Moulin Rouge! [Blu-ray]

Wish I saw it in the theater.
At a time when movie-goers reward high budget, formulaic, Hollywood concoctions, I am grateful for this creative, unconventional, genre-defying movie. By genre, I don't mean musical or drama. I mean film, theater, opera, circus. Somehow the director had so much vision he managed to take so many unsavory elements (unoriginal love story, singing, dancing, so much lace and ruffles, a bit of campiness)and turned them into breath-taking entertainment. The first time I saw it, it did strange things to my pulse, but it was the second time that I let myself enjoy it. I feel sorry for all the critics and movie-goers who expected it to be what movies are 'supposed' to be and so didnt have anything to compare it to or knew how to relate to it. There really has never been anything like it. For those who have not seen it, I suggest approaching it as you would a roller-coaster ride (dont expect to be in control).

Eye Candy at the Moulin Rouge
I must admit that when I first went to see Mouln Rouge in the theaters, I was most reluctant. It looked cheesy to me, but I kept hearing good things about it. So finally I went, and was blown away. This movie, from a writing aspect, breaks no new ground, but visually,it is astonishing. The beautiful thing about film is that the same story can be told over and over in different styles. And Baz Luhrman's style is most definitely unique. The movie pulls you in from it's opening moments, and rarely lets go. I did find the movie slightly over-indulgent at times, as though Baz was throwing certain visual effects in for the sake of throwing them in. But the acting all around is incredible, and the music is absolutely genius. Many may have a problem with what could be describe as a 2 hour music video, but I loved it. It is definitely geared towards the MTV generation, but I think it can be enjoyed by all. All in all, it is the best movie I have seen in a long time.

Words don't describe it!
I went into the cinema expecting to be amazed with the costumes and scenery, in awe of the singing, and enthralled in the story. Basically I went into Moulin Rouge with unreachable expectations.

I wasn't disappointed!

The movie was unlike anything I've ever seen. The camera angles, and difficult shots are at times dizzying and overwhelming, but in the fantasy world that Baz Lurhmann has created it all works. The music is beautiful and inspiring and funny all at the same time.

Nicole doesn't have the most powerful or experienced voice, but it only adds to the poignancy of her character. I found that she fit the part far better than I expected. Her rendition of "One Day I'll Fly Away" was especially nice.

As for Ewan, he can *really* sing! His voice was clear and powerful, and the Elephant love melody duet was probably one of my favourite sequences. That last scene (*sniffs)...Wow.

I laughed (never I thought I'd enjoy Madonna's "Like a Virgin" quite so...

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The Impossible

A Family Divided: This True Life Disaster Drama Serves Up An Emotional Gut Punch
Going into a movie like "The Impossible," I knew exactly what to expect. Based on the real life experiences of Maria Belon (who takes a story credit) and her family, the film focuses on the harrowing tsunami that devastated Thailand in 2004. "The Impossible" never attempts to be anything more than it is and that is much to its credit. In a waking nightmare, the simple story highlights one family affected by the trauma. Separated, injured, and scared beyond belief, it recounts the struggle to stay alive and the quest to reconnect. This is NOT a film about plot, however, for the outcome is predetermined (and pretty much given away in the marketing even if you haven't heard any peripheral information). This is solely about the journey. And with a handful of remarkable performances and with sweeping effects, the movie works on an entirely visceral level that is likely to leave you emotionally drained. While perhaps not perfect, it is a gut wrenching experience that is hard to shake...

A 12-year-old Boy Became a Man
I just watched a 12-year-old boy become a man. After 114 grueling minutes of calamity piled upon disaster followed by tragedy, I got a lump in my throat along with the rest of the audience as we saw a dauntless family do its best to cope with a vacation gone very, very wrong. "Lo imposible" is based on a book by María Belón which in turn was inspired by true events that occurred during the catastrophic tsunami that devastated southeast Asia in 2004.

