Ouran High School Host Club: Season 1, Part 1 Review

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(More customer reviews)To try and explain Ouran with a basic synopsis does this anime little justice. There's always so much going on, and with a diverse cast of character's including the princely, yet sometimes idiotic, drama-king, Tamaki, or the mischievous, trouble-making Hitachiin twins, there's no end to the variety of often strange activities the club members get into at Ouran Academy, a high school for the rich and prestigious. Add to this, Haruhi, a scholarship student and "commoner" who was drafted into the Host Club after she accidentally broke an $80,000 vase. The twist is, Haruhi is actually a girl and only the club members know it. Being very plain spoken, Haruhi nicely complements the strange behaviors of her rich counterparts and is often the inspiration for many of their adventures, much to her annoyance.
Probably the biggest concern of Ouran fans about this dvd collection is the transition over from Japanese to English. As many fans will argue (myself included), the Japanese voice acting is flawless, making an English dub no easy task. But after getting a recent peek at episode one, I feel Funimation has met the challenge with great success. While I'm not as hard core of a critic as some, I did carry some doubts as to how well they could pull off a decent dub. Let me just say, I'm sorry I ever doubted them. Usually it takes me a little while to adjust when I switch from the sub to the dub, but that wasn't the case for me here. While there is the occasional rough patch, I think each voice actor did an excellent job matching his or her character's personality. I found nothing distracting or out of place about any of them.
My biggest beef, if any, is with the English opening and ending songs. They aren't horrible, but they are a bit weak compared to the originals. Not a big deal, though, as I'm sure you can still listen to the originals on the dvd.
Overall, I'd say this is a must buy, whether you're already a fan or a newcomer. The acting in both versions each have their own charm and you're bound to enjoy a few laughs every step of the way. This anime also has the ability to keep you coming back again and again. I never get tired of watching it, and the ability to have it in two languages just makes for double the fun. Subtract a star from my rating if absolute randomness bothers you. The Host Club members thrive on the out of the ordinary. They are a bunch of rich kids looking for entertainment after all (well, except poor Haruhi).

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Ouran High School. An institution of extravagance and prestige where learning is secondary to luxury.
Bookish Haruhi can't afford to slack, being on a scholarship and out of place among the moneyed. No matter… The Host Club is now open! A group of handsome boys dedicated to selling their charms to their bored female classmates, Haruhi is suddenly in debt to the club after breakingan expensive vase in their lair. The only way to pay for the damage? Haruhi will work as a Host! The only problem? Haruhi is a she! Between the wildly inflated ego of the expert escorts and the potential calamities of constant cross dressing, Haruhi's freshman year looks like it will be one to remember.Wallpaper forOuran High School Host Club (Click to download and save)

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Glee: Season One, Vol. 1 - Road to Sectionals (2009) Review

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(More customer reviews)My rating does not pertain to the show itself, I actually love the show, but this release is a waste of money and manufacturing resources. This set was originally planned earlier this fall when Glee was only going to have 13 episodes for the first season, but then after having such good ratings, FOX added NINE more episodes to the first season. This is a redundant release because FOX has said they will also release an actual COMPLETE first season after the show finishes airing the last 9 episodes starting in April. It will come with a coupon to save on the complete season, but unless that is $30 of more, you'll end up paying more for both releases than if you just wait and buy the complete season. Don't get me wrong, I love the show, but this is just a get money fast scheme and I will not support volume releases. Don't waste your money on this, wait for the full season. Let's make the studios realize they can't screw us over with these types of releases just so they can make more money.

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Includes the first 13 episodes of season one.

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Sabrina, The Teenage Witch - The Third Season (1996) Review

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(More customer reviews)When I first read on the internet , that the sabrina DVDs would be edited, I never realised this as being a big problem. I hardly noticed anything in season two and in season one the 'a girl like you' song was missing, which was a bit crap to find out.
So anyway, after watching the edited versions of the first seasons , it didn't seem to me as too cut until I got season three. But season three has more problems then the previous seasons: Phantom Planet was credited on the dvd for an appearence that you could not see on this version. Before the band should have appeared, this version just fades to black and you get the Sabrina introduction. Then a lot of music gets replaced by simple instrumental songs that don't even seem to fit to what is happening. The halloween episode had a great moment in where the "monster mash song" was played. Also , this song was removed.
Apart from noticeble songs missing (and a few scenes) this dvd set is great and the show itself is huge fun to watch. If you know the show by buying the dvds , it might be new to you and you wont have to worry about anything. But fans that know the show from the original airings will definetly miss a few things and some people will dislike that more then I did.
Another thing that isn't that good about the dvd-set is, that there are no extras whatsoever. Not even animated dvd menus or a little commentary. If you love the show and are just happy of being able to watch it, you'll live with that too . ;)
(I hope that my english was good enough ;) )

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When Sabrina Spellman is informed by her aunts, Hilda and Zelda, that she is a witch on her 16th birthday, she is hesitant to believe them. Having been sent to live with them in Massachusetts by her Warlock father and mortal mother, Sabrina learns the tricks of magic in order to receive her witch's license. Along the way, she gets into many scrapes while figuring out how certain spells work. She also has to keep the secret from her boyfriend, Harvey, friends Jenny and later Valerie, stuck-up nemesis Libby, and her ever-suspicious vice-principal, Mr. Kraft.

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Party of Five - The Complete Second Season (1994) Review

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(More customer reviews)Finally!!! We were supposed to get this in November of 04 and it never happened. Now finally the studio is going to release it with eyes wide open seeing how many of us are going to buy it. I suggest you buy it when it comes out rather than wait forever. That is if you want season 3 to come out.
Description:
5 disc set with all 22 episodes...
23. Ready or Not
The arrival of Charlie's old girlfriend, Pamela Rush, interrupts Kirsten and Charlie's wedding plans. She claims that Charlie fathered her four-year-old son, Spencer. After realizing that he wants to take responsibility for Spencer, Pamela takes Charlie's money and runs. Will plays matchmaker for Bailey, who is still grieving over the death of Jill. Justin returns from Europe and Julia learns that he wasn't alone. But she has yet to tell him that she spent her summer getting to know Jill's brother, Griffin.

24. Falsies
Claudia feels out of place in junior high school. Will, along with Bailey, checks out an Eastern college. Julia and Justin take action to a new rule that prohibits kissing in school and they organize a protest to convince Principal Stickley to change the rules. Charlie tracks down Pamela. It turns out that Spencer isn't Charlie's son at all and she was desperate for money. Kirsten wonders if he'll be happy with her, knowing that she can never have children. To reassure her, they decide to adopt Owen.

25. Dearly Beloved
After being irritated by the family's interference in her wedding plans, Kirsten and Charlie decide to run off to Reno and elope. Charlie's friend, Dudley, continues to plan their engagement party, despite the happy couple's disappearance. Bailey decides to run for class vice president. Sarah volunteers to be his campaign manager. But when Sarah ends up doing all the work and Bailey pays less attention, she tells Bailey how she really feels about him. Julia lies to Justin in order to spend time with Griffin.

