'Transformers' Stays on Top, 'Bosses' Fires 'Zookeeper'

by Ray Subers
July 10, 2011
Transformers: Dark of the Moon held on to first place in its second weekend, and actually showed some improvement over the last Transformers installment. Among openers, Horrible Bosses extended the winning streak for R-rated comedies this Summer, while Zookeeper wound up in third on middling results. Overall box office was off around 19 percent from the same period last year, when Despicable Me debuted to a huge $56.4 million.

Transformers fell 52 percent to $47.1 million. That was a lighter decline and a higher second weekend gross than those for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, indicating that Dark of the Moon is maintaining interest at a higher rate than its often maligned predecessor (though, to be fair, Transformers 2's second Saturday was muted by the Fourth of July). On Sunday, Dark of the Moon passed The Hangover Part II to become 2011's top-grossing movie, and its 12-day total currently sits at a healthy $261.1 million.

Horrible Bosses opened to $28.3 million, which was up from Bridesmaids but a bit off from Bad Teacher among Summer 2011's original R-rated comedies. It's also the top-grossing opening ever for a dark/black comedy, beating out The Stepford Wives remake. In a single weekend, it bested its cast members' Summer 2010 projects Going the Distance (Jason Sudeikis and Charlie Day) and The Switch (Jason Bateman and Jennifer Aniston).

Horrible Bosses had a lot going for it heading in to the weekend. Distributor Warner Bros. executed a strong, omnipresent marketing effort, clearly explaining the movie'a premise that pitted three lesser-known leads (Bateman, Sudeikis, Day) against three movie stars (Kevin Spacey, Colin Farrell, Aniston), with Farrell and Aniston notably playing against type. Plenty of laughs were mixed in with the well-articulated story, and they were presented in a character-oriented way so as to suggest there was more to come in the full-length movie. To top it all off, the trailer and many commercials were cleverly set to Cage the Elephant's "Ain't No Rest For the Wicked," which lined up well with the movie's upbeat tempo but dark themes. Horrible Bosses' audience skewed slightly male (51 percent), while 64 percent were over the age of 25 years old, according to Warner Bros.

Zookeeper launched to $20.1 million. That was an improvement over Kevin James' last movie, The Dilemma, but way down from the rest of his oeuvre, most notably Paul Blart: Mall Cop ($31.8 million). It also had a leg up on last summer's talking animal movies, Marmaduke and Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore, but in general it's not an impressive start within the popular subgenre.

While Horrible Bosses felt fresh, Zookeeper reeked of formula. It was transparently conceived as a mash-up of hugely successful movies like Night at the Museum, Doctor Dolittle and Hitch, which could have worked out had the marketing been more compelling. Unfortunately, ads focused almost entirely on the flat relationship between James' titular character and a Nick Nolte-voiced gorilla, while opting to mostly avoid any sort of story. What's particularly odd about this is that, despite Adam Sandler and Kevin James's solid track record together, there was virtually no attempt to highlight the movie's Sandler-voiced monkey.

Zookeeper was greenlit immediately after the overwhelming success of Paul Blart: Mall Cop gave the impression that Mr. James could open a movie on his own. At the time, the movie sounded like a home run but unfortunately the original distributor MGM ran in to a mess of financial issues and the movie ended up being delayed a full year from its original release date in July 2010. In that time, Mr. James' star may have cooled a little, and family audiences have almost certainly grown less interested in the talking animal subgenre. Zookeeper could still pick up steam: Yogi Bear, for example, opened to just $16.4 million in December before ultimately closing north of $100 million, though that was a Christmas movie and was the exception, not the rule. Distributor Sony Pictures' research showed that 52 percent of Zookeeper's audience was parents and their children, and that 53 percent was female.

Cars 2 stabilized a bit, dipping 42 percent to $15.2 million. That was a steeper decline than the first Cars had at the same point, and, as of Friday, Cars 2 began lagging behind its predecessor in total gross. The animated sequel has so far made $148.8 million and is the least-attended Pixar movie at this point in its run.

Bad Teacher was surprisingly unfazed by Horrible Bosses debut, easing 39 percent to $8.9 million. Through its third weekend, the Cameron Diaz comedy has earned $78.7 million.

Larry Crowne and Monte Carlo did little to save face in their second weekends. Larry Crowne fell 55 percent to $5.9 million for a weak $26.2 million total, and it will be the lowest-grossing Tom Hanks movie since at least The Ladykillers in 2004. It did manage to eclipse Hanks' last directorial effort from 1996, That Thing You Do!, though it's unlikely to match that movie's attendance figures. Monte Carlo held a bit better than Larry Crowne: the Selena Gomez vehicle dipped 44 percent to $3.8 million for a total of $16.1 million.

Rounding out the Top 12, Midnight in Paris declined 26 percent to $2.6 million. With a total of $38.6 million, it's now a lock to pass Hannah and Her Sisters ($40.1 million) to become director Woody Allen's highest-grossing movie ever. Still, it will never reach Annie Hall, Manhattan, Hannah and a few other older Allen movies in attendance.

Discuss the Weekend Report on Facebook, Twitter, and in Box Office Mojo's forums.

Related Stories:
? Forecast: Comedy Counter-Programming Can't Cancel Out 'Transformers'
? Around-the-World Roundup: 'Transformers' Dominates Again

Last Weekend:
? 'Transformers' Claims Independence Gross Record

This Timeframe in Past Years:
? 2010 - 'Despicable Me' Dominates, 'Predators' Solid But Unspectacular
? 2009 - 'Bruno' Not as Brawny as 'Borat'
? 2008 - 'Hellboy II' Sizzles
? 2007 - 'Harry Potter' Flies with the 'Phoenix'
? 2006 - 'Pirates' Raids Record Books
? 2005 - 'Fantastic Four' Heats Up the Summer Box Office

Related Charts:
? Weekend Box Office Results
? Showdown: 'Horrible Bosses' Vs. 'Bad Teacher' Vs. 'Bridesmaids'
? Showdown: 'Transformers' Vs. 'Transformers'
? Showdown: 'Cars 2' Vs. 'Cars' Vs. 'Toy Story 3'
? Showdown: 'Green Lantern' Vs. 'Thor' Vs. 'X-Men'

'Harry Potter' Already Breaking Records... >

by Brandon Gray
July 13, 2011
It's not even out yet, but Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 is already breaking records. Distributor Warner Bros. Pictures announced today that the Harry Potter finale has conjured over $32 million in advance ticket sales, setting a new pre-opening benchmark. Regal Entertainment Group alone claimed over $10 million for the 535 locations it operates, whlie MovieTickets.com has already sold more Deathly Hallows Part 2 tickets than for any other 2011 release, marking a 38 percent increase over Part 1.

In a bid to give fans ample opportunity to see the long-awaited finale this weekend (and to potentially break the opening weekend record), Warner Bros. will unleash Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 on over 11,000 screens at 4,375 locations, setting new records for both the franchise and the studio.

Predecessor Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 had around 9,400 screens at 4,125 locations, debuting to a franchise-high $125 million, while Warner Bros. stable mate The Dark Knight had a little over 9,000 screens at 4,366 locations and shattered the opening weekend record with $158.4 million on the same mid-July timeframe in 2008. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End likely still holds the all-time screen count record (11,500), while The Twilight Saga: Eclipse maintains the location count record (4,468).

Included in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2's release is a record 3,000-plus 3D location count, topping Transformers: Dark of the Moon's 2,789 record. Deathly Hallows Part 2 also boasts the IMAX release record, chalking up 274 IMAX locations.

For its midnight launch, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 will show at over 3,800 locations. Deathly Hallows Part 1 played at around 3,700 locations for its midnight debut, which generated $24 million. Eclipse currently holds the midnight record with $30 million at over 4,000 locations.

In Box Office Mojo's "when will you see it" reader polling, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 is pulling a whopping 68.2 percent for "opening weekend" so far, surpassing its predecessor's 64.1 percent score. The Dark Knight had nearly 77 percent when it released.

Discuss 'Harry Potter' on Facebook, Twitter, and in Box Office Mojo's forums.

Previous 'Harry Potter' Weekend Reports:
? 'Deathly Hallows Part 1' Marks Liveliest 'Potter' Debut Yet
? 'Half-Blood Prince:' Harry Potter' Has Hot-Blooded Premiere
? 'Order of the Phoenix:' Harry Potter' Flies with the 'Phoenix'
? 'Goblet of Cash:' Harry Potter's 'Goblet' Runneth Over with Cash
? 'Prisoner of Azkaban:' Hotter 'Potter' in Summer
? 'Chamber of Secrets:' 'Harry Potter' Potent in Second Movie Debut

Related Charts:
? 'Harry Potter' Franchise
? All-Time Widest Releases
? All-Time Opening Weekends

Visited Bedford Falls Lately?

Michael Henninger for The New York TimesA life-size statue of James Stewart in the Jimmy Stewart Museum in Indiana, Pa. More Photos ?

IF the Jimmy Stewart Museum didn’t already exist, it might be the perfect place to invent for a sequel to “It’s a Wonderful Life.”

The museum is housed in a modest brown-brick, four-story public library building just down the street from the county courthouse in Indiana, Pa., a town of 15,000 about 60 miles northeast of Pittsburgh that could easily serve as the location for this century’s version of Bedford Falls. Inside, a quiet and low-lighted third floor is given over to an equally low-key yet substantial exhibition of hundreds of James Stewart’s artifacts and mementos, including his diploma from a nearby prep school and a favorite booth from Chasen’s, his later Hollywood haunt.

But there’s a back story: Like the Bailey Brothers Building & Loan Association in “Wonderful Life,” this homegrown institution is facing insolvency and recently needed the generosity of Stewart’s many admirers. “We were close to closure last year,” said the museum’s executive director, Timothy Harley. “Luckily, media coverage generated interest and an amount of donations that is modest but enough to remain open. But those funds will be depleted in a couple of years, and it’s hard to think that many of those who helped will step forward to save us again. They were of an older generation.”

