Conversations with Other Women DVD box set: with love

In "Conversations With Other Women" Bonham Carter plays an unnamed woman who has traveled from England to New York City to serve as a bridesmaid at a wedding where she knows precious few of the participants. Aaron Eckhart, playing a wedding guest, strikes up a conversation with her. Soon we realize these two are old flames with new lives: He now lives with a much younger dancer, she with a cardiologist many years her elder.

Woman and Man (that's how they're billed--yeeesh) gingerly explore the possibility of a sexual reconnection. Despite this suspense, "Conversations With Other Women" DVD box set plops along like a mediocre one-act play with a difference.

The two don't have much time; the woman's flight leaves at dawn. They repair to her hotel room where their bittersweet, often humorous verbal dance continues with a break for the inevitable catch-up sex. On the page, this all sounds corny. But, as remembrances layer one upon the other, this relationship takes on the darkness and depth of an epic love. Screenwriter Gabrielle Zavin freshens up stale love story conventions, and does so the right way: By creating distinct, well rounded characters. We piece together, bit by bit, the circumstances of the woman fleeing their troubled affair for safe harbor in London, and what perhaps followed in the years following their breakup. At times, Zavin's scenes can feel stagy and amateurish, forcing her characters from one beat to another as each seeks to fill the decade-plus gap since they were last together.

Conversations is actually interested in the joys and pains of human relationships. Each of these films is about sensitive, intelligent adults negotiating with that least selfish of human ideals: Eternal Love. That’s why I liked about Conversations with Other Women. 

Trust DVD box set

Trust DVD box set begins innocuously enough, before turning into every parent’s worst nightmare and reminding us that innocence on the internet is hard to come by.

Trust is a story about a 14-year-old girl and a predatory pedophile as a series of repercussions in which rape is only the first, and possibly not the worst, tragedy to strike its naive and vulnerable victim. It’s easy to imagine how this story could have been exploited and dumber down. It works instead with intelligence and sympathy.

Annie (Liana Liberato) receives a laptop as a 14th birthday gift from her dad (Clive Owen). She’s something of a loner at school, and forms more meaningful attachments in online chatrooms — to Charlie, for instance, who claims to be her age, and seems to understand her so much better than anyone else.

One day Charlie admits he’s a little older and keeps chipping away at a huge, looming lie by confessing to smaller ones. Annie feels a sting of betrayal with each partial disclosure, but a baseline trust has been formed, and she’s still smitten enough to agree to a deeply unsettling date in a shopping mall. It’s obvious, in person, that he’s three times her age. And yet she is still so very nice.

The story is all too tortuous and complicated. Liana Liberato does such a poignant job of showing how, and why. She has three scenes in particular where her wounded feelings spill out in words of anguish, and they are so well-written and well-acted that they’re heartbreaking. All in all, this movie is powerfully emotional, yes, but also very perceptive. 

Bridget Jones’s Diary DVD box set: a healing classic comedy

As a huge fan of the books, I had incredibly high expectations of the movie. And now I watch the movie DVD box set with my partner at leisure time. Needless to say, `Bridget Jones's Diary' the movie worked very, very well.

Renee Zellweger is absolutely perfect as Bridget Jones. She has always been one of my favorite actresses and here, she totally displays Bridget's pathetic cuteness. Zellweger gained weight for this role, too, so she looks adorably plump. It's very, very hard to not fall in love with her the moment you see her at her family's Christmas party or drinking alone at home or listening to sad, Celine Dion music. (You have a heart of stone if you aren't moved to laughs or tears or pity for her.) I can't imagine anyone else playing Bridget Jones. Zellweger fits the role because she is very much normal and approachable.

The quality of the rest of the cast is also perfect. Hugh Grant and Colin Firth assume their roles as Bridget's potential suitors with a great deal of panache and hilarity. Grant, stuck with hair that will give him forever the look of a dandy highwayman, breaks away from his bumbling nervy Englishman style to play Daniel Cleaver, the serial shagger who runs the publishing house where Bridget works as a PR assistant. Cleaver is the kind of guy who walks into a room and assumes that every woman wants to take him to bed, and unfortunately for his ego his assumption proves to be correct. Bridget is putty in his hands and his wooing of her is one of the film's comedic high points.

In short, Bridget Jones's Diary DVD box set is a healing classic comedy at its best. Go see it.

W.E. DVD box set: Masterpiece

W.E., Madonna's new film, it seems based more on their mutual fascination with the awfulness of the thing they have done.

The movie indicates it was Edward who insisted they marry. Apparently so, he wanted to make a grotesque sacrifice in giving himself to this woman who after all was not that beautiful, not that young and not that irresistible. As the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, their marriage lasted from 1937 to 1972, and they were known above all for maintaining a facade of high style, harmony and no trace of regret. She was considered the epitome of chic and set a global standard with her clothes, her jewelry, and her taste. What a shabby trade-off for the throne.