26. Have No Fear
Joe suffers a heart attack and Charlie takes over management of Salingers. Julia assumes Griffin will want to have sex with her, but when he asks to sleep with her, it turns out he literally wanted to sleep. Bailey injures a teammate during football practice.

27. Change Partners ... and Dance
Claudia breaks her arm while ice-skating with everybody, and Ross worries about her future as a violinist. Julia gets Griffin a job at Salinger's. He skips the first day and Charlie fires him in the second. Bailey and Sarah's relationship starts to get serious, and she tells him that she's not Jill, and things are different with her. A fortuneteller tells Kristen that she won't marry Charlie. She convinces him to take dancing classes for their wedding, and they fight. Julia tells him how important dancing is for a woman at her wedding. Charlie tells Kristen that everything will be fine. Julia sees Justin with another girl and he is mean to her. She is mad with Griffin for not being romantic, so he buys her a helmet for his bike.

28. Analogies
Kristen's parents arrive suddenly to spend some time with them. They're staying in the house, and they drive Kristen crazy. Charlie tells her that she is like her mother, and she says she's not. Ellie tells Charlie that he's just like Gene, a dreamer, but he says he knows exactly where he is. Claudia doesn't like Griffin, so he tries to win her heart. Julia gets jealous and Griffin tells her that he misses a little sister, while Claudia develops a crush on him. Bailey gets 900 points at his SATs and his teacher offers him private lessons, flirting. He takes it again and make the same points. Charlie tells him how it was when their parents were still alive, so Bailey decides to apply for college, writing about his mom in his essay.

29. Where There's Smoke
A fire destroys the restaurant. The insurance company refuses to give Charlie the money because they think he did it. Kristen helps him and they get the money. Will asks Bailey if he can go out with Sarah, and he says yes, but later regrets and realizes he still likes her. Griffin steals money from one of the restaurant's employees, and he goes to jail. Julia asks his father to help him. Griffin is released and has to go away for 6 months. Claudia meets a new friend who is a troublemaker, and the girl convinces her to smoke.

30. Best Laid Plans
musical guest: Sophie B. Hawkins Kristen prohibits Dudley to give Charlie a bachelor's party, so he asks Bailey if he would do it. Charlie runs into a desperate woman in the hallway of the hotel. Her husband is cheating on her. They go to the bar and have some drinks, and she asks him to sleep with her. They go up to her room and Bailey sees them. Charlie tells her that he's in love with Kristen and he won't sleep with her. Bailey is mad at him, but when he finds out what happened, he says their parents would be proud of him. Justin is mean to Julia, and they run into each other at a concert. They see Justin's father with another woman. He asks her what to do, and she asks him to forget about Griffin. Claudia's plans to make a special night for Kristen fail. Charlie is not sure about the wedding and flips a coin for it.

31. The Wedding
It's the wedding day. Charlie is not sure and asks Kristen to wait 6 more months, but she doesn't understand. He feels pressured and can't handle it. Everybody is worried about what's happening. Ellie tells Kristen to pressure Charlie, and so she tells him that is now or never. He leaves the house. Just as she is announcing to everybody that the wedding is off, he shows up. He decided to get married in order not to lose her forever. He is waiting for her in the altar, but she never shows up. He goes talk to her and she tells him that they shouldn't get married like this, afraid of what might happen in the future. She gives him the wedding ring back and leaves. Bailey tells Will that he might love Sarah and she feels the same way, so Will decides to step out of the picture letting them stay together. Julia and Justin get drunk and have sex.

32. Grand Delusions
Charlie decides to take Claudia with him to Mexico. Charlie meets a woman at the hotel lobby and Claudia gets mad at him, saying that he never loved Kristen in the first place. She meets a boy and they kiss. Julia and Justin can't stop having sex, and she gets confused when he is cold to her. Justin tells Julia that he doesn't want to go through the same thing again. Bailey joins Sarah at her grandma's party. While reading grandma's old letters to her, she finds out that she's adopted. She is very confused about herself and goes to Bailey for comfort. Charlie tells Claudia that he misses Kristen and they run into her in the house when they get back.

33. Unfair Advantage
A teacher is hitting on Julia and she feels uncomfortable. He asks her if he can give her a ride home and tries to kiss her. She is upset and talks to Justin. He threats him, and Mr. Peck tells the Principal that Julia is the one harassing him. She gets scared and tries to change classes, but Charlie convinces her to confront him. Sarah gets a credit card and starts to spend a lot of money just to get back at her parents for lying to her. It's her birthday and Bailey takes her to have dinner and they fight. He tells her that her parents love her, no matter what. Claudia is hanging out with Jody and they steal a bottle of rum from the bar. They get drunk and Charlie gets mad at her. Charlie is flirting with a waitress at the bar, but when she tells him that she doesn't want anything with him he gets mad. He calls Kristen just to hear her voice again.

34. Hold on Tight
Claudia tells Charlie that Kristen called. He goes after her, but she just wanted some help with the taxes. They have dinner and end up sleeping together. Kristen tells him that they're not back together. Julia wants to move to the attic and Bailey says he should be the one moving there. They start a fight. Bailey sabotages Julia's audition for the lead singer of a band sending Sarah, who gets the job. And Julia sabotages Bailey's audition for a job, sending Justin, who also gets the job. The couples have a fight and when Bailey receives a letter that says he was accepted in a university in Massachusetts Julia decides to let him have the attic. Claudia takes off her cast and decides to quit violin. The family discusses her decision and she says she just wants to be normal. She says goodbye to her violin, putting it on the shelf.

35. Poor Substitutes
After a woman mistakes Sarah for someone else's daughter, she decides to try to find her birth mother. They find her on the list and Bailey calls her behind Sarah's back. He meets her. She's an actress and she tells him that she doesn't want to meet her. Bailey tells Sarah that the woman in the list is not her mother, killing her hopes. Charlie tries to teach Owen how to poop in the potter so he can go to pre-school. Claudia is shocked when she finds out that Kristen is dating a guy. She tries to make Kristen come back to the family, but Kristen tells her that she has to move on. Justin's friend Allison comes from England to visit him. At first, Julia is jealous, but then they really get along. Allison comes on to Julia, who later reveals her secret. Julia advises Allison not to run away from her problems.

36. Strange Bedfellows
Claudia is caught smoking, and her teacher advises Charlie to make a deal with her. The deal is that Claudia won't smoke is Charlie doesn't get involved with her teacher, which he does. Claudia walks on them making out and she starts to smoke. Charlie dumps her, but when she gets back by giving hard tests to Claudia's class, Jody asks her to get them back together. Will has a new girlfriend who is...Read more›

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During the Party of Five's second season, the Salinger family face new challenges and choices.Charlie and Kirsten struggle with their wedding plans while dealing with family and relationship problems.Bailey prepares for the SATs and college, while Julia finds out she's pregnant and must make a life altering decision.The second season also featured guest appearances by Kate Hudson (The Skeleton Key, Almost Famous), Carroll O'Connor (All in the Family, In the Heat of the Night), Brenda Strong (Desperate Housewives, Red Dragon), Danny Masterson (That '70s Show), and Patricia Heaton (Everybody Loves Raymond).
Featuring all 22 episodes, now digitally enhanced, the DVD includes a new featurette with all new interviews with cast member Jennifer Love Hewitt, as well as cast and crew commentaries on select episodes.

