High Road [Blu-ray]

HILARIOUS!
I have to completely disagree with the previous reviewer. I just went to a screening of this film in NYC and found this movie to be absolutely hilarious. Maybe I'm of a younger generation than the previous reviewer but I wasn't the only one who seemed to enjoy this film. The theatre was sold out, had a very diverse mix of all shapes, sizes & ages in the audience and the laughter never stopped. Everyone seemed to really enjoy it. Its clear that this film is a very low budget indie and I went in not expecting much, but I found the ensemble cast very entertaining and the story surprisingly sweet ~ which is why I came on here to purchase some copies for friends! I loved it.

Stupid pot movie
I couldn't even finish this movie. And I watch lots of bad movies. How this great cast all read the script and went "this will be great!" is unfathomable.

Horrible and pointless
There is absolutely no point to this movie. It's not funny and there is no real story line. Don't waste your time on this one.

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Young Adult [Blu-ray]

Uncomfortable, Brutal, And Even Sad: This Black Comedy Is Also A Stunningly Bleak Character Study
In the latest collaboration between director Jason Reitman and writer Diablo Cody (they gave us "Juno" and she won a Screenplay Oscar in the process), our protagonists may be older, but that doesn't make them any wiser. In fact, Mavis Gary (Charlize Theron) still resides in the rarefied land where her high school days were the pinnacle of her success. She has an idealized memory of her popularity and perceived true love (Patrick Wilson), so when confronted with the disappointments in her big city existence--she attempts to reclaim some of her former glory. Specifically, she hatches a plot to return to her home town and rescue Wilson from what she believes is his domestic prison--namely a wife (Elizabeth Reaser) and new baby. "Young Adult" is marketed as a black comedy, and it certainly has some of the most awkward and uncomfortable humor that you're likely to encounter. But in essence, it seems like a dramatic character study whose narrative arc is depicted largely through...

Truth Hurts, Donut?
This was a tough watch. I expected anti-hero dark comedy, but it's far more dark than comedy. Sure, we're given plenty of the 'oblivious beauty queen in state of painfully arrested development.' It was fun watching her attempts to skew reality in the way that best suited her needs; that's the defining trait of the Mean Girls, after all. Then the pity happens. We see that she's seriously broken under there, and we're expected to feel bad for her. Poor, sad drunk pretty girl. And just when she seems to be at the brink of a genuine breakthrough, she hops back into her broken life and drives away.

While I admit that a magical Romey & Michelle redemption for Mavis would have infuriated me, it would've been nice to see that she learned even the slightest bit from her escapade. But the fact is, some people simply don't learn. They peak at 17, then face 60 long years of mediocrity. That's an ugly truth. Some people have their lives utterly ruined at 17 and never quite get over it,...

Reitman an auter? Maybe.
Thought I'd put in my two cents. Unlike his father, Reitman is rapidly becoming a genuine American auteur. No one working in Hollywood today gets the incipient loneliness and social malaise of post-modern America, "How we live today," as it were. His last two films, this one and Up in the Air, totally nail all the odd comic elements of a society going joylessly through the motions - the sterility and formlessness of airport culture, the soulless vapidity of small town life, the weird highway ramp hotel non-culture, successful people trapped in their own self-made defensive cocoons, not to mention the perverse enjoyment of misery and depression fueled by endless booze and empty sex..Reitman is basically aiming his films at people who read things other that Twilight. He is drawn to writers like Walter Kirn and Diablo Cody because they seem to have something to say about the sad Way We Live Now that is not driven by research and age demos. The irony of Mavis, the ultimate "hip" urban...

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Bag It

A Relatable Host Makes A Convincing Argument On The Dangers Of Single Use Plastic
There is no denying that there is a good message and a big heart behind the documentary "Bag It." At a mere 79 minutes, the film raises a lot of points about the dangers of plastics from a number of different angles (pollution, resource management, questionable chemical additives). By no means is "Bag It" the first or the last film that will cover this familiar terrain. But while I am very familiar with all of the arguments that the film raises, the movie offers a unique and appealing everyman guide in narrator Jeb Berrier. One of my common complaints in environmental documentaries is that they can tend to lack focus. With so much wrong in the world today, they can bludgeon the viewer with doom and gloom (and instead of inspiring me to act, they sometimes make me feel defeated by the futility of it all). So I was pleasantly surprised for most of "Bag It" as Berrier (and filmmaker Suzan Beraza) delineated their focus so specifically. As a practical and comprehensive argument against...

A Relatable Host Makes A Convincing Argument On The Dangers Of Single Use Plastic
There is no denying that there is a good message and a big heart behind the documentary "Bag It." At a mere 79 minutes, the film raises a lot of points about the dangers of plastics from a number of different angles (pollution, resource management, questionable chemical additives). By no means is "Bag It" the first or the last film that will cover this familiar terrain. But while I am very familiar with all of the arguments that the film raises, the movie offers a unique and appealing everyman guide in narrator Jeb Berrier. One of my common complaints in environmental documentaries is that they can tend to lack focus. With so much wrong in the world today, they can bludgeon the viewer with doom and gloom (and instead of inspiring me to act, they sometimes make me feel defeated by the futility of it all). So I was pleasantly surprised for most of "Bag It" as Berrier (and filmmaker Suzan Beraza) delineated their focus so specifically. As a practical and comprehensive argument against...

