotesque to a New Yorker like me), the pretentious movie critic, the neuroses of modern romances, and the differences between the New York and Los Angeles way of life.



The film runs along at such a fast pace that there is almost no time at all between funny moments. And, to make it even better, there are some wonderful film techniques. For example, while Diane Keaton and Woody Allen are talking about photography, there are subtitles on the screen about the physical relationship that they are really thinking about.



If the film were made today the phone calls would have been made on cell phones. But surprisingly, that is the only detail that might be changed. Annie Hall has really truly stood the test of time. And I loved it.

`Annie Hall', directed by Woody Allen and written by Allen and Marshall Brickman is eminently rewatchable, which is the one quality that makes it an excellent DVD purchase. I have seen this movie at least a half dozen times, and I am still discovering interesting things in the film. What makes this so odd to me is that the first time I saw it, after having seen `Manhattan', I really did not think it was as good as the later film.

My initially low opinion of the movie was primarily due to the numerous cinematic gimmicks harking back to his earlier, plainly less thoughtful movies. These include flashbacks to dopey teachers and classmates, almost as a parody of Jean Shepherd; subtitles showing what the characters are really thinking of one another during a conversation; a cartoon segment where Allen and the Tony Roberts character appear with the wicked witch from Snow White; speeches to the audience; and the most famous, a surprise appearance by Marshall McCluhan in a movie theatre lobby to refute a college instructor pontificating about McCluhan's ideas.

The single most famous scene from the movie is the encounter between Allen's character, Alvy Singer and Annie Hall, played brilliantly by Diane Keaton, after their tennis match with Annie dressed in her classic layered look with vest, men's tie, and balloonish trousers. The great sound bite from this encounter is the Annie Hall exclamation `La Di Dah, La Di Dah, Dah Dah...' and Singer's reaction wondering how he could be interested in anyone making such silly exclamations. From this one scene came a whole late 1970's fashion trend, the `Annie Hall' look of layered, mannish clothes. This scene also sets the stage for my latest insight into the movie, which is the progression of Annie, with a lot of help from Alvy, from an unserious girl with a decent singing voice to a serious woman with a few good ideas and a connection to a serious Hollywood music personality, played convincingly by Paul Simon with an eye to having her performances commercially recorded.

While so much can be said of the loves, frustrations, and disappointments of Alvy Singer, the movie is, after all, named `Annie Hall', not `Alvy Singer'. Not to say that this incarnation of the Woody Allen fictional persona is not central to the story. In the story of Alvy Singer that frames our encounter with Annie, there are encounters with two early marriages to characters played by Carol Kane and Janet Margolin, plus less than exciting romantic encounters with Shelley Duvall. The Allen talent for pulling in major actors and future major actors for brief appearances is in full bloom. There are excellent little parts for Colleen Dewhurst and Christopher Walken. There are even smaller parts for surprise appearances by Jeff Goldblum, Sigourney Weaver, and Beverly De'Angelis. Just as Allen is playing his usual, highly autobiographical character, male costar Tony Roberts plays the typically untroubled successful male who is constantly on the make for something or other, whether it be a business deal of a romantic laision. (It just occurred to me that it is logical that Roberts did not play the male costar in `Manhattan', as the Michael Murphy character simply did not fit the typical Tony Roberts character as it appears in `Play It Again, Sam', `A Midsummer's Night Sex Comedy', and `Annie Hall'.

While I have not reviewed all of Allen's later movies, I will venture the opinion that not only is `Annie Hall' better than all the films which precede it, it is as good or better than his best later movies (such as `Hannah and Her Sisters', `Crimes and Misdemeanors', and `Husbands and Wives'), if only because it is so effective a mix of both character study and humor. Some of Allen's jokes from this movie are some of his best known. In fact, I get the same sense watching this movie as I do when I see `Hamlet'. So many lines sound like clichés because they have been so widely quoted.

There are a lot of things which could be said about this movie which are really about themes which run through almost all of Allen's films such as doting on sexuality, phony intellectuality, love of Manhattan, and death. One clever riff on death is when Annie is moving into Alvy's apartment, Alvy discovers a book of Sylvia Plath's poems, which contradicts Hall's later statement when she is moving out that all the books about death were given to her by Singer. (Plath was a famously depressive poet who committed suicide in mid-career).

Allen's movie DVDs are uniformly free of fancy extras such as commentary tracks and `Making of' documentaries, and this is no exception. At the risk of repeating myself, I will say that the singular attraction of Allen's body of work in general and `Annie Hall' in particular is its rewatchability. As unrealistic as the many cinematic gimmicks are, the characters are intensely real. They are people with which we can sincerely associate. Try that with your usual Ben Stiller character.

Highly recommended classic among both Allen movies and all movies in general.

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Ok, let me get this one thing out of the way: when I was 12, Annie Hall beat Star Wars for the Best Picture Academy Award, and I was not a happy kid. However, time can do funny things...

I first saw this picture a few years later, with my first real girlfriend (hi, Lisa!) on the revival circuit. I found it witty and intelligent, as I have with most of Woody Allen's films. I have to say that, to my 16-year-old mind, it still didn't make a huge impression. Twenty years and a failed marriage later, however, I think I can honestly say that I now get it.