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Get Real (1999) Review

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(More customer reviews)"Get Real" combines a terrific script with superb acting. Steven Carter is one of the best gay teen characters ever written, portrayed touchingly and realistically by Ben Silverstone. He is simultaneously geeky and sexy, awkward and self-assured, yet underneath his fears and self-doubts there is always a ray of self-acceptance and sense of humor about his predicaments that comes shining through.
You will marvel at Steven's courage, empathize with his pain, and just simply fall in love with this complex and totally adorable young man. His love interest, another complex character, is also brilliantly played. Steven's next-door neighbor and (female) best friend is the only character who comes across as somewhat stereotypical (an overweight fag-hag type), yet her performance avoids the pitfalls that the stereotypical characterization could've created.
The quirky humor the director interjects throughout the film will catch you off guard at times - during the scene inside the park men's room, when the soundtrack started playing The Troggs' "Love is All Around", I had to supress an urge to laugh uproariously and at the top of my lungs (I first saw the film in a theater).
"Get Real" is a "must see" for anyone who knows what it feels like to be young, gay & in the closet, and also for straight folk who wish to understand the difficulties GLBT people have to face, even in our contemporary, allegedly "enlightened" world.

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Dare (2009) Review

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(More customer reviews)Not since Threesome (1994), which born-again Stephen Baldwin has since disowned, has there been such a daring coupling of two men and one woman on screen. The tagline of that earlier film, "One girl. Two guys. Three possibilities," might have been adopted for Dare as well. The elephant in the room is the excellent Dare (2005) short included on the Blu-ray disc. While the swimming pool "dare" scene that is most of the short also appears in the new film, it has been truncated for no obvious reason, and it is not one of the deleted scenes. The new film also suffers by comparison because the chemistry between Johnny and Ben seems stronger in the short.
The new film is really not a gay film anymore. Alexa, who is peripheral to the short, drives the new film from the opening frames. Johnny's backstory of a distant father and a youthful stepmother certainly explains his vulnerability, but his friends are not privy to the same personal details the audience sees, and that sets up the somewhat unsatisfactory, though perhaps realistic, ending. Threesome, based on the college experiences of the director, was shot with an alternative ending that appeared on the 2001 release (unlike some male-male scenes that were cut and never seen) which also had problems. How do you resolve any threesome satisfactorily? We never learn how Johnny vanquished his personal demons except to see the sign on the door he enters in the last frames.
Threesome has about the same rating as this film overall, but has more five-star votes than otherwise. I would recommend Threesome over Dare, but the Dare short is a keeper and film comes very close as well.

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Emmy Rossum (The Phantom of the Opera), Zach Gilford (TV's Friday Night Lights) and Ashley Springer (Teeth) head up a stellar cast including Ana Gasteyer (Mean Girls), Rooney Mara (A Nightmare on Elm Street), comedienne Sandra Bernhard (TV's Roseanne) and Alan Cumming (X2: X-Men United) in this captivating story of high school seniors at the crossroads of their adult lives. When a pompous actor tells good girl Alexa (Rossum) that she hasn't lived, she embarks on a bold journey that takes her to mysterious bad boy Johnny (Gilford). Envious, her shy best friend Ben (Springer) also dares to pursue Johnny, complicating Alexa's romance and pushing the boundaries among the three friends.Stills from Dare

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One Tree Hill: The Complete Second Season (2003) Review

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(More customer reviews)The second season of One Tree Hill was fantastic. Although not up to par with the first season quality wise, the second season is still ten times better than the other shows on television today. The season starts off a tad bit on the slow side, but no need to worry, because things get heated up real fast.
Nathan (James Lafferty) and Haley (Bethany Joy Lenz) announced in the season one finale that they got married, so now, the second season has them starting to deal with their marriage. Things don't exactly go as smoothly as they had planned. There are temptations along the line, as well as their dreams for the future which start to bring them apart from one another. Haley starts a musical career with Chris Keller (Tyler Hilton), a new guy in Tree Hill, and eventually, she leaves Tree Hill and Nathan to go on a concert tour across the US, leaving Nathan devistated.
The love triangle drama from last season between Lucas (Chad Michael Murray), Peyton (Hilarie Burton), and Brooke (Sophia Bush) has been solved, and all three are friends with one another. Brooke finds herself attracted to her new neighbor, Felix (Michael Copon), as the two eventually hook up. Felix's younger sister, Anna (Daniella Alonso) finds herself attracted to Lucas, but she has some secrets of her own to hide. Felix brings much of the drama to Tree Hill between the teens in the second season, by intimidating most people, and of course, the classic 'Dare Night' he arranges.
Peyton finds herself lonely, because last season, she felt herself romantically attracted to Jake (Bryan Greenberg), but problems with custody of his 6 month old daughter, Jenny, caused him to leave Tree Hill. Peyton finds herself in a dark place, but Jake returns with Jenny, as Jake and Peyton become romantically involved, only for Jake's ex, Nikki (Emanuelle Vaugier) to return, wanting Jenny for herself. Eventually, Jake is arrested for not giving custody, as Nikki kidnaps Jenny, leaving Tree Hill.
The adults of Tree Hill also deal with drama themselves this season. After Dan (Paul Johanssen) found his wife Deb (Barbara Alyn Woods) and his older brother Keith (Craig Scheffer) sleeping together, he was about to sign the divorce papers when he has a heart attack. He recovers, but Deb still remains with Dan, feeling sorry for him. To get back at Keith for sleeping with Deb, Dan hires Jules (Mia Menopolous) to make Keith fall in love with her, and then break his heart, just as Dan's had been when Keith slept with Deb. All happens, except Jules falls in love with Keith, as the revelations are brought forth, leaving both Keith and Jules heartbroken, and alone.
Karen (Moira Kelly) has gone back to college, enrolled in a business class, but finds herself falling in love with her professor, Andy. The two secretly date, but eventually Dan reveals their relationship to the class, leaving Karen extremely angry.
Deb has become addicted to painkillers this season, and is starting to spiral out of control with her life. Eventually she goes to rehab, and plans on leaving Tree Hill with Nathan.
But by the time the finale has come around, most of the characters have become infuriated with Dan for one reason or another, leading up to the explosive last five minutes, resulting in an attempted murder of Dan. Does he live? Or die? It's unknown at this point, or who even tried to kill him.
The second season of One Tree Hill is a must have for any fans, because the second season started to explore more into the characters, their relationships with one another, as well as their hopes and dreams. Much better than "just a teen soap", One Tree Hill is just so much better. It's for anyone, I'm a guy, which shows guys can like it too. It's not a girly soap opera, it's a show for everyone, even adults.
I highly recommend this, but be aware, it's highly addictive.

