Best Reviews Of A Collection of 2006 Academy Award Nominated Short Films

February 4th, 2010 by angelina6277078
Best Reviews Of A Collection of 2006 Academy Award Nominated Short Films. Best Reviews Of A Collection of 2006 Academy Award Nominated Short Films.

Movie Title: A Collection of 2006 Academy Award Nominated Short Films
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A Collection of 2006 Academy Award Nominated Short Films is available for streaming or downloading.

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I love shorts and have bought a number of short collections. However, it’s always a grab-bag. Usually there will be some shorts that are excellent, a few that are stupid or lousy, and some that are mediocre. But I’m willing to put up with the lousy and mediocre ones in order to enjoy the excellent ones. However, this particular collection of 7 shorts that were nominated for the 2006 Academy Awards, plus 6 extra ones, is the absolute best collection that I own. Of the 13, not one was lousy, and only 2 or 3 were in the mediocre category. The two which won, “West Bank Story” for live action and “The Danish Poet” for animated, blew me away, but many of the others gave them quite a run for their money. Particularly “Helmer and Son” about a son who is called into a nursing home to talk to his father who has locked himself inside his closet, and “The Savior” about a group of church missionaries who are trying to convert the people who live in a neighborhood by going door-to-door, but one of them begins to have an affair with one of the housewives, who is married. And of the bonus shorts, “A Gentleman’s Duel” (about two men who want to kill each other over a lady) and “One Rat Short” (excellent animation of a rat caught in a scientific laboratory) really stand out. Still, my absolute favorite is “West Bank Story” which satirizes “West Side Story” and tensions between Israelis and Palestinians by comparing it to competing fast food restaurants.

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This DVD brings together the five short films nominated for the 2006 Live Action Short Film Academy Awards and two of the animated short films nominated for the 2006 Animated Short Film Academy Awards. The films on the disc are:

WEST BANK STORY–this live action mini-musical parodies the famous WEST SIDE STORY. The film takes place in the Middle East on the West Bank. On the border between Israel and un-nationalized Palestine are two competing fast food restaurants. One the one side of the border is the Kosher King, a fast food kosher restaurant. Directly across the border next to the Kosher King is the Hummus Hut, a fast food restaurant specializing in Middle Eastern cuisine. The sister of the owner of the Humus Hut, Fatima, and an Israeli border guard, David, fall in love with each other. The story is told through humorous singing and dancing numbers. This film was the winner of the 2006 Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film.

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THE SAVIOUR–in this short live action film from Australia, a young apparently Christian missionary sent on a weekly door to door witnessing campaign becomes involved in an affair with a married woman.

HELMER & SON–Jess is called into the retirement home where his father, Helmer, is staying. Helmer has locked himself into the wardrobe and won’t come out.

ONE TOO MANY–tired of living with two helpless males, Fernando’s wife leaves him and throws many of his belongings into the street. Fernando awakens his son, Joaquin, and the two travel to a rest home where Fernando’s mother-in-law lives. They pick the woman up and bring her home, hoping that she will take her daughter’s place and cook and clean for them.

BINTA & THE GREAT IDEA–Binta is a young girl living in a small village in Senegal. Binta’s father is a fisherman with great ideas. He shares a grand idea with Binta that he hopes will bring peace and joy to the world. Binta transcribes a letter he dictates and her father starts out on a journey taking the letter from one government official to another. Meanwhile, Binta’s cousin Soda yearns to attend school and receive an education, but her strict father refuses to allow her to go. So, the school children get together and perform a play in an attempt to convince Soda’s father to allow her to attend school.

THE DANISH POET–one of the two featured animated shorts on the DVD. The story revolves around a man named Kasper, a Danish poet, and his search to become inspired. The message of the movie is about the interconnectedness of humanity and the importance in living a life full of joy and love instead of despair and sadness. This film won the Oscar for Best Animated Short 2006.

MAESTRO–the second of the featured animated shorts on the DVD. A mechanical arm and a wooden arm work together for their big performance.

Besides the featured five live action shorts and two featured animated shorts, the DVD also includes six other films.