Annie Hall is, to me, Woody Allen's greatest triumph as a filmmaker and a storyteller. It's a bittersweet, often hilarious recounting of a relationship from its start to its inevitable end. We see Allen at his most honest, at times brutal examination of himself and his destructive approach to relationships as he plays Alvy Singer, a funny, neurotic comedian (not a great stretch for Woody, granted). All the angst, the neuroses, and manic phobias that at first seem so idiosyncratic and charming, eventually become tiring and sad. Here is a man who is so attached to his psychoses that he would be an empty shell without them, and we see the painful fact of this in his reflections of previous relationships and marriages throughout the course of his adult life. Ultimately, this is a character so galvanized by his fears and phobias that he is simply incapable of managing a complex adult relationship, one free of paranoia and anxiety and this is his tragic downfall. In short, he is a small child trapped in the body of a small man.

This is not, however, one of Allen's Bergmanesque forays into introspection. The knee-slapping hilarity of many of the scenes help draw us into his world and the relationship he has with Annie (Diane Keaton, marvelous as always), his friends, his family, and the world around him. A particular favorite is when, on their first meeting, Alvy and Annie exchange basic getting-to-know-you small talk, and their hidden meanings and anxieties are shown to us in subtitles. Other scenes involving a movie-line blowhard, a lost mantra, and Annie's decidedly white-bread family are the stuff of legend, and they never fail to bring a smile to my face.

Though this film is nearing thirty-years old, it shows no sign of aging. The themes are familiar and universal; who hasn't fallen desperately in love, only to feel the painful tentacles of fear come creeping in the moment they've opened their heart for all the world to see? This film will never lose its place in my heart as one of the best films I've ever seen.

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'Annie Hall' has been called the first modern romantic comedy, but it is actually the ultimate anti-romantic comedy. Where the movement of the classic rom-com is the union of two mismatched lovers, the kiss, marriage a forward movement which is' in effect' sexual sublimation 'Annie Hall' begins with its romance's break-up, and proceeds with a vignette narrative structure, in which time and space are fragmented: far from gathering any momentum, the film, with is modest highs and lows, kind of peters out, just like romance in real-life.

'Annie Hall' is, as everyone knows, the first truly great Woody Allen movie. All the cherishable elements from his previous films are here the nervy wisecracks (which, far from containing life's anguish, seem to helplessly acknowledge the impossibility of ever doing so); the visual and narrative trickery; the flippant allusions etc. but are given depth and feeling by the focus on character. The opening monologue sets the tone Alvy's stand-up routine (an address to the public) as confession (private): this is a relationship constantly being pushed into social situations (family, parties, night classes etc.).

The movements through time and space, the documentary feel for real locations, the recognition of the emotional import of seemingly trivial events, all combine to create a complex picture of people alive and in love in a particular place and time. In the case of Alvy especially, these elements serve to reveal the character his joking is at pains to deflect.

The film is the closest American film every came to the spontaneity of the French New Wave, without being cripplingly self-conscious about it the inventive chopping between visual registers and narrative moods; the romanticising of city life; the seemingly casual, but crucial and resonant, allusions to films, books, music etc.; the satire of cultural pretensions; above all, the very modern, elusive relationship at its centre all creating a film as fresh, funny and poignant as the day it was made, one done a great disservice by its sappy imitators. Diane Keaton has rarely been more enchanting, the fluidity between herself and her character so evident, she seems to be laughing with us at the film she's in.

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Just to add my voice to the choir: Quite simply one of the best films

about romantic relationships ever made. Brilliantly written.

Brilliantly acted -Diane Keaton is tremendous, the supporting cast is

full of gems and Allen himself takes the leap to present himself as a

real (if funny) human being and not a walking joke. And brilliantly

photographed by the great Gordon Willis of 'The Godfather' and many of

most important films of the 70s and 80s.

Wildly funny and ultimately heartbreaking. It's hard to imagine anyone

who has ever been in love, or struggled through grown-up relationships

NOT identifying with a lot of this film. I loved it in my late teens

when it first came out, and I love it even more 32 years later. Every

time I see it I notice different details, depending on my own current

life experiences. A film of enormous wit, humor, invention, and

understanding of the human heart. Its completely unique, playful and

idiosyncratic in style and approach, but that experimentation somehow

only makes it more accessible and universal. If you haven't seen it,

you owe yourself a try, even if you're not a Woody Allen 'fan'. And if

you saw it long ago, it may be time for another look.

For some insane reason, the US DVD is not enhanced for 16x9 TVs,

whereas the UK disc is, so if you have a region free player, and don't

want the blu-ray for some reason I recommend getting a copy of that.

But the blu-ray is a very nicely done step up (especially over the

non anamorphic US DVD). Is this a reference quality disc that

will blow you away? No. But the gains in depth, clarity, richness

give the film more immediacy, and certainly make the blu-ray

worthwhile if you love the film. (Of course, as always with Woody

there are no extras. Sigh...)

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Boogie Nights (2010)

"Boogie Nights" is one of those movies that defies categorization. It's about the porno industry, and has its fair share of sexual content, but never titillates. It's often funny but the humor is usually of the dark variety. Much of the content shouldn't be entertaining, but the movie succeeds grandly as entertainment.