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Explores the lives of teenage half brothers Lucas and Nathan Scott, one a golden boy and the other an abandoned illegitimate child as they try to coexist in the small town of Tree Hill.Genre: TelevisionRating: NRRelease Date: 13-SEP-2005Media Type: DVD

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The Girl Next Door (Unrated Version) (2004) Review

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(More customer reviews)There is a point in "The Girl Next Door - Unrated Edition' (which I received and promptly devoured, extra's and all, in one sitting) where the movie is in danger of changing in tone and focus from American Pie to Showgirls, but luckily for the movie - and viewers - it recovers itself and ends in a definite teen comedy spirit.
I never saw this movie in the theater so I cannot comment on what has been added to this "unrated edition" but there is certainly quite a lot of nudity, but nothing involving the main actors. There are some graphic scenes at a strip club (including lap dancing) and we get shots of one of the main actors watching a porn video at home. There are some nude scenes from behind of both principal actors Emile Hirsch and Elisha Cuthbert, but as Hirsch points out on Side B of the disc (where most of the extras are located) the movie used a stand-in for those shots.
I have a word of caution regarding the list of extra's on the Amazon page. One is titled a scene specific commentary by Hirsch and Cuthbert. What we have here though is not a commentary for the whole movie from the two stars, but rather several scenes on the flip side of the disc in which the two actors both give separate commentary.
Largely (and unjustly) ignored at the box office this teen comedy starts of really well and within the first few moments had me rolling with laughter. The movie starts with a montage of sorts, we see the jocks, brains and cheerleader-types all stating, for their entry in the yearbook, what they "will always remember."
Then there is Matt (played by Hirsch) who is pondering this question. Sure, he has had a successful academic career - as illustrated by his acceptance to Georgetown - but he really hasn't done anything memorable in his senior year of high school.
That's about to change for Matt though with the arrival next door of Danielle (played by Cuthbert), who plays a breathtaking beauty house-sitting for his neighbors.
Entranced by her Matt is unable to stop himself from watching Danielle undress in the window opposite his bedroom - but he is spotted. From that moment he is on a rollercoaster ride. Danielle, amused and evidently attracted to Matt, shows him the excitement of living on the edge, from running naked through the streets to moonlight skinny dipping in his school principal's pool.
Just as everything seems to be going so well between Matt and Danielle, Matt is shocked when one of his best friends Eli (who is a connoisseur of porn movies and full of in-experienced sex advice) shows one of his porn movies - in which Danielle is the main star.
Foolishly following some of his friends advice, the two part company and moments later the movie changes tack and takes on a decidedly darker and more serious tone as Matt becomes sucked into the shadowy world of the pornographic movie industry.
What follows is both inventive and highly amusing. How will Matt afford to get into Georgetown? What will become of Danielle? These are just some of the questions in this entertaining movie that borrows heavily and liberally from a number of the John Hughes movies of the 1980s and the AMERICAN PIE movies of more recent years. The movie ends on a high note in a conclusion that is both satisfying and enjoyable.
Now onto the part that most readers of this review are more interested in - the extra's. On Side A of the disc we have an OK director's commentary from director Luke Greenfield and an at times amusing and at other times fascinating trivia track.
Then on Side B of the disc we have the aforementioned seven to eight scene specific commentaries from Hirsch and Cuthbert (Hirsch curiously has one more) and deleted and extended scenes with optional directors commentary. None of these scenes are of any particular value to anyone but completists or fans of the movie. They add nothing to the feature, but do have a curiosity factor to them. They also chose the better of the two endings also.
Of more interest is an amusing featurette in which actor Chris Marquette (who plays Eli in the movie) poses as a porn producer and lures in all too interested men (there'e a cute blonde on the bed afterall) who get decidedly less interested (for the most part) when the girl is replaced by a big burly guy.
We are also offered a stills gallery and a VERY short gag reel as well as trailers for a couple of other like-minded movies in addition to one promotional trailer for several other Fox titles. There is also a trailer for THE GIRL NEXT DOOR with the subtitle `Dirrrty,' which in reality isn't really that much of a big deal.
All in all, this is a good and entertaining movie, it seems to lose its footing half way through but successfully and engagingly returns to top form before the final credits roll. This is a definite must-buy for fans of the movie and the genre and certainly great entertainment

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Eighteen-year-old Matthew Kidman (Emile Hirsch) is a straight-laced overachiever who has never really lived life - until he falls for his hot new neighbor (Elisha Cuthbert). When Matthew discovers his perfect "girl next door" is a former porn star, his sheltered existence spins out of control. It's "Risky Business" meets "American Pie" (Premiere Radio Networks) in this "titillating, laugh-out-loud funny comedy!" (US Weekly)

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The Incredibly True Adventures of Two Girls in Love (1995) Review

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(More customer reviews)I reccently rented this movie and appreciated the way it avoided the overglossed perfect world trap that so many other love movies have stuck themselves in. Also it takes great care to avoid the preachy and heavy handed treatment given to many coming of age novels. The result: a dynamic product that anybody regardless of sexuality can relate to.
Sure, the title may make some progressives flinch (after all, how many male chauvinist fantasies have been built on the "amazing lesbian couple" theme, but I was really proud in the way this movie's script was handled and thought the movie was done very respectively and tastefully. These women seek pleasure only for themselves, and not for oogling spectators who would reduce them to an exotic item. They are natural and three dimensional beings who are trying to find their place in the world.
I am not very overly emotional about films, so I was unprepared for the crying that followed Evie and Randy's hidding. Because these women dared to be themselves, they encountered tremendous amounts of hatred and fear from their town. Whether it was the director's and writers intention or not, that part of the film was the most dramatic (I did not think it was comedic at all) and reminded me of the many publicized hate crimes against gays and lesbians.
Granted the independent nature of the film (as well as the subject matter) made it really difficult to accheive box office sucess, but the world's loss is the gain of devoted fans of all backgrounds who know caring relationships when we see it. Apparently our society is well in need of a wake up call that heterosexuality does not neccesarily equal a great and stable relationship.