W.E. dopily alternates between Cornish’s sexual and emotional awakening at the hands of a poetry-reading, piano-playing security guard (Oscar Isaac) and the courtship between Simpson and her self-sacrificing royal soulmate (James D’Arcy, who has the vaguely inbred quality of many royals). Simpson and Edward fall in love via montage sequences and share a bond rooted in elegant clothing, expensive gifts, expertly made martinis and Edward’s love of Simpson’s dancing: When Sex Pistols’ “Pretty Vacant” anachronistically accompanies a Benzedrine-fueled interracial dance freak-out, the song selection feels like a dead-on self-critique.

The movie's climax (and it is handled well) comes at a formal dinner party when Wallis calls King Edward "David," his semi-secret family name; of course she shouldn't know it and still less should a commoner use it on familiar terms in a reprimand. The king had ripped her dress by catching it under the leg of his chair, and what delicious irony that their great public scene should be inspired by her fashionable clothing.

For me, I really hope people watch it with an open mind and forget Madonna directed it. At least until the credits roll and her new song Masterpiece begins and you remember why we love Madonna in the first place. Her music is profound and the song Masterpiece is a beautiful closer to the film. I will be buying this film for my DVD box set collection. It's worth it.

Something Borrowed DVD box set: please give a happy ending

Something Borrowed DVD box set twists itself into knots trying to clear our consciences, get us to root for male and female lead, and hate Kate Hudson with every fiber of our being. John Krasinski does his best to save the film, but it’s not enough to overcome the conceit of watching two people do their best to keep their love alive while sparing the feelings of their obnoxious friend.

The major plot point of Something Borrowed hinges on the old "I've been in love with you since college, but I could never tell you!" routine. Poor, dutiful lawyer girl Rachel (Ginnifer Goodwin) has, since childhood, cowered meekly in the shadow of her dazzling blond best friend, Darcy (Kate Hudson), who looks out for number one. Darcy throws a surprise 30th birthday party for her best pal; only to hijack the birthday toast by reiterating how totally, over-the-moon happy she is to be engaged to blandly handsome dullard Dex (Colin Egglesfield). Little does she know -- because she barely seems to know anything -- Rachel has been in love with Dex since they were in law school together? Darcy insinuated herself into their seedling romance and somehow ended up with the engagement ring; through it all, Rachel stood by meekly, saying, "Whatever." But on the night of Rachel's party, after having a few drinks too many, she and Dex play kissy-face and land in bed together.

Such passivity is all too common in real-world relationships, but makes for frustrating onscreen entertainment, with neither party strong enough to do the right thing. And so the affair continues undetected by Darcy (and chastened considerably from the novel, focusing more on guilt than pleasure), while the two backstabbers try to work out their next move.

The end of movie tells me that: many people, many story? How can’t be a happy ending? 

The Devil Wears Prada DVD box set: just all about fashion

"The Devil Wears Prada" DVD box set is being positioned as a movie for grown-ups and others who know what, or who, or when, or where, Prada is. But while watching it I had the uncanny notion that, at last, one of those books from my childhood had been filmed. Call it Andy Sachs, Girl Editor. Anne Hathaway stars, as a fresh-faced Midwesterner who comes to New York seeking her first job.

Andy stills dresses like an undergraduate, which offends Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep), the powerful editor of Runway, the famous fashion magazine. Miranda, who is a cross between Anna Wintour, Graydon Carter and a dominatrix, stands astride the world of fashion in very expensive boots. Her portrayal of the ice queen is perfection, what with her dead glares and a voice that never rises above certain level and yet filled with barbs. You simply can't take your eyes off of her. In comparison, Hathaway (Brokeback Mountain) is slight and obviously inexperienced. However, her genuine disposition and earnestness are very fetching, and her awkwardness around Streep is actually an asset to the role.

Frustrated with her demanding and unreasonable boss, Andy seeks advice from Nigel (Tucci), who helps her transform into something that Miranda could take more seriously. It works. As Andy's confidence improves, her ambition to win Miranda's trust and approval becomes stronger. She starts to cater to Miranda's every need, ridiculous schedule and demand at the expense of her own personal life, jeopardizing her relationship with beau, Nate (Grenier). Before she knows it, she's becoming more and more like Miranda.

Meryl Streep is indeed poised and imperious as Miranda, and Anne Hathaway is a great beauty ("Ella Enchanted," "Brokeback Mountain") who makes a convincing career girl. Anyway, the Devil Wears Prada is about fashion, about the point between reality and dream. In my opinion, this movie suit for graduate to watch.

A Perfect Getaway DVD box set: the one for me

When I see the title “A Perfect Getaway” DVD box set at the first time, I know I found the one for me.

Cliff and Cydney are an adventurous young couple celebrating their honeymoon by backpacking to one of the most beautiful, and remote, beaches in Hawaii. Hiking the wild, secluded trails, they believe they've found paradise. But when the pair comes across a group of frightened hikers discussing the horrifying murder of another newlywed couple on the islands, they begin to question whether they should turn back. Unsure whether to stay or flee, Cliff and Cydney join up with two other couples, and things begin to go terrifyingly wrong. Far from civilization or rescue, everyone begins to look like a threat and nobody knows whom to trust. Paradise becomes hell on earth as a brutal battle for survival begins...

