Fullerton movie theater attacker

Yesterday I heard a crazy, yet random story that occured in Fullerton, California which is just north of Anaheim (where Disneyland is located). A man had randomly attacked two strangers at an AMC movie theater. Here's a quick overview of the Los Angeles Times news article regarding the story.

Man who stabbed Fullerton moviegoers is still at large
from Los Angeles, week of February 24th.

A man who stabbed two fellow moviegoers during a Sunday night screening of a bloody horror movie in Fullerton was still being sought Tuesday, police said. The attack, described by police as random, began about 7:30 p.m. Sunday at the AMC theater in the 1000 block of South Lemon Street. Half an hour into "The Signal," a man seated in a back row stabbed a lone moviegoer in front of him, police said. As the victim fled, a witness told police, the man walked toward the screen and stabbed a second man. [ Read The Full Story Here ]

Reportedly a man with a similar description was kicked out of the theater earlier in the day for attempting to bring alcohol into the theater. I wouldn't be surprised if it was the same guy. The suspect is still on the loose. For anyone in the Orange County area should call the Fullerton police department at (714) 738-6800 if they are aware of any leads to the story.

30 Second Bunnies and Post Oscars stuff

I thought I would scrape together a few random meddling comments after a more than welcome comeback with the successful Oscar ceremony this last weekend. With the three month writers strike the entertainment capital, also known as Hollywood, was concerned about the welfare of their annual pat-each-other-on-the-back ceremony. But with the help of Jon Stewart, his team of comedic writers, and the end of the lengthy strike everything had returned to normal in the Hills and America embraced the Oscars once again. To continue with the lighthearted mood of the cheery weekend I thought it would be fitting to post an eleven minute "greatest hits" video medley of the 30 Second Bunny Theater to keep you entertained on this Tuesday morning.

Well, since I'm writing a random article about blockbuster films I thought I would point out a cool collection of "Russian wood carvings" that spoof several films. Check out Hollywood Blockbusters as Russian Fairy Tales to take a look at some of the interesting pictures.

Good times, good times. Well, it can't nearly be as good as the giant sigh of relief that the Oscar producers have experienced this year with the perfect timing of the writer's strike wrapping up before the award ceremony goes into full swing. In other news, Diablo Cody got laid the night of her giant Academy win. Yep, as noted in the picture to the left she slept with her Oscar award that night and I'm sure that made the little guy one happy Oscar. In a way I wouldn't blame her for wanting to hold on to it for dear life. According to an article listed on the website for Forbes Magazine the statues must be sold to the Academy for a mere $1 if the owner stumbles across a financial low and needs to off the award for some quick cash. Sounds like a contractual bind, but I'm hoping the Academy holds the interest of historical preservation over the needs of any other lame excuse to be buying a famed Oscar statuette for a mere dollar. Despite the shady contractual agreements that flood Tinseltown it is only apparent that Hollywood is in deep competition with Las Vegas for providing fairy tale style happy endings for someone who was once a professional stripper. Yes, I am referring to Miss Diablo Cody herself, who by now is probably sick of the public reminding the entire world of her old profession. I'm guilty as charge for mentioning it several times on the site. Sorry, Diablo (I'll try to cut down the number of stripping references that I drop into my articles in the future).

In addition to the stripper pole to riches story there is the sad tale of Brad Renfro who was left out of the yearly memorial. According to an article from the Associated Press a spokesperson from the Academy has been quoted as saying, "Unfortunately we cannot include everyone. Our goal is to honor individuals who worked in the many professions and trades of the motion picture industry, not just actors." Despite the controversy over writer strikes, lack of appearances in a memorial montage, the sadistic mood of four out of five Best Picture nominees, and the ultra low ratings for the telecast (clocked in around 32 million viewers) I must say that this year's ceremony was full of fun and surprises.

I think the highlight of the night was the Oscar win for Best Original Song that was written and performed by Marketa Irglova and Glen Hansard (pictured to the right). Their performance of the song can be viewed below. What makes their win so sentimental was the way Jon Stewart inviting the pair back onto the stage after a commercial break so that Marketa Irglova had her chance to actually give an acceptance speech. The word quickly spread across the Internet that it was a directing error to have the orchestra begin playing after Glen Hansard gave his acceptance speech. Supposedly the director had glanced down at the end of Glen's speech, and so it wasn't noticed that Marketa had approached the microphone for her contribution. In a way, I thought Jon Stewart offered a wonderful "make good" to the pair even if he was or was not prompted by the television control room to allow them the extra time they deserve for their first win.