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Two teenagers experience the excitement of first love. Written and directed by Maria Maggenti.Year: 1995Starring:Laurel Holloman, Nicole Parker

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Valley Girl (1983) Review

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(More customer reviews)I had this movie on vhs for years and must have watched it a million times as it's just that kind of film I like to watch over and over and never get tired of.
Then, the day after my birthday last summer, it came out on dvd. It seemed like perfect timing..I thought for sure I'd get it as a gift. I didn't. I did get a late Christmas present from my husband a few days ago, and this was it.
It is the most romantic gift he gave me next to the sparkly diamond stud earrings. I think this movie belongs in the class.
Why? Well, first off, I am 34 yrs old, which make this movie one of many of my generation. It brings me back to those glory days of 1980's high school.
"Valley Girl" is a romantic comedy/drama, that has so much heart and such a clear and simple message of it's what inside that counts. Frederick Forrest, who plays the father to Julie, who is played by Deborah Foreman, and is Valley Girl extradionare, delivers some of the best lines of the movie in the scene where he talks to her about what really matters in life.
This is a very 80's version of Romeo & Juliet instead it's Randy & Julie. Randy, who is played by a very young Nicholas Cage, is the punker dude type that Julie falls in love with. Their's is a typical teenage romance with phony friends and a jilted ex boyfriend trying to tear it all to pieces.
"Valley Girl" has a bittersweet quality to it. I always cry when I watch it, and my heart swells up like a balloon. It sounds corny, but it's true. I still adore it after all these years.
The dvd had some good extras, I'm still checking some out, can't comment on all of them. One really good bit of trivia I learned is that Michael Bowen, who played Tommy, the Valley dude boyfriend of Julie, has appeared in a few Quention Tarentino films. It seems QT is a fan of this small, indy film..Gee, I wonder why? It's totally cool to know that now. I am only sad that Deb Foreman is not among the stars that came back after 20 years to be interviewed for this special edition disc.
I highly recommend this to fans of 80's films, or even just films about the 80's, or fans of love stories...Oh to heck with it, all movie fans will find something to appreciate in the movie "Valley Girl". My husband did.
Eileen F.

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Julie's cool, Randy's hot. She's from the Valley, he's like'so not! Nicolas Cage and Deborah Foreman star in this "sweet, fast, unpretentious [and] funny" (Los Angeles Times) romance that mixes preppies, punkers and a "hit-filled soundtrack" (The New York Times)including The Plimsouls and Modern Englishinto an iconic cult film that's "entertaining" (New York)'to the max! Julie is, like, so over her preppy boyfriend, she dumps him on the escalator at the Galleria. And when she meets punker Randy, her eyes practically bug out because she thinks he's sexy even though he makes her friends gag! But even if Randy's ready to stop the world and melt with her, can Julie risk her losing her friends and her super-popularity at school just to be with him?

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90210: The Complete First Season (2008) Review

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(More customer reviews)With the announcement that "90210', based on the popular hit 1990's drama series "Beverly Hills 90210' would be returning to television and feature stars from the past but also new stars for the present, the series definitely received a lot of hype and excitement. The series would be created by Darren Star ("Runaway", "Cashmere Mafia", "Beverly Hills90210', "Melrose Place" and "Sex and the City") and developed by Rob Thomas ("Dawson's Creek" and "Veronica Mars"), Jeff Judah ("Life as We Know It") and Gabe Sachs ("Freaks & Geeks", "Just Shoot Me" and "Undeclared") and began airing on the CW in 2008.
The series revolves around Harry Wilson moving his family from Kansas back to his home in Beverly Hills to live with his rich mother Tabitha and become principal of West Beverly Hills High School and his teenage children Annie and adopted son Dixon getting used to their new environment. Similar to the original series, there are a lot of twists and turns, but to best illustrate what the series is about is introducing the primary character of the series.
The Wilson Family
Harry Wilson (played by Rob Estes, "Women's Murder Club", "Providence" and "Suddenly Susan") - The father and husband. Also, the principal of West Beverly Hills High School. Used to be a wild person when he was younger and used to date Tracy Clark (the mother of Naomi) and both had a child which he never knew about.
Debbie Wilson (Lori Loughlin, "Full House", "In Case of Emergency" and "Summerland") - Loving mother and wife. A professional photographer who works at home and doesn't really get along with Harry's mother that well.
Annie Wilson (Shenae Grimes, "Degrassi: The Next Generation") - The daughter who is trying to fit in and high school. Enjoys the performing arts and dates the popular jock Ethan Ward who once was in long relationship with Naomi. A former friend of Annie and now rival.
Dixon Wilson (Tristan Wilds, "The Wire") - The adoptive son of the Wilson family. Athletic and because he is African-American and was raised by a Caucasian family, he often feels like an outsider but for the most part, his parents and family love him. He dates Annie's good friend Silver. Dixon works at the Peach Pit.
Tabitha Wilson (Jessica Walter, "Arrested Development", "Trapper, John, M.D.", "Play Misty For Me") - Mother of Harry and lives in a mansion in Beverly Hills. She loves to drink alcohol too much and often meddles into the parenting of Harry and Debbie, thus her relationship with her daughter-in-law is not the best. A former actress.
The Clark Family
Tracy Clark (Christina Moore, "Hawthorne", The Bad Girls Guide") - A rich wife who is currently in a bitter divorce and is the mother of Naomi. She used to date Harry when they were teenagers and were a big couple. With Harry back in town, she starts to have interest in him despite knowing he's married. She reveals to Harry that they have a child.
Naomi Clark (AnnaLynne McCord, "Nip/Tuck", "American Heiress") - The popular diva at West Beverly High School and dated the popular jock Ethan Ward. And is used to being treated special. Spoiled but also from a broken family which leads her to bad boys. She has a bitter rivalry with Annie.
The Taylor/Silver Family
Kelly Taylor (Jennie Garth, "Beverly Hills 90210', "What I Like About You") - The West Beverly Hills High School guidance counselor. Has a son with Dylan McKay and takes care of him and her sister Erin. With her recent split up with Dylan, she tries to have a relationship with teacher Ryan. And to further complicate things, her old high school friend Brenda Walsh is back. Kelly helps the teens at West Beverly Hills High School.
Erin Silver (Jessica Stroup, "Homecoming") - The anti-student who runs a blog at her high school making fun of the popular students (her former friends). Because of her mother's instability at home, she moves in with her older sister Kelly. She is Annie's best friend and dates her Annie's brother Dixon.
Other Main Characters
Ethan Ward (Dustin Milligan, "Runaway") - The high school jock and dated the most popular girl on campus Naomi. But he had a summer fling a long time ago with Annie Wilson and now that she's back, he ends up having a relationship with her. Despite his playboy ways, he gradually grows up as a person.
Adrianna Tate-Duncan (Jessica Lowndes, "The Haunting of Molley Hartley, "Greek") - The actress who's parents got into a bitter divorce and because her family doesn't make much money now, her mother pushes her to get acting or commercial roles to support them. The stress has forced her to become a drug addict and eventually pushing people away from her. Best friend of Naomi and eventually begins dating Navid.
Ryan Matthews (Ryan Eggold, "Dirt") - Ryan is a teacher at West Beverly High School. A teenager that everyone likes and is dating Kelly Taylor. Because he was messing around with an undercover officer (posing as a student at the high school), rumors ran rampant that he was having sexual relations with a student and damaged his reputation.
Navid Shirazi (Michael Steger, "The Cheetah Girls") - The media/tech expert and geek. Good friends with Dixon and eventually starts dating Adrianna and standing by her when no one else wanted to.
"90210 - THE FIRST SEASON" is featured on six DVD's. Here is a spoilerless summary of each episode:
DISC 1:
* EPISODE 1 & 2: WE'RE NOT IN KANSAS ANYMORE/THE JET SET - The Wilson family move to Beverly Hills and Annie and Dixon try to get used to their new surroundings and new school. And hoping to meet new friends.
* EPISODE 3: LUCKY STRIKE - Harry and Debbie have family bowling night and Annie and Dixon invite their new friends.
* EPISODE 4: THE BUBBLE - Kelly convinces Brenda Walsh to become the new theater director for West Beverly. Meanwhile Naomi confronts her father's mistress.
DISC 2:
* EPISODE 5: WIDE AWAKE AND DREAMING - Dixon and Silver grow closer, meanwhile Kelly and Ryan confront Adrianna in regards to her substance abuse.
* EPISODE 6: MODEL BEHAVIOR - Annie and Adrianna audition for an Indie film. Meanwhile Debbie is hired to photograph a fashion show.
* EPISODE 7: HOLLYWOOD FOREVER - Annie and Ethan are paired in class together to take care of a baby. Meanwhile, Naomi tries to help Adrianna with her drug problem.
* EPISODE 8: THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOMECOMING - Annie gets her driver's license and both she and Ethan go an unofficial date. Meanwhile, Debbie is noticing that Tracy is trying to get close to her husband.
DISC 3:
* EPISODE 9: SECRETS AND LIES - Silver has a house party and Harry explains to his children that he had a child with Naomi's mother a long time ago.
* EPISODE 10: GAMES PEOPLE PLAY - Teacher Ryan Matthews gets into big trouble. Naomi also discovers Annie and Ethan's secret.
* EPISODE 11: THAT WHICH WE DESTROY - Dixon has a hard time accepting his new half-brother.
* EPISODE 12: HELLO, GOODBYE, AMEN - Adrianna learns shocking news that will change her life forever.
DISC 4:
* EPISODE 13: LOVE ME OR LEAVE ME - Debbie has had enough of her mother-in-law Tabitha getting involved of the raising of their children.
* EPISODE 14: BYE ACCIDENT - Adrianna makes a major revelation to her current situation. Meanwhile, Ethan gets into an accident and becomes concerned for Rhonda (Aimee Teegarden, "Friday Night Lights"), the girl he hit.
* EPISODE 15: HELP ME, RHONDA - Dixon has a hard time accepting his new half-brother. Meanwhile, Annie becomes concerned when Ethan spends too much time with Rhonda.
* EPISODE 16: OF HEARTBREAKS AND HOTELS - Naomi becomes interested in a bartender. Meanwhile, it's Valentine's Day.
DISC 5:
* EPISODE 17: LIFE'S A DRAG - Silver's relationship Dixon becomes a bit too intense.
* EPISODE 18: OFF THE RAILS - Silver does something that upsets Dixon and sets off a turbulent day in the life of Erin Silver. Meanwhile, Annie and Ethan's relationship hits a wall.
* EPISODE 19: OKAERI, DONNA - Donna Martin (Tori Spelling, "Beverly Hills 90210', "Tori & Dean: Inn Love") returns back from Japan to visit Kelly and while the others volunteer for Habitat for Humanity. Dixon takes Annie with him to visit his real mother. Meanwhile, Harry has a problem with his wife's latest photoshoot - a nude male model.
* EPISODE 20: BETWEEN A SIGN AND A HARD PLACE - Harry and Debbie decide to sell their house in Kansas, while Naomi's trust in Annie starts to disappear. Meanwhile, Donna tells Kelly about what happened to her and David.
DISC 6:
* EPISODE 21: THE DIONYSIAN DEBACLE - Navid and Adrianna decide to tell their parents about their plans. Meanwhile, Naomi's sister Jen comes back to Beverly Hills.
* EPISODE 22: OFF THE RAILS - Silver does something that upsets Dixon and sets off a turbulent day in the life of Erin Silver. Meanwhile, Annie and Ethan's relationship hits a wall.
* EPISODE 23: ZERO TOLERANCE - It's prom night and a night of new beginnings for Naomi, Annie and also Adrianna. Meanwhile, Kelly is suspicious about Jen.
* EPISODE 24: ONE PARTY CAN RUIN YOUR WHOLE SUMMER - After prom night, things go crazy and definitely a night to remember.
VIDEO & AUDIO:
"90210 - THE FIRST SEASON" is presented in 16:9 and features audio in English 5.1 and stereo.
I have to say that picture quality for the DVD is pretty good. Many drama television shows tend to suffer from terrible...Read more›