A Perfect Getaway DVD box set wants you to know … that it knows … that you know … how these movies typically attempt to deceive you. And that's the point. It's all in service to a late-in-the-game triple-take -- some reverse-reverse-psychology -- that the film hopes, perhaps falsely, will surprise you. Maybe it will; maybe it won't. Or maybe it'll convince you to abandon your suspicions in favor of some other angle … only to prove them true in the end. But however you respond to the twist -- which is certainly not without merit -- writer/director David Twohy (Pitch Black, Below) simply and sadly fails to make all that comes before worthwhile, no matter how much fun he has in the final third.

in fact, it’s a pretty killer movie until the last fifteen minutes or so, when Twohy starts getting crazy with the triple split-screens, extended flashbacks, and one huge, glaring inconsistency in the killers’ modus operandi. I really enjoy the A Perfect Getaway DVD box set for what it was, a perfectly entertaining thriller, suitable for a fun night at the movies.

The Princess Diaries DVD box set: why me?

This is a girly movie. Every girl has a dream princess. Many a teenage girl, struggling with feeling ugly and out of place, dreams of a fairy godmother that will transform her into a princess and take her to the ball. The Princess Diaries DVD box set makes most of girls’ dream come true.

The Princess Diaries, written by Meg Cabot, are a series of books and films about a teenage girl called Mia Mignonette Grimaldi Thermopolis Renaldi. Mia is the main character of this story. The Princess Diaries describe the problems and difficulties that Mia has at this stage of her life. But on top of all this, Mia’s father was brought up in the royal Genovian family and this has affected Mia in many ways because she must change many things, including her attitude, in order to become part of the royal Genovian family.

It is one of my favorite books. I love the use of pop culture and humor, as well as loveable Mia, whose worries and thoughts are so strangely similar to mine that I can’t help but relate to her. It has an excellent plot, full of twists and fascinating details as well as excellent characters.

The Princess Diaries is filled with clever little touches and funny one-liners, and only occasionally goes for the cheap laugh at the expense of logic. Still, the movie falls short of its potential. The profusion of storylines leaves the film unfocused.

The Princess Diaries on DVD box set is largely what you'd expect, though Garry Marshall's introductions of his deleted scenes (as well as his commentary track) are insane and worth checking out. Is he on something? Does he think he's the king of Genovia? Don't laugh... yet. The new two-disc Special Edition cut adds more outtakes and bloopers, more featurettes, and more Hathaway goodness.

I want to say, everything's existing and appearance all have the reason. What most impress me: Michael asked Mia in the film: “Why me?” "Because you saw me when I was invisible,” Mia said. 

The Hangover DVD box set: every man has his Vegas in heart

The Hangover DVD box set is a movie based almost entirely on comic surprise. When our hapless overgrown boys wake up in their expensive Vegas hotel suite, the detailed destruction that inexplicably took place the night before is stupefying. An enormous pyramid of empty beer bottles overseen by a confused rooster is a mere intro to a labyrinth of unexplained circumstances. An abandoned infant and a bathroom-ensconced tiger deliver immediacy to the plight of three guys who you’d be just as likely to meet at a bar in Los Angeles or New York.

If the plot’s not enough to drive you crazy, the lack of intellectuality in the humor will make you want to rip your hair out, or go and slap the ticket boy at the front of the theater for allowing you to spend 8 dollars on this movie. Director Todd Phillips finds ways to push the envelope in nearly every scene of the film, and he relies heavily on “shock value” for laughs. Sure, the situations they get into are humorous, but how hard is it to generate chuckles when you’ve set yourself up with this premise?

I won’t go into the moral details too much. Let’s be honest, it’s rated R; it’s a film about grown men partying so hard they can’t remember an entire night. You as a viewer doesn’t need me to spoon feed you or tell you that you should tread carefully. I will say that, if you have a problem with any curse word under the sun, male butts, topless women, or sexual innuendo, don’t bother. There’s a plethora of the above listed, as well as a few even more deeply disturbing photographs shown during the credits that I won’t even mention.

It seems that every man has a Las Vegas in his heart. But some people take it into action; some people try very hard to suppress it. That depends on your choice. 

50 First Dates DVD box set as gift of Valentine’s Day

The Valentine’s Day of 2013 is around the corner. Are you ready? What kind of presents or surprises are for your lovers? Is it sexy lingerie, chocolate, flowers or a romantic candle dinner? All of what I want to recommend for this Valentine’s Day. In mu opinion, staying at your couch and watching the movie 50 First Dates DVD box set together with your lovers will be a warm and romantic thing.

50 First Dates is about a woman whose memory problem causes her to forget each new day once she falls asleep and a man whose burgeoning love for her causes him to forsake his old, womanizing ways and become a new person. The movie has a warm, strong heart and is often very funny, but it is marred by lots of foul language, light sexual innuendo, and objectionable attitudes toward sex.

