500 Days plays as one of the most inventive and original movies I have seen in a long time. Not all relationships are love stories, and we may not know going in, if this person is the 'one.' We may wonder but we may not know.

You may have noticed that when you listen to a story you immediately tend to identify with the lead character. Here though, the writer cleverly flips and reverses the male female duality, so that we experience a shift and a split in perception, she is the one with walls, the realist, neat and organised, emotionally unavailable, he is the one seeking relationship, looking to break those walls and make an emotional connection, the romantic fantasist discussing the relationship with friends. She focuses on the present. He focuses on the future. If you're like me, thefurther you get into the movie the more you may notice yourself looking at relationships in new ways.

If you're into personality types: He is feeling and intuiting. She is thinking and sensing.

What I love most about this movie, is not just the acting, not just the directing, not just the storytelling, but its fresh, inventive, unabashedly non linear non formula Indie beating Hollywood's formula way, giving us scenes, emotions and insights that linger long after the credits roll.

500 Days is full of memorable scenes: the morning after scene, when you feel like high fiving the world, the Ikea scene, The French movie metaphor scene, when the robot cries, the split screen expectations reality sequence.

The story unfolds in a non linear fashion, dipping in different days at random, with a recurring skyline motif the connecting thread between scenes. This time distortion technique somehow makes sense, partly because this is how we remember relationships. My favorite scene is the park bench where he tells her his dream of changing the skyline, and she asks him to draw it on her forearm, and then it fades perfectly into the skyline motif, planting that seed. The park bench becomes turning point and bookend.

I love Zooey's deadpan expressions, and when she plays logical and detached. Her sister Emilt has made a career out of playing a logician on Bones.

Joseph Gordon Levitt, whose facial expressions resemble Heath Ledger sometimes, excels as everyman Tom Hanson, who writes greeting cards but really wants to be an architect. He played lead in one of my favorite movies of 2006 The Lookout [Blu-ray] as a young man with amnesia sucked into a bank robbery.

Zooey was outstanding as the lead in Tin Man mini series, the reimagining of Wizard of Oz, which I highly recommend. She excelled in Elf with Will Ferrell, and now she excels inher own tv comedy. Quite an endearing character.

If you would like to watch a movie that is different from the usual Hollywood fare, I highly recommend it. Hope this was helpful.

When I was buying this this book (Penguin edition)I was concerned about whether it would include all the poetry of Marlowe.

So, I was impressed to receive the bonuses, and I have found it highly satisfactory for my purposes. Here are the contents:

Hero and Leander (complete with George Chapman additions).
Ovid's Elegies (all 3 books).
Lucan's First book
From the Passionate Pilgrim
The Passionate Shepherd to His Love, (a truly beautiful poem).
Sir Walter Ralegh attrib Nymph's Reply
Responses to The Passionate Shepherd by John Donne, and J Paulin, and Anonymous.
On the Death of Sir Roger Manwood.
Book 1 Elegia XV by Ben Jonson.
Henry Petowe's response to Hero and Leander, with their further adventures.

Marlowe undoubtedly is one of the most influential poets and playwrights of all time, credited with popularising blank verse (unrhymed verse) on the Elizabethan stage. Similarly the iambic pentameter so commonly employed by Shakespeare undoubtedly was influenced by Marlowe. Indeed many Shakespearean scholars through the centuries, according to various books I have read consider that Marlowe either wrote or cowrote some of the early Shakespeare plays such as Richard II, Richard III, 1Henry IV, 2HenryIV, Henry V, and others. I also recommend you check out Marlowe's plays such as Dr Faust, and Edward II, both great plays.

It's unfortunate that bookstores do not appear to readily stock Marlowe, while the shelves are full of Shakespeare. I think his influence and brilliance is greater than most people imagine.

If you cannot get for a reasonable price here, price compare with Amazon USA.

I consider this one of the best poetry books I have bought. I think you will love it, and I hope this was helpful.

In the classic book The Art of War, written over 2,000 years ago, Sun Tzu said: "The battle is won or lost before it's even begun."

In this movie, Tyson's public and private battles, successes and failures, wins and losses, show the truth of this saying.

Through it all, Tyson talks to camera, and his speaking style mirrors the relentlessness he showed as one of the greatest fighters ever.

As you watch the story gets more gripping, and it's easy to be amazed and perhaps a little horrified by both his blinding speed and ferocity as a fighter.