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An edgy, contemporary spin-off of the iconic drama Beverly Hills, 90210, the new 90210 looks at life through the eyes of Annie Wilson and her brother Dixon, whose first day at West Beverly Hills High School leaves no doubt they’re not in Kansas anymore.

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Better Off Dead (1985) Review

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(More customer reviews)It's finally here, and although it doesn't cost $2.00, it's better than nothing (if you caught that reference, you're a fan and will buy it now).
I won't go into plot and such - you already know about the movie's merits (or can find them online easily). This review will concern the region 1 (USA) DVD release that came out 7/16/02 at long last! retail around $20-25 USD.
One note: I had trouble finding this on release day - the local "big box" boys all told me they had "a copy on order or something"... I guess they didn't anticipate a big demand for this wildy funny 1985 cult comedy.
DVD Special Features: Widescreen enhanced for 16:9, English Subtitle Option, Dolby Digital & "English Stereo" (whatever that means). No foreign language tracks, outtakes or even a trailer. No stills of the cast or bios.... nada. Zip. Zero.
Initial Impressions: This DVD is truly a bare-bones production from start to finish. I actually thought the audio track was absent at first, due to the lack of any sound at all until the movie proper starts. And of course you can't skip over the annoying studio splash or the stern warning not to copy it. At least there's no ads or previews in front like some.

Menu Options: The menu page is a static photo with three options - Play, Setup and Scene Selection. Setup lets you pick from "Subtitle: English or None". That's it. No other setup options... it looks like you could change Audio Indicator to other foreign languages, but that option does not highlight. Maybe they forgot to add foreign language tracks or the coder forgot to link up to the function.
Video: I played this on two different TV/DVD setups - one highend and one old/low end. The Widescreen refused to work on my lowend set, but worked fine on the new DVD player. However, both sets showed the film to be overly bright and rather soft, especially in outdoor scenes. Even inside, there were no good strong blacks to be seen. The print itself seemed rather clean, with no spots or distortions immediately visible. Overall, it looked like a moderate home-transfer job of a videotape via a DVD burner... barely better than my vhs. Such a shame.
Audio: Nothing special, just good old Dolby. Not that surround would do much with this movie, but still.. blah.
Extras: none. I suspect if they could have had "less than none" they would have. Truly a poor showing for this classic comedy.
Summary: Although "gotta have it" fans like myself are happy to have a DVD at last, this shoddy transfer and lack of features makes me a bit ticked at whomever decided to jam it to us fans and charge "normal" dvd prices. It would have been much more accurately priced as a budget dvd in the 12.99 range after all this time... surely the production costs have been paid for many times over.
Other: The VHS (20th Cent.Fox) edition indicates 98 minutes, the DVD says 97 minutes... reason not apparent. Also, the keepcase coverart is truly dreadful- whomever created this case cover needs some more photoshop lessons pronto!
5 stars for the original movie, 3 stars for this lackluster DVD edition.