Scattered around the country in nearly a dozen small towns are places like the Jimmy Stewart Museum. The Beech Grove, Ind., public library has built a collection of the native Steve McQueen’s films and biographies. Winterset, Iowa, has preserved the birthplace of John Wayne. Grand Rapids, Minn., has established a Judy Garland Museum in the childhood home of the girl then known as Frances Gumm. There is a range of curatorial sophistication and collection quality, but what all these places have in common is local pride in the glitzy fame achieved by a native son or daughter, the hope for some tourist dollars in otherwise out-of-the-way places, and often a beginning based on the obsessive collecting of memorabilia by a devoted fan. And they all count on something uncertain: a tireless fascination with big movie stars that continues decades after their last films.

“These museums are a relatively new phenomenon,” said Mr. Harley, who has run the Stewart Museum for 6 of its 15 years. “We don’t have a model to look at. Whether this type of presentation has a shelf life is too early to say.”

A little over a year ago Mr. Harley noticed that attendance was plummeting. “Each spring and fall we would have 10 or 15 bookings a month of 48-seat charter buses of lovely senior citizens,” he recalled. “Last fall that completely ended. Not gradually; it just stopped. This spring is the same. Clearly the people that Mr. Stewart called his partners have, at the very least, aged out of traveling, if not passed on.” At its low point recently attendance dipped to nearly half of the 10,000 annual visitors who came in the years after the museum opened in 1995.

A similar story is told by Nan Mattern, executive director of the Clark Gable Birthplace and Museum in the small former coal mining town of Cadiz, Ohio, about 90 miles southwest of Pittsburgh. In 1998, after years of fund-raising, a local group spent more than $150,000 to build a copy of the small two-story home on a quiet residential street where William Clark Gable, the boy who would become known as the King of Hollywood, was born in 1901. They have filled the place with some period furniture, memorabilia from Gable films (heavy on the “Gone With the Wind” tchotchkes) and a few of Gable’s personal items, like a boyhood sled, letters from Dwight Eisenhower and J. Edgar Hoover, and a canceled check for $6 that Gable once wrote to an exterminator.

The most expensive item in the collection, a 1954 Cadillac Coupe de Ville driven by Gable, is garaged in the basement of a separate house that has been turned into a Gable-theme bed-and-breakfast. There’s an “It Happened One Night” room (single beds with a curtain to pull between them) and a more lavish Gable and Lombard suite. (Gable’s marriage to the actress Carol Lombard was cut short by Lombard’s death in a place crash in 1942.)

“We call ourselves a birthplace,” said Ms. Mattern. “But we’re more of a living museum.” Living perhaps, but not exactly thriving. The museum is open six hours a day with varying frequency depending on the season and drew about 2,700 visitors over the last two years, an average of about 5 per day, and about half what it had been in some previous years. “We get buses sometimes,” she said. “But not as much as we’d like.”

Delhi Belly (2011) - Will It Be Aamir's Cross-Over Hit?

Aamir Khan has been associated with some of the biggest hits of Indian cinema in the recent years. These include some non-mainstream movies with cross-over appeal like 'Mumbai Diaries', 'Taare Zameen Par' and 'Peepli Live' as well as commercial movies like Lagaan that was nominated for an Oscar in the Best Foreign Film category. With Delhi Belly, Aamir Khan may have got a film that can charm audiences in India and rest of the world alike.

Gangsters, stash of diamonds, drugs, cops and 'innocent' (well, not really!) gang of friends caught in the midst has been tried many a times before. With the surprise 1998 'blockbuster' hit Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels by the talented British director 'Guy Ritchie', the formula has been unleashed on the movie-goers by filmmakers around the world. Such efforts have come, entertained and vanished without a trace, with rare exceptions such as Guy Ritchie's follow-up hit Snatch in 2000.

The Indian mainstream movie industry ('Bollywood') itself has produced a string of immensely forgettable movies with similar plot-elements. Delhi Belly, on first impressions', makes it work. The movie stars Imran Khan as Tashi, Vir Das as Arup and and the Kunaal Roy Kapur as Nitin, the poor soul afflicted with the notorious 'traveler's curse; 'Delhi Belly'.

Produced by Aamir Khan productions with the proverbial 'midas touch', Delhi Belly is an all-out entertainer that is unabashed in it's approach. The pervasive toilet humor, sexual jokes and expletive count in the movie is likely to shock the 'common' people of India who have grown up with their song and dance formulas that are largely promoted as 'family movies'. Though the explicit content in the movie might fail to shock any of the western audiences who have seen teen comedies like the American Pie series and Van Wilder, never has an Indian movie upended cultural expectations with such goofiness. The story revolves around three friends/flatmates, the journalist Tashi, the photo-journalist Nitin and the cartoonist Arup who are leading typical urban young lives with Tashi about to get married to his girl-friend Soniya (Shenaz Treasurywala).

All hell breaks loose as Soniya's favor of transferring a parcel for a fellow air-hostess turns into a nightmare for the three friends due to an innocent mix-up with a stool sample, leaving a gang of local smugglers extremely unhappy. But more than the amusingly chaotic plot line, it's the ensemble performances (I struggle to remember any weak acts) and the 'dirty/witty one liners' (Nitin on Tashi's new dowry car: "This is one ugly car. This is what you get when a donkey humps an auto rickshaw.") that does the magic.

The newcomer director Abhinav Deo's urban comedy caper has a natural cross-over potential and is likely to invite multiple viewings from it's targeted audience - the new-age 'Hinglish' speaking urban youth of India.

For more such detailed reviews with movie stills, and recommended viewings of great international films outside of Hollywood, please visit CINE INTERNATIONAL.
-Ravi Ganne

Special Effects Part 1, 1890's-1940's

Have you ever wondered how filmmakers create those incredible special effects that can turn an above average film into an academy award nominee? Well I have, so I did some digging and here's what I turned up. The origin of special effects (SFX) can be traced back to Swiss photographer Oscar Gustave Reijlander (1813-1875) who in 1856 edited sections of thirty-two different negatives to create a single image, this was an early example of trick still photography.

In 1895 director Alfred Clark created the first known motion picture special effect with the guillotine scene in the film Mary Queen Of Scots. This particular scene was created using a technique known as stop motion where just before Mary was beheaded the film was stopped and the actors all held their positions as a dummy, dressed like mary, was brought in and placed under the blade of the guillotine. The filming resumed the guillotine dropped and the audience was given a realistic sense of an execution, this film was also one of the first ones produced by Thomas Edison (1847-1931. )

Another pioneer in the field of special effects was the french magician Georges Melies (1861-1938) who in 1896 also came across the stop motion effect and would go on to create over 500 short films using this technique along with some other special effects that he discovered which included multiple exposures, time-lapse photography and dissolves. As the motion picture slowly started to evolve in the early 1900's so did special effects as was the case with the Fritz Lang 1927 silent masterpiece Metropolis In this film Lang incorporated a very creative illusional effect known as the Schufftan Process which used mirrors to "place" the actors in miniature sets.

In 1939 Mgm studios released the film The Wizard Of Oz which was based on the Lyman Frank Baum (1856-1919) book The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz, and with it came a new batch of cutting edge special effects. From flying monkeys to combining black and white film with color film to a nasty witch (Margaret Hamilton) who could fly on a broom and hurl balls of fire at a sweet and simple scarecrow (Ray Bolger), this film was packed with special effects.

To me the most impressive effect was the tornado scene where Dorothy (Judy Garland) gets swept up into a cyclone and is transported to the land of oz but creating a tornado on paper is one thing, creating it on a soundstage is entirely different! Special effects coordinator Arnold Gillespie was given this daunting assignment and here's how he did it. His original idea was to use a 35 foot tall rubber cone but that idea was scrapped after it was determined that the cone was to rigid, tornadoes have a natural back and forth and side to side motion and the rubber simply wouldn't flex enough to recreate that motion. His next idea was to use muslin, which is plain woven cloth, this type of material could be manipulated in any direction needed so Gillespie built a 35 foot long tapered muslin tower, to picture this mentally imagine a 35 foot wind sock.

The top was attached to a steel gantry, which was mobile and could travel the length of the set and the bottom disappeared into a slot in the stage floor. A steel rod came up through the base of the tornado and was moved in one direction while the gantry was moved in the opposite direction this gave the tornado a natural swaying motion. Then a material known as Fullers Earth, which is a brown powdery dust, was blown in to the base and top of the tornado by using compressed air, some of the dirt filtered through the muslin which helped to mask it. This effect recreated the dirt and other material that a tornado picks up as it moves across the ground, next came the sky. Thick dark clouds of smoke made from sulphur and carbon were blown onto the set from catwalk's over the stage, this gave the effect of the dark ominous sky's that are usually associated with severe weather. To top off all of this tornadic chaos two panels of glass, which had grey cotton balls pasted to them, were placed four to five feet in front of the cameras and were moved in opposite directions this added to the tornado's churning motion and also helped to hide the gantry and the top portion of the tornado. Throw in some wind machines and you have yourself a very convincing recreation of a tornado.

In 1940 a young special effects man named Larry Butler would use two invention that he created to forever change the field of special effects. The first was the Traveling Matte and the second was the Bluescreen, which is still widely used. The first film that these effects were showcased on was The Thief Of Bagdad (1940) which featured flying carpets, a 70 foot tall genie and a goddess with six arms, to name just a few. The traveling matte is a complex effect to work with because it requires a different matte for each frame of film unlike still photography where single mattes are used. The film must be manipulated various ways especially during its processing to create the illusion of a person being somewhere that they really aren't. An example of this effect would be someone who is clinging by their fingertips to the outside of a 1, 000 foot tall skyscraper.