THE WRAITH OF COBBLE HILL–in this black and white stop motion clay animation, it’s winter in Cobble Hill Brooklyn. Felix is a high school student living with his mother. His mother is around, but only physically and Felix is left to fend for himself. When the elderly owner of a convenience store asks Felix to watch the store and his dog while he is gone for a few days, Felix is given a grand opportunity. He starts spreading the spoils of the store with his friends, but neglects the dog. Felix has to come to grips with what he is doing and decide if this is the life he wants to live.

SURVIVING THE RUSH–this is the only live action short of the extra shorts included on the DVD. It follows an assistant manager and his team at a local Cineplex in Michigan through the worst possible night ever.

THE PASSENGER–while reading a scary story on his way home, a boy sits next to strange fish on the bus that turns into a ferocious beast anytime he hears loud vibrations. The fish terrifies the boy until he realizes he can use the creature to his advantage.

ONE RAT SHORT–in this computer animated short, a brown city rat chases a bag of discarded cheese curls and accidentally lands in a science lab where he meets and is smitten with a blue-eyed white female lab rat. They plan to escape from the lab, but even the best prepared plans sometimes go awry. This is an elegantly illustrated picture told without any dialogue.

A GENTLEMEN’S DUEL–in this piece of computer animated steam punk, two gentlemen “duel” over the same extremely attractive and voluptuous young woman.

GUIDE DOG–in this more traditionally-animated film, an energetic and eager dog applies to be a guide dog. As the dog finds out, being a guide dog isn’t as easy as it seems.

As far as short collections go, this DVD is one of the better that I’ve seen. Usually collections such as these contain a few really good films and several stinkers. There really aren’t any terrible films on the DVD. The only film I didn’t enjoy very much was THE WRAITH OF COBBLE HILL. I really liked all the other films. My favorites were WEST BANK STORY, BINTA & THE GREAT IDEA, THE DANISH POET, THE PASSENGER, and A GENTLEMEN’S DUEL.

Overall, a very nice collection and highly recommended for anyone who enjoys watching short films.

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Watch Into the Storm on Xbox

January 24th, 2010 by angelina6277078
Watch Into the Storm on Xbox. Watch Into the Storm on Xbox.

Movie Title: Into the Storm
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I’ve never written a review in my life, and at the slay of my comments some readers may say they can examine why; nonetheless this movie compelled me to fragment my thought. A delicate cinematic portrayal of Winston Churchill’s service as Britian’s Prime Minister during World War II. Brendan Gleesons performance as Churchill is advantageous, capturing not only his physical attributes but his careful plan provoking suppose of vocabulary as well. The casting of Roosevelt and Stalin is noteworthy, you would issue you were a soar on the wall at Yalta. Janet McTeer as Clemmie (Mrs. Churchill) is the epitome of a profitable British wife, friend and confidante to the Prime Minister. Iain Glen’s role as King George VI is as royal as the monarch himself. Historically legal and brilliantly written. From the Parlimentary debates to the loyal war footage and Churchill’s relationships with his cabinet, war ministers, family and the King. A large film, lively and informative. KBO-HBO!

I unbiased finished watching “Into The Storm” and could not be more appalled by what I saw. Firstly, on merely technical matters the film is terribly edited as it continuously jumps between the events of the Second World War and the days before Churchill’s loss in the 1945 election for Prime Minister honest after the war ends, while giving very shrimp historical context tedious the events that it depicts. Secondly, it is poorly acted as Churchill is portrayed as a crotchety, traditional, pig-headed, bullying, war-monger who enjoyed war and did not want it to extinguish, cared runt for the men under his charge, did not tag the advice of his military advisors and fellow MPS, and treated his servants and his family particularly his wife, with disdain. (Not to mention that the acting itself by all alive to, feels inauthentic, and not believable, as if the actors are playing caricatures, rather then proper people.) Thirdly, the filmmakers even go so far as to imply that Churchill was as unpleasant as Hitler in his conduct of the war by filming a scene in the House of Commons where a Labour MP makes that assertion, and by showing Churchill reacting indifferently to the bombings of German towns, sanctioning the killing of German civilians, and presents the bombing of Dresden as being on the same scale as all of the horrors that the Nazis perpetrated on the world.( Mind you, I’m aware that the bombing of Dresden was a reprehensible act, but it does not even arrive stop to the horrors wrought on the world by Nazi Germany.) Fourthly, it implies that Josef Stalin,-one of the most vile men in history- had more first-rate sense when it came to fighting the war then Churchill when they have discussions about the it during the Teheran and Yalta Conferences. Fifthly, it diminishes his speeches by showing him giving them in a minute context by either simply rehearsing them or cutting off memorable sections for example his line about “man’s finest hour.” Finally, and maybe most importantly, there is nothing admirable or fine about Churchill as none of his purported warmth, humor, decency, fabulous eloquence or charisma are even touched on. In short, he is not seen as the immense man that with the abet of others saved the world from one of the most despicable regimes ever loosed upon it that threatened its very existence.