It's the oblique nature of "Boogie Nights" that makes it so special. It's not a film that will give you pat answers; rather, it'll challenge you in a way few films do. What other movie in recent memory was able to take an explicit sex scene and make it sexually unexciting? "Boogie Nights" has just such a scene, and it serves one purpose: to de-glamorize the world of porno and portray it for what it doubtless is: a business where people do nothing but try to make a living.

"Boogie Nights" centers around the life and times (the late 1970's and early 1980's) of Eddie Adams (Mark Wahlberg, who's dynamite), who is discovered by porno impresario Jack Horner (Burt Reynolds, in another dynamite performance) and soon changes his name to Dirk Diggler and becomes a porno star.

Dirk's story is intertwined with the stories of others who share his world: coked-up porn queen Amber Waves (Julianne Moore), who plays surrogate mother to Dirk because she is legally barred from seeing her own child; Reed Rothschild (John C. Reilly), his best buddy and co-star; Rollergirl (Heather Graham), a porn performer who insists on "acting" with her rollerskates on; Buck Swope (Don Cheadle), a black porn bit player who dresses like Gene Autry and dreams of owning a stereo store; and Little Bill (William H. Macy), Horner's quietly enraged right hand man, whose wife literally does it with everyone and anyone and doesn't care if her husband sees her doing it.

Director Paul Thomas Anderson tells the characters' stories vignette-style, much as Robert Altman would.

In particular, Dirk's rags-to-riches-to-rags-to-riches story is alternately funny, horrifying, sad and uplifting. In particular, there is a scene in which a strung-out Dirk tries to make a drug deal with a crackhead dealer. Problem is, the cocaine he's trying to sell is fake, the dealer's house is full of armed thugs, and his friend keeps lighting firecrackers as the whacked-out dealer listens to Night Ranger's "Sister Christian". Anderson directs this scene so beautifully that the tension and fear is absolutely unbearable after a while, but the whole setup is so bizarre that you can't help but smirk your way through it. That's great directing, folks.

The performances are all standouts, but Reynolds' and Moore's are especially fine. In addition, the period feel (down to the Cheryl Tiegs poster on Dirk's bedroom wall) and music is right on target.

This is a brilliant film, and though it's too in love with its own brilliance from time to time, the flaws are greatly outweighed by the film's tremendous energy and superb performances.

This Platinum series is a noticeable improvement over the last release. Paul Anderson, the director, says this is the "definitve version" of Boogie Nights. While I agree with him in many ways, I STILL had the need for MORE supplemental material. The packaging is really nice. It opens like a book, revealing 2 attractive discs, one with the film, the other with supplemental material. Trying to release these discs with your fingers may be the hardest thing you ever did. They are VERY difficult to release from the case. This edition does not come with a booklet, but gives you plenty to read on the inner sleeves. Once you pop the DVD's into your player, you'll see that the menu's are simple and very easy to navigate. You can set-up your monitor with a simple 'color bars' set-up. The picture quality is beautiful. Color saturation is noticeably improved over the previous release, and overall the widescreen image is attractive and clean. The sound is also greatly improved over the previous release. It is cleaner and more vibrant and the stereo separation seems to be much more precise. The music sounds incredible and the vocals are clear and sharp. The firecracker scene at the drug dealers house sounds wonderful! The audio commentary is reason enough to get this DVD. Paul Anderson has almost every person you'd ever want to listen to on this DVD. They are all talking in their own vulgar and natural ways throughout the film, and most of the time, it is quite amusing and informative. This version has an additional few minutes of a deleted scene that is great to watch including Becky, Jerome and a car crash with Mark Whalberg driving! John C. Reilly is a really funny guy, and his scenes in this DVD, (The John C. Reilly Files), are a pleasure to watch. The DVD also includes the "Try" video, a nice little addition. In conclusion, I love this film, and anyone else who does should get this DVD. I recommend it highly, I just really wanted to see more supplemental footage, (probably because I love this film so much). Besides that, this DVD is excellent, great picture and wonderful sound, and the supplemental footage is incredibly entertaining. **By the way, go to the 'color bars' and let it play for about 30 seconds....something shocking will appear on your screen** Enjoy this DVD!

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Boogie Nights may not only be the best movie in the best year for film since 1976 but the best of it's decade. Mark Wahlberg sheds his Marky Mark persona by play Dirk Diggler, an up and cuming porn star who finds a family in his co-stars. Director Jack Horner, played by a resurgant Burt Reynolds, is the father figure to Dirk while Amber Waves (Julianne Moore) assumes the role of mother. It's a dysfuncial family at that but maybe the most stable a young man in the 1970's San Fernado Valley could have. Dirk starts out a wide-eyed kid from Torance who gets swept up by Horner and co. after a blow-up with his emotionally abusive, acholic mother. Paul Thomas Anderson directs with such skillful hand that we come to understand the decisions he makes but realize where it's going to lead. The assemble cast includes a lintany of names too long to metion all of them but particularly good is John C. Reilly, collaberating again with Anderson who'd given him his best role yet in Hard Eight. The reissued DVD is absolutely worthwhile even for those of you who already have the previous. The most notable inclusion is a Scorsese-esque scene in which Dirk attempts to come to Becky's aid after her marriage turns sour. In his voice over commentary PTA explains he wanted somebody in the film to get away clean thus decided to make the difficult cut. The other nine deleteds are just as good, nothing new but still as entertaining as they were when the DVD was first released. I hate to turn people off to such a fabulous film but I've found most people have a very strong reaction to it, you'll either love it or hate it, there's no middle ground here. And while I hate to discard great films such as Goodfellas and Pulp Fiction into a runners-up catogory I can't help but think this was the best film of the 90's and it's reach could easily span two decades if not for Raging Bull (which is given proper credit for inspiring the film's final scene). It's not to be missed!