You could use the actor or actress to do this but if something goes wrong you could wind up with a big mess on your hands! legally speaking that is plus actors are too valuable to risk on something like this. Another option would be to use a stuntperson and only use long camera shots but in this type of scene you would want to see the fear and tension on the actors face so we can toss this option off to the side along with the first, the next option is the traveling matte and bluescreen. First you would film the skyscraper, this is called the background plate then you would film the actor dangling from a wall similar to the skyscraper which is done in the studio against a bluescreen, in reality the actor is only a few feet off the ground. You would then manipulate and combine those pieces of film during its processing and like magic you wind up with is a very realistic scene of a person tangleing from the side of a skyscraper. Larry Butler won the first of his two oscar's in 1940 for the special effects he created using these two inventions in The Thief Of Bagdad, not bad for a man who dropped out of Burbank High School in California to learn special effects from his father who was also in that profession.

In part two we'll look at some special effects used in films from the 1950's through the 1970's.

Around-the-World Roundup: 'Transformers' Dominates Again

by Brandon Gray
July 12, 2011
Transformers: Dark of the Moon ruled the foreign box office again, drawing $94.7 million in 58 holdover markets over the weekend. The robo-threequel's total climbed to $395.7 million (through Monday), which was the third highest of 2011 so far, and it will shoot past Kung Fu Panda 2 by Wednesday to claim second for the year. Add in its domestic tally, and Dark of the Moon's worldwide sum stood at $662.6 million, slotting 47th on the all-time chart.

South Korea again was Transformers: Dark of the Moon's stand-out market. Dropping by just a third, the movie drew $16.3 million there over the weekend, and its nearly $53 million tally was the biggest ever for any movie at the 12-day point and was close to two-thirds ahead of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen by day 12.

The United Kingdom, Australia and Russia followed Korea, each contributing around $7.5 million. In the U.K., Dark of the Moon was off around 27 percent for a $31.8 million sum (nine percent ahead of Revenge of the Fallen). In Australia, it slipped 44 percent for a $29.2 million total (34 percent ahead of Revenge). In Russia, it fell 56 percent for a $36 million tally (184 percent ahead of Revenge). In each country, it also held better than Revenge of the Fallen.

Dark of the Moon also delivered big second weekend grosses and No. 1 rankings in Germany, France, Mexico and Brazil and boasted the all-time highest 12-day grosses in Taiwan, Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand. While it's playing nearly everywhere, the movie has two more major markets on the horizon: China on July 21 and Japan on July 29.

Cars 2 came in second for the weekend with an estimated $26.9 million from 27 territories (up eight from last weekend). With $121.8 million in the till, the animated sequel's running 124 percent ahead of its predecessor Cars in the comparable timeframe and same set of territories, according to Walt Disney Pictures. It was also 45 percent ahead of Up and 17 percent behind Toy Story 3. Spain was Cars 2's top debut at $5.1 million (including previews), but the movie broke Disney's animated opening gross record in Argentina with $3.3 million, topping Toy Story 3. Mexico remained the top overall gross contributor with $21.1 million, followed by Russia at $18.4 million. Cars 2 adds only Vietnam for the coming weekend.

In third, Kung Fu Panda 2 whipped up $14 million from 53 territories and swung past the $400 million mark in the process. New Zealand was the animated sequel's main new territory, where it brought in $584,450, which was 14 percent behind its predecessor and 22 percent behind Cars 2. Panda 2's biggest haul for the weekend, though, was in Australia, taking in $3 million and competing neck-and-neck with Cars 2 for winter school vacation dollars.

Bad Teacher scored $13.1 million from 31 territories in fourth place, bringing its total to $45.9 million. The highlight for the comedy was Russia, where it grabbed $5.7 million, edging out The Hangover Part II as the top-grossing start ever for an American comedy and more than doubling the entire run of Bridesmaids.

Mr. Popper's Penguins rounded out the Top Five with $10.3 million from 39 territories (up 18 from last weekend) for a $25.6 million total.

Opening day and date with domestic in 17 territories, Zookeeper mustered modest interest, grossing $6.9 million, most of which coming from Germany and Mexico. The talking-animal comedy ranked second in Germany with $2.8 million (31 percent behind Paul Blart: Mall Cop) and third in Mexico with $2.3 million (more than triple Paul Blart).

2011's top grosser, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, added an estimated $6.5 million, down 19 percent, increasing its total to $785.4 million.

Meanwhile, X-Men: First Class inched past the $200 million mark.

Discuss the Around-the-World Roundup on Facebook, Twitter, and in Box Office Mojo's forums.

Domestic Report:
? 'Transformers' Stays on Top, 'Bosses' Fires 'Zookeeper'

Last Weekend:
? 'Transformers' Lays Waste to World

Related Charts:
? Latest Foreign Charts
? 2011 Worldwide Grosses
? All-Time Worldwide

Micmacs Review

Stars: Dany Boon, Andre Dussollier, Nicholas Marie
Director: Jean-Pierre Jeunet
Release Date: December 14, 2010
MPAA Rating: R

I had no clue what Micmacs was and hadn't even heard anyone say anything about the film. When I looked up the title on the IMDB website, there on the cover was a middle-aged man looking a little dumbfounded, wearing pants with suspenders and a long-sleeved wool sweater. So I was completely lost as to why this would be a suggestion for us to write a review on. Then I started to look at the page more closely to discover that the film was directed by Jean Pierre Jeunet. He is a wonderful, self-taught director that has done some really great foreign film work. He has an interesting way of visualizing how a movie should look, showcases different camera angles, has good character development and overall tells an enchanting story.

Micmacs begins with a boy, Bazil, whose father is just killed by a landmine in Morocco. On the day of the funeral, a messenger returns the father's belongings to the family. The young boy discovers a collection of photographs in a box taken after the incident. Upon closer investigation, he discovers the manufacturer of the landmines is La Vigilante De L'armement. His mother, dealing with her grief, sends her son away to a Catholic boarding school. Bazil cannot stand the harsh treatment inflicted by the nuns and runs away.

We meet him again 30 years later and he has become a video rental clerk at Matador Video. We find him one evening relaxing at his job watching an old Bacall and Bogart film, lip-syncing the lines of the movie. The film has ended and his attention is now drawn to the sound of gunfire outside. Someone in a black car is dueling with a person on a motorcycle. A bullet flies through the air, strikes the front glass window of the video shop and soars right past Bazil. Then suddenly the car crashes, the driver falls out and shoots one final shot at the biker. The biker slips on the wet pavement and loses his grip on the gun. The weapon goes soaring up and strikes the ground just so, that it fires again. The bullet, has found a new home, right in Bazil's forehead. The doctors at the hospital contemplate whether to remove the bullet because if they do he could become a vegetable. If they don't, he could die any second. They flip a coin and the decision is to leave it in. "He'll drive airport security wild."

After being released from the hospital, Bazil returns home only to discover that the landlord has changed the locks and his poessions are gone. He still has his job so not all is hopeless. When he arrives at work, he finds that he has been replaced by a young and attractive girl. As he is leaving, she runs up to him and hands him the shell to one of the bullets that had been fired the night of the accident. He takes it obligingly and looks it over to see the name Les Arsenaux D'Aubervilliers printed on it. He puts it in his pocket and decides to find someplace to sleep for the night. Now homeless, jobless, and without a family, he takes refuge in the streets. His only form of income is from the coins that passersby drop into his hat as he performs pantomime in the plaza.

One day while performing, a fellow homeless man calls him over. The man introduces himself as Slammer, due to his time in jail, and that he might know of a family that would be willing to adopt Bazil. Intrigued, he follows Slammer to a junkyard and enters a home built from of all sorts of trash. Inside the cavernous heap he is greeted by several other residents. There is Tiny Pete, a mechanical master, Calculator, who can eye exact measurements with ease, Remington, an ethnographer, Buster, a human cannonball with the mission to get back in the Guinness Book of World Records, Mama Chow, a motherly type, and the Contortionist. He is welcomed to the family.

After salvaging some interesting rubbish, Bazil is returning home in his three-wheeled truck. A few things fall out while he is driving and he stops to retrieve them. Bending down, he sees in the reflection of a puddle a familiar image. It is the office of La Vigilante De L'armement and across the street is the office of Les Arsenaux D'Aubervilliers. A little shocked that the two companies, that have brought the most turmoil his life, are right there beside him. He decides to go in La Vigilante to speak to the president about the bullet that now resides in his head. The president Mr. De Fenouillet wants nothing to do with him. After being thrown out, Bazil sneaks into a party for the chief at Les Arsenaux. Mr. Francois Marconi is giving a speech about how happy he is that the company is doing so well and how he regrets nothing. At that moment Bazil plans to take revenge against both of these men and their companies with the help of his new family.

Jean Pierre Jeunet has directed such films as City of the Lost Children, Delicatessen, Amelie, A Very Long Engagement and a few others. He has the most interesting way of presenting a film and the cinematography is just so unique. The colors have this muted strength like the intensity of when it is about to rain and the sky turns a purplish gray which causes the leaves on the trees to appear a more vibrant green. Jeunet's films are always a delight to watch and it's enjoyable to find Dominique Pinon. He is in every one of Jeunet's films. It's like a Where's Waldo, but you are looking for this short stocky man with great big wrinkly smile. I really enjoyed Micmacs and would be willing to watch it again, but the storyline wasn't hugely memorable. Interesting, but not necessarily memorable.

If you want more great reviews, visit http://slackers.com/!

T Magazine: Asked & Answered | Errol Morris

Images courtesy of Sundance SelectsJoyce McKinney in “Tabloid.”

In his latest film, “Tabloid,” Errol Morris, the celebrated documentarian behind “The Fog of War,” the Oscar-winning portrait of Robert McNamara, and “The Thin Blue Line,” which helped get a man off death row, turns his famous Interrotron on a former Miss Wyoming whose stranger-than-fiction escapades twice invited the scrutiny of tabloid newspapers. In the late 1970s, a beauty queen named Joyce McKinney followed the object of her affections, a plump Mormon missionary named Kirk Anderson, to England, where she may or may not have abducted him at gunpoint. Through the Daily Express, McKinney claimed that Anderson consented to a three-day tryst at a cottage in Devon and was later brainwashed by the Mormon Church. With headlines like “Manacled Mormon,” the Daily Mirror told a different story, one that painted McKinney as an S&M-practicing predator who chained Anderson to a bed and forced him to have sex with her with the hope of getting pregnant. McKinney fled the country in an outlandish disguise and, three decades later, made the news again, this time for persuading a South Korean doctor to clone her beloved pit bull, Booger. The Moment sat down with Morris in SoHo to discuss his mad meditation on obsession, hysteria and the tabloid rag.