The pair of Oscar winners had actually stopped by my work last fall to promote their film before it really took off at the theaters. I was always meaning to check out Once, but I never had the time to rent it. I am happy for the two of them for their win, because I always enjoy watching the real life underdog stories. Now that the Oscar season is over I am looking forward to next year, because I'm wanting to know what kind of surprises are in store for the movies this year.

Movie related DirecTV commercials

I thought it would be great to list the string of DirecTV commercials that have recently been spoofing famous films to advertise their service. It caught me off guard yesterday when I saw the Misery spoof commercial for the first time and thought that the movie was actually being played on television before I realized that Annie was talking about satellite television. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this clips if you haven't seen them a bazillion times on the television already.

David Spade: There Will Be Oscars

You may or may not like his style of comedy, but David Spade sure knows how to throw together a quick spoof video. As seen in the video that I've added below you will find his satirical monologue poking fun at Daniel Day-Lewis for his Oscar nomination (which later resulted in a win) for There Will Be Blood (2007). Enjoy!

And who could forget the viral phrase "I'll drink your milkshake" which so many avid Internet users are trying to promote? A college student had spent some of his own time editing together a hip hop music video of the phrase. Enjoy!

Review: Persepolis (2007)

When I had first heard about Persepolis (2007) it was around the time that the 2008 Oscar nominations were announced. This film is only one of three titles to be nominated for the category of "Best Animated Feature Film of the Year" with its competitors being Ratatouille (2007) and Surf's Up (2007). The film's title is based upon the ceremonial capital of the historical Persian Empire, and the story is based upon the autobiographical graphic novel Persepolis that was written and drawn by Marjane Satrapi. Her career has blossomed as a graphic novelist, illustrator, Academy Award-nominated animated film director, and children's book author. Born in Tehran to a family of socialists she was sent away to Vienna at the age of 14 so that her life can be protected from the Iranian regime. While in Europe she earned her formal education. During this time of her life she transformed into her adulthood and had a lot to learn about the world beyond her home country.

Marjane is an intellectual and outspoken person with a gift for drawing. When she wrote her four part graphic novel autobiography it was written in a first person narration with the strong style of black and white animation. The film was practically lifted straight off the printed page by transferring over the style of sharp yet simple caricatures overlaid with the textured backgrounds. Taking a glance at some of the stills from the film you may notice that some of the backgrounds offer a textured look to them similar to the ruffled texture of stucco wall. This style of animation is interesting because it reminded me of the old classic Warner Brothers cartoons with the generic backgrounds and the constantly moving characters. Marjane had taken her style of animated storytelling a step further by drawing the majority of it with shades of gray, black and white. The only time that she ever presents color into her story is when the story integrates the present day events alongside the story of the past events. Since the vast majority of the film is a narration of her childhood the viewer is presented with a world of black and white animation as if they were watching an old black and white film from decades past. The animators who translated her story to the big screen had performed an excellent transfer of the visual style of storytelling.

The method of storytelling with the fun style of animation and the story itself was entertaining in the sense that my attention was enraptured from the start. I had watched this movie at the theater with the original language and the subtitles, which I believe is to be the more natural way to watch a foreign language film, and I walked out of the theater confident that my money was well spent. However, I do recommend that you avoid bringing kids along to see this film. In the same ballpark of adults errors this movie and Pan’s Labyrinth (2006) may appear to the unsuspecting adult that they are fantasy and animated stories geared toward children. Wrong! Both films have adult themes interwoven through the story and should only be viewed by individuals who are able to watch the film accordingly.

The story reflects the world in which a young girl evolves into the realm of her adult life while living in a harsh world that isn’t a sugar coated American tale. Her parents are considered extremists with their liberal minded opinions if they are to be compared with the viewpoints of their Middle Eastern government. With the informal education she earned from her parents Marjane had picked up on the intellectual and open minded ways, but didn’t quite know how to keep her own mouth shut when she was a child. For this very reason it was obvious to her parents that she must be sent away for her own protection. The conversations in the film range from the political and intellectual to the brain candy conversations of teenagers who discourse the good and the bad of pop culture from the world of Western Civilization.