We follow:
* Naomi Watts ("J. Edgar") is María, a physician who has suspended her career to raise a family.
* Ewan McGregor ("Salmon Fishing in the Yemen") is Henry, her husband, who has concerns about his job but most particularly whether or not he re-set the house alarm when they left for their vacation.
* Tom Holland (voice:"The Secret World of Arrietty") is Lucas, a mildly rebellious tween but a good kid. Once he and his badly injured mother are stranded in the bewildering detritus...

Not since 12-yr old Christian Bale's Performance in Empire of the Sun has a young man given such a tremendous performance
The young Tom Holland brings heart, soul, and courage to his performance. Much of the emotion in the film is expressed through his reactions.

Naomi Watts was also stellar.

This was not a sugar-coated account of the tsunami, but rather real, raw, and powerful. Of course, I had to google the real family. What an amazing story.

Makes you want to go and hug all of your loved ones.

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My Christmas

One of the BEST Christmas performances ever!
I saw this when PBS aired it on television and was blown away! This is something I will watch every year at Christmas. The DVD contains performances of all the songs on his CD, My Christmas. This definitely gets you in the mood for the holiday season! Buy it!

Wonderful Bocelli
This Christmas DVD is incomparable. It has a superb Christmas feel good factor.

Andrea's singing is so versatile throughout and there is something for everyone here. Fun and humour with the muppets, majestic singing with the Mormon Choir, modern renditions of old carols, A Child is This is absolutely beautiful with Andrea and Mary J Blige, Ave Maria stately and sung with such brevity by Andrea, Blue Christmas, with Reba McEntire and Andrea gives a haunting quality, not to be missed.

In conclusion anyone who loves Christmas and tradition will love this DVD and I would recommend this to lovers of good music. This DVD will be enjoyed for many years to come by me and my family.

MY CHRISTMAS WISH HAS COME TRUE.
Being an Aussie fan of David Foster's music (since the "St. Elmo's Fire" days) I have followed his career as a musician, writer, producer, and arranger for nearly 25 years. Following his knockout "Hitman" Concert, PBS Special, and ultimate CD/DVD release, I was so much hoping for a Christmas 2009 DVD release of a "David Foster and Friends" Concert Tour which has been underway since May this year. Well, my wish has been granted with this soon to be released "Andrea Bocelli and David Foster - My Christmas" Concert from the Kodak Theater in Los Angeles, CA. This concert dvd features the absolutely astounding David Foster and Andrea Bocelli (who always work beautifully together), along with extraordinarily special performances with Natalie Cole on the intimately arranged "The Christmas Song" and Reba McEntire on "Blue Christmas"; Mary J. Blige on the hauntingly beautiful arrangement of "What Child Is This"; and Katherine Jenkins on the operatically spellbinding "I Believe", all under...

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Denver Broncos: The Complete History

A decent collection, but could have been better
As a lifelong Denver resident and Bronco fan, I was greatly anticipating the release of this DVD. I was sure NFL Films would pull out some great footage that hadn't been seen before, and we could get a really in-depth look at the development of the Rocky Mountain region's first major league football franchise, as well as a game or two from the past.

If you are a die-hard Broncos fan from before the Elway era, you may be disappointed with this DVD. While understandably focusing a great deal of attention on the man that has come to define the franchise and his impact after retirement, very little attention is given to the players that first captured the city's heart in the late 60s and early 70s, especially the Orange Crush. Surely NFL Films could have gotten long-time defensive coordinator Joe Collier, Randy Gradishar, Rubin Carter, or Louis Wright to sit down for a few minutes and provide their thoughts on those years. However, there is a nice section in the main...

Must have for avid Bronco Fans
Although some of the material has been released previously, the material contained here makes for a reasonably good collection. There are some missing parts of the history but it would be difficult to include everything pertinent to the history of the Broncos and keep it under five discs.

Broncos History DVD
I bought this DVD for my husband for Christmas and he absolutely loves it! Being a big Elway fan for years, he says he's never seen a better DVD on the Broncos and Elway. Thanks!!!

