I feel a bit immature awarding a crude Jim Carrey comedy titled "Dumb and Dumber" five stars, but I believe that it deserves every bit of it. Written and directed by the Farrelly Brothers, whose other works include Kingpin, Me Myself and Irene, There's Something About Mary, and Stuck On You, are more than just comedic directors. It is obvious that they have much knowledge of other films and pop culture, along with camera techniques and characters.

The average critic would say that "Dumb and Dumber" made them laugh, but exceeded by going sometimes too far. One must remember why films were made in the first place; to make us laugh, entertain us, and make us want to come back for more. "Dumb and Dumber" exceeds with flying colors.

I recently bought this movie on DVD, just after finishing the great book. I had seen the Kubrick version long before I read the book, and always thought of it as a masterpiece. Although entirely altered from the book, Kubrick's version still stands as my all-time favorite horror film.
Apparently, Stephen King held a 17-year long grudge against the 1980 version because it was so much different than his book. So finally, he decided to do a faithful adaption of his book...this being the result. It was created as a miniseries for ABC, so most of the bad language and sex from the book was cut out, however, I was surprised at how much violence they allowed (especially considering that ABC is owned by Diney.) Overall, I was pleased by this 4 1/2 hour adaption of the book...the following are a list of things I liked and didn't like about the film:

PROS:
Very faithful adaptation of the book
Steven Weber did a great job
The hedge animals were included in the film
Gives much more background on the Overlook and the dead things that lurk inside
Gives more background on the Torrance family
It is very nicely updated
Jack's desent into insanity was much more gradual

CONS:
I felt that King was trying too hard to avoid connections to the Kubrick version
At times, the film felt too glossy
The man in the dog costume wasn't as odd and gruesome as he was in the book
Doesn't maintain the dreadful atmosphere of the Kubrick version
The hotel was better in the Kubrick version
The scene in which the clock begins to squirt bloody tissue and brains all over the glass was left out...which was very symbolic to me
At times, I found Courtland Mead's upper lip to be somewhat distracting
The special effetcs were over-used just a bit
The obvious "commercial breaks" became annoying

If someone asked me which version they should see, I would have to reccomend the Kubrick version because I believe that it is truly frightening (and a lot shorter running time to handle.) However, I would not hesitate to reccomend this version to those who love the book or just want to see a really good TV miniseries.

The film starts off with Michael Douglas sitting in his car, caught in traffic while on his way to work. His hair is cut short, he wears thick black-rimmed glasses, nice black pants with a nice shirt and a tie to go along. He represents the average American businessman. As we see from the very opening, this man has been pushed over the edge by society. He believes that he is right, and everyone that argues with him is wrong.

After a few long minutes of sitting in completely stopped traffic, he becomes so frusterated that he gets out of his car in the middle of the freeway, and just walks off. This is how the day starts for D-Fens (License plate name) as he looses his mind, and encounters many people on his way. The initial thing about this film that surprised me was that it wasn't afraid of boundaries. Michael Douglas' character is bold, racist, violent, and profane...so there's a good chance that a handful of viewers would find this film to be highly offensive. I give this movie credit for pushing the envelope and not caring what anybody says.

The main thing that I liked about Falling Down was how much it struck a chord with me. I always look for films that are different and share some same ideas that I have. I also believe that society is corrupt, and this film shows it.

Along with the great acting, Falling Down is highly enjoyable and holds up on repeated viewings. The DVD is average, with good picture and sound quality, so I don't have any reason to complain. It seems that most viewers either love or hate this film, so see it for yourself so you can determine...which category do you fall into?

The first time I watched this extraordinary film, I didn't like it as much as I would later on. At first it seemed a little sloppy and slow, with some very intense and memorable sequences. This is definitely a film that grows on you, and come to love after a few viewings. Robert DeNiro stars as Michael, an ambitious guy who loves to shoot pool with his buddies and go hunting. Their world suddenly changes when Michael and his two friends Nick (Christopher Walken) and Steven (John Savage) go off to war in Vietnam.

This film shows the brutal intensity and reality of war and what the main characters are forced to go through. When they finally get back, their social and home lives have changed...mostly for the worse. We then see how each character copes with the effects of war, and loss of friendship.

One thing I've learned about some great masterpieces, is that they always seem to have a song before a huge event occurs. For example, in Pulp Fiction "Girl, You'll Be A Woman Soon," before Mia overdoses. In "The Deer Hunter," there is a scene early on in the film where all friends sing and dance to "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" with Christopher Walken leading. This scene sticks out in my mind as brilliant. While watching this scene, you become absorbed in the film and become close friends with the characters. It's really powerful, and a last good time before going off to war.

You may start watching this film and find the picture to be too grainy, or the plot too boring, but trust me...stick with it. It will most definitely be a film that will stay in your heart for some time.

For as long as I can remember, I've always been a fan of MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL, but that was the extent of my PYTHON intake. That's all I had known of theirs, but always heard good stuff about FLYING CIRCUS and their other films; AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT, LIFE OF BRIAN, and of course, THE MEANING OF LIFE. I remember my dad always talking about a famous restaurant scene in which a large man explodes, but couldn't remember which PYTHON film it was from. Finally, I stumbled across THE MEANING OF LIFE...little did I know it was going to change my life forever.

After hearing so much publicity about it, I finally went out and bought it. I was delightfully surprised at how hard I was laughing. It had no limits. Gore. Bad language. Explicit sexual dialogue. Nudity. And who could forget; extremely crude humor (yet somehow sophisticated at the same time.)