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The Film:

Sprawling, messy, and relentlessly entertaining, Boogie Bights was, in my book, one of the two or three best films of the 1990s. Its themes include the innocence of an era, the relentless march of time, and the attempts of people caught in this march to create a family structure whether it be a traditional family or a non-traditional one. Like many of Writer/Director Paul Thomas Anderson's films, this is a real actors' showcase, with Julianne Moore, William H. Macy, Don Cheadle, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, among many others, turning in bravura performances. But it is, of course, Mark Wahlberg who sells this film. I haven't liked everything he's ever done, but his unpretentious style really fits the character here.

The Blu-Ray:

This is the best this film has looked on home video. The New Line DVD, which was one of the best DVD discs in its day, was very good. This is better in every way. Blacks are darker and more solid, film grain is more evident, color is richer, and detail is much stronger. That said, this isn't a disc that will blow away some of the more CGI-heavy modern action material you can throw at your HD setup on Blu-Ray. Part of this is due to the way Anderson shoots scenes, with naturalistic lighting, focus, and different film stocks. When we're in a brightly lit scene with close ups, detail is very strong. I am glad that they didn't overdo this transfer and try to make it "overly" HD. There is little to no visible edge enhancement, and definitely no visible noise reduction.

Sound is very strong, with a 5.1 channel Dolby TrueHD that excels in almost every way. The music, so important to this film, is separated throughout the sound field with lots of detail.Dialogue is clear and never drowned out.

In terms of extras, we get almost all of the material from the New Line Platinum Series DVD. Two very entertaining commentaries, 30 minutes of deleted scenes (also with commentaries), extra improv footage, a music video, and the theatrical trailer are given to us. Unfortunately, all of these features are in standard definition, directly lifted from the DVD. We are also not given the "color bars" from the original DVD, which contained a blooper outtake of the prosthesis Wahlberg wore. I also would have liked to see the "Exhausted" documentary about John Holmes that Anderson used (and references frequently) as the inspiration for the documentary sequence in the film. It's not terribly long, and having it as a point of comparison to the filmed scenes would have been really good.

One final note this disc has NO commercials. You pop it in, get an FBI warning, a brief New Line logo, and then the movie starts up. No fuss, no muss. I LOVE IT.

Conclusion:

Anyone who is a fan of great cinema should get this movie. If, somehow, you've avoided seeing this and you have a Blu-Ray player, this is a must-buy. It's by one of the great young filmmakers of our era, and it may be his best movie. If you love Scorsese, Kubrick, Robert Altman, Oliver Stone, and the like, you'll love this.

If you have the DVD set already, I would say this is a still a recommendation. The picture and sound are quite a bit stronger, without a doubt, and you get almost everything from the original DVD extras.

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One tends to think of adult entertainment as a bastion of scumbags and perverts, but Boogie Nights presents a loving glimpse of the unacknowledged human face behind it all. It's a fun film, no doubt, but its morality play on human frailties is heartwarming.

The tail end of the 70s saw a small cadre of porn directors who honestly believed they could combine realistic raunch with an engaging plot. Lofty goal, and one that sure enough proved impossible to realize, with VHS forcing movies to be made cheaper and faster.

Boogie Nights chronicles the quick rise and demise of this so-called "artistic porn" business and the unusual people who participated in it.

To the extent that the film is a reflection of reality, its strengths lie not in its accuracy but in its warmth in relaying the hopes and dreams within this makeshift family.

As we follow a regular well-endowed Joe's rise to (and inevitable fall from) stardom, a handful of subplots seep in -the allure of stardom and the price some are willing to pay to attain it, the difficulty of rehabilitating after one's name has been tainted by association with porn, the compelling urge to belong.

There's much to be seen, literally. Thankfully genuine comedy lurks in the crevices. Characters are well-sketched, and we feel for most of them. Clocking just over 2.5 hours the film is not for the faint of heart, but the sheer vitality of bravura performances keeps us spellbound.

A word for the energetic camerawork. The movie opens with a five-minute unbroken crane shot that swirls around the streets of LA, then enters a club and circles the dance floor introducing us to almost every major character. This fabulous shot sets the standard for the rest of the film, a delight for anyone interested in this sort of thing.

In a nut, the film excels on many levels. As unabashed as it is touching, this is a film you have to see.

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Mary and Max (2009)

Mary and Max is an independent claymation flick from Australia, with a darkly comic theme about a lonely and misunderstood 8-year-old girl who strikes up an unlikely and disturbing correspondence and friendship with a 48-year-old overweight depressive male diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome. While that sounds unlikely enough as a topic for an animated film, what was truly unexpected was the moving power of its simple message, achieved without resorting to sentimentalism or cliche.