Film director Errol Morris.

You picked a good week to come out with a film about tabloids.

Seemingly, yes.

What do you make of the scandals enveloping Murdoch?

Part of journalism, whether journalists want to admit it or not, is selling newspapers, or getting people to read online. There’s a tug between storytelling and the truth, and it’s a slippery slope. What happens when selling the story takes precedence over everything else? Truth can not only take a backseat, it can become almost irrelevant. Then there’s a further problem, where there is no such thing as fair play anymore. Anything goes: stealing, swindling, hacking into phones, lying, cheating, manipulating, misrepresenting. Now, you could say that it all starts with tabloid journalism. I would say that this kind of thing has been with us from the get-go. It’s not the fact that these are tabloids. It’s how the stories were reported and what reporters did to get their hands on them.

Do you read tabloids regularly?

I love tabloids. I grew up with the National Enquirer, which in those days was blood and guts. It was tabloid crime, which is its own genre. Over the years it became a very different kind of tabloid, a celebrity rag. I find it less interesting. Then you got The Post. Do I occasionally read The Post? You betcha. I was traveling when D.S.K. was all over the news. Now, did I pick up The New York Times? Well, I get The Times delivered every day, so it’s a moot point. But no, I bought The Post! Because if I’m reading about D.S.K., I need The Post. For D.S.K., The Times is just not good enough.

What are the elements of a good tabloid story?

We should be able to see ourselves in the story and at the same time say, “I’m glad that didn’t happen to me.” It should be larger than life. It should be absurd. It should have an element of the lurid, the sleazy. Whether it’s Whitey Bulger being captured in Santa Monica or D.S.K. being taken off of a plane at Kennedy Airport, somehow, they get our attention. You can say, “Oh, I’m above all of that. I’m just simply going to read about the debt ceiling.” But the two, as we all know, aren’t always mutually exclusive. The debt-ceiling story may turn out to be a tabloid story as well.

So what drew you to Joyce McKinney?

The feeling that there was a story there. I describe it as the concatenation of two disparate elements. I’ll give you an example. I read an article about Fred Leuchter Jr., who is an electric-chair repairman and designer of capital-punishment equipment. [Leuchter is the subject of "Mr. Death," a film by Morris.] At the very end, it mentions that Leuchter was a holocaust denier, claimed poison gas wasn’t used at Auschwitz. I see this, and I think to myself, That’s a story. Same deal with Joyce. I first read about her in a wire story in The Boston Globe. It started off with dog cloning — a woman, Bernann McKinney, has cloned her pit bull, Booger, and produced these five “mini-Boogers,” as Joyce puts it, in South Korea. I get to the bottom of the article, and it mentions that Bernann McKinney could be Joyce McKinney, who was involved in this sex-in-chains story 30 years ago. What do the two have to do with each other? I think of it as a mystery.

And what do they have to do with each other?

I don’t know that I have resolved it in my mind. Joyce herself is mystified by the connection. In the movie she says, “I don’t see what dog cloning has to do with a 32-year-old sex-in-chains story.” At one screening of “Tabloid,” when we were still working on the movie, I asked the audience afterward: Do you see a connection? A woman in the front row immediately said, “Of course there’s a connection. She finally got pregnant!” And Joyce does have a line after she gets the first call from the doctor in South Korea, when she says, “We’re pregnant!”

Much of what McKinney does, she does in the name of “love” — first her love for Kirk Anderson, then her love for Booger. What did you come to feel was behind her obsessions?

A deep yearning for something. Properly considered, there’s something mysterious about love to begin with. We all know that it’s connected in some way with obsession, if we’re honest with ourselves. I didn’t put this in the movie, but Joyce told me about a Theodore Dreiser short story that she read in high school called “The Second Choice.” I read it, and it’s remarkable — one of the great American short stories, and a truly despairing, bleak short story at that. A woman is in love with a man who doesn’t love her. There is a man who loves her who she thinks is kind of prosaic, kind of boring, not so interesting. And she tells herself, “I’m never going to end up like my mother. I’m not going to end up in a loveless marriage.” In the Dreiser story, the character settles and ends up like her mother. Joyce read this story and said, “That’s not going to happen to me. It’s going to be different for me. I’m never going to settle.” And she doesn’t! Except for the fact that the end result seems even more terrible. Call that some kind of irony. What is she in love with? What is anybody in love with? I sometimes think that Joyce is telling us that love might be about only one person.

She did not agree to be filmed at first. Why do you think she decided to participate?

She has always been interested in telling her story. Part of the story of her life is the story of Joyce trying to tell her story. It’s the bookends of the movie — footage from a Utah filmmaker, Trent Harris, who filmed her in the early ’80s reading from her book, and the book is about her trying to tell her story. It’s one of the more disturbing things, for me, that I’ve ever put on film, because you see her reading from a book that becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. She ends up as she describes herself 30 years earlier.

Is she an American character to you?

She’s quintessentially American, yes. Southern belle, beauty queen, wanting to be famous. Maybe this is not just simply American, but it is in the way it finds expression. I could imagine a version of her in different countries, but somehow she herself is all-American to me.

The movie is, in part, about self-delusion. There is an extraordinary moment where McKinney says, about Anderson and his version of events, “You tell a lie long enough, you start to believe it.” Do you think she believes her own version?

I most certainly do, yes. There is an interesting flip side to that, of course, that if you tell the truth and no one believes it, you come to believe that it’s a lie. I was struck by this in my first meetings with Randall Adams. [Adams is the subject of "The Thin Blue Line."] He had been telling people over and over that he was innocent, which was the truth, but no one believed him. And in telling his own story, it had a singsong quality, almost as if he at a distance was recounting some tale and was no longer sure whether he believed it to be true.

The film is also about the unreliability of narrators. Did this make you more conscious of how you were putting together your narrative?

Someone asked me a really interesting question recently: Has documentary changed in the sense that we now have documentaries that question their own authenticity? I think the answer is yes, and I think it’s a good thing. Call it self-reflexive journalism, or ironic journalism. It’s an awareness that we are telling a story and as such creating something that may or may not be true. The information is there to see it as a story, but also to see how it was constructed and how it was sold, and to wonder about its accuracy. This is certainly a part of this movie that I made, perhaps the most interesting part. It’s not the “Rashomon” idea that truth is subjective or unknowable simply because people have different interests, different dogs in the fight. It’s not about that. This involves a feeling that we can still look behind stories at some reality, a reality that stands behind one subjective account or another. Here the effort is to bring you into the mystery of storytelling, journalism, representation and misrepresentation, and to throw in a love story to boot.

McKinney has been turning up at screenings of the film to heckle and shout, to the apparent delight of audiences. Did she not like the film?

She called it a celluloid catastrophe — in your paper!

This post has been revised to reflect the following correction:

Correction: July 13, 2011

An earlier version of this post misstated the name of a film about Fred Leuchter Jr. It is "Mr. Death," not "Fast, Cheap and Out of Control."

Kick-Ass Review

Stars: Aaron Johnson, Chloe Moretz, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Nicholas Cage
Director: Matthew Vaughn
Release Date: August 3, 2010
MPAA Rating: R

Dave Lizewski is just a normal kid. His only super power is being invisible to girls. He's never crossed paths with a radioactive spider, never been subjected to intense bursts of gamma radiation, and he doesn't have mutant DNA. That's because those things are pretty much impossible. But Dave Lizewski doesn't think that putting on a mask and helping people has to be impossible. It's this blend of naiveity and optimism that turns him into the first hero of his kind in the film Kick-Ass.

Based on the hyper-violent comic book created by Mark Millar and John Romita Jr., Kick-Ass is the story of Dave Lizewski's transformation from normal teenager to normal teenager with a mask. When a scuffle with some thugs is caught on video and posted to the web, it quickly goes viral. Web stardom leads to an inbox filled with requests for help and suddenly Dave, portrayed by relative newcomer Aaron Johnson, is doing hero work, albeit dangerous hero work for your average everyday teen. There's always safety in numbers though, and Kick-Ass quickly finds himself forming a tenuous alliance with fellow heroes Big Daddy (Nicholas Cage), Red Mist (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) and Hit-Girl (Chloe Moretz) in an effort to take down mob boss Frank D'Amico (Mark Strong).

Director/Producer/Writer Matthew Vaughn (Layer Cake, Stardust) shows his chops here as he lifts John Romita Jr's images off the comic page and translates them onto the big screen with an uncanny knack for capturing the artist's original vision. Some scenes, namely the introduction, is almost perfectly frame by frame. In fact, the only thing separating the film from its source material at times is the fidelity of the images. Where Romita inserted a fair amount of grittiness into the comic, Vaughn counters with the same slick production seen in many comic book movies over the past decade. Vaughn toes the line between campy and ghastly and uses the behavior of the characters and the over the top violence that follows their actions, to temper the brightly colored, overly-stylized production and Hollywood feel.

The biggest source of all this gritty violence is little Mindy Macready, a ten-year-old who goes by the name of Hit-Girl. Chloe Moretz, of the upcoming vampire flick Let Me In, steals the scene here with her interpretation of a little girl who would rather play with butterfly knives than dolls. As Dave Lizewski puts it in the comic, "She's like John Rambo meets Polly Pocket."

The rest of the cast turn in above average performances as well, especially Mark Strong who makes his role as Frank D'Amico the transition between last year's Lord Blackwood in Sherlock Holmes and next year's turn as Sinestro in the upcoming Green Lantern. It's no wonder he keeps landing these roles- he makes an excellent antagonist.