This movie offers a twist from the typical Hollywood romance where couples are usually in bed barely after a date or two, Henry, because of the newness of each day, is actually unsuccessful in getting Lucy to sleep with him. In fact, as his real love for her grows his lust for her diminishes. There is one mostly-clothed bed scene but sex is not necessarily implied even though they do spend the night together. There are many romantic first kisses however and they do help to show the sex-right-now group that more is not necessarily better. Even Henry seems to grasp this point which would have seemed impossible from early scenes where several women are describing their brief steamy affair with the elusive Henry.

All in all, the plot was cute. I am so appreciate the way they solve the dilemma. To be frank speaking, it is very suitable and worthy to watch it with your partners.  

American Beauty DVD box set: lost beauty

American Beauty DVD box set is about a man who fears growing older, losing the hope of true love and not being respected by those who know him best. If you never experience those feelings, take out a classified ad. People want to take lessons from you.

The film starts off strongly, revealing Kevin Spacey in the shower masturbating, explaining that this is the high point of his day. The film immediately puts a finger on his sexual frustration. Married and a father, the character has not had sex in some time with his wife (Annette Bening), who is more obsessed with decorating her house. Under the appearance of marital happiness lies a more serious problem. This frustration pushes the character to fantasize about his daughter’s classmate, which will trigger him to begin working out to become sexier and seduce her. The young girl incarnates this American beauty symbolized by fresh rose petals (in Spacey’s fantasies) contrasted with the planted rosebushes in his wife’s garden whose rigid beauty testifies to an absence of sexual desire for his wife. American Beauty denounces this America that, under a guise of Puritanism, commits the irreproachable, like family fathers chasing after young girls. Sexual frustration touches several other characters. Annette Bening will go find satisfaction elsewhere, while his neighbor’s homophobia seems to be a result of frustration tied to a puritanical education where these tendencies are not accepted.

American Beauty is not about a Lolita relationship, anyway. It's about yearning after youth, respect, and power and, of course, beauty. The moment a man stops dreaming is the moment he petrifies inside and starts writing snarly letters disapproving of paragraphs like the one above. Lester's thoughts about Angela are impure, but not perverted; he wants to do what men are programmed to do, with the most beautiful woman he has ever seen.

Wild Child DVD box set: the importance of friendship

Emma Roberts (niece of Julia) stars as Poppy, a spoiled Malibu teenager whose widowed father (Aidan Quinn) finally cracks and sends her to an isolated boarding school in England after her latest bout of bad behaviour. Naturally, Poppy's an instant outsider at the school and quickly makes an enemy of stuck-up head girl Harriet (Georgia King), but the headmistress (Natasha Richardson) takes a shine to her and encourages her to give the school a chance.

However, Poppy still wants to leave and bonds with her four roommates (Kimberley Nixon, Juno Temple, Sophie Wu and Linzey Cocker) when they agree to help her get expelled. But will her burgeoning friendships and a blossoming romance with the headmistress' son (Alex Pettyfer) change her mind?

For the most part, the girls in Wild Child DVD box set are as interchangeable and nondescript as LEGO building blocks. Emma Roberts comes across well on the screen (and looks so much better as a brunette), but she could have been much more had there been some meat to her role. Aside from knowing Poppy’s mother died, there isn’t anything else linking us to her. Same goes for all the other girls — I figure it was a gift that the writers gave the girls names at all. They are all little more than one-dimensional playthings for Poppy to bounce antics off of and act silly with, which led to a few moments that were best left on the cutting room floor. One involved the absolute worst attempt at sexy dancing I’ve ever seen in my entire life — I felt sorry for the girls after being subjected to it.

Despite a shaky start, Wild Child is actually a surprisingly entertaining teen flick, thanks to likeable performances and a script that highlights the importance of friendship. It’s worth seeing.

Reblogged from http://jennyyu.edublogs.org/2013/01/16/wild-child-dvd-box-set-the-importance-of-friendship/

August Rush DVD box set: the “gel” of tear

Going in to August Rush, you've got to be more than willing to accept fairy tale magic; you've got to be looking to embrace it, with all of its whimsy and overzealous sense of wonder. That way, the movie can be sweet as opposed to so precious you feel the need to punt it through a window. It's a fine line, and August Rush is balancing it the whole way through.

The story is a very free modern adaptation of elements from Oliver Twist. We meet Evan Taylor (Freddie Highmore), an 11-year-old who runs away from his orphanage rather than be placed with a foster family. He has been told that his parents are still alive and were musicians, and he believes that through the power of music he can find them again…

Well, August Rush DVD box set tells us all about the magic of fate and coincidence, this little boy's love of music comes from some sort of machinations of the gods: His mother Lyla (Keri Russell) is a star concert cellist; his father Louis (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) is the guitarist and singer of a rock band. The two meet by coincidence on a rooftop and share one perfect night of moonlight and music, and are separated after. As August is looking for them, they are looking for one another and him. It's a small world, really, that separates August from his parents, but despite the number of coincidences and close calls that have parents and child nearly meeting, it takes them a very, very long time to actually get there.

