In the film, humanity is slowly losing its sense perceptions because of an unknown virus.  First goes smell, then taste, then hearing (and, then by default, voice), and accompanying each loss is a different emotional outburst.  It’s a much more unsettling end than the less imaginative nuclear explosion, alien invasion, or giant flood in the average apocalyptic Hollywood blockbuster.  The world at large seems to be able to carry on – albeit with far less joy – without smell and taste, but the loss of hearing ultimately plunges the world at large into chaos.  Then again, in a world where so much communication is done through texting and e-mail, it’s hard to imagine society completely failing if humans lost the sense of hearing.  In fact, at one point in the film – when Michael has lost his hearing and Susan has not – Michael calls her cell phone to speak to her on her cell phone even though he can’t hear her.  Perhaps Michael had reached his monthly text message limit?

In all seriousness, it becomes increasingly apparent how much worse this type of end would be, especially since the 93 minute movie proceeds at a snail’s pace, with somber music and Susan’s pained narration, which sort of makes you suffer along with the characters (and I mean that in a good way).   But the runtime doesn’t really help the movie, and as the film lumbered on I thought about how this would’ve made an excellent episode of The Twilight Zone – with one of Rod Serling’s classic setups and open-ended, thought provoking endings.

The lack of a satisfactory relationship to move the plot forward doesn’t help.  It seems Michael and Susan are simply together to provide comfort to each other – Susan even points out “all of a sudden we’ve become roommates” – as the world around them makes less and less sense. Yet the couple’s relationship, and humanity’s reaction to the changing world, gives the film a profound sense of hope.   Once humanity begins to understand what is happening, it collectively begins to appreciate small sensations that we might forget to appreciate in our five-sense lives.  Again, it’s worth complementing the filmmakers for not going the much easier gloom-and-doom route, which this plot, in the hands of lesser storytellers, would ultimately end up.

Still, it’s no real surprise that this film — which premiered at Sundance last year — took so long to finally make it to U.S. theaters, since it definitely isn’t a showstopper.  Perfect Sense is a far from perfect movie, and perhaps would have made a brilliant short film.  As it is, it’s an overlong feature film in which the stakes are high but the drama is not.  We never really get emotionally invested in the characters, and the film suffers for it – but the film is thought provoking on a very human level, which definitely gives the filmmakers something to be proud about.

Rating: An overlong, but mindful movie about the senses we take for granted (5/10)

Perfect Sense opens today in limited release and expands on February 10.  It is also available on Amazon Instant Video and iTunes.

The first part was pretty entertaining and was a great treat for fans of the podcast. During the time the two discussed funny stories involving their pets and a ton of penis jokes. As entertaining as the podcast was, I was there more as a journalist then a fan even though I love Kevin Smith and could listen to him talk for days. I was ready for the Q&A hoping we could get something about his final film Hit Somebody and his future after films.

Since we were’t allowed to have recording devices, I’m going to have to do this in bullet style as I was trying to keep up with everything he was saying about Hit Somebody.

• Production of the film should begin around June or July
• Smith has written about 150 pages of the script and is shooting for about 180-200 pages before he begins editing it down to about 150 pages for the final draft.
• Looking at a 15-20 million dollar budget for the film.
• Since film will be a bigger budget, he won’t be able to tour with the film like he did with Red State, however he plans of touring through Canada and screening the film in different Hockey arenas  by either projecting the film on the ice or screens in the middle of the rink.
• Film won’t debut at Sundance next year, plans on debuting during the 2013 Toronto Film Festival in the Midnight Screening slot.
• The film takes place from 1950-1980 and will follow the main character’s life and growing up with and around Hockey in Canada.
• Will not be a comedy, Smith described it as being Field of Dreams but with hockey and hopes that the audience will be crying from the beginning of the film till the end.
• Plans on exploring the unknown history and traditions of hockey in Canada

We learned quite a bit about the film which was very exciting since very little is currently known about it. He did reiterate that the film will not be two films and that he has decided to just do one final kick ass film.

He also discussed about other projects he and Mewes are working on. He gave Jason a unfinished project and Jason took it and began developing his own sort of film which will debut at the Toronto Film Festival this year called Jay and Silent Bob’s Super Groovy Cartoon Movie. Part of the film will be a cartoon and the other will be Smith and Mewes playing the characters in their superhero outfits which I am assuming will be Bluntman and Chronic.

The Q&A was defiantly something else. A fan asked them to do the rap from Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back and they couldn’t remember the words to it, which was pretty funny.  Also Smith talked a bit about his new TV series Comic Book Men which air on AMC this month. He talked a lot about Red State and how he could’t do the ending he wanted because it would cost too much.The show wrapped up with Jason Mewes playing a game from their Podcast called, “Let’s F@#$” with an audience member which was pretty entertaining.