To an American citizen such as myself I was drawn to this coming of age story because it is so different from the sugar coated stories with the respective sappy endings that are presented in our coming of age films. Although I would quite refer to Juno (2007) as being completely sugar coated since it deals with teen pregnancy it does have its sappy ending and doesn’t deal with the world politics that Persepolis has done. My final rating for this film hits high with an eight out of ten possible review points.

2008 Oscars: Best Actress in a Supporting Role

WRITER'S NOTE: Upon a further review I realize there is an error in the section I wrote about Cate Blanchett's award history. She was nominated for her role as Queen Elizabeth in the film Elizabeth (1998), but she did not win the award. The award went to Gwyneth Paltrow that year for her role in Shakespeare in Love. 2/25/08

In collaboration with my fellow LAMBs I have been assigned a special Oscar's themed category in which I will be basing this entire article upon. As explained by the prompt listed on the LAMB blog site I have been assigned to review the list of 2008 Oscar nominees for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. The task may be interesting and challenging since I haven't seen the entire list of films in which the nominated actresses have starred in. But I am up for the challenge. Now, here is a list of nominees for this respective category:

• Cate Blanchett, I'm Not There.
• Ruby Dee, American Gangster.
• Saoirse Ronan, Atonement.
• Amy Ryan, Gone Baby Gone.
• Tilda Swinton, Michael Clayton.
  

Now for the guts of the whole article rests upon my lack of talent for predicting the future. Who will win the 2008 Oscar award for best actress in a supporting role? The nominated films that are on that list that I have seen are Michael Clayton, Atonement, and American Gangster (click on the links to read my review for those films).

Actress: Cate Blanchett
Character: Jude Quinn
Film: I'm Not There
This film is receiving a large amount of positive reviews from around the world, and Cate Blanchett has received a lot of recognition for her contribution. It's interesting to hear about her nomination, because the last time a woman has been nominated for playing a man was back in 1983 when Linda Hunt won the Oscar award for the exact same category when she portrayed Billy Kwan in the 1982 film The Year of Living Dangerously. I should mention that I have every intention of seeing this film at my earliest convenience (most likely when it is released on to DVD), and I'm sure that ever cast member has done a superb job at portraying any one particular character trait of the famous singer and songwriter Bob Dylan. I did happen to stumble across a video clip from the film starring Cate Blanchett in the role from this film. Click here to watch the clip. And to those who have their curiosity running wild I should confirm that you're eyes and ears don't deceive you when you see comedian David Cross pull up in a golf cart with a full head of hair and a lengthy beard as he converses with a woman (Cate) who is dressed up as a man. Oh, the amazing world of movie wardrobe. I have mixed feelings about the idea of her winning the award for this film. She's also nominated for her portrayal as Queen Elizabeth in the period film Elizabeth: The Golden Age. In fact she's the winner of the Oscar award for portraying the same character in the first installment in the film franchise about the historical queen. It would be interesting to see if she wins two separate Oscar awards for portraying the exact same character. For the nomination as supporting actress I would say that she should be passed over this year.

Actress: Ruby Dee
Character: Mama Lucas
Film: American Gangster
I thought Ruby Dee has accomplished a terrific performance in this film as the lovable mother of criminal mob boss Frank Lucas (played by Denzel Washington). The film is an intense ride through the Frank's life, but his mother is the shining sigh of relief that makes you wonder how a sweet old woman ever went wrong with raising her children. My concern about her nomination resides the amount of screen time that she gets. Her role isn't a prominent enough to take a lengthy period of screen time, but she does have a strong effect on the story itself. Watching her relationship with her son sway back and forth with the ocean's tide is intriguing and emotionally moving. This is the first Oscar nomination for Ruby Dee, and the fact that it is a rare occurrence for an 80+ year old veteran actor (or actress) to receive an Oscar nomination or an award. Don't believe me? Check out the "age statistics" that have been posted on the Academy's website by visiting this page here. I must admit that if she does win this award there will be quite a few people who may experience the warm, fuzzy feeling of sentiment upon seeing her give an acceptance speech.