As hard as it may be to believe, the film doesn't quite live up to the buckets of blood Millar and Romita Jr. put on display in the graphic novel. There's still plenty to go around here, and when coupled with copious amounts of strong language and some sexual situations, Kick-Ass is rated an unapologetic R. The slight tweak in the amount of gore isn't the only departure Matthew Vaughn and co. take from the source material either. While the main story arc is left predominately untouched, purists may get their feathers ruffled in the way some events unfold and slight differences to minor plot points.

There's not much to get excited about as far as bonus features on the disc. Aside from a 20 minute interview with the comic's creators, you're mostly treated to a bunch of storyboards and marketing materials. The director's commentary track, if you're into that sort of thing, is your typical casserole of interesting tidbits and soul crushing boredom. Extras aside, the film is good enough on its own to warrant a purchase whether you're into comics, comic movies or action movies. You're going to want to get in on the ground floor too. After Vaughn wraps his current project, X-Men: First Class, production on Kick-Ass 2 begins.

Still not convinced? Well, the name of the movie is Kick-Ass. It would be a really bold move if they named it that and it wasn't, kick-ah.. uh well, you know.. a pretty good movie.

If you want more great reviews, visit http://slackers.com/!

The Lord of the Rings Extended Edition Blu-ray Review

Finally, after a highly anticipated waiting period, the Lord of the Rings Extended Edition Blu-ray is available for us rabid Tolkien fans of Middle-earth! If there was ever a trilogy just begging to be upgraded to Blu-ray it would have to be the Lord of the Rings trilogy hands down. The brilliant cinematography of Peter Jackson's films are nothing short of breathtakingly spectacular, and that is without Blu-ray! Viewing them in this fantastic technology is simply a treat that is almost too good to be true.

Why Is the Lord of the Rings Extended Trilogy So Sought After?

With the extended versions of Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings movies, comes the greatest trilogy in film history, bar-none. A dearly beloved tale of gutsy determination, undeniable perseverance, undying friendship and eternal love, the Lord of the Rings resonates, in one way or another, with the imagination of the human spirit... and that is what has made it an instant classic since the days the brilliant tale-weaving, high-fantasy, words of J.R.R. Tolkien were published back in 1954. To experience the brilliance of J.R.R. Tolkien's magic story-telling brought to life with the wizardry of Peter Jackson's cinematography, is a wonder to behold, and with the added Blu-ray, it is a fascinating technological delight for the senses! I grew up reading Tolkien and was absolutely blown away when these epics hit the big screen. To now be able to own the Lord of the Rings Blu-ray extended edition is something that absolutely thrills me.

The Lord of the Rings extended edition gives a much fuller element to the entire unfolding of the story by expanding the characters a lot more. After viewing the extended version you will wonder how you were ever even satisfied with the theatrical editions. The characters are developed to such a greater degree where you get to know their background, their "stories", or who they are, and many other scenes that bring such fullness and completeness that you just don't get from the original non-extended versions. After viewing the extended version the story just makes so much more sense. Poor Peter Jackson... he must have fought through anxiety attacks, as he had to cut so many shots out of the films in order for them to fit onto the theatres when they were first released.

The first movie, "The Fellowship of the Ring" has an additional thirty minutes of extra footage included and brings this film to a close after three-an-a-half hours. The second movie, "The Two Towers" is extended by 43 minutes and concludes after 3 hours and 42 minutes. The last and "grand finale" movie, "The Return of the King" is stretched by a mind-boggling fifty minutes and keeps one, literally, spell-bound in their seats for a senses-tingling ending to the much-loved Tolkien trilogy after 4 hours and 11 minutes! Adding it all up you have eleven hours of masterfully created entertainment pleasure and in Blu-ray to boot! This is by no stretch of the imagination and with no other even close competition the greatest trilogy of all time.

But these are the types of epics that you get lost in, and were they to be 5 or 6 hours long, they would still end too quickly and we would be wishing for extended versions of them!

Giving this awe-inspiring trilogy 5 out of 5 stars feels like I am doing it an injustice in some form... it IS simply THAT good!

Here are a few answers to questions that people are asking about the Lord of the Rings extended Blu-ray:

Official release date is June 28, 2011 There are 6 Blu-ray discs with 3 movies. The movies are delivered on 2 discs each. There is an additional "Special Features" disc for each movie. The extended Lord of the Rings Blu-ray edition includes downloadable digital copies for each movie. There are subtitles available in: Croatian, Czech, English, French, German, Hungarian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Slovak, Spanish.

So where can you find this classic Tolkien trilogy?

I know you're probably quivering all over, with anticipation at this point, and wondering how much longer you're going to have to wait to get your hands on the Lord of the Rings Extended Edition Blu-ray. Well, they have just been released! Read on to discover where you can purchase them...

To get an incredible deal on The Lord of the Rings Extended Edition Blu-ray please visit the Lord of the Rings Extended Edition Blog and get this high-fantasy epic trilogy in your movie library today!

By: POP: The Great Carbon Race! « Take Action Science Project Curriculum Blog

Author Colin Beavan, in research for his next book, began the No Impact Project in November 2006.? A newly self-proclaimed environmentalist who could no longer avoid pointing the finger at himself, Colin leaves behind his liberal complacency and vows to make as little environmental impact as possible for one year.? No more automated transportation, no more electricity, no more non-local food, no more material consumption…no problem.? That is, until his espresso-guzzling, retail-worshipping wife, Michelle, and their two year-old daughter are dragged into the fray.? What began as one man’s environmental experiment quickly becomes an experiment in how much one woman is willing to sacrifice for her husband’s dreams.? Laura Gabbert and Justin Schein’s film provides both a front-row seat into the experiment that became a national fascination and media sensation, and a behind-the-scenes look at the marital challenges that result from Colin and Michelle’s radical lifestyle change. Click here for more information about the movie.

View the original article here

Great Superhero TV - My Hero

Whilst popular TV shows like Smallville and Heroes have come and gone, they were missing a crucial element to the superhero formula. Fun. Sometimes comic book movies and TV shows fail to showcase that having super powers can actually be fun. Spider-Man was overburdened, Superman became lonely and Green Lantern struggled to overcome fear. Before all the live action comic book genre really took in the 21st Century, came one delightful English superhero sitcom, My Hero.

My Hero was created by Paul Mendelson and aired on BBC One in 2000 lasting for six series until concluding in 2006. Ardal O'Hanlon played the role of the multi-powered alien superhero Thermoman, who creates a human alter ego George Sunday. The series follows the lives of George and his family, including his human wife Janet (Emily Joyce) and their two super powered infants. The show focused on how George struggles to fit into society, due to his un-familiarity with life on Earth, he finds himself being misunderstood often.

What made My Hero so successful was that it actually included all of the common conventions of a superhero show, but lampooned the superhero mythos to make the product humorous. The show explored how the hero struggled to fit into society, which provided tons of comedy material. George's awkward relationship with Janet's parents made you laugh, but also made you sympathize with him, as he could not reveal that he was really a multi-powered superhero.

What stood out for me with the show is that it took a superhero with set powers similar to Superman, and brought him down to Earth in a way comic book movies have always struggled to do. Due to George's quest to be accepted by his Wife's parents, whilst saving the world as Thermoman, audiences connected with him and actually supported him throughout the series. That's how you humanize a character that's invincible, something DC has long struggled with for Superman.

As Ardal O'Hanlon was the heart of the show, the product's quality ultimately diminished when he left in 2006 to be replace by actor James Dreyfus. (Gimme Gimme Gimme) Gone was the lovable superhero, replaced by a camp archetypal character that single handedly, despite the best efforts of the show's amazing supporting cast, destroyed the show. Despite the show's poor ending, I can't help but wish the BBC would convince O'Hanlon to return so that My Hero can grace our screens one more time. There are so many sitcoms they have in need of cancellation (My Family mainly) and it's only fitting Britain shows America how to properly handle a superhero sitcom.

The Future of Television

More and more people are having access to television and a lot of people nowadays are also in able to access multiple channels via the satellite signals and even through cable channels. People are really making use of the information and the entertainment provided by television and who can argue with the fact that a lot of big companies are also making a lot of money because of the advertisements that they fund on various television stations. Even today, people are using the television in so many ways and in fact, the potential for television is expanding as we speak.

Information is essential, nowadays; no one can deny that information has become more of a need than a want for any human being. Our brains are bottomless pits which have an insatiable appetite for visual stimulus and information and though only a few know about the effects of television, we are actually persuaded, inclined and attracted to various things that we see on the television each and every day. Although there are a lot of ways to access information, we are all hooked up with our television sets, billions and billions of eyes are constantly fixated to our television sets each and every time.

Nowadays, not only are products and services being promoted on the television each and every day, the television is also being utilized as a means to influence people as well. More and more people are being influenced and more and more people are subconsciously being swayed into making a decision because they are visually bombarded by subliminal messages or blatant advertisements on the television set. I see that the future of television will not only rely on its capability to inform people and educate us, it will also be a tool with which billions will be influenced. No wonder why there are a lot of politicians who also try to do campaigns on television and no wonder why powerful individuals also try to manipulate media to their advantage, this is because they know how powerful television is.

The future of television is definitely one which is bright and powerful, we are now seeing before or eyes, television being able to control us, our actions, our thoughts and our capabilities. We are now seeing before our eyes how television can make money and how it can make an impact in our society. I really think that because of all these things, we will later on find a new and useful feature which can be done by the television that was previously unexplored. I feel that television is indeed very powerful and it also has the potential to connect different worlds. During the recent earthquakes, people were informed and nations all over the globe were able to see it happen in a matter of hours or even minutes. If you do want to be in the know, get connected and look for the professionals for your tv aerial installation needs.

Mica Galleb is an SEO writer and loves to watch TV. She advocates the excellent service of Kiwi Sat Limited for all your aerial installation needs.

Your Highness - David Gordon Green's Lowness

What happened to David Gordon Green? I remember seeing George Washington (2000) years ago on IFC and having my mind blown. Then I got to see All the Real Girls (2003) shortly after its release and I thought to myself, "This man is a genius." After Undertow (2004) and Snow Angels (2007), I could safely say that he was one of my favorite directors. Admittedly, I didn't care for Snow Angels at first, but it has grown on me over time.