All in all the event was a success and we learned a great deal about Hit Somebody. I was really shocked with how many people just wanted to give them free stuff, one guy drew them on the canadian flag, another gave them hand painted pint glasses of themselves, heck one woman even gave Smith a Save the Date and asked if he would come to their wedding in October. Very Strange! And people just an FYI, if you ever get the opportunity to ask a question to someone famous, please don’t start the question off with how big of a fan you are. It just makes for an awkward moment and throws you off your question, just lead with your question and they will appreciate it more.

At first glance, you might dismiss The Woman in Black as “Harry Potter and the Haunted Mansion,” and you’d be wrong. Watching TWIB is akin to taking a tour through a well-conceived fun house with expertly crafted spooks and scares around every corner. Best of all, the film successfully does what most horror movies fail to do; frighten you.

Arthur Kipps (Radcliffe), a widowed lawyer whose grief has put his career in jeopardy, is sent to a remote village to sort out the affairs of a recently deceased eccentric. But upon his arrival, it soon becomes clear that everyone in the town is keeping a deadly secret. Although the townspeople try to keep Kipps from learning their tragic history, he soon discovers that the house belonging to his client is haunted by the ghost of a woman who is determined to find someone and something she lost… and no one, not even the children, are safe
from her vengeance.

First, to tackle the Harry Potter feeling people have when they see the film’s star Daniel Radcliffe. Yes, congruencies can be made between the dark film style of the final ‘Potter installments but, the director succeeds in never letting it go further than that. In part, he does this by making the House itself the star of the show and Radcliffe the supporting character that allows the House to do its thing.

Second, TWIB follows a growing trend away from CGI ghouls or overworked latex masks and goes back to more traditional and subtle tricks. True, the movie does use the occasional loud noise to give you a good jolt, but for the most part, the film relentlessly delivers an onslaught of hauntingly spine-chilling images and perfectly timed moments of suspense.

As for the story of TWIB there is nothing particularly extraordinary. Lead character who is in perpetual morning for his dead wife.(check) Towering gothic Marsh House in “Nowheresville.”(check) The townsfolk who are unpleasant and always trying to make the lead leave.(check) Rich man who befriends our lead, doesn’t believe in the supernatural, and has a cracked-out spirit-communing wife.(check, check, and check) But, horror movies are never about the story as much as they are about the delivery. On this the director commits fully with a great old house, great costuming, a relentlessly dark mansion, and a story that, for the most part, takes place in the bright light of day. (If you were already scared of the dark, this movie might ruin your days as well.)

But, best of all, the director goes all in on the simple fact that children are creepy. TWIB is filled with creepy living children, creepy ghost children, creepy entranced children, and creepy dolls of children. Add a shrieking woman to keep the ranks replenished and what you end up with is the world’s creepiest daycare. But it works.

If you’re a horror fan, The Woman in Black is a must see. Even though it’s January, even though it’s cold, even though it’s Harry Potter, get over it. You won’t be disappointed but you might piss your pants.

Rating: 8/10

Perhaps if the film delved into that controversy more it would make for a better story.  As it is, the film’s story (which is really missing a “loosely” from the opening title card that says “Inspired By A True Story”) involves Adam Carlson (John Krasinski), a small-time Alaskan television reporter with big-time dreams who stumbles upon the story of a lifetime – the three trapped gray whales mentioned above – which quickly escalates into a national news story.  Saving the whales becomes a rallying point for several unlikely allies, including Adam’s ex-girlfriend and Greenpeace activist Rachel Kramer (Drew Barrymore) and oil drilling executive Liam Peterson (a fast-talking Ted Danson).  Along the way Adam also teaches young Inupiat boy Nathan (newcomer Ahmaogak Sweeney) a thing or two about television production, compassion, and Guns N Roses.