The film, apparently based on a true story, plays like Wallace and Gromit conceived by Oliver Sacks and imagined by David Lynch and Robert Crumb. The animated characters, who tend to be overweight with exaggerated melancholy expressions, are nevertheless enormously expressive and the film seamlessly shifts from the muted colors of the rundown Australian suburb where Mary lives to the expressive black and white of Max's New York City.

Mary (Toni Collette) is a curious and lonely girl, whose father is unavailable and whose mother is an alcoholic kleptomaniac and whose neighbors are each in their own way inscrutable. Confronted by questions the adults around her are unwilling to answer, she selects Max's name at random from an American phonebook and writes an inquisitive letter to a complete stranger. Initially thrown for a loop by this unexpected query, Max detects a kindred spirit and responds to her letter with complete sincerity. So begins a peculiar correspondence, fraught throughout with misunderstanding but culminating in a lifelong friendship that is able to carry them both through a great deal of personal misfortune and tragedy.

The voice of Phillip Seymour Hoffman invests the character of Max with a deeply sincere confusion about the peculiar games that people play. A card carrying communist and atheist, he nevertheless wears the skullcap he wore as a child, when his mother taught him babies came from egg-laying rabbis. He is honest to a fault, incapable of saying the kinds of things people like to hear; his imaginary friend, a psychiatrist by the name of Mr. Ravioli, stopped speaking to him after his real psychiatrist convinced him he was no longer necessary.

Mary and Max was dark and tender and strange and disconcerting and lovely. Its simple theme, conveyed lightly and through dark circumstance, is captured in a concluding quotation by Ethel Mumford: "God gave us relatives. Thank God we can choose our friends."

One thing animation does very well is give us great art. But what it rarely does is actually create realistic human characters with all their inconvenient imperfections. This movie does both...and I consider "Mary and Max" one of the most daring films of 2009.

Those familiar with the animator Adam Elliot may recall he won an Oscar for "Harvie Krumpet" in the category of

short animated films. This film is his major oevre, an expanded version of the shorter film, albeit with different characters.

Ostensibly, the story is about a friendship between two unlikely partners. Max is an overweight, depressed, New York Jew suffering from serious mental illness. Mary is 8 years old, chubby, and confused. Both are lonely and underappreciated...and through the chance occurrence of a letter from Mary to Max, they develop a deep and real

friendship as pen pals.

Now, in many respects, both characters are very flawed human beings. And that is what makes the film remarkable. So many animated films from Finding Nemo to Beauty and the Beast end with a successful quest of the hero and heroine. This storyline is far more subtle. Both Mary and Max battle the everyday troubles of modern life finding a way to fit in a world when they don't fit in at all. Searching for an influence on this movie in the history of cinema, I might select the Oscar best picture "Marty" which filmed a love affair between two ordinary people in the 1950's.

I cannot finish the review without saying something about the extraordinary recreation of New York City in ClayMation. I rather liked the fact the film uses claymation for the characters because it renders them far more "earthy" than the bright, digital CGI formula so popular today.

This is a film with dark moments and tender moments and annoying moments...in sum a film about life as it is really lived.

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From Academy Award-winning Australian director Adam Elliot, maker of the wonderfully weird and demented Harvie Krumpet (Best Animated Short, 2004 -you can see it on YouTube), comes another equally weird and demented new animation called "Mary and Max". His work is not very well known in the US, but it's fantastic and should be more widely seen by fans of animation and dark, morbid humor.

It is the story of an unlikely friendship that develops between a chubby, homely, and socially maladjusted 8 year old girl in Melbourne, Australia named Mary Daisy Dinkle and a severely overweight and neurotic middle-aged Russian-Jewish man in New York with Asperger syndrome, named Max Jerry Horowitz. Mary has no friends and is taken care of by her alcoholic and kleptomaniac mother. On a chance visit to the post office, she finds an American phonebook and decides to write to someone to ask where babies come from while her mother tries to steal boxes of envelopes. The name she randomly chose was Max's, whom she sends a letter and a candy bar. They share a love for chocolate, a Smurfs-like show called The Noblets, and a need for friendship. In each other, they find kindred spirits and what follows is two decades of humorous correspondence and weird gift exchanges.

Voiced by an almost unrecognizable Phillip Seymour Hoffman, he plays the part of Max perfectly. There are no words to convey the frequency and weirdness of the deadpan humor. You'll just have to watch it. Literally every minute or two is filled with some weird joke, dialog, or visual gag. Owing to Max's autism, there's a lot of random humor and non sequiturs. This is probably the only animation where you'll see a "feline rectal thermometer" or learn that "turtles can breathe through their anuses" (which is actually true).

The film is wonderfully stylish and richly detailed. The film takes place between the 1970's and 1990's and is full of nostalgic images from that time, with some very nice modeling of a grimy New York City. Visually, everything in Mary's world is monochromatic brown, and everything in Max's is black and white, punctuated by spots of color like in Sin City. It deals with loneliness, depression, atheism, and above all, friendship.