If you find a story so heavy on the charm appealing, though, then August Rush delivers. If nothing else, August Rush is pleasant, so long as you don't go looking for realism or practicality. In short, the August Rush is every bit as super sweet and precious as it sounds.

The complete series of Black Mirror DVD box set

Black Mirror, a darkly satirical series that aired on Channel 4 in December, is a more serious statement. Over three discrete dramas – 44, 62 and 49 minutes long respectively – the programme explores the dark sides to our modern technological obsessions.

"The National Anthem"

In fact, this first episode, The National Anthem, reads like a condensation of all his past experience; it contains the cynical misanthropy of his old Guardian Screen Burn columns, a smattering of the profane and witty dialogue from his brilliant Nathan Barley comedy series, as well as the kind of behind-the-scenes insight into TV production that his work on programmes such as You Have Been Watching and 10 O’Clock Live may have afforded. One plot point even appears to pay homage to Brooker’s earliest beginnings on the mildly controversial 80s comic, Oink - though we’ll leave that particular reference for you to discover for yourselves.

"15 Million Merits"

The story followed Bing, played by Daniel Kaluuya of recent ‘Fades’ fame, who is bored of his monotonous life which consists of pedalling to earn Merits, the currency of the world. All of this changes when he hears fellow peddle pusher Abi (Jessica Brown Findlay from ‘Downton Abbey’ and ‘Misfits’) singing in the toilets. He is convinced that she could escape a life of toil by auditioning on reality TV show ‘Hot Shot’ and helps her to enter the programme.

"The Entire History of You"

The Entire History Of You explores the pitfalls of future technology. Given our current appetite for sharing carefully selected chunks of our personal lives on the Internet, the idea of people in the future recording and sharing memories isn’t too much of a stretch, and the way the episode depicts it is quite convincing, and extremely eerie. If you are a fan of Black Mirror, you can now get the complete series of Black Mirror DVD box set at the affordable price. Lucky for you!

Reblogged from http://www.dvd-usa.com/news/the-complete-series-of-black-mirror-dvd-box-set-a-184.html

“Love Actually” is all around

“Love Actually” DVD box set is utterly charming and irresistible romantic comedy.

An ensemble comedy on the theme of love in all its variations, this London-set film deals with numerous different interlinked relationships. Hugh Grant plays a new Prime Minister who falls in love with the Number 10 teagirl (an impressive and natural big screen debut from Martine McCutcheon). His sister Emma Thompson worries whether her successful husband (Alan Rickman) is having an affair with his secretary. Meanwhile in Rickman's office, Laura Linney yearns for the love of the chief designer. Colin Firth decamps to France when he finds his wife is cheating on him with his brother, and finds love - despite a language barrier - with his Portuguese housemaid (Lucia Moniz). Liam Neeson struggles to help himself and his son over the death of his wife. Keira Knightley, Andrew Lincoln, Rowan Atkinson and Billy Bob Thornton have round out a star-studded cast.

The movie has such inevitable situations as a school holiday concert, an office party, a family dinner, a teenage boy who has a crush on a girl who doesn't know he exists, and all sorts of accidental meetings, both fortunate and not. Richard Curtis always involves a little sadness in his comedies (like the funeral in "Four Weddings"), and there's genuine poignancy in the relationship of a recently widowed man (Liam Neeson) and his wife's young son by a former marriage (Thomas Sangster). Their conversations together have some of the same richness as "About a Boy."

Anyway, this is one of the most beautiful and heartwarming movies to come around in years with involving plotlines, top notch directing, and excellent acting from an all-star cast. I love it.

Se7en DVD box set

Se7en DVD box set is a dark, grisly, horrifying and intelligent thrilling movie may be too disturbing for many people. It tells the story of two detectives - one ready to retire, the other at the start of his career - and their attempts to capture a perverted serial killer who is using the Seven Deadly Sins as his scenario.

As Se7en starts, we are introduced to William Somerset (Freeman), a veteran detective ready to retire from a career of harsh police work. We learn that Somerset is an empathetic person, but is also bitterly burned out due to a career of dealing with violence. Apathy has slowly affected his outlook. Somerset is to meet with David Mills (Pitt), his replacement of sorts; they are to work together during Somerset’s last week. Mills is an ambitious, young detective eager to make an impression . . . and a difference, so needless to say there’s friction.

The look of Se7en is crucial to its effect. This is a very dark film, the gloom often penetrated only by the flashlights of the detectives. Even when all the lights are turned on in the apartments of the victims, they cast only wan, hopeless pools of light.

Lastly, Se7en is well-made in its details, and uncompromising in the way it presents the disturbing details of the crimes. It is certainly not for the young or the sensitive. Se7en is the best serial killer film ever made and gets the highest recommendation. Even though it’s a well thought out and well defined movie, you’ll be thinking about the subtle, implied aspects long after the credits roll. All in all, the movie deserves watching for you.