Sounds uplifting, right?  The fact is, everyone in the movie is using the whales as a public relations opportunity – Liam Peterson to make his Big Oil company look big-hearted, Rachel to rally fundraising for Greenpeace (and to prove to her ex-boyfriend that she is really a deep person), the reporters to further their careers now that it’s a national news story, Ronald Reagan to improve his environmental record in the waning days of his presidency, the presidential candidates to appear environmentally friendly, two goofy businessmen from Minnesota (played by Rob Riggle and James LeGros) who are using the whole predicament to promote their ice melt product, and even the wise old Inupiat natives decide to help the whales so Greenpeace won’t protest their traditional whale hunting (there’s also the usual spiritual reasons that Hollywood films unfortunately always associate with native peoples, you know, the kind of stock character trait that always makes a native person the wisest person in a movie which is used so often it’s stereotypical and arguably offensive).  In fact, the only person in the movie who seems to genuinely change from selfish to selfless is John Krasinski’s Adam Carlson, who decides to abandon his major-market television reporter ambitions (and a potential romance with smoking-hot Los Angeles reporter Jill Jerald, played by Kristen Bell) in favor of saving the whales.  Unfortunately, Krasinski must have filmed this movie in between scenes of The Office – yes, while his character might be named Adam,  we’re really seeing Jim Halpert as a 1988 television reporter (while looking more like a L.L. Bean catalog model than like a 1988 television reporter).  I kept waiting for him to smirk at the camera after his usual “sarcastic Jim quips.”

Indeed as an adult viewer it was difficult to take the film seriously when the movie constantly shows that almost every character is into the whales for their own gain, even if there are moments of “Aw gee, I guess I do really care!”  Particular problems are with Barrymore’s character, who spends so much time crying about the whales that I couldn’t help but think that her compassion was actually mental instability akin to animal hoarders.  At one point in the film she suggests that she’ll blow the whale story up so much if Reagan doesn’t help that the resulting negative media attention will cause Reagan’s vice president, George H.W. Bush, to lose the 1988 presidential election.  This threat is illogical on so many levels that it’s surprising that screenwriters Jack Amiel and Michael Begler (who have written The Shaggy Dog, The Prince and Me, and Raising Helen) expect an adult audience to take it seriously.  Since kids know nothing about Reagan, Bush Sr., or how political PR works, this is obviously a plot point aimed at parents… except they know better.  It doesn’t make it better that Rachel’s ulterior motive is to win back the heart of ex-boyfriend Adam, who (correctly) points out that they broke up because she is crazy.  And though the film is set in 1988 the only things that appear to be from 1988 is the technology (TV cameras, computers, walkman) and Kristen Bell’s sad attempt at “big 80s hair,” which is another thing that will definitely take adult audiences out of the movie.

There are a few great moments, of course.  Director Ken Kwapis has been making these types of family movies long enough to know how to effectively pile on the melodrama outside of Barrymore’s character.  I did want to see those poor whales escape, after all, even if they are pushed to the background.  And John Michael Higgins is fantastic doing his best Ron Burgandy impression in a small role as a Los Angeles television reporter.

Kids will eat it up – they love animal movies, and the whale effects are really well done (it was hard to tell what was CGI and what wasn’t, although I wouldn’t be surprised if no actual whales were used during filming).  But I don’t get why what should be an uplifting family film must end up so cynical.  When the movie finally goes full throttle with the emotional uplift during the climax, there’s barely any time to engage it.  Instead, we’re quickly rushed off to an extended postscript that shows the real-life people involved in the 1988 whale rescue next to the actors who play them, which is a mistake – it shows you how artificial the film is compared to the actual story.  It makes me imagine how much more powerful this would be as a documentary showing the many sides of this story.

The big question, of course, is how many whales could have been saved in 2012 using the reported $30 million budget of this film… and how Drew Barrymore’s character would have felt about Universal Studios promoting the film with Burger King kid’s meal toys.  But I’m worried it would’ve made her cry again and I already got enough of that.

Rating: Kids will love it, adults will probably enjoy it, historians will roll their eyes (5/10)

For this article, I’m going to briefly review the film, due to its well established notoriety in the film world, and instead focus more on the hours of bonus features that come along with it.

For the few of you that have never read Harper Lee’s Pulitzer Prize winning novel in high school, To Kill a Mockingbird takes place in Maycomb, Alabama in the 1930s where a respectable lawyer named Atticus Finch (Gregory Peck) takes on a case to defend a black man, Tom Robinson, who is unfairly being accused of raping the daughter of Bob Ewell, a white woman.  The film is shot mostly from the perspective of Scout (Mary Badham), Atticus’ daughter, and how both her and her brother Gem learn and grow from Atticus’ wise teachings while they run rampant around the town.  While Atticus is out working on the case, the children mainly focus their attention on sneaking a peek of crazy Boo Radley (Robert Duvall), the psychopath from down the street that only comes out at night, while sometimes paying their father a visit at the courthouse.  The film, and novel, teaches us the meaning of sympathy, compassion while also acting as a commentary on race and prejudice.