Lastly, I need to mention that this is DEFINITELY not one for the kids, if you are expecting wholesome family entertainment like Wallace & Gromit: The Complete Collection [Blu-ray]. The film is filled with abundant adult-themed humor, numerous sexual references, as well as instances of cartoony nudity. It is dialog driven and likely to bore them anyway. Well worth seeing if you like dark and quirky humor.

Read Best Reviews of Mary and Max (2009) Here

Bored, nothing on TV, watched all of the Jericho episodes ever made, what to watch now? Thankfully NetFlicks had updated their movie selection, and I saw Mary & Max on the list. I had no preconceptions about the film, just a mild curiosity.

The smooth narration drew me into a story the likes of which I have never heard before. The plot is summarized already, though I'd like to point out that there are inconsistencies in the summary, but nothing too bad. I'd like to tell you how the movie made me feel.

First, it was hilarious. There was a gentle observational humor that was even more poignant because the observers are so different from the average person. The very serious topic of mental differences** was handled with delicacy, never overwhelming the viewer with pity for the subject, Max, while at the same time instilling an appreciation of how others can see life differently without being wrong. I loved how Max was often presented as being the sanest person in a city of "normal" people.

Despite what the summary says about Max's counterpart, Mary, was not a "goth". She was a lonely little girl whose physical differences, rather than mental ones, separated her from the rest of society. In Max she found a compatriot; they enjoyed the same cartoons, they had both endured teasing as children, and both were baffled by human emotions and what to do with them.

Though the story takes a dark turn, the ending brings redemption and bittersweet closure to a tale that I recommend to everyone.

** Mary & Max made me want to strike "mental illness/handicap/disability" from my vocabulary. So I am.

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It is beyond me why this title is so obscure. None of the stores in my town are carrying it, and here on Amazon it has only 8 reviews. But it is the best animated feature I have seen in years. In fact, I cannot think of a better one. It is elaborate and beautiful as a Tim Burton film, but has more subtlety and more heart. I think that the big media companies don't know what to do with a film like this. It isn't really appropriate for children. It is too intelligent for the average American who is more accustomed to the shallow and flashy garbage which tv and Hollywood have innundated us with. It is too bleak and dark for a culture which insists that its darkness be leavened with positive messages and happy endings. (It does, in fact, have such a message but rather overwhelmed by all the mental illness, alienation and death.) This film does, however, have an audience and when they stumble across it they will treasure it, and this film won't be forgotten. I wouldn't be surprised, in 10 years, to see a company like Kino or Criterion releasing it, to great acclaim, as an obscure classic.

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Harold & Kumar (Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle / Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay / A V

My husband loves the Harold and Kumar movies, so when I saw that there was a Blu-ray edition out with a collectible metal case, I was thrilled! He had them on DVD and is slowly swapping his movies from DVD to Blu-ray. I bought this for him for Christmas and it he loved it! My only problem is that the metal case was slightly dented... but that probably happened during shipping.

i love this movies harold and kumar are so funny and this box set is great. so happy i found it

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Hysterical to say the least. The 2 stoners are back for more adventure. I met Kal Penn a long time ago but he was so cool it's not even funny. So I guess you could say I have a connection with the Harold and Kumar series. I enjoyed every minute of it.

Plus the hot girls in it didn't hurt LOL

Read Best Reviews of Harold & Kumar (Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle / Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay / A V Here

This blu ray bundle features all three harold and kumar movies (harold and kumar go to White Castle extreme unrated, escape from Guantanamo bay unrated edition, and a very harold and kumar Christmas extra dope edition). Bundle includes some air fresheners as well and some White Castle coffee table coasters.

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The air fresheners make me want to go to white castle and bring waffle bot with me. Blueray is nice though.

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Little Shop of Horrors: Director's Cut (1986)

At the time of this post in June 2012, no information from Amazon exists on this product page. This is the press release stuff I was able to cull from the internet.

Tech specs will include a 1080p digitally remastered high definition transfer for the Blu-ray. Audio will be mixed in 5.1 Dolby TrueHD for the BD.

This release will not only include the theatrical cut (on BD), but also a completely restored, never-before-seen Director's Cut of the film, featuring a drastically different, and much darker, 20-minute alternate ending.

Here's a note about the restoration direct from Warner, "The footage of the original ending was previously available only in black & white in the extra content of a limited number of copies of a DVD edition released in 1998. Now, with the help of production notes from Frank Oz and others on the film's creative team, WHV has meticulously restored and digitally remastered the ending, in full color, with the elaborate special effects in tact. Sound has also been rebuilt and mixed in Dolby 5.1. The theatrical version has also been re-mastered."

Extras will include the following (no word yet on which of these extras are exclusive to Blu-ray):

*Theatrical version of the film with optional commentary

*The Director's Cut featuring the newly restored 20-minute alternate ending

*Digitally re-mastered picture and 5.1 sound on both versions

*"Frank Oz and Little Shop of Horrors: The Director's Cut," an introduction by Frank Oz with Richard Conway

*"A Story of Little Shop of Horrors" (behind-the-scenes documentary)

*Outtakes and deleted scenes with optional commentary

*Two theatrical trailers

The Blu-ray will also include a 40-page Digibook with production notes, stills and rare insights.