I can remember a coworker asking me one time, after watching Tyson demolish someone in half a round, if I would fight him for $4 million. I said no way. "But you would get $4 million." I said if it was Ali I know he wouldn't kill me, so I might risk it because he wouldn't kill me, but with Tyson you would have no such assurance.

In life as in boxing, Tyson pulls no punches, and it's odd, and not a little surreal to watch him talk and hear the shocking and surprising things he has to say about Robin Givens, Desiree Washington, and Don King, not to mention his celebrated fights including the ones with Holyfield and Lewis, and with Berbick, where he was battling herpes.

It would appear that his mentor Cus d'Amato instilled discipline in him, and was a huge positive force in his life. That story is very touching.

Late in the movie we see a segment where he play boxes with his young daughter, a beautiful counterpoint to all that's gone before. I wonder if this is Exodus. If it is, it's quite poignant.

If you get the opportunity, I recommend you go see Tyson while it is still in release. It's natural to compare this with other fight movies, such as the Oscar nominated 'When We Were Kings' starring Muhammad Ali.

What makes this one so compelling is its unique narrative style, with Tyson talking, and the extreme nature of his successes and failures, interspersed then news coverage and segments of fights and incidents. Those who see it will understand why I would not call this a documentary. I hope you find this review helpful.

I have bought several books on Jung, and something about the writing style I find difficult to read and comprehend. People I have spoken to echo the same sentiment 'I know what you mean,'they nod sympathetically.

So, I don't know if you can imagine my delight when I stumbled across this in a bookstore. The more I leafed through it, the more impressed I was with the contributions by a wide variety of experts. For example, understanding clicked in on the personality types, now widely used as the MBTI, Myers Briggs Type indicator.

If you're new to Jung, I would recommend you get this book, and then explore further as you deem fit. If you're not new to Jung this brilliant book delivers a one stop reference to his great ideas.

Another book that I highly recommend is Israel Regardie's Middle Pillar: The Balance Between Mind and Magic: formerly The Middle Pillar. His chapter about Jung model of the mind is simply brilliant. You may be interested to know how Jung bridged the gap between spirituality and psychology with his many concepts. I particularly loved the picture of the Jungian model, which alone justifies buying the book.

I think you will love it, and I hope this was helpful.

However much one knows about Erickson, there is always a lot more to know.

There do not seem to be many videos of him commercially available. I have two others.

In this dvd, which is about an hour long, you will see the main authors of his work Jay Haley, author of Uncommon Conversations, and Conversations with Erickson, Ernest Rossi and Jeffrey Zeig share their personal experiences of Erickson.

You will also see segments with different family members, including his wife Betty, his daughter Betty Alice, son Allan, daughter Roxanne, and daughter in law Luanne.

Included is footage of Erickson in session. If you're like me you may find the one with the girl in the wheelchair particularly interesting.

Interestingly, her main goal was to walk, and Erickson, in a wheelchair himself said 'if we can't make you walk, then what?' The answer was to handle the pain. She is shown again three years later sitting on a couch and talking about her experience.

If you are hoping to see a ton of footage of Erickson hypnotising people, you will see numerous clips from different periods of his life, with very little extended footage of any one session.

I trust you find this helpful.

Throughout an illustrious directing career Clint Eastwood has crafted some of the most memorable movies of the last 15 years, movies such as Unforgiven, Mystic River, and Million Dollar Baby. He has won five Oscars, including two for Best Picture, two for Best Director, and the Irving Thalberg award.

In the process the actors he has worked with have been blessed with Academy Awards: Hilary Swank and Morgan Freeman in Million Dollar Baby, Sean Penn and Tim Robbins in Mystic River,and Gene Hackman in Unforgiven.

With his other movie of 2008, Gran Torino, as Director and Actor he has delivered one of the best movies of the year, and one of his own most memorable performances, and now delivers another outstanding movie in Changeling.

Angelina Jolie won an Oscar for Girl Interrupted. Changeling marks her second nomination.

A huge amount of credit for this movie though must go to writer J Michael Straczynski, creator of Babylon 5, who got a call one day, and the caller said: "We're throwing out some old records, and there is something you gotta see." A true story that beggars belief.

Christine Collins' son was kidnapped, and the police returned to her 5 months later a boy who said his name was Walter Collins, but she said he was not her boy. Her protests fall on the deaf ears of Police Capt JJ Jones played by Jeffrey Donovan of Burn Notice. So begins one of the most notorious coverups of an already disreputable police department.