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After being ditched by his girlfriend, Lane decides that suicide is the only answer. However his increasingly inept attempts bring him only more agony and embarrassment.Genre: Feature Film-ComedyRating: PGRelease Date: 16-JUL-2002Media Type: DVD

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To Sir, With Love (1967) Review

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(More customer reviews)Sidney Poitier has the role of a new teacher in one of Britain's secondary schools. He is given a class of students who, with maybe one or two exceptions, have reached the end of the academic road and will be leaving school at the end of term. They have no academic future and their future outside of school is not to promising. Bike messengers and shop assistants if they're lucky is what awaits these 15 year olds. (Leaving age in the mid-60s was 15.) The kids can care less about school and are just watching the days roll down until they don't have to attend anymore.
Poitier's charecter quickly realizes that the best thing he can do is get these kids ready for the real world. He junks the syllabus and creates his own plan for these people to meet life with something like survival skills. Instead of maths, science and english, he teaches the world of cooking, politeness and proper grooming. These latter skills will help these kids far more than being able to diagram a sentence.
I first saw this film when it first came out. I think I had a better appreication of it, as an American, becuase I had jsut returned from living in the UK and attending a secondary school, which while not like North Quay, did introduce me to some of the characters portrayed. Guys I knew were facing school leaving with prospects of working as a green grocer's assistant or a boy soldier or seaman in the Forces. So on an intellectual level, I certainly understood what Poitier's character faced. These weren't juvenile delinquents but a real segment of British society that probably still exists today.
This film has just as much validity today as it did when it was first released. The cast is excellent from Poitier down to the kid with no lines but filling a desk. I found this to be a fine film at the time I first saw it and today when I saw it again after a period of several years between viewings. I recommend it to everyone who enjoys British films.

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Napoleon Dynamite (2004) Review

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(More customer reviews)I love independent films, but the truth is that some of them you have to cut a tiny bit of slack due to their lack of resources. But not NAPOLEON DYNAMITE. Seeing this was one of the most delightful, unexpected pleasures that I have had in a movie in a long, long time. Most high school comedies dealing with school nerds are a bit of a cheat, because the nerds are never really as nerdy as the ones we all knew or (or perhaps were) in high school. My favorite TV show is BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER, but I could never really buy the ultra-cute Alyson Hannigan as a school nerd. But not so Napoleon Dynamite, his friend Pedro, or Deb, the reserved and shy girl he has a crush on.
No explanation is made of Napoleon's name, but any Elvis Costello fan knows that in the 1980s he declared that he would no longer be known as Elvis Costello, but instead as Napoleon Dynamite, under which name he released what may have been his last great album, BLOOD AND CHOCOLATE. The producers have independently declared that they were unaware of that and chose the name without reference to Elvis Costello. This is, of course, utterly absurd, about as believable as someone making a movie with the lead character named Anna Karenina but claiming to be ignorant that Tolstoy had a character by that name.
The movie depicts the private hell that is the life of Napoleon Dynamite, a hopelessly inept misfit at Preston High School in Idaho, apparently without any friends at all until he stumbles upon a new Hispanic student Pedro, who apparently is incapable of speaking any word with more than one syllable or of smiling (until the very end of the film). Napoleon makes nerds look cool. School is such hell for Napoleon that it seems perfectly normal for one kid as he is walking down the hall to body slam him up against his locker. It isn't just that he is clueless, he is cursed; he not only thinks it is OK to stuff tater tots into his pocket, unwrapped, for snacking on later, it is inevitable that another kid will crush them in his pocket when he refuses to share.
If Napoleon's life is awful at school, it is as bad at home. We are clueless as to the whereabouts or fate of his parents, but his slacker and equally nerdy brother provides neither companionships nor solace, and when his grandmother injures herself in a ATV sand dune accident, his Uncle Rico, a fortyish Peter Pan so desperately yearning for 1982 that he orders a home made time travel machine over the Internet, who is as pathetic in his own way as either Napoleon or his brother Kip.
Plot is not really important in the film; the process of Napoleon's life is. This could easily have been a terrible film, but director Jered Hess (born, by the way, in Preston, Idaho), who co-wrote the screenplay with his wife Jerusha, displays throughout a deft touch at keeping things interesting and funny instead of merely silly. The actors are all excellent, though for the most part near unknowns. I recognized only two performers, one being Diedrich Bader, who has been in a number of roles over the years, perhaps more memorably in OFFICE SPACE as the protagonist's next door neighbor, with whom he would have conversations through the wall. Here he has a hysterical stint as an absurd martial arts instructor. I also knew Tina Majorino, who has been in a number of films over the years, primarily as a child. She does a great job as Deb, though her role (as is Napoleon's) is a bit of a cheat on the audience. They make her up to be as unattractive as possible, when she is, in fact, quite a cutie, as the improved hair-do at the end of the film proves. The cheat with Napoleon is the fact that he . . . well, I won't spoil things. Let's just say that by the end of the film he isn't the helpless nerd we imagine. I especially enjoyed Efren Ramirez as the monosyllabic Pedro. He underplays his role to the point of parody.
I do highly recommend this movie. NAPOLEON DYNAMITE is a thoroughly unique, fun, and funny film, that isn't quite like anything else I've seen. One might say that it is not unlike a male-oriented version of WELCOME TO THE DOLLHOUSE set in rural Idaho.

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Napoleon Dynamite is a new kind of hero, complete with a tight red 'fro, sweet moon boots, and skills that can’t be topped. Napoleon spends his days drawing mythical beasts, duking it out with his brother, Kip, and avoiding his scheming Uncle Rico. When t