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Shame on the people who made this! I hope that any money they made from it is burned and I cannot contain it received Emmy Awards!

So, therefore I say DO NOT extinguish your money by purchasing this historically unsuitable, badly do together film that desecrates the legacy of one of the indisputably fabulous figures of the Twentieth Century.

If you long to notice honest representations of Churchill and World War II, see: “The Gathering Storm,” ” Then There Were Giants,” “The Winds of War,” and “War and Remembrance,” they do it justice.

I am at a loss to understand how after releasing such an fantastic film as “The Gathering Storm” in 2002, HBO-A network which often releases worthy movies and specials- could follow it up with this vile allotment of filth.

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Download Saikano OVA – Another Love Song

January 19th, 2010 by angelina6277078
Download Saikano OVA - Another Love Song. Download Saikano OVA – Another Love Song.

Movie Title: Saikano OVA – Another Love Song
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Saikano OVA – Another Love Song is available for streaming or downloading.

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First off, it’s best to mention that this OVA is not a good way to be introduced to Saikano. Viewers will gain a great deal more if they have seen the show first.

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For only two episodes, a lot more happens in this space of time than in the rest of the show. Yet this OVA relies on following events that take place early on in the show. Hence why it’s important to watch the series first.

While the series was mostly told through Shuji’s point of view, the OVA is more 3rd-person, with emphasis on new character Lieutenant Mizuki and Chise. In fact, Shuji has no major involvement at all, apart from constantly being on Chise’s mind.

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This OVA is good in that it explains more. In the series, viewers don’t know really know the “how” or “why” Chise was made into the ultimate weapon. We get those answers, but once again, the “how” or “why” isn’t as important. Themes of war, being human, and love are still going strong. We see more of Chise’s internal struggle between her human self and the weapon inside, and how her feelings for Shuji affect her actions.

New character Mizuki is the perfect foil for Chise. Mizuki is fiercely dedicated to her role as both a soldier and a weapon. She is fearless, determined, stubborn, and intelligent. As the prototype of the weapon that Chise will become, viewers will learn why Mizuki’s ability never equaled or surpassed Chise, and how this makes her feel and dictates her actions. Mizuki also has connections to Tetsu, and interactions between them I felt were important because they shed some light on how Tetsu was with Chise. Oddly though, this seems to contridict how he felt about his wife, Fuyumi, who is just barely mentioned. Mizuki, while in a position to be resentful of Chise, proves to have the potential to be Chise’s friend and confidant, the best hope Chise had of having someone who understood how she was feeling. Even Shuji had a hard time grasping this at first in the series.

Mizuki is also a tragic character, as are many characters in the Saikano canon. And true to Saikano, this short piece is emotionally driven, heart-wrenching; there’s only a glimmer of a happy ending.

Overall, this OVA could easily fit into the anime series. It’s a nice compliment to it, but seeing it isn’t necessary to understand the actual show. But it’s a must for Saikano fans.

First off I will let you all know that I have not yet seen the series which this OVA is based on, but rest assured I will do so as soon as I can.

Japan is at war; with whom and for what reason is left entirely unexplained, but judging from the fact that the “enemy” speaks English, drives Abram tanks, and flies F-4’s, I’d say that it is America and her allies who are fighting Japan (again). The war, however, is not going well for Japan, not well at all. Their cities are being burned, their troops killed by the thousands in the streets, their Air Forces destroyed on the ground. Desperate times call for desperate measures, and so a special branch of the military begins work on what is simply called “the ultimate weapon.”

