Born Yesterday

Eliza Doolittle Meets Betty Boop.
From the moment she enters the picture and screeches "Whaaaaattttt??", in a voice that could peel wallpaper, you can't take your eyes off Judy Hollidays "Billie Dawn." In this movie adaptation of the Garson Kanin play, directed by famed "womans director" George Cukor, she takes a wonderfully written character and turns her into a classic movie performance that no one else could have played. Her crass, monosyllabic Billie is SO dumb, that, when her corrupt bully boyfriend, played by Broderick Crawford, first proposes to the owlish journalist, played by William Holden, that he refine Billies rough edges so she can be presented into the Washington society that he hopes to manipulate, well...you wonder how he can EVER mold this dim-witted clay. Along the way, she, for the first time, begins to actually THINK, and her development of a conscience and awareness of her self worth is as moving as it is comical. The backdrop of corrupt politicians who can be bought for a price (some things...

Flawless!
Delightful! Hilarious!

How often do we get to see a perfect performance? We're closing in on a century of movies and, as we can see, it's pretty rare. So flawless was Judy Holliday's portrayal of Billie Dawn that, as a relative unknown, she came from behind to beat out two heavyweights for the Oscar in 1950. I'm sure this was due in no small part to her refining the role for nearly three years on stage.

Everything else fell into place as well. Broderick Crawford was just excellent as Harry Brock. Crawford is able to swing you back and forth between anger and sympathy for his character. Not an easy task! William Holden is perfectly calm and reserved as Paul Verrall. His character forms a wonderful opposite to Billie. And, with direction, George Cukor worked his usual magic.

Most of the themes are timeless. A person lives in ignorant bliss until their eyes are opened. They realize that there is a better life for them and begin their struggle...

Razor Sharp and Lots of Fun
Judy Holiday won an Oscar for this film, and no wonder: her performance of Billie Dawn, a "dumb broad" who suddenly wises up in a most unexpected way, is certainly one of the finest and most original film performances in 20th Century American cinema. The story, from the stage success, concerns a crass junk yard tycoon (Broderick Crawford) who goes to Washington to buy a Senator--and promptly considers that his blonde-bimbo mistress Billie Dawn (Holiday) lacks enough poise for such refined circles. He accordingly entices a reporter (William Holden) to "smarten her up." But things soon get out of hand: once her mind is awakened, Billie Dawn begins to perceive her lover and his political intrigues in a very different light.

The comedy is genuine, and Crawford and Holden are as memorable as Holiday herself. But there is some serious stuff behind the hilarity: issues of personal integrity, honesty, and civic duty become increasingly important as Billie evolves, and...

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Cowboy Spirit

A real feel good movie
Cowboy Spirit is a a terrific movie for all ages. You don't have to be a cowboy to appreciate it...you just have to have a heart! Have kleenex on hand as it does pull on your heart strings. Good for younger kids to realize how much they learn from their grandparents without even being aware of it. I love a movie that has a moral to the story, and this is it!Being kind to others...karma...they all play a part. And of course the Cowboy Spirit is the kind of spirit everyone needs. Do buy it, watch it, share it...you won't regret it!

Watch for these people; they're going places!
The only reason this didn't get 5 stars from me was because of the acting by some (but not all!) of the volunteers. The little girl, however, is a wonderful actor, even when she has no lines. Her expressions are real and worth a thousand words. Ayla Brown was another who impressed me. She not only acted well, but wrote and sang her own songs. My favorite, however, was the grandfather played by Mike Allison, who is also the writer and producer. Watching this first effort by most of the people involved reminded me of when I saw Taylor Swift open for Brad Paisley in Omaha when she was 16. I had never really heard of her before, but could tell she was going places and I predict the same for the Cowboy Spirit crew. My favorite scene is the last and I love that the ending isn't all tied up in a pretty bow. This a movie that will stick with you and I recommend it for all except for very young children.

Not your typical cowboy movie
Cowboy Spirit is an entertaining experience. The Story is engaging, the soundtrack is great and the actors made us forget that we were watching a movie. All the players did a great job and Ayla Brown showed that she is not just a great singer but was flawless in the lead female role. Don't look for flashy special effects, Alians or Super-Heroes in this film. It's a great story about ordinary people facing extraordinary challenges. The message is one that will stick with you. Great for teens and adults, probably not for younger kids.