Music and Lyrics DVD box set: I need inspiration

Music and Lyrics DVD box set is a romantic comedy movie, which pairs Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore for the first time, opens with a pitch-perfect ‘80s-style music video for a catchy tune called “Pop! Goes My Heart,” featuring Grant sporting a bad Flock of Seagulls hairdo. It’s clever, playful and appealing… everything that the rest of the film is not.

The setup, at first glance, seems harmless enough: Grant plays fallen ‘80s pop star Alex Fletcher, a once-cool singer in tight pants who now, 15 years later, sings his old hits to crowds at theme parks. His career is going nowhere, as indicated by his offer to appear on a new show called Battle of the ‘80s Has-Beens, which displays boxing matches between washed-up singers. Tempting, but he clings onto what’s left of his dignity and turns it down.

While he’s home moping one day, he stumbles upon Sophie (Barrymore) temporarily watering his plants as a favor to her friend. She’s the type of cute, bumbling girl who always wanders into a guy’s life in movies when he’s down on his luck. In this case, she also happens to be a savvy lyricist. This comes in handy for Fletcher, a talented musician but lousy writer who is given a chance to create a hit song for pop sensation Cora Corman (Haley Bennett in her debut). It’s a great opportunity to resuscitate his career. And if he falls in love along the way, by golly, so be it.

In the film, Alex and Sophie collaborate, fall in love, fall out of love, and fall back in again. In short, Music and Lyrics offers a little something for everyone while, of course, playing up to the women who dominate romantic comedy audiences. 

He's Just Not That Into You DVD box set: you believe it

He's Just Not That Into You DVD box set seeks to mine the same vein of romantic comedy ore as Love, Actually - the multi-arc story in which characters cross each others' paths and interact in an attempt to show different facets of one emotion.

The problem with most of the film's women is that they are interested in only (a) the opposite sex, (b) dating and (c) marriage. Maybe that's because the script has just so much time. But a film about one insecure woman to another can be monotonous, unless you're a masochist looking to share your pain. If you consider a partner who has no more compelling interests than a, b or c, you're shopping for boredom.

There is one superb monologue, by Drew Barrymore, who complains that she is driven crazy by the ways guys always seem to be communicating in another medium. She calls at home but he doesn't pick up. She calls on his cell, and he e-mails her. She makes text to him. He twitters back and leaves coded hints on MySpace. She tries snail mail. He apparently never learned how to open one. She yearns for the days when people had one telephone and one answering machine, and a guy had either definitely called you, or he had not.

This is a very far from perfect movie, and it ends on an unsatisfactory note. Stop reading now because I am going to complain that most of its stories have happy endings. Not in the real world, they don't. In the real world, the happy endings come only with a guy who's really into you. If someone loves you, he will be with you. If not, it only certifies that He's Just Not That Into You, thus really being painful. But you believe it and lay down.

Elizabethtown DVD box set: a story that touches on loss and life

It is a truth universally acknowledged that amateur travelogues are more engrossing for the one who has traveled than for those hailing the traveler's return. Elizabethtown is a just movie- amateur travelogue. I have invested the "Elizabethtown" DVD box set.

"Elizabethtown" is the kind of film that wastes the one “F” word its rating allows on its soundtrack. But then it’s a Cameron Crowe movie, and long before Zach Braff was kicking ass on movie music, he was locked in a room obsessing over piles of musical snips. Actually, while we’re talking Braff, let’s address this pic’s rather uninspiring trailers, which make it seem a lot like a clone of Garden State. The ads aren’t misleading, in some ways it is. But though Elizabethtown’s premise and predilection for unique, mood-setting music gives it an outer veneer similar to Zach Braff’s critically hugged directorial debut, the emotional impact of Crowe’s local-boy-comes-home movie is entirely different.

It must be said that although Drew and Claire do seem to be falling in love, life with Claire might be maddening. She's the kind of person who would alphabetize alphabet soup. The climax of the movie is a cross-country road journey undertaken by Drew with copious maps, instructions and CDs supplied by Claire, who instructs Drew on exactly where to go and what to see and who to meet and what to feel. All that redeems this exercise in compulsion is the fact that she is right.

Elizabethtown is a moving, emotional, heart-grabbing journey; another unconventional Cameron Crowe movie driven by relatable characters and mood-suited music. It’s not flawless, and without so many really great performances it could have easily turned into nothing but a bunch of ill-fitting parts. People are going to argue that certain scenes should have been cut; others are going to whine over the film’s to-happy-ending. But it’s a wonderfully romantic movie that touches on loss and life.

Reblogged from http://jennyyu.edublogs.org/2013/01/11/elizabethtown-dvd-box-set-a-story-that-touches-on-loss-and-life/

Malèna DVD box set: my favorite one in Giuseppe Tornatore trilogy

Malèna takes place in the 1940s, as Italy gears up for war with the Allied nations, confident in its superiority and in its righteousness. The film stars the beautiful Italian actress Monica Belluci (Brotherhood of the Wolf) as the titular character, a young wife who was brought to this new town by her new husband, who has since gone to war leaving his wife to care for his deaf father. For the simple reason that she is gloriously beautiful and the object of desire for the town’s men (and boys), Malena becomes the target of hateful rumors and petty acts of jealousy by the women: They don't sell her fresh food and would rather spit on her rather than say "Hi".