After all I’ve read on Saikano I very much expected the OVA which is based on it to be somewhat of a quick summery of the show from which to judge if this was something I was willing to pursue. Much to my surprise though the main characters from the show, Chise and her boyfriend either play secondary roles or are nonexistent entirely. Instead the OVA focus on Commander Mizuki, a woman who was transformed into a weapon of war after she was mortally wounded in battle. She is a prototype, not nearly as powerful as Chise, but she has one thing the little high school girl does not; the will to fight. Mizuki is a soldier who puts the well being of her nation and its people above all else. But when she starts hearing Chise’s thoughts she begins to realize what a grave injustice it was to force Chise into the military and to transform her, against her will, into a weapon of war.

The main problem I had with this short series is that at the end it was left incomplete, I guess to get people to watch the series. As a part of the series, this may be a very good companion, but as a stand alone OVA its dull and moves too quickly for the viewer to get a good sense of who these people are and what exactly is happening. Chise is clumsy and shy, and she is in love with someone we never see, but other than that who is she? I realize she’s a secondary character but there really isn’t much information on her. Mizuki, on the other hand, gets a lot more character development and her personality is well fleshed out.

But the main problem I had was the war itself. Would it really be so hard to tell us just what is going on? Why is Japan at war? And who exactly are they fighting? Nothing about the war, which is critical to the series, is explained. It’s simply there. This might have been fine if some clues were given, but the few they had were confusing at best. For instance, one “enemy” soldier, who looks Asian, speaks English yet talks about how Japans secret weapon (Chise) destroyed his home city “in like a minute.” So Japan used Chise to attack America? Or did she attack China, which is much closer. Other “enemy” soldiers look typical American and have US uniforms as well. It would have also been nice for there to have been some sorts of explanation on how hundreds of missiles could majicly come out of Chise’s back.

Also, the battles for the most part all follow the same pattern; enemy troops invade, Japan’s soldiers overwhelmed and retreat, Chise or Mizuki come to the rescue and drive off the attack with their super powers. Any questions? That’s pretty much what all the battles are like.

The music and animation were pretty good for the most part. The battle scenes had some really annoying guitar music, but for the sad moments it was nice classical violin music which really set the scene nicely. The animation on the other hand was exhalant. No complaints in that department. The character designs were well done, while the battle scenes were nothing short of awe inspiring.

Re-play value; Low.

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Download White Noise Free

January 18th, 2010 by angelina6277078
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Movie Title: White Noise
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White Noise is available for streaming or downloading.

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It is a top-notch surprise to scoot into a movie expecting to abhor it, and to leave the theater ecstatic.

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Having read some of the reviews on this area, as well as some professional reviewers, I consider they’ve missed the point of this film entirely. Reviewers on this position have also gotten their facts foul. For example, Keaton has been in three movies since Jack Frost (yes, I agree that film was a concern), and he served as the Executive Producer on another.

Jonathan Rivers’ (Keaton) wife dies in a car accident and like all husbands who love their wives, he grieves. One day he sees a man sitting in an SUV across the street from his house, and when he gets to work that same day, the man is sitting on a bench across the street. Rivers rushes out to ask why he is following him, and the man introduces himself as Raymond Trace (Ian McNeice) . Label claims that Keaton’s wife has passed over, and that she has communicated with him. Rivers immediately dismisses this, but Mark leaves him with a card, asking that he maintain it.

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The movie skips ahead six months, and we rep Rivers bewitching into a novel apartment. Unlike the home he shared with his wife, it is forbidding and cold: the walls are either blocked glass or grey cement.

Then he receives a phone call on his cell, and the “name” that comes up is “Anna’s Cell”. He rushes home and pulls out the bag of effects that the police gave him from the crash; one of the items therein is Anna’s cell phone. It’s off. Then he receives another call, this one while he is holding Anna’s cell phone, and it too is from “Anna’s Cell”.

One morning at 2:30 the beeping of his answering machine awakens him. He gets out of bed and finds that there is one message. He plays it, and it is garbled with static.

These oddities are enough to cause Rivers to contact Heed, and Rivers is introduced to the world of EVP, a phenomenon whereby one can receive messages from loved ones that have passed on through recorded white noise, and sometimes cause images on a monitor. Ticket has, literally, hundreds of video tapes and recordings, and he plays Rivers the convey of his wife, which, I maintain, said something along the lines of “I savor you John”. With the white noise, it was hard to issue. Here’s the first possibility of a “gaping state hole” – Rivers immediately believes it is true, and becomes obsessed with getting to the next level of communication: seeing her face on a television shroud. I have to agree that I notion he bought into it a slight too quickly; however, hearing the divulge of one’s monotonous spouse can evoke emotions that beget a person do things they normally wouldn’t. As a person who has lost a spouse, trust me on this, I know.