To Kill a Mockingbird is one of America’s seminal films thanks to the terrific directing and amazing performances, particularly by Gregory Peck who won the Oscar for his role.  For me though, the movie pays off in the second half because of how powerful Peck’s courtroom presence is.  A good half hour is spent inside that court house and as a fan of law dramas it immediately sucked me in.  I’ll be honest, I was kind of bored by the end of the first hour but was shocked by how captivated I became once the second half began.  The real kicker though ends up being when we finally get to see Robert Duvall in his first role as Boo Radley.  This iconic scene is what shows Scout that the myth of Boo actually exists and that he doesn’t act the way people describe him and, as Scout says, he’s more like a precious mockingbird.

I realize that this film isn’t everyone’s cup of tea but at least it’s one that not only provides valuable lessons about life and our country’s history, but one you can walk away from knowing that you haven’t been cheated out of two hours of your life.  It’s that fine of a picture.  Oh, I’d also suggest reading the book if you haven’t already.

Bonus Features:

Blu-ray: The latest release of this film looks incredible on Blu-ray.  The film has been cleaned up so much over the years and this latest job was top notch.  You couldn’t even tell that this film was made in the 60s if it wasn’t in black and white.

Fearful Symmetry— This is a 90 minute documentary about the making of To Kill A Mockingbird.  While it is a tad long and some of the people talk a little longer than they should, it provides for such an interesting experience for classic film fans.  It gives us an opportunity to go back to 1962 and hear stories from the filmmakers and cast about the shoot and what it was like to work on an adaptation of such a influential novel.  The documentary also takes us on a visit to Harper Lee’s hometown which helps give us some perspective in regards to the film and novel.

A Conversation with Gregory Peck—The second feature length documentary on the disc is A Conversation with Gregory Peck , which gives us a look at the later years of Gregory Peck through the use of interviews, theater tour clips, home movies and other candid video footage.  This documentary is the one worth watching because you get learn about the real man and how much he was actually like Atticus Finch, he was a man with principles.  Not only that, he is also really funny which I never realized; Through the clips of his autobiographical road show, we learn about his experiences showering with Sophia Loren and answering funny questions from the audience members.  This fascinating documentary shows you just how beloved of an actor he was and how influential his role as Atticus was to the lives of those who saw it upon its release.

100 Years of Universal:  Restoring the Classics— This featurette gives us “an in-depth look at the film restoration process.”It teaches us how old films are restored and how far the technology has come in order for use to be able to view our favorite films without the announces of time effecting our viewing experience.  We get to see before and after footage from films like Jaws, The Birds, Dracula and All Quiet on the Western Front and how the restoration process has saved them from being ruined.  This is pretty much a Universal promo and can be boring but I personally enjoyed it.

Academy Award®Best Actor Acceptance Speech—Gregory Peck’s acceptance speech is short and sweet and while it is relevant to this film it isn’t a moving speech worth watching.  He simply says thank you to everyone that helped make the film possible.

American Film Institute Life Achievement Award—Of the two awar speeches to watch this is the one.  Gregory Peck give a heartfelt and very funny speech about his career and what this award means to him.

Excerpt from “Tribute To Gregory Peck”—Cecilia Peck gives a speech in honor of her father at the Academy Awards after her father had passed away.   This is another feature you can skip because everything she says you learn from all the other features, namely the documentaries.  It also seems to lack any emotion and sounds like she’s simply reading a speech, I was bored by it.

Scout Remembers—A 12 minute interview with Actress Mary Badham who “shares her experiences working with Gregory Peck.”  She talks discusses how because her family wasn’t around for the shoot she became really close With Gregory and his children.  She looked up to him like a father and she his daughter.  It was an interesting interview especially because you get to see what Scout is like all grown up.

Feature Commentary with Director Robert Mulligan and Producer Alan Pakula

Original Theatrical Trailer

If you do pick up the Blu-ray combo pack you’ll also be getting the following disc specific bonus features:

A digital copy of the film, U-Control: Scene Companion, BD-Live, pocket BLU app, Advanced remote control usage, video timeline, mobile-to-go, browse other pocketBLU titles, keyboard usage, uHEAR (allows you to jump back a few seconds in case you missed a line).

As you can see this Collector’s Edition Combo Pack comes with a lot of features that make it well worth the asking price.  If you are a true collector and are a fan of classics, there is no doubt that this film will end up in your library, if it isn’t already.  The 50^th Anniversary of this brilliant piece of cinema is now available on Blu-ray and DVD.

Movie Rating: A timeless classic with one of the most heartfelt performances you’ll ever see on screen (9/10)

Blu-ray Rating: All the extras you’d ever want from a film of this caliber (9/10)

Since my feelings on the film haven’t changed, I’ve decided to repost my original review of the film below with a few tweaks but have added an expanded review of the bonus features so that you can decide whether or not this film is worthy of your hard earned dollars.