When news arrives that her husband has been killed in action, Malena’s new “availability” status becomes the source of lustful actions by the town’s men. This, of course, also makes the town women despise her even more. All of Malena’s trials and tribulations are seen through the eyes (and ears) of 12-year old Renato (Giuseppe Sulfaro), who discovers lust, love, and devotion in the form of the lonely Malena.

Malena has only one supporter: the young Renato. Like any other man or boy in the town, he is in awe of Malena's physical attractions and she dominates his burgeoning sexual thoughts. As he follows Malena around the town he soon becomes aware of the intolerance she has to face. Realising that this prejudice is based on fantasy and jealousy, he becomes Malena's distant, but disabled, guardian.

This is a film that succeeds on several levels and thanks to some first-rate cinematography is a complete visual feast. Malèna DVD box set is a good film, and like its much-suffering heroine, is very worthy of loving praise.

Reblogged from http://jennyyu.edublogs.org/2013/01/10/malena-dvd-box-set-my-favorite-one-in-giuseppe-tornatore-trilogy/

Blue Valentine DVD box set

"Blue Valentine" DVD box set is a movie that ruefully reminds you of what it's like to fall in and out of love. We meet Dean (Ryan Gosling), a house painter and morning drinker, and his wife, a nurse named Cindy (Michelle Williams) as their relationship is unraveling; the end seems near.

Here is a film that watches pretty well itself. Derek Cianfrance, the film's writer and director, observes with great exactitude the birth and decay of a relationship. Toward the end of the six years, when Cindy is hardly able to remember why she wanted to marry Dean, Cianfrance observes the physical and mental exhaustion that has overcome her. And the way that Dean seems hardly to care — just so long as Cindy remains his wife and his watcher, which in his mind was the deal. Dean thinks marriage is the station. Cindy thought it was the train.

All marriages have milestone moments, events of startling clarity that allow the new lovers to see themselves as a couple who have been defined. Dean is capable of grand goofy romanticism, and Cindy likes that. She yearns toward it. They first meet at her grandmother's retirement home. Have you ever had one of those chance meetings with a stranger in a place neither one of you belongs? Did a space empty of your lives so that you start new with your first conversation and plunge straight ahead into a suddenly new future?

"Blue Valentine" DVD box set moves between past and present as if trying to remember what went wrong. From Dean's point of view, maybe nothing did. He wanted to be married to Cindy, and he still does and he still is. Cindy can't stand that. He never signed off on the growing old along with me part. He doesn't think the best is yet to be. He thinks it's just fine now.

"Blue Valentine" strives to paint that shadow of loneliness and fear which drives many to marriage – only to find them more lonely and afraid than ever.

Mr. & Mrs. Smith DVD box set sale

Mr. & Mrs. Smith is a romantic comedy disguised as an action movie. Also, it is a fun, summer popcorn movie that actually manages to get in a few humorous but truthful bits on relationships and marriage, being suitable to watch at your home with your lovers. So, that you need to have the movie DVD box set collection.

The plot of the movie is immaterial. What matters is the "chemistry," a term that once referred to a science but now refers to the heat we sense, or think we sense, between two movie stars. Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have it, or I think they have it.

The eponymous couple lives in an idyllic house in an idyllic neighbourhood but their marriage is in trouble. In the film's funniest scenes, we see John and Jane meeting a therapist, bemoaning the lack of sparkle in their six-year-old marriage. But they are keeping a secret from their counselor and from each other: they are both two of the world's most highly-paid assassins, with pretend jobs as a computer specialist (Mrs) and a construction worker (Mr).

The duo leads cat-and-mouse lives while trying to keep a sense of harmony at home. Jolie pops off to her office - staffed by doll-like girls and in the mould of Jack Bauer's CTU headquarters in 24 - to find out her latest kill, while Pitt goes to his own office where he works alongside Vince Vaughn, a rather nervy partner who injects some welcome humour into the situation.

The movie pauses from time to time for more sessions with the marriage counselor, during which it appears that professional killing is good for their relationship. After we get our money's worth of action, their problems are resolved, more or less. Although many lives have been lost, the marriage is saved. 

Sunshine (1999): the gift of breathing freely

Sunshine DVD box set ollows a family of Hungarian Jews through 70 years of political history, and the various regimes that took over and ultimately abused their people. Ralph Fiennes plays three roles that of grandfather, son, and grandson as the years sweep by, managing to carry the differences between the men without a hint of strangeness. This deep and moving film has themes and sub-themes to spare, and is an epic drama worthy of the respect it has earned, with a Golden Globe nomination for Best Picture.

The first story takes place during the tail end of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and centres on Ignatz Sonnenschein, the eldest son of a successful Jewish distiller. Though the family fortune has been made on a secret tonic recipe that has been passed down for generations, neither Ignatz nor his brother, Gustave (James Frain), have any interest in joining the family business, perfering instead to enter into the fields of law and medicine, respectively.