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Borgen: Season 2

Even better than Season 1
The second season (episodes 11 to 20) of Borgen screened between September and November 2011 in Denmark and commanded an average 53% audience share for DR1. Borgen revolves around Prime Minister Birgitte Nyborg Christensen (Sidse Babett Knudsen), her media adviser Kasper Juul (Pilou Asb

8 Seconds

Great movie about a person that will be remembered in rodeo.
Lane Frost, was a bullrider that loved what he did day in and day out and that was RODEO. He had to overcome many different problems throughout his short career. In this movie it isn't all about one man who rode bulls for a living. 8 Seconds shows how much rodeo is to all of the Cowboys in rodeo. This movie showed me that Lane Frost was a man that had his ups and his downs throughout his short career as a pro bull rider. It showed me that rodeo is a way of life that is so unpredictable that you never know when your last ride is going to be and it showed me that there is more to rodeo than just getting on a horse, bull, or bronc. Rodeo is a way of life and it can bring people together and build those close relationships that you never want to lose and it can also take away the ones you love. I would have to say this is one of my most favorite movie because it showed me that you need to hang on to the things that last and never ever give up no matter what the coarse...

A solid ride
When this movie first came out, I did not know who Lane Frost was. After I saw it, however, I wish I would have known him. This film may come off as sort of sugary sweet to some, but adultery, drinking, fighting and cussing don't seem so sugary to me. Mr. Frost had faults. He was human. But he prevailed where others have failed. That is what make him a hero and Luke Perry's portrayal of Mr. Frost exemplifies that.

This movie suffers from a few inaccuracies, but those inaccuracies help move this film along at a pace that non-rodeo people can enjoy. The acting is fine, and that's really Luke Perry on some of those bulls. You've got to give the guy a nod for that.

The soundtrack is also very influential on the look and feel of this movie. "Once In Awhile" by Billy Dean is the pinnacle performance in this movie, and if you're eyes don't well up when you hear it, you've got no heart inside.

This is a decent family movie, although some younger kids probably...

VIEW OF A CULTURE
No, this isn't standard Hollywood-esque fare; No, this isn't a penetrating psycho-analysis of one man's life or of an extreme sport; No, this isn't even great film-making. But so what. One thing this film does do is to reveal a North American Western culture tenaciously clinging to life in a world that constantly mocks and denigrates it. Lane Frost was, (and still is), one of the best representatives of this culture. This was the world I grew up in here in South Texas, where honesty and a person's word meant something; where ideas of family and faith were REAL and not just political agendas for republicans and fundamentalist fanatics. Yes, there is a dark side to this culture, (I also grew up surrounded by racism and bigotry and religious nonsense), but ALL human societies have their positives and negatives. I for one have grown tired of seeing Texans and other people of the West constantly depicted in film and literature as know-nothing yokels. 8 SECONDS is a welcome...

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House, M.D.: Season Two

Dr. House and Crew are back for more!
While some shows experience a "sophomore slump" of sorts, this was certainly not the case with "House" which picked up right where it left off with more great stories and more interesting cases. Once again, Hugh Laurie stars as the mysterious and brilliant Dr. House. Also back are his crack team of assistants Drs. Allison Cameron (Jennifer Morrison), Eric Foreman (Omar Epps), and Robert Chase (Jesse Spencer), his loyal friend Dr. James Wilson (Robert Sean Leonard), and his regularly exasperated boss Dr. Lisa Cuddy (Lisa Edelstein).

In season 2, the show broke the mold a little bit and focused a little more on the backgrounds of the characters to give us a better idea of who they are and how they came to be working at the hospital. Especially interesting was the relationship between Dr. House and his former girlfriend Stacy Warner (Sela Ward). This storyline gave viewers a better idea of who House is and how he came to be the way that he is.

Standout episodes from...