Movie Review:

Takeshi Kitano (Brother) is known as the master of Yakuza films (Japanese mafia films). Hell, I might go so far as to say that he is the Scorcese of Japan when it comes to well crafted organized crime flicks. That being said, Kitano’s latest film Outrage (Autoreiji), now called Outrage: Way of the Yakuza, is breath of fresh air in the Yakuza genre. It tells a twisted tale of deception, cruelty and what exactly happens when you mess with the Yakuza in this day and age.

Several subsidiary bosses gather at a lavish lunch with “Mr. Chairman,” the head of the ruling Sanno-kai crime organization which controls the Greater Tokyo area. Sannokai underboss Kato warns Ikemoto about his overt dealings with family outsider Murase, an old-timer with whom he recently made a pact in prison. In an effort to ease Mr. Chairman’s suspicions, Ikemoto asks fellow boss Otomo to do his dirty work for him by making a minor but obvious move against Murase.

Otomo’s actions are the start of a ruthless series of conflicts and betrayals. Before long, several yakuza clans are out for blood in their constant battle for power and money. The rival bosses fight to rise through the ranks by scheming and making short-lived allegiances. In this corrupt world where there are no heroes, it’s Bad Guy vs. Bad Guy in a spiraling outrage of gang
warfare…

Takeshi Kitano directed, wrote, edited and starred in Outrage. He’s a man of many talents and this film is an excellent return to the screen for the aging legend. The movie starts off with the discovery that Otomo’s henchman has struck a deal with the drug-dealing Murase (Renji Ishibashi) family. Since Otomo disapproves of this sworn bond, he takes matters into his own hands which results in a chain of constant violence, territories being invaded and people continually settling scores/repaying debts. The movie gets bloody real fast and it never lets up. Someone is constantly yelling, being beaten up or apologizing to someone else in hopes of remaining alive, even though their odds are slim. In a way, Outrage feels like a mix of The Godfather and Infernal Affairs (or The Departed) due to its treacherous nature, various storylines, and its violent tendencies. On the other hand, the entire film feels like the last 10 minutes of Casino, just utter insanity.  Once again, Kitano paints an accurate picture of the Yakuza and is relentless in making sure you understand how aggressive the various families can be.

Despite a having a solid story, for someone who doesn’t speak Japanese the beginning of this movie will feel really confusing and disjointed. There are a lot of names and stories thrown around in a short period of time, but if you’re patient and smart you will eventually see all the pieces start to fall together ensuring the clarity you were hoping for. There is also a portion of the film which involves an ambassador from Ghana (I think) who is manipulated into working for the Yakuza. There is some very dry humor here that results from the various scenes he is featured in but the only purpose was to show why the Yakuza should be feared by outsiders. Kitano makes that very clear when the ambassador declines to work with them and one man states, “you know you’re messing with the Yakuza, right?” I didn’t think it was necessary to go this far but the point was made for those who aren’t familiar with the Japanese mafia.

DVD Review:

Magnolia Home Entertainment has done a nice job of compiling a lot of footage for the bonus features of this blu-ray.  While it doesn’t include a lot of technical stuff, it makes up for the lack of commentary with a ton of interviews.

Before I dive into the content I’d like to say that the film looks exceptional on bluray and I’d highly recommend you go that route if you have the option to do so, mostly because of the way Kitano shot the film and the amount of color contrast you’ll find in the feature.  As for the bonus material, below you will find the breakdown of features along with my commentary on each.

Cast Interviews: Making Outrage: Way of the Yakuza – This approximately 19 minute feature gives us a few minutes with almost all of the principle actors who describe their characters and what it was like to work with Takeshi Kitano as both a director and performer.  Almost all of them commented on his silent style of directing and how he just expects you to perform based off of his basic instructions.  They also dive into how they got the role and what their experience was like compared to other films they’ve been on.

Making Outrage: Way of the Yakuza: Inside Out: Behind the Scenes Documentary – This 37 minute feature is an in-depth look at the set and how a majority of the scenes are broken down from the opening scene to the climactic one when all chaos erupts.  My favorite part of this documentary was when they discussed how they did the sound effects and what they intended on doing for the score.  Originally they were going to go with some David Bowie music but then decided to go with natural sounds that had a rhythm.  They ended up manipulating the sound waves from things like air conditioners and other random everyday objects to create a unique and more fitting score.  What was also interesting to see was how much of the film was improv or not, how quick the shoot moved, and what the reactions were to the performances on the set.

Cast Panel Interview: This 14 minute segment gives us the chance to hear a longer interview with Kitano, Mr. Chairman’s underboss and two henchmen.  They tell a few funny stories but most of the interview is praising each other’s work or recognizing interesting things after having seen themselves on screen.