An entertaining and informative documentary on recycling in the format of Michael Moore's films
I see that there are already 18 other reviews of this 78-minute film from 2010 posted so I'll try not to rehash the info already provided. This documentary starts out discussing the "plastic bag" and its impact on the environment but also covers plastics in general (packaging, baby bottles and toys, plastic lined cans, etc) and the need to recycle. The "host" is Jeb Berrier, a guy who looks and acts like Michael Moore. At first it looks like HE is the person who created the film as Director and writer, but you will see in the credits that the Director is Suzan Beraza and the writer is Michelle Curry Wright. (Neither is shown). So, honestly, I don't know if Berrier is telling his own story or if this is a "plot device" to present this important issue. But it works. And, later in the film Berrier turns from his Michael Moore mode to his Morgan Spurlock ("Super Size Me") mode to try to eat as many foods containing Phalytes (sp?) as he can.

The interviews are with both...

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American Pie Presents: Unrated 4-Play Pack (Band Camp / The Naked Mile / Beta House / The Book of Love)

FUNNY
These movies make me laugh so hard that my ribs hurt and I cry everytime from laughing so intensely, thanks!

My older son was so happy
These are his favorite movies, my son is an older teenager and likes to watch these over and over again. Good purchase.

Nice collection and priced right.
I've wanted to own this American Pie collection for along time. The price was great, delivery quick. For all you American Pie fans this is a must have.

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The Dish & The Spoon

Sincere and Unhindered
Alison Bagnall brings her 2nd feature length film, The Dish & The Spoon, with shameless intimacy.

After discovering her husband has cheated on her, Rose (Greta Gerwig) goes on a beer-drinking rampage, pulling the young, mysterious vagabond (Olly Alexander) in on her plan for revenge against the bitch who put her in this position.

The two share an undeniable - often cute and occasionally awkward - on screen chemistry.

Their unique and intimate relationship develops in an interesting balance of sexual tension, bare emotions and twisted manipulation.

Bagnall sincerely seems to be an actor's director, where playfulness and experimentation is balanced with an emotional depth.

The film is sincere and reckless, letting the characters lead the narrative. Rose wants to scream, Rose will scream. Rose wants to cuddle, Rose will cuddle. Rose wants to steal, Rose will steal.

The characters really seem free to act how they want and...

A little treasure
I took the opportunity to watch this during the 2011 SF International Film Festival. This is a well acted character study about a seriously depressed 20 something who develops a bond with a teenager.
The chemistry between Gerwig and Alexander is credible and the story never strains to push them into a romantic tryst. I was also impressed by the Delaware setting. Too many movies want to stick with NYC/LA or other big cities, while ignoring the rest of the country.
I'm looking forward to revisting this one on DVD

The dish and the spoon
I loved this film. I found it so poetic, involved in the pairing of two unlikely people who in ordinary circumstances would never have been involved in each other. They are both in pain. She as the result of an adulterous husband. He, having traveled all the way from England to meet a girl he met in London who dumped him. The acting of both Greta Gerwig and Olly Alexander are gripping...so believable. (disclosure: I am the screenwriter/directors Mother)

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4 Kid Favorites: Jetsons

Just like old times
I thoroughly enjoyed this DVD. I can't wait to share it with my grandchildren. The Jetsons are wholesome entertainment. You never have to worry about something inappropriate popping up.





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Suicide Room

Good movie, bad reviews
I don't normally do reviews, but in this case I'll make an exception.

The movie is great. The acting is terrific, the characters are realistic and the plot is deep.

That being said, I'd like to address the other reviews.

The first review is just nonsense. I don't know what that person watches but appearently they don't know good acting when they see it.

The second reviewer missed the point with the gay vs. straight dilema. He never makes a display to his friends that he is gay (not sure where he got that from) and when he makes the display to his parents its all about their reaction and disrupting their performance in the social dance of society.

Both reviews missed the mark on the sexuality of the main character. The "is he gay or is he straight" or a mix, doesn't really matter. Our confusion about his sexual orientation is based on his confusion about his sexual orientation. If you're like the first reviewer and can't walk away...

Brilliant movie that grabs you from the very first frame!
Suicide Room (Sala samobójców) - Video on Demand version: this movie DOES come with the english subtitles! I wasn't sure so I emailed Amazon CS and asked if the streaming version would include the english subtitles and I was told "no", but just know that it does and the quality of the streaming was well done - so run, don't walk, to the VOD store and get this movie!

Suicide Room is a brilliantly acted and directed Polish movie that had me completely engrossed from minute one! The movie encompasses a brief period (maybe a few months) of the American equivalent of the Senior High School year of 18 year old Dominik. He comes from a wealthy home life and has two very career-driven parents who give him everything in order to pacify Dominik allowing them the freedom to live their hectic lives without interruptions from child rearing. At one point the father looks at the mother and says "has he ever wanted for anything?". You get the picture. In short, Dominik...

I was left speechless at the end
This is one of those movies that you finish and sit in silence for twenty minutes afterwards not knowing what to do. It is such a powerful movie, showing just how cruel young adults can be. I find it heinous that they posted all that online and bullied him through the web. It is a powerful and dangerous tool. This movie definitely makes you think, a lot! I'm still speechless from it. I don't know if I should say I liked it, purely because of the subject matter. However, it was a very well written, acted and filmed movie. Very, very sad story. Heartbreaking even, but it is worth the watch!

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