Actress: Saoirse Ronan
Character: Briony Tallis
Film: Atonement
You might want to definitely check out my review for this film, found here, because I do spend a little bit of time questioning how this movie was nominated for the Oscar awards. I am concerned why the Academy keeps allowing nominations to go through for people who are so young in age. I keep thinking about the hard working Joe Smoe adults who never earn the respective employee of the month award at their work and the sad "rub it in your face" feeling the person would experience if the recognition would go to a thirteen year old co-worker. I'm irked by the idea of hearing another name of a person who's too young to drive and yet has been nominated to receive such a high honor in the respective profession. I say this because I view it as a curse to the person's career. It would be long before the actor is confronted with taking the wrong turn by making a bad career move such as appearing in the a comic book movie (ahem, Anna Paquin) or dropping out the film business entirely due to a personal disaster (ahem, Tatum O'Neal). I don't want to see Saoirse win the Oscar this year, because I don't want to see her be subjected to the Juvenile Oscar Curse. I wish her the best of luck with her future career, but hopefully she'll be able to move on in life without winning the coveted award so early in her life.

Actress: Amy Ryan
Character: Helene McCready
Film: Gone Baby Gone
There's not much I could say for Amy Ryan. The movie itself was a huge hit and the box office (despite the fact that my parents walked out of the theater before the film even finished) and it promoted a lot of talk at the water cooler. You might want to check on an article that I wrote a couple of months ago about this film's odd correlation with the Madeline McCann story. You can read the article here and see the comparisons that I am talking about. As I had mentioned earlier I have seen this movie yet, but I did track down a video clip of the film, found here, and took a peak at her intense performance. I must admit that she was able to turn out such a detailed performance that I completely bought the ugly reality of the character's identity as a believable persona. I wouldn't be surprised if she did win the award for this film, because over the last few years there have been several Oscar wins for ugly performances. Take a look at Charlize Theron's win for Monster (2003) and Halle Berry's work for Monster's Ball (2001). If only this film was titled "Gone Monster Gone" then Amy's chances of winning will have been backed up by the "monster" good luck charm.

Actress: Tilda Swinton
Character: Karen Crowder
Film: Michael Clayton
As I clearly mentioned in my review for Michael Clayton this happens to be one my favorite films for 2007. I had originally seen a preview screening for the film a few days before it's public release and I was blown away by the lethal combination of the acting and the clever storyline. I have read a couple of other reviews that have been written against the quality of the film's final cut because of the way the time line of the story is projected on the screen. The film begins three quarters of the way into story, then jumps back to the beginning to allow the audience to catch up with everything that has proceeded beforehand. Tilda Swinton's character, Karen Crowder, is the villainous character of the film who is a professional businesswoman who was just promoted to a powerful executive position at the high profile company in which she works for. The sad twist in her character's professional career is the inheritance of a massive environmental disaster in which the company has attempted to cover up for several years. It is up to her to continue the covert operations to prevent the company from falling apart financially, but it comes with a heavy price. The company's key litigating lawyer, played wonderfully by Tom Wilkinson who was also nominated for his performance, completely falls apart after he stops ingesting medication that suppresses the symptoms of his manic depressive behavior. I believe Tilda exceeded expectations with her low-key performance. It wasn't over the top, but remained cool and study just as her character would want to project as a consummate professional. I would like to see Tilda win the Oscar award for this category, but I'm not sure she has a strong enough support from the Academy voters who may be tempted by the box office success of Gone Baby Gone. I guess I will have to wait until Oscar night to find out the results. Sigh.

Be Kind Rewind is plagiarism?

Have you heard about the new comedy movie starring Jack Black and Mos Def? It's called Be Kind Rewind and it was written and directed by Michel Gondry. The concept of the story is interesting and the comedy looks light hearted and fun. However, the concept is unoriginal. Yep, it's true that the rumors are flying around of the plagiarized story idea. The word that I heard was that the idea was stolen from The Amanda Show, and there is a video that was posted on the Internet to prove the validity of the rumor. Take a look at the video for yourself.

Now that you have seen the original skit from Nickelodeon's comedy show you should check out the trailer for Be Kind Rewind (posted below) and connect the dots in the similarity between the two comedies.

Don't you find it intriguing to see the connections between the two? I'm forecasting a potential lawsuit on the brink of being filed in a Los Angeles courthouse.