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Just Friends (2005) Review

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(More customer reviews)At a high school graduation party, overweight Chris Brander (Ryan Reynolds) attempts to reveal his true feelings for his best friend Jamie Palomino (Amy Smart), but ends up making an utter fool of himself. What's worse, his humiliation takes place in front of his jeering teenage peers. A decade later, Chris has become a success story. He is now thin, prosperous, is a hit with girls, and works as an executive in the music industry. His latest assignment is escorting wacky starlet/pop princess and ex-flame Samantha James (Anna Faris) to Paris, France. But their plane has to make an unscheduled landing in Jersey, Chris's high school home. Rationally, Chris and Samantha decide to stay at his old house. Chris has a reunion with his former buddies, including the winsome Jamie, who immediately rekindles that old spark within Chris. The remainder of the film concerns Chris's efforts to make Jamie see him as more than a friend, while simultaneously fending off the warped Samantha. Competition comes in the form of a former fellow nerd turned sensitive guy Dusty Dinkleman (Chris Klein).
Just Friends is a very funny, feel-good movie. Ryan Reynolds is a hoot as a brash L.A. stud who disastrously channels his inner dweeb whenever he's around unrequited love Jamie. Ryan is really excellent with physical comedy. There are scenes with him that are just uproarious (case in point, the aftermath of his politically incorrect hockey game with the kids). I even enjoyed his frequent Three Stooges encounters with his kid brother (Chris Marquette). And when he has to, Ryan steps outside the slapstick and layers in a deeper nuanced, more introspective performance. I ended up rooting for Chris, even though he was overly cocky and big-timed his home town folks. And then there's Amy Smart, who seemingly can do no wrong. There's just something so lovable and natural about her. She embodies the type of girl every guy would want to be with. Anna Faris's turn as the unstable Samantha adds to the already boisterous feel of the film. Samantha actually scares me. Chris Klein's Dusty, Chris's guitar-playing, song-writing rival, is disgustingly touchy-feely. One would wish that a different sort of arc for Dusty's character had been laid out; the script writer, in my eyes, sold out and made things too convenient for Chris, with regards to Dusty. Julie Hagerty (Airplane!) has a goofy supporting role as Chris's mom.
The special features are tasty:
- a filmmakers' film commentary
- "Tales from the Friend Zone" featurette (the cast & crew talk about real life "just friends" experiences)
- "Developing Just Friends" featurette (wherein we learn of the script's 7 year odyssey and how, originally, Chris didn't get the girl at the end)
- "A Director's Guide to Comedy" featurette
- "The Transformation" featurette (about Ryan's fat face make-up)
- "The Body Shake" featurette (the awkwardness of when you're dropping off a date; do you hug or kiss?)
- "It's Friggin' Cold" featurette (the cast & crew basically complaining about how cold the shooting was)
- "A Writer's Journey" featurette (focus on script writer Adam "Tex" Davis)
- "A Disaster in the Making" featurette (about the making of the Palomino house X-mas decor and its eventual fate)
- "The Reshoots" featurette (the making of the eventual ending of the film, which wasn't the original ending)
- a so-so blooper reel
- deleted scenes
- an alternate ending (this was the initially intended ending; you could see why they changed it)
- an amusing "Jamie Smiles" video
- theatrical trailer
So, try out this movie. It'll make you smile and laugh and even feel nostalgic because, let's face it: just like me, you've been in Chris's position before, too.

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Back in high school, Chris (Reynolds) was an overweight nerd and in love with his best friend Jamie (Smart), but she only thought of him like a brother. Ten years later, Chris is now a hot L.A. music exec and finds himself himself back in his hometown and in love with Jamie all over again. But can they really be more than Just Friends?DVD Features:Alternate endingsAudio CommentaryDeleted ScenesFeaturetteGag ReelMusic VideoTheatrical Trailer

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Easy A (2010) Review

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(More customer reviews)It's easy to like a character, but it isn't often you come across one that you would want to actually be friends with, or maybe even wish you could be like. For me, such a character is Olive Penderghast (Emma Stone), a high-school student from Ojai, California. True, she may only be a fictional character, but she's also the embodiment of personality - smart, witty, and affable, yet not so perfect or above it all that she fails to be human. Despite these magnetic qualities, she isn't noticed much by her peers, and she's all but upstaged by her best friend (Aly Michalka), who makes it a point to believe only what she wants to believe instead of actually listening to the truth. Things drastically change for Olive when she gains an infamous reputation as the school floozy, something she didn't start but certainly chose to perpetuate.
Her story is told in "Easy A," which is not only one of the funniest teen comedies of recent memory, but is also one of the most intelligent. Rather than go for obvious lowbrow sex and booze toilet humor, director Will Gluck and writer Bert V. Royal show the temerity to engage the audience with clever dialogue, strong characters, and a plot we can actually care about. It doesn't play down to the audience. If we laugh, it's not because of a vulgar throwaway gag but because of genuinely funny scenarios, many of which are relatable to varying degrees. Perhaps the film is founded on an extraordinary premise, but in my mind, it's a perfectly plausible premise, and the fact that the filmmakers could keep the story grounded while making it entertaining is quite an amazing achievement.
Olive's infamy begins when she lies about having lost her virginity over the weekend to a college student she made up. The lie is overheard by Marianne (Amanda Bynes), a judgmental and pious Little Miss Christian, who proceeds to tell everyone she knows about Olive's indiscretion. Rumors quickly spread. Other students begin to take notice of her, and although she never asked for her newfound reputation, she finds she's appreciating the attention. She's then approached by her gay friend, Brandon (Dan Byrd), who's so tired of being harassed by homophobic bullies that he begs her to pretend to have sex with him. Knowing that no one would believe her if she simply told people about it, Olive drags Brandon to a classmate's party, where they lock themselves in a bedroom and make all the necessary noises. Everyone is fooled.
This includes Marianne and her circle of Christian friends, one of whom boldly suggests that Olive follow the lead of Hester Prynne in "The Scarlett Letter" and mark herself. Not content with doing things half-heartedly, Olive arrives at school the next day wearing a bustier with a red A affixed to the right breast. In due time, she's approached by other boys who want Olive to do for them what she did for Brandon; she agrees to help them all, although she's well aware that the situation is getting out of hand. It's bad enough that they're using her to inflate their egos. Why must they also compensate her with gift certificates and coupons to affordable stores like The Home Depot and Bed Bath and Beyond?
The ads have prepared us to view Olive as a cliché - a wisecracking teen who never shows her emotions and flaunts her superior intellect in the form of biting sarcasm and dry wit. But we end up seeing nothing of the sort. Olive is a young woman of considerable depth, jokey on the outside but within harboring needs, hopes, and deep insecurities. They emerge during scenes with the school mascot, Woodchuck Todd (Penn Badgley), the one guy who has known Olive most of her life and sees the person behind the reputation. Through him, she comes to believe that regaining her self-respect depends on tracking down each of the boys she helped and coercing them into telling the truth. This proves far more difficult than she expected. It's just as well; the root of "self-respect" is "self," which is to say no one other than her can turn the situation around.
Other characters, such as Olive's loveably liberal parents (Patricia Clarkson and Stanley Tucci) and her perpetually flustered school principal (Malcolm McDowell), add color to the story, even if they are a bit less three-dimensional and serve mostly as comedy relief. The English teacher, Mr. Griffith (Thomas Hayden Church), is not only as witty and charming as Olive but is also remarkably perceptive; the same cannot be said about Mr. Griffith's estranged wife (Lisa Kudrow), which is ironic since she's the school's guidance counselor. I don't want to reveal too much about this couple. Let it suffice to say that Olive's actions have consequences that extend beyond the limits of the student body.
The film is told as a retrospective, Olive opening the film with a webcam confessional that continuously weaves in and out of the story proper. This is far from an original narrative technique, but Stone's performance and Royal's dialogue elevates it to new heights. Right at the start, we're drawn to this character, and we want to stay near her even after the story has come to an end. Not too many roles have this kind of power. Not too many teen comedies are this well written. "Easy A" is a sweet, sassy, ingenious little movie, one that I hope will not be forgotten ten years from now.

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OLIVE AN AVERAGE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT, SEES HER BELOW THE RADAR EXISTENCE TURN AROUND OVERNIGHT ONCE SHE DECIDES TO USE THE SCHOOL'S GOSSIP GRAPEVINE TO ADVANCE HER SOCIAL STANDING.

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