Before Rivers is able to acquire to the next level Imprint winds up dumb, all of his monitors and audio equipment (of which there was a powerful amount) destroyed, with Notice buried underneath them.

This causes Rivers to plot up a plot of his enjoy in his home, where he all too expeditiously develops a big facility with highly advanced equipment. That may be another gaping residence hole, but it’s forgivable. Do we really want to gaze Rivers poring through training manuals and teaching himself how to utilize this equipment? Of course not. *That* would be humdrum and unessential to the site.

Assisting him is a client of Price’s that he met when he first visited, Sarah Tate (Deborah Karah Unger) . The more time Rivers spends with his believe equipment, the more obsessed he becomes, to the point of having his ex-wife discover their son for longer periods, to flatly ignoring his son when he has physical custody. (That’s unforgivable, but understandable when caught in the throes of an obsession.)

After a frustrating amount of time where nothing happens, suddenly he starts receiving messages from his wife. They’re no longer the simple I Cherish You messages, but are instructive, telling him to go to clear places to do people.

This is where the movie gets bright, because this is where the terror element kicks into high gear – and this is where I gained titanic respect for the film. We had already received hints of external interference (apparitions), and we launch to view more of them. There were several scenes where typical cheap fear frights could have been inserted honest to acquire someone to squeal, but the director showed stout restraint, and for that I have stout respect for him.

The ending was a complete surprise, and a very satisfying one, as it doesn’t demolish like virtually every standard, schlock panic movie – which our country seems to build as rapidly as rabbits procreate. You don’t need to be a genius, but you need to consider about the ending, and remember bits of what has happened earlier in the film. If you don’t pay attention, you’ll miss it, and it might create the entire film seem irrelevant. But if you do pay attention, and you understand what is going on (I’ll honest say this: pay stop attention to the fact that in the final sequence there is a position of monitors *just like Sign and Rivers had* – and what could that possibly be for), it makes for a very clever ending.

The dénouement is touching, although the final concept the movie presented to us was unnecessary, and almost trustworthy as a plain fear movie ruse, which this movie avoided almost entirely. Thankfully.

I plan to myself as I left the theater: finally, a fright movie whose main goal wasn’t to originate me hop out of my seat through cheap tricks, is well filmed, well acted, and directed with subtlety instead of a ham handed hammer and a bag chunky of tricks.

PLOT: After Jonathan’s wife dies in a car smash, a man comes to Jonathan telling him that he can contact the spirit of his wife through EVP. (EVP is when images and sounds of the insensible advance through on electronic devices, such as on blank radio or TV stations.) Initially resistant to this, Jonathan finally hears some garbled messages from his wife, and decides to contact her further. He sets up a multi-TV/VCR/radio location in his apartment, and attempts to see her. But the messages he receives include the image of three shady looking figures, and then he begins getting images on the TV of people not yet tedious…

MY THOUGHTS: If you’re looking for a movie to anxiety the daylights out of you, White Noise unbiased might do the job. However, most of its scares relies on “BOO!” moments: BANG! A screaming face pops into the calmly fuzzing white noise on the TV. Deliver! A freight truck cuts in front of Jonathan’s minivan.

While the scares are mostly effective, they accumulate monotonous after a while. The atmosphere of the movie is well-kept and lustrous instead of eerie and haunting, and when it’s over, you’re left with the feeling that you’ve suffered through ten or twelve heart attacks, but with no genuine spooky chills down your spine.

The location is greatly flawed, suffering from a VERY unimaginative and uninteresting beginning and a rushed ending that fails to elaborate what exactly happened to the characters. Lots of aspects of the site (the three black figures, for instance) are left dangling. Also, sure aspects of the EVP images require a suspension of disbelief: Like, how do they appear on the mask? Who frames these shots? A ghost cameraman?

I gave this movie 3 stars because it does what it’s required to do: to horror you, even though it did utilize cheap scares to do it. I docked 2 stars off due to the movie’s inconsistent pacing, thin atmosphere, and unanswered questions at the slay.