Premiere Q&A: This is the most entertaining part of the dvd because the responses are a lot funnier.  The premiere has fans from the audience asking questions and some of them can be really ridiculous resulting in stories from the cast and them teasing each other.  It’s 24 minutes long but I think it’s worth a watch.

Cannes ‘Red Carpet’ Premiere with Takeshi Kitano: This little gem of a feature gives us an overall view of Takeshi Kitano’s Cannes experience beginning with his arrival to the press conference to seeing his post premiere screening reactions.  You get to see him pose for pictures, sign autographs, conduct two Q&A sessions with the press, attending the red carpet and watching the audiences’ reaction to the film and then hearing what he has to say about their reaction.  The nine minute segment concludes with him sipping a well deserved glass of champagne.

US and International Trailers-Not much to say about these.  You can just see the difference between US marketing and marketing a film abroad.  This is a staple of practically every DVD and Blu-ray

Movie Rating: Criminally good storytelling. It’s an ideal blend of violence, humor and Yakuza madness (7 /10)

Blu-ray Rating: 7/10

Outrage: Way of the Yakuza is now available on Blu-ray and DVD from Magnolia Home Entertainment under the Magnet label.

An expansion of Jim Lindberg’s book, Punk Rock Dad’s, Andrea Blaugrund Nevins’ documentary The Other F Word is a touching and, at times, comical foray into the word of punk rock and asks the question, what happens when these anti-authoritarians grow up to be the ultimate authorities?  The film focuses on “Jim Lindberg, a 20-year veteran of the skate punk band Pennywise, on his hysterical and moving journey from belting his band’s anthem ”F–k Authority,” to embracing his ultimately authoritarian role in mid-life: fatherhood.”  The film features interviews with Mark Hoppus (Blink-182), Flea (Red Hot Chili Peppers), Tim McIlrath (Rise Against), Art Alexakis (Everclear), Mark Mothersbaugh (Devo), Tony Adolescent (The Adolescents), Fat Mike (NOFX), Lars Frederiksen (Rancid), skateboarder Tony Hawk and many more.

Personally, I’m a huge Rise Against, Blink-182 and Red Hot Chili Peppers Fan.  I also enjoy Pennywise and have seen them, Rise Against, Blink-182 and Tony Hawk live, and so no matter what way I look at this film I’m going to be totally biased.  Just a heads up.

For most people, this documentary will be moderately entertaining as it gives you insights into a world you either steer cleared of due to your moral principles or just didn’t care about. For example, my mother was not a punk rocker nor did she willingly listen to that music, but she got a kick out of this documentary if that helps give you some perspective.  For people like me who have listened to these bands religiously or consider themselves punk, you’ll absolutely love this film.  This will give you a newfound respect for some of the most beloved figures in the punk rock world as they show you how they try to balance being a father and maintaining the anti-authoritarian persona you see on stage.

The one major takeaway that I got from the film was to not complain when my favorite rock artists don’t go on tour or release new material.  You learn that because they aren’t megastars who can make millions in a month, they have to tour for over 200 days a year if they want their family to live a comfortable life.  The problem is that because they work so hard they end up spending a lot less time with their families then they’d like to.  Now that I understand the dynamic from their perspective it makes me appreciate their performances that much more since they are touring to make us, the fans, happy.

The best part about this doc is its extremely raw nature, the unintentional infusion of humor and its uncanny ability to pass on some wisdom to the viewer.  It started to make me think about some of the punk rockers I went to school with, but more importantly, it has me thinking about the future of all the hip hop artists who have “gangsta” personas and how they will attempt to be models for their kids in 10 years.

The DVD, which is being released by Oscilloscope Laboratories, has a decent amount of bonus material but not A crazy amount that offers up new insights that the film didn’t touch upon.  The disc contains audio commentary with Jim Lindberg, Art Alexakis, Andrea Blaugrund Nevins and Cristan Reilly, it has the post screening Q&A session from its SXSW premiere, it has two music videos from Jim’s new band, The Black Pacific, and there are a handful of outtakes which includes commentary from Mark Mothersbaugh (Devo) and Dr. Drew , and Acoustic performance outtakes of “Father of Mine” (Art Alexakis) and “Swing Life Away” (Tim McIlrath).  If I had to pick one thing to watch it would be the Dr. Drew commentary because he tells a story and plays an audio recording of the Pennywise guitarist, Fletcher Dragge, projectile vomiting all over him.