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The Notebook

One of the Best Love Stories of All Time
THE NOTEBOOK has long been my favorite of Nicholas Sparks' many books, so it is a happy surprise to me that the wonderful story transferred to the big screen with all the sweetness, warmth, and tenderness that made the book a runaway best seller.

The best part of this movie was the incredible chemistry between Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling as the young lovers Allie and Noah. Their story was told by an elderly couple in a nursing home. James Garner and Gena Rowlands were outstanding as the devoted "Duke" and the woman with irreversible dementia. As Duke recounted the story of Allie and Noah from the notebook he carried with him, the lady's memory began to come back and she could remember.

The movie always changes the book but the one major change (the ending) which had the audience letting out a collective gasp and reaching for the nearest tissue was, in my opinion, really good even if it was pure Hollywood melodrama.

Why does a movie like THE NOTEBOOK appeal to so many...

During the throes of Winter, remembering Spring
THE NOTEBOOK is an old-fashioned love story with the topical subject of Alzheimer's Disease thrown in to heighten the Hankie Factor.

The film opens in the present at a genteel, riverside, Southern facility for the long-term care of the aged. An old man, "Duke" (James Garner), is in the habit of reading from a book to an elegant, but chronically confused and distant, lady (Gena Rowlands) of equal antiquity. The story concerns two teenagers during a hot, carefree, South Carolina summer preceding World War II. They are (in extended flashback) Noah Calhoun (Ryan Gosling) and Allie (Rachel McAdams).

Noah, working in the local sawmill, is the uneducated son of a dirt-poor father (Sam Shephard). Allie, in these months before she's off to a prestigious New York college, is the only daughter of snobbishly wealthy parents, John (David Thornton) and Anne (Joan Allen) Hamilton.

The book's plot is that hoary one about two young lovers of disparate backgrounds and financial...

(4 1/2 ) A Well Acted, Old Fashioned, Romantic Tearjerker
This screen adaptation of Nicholas Sparks' bestseller is a deeply emotional story of young love, the process of maturity, the crucial choices in our lives, and the frailty of old age. I have not read the book, and thus cannot comment upon the fealty of this film to Sparks' manuscript, but its emotional tone and import is certainly consistent with his other works with which I am familiar. In the opening scene we meet Duke (James Garner), who resides in a nursing home and apparently spends most of his time befriending another resident there, Allie Calhoun (Gena Rowlands), who is captivated by a 1940's story of young love which he reads in installments to her from THE NOTEBOOK which is his constant companion. Allie is suffering from some variety of dementia and these interludes provide some small comfort to an otherwise apparently colorless and bland existence.

The moviegoer is then transported to the 1940's, and the relatively brief appearances of the elderly Duke's and Allie...

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Bailout

Worth the rent
I may be biased, butI find the film to be one of the hardest hitting exposes on the dynamic at work that is causing the ruin of our country. Bailout should screen at colleges and universities around the country.

Dynamic film from a different perspective
Great interviews. They're really honest in their response to the US housing crisis.
It does have a bit of explicit language and definitely designed for the average American but
I heard they are editing a new version without the profanity.

Needless to say its a colorful film and not your average PBS doc. :)

This needs an R rating for the language!
I rented this after hearing one one of the best interviews I have heard in years with Jack Spiro and John Fox on Thesurvivalpodcast. The bank mortgage fraud in this country is a serious issue that most folks are completely unaware of. John Fox brings light to this and is an authority on this subject. However, the characters and the production of this documentary and the fowl language used throughout ruined it for me and my wife and may have damaged the very real credibility that John Fox brings to this subject. I was embarrassed watching this with my wife in the room. The important content in this documentary should be repackaged and seen by everyone. John Fox should go back and listen to his interview with Jack. That was awesome. Do not rent this if you watch it with children or women in the room. Sorry...

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Along Came Polly

Let It Rain!
This movie fits the mold of a romantic comedy perfectly. Stiller does well and has some hilarious moments. Jennifer Anniston supports his purpose and does well on her own, also.