The second story focuses on Ignatz and Valerie's younger son, Adam, who comes of age after the collapse of the monarchy and becomes a celebrated, Olympic gold medal winning fencer. Sunshine tells a massive story (I've really only revealed the plot in broadstrokes and left out tons of plot threads, developments, and characters) and, for the most part, tells it quite well. The first two segments concerning Ignatz and Adam are engaging and often thought provoking; however the film runs out of steam in the midst of the third and final story.

To sum up, Sunshine is a thoughtful and powerful drama. It tells me that have faith, but we don’t need to be stubborn. It is a natural rule of sun rose and set, the life will continue, but one day, everyone will be gone. 

One of my favorite classic comedies: Dumb & Dumber DVD box set

Dumb and Dumber that made me laughs so loudly I embarrassed myself. I just couldn't stop. The funniest scene of the movie exactly is Jeff Daniels’s personal show running to toilet.

Despite there is no nutrition in the film, the biggest feature of two leading role is dump and dump, is so super funny film that appropriate often watch the movie DVD box set at home.

The movie is more silliness from Jim Carrey, who is beginning to grow on me. It's strange. His mannerisms, instead of becoming more wearisome from film to film, grow more endearing. I hated him in "Ace Ventura," enjoyed him in "The Mask," and felt positively fond of him here. He plays a limousine driver whose roommate (Jeff Daniels) runs a dog-grooming service, although business is bad for both of them and they live in a dump. (At one point a gangster suggests trashing their apartment, and decides they wouldn't notice it.) As the movie opens, Carrey is driving a beautiful but troubled young woman (Lauren Holly) to the airport. He has fallen instantly in love with her. When he notices that she has left a briefcase on the terminal floor, he races into the building and snatches it - thus foiling a kidnap ransom payment. Trying to chase after her onto a flight to Aspen, he has a nasty accident that is the movie's second big laugh, although not nearly so big as the parakeet.

Dumb and Dumber is not so much about dumb guys as it is about earnest guys. And people can be pathetically funny when they are just being earnest lunks.

Dumb and Dumber

All in all, Dumb and Dumber is riddled with smarts, and that's the part you end up admiring the most.

Le grand bleu: the end you did it alone

Jacques Mayol and and Enzo Molinari in the Le grand bleus DVD box set are two men who have shared an intense passion for the sea since their childhood.  Molinari, the current world free diving champion, coerces Mayol into competing against him in the next tournament.  When Mayol beats his record, Molinari is determined to win it back again.  A dangerous friendly duel ensues.  Meanwhile, Mayol is pursued by a young insurance clerk, Johanna, who is madly in love with him, although the young diver is unable to respond to her affections.  In the end, Mayol has to choose between the sea and his pregnant girlfriend.

Although the Le grand bleus DVD box set has been criticized for lacking much in the way of a plot, the film has enough of a plot to give it direction and meaning.  This is very spiritual film, a film which communicates directly with the soul, something which gives it great power and eloquence.  Jacques Mayol is overwhelmed by his love for the sea, longing for an alternative existence, whilst his girlfriend is equally obsessed with a very earthy desire which he cannot participate fully in.  This conflict of the spiritual and the physical is portrayed with great power and sensitivity, and its resolution at the end of the film is devastatingly effective.

The story investigates the self-sacrificial nature of genuine love and the destructive potential of men's rivalry. Other themes explored in the film are the relationship between humans and nature, the feelings of frustration and alienation experienced by certain people who feel unable to fit in society, the misunderstandings as well as the conflictual needs and expectations of lovers.

As a viewer, I want to see the film simply and purely. It doesn’t matter with love, hate, and desire.

How many people can put aside all worldly desires?

How many people can always adhere to the original ideal?

And how many people be most authentic self?

Big Fish DVD box set: believe what you want to

Big Fish is the enchanting story of a father and son, but it's really the story of stories themselves. It's about all kinds of stories, from the first stories whispered by a father to a sleepy child to the stories a son tells his father to comfort him as he nears death. Facts are fine, but some truths can only be told by fiction, and this movie tells a captivating tale that is a delight for the eye, the heart, and the spirit. In a word, Big Fish DVD box set is worth doing collection.

Maybe we will ask when watching the movie, are Ed's stories true? Are they embellishments of fact? Or are they complete fabrications? The film answers this, but it also provides us with a final query...does it matter? Looking at Ed's saga, does it really matter whether those events he claims to have lived through actually happened? They're stories. If people accept them as real, then they're real. "Big Fish" ask us to let go of our common sense and simply believe that anything can happen. It sends us back to our childhood, a time when we knew slimy green monsters lived under the bed, not because we saw them, but rather because they had to live somewhere. Do you ever think back to some of the things you believed in as a child? Think about it. About how gullible you were. And now think about how fun life would be if you could still be that gullible. Just remember, anything can be real. All you have to do is believe.

Additionally, I associate the movie with the Life of Pi that is top one of the box office in recent days. At the end of the movie, Pi asked: two stories, which one you believe? So is Ed Bloom a big fish? Hey, what do you believe?