Then we get Pineapple Express (2008), and while it doesn't fit in with the rest of his filmography, it's a solid film toting subtle homages to films Green loved growing up, and even he has said it's a film he wanted to get out of his system. But Your Highness? This is a strange inclusion to an otherwise flawless canon. I feel like he's lost himself, or fallen in with the wrong crowd.

I don't know if this is supposed to be a farce, a spoof, a straight comedy, or what. It's all played for laughs, which is a plus. No one takes any second of it seriously; perhaps if they had, it would have been funnier. I think the safest thing to call this film is a misguided effort from almost everyone involved. Danny McBride and David Gordon Green have been friends since college, which is common knowledge; Green has even helped produce and direct episodes of Eastbound and Down, McBride's brilliant television series. Pineapple Express was born of their friendship, and a mutual adoration for that sort of film, which worked purely because of their dedication to the material and Green's unique ability to put a satirical and sarcastic twist on even the most vile subject matter. He used to remind me of Atom Egoyan (Exotica, The Sweet Hereafter), and perhaps he might again, if he avoids further films like this.

The trailer made this seem like a pot comedy, kind of, and yeah, there's a bit of substance abuse here and there, but, mostly, the screenplay just seems to be trying too hard to shock people with absolutely constant "F" bombs and penis jokes, drug use, and for some reason there's a magical creature who is a pedophile and may have molested one of our main characters during their childhood (note: that pedophilia thing isn't anywhere close to a plot point; it's only something to laugh at for a couple of seconds). I'm not one to tell anyone that something dark can't be funny, but some things deserve not to be glossed over as something merely amusing. If there were an actual plotline to go along with the pedophilia, I'd be willing to laugh if someone said something funny. Instead, it's just a creepy mystical creature who smokes a lot of weed and touches little boys, or makes them touch him. It works in TV's Family Guy because of the overall blindness to it; it doesn't work here because of its obviousness. It gives the film an uncomfortable and greasy feel.

Natalie Portman is in this, if anyone's interested. I was, until I saw what she was required to do. Essentially, she's required to be Natalie Portman. She's a determined warrior princess, of the Xena type, and she says a slew of determined things, none of which build any sort of character around her. She's meant to be ogled by the audience and our heroes alike, and that's basically it. Zooey Deschanel, who worked with Green and McBride on the remarkable All the Real Girls, is there as the damsel in distress, kidnapped from James Franco's Fabious on their wedding night by the evil wizard Leezar (Justin Theroux) and threatened with being deflowered during the next eclipse.

Between Franco, Portman, McBride, Theroux, Deschanel, and even Toby Jones (who you might remember from his incredible performance as Truman Capote in 2006's Infamous), this seems to be a collective of people doing work extremely far beneath them. Theroux built his career out of a startling performance in David Lynch films and his satirical screenplays for films like Tropic Thunder (2008); Deschanel started off being that "it" girl that everyone loves. Natalie Portman has been earning her Oscar since she was a child, and she finally won last year for a devastating and transforming performance in Darren Aronofsky's Black Swan. Franco got his Oscar nomination last year for Danny Boyle's 127 Hours, an absolutely breathtaking piece of work. McBride is a comedian, through and through, and he's been much better than this, even with thinner characters, but, with the screenplay that McBride and co-writer Ben Best gave their cast, it seems that none of the focus was put on situational comedy or even dramatic irony. It seems to be more like "say a lot of foul things in a period piece. That's ironic, right? That'll be funny."

It's a film where we're expected to laugh at the threat of rape, looming pedophilia, wearing a penis around your neck, and extremely pointless foul language. I can laugh at those things, but only if you give me something to laugh about. Everything can be funny, I'd like to assume. You just have to work harder to find that angle for some of the more uncomfortable subject matter. That seemed to be the last thing on McBride's mind, but maybe this was some sort of contractual obligation and none of them gave a damn in the first place. I might sleep better at night believing that, and I wouldn't fear so much for the future of David Gordon Green if it were true.

Contact the Author: ScottMartin@moviesididntget.com

Scott invites you to visit 'Movies I Didn't Get' for latest news in indie film. For more information, reviews and comments check out the fastest growing indie film blog: http://www.moviesididntget.com/.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I Movie Review

With the imminent end looming large the clueless trio of Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger are running through the woods mostly trying to figure things out and maybe the second part would be better and extravagant but Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I isn't all that great unless you are a Potter maniac. So if someone told you that the first installment of the Harry Potter finale is strictly for fans do believe them and even steer clear of the film if possible for you might not get most of it.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows- Part I Story

Harry Potter's looking for all the Horcruxes and wants to destroy them before Lord Voldermort's secret to immortality is out. For someone who hasn't read a single Harry Potter book or seen a single Harry Potter film this isn't the film to fall in love with the bespectacled boy wizard. After all it's only fair for the filmmakers not to pander to someone who waltzes in the seventh installment of a franchise and expects to be blown away. In that context Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I surely lacks the punch that a second last film of a seven part series should possess. This isn't Rambo or Rocky or even Police Academy that loses its sheen somewhere between part III and IV; on the contrary JK Rowling's successful series has it all figured out.

Apparently even those Potter maniacs who might not dress up as wizards while watching the film agree that this version stands very true to the book. But if looked from a different point of view the entire tension of Harry and Hermione walking around in the woods trying to decipher how to stop the Dark Lord largely consists of scenes that look cyclic. Harry, Hermione and Ron don't look really sad even when they get to learn of the deaths of people close to them. Rather they seem to mature up in a jiffy and move on to some more rambling in the dark.

Final Words on Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows- Part I

Does it really make sense to have a full film that acts like a half-hearted and almost soulless prelude to the climax? Maybe it does to be loyal to the spirit book. Could the two Deathly Hallows installments actually be one tight power-packed film? Perhaps yes. But the meditative tension of the book that has been translated on to the screen might just work very well with Potter freaks and set things up for penultimate finale. So what's the pay off for the first time viewers or the greatest of non-believers of Potter? The fantastic animation sequence about the secret of the Deathly Hallows stands out and is brilliant to say the least. Also the sequence of Rupert Grint's Ron finally confronting his worst fears of losing Hermione to his best friend and Dobby's death are good.

With all the talking and the seeking Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I ends on a great note of promise and after spending a better half of their lives playing the leads Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson look set for the final episode.

For someone who remains largely unaffected by Potter mania, this reviewer finds it rather difficult to rate this film.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows- Part I Cast: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Helena Bonham Carter, Ralph Fiennes and Robbie Coltrane

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows- Part I Screenplay by: Steve Kloves based on the book by J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows- Part I Directed by: David Yates

I am a Delhi-based author who writes for Buzzintown.com as part of Buzz Bureau team, while I also wear the hat of a documentary film maker. To know about latest English movies Bangalore or English movies Mumbai please visit movies.Buzzintown.com

Movie Plot Thoughts: Transformers 3 Dark of the Moon

In the weeks leading up to quite possibly the most anticipated movie of the summer (although the Boy Magician - Harry Potter - will surely give it a run for its money), Transformers Dark of the Moon has characteristically released tidbit-after-tidbit of its plot. The much-maligned franchise hasn't successfully done this in four years, since the blockbuster Transformers 2007 live-action film, as Revenge of the Fallen was a cinematic desert - huge yet insubstantial. Fans nationwide are primed with anticipation, if only out of the accurate reasoning that the third movie couldn't possibly be any worse than film 2.

With all that said, since the Writer's Strike excuse that was used for the paucity and lack-of-focus of Revenge of the Fallen (surely they could have gotten a fan to write the plot, right? It would have been better than what they ended up with) is no more, what can we expect Dark of the Moon to be about? It is clear they've picked a good element around which to revolve it; the space-race between the US and USSR gets max points just for its significance alone. The revelation in the most recent batch of post-Superbowl Transformers commercials that human beings might have sided with the Decepticons does one of the best things an action film can do for the audience: post them strongly on one side over another side. Don't be surprised if the audience is rooting only for the Autobots, and the only humans that get any love whatsoever are Sam and girl! Especially when the trailers seem to suggest that the human government, or some elements of it, knew of the Decepticons long before the general public, and sought to use them for personal reasons - which pretty much sums up human history.

The introduction of a new villain, Shockwave, also leaves us wondering what role - if any - Megatron will play in Dark of the Moon. The Decepticon leader, as evidenced by his admonition to Starscream in Revenge of the Fallen: "Even in death, there is no rule but mine!" clearly doesn't do well as second-fiddle. In the comics, Shockwave was his general on Cybertron, left there to continue the bad fight as Megatron chased the AllSpark and Prime across the universe. Will Transformers 3 involve some kind of showdown between the brutal-looking Shockwave and the Decepticon-leader? Are humans using the Decepticons to try and control the populace in some way, only to have it (Surprise!!) backfire? We'll see in less than a week.

Christina Thomas is an Astrophysics grad student who has recently become very interested in web development and internet marketing in her (very) limited free time. she enjoys, first and foremost, taking her nephews to all things Transformers! Come and check us out at:

http://cybertron-transformers.blogspot.com/2011/06/last-post-superbowl-transformers.html

http://cybertron-transformers.blogspot.com/p/autobots.html

The Bay Citizen: A Film Festival Revisits an Audience’s Outcry

Protesters, deeming the film anti-Israel, clashed verbally with event supporters at the Castro Theater screening and called for a boycott and definancing of the festival. The debate about the film, which was titled “Rachel,” continued for months, and Peter Stein, the festival’s executive director, ended up apologizing for “not fully considering how upsetting this program might be.”

This year’s festival, which begins Thursday and runs through Aug. 8, will revisit the controversy with a documentary, “Between Two Worlds,” directed by Deborah Kaufman, the festival’s founder, and Alan Snitow, her husband. Taking the form of a personal essay, the film uses the 2009 debate over “Rachel” as a springboard to ask bigger questions about Jewish identity and who speaks for the Jewish community.

While blindsided by the outcry, Mr. Stein does not regret his 2009 decision to screen “Rachel,” as raising questions has always been part of the 31-year-old festival’s mandate.