Review: Psycho (1960)

Think back to the most controversial movie that you have ever seen. Think about this for a moment. Have you thought of it yet? I bet your answer is not Alfred Hitchcock's classic horror film Psycho (1960). This horrendous story about an unpleasant motel owner didn't stop at the door of controversy with the gruesome murders. One of the most problematic moments of the film was the shot of paper being flushed down a bathroom toilet. Who cares about a woman being stabbed to death when the audience is being subjected to watching a toilet being flushed? I'm sure that the mundane and uneventful meaning of the scene may confuse any member of the younger generations who is reading this article right now. Psycho marks the first time that any film or television show has ever showed footage of an operating toilet. Are you shocked? If you can journey back to the days of Ozzie and Harriet you wouldn't be surprised that a married couple would be sleeping in separate beds. That was the world in which the entertainment was set with. "Married" couples wouldn't sleep together in the same bed and the audience would never see a toilet in the bathroom. It's amazing news, I know. Wouldn't you think that the murder scenes would have caused up a larger shockwave than the toilet? At least I would think so.

This film has evolved into an iconic status that the Bates home, as pictured below, is like the White House of horror films. I'm not comparing the two building as being equal in terms of their purpose and design, but as equals in terms of being a recognizable building. Another interesting piece of trivia for this film would be the separation of production companies that can take credit for the film. Despite being filmed on the Universal Studios property the movie can be closely associated with Paramount Pictures for its original theatrical release. The DVD release of the film was distributed by Universal, but the Paramount logo still resides at the start of the film's playback. It's an interesting piece of trivia, because many people who have attended the Universal Studios back lot tour have seen the house and may assume it was produced on the Universal dollar.

Another interesting story about the release of the film would be the close call for censorship. The film was reviewed by a censorship board member who claimed the infamous shower murder clearly displayed Janet Leigh's nipple from a side camera angle. There are quite a bit of rumors on how this scene was shot and edited for the final cut, but the story about the censorship review seems as a plausible story. One of the rumors claims that the censorship reviewer pointed out a nipple in one of the shots, which was proven as a falsity. However, another shot later on in the same scene has a blurred out view of a woman's nipple. At least that's the story according to the rumor. Looking at a bird's eye view of the shower scene it is reported to have taken seven days to shoot and utilizing seventy different camera angles. The final cut of the scene lasts for 45 seconds, but it evokes the sense of chaos and confusion.

Alfred Hitchcock was the epitome of organized planning. He was known for building his films frame by frame and not wanting to budge one bit to lose the integrity of the story. He was a stickler for details and was known to edit in-camera to avoid the risk of the studio from rehashing his film. For this film he has crammed so many layers of information and visuals that it will take several viewings to catch them all. Did you know that Psycho was the predecessor to The Birds (1963) starring Tippi Hedren? Hitchcock did not make any other films between these two titles, and there is a high amount of references to birds in both of the films. Go and watch Psycho with the intention of counting how many references there are to birds. Also, when you do go to watch this film take a close look at one of the final shots that involve layering three separate shots that have been lined up for asymmetrical reasons. I found a still of the shot that I'm referring to and have it posted below.

As you look closely you might notice there are three separate elements in the final shot. The bottom layer is a shot of the lagoon with a car that is being pulled out by a tow chain that runs through the center of the picture. The center layer is a perfectly centered shot of a human skull, while the front layer is a shot of Norman Bates who has been positioned so that his face overlays with the human skull while the tow chain runs through the center of his heart. Not only are there visual references such as that one, but there are several hints that foreshadow of what is to come. Observe closely the scenes in which Norman Bates is involved in a discussion with his mother. In one particular example he sits in his parlor with Marion Crane (which a subtle reference to the name of a bird) when she starts asking about his mother. He immediately switches to a defensive mode as he leans forward in an attack posture. Behind his shoulder rests a large foray of peacock feathers. Animal behaviorists would identify a peacock with a defensive behavior by a strutting walk and a feathered tail that is spread out to show a sign of intimidation or to catch the interest of a potential mate. Hmm, interesting. Norman is defending his mother, but he is also physically attracted to Marion.