For me, the standout role was played by Phillip Seymour Hoffman. From the equivocal sex and relationship advice he gives to Stiller's character - to his commentary on the basketball court (screaming out "Let It Rain", "Iceman" and "Raindrops" while his gut comes flying out of his shirt, for example), he is hilarious. Hoffman also gets to speak the most memorable line of the movie when he tells Stiller's character that he just sharted and that it is indeed time to leave the party.

I recommend this movie if you're a fan of most Ben Stiller movies. It's a movie that will remind you of a dozen other romantic comedies, but it is worth the viewing.

A CUTE LITTLE COMEDY...
If one is a fan of Ben Siller and one enjoyed him in the films, "Zoolander", "Meet the Parents" and "Something About Mary", then one will enjoy this light, fun filled comedy that does not take itself too seriously. It revolves around insurance risk-assessment analyst, Reuben Feffer (Ben Siller), who marries the woman of his dreams, Lisa Kramer (Debra Messing), only to lose her on their honeymoon, when she betrays him with the very buff Claude (Hank Azaria), the scuba diving instructor with a seriously deranged French accent.

Returning home from the honeymoon, alone and forlorn, he runs into an old childhood friend of his, Polly Prince (Jennifer Aniston), who has gone from being a math geek to being a totally free spirit. They begin dating, even though they appear to be total opposites. Let the games begin! There are a lot of jokes in the film, often scatological, and sight gags. The path of true love certainly does not seem to run smoothly when one...

Subscribers of Non-Threatening Romantic Comedies will like it
I caught this film while channel surfing after I'd finished "My Super Ex-Girlfriend" on Pay Per View. After watching a few minutes I thought, these are the same characters.

If Uma Thurman's G-girl didn't have any powers in "Ex-Girlfriend" she'd be a lot like Jennifer Aniston's ferret-loving Polly Prince. Ben Stiller plays a risk assessor for an insurance agency who's just as dorky and introverted as Luke Wilson's "Super Ex" architect. And instead of Rainn Wilson ("The Office") as the boorish best friend dishing out bad relationship advice, "Polly" has Philip Seymore Hoffman ("Capote") as a washed-up child-star slob, egging Stiller to slap Aniston's rear during sex and ask "Who's your daddy?" It's this exchange that sets up the film's conflict: Aniston, repulsed by the comment, boots him out of her apartment. Stiller then has to learn to see Polly through his own eyes and prove his love before he loses her in the third act.

"Along Came Polly" is as safe,...

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North

It is different than the vhs version.
The vhs version had a scene where Elijah Wood was cowboy dancing on the long Texas table. It was disappointing that scene wasn't in the DVD.

Very satisfied with hard to find movie
Even though this isn't the origonal studio mastered version, it is just a copy that looks like the origonal. I was very happy with it nonetheless. This is a hard movie to find anywhere and the picture and sound quality was very good. I compare the story to Click.

Bruce in a Bunny Suit ?
This is really a good movie for the Kiddies but for some Critics the late Roger Ebert have hated this film I a big Rob Reiner fan have liked this from start to end I think Bruce Willis who had made Amazing Creations such as John Mclane and Butch Coolidge this film he was Nomittated him Worst Actor he played an Easter Bunny, A Cowboy, A Beach Bum, An Eskimo, And a Comedian named Joey Fingers Among others and with a young Elijah Wood this Duo Had done a great job.

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Living Without Money

DON'T pay Amazon money to watch this film
The creators of the film posted it for free viewing here:

http://www.livingbigonless.com/livingwithoutmoney

along with a bunch of other tips about living on the cheap. It just seems really silly to pay to watch a movie about living without paying for stuff. I also haven't actually watched it yet.

Something to think about
Interesting view on money and materialism. Heidemarie Schwemmer is very courageous and it is definitely worth the time it takes to watch it.

What happiness really looks like
This movie demonstrates vividly what I thought could be possible and how beautiful life can truly be.

The movie put into perspective how far we have veered from helping one another and honoring each other.

This movie is a great cleanser from all the brainwashing we have been programmed into thinking.

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