One of the smartest shows around :-)
I love watching House. Not only is Hugh Laurie great in this, but the whole cast and the story lines make for entertaining television. This is great and he should definately win the Emmy this year. He really deserves it.

Here are some of my favourite episodes in this season. Autopsy featured a brave and mature little 9 year old girl with cancer. Daddy's Boy, showed a student with weird electrical shocks that they try to figure out, and House's parents come to visit him. And finally, I really loved Failure To Communicate where he and Stacey Warner are stuck at an airport waiting for a flight where they begin to rekindle their deminished romance.

Hugh Laurie really is very talented. Not only does he use an American accent with perfection, but his timing and delivery are brilliant and he's very believable. It's a great show and it's smart and enjoyable. I highly recommend it.

Superb Season 2 of House
After having seen Hugh Laurie in shows such as Black Adder (in which is absolutely hysterical) and movies (Sense and Sensibility and Peter's Friends), anything he is in had to be terrific. So when the trailers for the first season started playing and Hugh Laurie was going to star in it, I knew I had to watch it. I wasn't disappointed and couldn't wait for Season 2 to start this past January. I am glad they will be starting Season 3 on September 5th rather than mid season. Season 2 picked up the story line following the relationship between House and the return of Stacy that was the bombshell of Season 1. I was glad there was resolution of sorts, and was also glad it happened early in the season. House has to be House without distractions; it is what makes us love him. There is a reason why House scored consistantly in the Nielsen top 10 this past season; it is because it is a terrific show that doesn't have to constantly show gore to get the point across. All the characters...

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Fat Sick & Nearly Dead

Got my attention
I was so inspired after watching this movie I pulled my juicer out of the closet and I'm heading to Whole Foods today to pick up some good veggies and fruits. OK, I'm not overweight by hundreds of pounds or much less even fifty but I constantly battle with my weight going up and down 20-30 pounds. When I lose the weight I always feel so great but inevitably real life sets in and I find myself reaching for the wrong foods. Just to watch the weight loss of these two guys, Joe who made the documentary and Phil whom Joe met on his path across America during his 60 day juice fast, and seeing their life transform was amazing. Of course I realize that a juice fast may take the weight off and then after the fact I am left with the daily choices again but I really need to make a change for good this time because when the weight creeps up so does my blood pressure and I do not want to end up on medication.
So I am trying the 10 day fast and at the same time I am going to overhaul just...

Saving Our Lives
Joe Cross, our hero in "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead", an inspiring documentary, is both overweight and has a serious medical problem to boot --- an auto-immune disease that requires 15 milligrams a day of Prednisone. That dosage guarantees long-term adverse side effects.

Although his physical challenges are serious, if not dire, Cross is a successful businessman. Facing progressive deterioration of his health, he decides to aggressively address his compromised vitality, and has the financial wherewithal to do so. Cross leaves his Australian home and business for the United States --- his "home away from home" --- and goes on a physician-supervised 2-month juice fast. He spends 30 days in New York City, and the second 30 days travelling by road from East to West.

Along the way he talks to people everywhere he goes, promoting the virtues of juice fasting. Two of the folks he meets are moved to join him. The first, a woman who suffers from migraines also suffers the...

Absolutely fantastic story
I was fortunate enough to be at the premiere screening at the Sonoma Film Festival this year.
The film is about Joe Cross, a businessman from Australia who's health was absolutely in shambles. He had a rare autoimmune disease and was in regular pain and had to take multiple medications to counteract the symptoms. He finally decided enough time was already wasted on treating symptoms and he wanted to treat the cause. He decided to take a 60 day tour of the US (30 in NYC and 30 spread throughout the rest of the country) to reboot his body and immune system with nothing but raw vegetables in juice form.
Joe's story alone was moving enough, but in Arizona Joe met Phil, a truck driver with the same autoimmune disease and even heaver than Joe had ever been. This is really the point where the story took a fantastic turn. Joe realized this film isn't just about him becoming healthy, its about educating people to how important simple nutrients are.
I highly recommend seeing...

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