The Other F Word is a well crafted documentary that was made to give the world a behind the scenes look at some of the biggest names in punk rock.  Its aim is to show you that despite being rebels and radiating this anti-establishment personality on the stage, that there is more to these guys now that they have kids.  It’s to show you that they too can grow up (a little bit) and can be loving and caring fathers just like everyone else, regardless of their spiked, neon hair and tattooed appearances.  I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again, if you’re a punk fan or punk yourself, then you have no choice but to see this film.

Movie Rating: A hilarious and heartfelt inside look at the world of punk rock dads. (A totally biased 7/10)

DVD Rating: 6/10

The film has been nominated for three Academy Awards including Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role, Glenn Close; Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role, Janet McTeer; and Best Achievement in Makeup, Martial Corneville, Lynn Johnson and Matthew W. Mungle.

What I liked about the film was that it was never about Albert living a lie, rather it was about how she adapted to her situation in order to survive. Quiet and poised, Albert became an excellent butler and is well-liked by many people around her, all-the-while saving up money to own a business. She is not pretending to be Albert, she is Albert. Unlike Meryl Streep’s performance in The Iron Lady (review here), Glenn Close plays Albert Nobbs completely understated and reserved. What I liked about the character and the performance is that Albert becomes open to new possibilities rather than simply wanted to start living as a woman. She just wants to have a better life.

The subplot involving Helen (Mia Wasikowska, Jane Eyre) and Joe (Aaron Johnson, Kick-Ass) I found to be a very interesting look at an all-to-familiar situation of young love. Their relationship follows a path that is often alluded to, but is rarely given such a detailed account from both sides. Each bring a childlike innocence to their all-to-adult situation. Both the young actors have been taking on fantastic roles and will no doubt continue on the path to bright futures.

While I completely respect the story, I was hoping to learn more about Albert. She is so reserved that I think some flashbacks would have been very beneficial to telling her story. She would not be the type of person to keep a journal, but perhaps certain situations would trigger her memory of past experiences. I wanted to know more about her.

The supporting cast includes Brendan Gleeson (The Guard, review here) as the delightful and charming as Dr Holloran; Mark Willams (Harry Potter), Brenda Fricker (Home Alone 2: Lost In New York) and Pauline Collins (You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger). Young Irish actress Antonia Campbell-Hughes (Lotus Eaters review here) is sweet and supportive as Helen’s friend, Emmy.

Overall, the film was not cohesive and did not have a clear voice. It felt as though it was an ensemble of characters that were thrown together and then the story was an afterthought on how to put them together. It had a short run in December in New York to qualify for the Oscars and comes out today for a limited release.

Rating: Lacks clear vision but makes for good conversation. 5/10

The first story revolves around a failed singer, Carl (Donnie Yen), and washed up pop idol, Chelsia (Sandra Ng).  Carl pretends to be her man for a night when he realizes that she also doesn’t have anywhere to sleep that night.  The two begin to bond over their love of music.

The second story is about a foreman, Ken (Louis Koo) who decides to model for a , Julie (Kelly Chen)looking to shoot masculine art. She begins to flirt with him to get better pictures but he believes something is actually sparking between the two.  Julie begins to reevaluate her white collar status and interest in her blue collar model.

The third story follows a romance novelist, Hugo (Chapman To), who decides to help a young blind woman, Charmine (Lynn Xiong),  find her first love by playing the role of the handsome lover boy, which may be a tad deceptive.

The final story is about a man named Richard (Raymond Wong), who is a successful lawyer but a terrible father and decides that he will help a young heiress, Cecilia (Yang Mi), find a suitable husband so that she can claim her inheritance.  This gives Richard the opportunity to learn about what it takes to be a good father while Cecilia gets to experience having a father again.

All’s Well, End’s Well is essentially the Chinese version of New Year’s Eve  except, instead of being focused on the holiday, the people in this film are focused on trying to become better people or helping others become a better individuals, like a father trying to prove his worth to his daughter by filling in for a girl who doesn’t have a father.  They conclude the film by wishing everyone a happy Chinese New Year and all the best to those born in the year of the dragon, which is the only New Year’s similarity.  Lastly, while I may not know many Chinese actors, it is pretty easy to tell that this is an ensemble romantic comedy aimed at those with mushy hearts (much like the American New Year’s Eve film).

The reason I decided to watch this film is because I love Donnie Yen and wanted to see him in a film where there was no martial arts.  He plays a wannabe lead singer who’s very ambitious and looks like he’s still living in the 80s.  He has this hideous mop of hair on his head, fakes playing the guitar and dances around without a care in the world, it’s hilarious.  Though, while his comedic relief (intentional or not) is enjoyable, it doesn’t make up for the fact that the movie just isn’t that good.