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Download The Day the Earth Stood Still Xbox

January 13th, 2010 by angelina6277078
Download The Day the Earth Stood Still Xbox. Download The Day the Earth Stood Still Xbox.

Movie Title: The Day the Earth Stood Still
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The Day the Earth Stood Still is available for streaming or downloading.

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There is a reason why the original DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL (1951) is a classic and the remake (2008) is not. The FX of 1951 were minimal, but the emphasis on plot, acting, allegory, and scripting combined (as they so rarely do) to produce a film that is watchable even after many viewings. Where Keanu Reeves sleepwalks through his role as Klaatu, Michael Rennie invests his with a riveting performance as a pseudo-human who slowly and naturally learns what it means to be human. Hugh Marlowe in the original is totally believable as the weasly love interest for Patricia Neal. Marlowe’s sliminess paired off well with Rennie’s saintliness. In the remake, there is no one, except perhaps in a collective sense, who can distract the audience long enough to see Reeves as anything more than a mobile pained automaton who is only slightly more interesting than Gort.

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Rennie causes the earth to stand still in a manner that emhasizes his godlike powers. His assumed name of Carpenter further allies himself as one who must suffer, die, and be reborn himself so as to save humanity from itself. Reeves arrives on earth determined to exterminate human life as a prerequisite for maintaining it in its supposed pristine state. His argument that John Cleese artfully exposes that Klaatu’s own race avoided self-immolation only after arriving at a precipitous tipping point is exposed as a sophomoric inability to connect one moral thread of one race to a similar thread of another.

In the original, director Robert Wise uses deliberately blurred camera angles to present Rennie as one whose true nature can be only slowly revealed. Recall Rennie’s introduction when he arrives at the boarding house to seek a room. Compare that masterly hiding of face and form with Scott Derrickson’s inability or unwillingness to show Reeves’ face as no more than a perpetual scowl. Kathy Bates as the Secretary of State manages to invest her role with the film’s only note of authenticity as she correctly notes the inevitable results that occur when a technologically advanced culture collides with a significantly less advanced one.

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Unless the audience manages to care about the lead (it does with Rennie but not with Reeves), then the director has no place to go but with FX. And for the umpteenth time, the revised version of TDTESS proves that the lack of acting and scripting cannot elevate a film to the point that FX can salvage.

I’ve been beaten to the punch by a lot of really fine, insightful reviews. I’ll only add that, like so many movies we seem to see today, this is one that could have been so much better.

It is poorly paced, and miserably directed, with such an imbalance of emphasis between Klaatu’s heavy-hearted, planet-wide mission, and the irritating, recurrent focus on the “cute kid” character (Jaden Smith) who becomes as welcome in the story as an insect at a picnic.

Jennifer Connelly is wholly unbelievable as a “world class” super-scientist, but at least the director resisted the temptation to create some smarmy love-affair concoction between she and Klaatu. Given how uninteresting the rest of the story was, I was afraid that he might resort to such a technique to breathe life into this otherwise prosaic rendering of the original science fiction classic.

The special effects… well, yes, they were good. It’s 2009. The special effects always ought to be good. But as we’ve all known for a long time, good special effects do not necessarily make a good movie.

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Download It Happened to Jane

January 10th, 2010 by angelina6277078
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Movie Title: It Happened to Jane
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Columbia’s spring, 1959 release, “It Happened to Jane” should have been a box-office smash. It certainly had all the makings of a hit.

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Starring Doris Day and Jack Lemmon, two of the screen’s most gifted comic performers, featuring a great supporting cast and set amidst some of the most beautiful scenery seen up to that date in wide-screen, it nevertheless opened and closed rather quickly.

Perhaps it was the title or the general lack of enthusiasm the studio seemed to have for the film, but it nevertheless provided more than ample entertainment for audiences who did venture into the theatres where it played and now, beautifully presented on DVD (It was never, oddly enough, given a release on video), it should more than provide ample pleasures for those who purchase or rent this delightful romp.

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In short it is the story of a widow, with two children, who raises lobsters in a small Maine town who takes on a mighty railroad whose indifference had caused her to lose a shipment. She is assisted in her battle by smalltown lawyer/boyfriend, Jack Lemmon. This being Hollywood, the outcome may seem rather predictable but getting there is such fun that you can’t help but smile throughout and from time to time let out a major guffaw.