[UPDATE] When I met Frank Oz at The Saturn Awards, he confirmed the original ending was finally seeing a release in this issue. He personally called the miniatures model maker to tell him that his fine miniature model work was finally going to be seen as the plant rips through cities in a Godzilla style rampage. Paul Dooley will also have his scene restored. He was replaced in reshoots but still got residuals payments on the film despite being cut out.

The transfer is great the colors are much more vibrant than on the DVD, and the picture is sharper.

The sound is incredible -the best mix of this movie, I've ever heard in any medium.

It's worth the price just to finally see the cut original ending.

... and the little note from Frank Oz about the cut ending is pretty great.

if you're a fan of this movie -YOU NEED THIS.

SPOILERS ALERT:

... more of a point of discussion (the cut ending in great to finally see -FIVE stars for this blu-ray)

... Technically, the cut ending of the movie is the ending of the off-broadway show, it's the same song, etc -but i can see why audiences didn't spark to the movie's end. For one thing it's played much sadder in the movie than the show. The slow death of Audrey, the close-ups of her tears, Seymour being devoured sooooo slowly... it's sad. in the musical, it all happens pretty quick, and it's pretty campy.

AND -more importantly -the musical ends on an UPBEAT note:

Sure, seymour and Audrey die -but they come right back on stage, to sing the final song. They're dead for thirty seconds, then they come out again, singing. And they're still together.

In Frank Oz's ending they die, and are gone forever, the monsters take over the world.

In the SHOW's ending -the last lines are:

"if we fight it, we still got a chance!"

then Seymour and Audrey sing to each other (albeit, as flowers) "We've got tomorrow!!!"

"Don't fee the plants"

Yes they die -but they come back, sing a really fun song, and say that they have tomorrow...

the movie ends with their death, and the end of the world...

I loved seeing it -and i can kinda see now, after all these years, why test audiences responded the way they did. I was confused why they though the ending was a bummer... the end of the musical is fun, not sad. The movie didn't quite achieve that.

that said -it's AWESOME, and cool to finally see -buy it, and see what you think.

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This is a brilliant, funny movie adapted in 1986 from the 1982 Off Broadway musical of the same name. That musical was, in turn, adapted from the 1960 Roger Corman film, "The Little Shop of Horrors" (non-musical, dark comedy). The 1986 film's musical numbers are wonderful, and Levi Stubbs delivers a fantastic performance as the plant, Audrey II. In truth, the entire cast is spectacular! If you are unfortunate enough to have missed this gem, pick it up now! This version is the one to get.

I was a little confused when I saw "Director's Cut" but the same runtime (94 min.) listed as that on my 1998 DVD. So, I did a little research and discovered that this new release has both the original theatrical release (94 min.) *and* a version with the original, darker ending! Better yet, the original ending is now in color! From Warner Home Video's announcement of the new release: "The footage of the original ending was previously available only in black & white in the extra content of a limited number of copies of a DVD edition released in 1998. Now, with the help of production notes from Frank Oz and others on the film's creative team, WHV has meticulously restored and digitally remastered the ending, in full color, with the elaborate special effects intact. Sound has also been rebuilt and mixed in Dolby 5.1. The theatrical version has also been re-mastered."

From IGN's website:

"Extras will include the following (no word yet on which of these extras are exclusive to Blu-ray):

Theatrical version of the film with optional commentary

The Director's Cut featuring the newly restored 20-minute alternate ending

Digitally re-mastered picture and 5.1 sound on both versions

"Frank Oz and Little Shop of Horrors: The Director's Cut," an introduction by Frank Oz with Richard Conway

"A Story of Little Shop of Horrors" (behind-the-scenes documentary)

Outtakes and deleted scenes with optional commentary

Two theatrical trailers

The Blu-ray will also include a 40-page Digibook with production notes, stills and rare insights."

So this is the version to buy! The 1998 DVD was also in 5.1 Dolby Digital, and many of the extras are repeated from the earlier DVD (the commentary, outtakes and gags, production notes, and trailers) but the remastering should make this movie pop on HD TVs!

Read Best Reviews of Little Shop of Horrors: Director's Cut (1986) Here

This dvd was released around March of 1998. (Which makes it rare to begin with, since dvd's really didn't even catch on until 2000.) Warner Bros. released this dvd, and about 1 or 2 days later, all the copies were recalled. Apparently, The alternate ending (which has the audrey II spawning, and creating more plants, and then using this plant army to dominate the entire world!!) was left on the cutting room floor, because, according to the commentary, when they screened this ending with a test audience, they were horrified... so it was relpaced with the happy ending. (The plant dies, everyone lives, yay!!!) However, when they released the dvd, they added this alternate ending in the special features, apparently without the permission of Frank Oz, the director. So he filed a lawsuit against warner bros., forcing them to recall all the unsold copies of the film. (The dvd was later re-released, without the alternate ending......)

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What can I say, I think that this is a wonderful movie and musical. The setting takes place in a plant shop that is on the verge of bankruptcy. Mr. Mushnik is the boss and Audrey and Seymour work for him. Seymour buys a human eating plant for Audrey and names it Audrey 2. Seymour is hopelessly in love with Audrey, but unfortunately Audrey already has a boyfriend, Orin. Orin is a dentist and treats Audrey like dirt. Deep down, Audrey would rather be with Seymour than wit Orin. Finally Seymour kills Orin and feeds him to Audrey 2.