Speaking of Marion Crane, who is played by Janet Leigh (a.k.a. the mother of actress Jamie Lee Curtis), was the marketing decoy. For those who have studied Hitchcock's career may be familiar with the term MacGuffin. Hitchock himself who loved to use it as a slang term for a plot decoy instituted the word. In every single one of his films he would purposefully place some kind of decoy that would distract the audience from the real purpose of the story long enough to build up some momentum in the story before dropping the bomb of a surprise upon them. In my opinion, Marion Crane was the MacGuffin for Psycho. When the film was being advertised Janet Leigh was heavily advertised as the leading lady for Hitchcock's latest film. She was even given a prominent screen credit at the start of the film to continue the ploy to throw the audience for a loop. Well, about forty-five minutes into the film she is killed off and that is when the audience learns the real storyline.

This movie is an all time classic horror film in my collection. I love the amount of work that was placed in creating and designing the entire film from the beginning all the way through until the end. It's also one of the few films that spawned a franchise of sequels that I've actually enjoyed as much as the original despite the fact that none of the sequels had any connection with Hitchcock. I love this film and absolutely loathe the horrendous rip-off of a remake that Gus Van Sant had done in 1998. Please, I beg of you to stick with the original film and avoid watching the remake. There's no real benefit to watching Van Sant's version unless you prefer to see a movie in color instead of black and white.

Toy Story 2: Requiem

So, this viral video has been floating around the internet for quite some time now. However, it isn't until this very moment that I thought it would be worthwhile to transfer the video file over to my blog page so that you can take a look at it for yourself. It's called Toy Story 2: Requiem. Anyway, here is the video clip, but take caution since it is filled with cartoon characters who use really bad language.

As you can see from the clip that the video is a spoof of two particularly successful films of the last ten years: Toy Story 2 and Requiem for a Dream (2000). I enjoyed watching both films and find this clip to be astoundingly creative with combining the two of them together. Good job!

Review: Rushmore (1998)

Rushmore (1998) is a comedy film starring Jason Schwartzman and Bill Murray. Wes Anderson, who had paired up with Owen Wilson to write the script, directed the film. This wasn't the first time the writing duo had formed a creative partnership. Just a couple of years earlier Anderson and Wilson sat down to write Anderson's feature film debut Bottle Rocket (1996) which stars real life brothers Luke and Owen Wilson. I remember the first Wes Anderson movie that I had ever seen was The Royal Tenenbaums (2001). The film had caught my attention for it's dry and dark humor with such a talented ensemble cast. Make no mistake that the writing duo has jumped head first into their comedic niche. As what they have proven repeatedly their style of humor is under the radar and primarily filled with verbal sparring. They don't rely on slapstick comedy, but upon the combativeness and personality differences between the characters. Rushmore was written as a modern comedy of errors. Max Fischer (played by Jason Schwartzman in his acting debut) is an overachieving underachiever. He slacks off tremendously when it comes to his education, but he sure picks up the slack by putting forth a large amount of effort into the school's extracurricular activities. Max does make the crucial error on the side of a formal education until the day when he meets the school's new teacher Rosemary Cross (played by Olivia Williams). His interest is immediately aroused and he desires to enact anything that will woo her over.

Being the unquestionably young teenager of 15 years old he requires the assistance of his adult friend Herman Blume (played by Bill Murray) to offer advice on how he could win the hand of the pretty teacher. There are only two problems standing in Max's way. First of all he is too young for her and she could be arrested for getting intimate with a minor. Then there is the problem with his adult friend Herman who also falls in love with Rosemary. Herman and Max are a pair of characters who stumble through their lives without keeping an eye on the ultimate goal of success. They seemed to be fine with squeaking by and earning the basic necessities in life while having a little fun on the way. The two of them are a mirror copy of each other, and the age difference is the only real form of measure that separates them from leading identical lives. As I had already mentioned Max avoids his school work by indulging in his extracurricular activities to the max. He wants to do the activities that interest him. His interest in the activities is deeply rooted in his being because they are activities that are not mandatory for him to do. He's an underachieving procrastinator.

Herman is experience a depressing lull in his life. His teenage twin sons are obnoxious and rude, and his wife is cheating on him. Much to Herman's surprise his wife requests a legal motion for divorce once Max informs her of Herman's affair with Rosemary. Max ruins Herman's marriage, but it encourages Herman to pursue Rosemary even further. The three-way relationship is tricky and each one of them is running on their own private agenda. It's intriguing to watch Max shuffle around and spend so much of his time and energy with his extracurricular activities or attempting to impress Miss Cross that he fails to become self-sufficient by remaining involved in his education. He's the anti-thesis to the Alex P. Keaton of Family Ties fame.