The attention to detail in the story is nothing short of incredible, particularly in the mental hospital scenes, which are very true to life. The psychiatrist excels at twisting her story to make her look nuts, using double binds to manipulate her, you're either lying or you're nuts, simultaneously threatening and cajoling her, with unknown potentially dangerous drugs or electric shock treatments. Threats which he characteristically carries out. Amy Ryan plays the tart with a heart, an ally who explains the system, a small but very important role, and shocking.

Oftentimes the Hollywood idea of a true story takes many liberties with the facts, distorting the actual events. In this case, as far as I can discern nearly everything important is true, including meeting Northcott in San Quentin.

A couple of minor facts have been changed. Her husband was in jail at the time of her son's kidnappping for armed robbery, not the explanation she gives her son. A fact left out of the movie was that she pursued Capt JJ Jones legally for years, won judgments but never got any money out of him.

What is up with Jeffrey Donovan's accent? He occasional lapses into a highly dubious stage Oirish accent, (which he probably got off his Burn Notice ex girlfriend, whose Oirish accent is also highly suspect).

Angelina plays the part very well, neither going for hysteria nor a victim/martyr portrayal which would have ruined the movie. She is more the reluctant crusader, who wins important allies along the way, changing important laws in LA.

Clint Eastwood apparently wrote the music for the movie. The sequence of music with the montages at the end is particularly good. I also loved the performance of the good cop.

Truly this is an outstanding movie. I think you will love it, and I hope this was helpful.

If you like Amy Adams, you'll probably like this movie. If you like Jazz, particularly some of the standards, you'll probably quite enjoy this movie.

This movie was made in 2006, yet not released till 2009. In the meantime, lead actress Amy Adams has rightly become a huge star, getting Academy Award nominations for Junebug and Doubt, and having a huge hit with Enchanted. She has starred in Leap Year, and The Fighter, where she gave perhaps her fesitiest performance.

Moonlight Serenade has flaws, it's a B movie with an A actress. The music mostly, by Jazz virtuoso, Alex deFrancesco is absolutely excellent, and excellently performed by Amy Adams, who has a recording artist quality voice. Her main costar, Alec Watson resembles a young Sinatra in appearance. He has looks and charisma. I think he is a promising actor.

What I found lacking in the movie was not the acting, but the underdeveloped storyline, and the basic unbelievability of the characters behavior. Are we supposed to believe that a financial wizard would totally rethink his successful business strategy of selling short, and risk his career because he met a coatcheck girl, and aspiring singer. Are we supposed to believe that a narcissistic druggie boyfriend would suddenly act in his girlfriend's best interest? Are we supposed to believe that she, Chloe, would struggle to meet the piano player big Frank for an audition at a different club when they both already work in the same club. Why not just audition before the club opens? With some better direction the scenes could have played a little better, and the story could have been improved.

About halfway through this movie decides it's a musical, when the non musician played by Harriet Sansom Harris, (you may remember her as the ruthless agent on Frasier), suddenly and for no apparent reason bursts into song. This was disconcerting.

Other than that, I did enjoy the movie, in fact I watched it again. Safe to say Amy Adams will not be most remembered for this movie, yet this movie will be most remembered for Amy Adams. I though the best scene was at the end in the spotlight. Some people just shine in the spotlight, and belong there.

So, if you like jazz and Amy Adams I think you will enjoy this movie, and if you are an Amy Adams fan, it's definitely worth seeing.

I hope this was helpful.

Rich Bellison lives in a world where nobody lies, and his eyes are set on Anna, young, pretty, and totally out of his league. Not only do people not lie, they do not censor their thoughts, and therefore what's said can seem absurdly insensitive. Nobody ever questions the truth, because there is nothing other than the truth to question.

When her mother calls mid date Anna says she does not find Rich attractive, and she will not be having sex with him, as he is not a genetic match, and she does not want her children having snub noses. We get to know Rich by his reaction. In fact he is the one person in this world who does not have to say everything he thinks.

As events unfold disastrously for Rick, he finds himself in the position where he becomes the first liar. Telling the lie opens up opportunities, and ultimately becomes the path to fame and fortune if not to his hearts desire. It's an exploration of truth and lies, and not a glorification of either one.

Ultimately, he becomes the first person to posit thoughts about the afterlife, which everyone believes without question. However, he recognises that lying to Anna, while it would work will yield only a hollow victory. Is it possible to win Anna from the clutches of the perfect match without lying?