OK, here is why I did not give this movie five stars. As I imagine you all know, the play and the movie are different. In the play at the End Audrey 2 eats Audrey and Seymour feels so lonely without her that he commits suicide by feeding himself to the plant. In the movie on the other hand the shop caught fire and the plant didn't survive, but Audrey and Seymour got married. Another problem with the movie was that the poignant love song, "Suddenly, Seymour," was well overdone. Missing also is the catchy song "Closed For Renovation."

Other than that, this is a wonderful movie, and I would chose to watch it time and again. So go ahead, buy it. You will not be sorry.

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The Big Year (2011)

I love birds, and thanks to my mom, my family has no less than a half dozen pairs of binoculars and bird books; we subscribe to Birds &Blooms, Wild Bird, etc. I saw a grand total of two previews for this movie, and got the book from the library after the first. It was a great book. The movie was better: a few details changed for a perfect ending, almost as many shots of the birds as the cast, who were wonderful in this film. My children enjoyed it, and I can hardly wait for my husband to see it. Had it stayed in theaters long enough, I would have gone to see it on a weekly basis. It is sad that there was so little buzz about this movie, because it was absolutely perfect in every way! The whole family can watch together, unlike so many movies released these days, and it is the perfect encouragement for backyard birders.

First of all, I enjoyed the other two reviews, they've got it right on. My wife and I saw this on the big screen and loved it. The matinee we attended only had about 2 other couples in it, which was terribly disappointing. We enjoyed this film and the DVD is already purchased, awaiting arrival on release.

It is refreshing to go to a movie and not have your ears assaulted by too loud music or special effects. This film doesn't need either, it's a good story on it's own. I think anyone that gives it a viewing will say it was worth it.

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LOVED IT! LAUGHED! Admittedly I feed backyard birds year-round. That does not deter the facts that this is a beautifully documented birding film with enough outdoor vistas to fill anyone's nest. Great music too, even from a couple of those old Beetles guys. The story ("true story, only the facts were changed") is birds, and how many can one count in a year, i.e. A Big Year. It turns into an avid confrontational race between Brad (Jack Black) a nuclear power plant techie, Kenny (Owen Wilson) reining champ, & Stu (Steve Martin) corporate head who's trying to retire from success. Brad needs financial help from parents (Dianne Wiest & Brian Dennehy) since this quest is ultra expensive. Brad also, along the trail, gets the hots for peacock gorgeous Ellie (Rashida Jones). So did I.

Other family matters become sub-plots and drama in this comic race for the feather count. Kenny's wife Jessica (Rosamund Pike) makes any guy look the fool with her beautiful display as the beautiful birdhouse mate. Kenny dumbly leaves her home alone. Kenny tells her he's the "Mozart" of birders. Stu gets a bit more moral support from wife Edith (Jo Beth Williams) and he does have a consciousness about business and family and occasionally falls from the hunt. There are some slapstick adventures in the rugged areas of North America due to the gung-ho style of the trio on their "Big Year" quests. Also enjoy the in-your-face bird tour boat captain, Annie Auklet (Angelica Huston) in a rare performance of a different specie. Plenty of other stars too. Not to mention hundreds of beautiful birds.

This is a FOWL film, but not fouled with lots of bad language, nudity, or other lower intellect modes often used to get comedy to work. Expect humor in wholesomeness, and the great outdoors. John Audubon would have loved to serve as an extra in this film. It is society endorsed. Makes one want to eat sunflower seeds with a grin.

There is some ending philosophy to the story. What is a win? Win at what cost? Even though 2 men lost, they seem to feel they were the ultimate winners. Biggest winner of The Big Year is birding fans. Raise those binoculars high, like a trophy.

At first I considered 4 ½ stars, because the last 2 films I theater viewed was "The Help" and "Courageous", both being 5 ½. The Big Year is not as deep in theme as those two, but just as entertaining, thus my 5 stars. Enjoy with a ticket or DVD. My plan is to do both.

`

Read Best Reviews of The Big Year (2011) Here

A friend of mine rented this movie, and, as soon as the credits were done rolling, I purchased my own copy. It is simply a delight! One of the best movies I've seen this year. If you enjoy movies about personal growth and/or that have any of the following: birding, nature, traveling, laughter, competitions, or if you just want to be entertained then give this a chance. I won't go more into detail here about it as plenty of other reviewers have done that already, just watch it!

I do want to highly recommend the bluray 2-disc set as it includes the extended version narrated slightly differently by John Cleese (on the bluray disc in the extras section), which is as enjoyable if not moreso than the theatrical version narrated by Jack Black. The extended version also has a gag reel and some other fun behind-the-scenes extras about the locations to which the production crew and cast traveled, and there is one more very small character's story woven in to the extended version of the movie...that of a ruby-throated hummingbird. The ruby's story is laced throughout the movie, and I think it adds a little extra bit of birding fun and fullness to the overall feel of the film. It's just really sweet.

Overall, see this movie, theatrical or extended version both are great!

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Three great actors, fresh subject matter (what other movie plot features a birding competition?), and touching sub-plots make this movie a winner. I even managed to learn a bit about birds! Great wholesome movie.

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