“Every year,” he said, “we’re creating a snapshot of the concerns, divisions and preoccupations of a very, very diverse community.”

But the quandary faced by the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival, over how to please a core audience while also asking it to confront hot-button issues, is shared by many Bay Area film festivals. As Mr. Stein said, festivals organized around specific ethnic or cultural groups can often set off the most heated conversations around film programming.

In the past few years, audience members have complained about curatorial choices of the Arab Film Festival, Frameline’s San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival, and the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival — all, like the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival, among the biggest of their kind in the United States — though no outcry has risen to the degree of the 2009 dispute over “Rachel.”

Four months ago, the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival, presented by the Center for Asian American Media, showcased “Charlie Chan at the Olympics,” a 1937 feature that prompted some festivalgoers to voice disapproval of the film’s stereotypes. The naysayers spoke out at the screening’s question-and-answer session and through comments on the festival’s Web site, said Christine Kwon, the festival’s managing director.

“The Asian diaspora is large,” said Ms. Kwon, “and we have to cover a lot of different things and cater to a lot of different tastes.”

In 2007, Frameline pulled its scheduled screening of “The Gendercator,” a science-fiction short, after getting angry feedback from those who said the film denigrated transgender people. Made by Catherine Crouch, a lesbian director, the movie imagines a futuristic world in which the Gendercator, a government administrator, enforces a rule that requires butch women and effeminate men to adhere to mainstream gender norms.

Some of Frameline’s sponsors said they would withdraw financing if “The Gendercator” were shown, Ms. Crouch said in interviews at the time. The festival’s director, Jennifer Morris, vehemently denied this, saying it was the transgender community’s outcry that prompted the jettisoning of the film.

“It crossed the bar too far,” said Ms. Morris. Still, she said that audiences at Frameline, an annual June event, “are coming to the festival to be challenged.”

Screenings of films at the Arab Film Festival that take on gay and lesbian issues often bring objections from officials at Arab consulates, said Michel Shehadeh, the executive director of the festival, which takes place every October. That was the case with the 2008 showing of “All My Life,” an Egyptian drama with scenes of men kissing, having sex and sleeping together, and the 2007 showing of “The Beirut Apartment,” a documentary that features gay men and lesbians talking openly about their lives.

Films that portray the harshness of gender relations, like “Every Day Is a Holiday,” a Lebanese drama that the Arab Film Festival showed in 2009, have also drawn objections.

“People say, ‘Why are you showing our dirty laundry?’?” said Mr. Shehadeh. “I say, it’s our laundry and we should show it ourselves rather than discussing it behind closed doors.”

It also doesn’t hurt festival bottom lines that controversial films tend to bring news-media attention and crowds.

When presenting potentially crowd-displeasing fare, festival curators said that they often added Q. and A. sessions to allow differing parties to air their views.

The San Francisco Jewish Film Festival, in circling back around to “Rachel,” has been careful to plan a roundtable discussion for “Between Two Worlds,” featuring the filmmakers, a rabbi and two professors, about the issues raised in both documentaries.

For Mr. Stein, who will be stepping down as head of the festival this year to focus on his own filmmaking projects, the documentary and post-screening discussion act as a bookend to his eight-year tenure — and as a reminder of what he hopes the festival will stand for in the years ahead.

“Not every film requires the airing-out of issues, but for a festival to be relevant, to be more than simply an entertainment, that’s part of our function, especially for community-specific festivals,” said Mr. Stein. “The job isn’t to simply be a celebration of identity.”

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides - A Little More Penzance Than Last Time

In what could be called "Captain Jack and the Last Crusade," we say goodbye to Will and Elizabeth Turner (Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley, respectively) and hello to a more expensive look, drearier set pieces, and a more puzzling plot line. However, one benefit of the Pirates films is that no matter how twisted the story may be, and no matter how questionable things may get, everything seems to fall into place. The franchise has always had a firm rooting in faith, spirituality and things seemingly happening for a reason, with the hint of a moral compass always guiding the way, so in that aspect the film gives itself room to take outlandish turns, so long as everything fits. On Stranger Tides is certainly no exception to this rule, but At World's End (2007) had that market cornered.

I have to say, and I know I'm one of the few, but I missed seeing Bloom and Knightley side by side with Johnny Depp. I always took them to be the crux of the trilogy, especially because their stories were the forefront: them meeting, discovering more about their pasts, getting married, having a baby, etc., all while Captain Jack Sparrow gets himself in one scrape and out of another. But, inevitably, their story drew to an end in At World's End, giving this film more of a chance to focus on Sparrow's past - lost love, old friendships, all that. As the film opens, Captain Jack (Depp, as savvy as ever) impersonates a British judge to escape hanging for crimes he may or may not have committed, though he probably did; he's just not ready to hang for them. The opening of the film tells us this: Jack is in London looking for a ship and a crew. This is true, but not in the sense that everyone thinks it is; in fact, it's an impostor posing as Jack. Her name is Angelica (Penelope Cruz) and she's the only one with enough guts to impersonate the infamous captain and get away with it. She's an old love, or as close as Jack has gotten to it. Meanwhile, Jack is looking for the Fountain of Youth. The catch is, so is the Spanish kingdom, the British Navy, helmed by Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush, back from the first film and looking barely alive), and Blackbeard (the performance of the film, from Ian McShane), along with his daughter, Angelica. Spoiler? Not really.

The franchise, regardless of how fun it is, is tired. It's been tired since 2003 when we discovered The Curse of the Black Pearl. There shouldn't have been a second film, or a third one, and I like to think that everyone recognizes the lack of a need for a trilogy, but Dead Man's Chest (2006) and At World's End managed to give us a story that feeds off of the first one and into the third one, kind of forcing a trilogy on us. On Stranger Tides feels like it's the final part, but Disney can keep threatening a fifth installment. With the financial success of the films so far, it'd be a fool's bet to say they wouldn't do it. It'll be big, it'll be loud, it'll be expensive, Depp will be loads of fun, the story won't make much sense for most of the film, and there will be millions of bags of popcorn sold all over the country. Sounds about right.

Something that's bothered me since Dead Man's Chest is the incomprehensible editing. Other than story-depth, that's what has seemed to take the biggest dip in quality. Remember the quality of the sword fights in The Curse of the Black Pearl? Or how exciting it was watching Orlando Bloom and Jack Davenport swash-buckle on a giant rolling wheel? Okay, maybe that's a stretch, but that scene was brilliantly composed, even if lacking in the logic department. One thing that makes or breaks action movies is the editing. Pirates had that, then it lost it, never to get it back. At least the quality of the cinematography, music and art direction seems to only be improving. The music here, composed by Hans Zimmer, has as much life as it ever has, and it's put to staggeringly good use, considering this is a Rob Marshall film.

A note about Rob Marshall: he's possibly one of the most hit-or-miss directors alive. He made a masterpiece with Chicago (2002), but Nine (2009) was a miserable mess, and for anyone who has seen his TV version of Annie (1999), well... I'm sorry. Here, though, I'd venture to say he's back on the right track. This isn't the best of the Pirates films, nowhere close, but he has managed a minor success in his filmography. If there is a fifth film, and they can't convince Gore Verbinski to come back and do it right, then I hope they bring Rob Marshall along for the ride again. He kept the film lively and bouncy, and the final joke in the film, a small delivery between Jack and Angelica, had me laughing for a good five or six minutes. A perfectly produced moment.

The performances are the bright spot. Depp has made a wonderful character out of Jack Sparrow. He has never once made fun of the character; he believes Sparrow with every ounce of his considerable talent and keeps him from being a repetitive mess. His swagger doesn't ever feel forced, and hasn't for four movies now. It's no wonder his first outing as the captain garnered him his first Oscar nomination. Geoffrey Rush is obviously having fun as Captain Barbossa, and Penelope Cruz continues to be one of the most compulsively watchable actresses alive. Her alarming beauty and quick comedic timing are put to extremely good use; Marshall knows how to direct her. The best performance in the film, however, comes from Ian McShane as Edward Teach (Blackbeard, as we've come to fear him); he's slimy, contemptible, but fun - the ideal Disney villain.

Contact the Author: ScottMartin@MoviesIDidntGet.com

Scott invites you to visit 'Movies I Didn't Get' for latest news in indie film. For more information, reviews and comments check out the fastest growing indie film blog: http://www.moviesididntget.com/.

The Deadliest Star Wars Fighters

In the Star Wars universe there are some fantastic space battles on a regular basis. By the very nature of Star Wars involving species from many different planets it's inevitable that battles are going to take place in space. Over generations of all out wars and small skirmishes there have been a wide range of small one or two man spaceships that have made an impression on Star Wars fans.

The X-Wing.
This is the ship that destroyed the Death Star and Luke Skywalker's number one ride. The X-Wing is well armoured, has great agility and reasonable speed making it a great all rounder. In the books following Return of the Jedi the new Jedi order introduce a stealth version called a Stealth-X which is jet black and can go undetected on radar. The Stealth-X ships are most effective when piloted by Jedi using a force mind meld as they don't have to rely on radio contact which could give their location away.

The A-Wing
The A-Wing was first introduced in Return of the Jedi during the Battle of Endor. The A Wing is a small fast and agile craft. It is much faster than an X-Wing but it has very weak shields which can be taken out easily. The A-Wing relies on its speed to avoid getting hit.

The Jedi Starfighter
The Jedi get all the good toys. The Jedi starfighter during the start of the Clone Wars is like a mini star destroyer in shape. The Jedi starfighter doesn't have any hyperdrive ability so it needs to connect to a hyperdrive ring when a Jedi needs to travel to other planets. The Jedi starfighter is very nimble but it doesn't have strong shields. It is fitted with an astromech droid. At the end of the Clone Wars the Jedi get an upgrade to a new fighter which looks like the original Jedi starfighter mixed with the millenium falcon and a tie fighter. It has a similar ball cockpit to the tie fighter and similar front mandibles like the Millenium Falcon.