The film is made up of many different sketches unlike their other films which just carry out one long story. Each sketch has something to do with the meaning of life...or do they??? The PYTHON members come back in every sketch as someone different in a different time. It's so ridiculously absurd, you can't help but laugh.

As far as this new Special Edition DVD goes...It's one of the best I've seen in a long time. Wonderfully zany and colorful menus guide you to pounds of special features specially created for this release. Everything is spread out over two discs, and there's even a director's cut of the film. Everything is pretty much perfect except for the lack of a booklet inside the case...another recent Universal release to have this problem was ANIMAL HOUSE. But everything else stands out so much, it more than makes up for that minor problem.

Everything said, I LOVE this film, and this DVD release really enhances the whole wild experience making this a must have for all PYTHON fans. This is definitely a film I can watch over and over and laugh every time. Every viewing is like visiting old friends..."Can we have your liver?"

It starts off dry with no opening credits or title sequence and the audience is thrown into Barry Egan's world. It opens on just another day in Barry's lonely and confusing life, and as the movie goes on, we see him grow as a person...not all in good ways. Barry represents many people out there; lonely, depressed, confused, angry at the world, low self-esteem etc. So right from the start, P.T. Anderson establishes his audiences interests. If you can't relate to Barry in any way, you will probably not enjoy this too much...even though you still may respect it.

The pace and style of this film are much different than Anderson's other films; Hard Eight, Boogie Nights, and Magnolia. Here we are treated to a once-in-a-lifetime experience and new genre that was invented by this film. You can most likely expect to never see a film like this ever again, it is truely unique and astonishing. Adam Sandler really does a fabulous job of his portrayal of Barry Egan, and should've been nominated at the Oscars.

What makes this film different, is it's visual style...I'd have to say almost a mix of cinematography from; Pulp Fiction, The Shining, and Anderson's own technique. It's very colorful yet dull at times. The colors in the film represent Barry's feelings at the moment and are really affective.

When I first saw the trailer for this movie, I was hooked...right there and then. It's one of the only trailers that doesn't mislead you into thinking the movie is something that it's not. The musical score with the film is beautiful yet haunting at the same time which really gives the movie an extra magical touch.

The Two-Disc Special Edition Set is very nice, fitting the film very well. There aren't a truck-load of extras explaining most of the symbolism of the film, but I can guess that was done intentionally. Other than that, the picture and sound are above and beyond the Superbit par, and there are lots of fun and suiting extras. It's deadpan, yet quirky, and beautiful, and angry, and charming all at the same time.

The whole experience is very dreamlike, a dream that you never want to wake up from.

Most of the new movies that come out are really c rap and it's so great to see movies like this are still being made. Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks are wonderful in this enchanting story of a young man's dream life. Christopher Walken stars in one of his best roles next to his roles in; Pulp Fiction, The Deer Hunter. That's all I'm going to say about this great comical caper...watch it for a great time!

I remember reading Quentin Tarantino's great script for NATURAL BORN KILLERS before seeing the film. He wrote it in the late 80's and kept it until the early 90's when he sold it to director Oliver Stone (who wrote SCARFACE and directed PLATOON). At the time, Quentin Tarantino was not well-known, his only noticable work being a film that he wrote and directed in his debut, RESERVOIR DOGS in 1992. Therefore, Stone had his own vision for NATURAL BORN KILLERS, and practically re-wrote the script, only crediting Quentin Tarantino for the original story.

After reading the original script, it was disappointing to see how the movie steered so far from it. The film plays out a few different styles: it feels like a commercial, cartoon, video game, and music video all at the same time. The opening scene of the film plays well, it's definitely my favorite scene of the entire film, but the "creative" styles grow old fast. The techniques used put distance between the audience and the characters and make it hard for it to present that gripping quality Quentin Tarantino originally intended for.

Although, at times the colored flashing lights and black and white picture seem charming, they get in the way of the real film, preventing me from strongly reccomending this film. It's an unusual and interesting film, and made by a director who knows what he's doing, but it just doesn't hold up overall.

The Blair Witch Project was not made to make you mess your pants and be forever afraid. There is not one scene in here that is absolutely terrifying. The cameras are cheap and the picture is grainy...so what? This movie is fantastic! The atmosphere is amazingly chilling and dark. The acting is mostly all real. The cheap picture quality and shaky movements just increase the intensity. We see the blair witch through the character's eyes, and not from God's. We know just as much as they do. We follow them on their journey through the dark and haunted woods as they search for a local legend called the blair witch. We hear about her in interviews with the townspeople in the beginning. She gets built up in our minds and doesn't leave.

I watched this movie alone at midnight, turned up pretty loud. It was althogether, a terrifying experience. When you look back on this film, you don't remember one scene in particular, you remember the whole thing. All these slightly scary things are happening that all add up to something very frightening. It's all in all a very fun and exciting experience that will leave you coming back for more!

This is a truely amazing and magical movie and most people wonder why. It makes you feel good inside. Forrest Gump makes his way into all of our hearts by weaving himself into real American events so that we can relate to him. An innocent man sitting on a bench telling the story of his life. He may not be all there, but he touches all of our hearts. The music adds to the film a lot, being timed in with what's going on. It tells the tale of a man's life, and how he changed America. Tom Hanks brings so much to the role of Forrest, being able to express many emotions and feelings. The DVD is really good, great everything. I wouldn't even think about complaining at all. Forrest Gump is a role model for all things good, and shouldn't be missed by anyone.