The film was released about 6 months before Doris Day began her many year reign as the top box-office star in the world. The film that made that possible was “Pillow Talk”. She was Oscar-nominated for her turn in that film but she is equally as good as Janie Osgood in this picture.

She beautifully epitomizes the strong willed, determined New England stock she plays and the audience is rooting for her from the first frame. It is a very skilled performance utilizing the natural empathy audiences feel for her and allowing her to display her one of a kind comic timing coupled with the “heart” comedy that she does better than anyone else. Miss Day and Lemmon are great together and one can only wish they’d had another chance to work together since they are naturals.

Lemmon does the sometimes neurotic, high-strung portrayal that he did skillfully for decades but it has rarely been funnier and more apt.

Ernie Kovacs has the role of his lifetime as railroad mogul, Harry Foster Malone. He chews the scenery with such skill and his scenes with Day and Lemmon are memorable. You dislike his character but also enjoy the relish with which the actor plays it.

Great supporting performances are contributed by Steve Forrest, Parker Fennelly, who briefly tried to fill Percy Kilbride’s shoes in a “Kettle” comedy at Universal, and Mary Wickes, making her fourth big screen appearance opposite Miss Day. (She would appear opposite her one more time, ten years later when she guest-starred on Miss Day’s hit CBS television series).

Richard Quine, who never achieved major success as a director despite a handful of good films and would forever be known as the man who accidentally shot and paralyzed his one time actress-wife Susan Peters, directs with confidence and capability. As noted by many, there is a Frank Capra-esque quality about the proceedings.

Miss Day sings the title tune and another song during the film in her customary way (i.e. one of the screen’s best female singers), and there are surprise appearances by several game show performers of the time.

“It Happened to Jane” may finally gain the reputation it deserves as one of 1959’s happiest surprises.

IT HAPPENED TO JANE was up until this DVD release something of a `lost classic’, having never been released on video and appearing only rarely on TV and cable. Doris Day stars in another domestic comedy which suits her wholesome girl-next-door persona to a tee.

She plays Jane Osgood, a young widow in Cape Anne, Maine, who runs a lobster farming business. When one of her shipments returns with the lobsters dead inside, Jane discovers that it was the fault of the railroad company. She turns to her old friend George Denham (Jack Lemmon) a young lawyer, and together they take on the tyrannical head of the railways Harry Foster Malone (Ernie Kovacs). It’s a cute, often very funny comedy. Doris Day and Jack Lemmon are fresh and appealing in the lead roles, and Day gets 2 numbers (”Be Prepared” and the Title Song). The movie also features Mary Wickes, Steve Forrest and Jayne Meadows. Based on a story by Max Wilk and Norman Katkov.

The DVD picture looks great, in a colourful anamorphic print. Extras consist of trailers for other Columbia classic movie titles.

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Watch Il Postino on PS3

January 8th, 2010 by angelina6277078
Watch Il Postino on PS3. Watch Il Postino on PS3.

Movie Title: Il Postino
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Il Postino is available for streaming or downloading.

Click Here to Stream or Download Il Postino

I absolutely adore this film, a touching story of the relationship between an timid but passionate postal carrier and the Nobel Prize-winning poet Pablo Neruda. As Neruda and his poetry instruct the mailman in the ways of love, a courtship blossoms that has all the humor and bittersweet missteps of the real thing. Director Radford uses a light touch to illuminate the unusual relationship between the exiled poet and an ordinary man. Massimo Troisi as Mario (the postman) turns in a fine performance that should not be missed; his characterization of a clueless man desperately in love with both words and a woman cannot be forgotten. Likewise, Philippe Noiret as Neruda provides a memorable portrait of a man who can forget the power of his words.

I can’t help comparing “Il Postino” to “Life is Beautiful”, also an Italian film that relies on initial humor to set up the pain found in the human heart. “Il Postino” is more subtle, however, and more realistic. Still, those who enjoyed “Life is Beautiful” should also like “Il Postino.”

I recommend this film highly. You don’t need to know anything about Neruda to enjoy it; all you need to be is human.