Vulture Droids
The vulture droids were first seen at the beginning of The Phantom Menace but were seen in action at the beginning of Revenge of the Sith. The Vulture droid can stand on its wings when not in flight mode and is deadly in the air. It can shoot regular rockets as well as buzz droids which will latch onto an enemy ship and take it apart.

To read about Star Wars or to buy a Republic V-19 Starfighter visit Scifi-toys.co.uk

Devil Review

Stars: Chris Messina, Geoffrey Arend
Director: John Erick Dowdle
Release Date: December 21, 2010
MPAA Rating: PG-13

Devil is like an extra long episode of The Twilight Zone. Imagine, if you will, five strangers stuck inside of a broken-down elevator. Whenever the lights go out in the elevator, something sinister happens. A detective on the outside is trying desperately to set them free and figure out which one is the killer. One of the security guards who operates the security camera inside of the elevator begins to believe a tale that he was told as a child: that the devil is amongst them.

M. Night Shyamalan, praised for The Sixth Sense and ridiculed for The Last Airbender, wrote the story that Devil is based on and was also a producer. John Erick Dowdle, known for the horror remake Quarantine, directed. The cast is a mesh of virtual unknowns without a real standout in the bunch.

Devil plays on a number of fears. The thought of being stuck in a confined space, such as an elevator, with other people is unnerving to most. During the movie, the audience is pretty much stuck in the elevator with these people and the claustrophobic atmosphere is evident. Being trapped in an elevator is bad enough, but when people start to die, everyone turns against each other. It suddenly becomes a witch-hunt with everyone accusing the others of being to blame.

Then, of course, there's the small matter of being trapped with the devil. This should be a terrifying experience, one that leaves us shaken long after we finished watching it. Unfortunately, this does not happen. There is some violence with some blood, but these moments happen very quickly. This movie could have done so much more with this concept, but with its semi-family friendly PG-13 rating, it can only do so much.

Ultimately Devil feels more like a B-movie than anything else. The dialogue can be forced and generic at times. The film has a particularly low-budget feel to it, but many films that take place in one setting are typically viewed as low-budget. It's not a terrible movie, but it's not terrifying either. Definitely unsettling, though. For those expecting an M. Night Shyamalan twist, prepare to be disappointed. There's a little something at the end that's a bit of a surprise, but not a huge plot twist. This film is meant to be the first installment of a trilogy called Night Chronicles; each one is to have a different director and will be based on one of Shyamalan's stories. No word on what the next story will be. Hopefully the next film will be scarier, and rated R.

If you want more great reviews, visit http://slackers.com/!

By: » Worms, worms, worms No Impact Massachusetts

Author Colin Beavan, in research for his next book, began the No Impact Project in November 2006.? A newly self-proclaimed environmentalist who could no longer avoid pointing the finger at himself, Colin leaves behind his liberal complacency and vows to make as little environmental impact as possible for one year.? No more automated transportation, no more electricity, no more non-local food, no more material consumption…no problem.? That is, until his espresso-guzzling, retail-worshipping wife, Michelle, and their two year-old daughter are dragged into the fray.? What began as one man’s environmental experiment quickly becomes an experiment in how much one woman is willing to sacrifice for her husband’s dreams.? Laura Gabbert and Justin Schein’s film provides both a front-row seat into the experiment that became a national fascination and media sensation, and a behind-the-scenes look at the marital challenges that result from Colin and Michelle’s radical lifestyle change. Click here for more information about the movie.

View the original article here

Community Television Series

Community is a television sitcom that is based at Greendale Community College. It was created by Don Harmon and airs on NBC, debuting in September 2009. Harmon based the show on the experiences he had while attending Glendale Community College in the northeast of Los Angeles. Community is filmed at Los Angeles City College, California.The show uses an ensemble cast made up of Joel McHale, Danny Pudi, Gillian Jacobs, Alison Brie, Yvette Nicole Brown, Donald Glover, Chevy Chase and Ken Jeong

The premise of the show is that an unlikely study group forms when Jeff Winger (McHale) pretends to be a Spanish tutor in order to spend time with Britta (Jacobs). However, she invites Abed (Pudi) to the group, who also invites Shirley (Brown), Annie (Brie), Troy (Glover) and Pearce (Chase). The group soon learn of Jeff's deceit, but eventually decide to remain in the study group together. Despite their very different backgrounds and circumstances, the group becomes friends. They all begin to see things from other people's views, and Jeff in particular evolves due to his interactions with the group. The setting, Greendale Community College, is filled with crazy scenarios, inspired in no small part by Dean Pelton (Rash). Pelton is constantly trying to legitimise Greendale as a college and elevate its status.

Jeff Winger is the sarcastic but grounded character who is constantly pointing out the ridiculousness of the events happening at Greendale. Jeff is the main focus of Community, although the show is largely an ensemble effort. Winger was a lawyer who was disbarred for exaggerating his law degree. He is attending Greendale to get a legitimate law degree. McHale will be familiar to television audiences as the host of The Soup.

Community relies heavily on popular culture references and meta-humour. This is to stay it draws attention to its own status as a television show and pokes fun at itself. It is more self aware than most TV shows. The main source of this humour is Danny Pudi's Abed Nadir. Abed is one of the breakout characters of the show. Another audience-favourite is Senor Chang, played by the familiar Ken Jeong. Chang begins series one as the study group's Spanish tutor. However, it turns out his situation is similar to Jeff Winger's and he is faking his job credentials. He then returns as a student and is desperate to join the study group.

Community is sure to gather a cult following due to its unique take on the sitcom genre and it has already been renewed for a third season.

If you want to find out the hilarious Community television show, check out my Community TV Series Squidoo Lens. I also have a Community TV Series page at HubPages.

Reviewed: Bridesmaids [2011]

15 - 125mins - Comedy - 24th June 2011

Many people have been describing this as the female version of The Hangover. Those people however forgot to do one tiny thing- watch both films! Yes both films revolve around the preparation for a wedding and contain their fair share of low brow comedy but that is where the similarities end.

Bridesmaids follows Annie (Kristen Wiig), the maid of honour for her best friend Lillian's (Maya Rudolph) wedding. While she is preparing for the big day though, the rest of her life is falling apart around her. Her love life is in tatters and she is struggling to keep on top of the bills. All the while she has to set up the wedding, organise the bride and compete with the other eccentric bridesmaids to keep things on track.

The main thorn in her side comes from Helen (Rose Byrne), one of Lillian's new friends and bridesmaids who Annie feels is taking her friend away from her just when she needs her the most. Add to that the other colourful Bridesmaids of Megan (Melissa McCarthy), Rita (Wendi McLendon-Covey) and Becca (Ellie Kemper) with the continual flow of jokes and situations and you get one decent comedy.

What I liked about Bridesmaids was the fact that it did not shy away from all the gruesome details just because the characters were female. Usually women in films are depicted more prim and proper so it was refreshing to have this change. Some might consider some of the scenes to go a little too far or continue for just a bit too long (one scene in particular did start to drag for me) but I felt overall it just about hit the nail on the head.

Wiig, along with her co-stars, impresses throughout the film showing us that she has a place as a comic actress and the addition of Chris O'Dowd as the love interest worked well.

If I were to pick fault with the movie then I would have to say that some of the characters didn't make me want to care that much about what happened to them (but then again this is primarily a comedy not a drama) especially the bride who I never felt that was enjoying her wedding at any point. Also there were probably a few too many sub-plots and side stories that could have been shaved of to drag the time under 2 hours. Apart from that, I was pretty impressed.

This may be one set out for the females in the audience but it is very much a guys film as well. There is a bit of a romcom element but it takes a backseat to the main female character driven comedy. Some will find the jokes distasteful and not rate the movie because of this but I was chuckling away on more than one occasion. Guys, if your going to be dragged along to one 'chick flick' this year then make sure it's this one.

Rating: B

For further reviews feel free to check out: http://www.fanaticalaboutfilms.com/

American Psycho Film Review

American Psycho is a 2000 thriller film. It stars Christian Bale, Willem Dafoe, Reese Witherspoon, Samantha Mathis, and Chloe Sevigny. The story is by Bret Easton Ellis. The director is Mary Harron.

The story centers around a Wall Street tycoon named Patrick Bateman. Bateman is a conformist and a perfectionist. He also has a side to him that nobody knows about. At night, he sometimes seeks the company of prostitutes. Bateman has a lust for blood and will kill anybody he feels like killing. He will sometimes kill coworkers simply because they have a better-looking business card than he does. His desire for blood soon slips over into his days and he begins to lose control of his "mask of sanity".

Although many would classify this film as a typical horror movie, I believe it is so much more. Of course it has the makings of one with all the blood and violence, but it also has the psychological aspect. We get to experience what Patrick Bateman is thinking and going through. We see his confusion with what is right and what is wrong. The audience gains an understanding and almost a sympathy for Bateman as he begins to realize what he has done.

One thing I noticed even before I saw the film is the connection between the names of fictional serial killer Norman Bates of Hitchcock's horror classic Psycho and Patrick Bateman of this film, American Psycho. Bates and Bateman, Psycho and American Psycho. Plus, Norman Bates was clearly based on murderer Ed Gein in the 1950's. Likewise, Patrick Bateman is obsessed with well-known murderers, including Gein. He even quotes him in a scene in the middle of the film, catching his friends completely off guard by saying it right out of the blue.

Another feature that caught my eye was Bateman's obsession with fitting in and having the best and most expensive possessions of all his friends. His obsession with conformance may have been what drove him to be so psychologically confused and, somehow, enhanced his blood lust. Bateman was so into being like who he thought his friends were, that he lost track of who he really was. He surrounded himself with all these things that weren't really him at all and it drove him over the edge.

To wrap, American Psycho is a great horror thriller that those who seek a psychological thriller will, I believe, enjoy this film very much!

Kevin T. Dillehay has written nearly a hundred movie reviews from all genres. He provides a unique perspective on the movies you see all the time but may not stop and think about in depth. You are invited to check out his work at http://www.moviefilmreview.com/author/kmonk10.