While Ricky Gervais may not be your typical leading man, he does have a tremendous and admirable creative ability, as evidenced by his creating the The Office Collection and Extras: The Complete Series (Includes Series Finale), and a tremendous understanding of comedy. The American Office starring Steve Carell, has now run successfully for multiple seasons.

Having previously only experienced Jennifer Garner as a dramatic actrees, and not being overly impressed, I was impressed by how great a comedienne she is here. I did not buy into Anna and Rich as a romantic couple, but the whole movie is very cleverly done. While Gervais is a good comedian, he is not a romantic leading man.

This movie won't appeal to everyone. Inevitably, though specific deity names are not mentioned, one can form the opinion that the the 'man in the sky' is some convenient fiction, which it is, to convey Ricky Gervais atheist beliefs, which it does, and some people will interpret this as an attack on their beliefs, and find it offensive.

If you feel you might fall into that category, then I recommend you skip this one. Get Extras instead.

Hope this was helpful.

Iraq is the location, war the condition, and bomb disposal the situation, when the bomb disposal unit faces its last four weeks of a tour of duty. Already rocked by the loss of one their own, when Sgt James arrives, and turns out to be a reckless excitement junkie, the conflict and tension within the unit escalates, as the life and death stakes grow ever higher. Will someone crack, will someone die?

It's simply one of the most tense and gripping movies you'll see in this or any year. I recall, feeling the heat of the desert, and the tense feeling as if I was there about to be blown up, and I recall leaving the theater thinking would win the Oscar for Best Movie and Best Director. Then in December Avatar appeared.

A curious coincidence of these two movies is that James Cameron, Avatar and Titanic director was once married to Kathryn Bigelow director of Hurt Locker.

As of Feb 2, 2010. Hurt Locker has won 50 awards already, garnering widespread appreciation, and nominated for 9 Academy Awards, including the ones I mentioned, Best Director, Best Pictture, Best Original Screenplay, and also Best Cinematography, and Best Editing. Avatar also got nominated for 9 Academy Awards, and Inglourious Basterds for 8, rounding out the leaders of the pack.

March 11, 2010. I was as surprised as anyone when Hurt Locker won for both Best Picture, and Best Director, considering the staggering achievement of Avatar. David truly killed Goliath. In so doing Kathryn Bigelow has become the first woman to win for Best Director. I am glad for Hurt Locker but somewhat shocked that it defeated Avatar for both awards. Hurt Locker also won for Best Original Screenplay.

Hurt Locker achieved only a fraction of what Avatar achieved at the box office.

Although I could see its brilliance, it's not for everyone, it's realism may be too real for some people. It's certainly not a woman i would strongly recommend to my friends, unless perhaps they were into war movies. In fact, that is how I came to see it. Nevertheless, it successfully captures the tension of being in a war situation, and knowing your lie could end at any moment, while you a dangerous loose cannon in your unit. It's quite gripping in that respect.

So, if you like tense and gripping war movies, this may be the movie for you, I hope this was helpful.

Many years ago, I watched Mel Gibson's version of .Hamlet with Glenn Close. Sceptical of whether this Australian actor could pull off this character, and have the chops to do Shakespeare, my preconceptions were laid to rest by his excellent performance. Everyone touched by the taint of Hamlet died, as did Hamlet.

In Edge of Darkness, the inciting incident is not the death of the father, but the death of the only child, and we explore vicariously what happens as we look through the lens of Detective Craven's grief, we wonder what he will do next, to what lengths he will go, will he be able to control his emotions or will he lose control entirely, and cross the line. Will he survive, or will the forces of adversity win?

Memories flicker through his mind and reenact themselves onscreen as he attempts to reconcile the images of the daughter he knew with the developing picture of the daughter he lost. As he searches for answers, the body count starts to mount, and danger lurks at every turn.

His face perfectly expresses his inner anguish and torment, and Gibson gives a superb performance, as he teeters on the edge of darkness.

We had not seen him in a starring role for six years, although he has directed the The Passion of the Christ, a mega box office success, and Mel Gibson's Apocalypto [Blu-ray], an outstanding achievement in directing, one of my favorite Gibson movies, but not for the squeamish.

Point of interest, EOD also stars Danny Huston, son of Director John, and brother of Angelica. He plays the daughter's boss.

Edge of Darkness is an excellent thriller, and scored $17 million on its opening weekend, which at $10 a ticket means that 1.7 million people have already seen this movie. It's the best of the new releases, scoring second only to the juggernaut Avatar, which has now surpassed Titanic worldwide, and still number one. Hope this was useful. Comment | Permalink