Il Postino is a wonderful and heartwarming adaptation of Antonio Skarmenta’s novel, El cartero de Neruda, which is not likely to disappoint audiences who are prepared to watch a foreign film with sub-titles. The movie is certainly not a tear-jerker, but any viewer will find themselves becoming emotionally attached to its characters and highly affected by the fate which befalls them.

The film, directed by Michael Radford, is the story of a humble Italian postman who is greatly changed by the famous Chilean poet, Pablo Neruda for whom he works for in a small Italian village. As the audience, we observe their acqaintanceship as it changes and eventually develops into a true and unforgettable friendship. Without a doubt, some audiences will find Il Postino tedious because of the simple plot and the lack of sex and violence. Nevertheless, it is an an emotional and powerful movie that I highly recommend because of its strong character portrayal. In my opinion, Il Postino is truly successful because of its wonderful acting by Massimo Troisi, who accurately portrays the innocent postman as well as Philippe Noiret, who is a very endearing and astonishing Pablo Neruda.

In addition to the acting, the Italian landscape is a breathtaking and integral part of Il Postino. Radford effectively incorporates the beautiful mountains and seascape as the story’s background. It is a refreshing decision by Radford which only adds to the poetry which Noiret recites periodically throughout the film.

I am certainly the type of person who prefers the book to the movie, but in this particular case, I feel that the movie surpasses the Skarmenta’s novel by far. I recommend this movie to anyone who is tired of movies with gratuitous sex and violence as well as hackneyed forumlas. The sub-titles are by no means a hinderance to the film and I guarentee by its end that you will be fascinated by the Italian language.

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January 7th, 2010 by angelina6277078

Seattle has many carpet cleaning companies and one of the best is Seattle Carpet Cleaning. If you are living in Seattle and don’t have enough time for carpet cleansing then Carpet Cleaning Seattle is a way for making your carpets clean and attractive. For The Best Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services providing services for many years covering areas like King and Pierce county, Seattle and Tacoma metro regions. They assure you -

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Watch Antarctic Antics… and More Hilarious Animal Stories Free

January 7th, 2010 by angelina6277078
Watch Antarctic Antics... and More Hilarious Animal Stories Free. Watch Antarctic Antics… and More Hilarious Animal Stories Free.

Movie Title: Antarctic Antics… and More Hilarious Animal Stories
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Antarctic Antics… and More Hilarious Animal Stories is available for streaming or downloading.

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I’ve been using the Antarctic Antics VHS tape with indispensable kids for 5 or 6 years. Fun poems with some Emperor Penguin facts and the kids cherish the songs. I was surprised to hear Raul Malo singing a penguin appreciate song the first time we watched.

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rug cleaning 1

January 6th, 2010 by angelina6277078

No doubt rugs adorn your homes but the most drudging chore is to cleanse and maintain them. Sometimes purchasing rugs could be an expensive affair and sometimes they may be dainty. So in order to protect your money invested and keep their look preserved, you need to avoid some common mistakes and follow few tips while Rug Cleaning

which can increase the life of your rug.

We should not thump the rug as this process might weaken the threads interweaved together resulting in tearing of the rug backing.

Do not vacuum the edges of the rug as vacuum cleaner will engulf the fringes into its beater bar and edges will get loosened and become crinkly and ropy.

You are also advised not to use rug sprays or shampoos because if they are not washed out thoroughly, they will capture more dust making them appear dustier.

If still you have any intention to shampoo the rug, then first brush the rug so that imbedded dirt gets slackens. Sweeping should be followed by vacuuming so that dust is removed thoroughly. This will make the rug look dirtless and might delay your plans of washing the rug.

You should also make certain that spills on the rug should be cleared as soon as they occur. On the basis of type of stains or spills, they are to be blotted or scraped. It can be blotted with help of dry clean towel by pressing from the outside towards the center. Repeat this process by folding the towel till the most of the moisture has been soaked up. If the milk has been spilled, then the area should be thoroughly rinsed with the mild soap and water so that the left over doesn’t rot. Incase of greasy spills and sugar based drinks spills, proper cleaning and washing is also needed with proper cleaners.

You are also recommended to sprinkle mixture of 2 cups of cornmeal and one cup of Borax to neutralize the pet odors. Let this mixture be left for about one hour before vacuuming.

As rugs get dusty quite often, you can also call experts to do this chore but this could be expensive. But with little heed, rug cleaning can be done conveniently at home.

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