I can’t say I’d watch this movie again but it did have a few other amusing moments and, at times, even had a little bit of charm.  One item I found to be kind of stupid, but chuckle-worthy no less, was the signal that people from the site would do to identify their partner.  The person would have to hump the air and rotate their arms and then their partner would do it back, resulting in an awkward exchange for bystanders.  While dumb, only Asians could get away with making me laugh at that no matter how ridiculous it looks.  Finally, there is one song that these two women sing about candy on a stick and biting and swallowing it. I don’t know if the writers realized how strong the sexual innuendos were but either way, it’s hilarious to a slightly immature western male.

I think in order to appreciate the heavy romantic elements of the film you have to be from mainland China because love always seems to be the theme people flock to.  Hell, when I went to a bar in Beijing everybody that was participating in Karaoke was singing love songs.  If, like me, you’re not from mainland China, this movie can get a bit too extreme with its romantic corniness, especially when it comes to the final musical number before the magical happy ending that comes out of left field and says to hell with the plot.

Having no idea what I was really getting into and not knowing that this film was the latest installment in a series of All’s Well, End’s Well films, I can say that I was surprised by what I saw.  Running 20 minutes longer than it should, this film most likely won’t appeal to audiences outside of the mainland.  So if you’re Chinese, into slapstick rom-coms and aren’t picky about plots, then All’s Well, End’s Well (2012) is right up your alley, but if you aren’t Chinese or set higher standards for your films, then don’t waste your money on this one.

Rating: Takes every Chinese Rom-Com stereotype and poorly mashes them all together (4/10)

All’s Well, End’s Well (2012) will be released in limited theaters by China Lion starting today, January 27^th.

Nick’s (Sam Worthington) plot for revenge involves so many different elements that magically turn out the exact way they are planned. It’s very typical of Hollywood movies, and yes, they are meant to entertain, but there has to come a point where movies throw in SOME believability. If you can look past that element, the execution is very complex and the heist is thought out, so I do appreciate that element. It’s also worth mentioning that his accent was really muddled here. I could never tell if he was supposed to have it or not. Same goes for Jamie Bell. They are brothers, so perhaps they are going for a somewhat Irish accent? No idea, but it left me confused.

Lydia Mercer (Elizabeth Banks) is the police negotiator who’s called upon to bring Nick off the ledge. Her first scene is completely gratuitous, as she is awoken by a phone call and answers in a tank top and panties. It immediately degrades her character and establishes her as the pretty blonde cop that’s trying to be taken seriously. From then on, she is in constant battle with every officer she meets, with seemingly no one to back her up. Banks does what she can, but her character is not completely flushed out, so some decisions seem to happen out of nowhere.

The character most ripe for his own story is David Englander played by Ed Harris. He devoured each scene with so much rage and passion that I was unsure of his motivations. He’s got all the qualities of a mastermind villain, but he’s basically just a real estate tycoon. When the plot unfolds, it turns out to be way more simple than I would have expected from such a meticulous and powerful man.

Edward Burns and Titus Welliver embodied their characters and were truly enjoyable to watch as tough cops in the NYPD. Kyra Sedgwick got laughs every time she pronounced her name with a Spanish accent. The NYC audience was not fooled.

The title of Man on a Ledge leaves little to the imagination, but is actually a reference to how police refer to the situation. I can imagine a policeman shouting, “We’ve got a man on a ledge!” It may have sounded good in production, but when released, it seems like just a really obvious description. It’s got such an incredible cast, it will probably do modestly, but likely be forgotten in a few weeks.

Rating: Leaves little to the imagination, nothing special. 5/10

Last July, another film was released, The Ledge, and I mistakenly thought it was this film, Man on a Ledge, because it just so happens, that I actually work across the street from the Roosevelt and saw all the notices of filming. (Also, our editor-in-chief, Alex DiGiovanna was an extra in the film as a street cop!)  The Ledge (read my review here) is truly the story of a man on a ledge because he is thinking of jumping and the entire film is working up to why he’s out there. It stars an amazing cast with Charlie Hunnam (FX’s Sons of Anarchy), Patrick Wilson (Insidious read Alissa’s review) and Liv Tyler (Lord of the Rings). It’s a shame that this film did not get a wide release, but it is available on demand at SundanceNow.com, iTunes and Amazon Video.

• Patrick Wilson is Charming and Funny at the Roundtable Interview for ‘The Ledge’
• Writer/Director Matthew Chapman is Cool and Confident at the Roundtable Interview for ‘The Ledge’
• Liv Tyler is Poised and Guarded at the Roundtable Interview for ‘The Ledge’