I found Rushmore to be an enjoyable film that was entertaining to watch. It may not rank high on my top lists of favorite films, but it was pleasant to view nonetheless. My final rating for the film rushes to an unsteady seven out of ten possible review points.

Book Review: Lessons in Becoming Myself

Ellen Burstyn's autobiography Lessons in Becoming Myself is a touching story about her abusive childhood and her desire to escape from the horrors of her life. Miss Burstyn is an award-winning actress who floats right under Hollywood's mainstream radar, but has the acting talent that will drive the audience right over the edge. Her story is emotionally touching, and intriguing to read. After finishing up the last few pages I went and watched some of my favorite films that she stars in. Knowing about her life story I now have a new perspective on her career and her acting style. With an attribution to the summary provided by the contributors over at Wikipedia, and with a little bit of editing that I have done, here is a recap of her early life:

Miss Burstyn was born Edna Rae Gillooly in Detroit, Michigan to Correine Marie and John Austin Gillooly, a building contractor. Because her parents divorced when she was young, Burstyn says she only remembers seeing her father one time when she was away at boarding school. At 19 years old, Burstyn says she sought out her father, hoping to establish a relationship with him, but the search led to a dead end. She refers to her mother as a tough, violent and controlling woman whom is a challenge to love unconditionally. In 1960, after two failed marriages, Ellen fell in love with actor Neil Burstyn whom she describes as a charming, funny, bright, talented and eccentric person. Sadly, his mental health had degenerated and he became schizophrenic and violent. Not too long after the change in his mental condition Neil left Ellen just before she became one the most celebrated actresses of the 1970s and '80s, with five Oscar nominations and one win in ten years. Miss Burstyn revealed in her biography that Neil had stalked her over a period of ten years whom she had divorced from by this time in her life. This included a violent incident of rape that went unpunished, as the police said that because the perpetrator was her husband no crime was committed. Ultimately, he committed suicide, upon which his parents sent Burstyn a telegram stating, "Congratulations, you've won another Oscar. Neil killed himself.”

What a sad way to begin her life, but she has proven herself to be a strong and independent adult. There are a lot of lessons that she's learned about life and it helped her grow as a person, which she wrote about in her book. She had written her entire autobiography by hand, and not on a computer. Being illiterate with the computer she considered writing her book in longhand easier for her since there are plenty of people in the world who could transcribe her copy for her. I could only imagine the large number of times she must have suffered through writer's cramp in order to pen a book that runs for several hundred (typewritten) pages. I highly recommend Lessons in Becoming Myself to every non-fiction reader. It is an amazing story of survival, and I am happy to see that she came out okay.

Cinemascope: A Comic Strip About Movies

Thanks to the handy dandy internet utility known as the Internet Movie Database there was a particular blog site that has caught my attention. The website can be described as a collection of comic strips about movies. When I first heard about the site I was thinking it would be a comic strip in the same style as Garfield or Peanuts, but it's not a comic strip. It's more of a collection of caricature drawings. The website is called Cinemascope . A couple of my favorite drawings that have been posted up to this point are Sweeney Todd, Michael Clayton, Fargo versus No Country For Old Men, and The Last King of Scotland. The guy does have talent for drawing. I would recommend that swing by his site at cinemascopecomic.blogspot.com to check out the latest drawings that have been posted on the site.

2008 Oscars: Best Foreign Language

In collaboration with my fellow LAMBs I have been assigned a special Oscar's themed category in which I will be basing this entire article upon. As explained by the prompt listed on the LAMB blog site I have been assigned to review the list of 2008 Oscar nominees for Best Foreign Language film. The task may be interesting and challenging since none of the nominees have been released into the theaters of mainstream America. I think I am up for the challenge.

I admit that I enjoy watching foreign films, because they can be a huge breath of fresh air. When shrouded within a room that plays the same American story lines repetitively the mental stimulation becomes clouded and the air in the room grows stale. I want something fresh, new, and mentally invigorating. That is when the outside world, also known as the foreign film market, can throw my mind for a loop. What concerns me is that the nominations for the 2008 Academy Awards list five different films in the Foreign Language category that I have not seen yet. The main reason for this would be that they are currently not playing at the local art houses. And if the titles ever have been listed on the marques of the theater I was too slow to have noticed their initial run. However, here are the list of nominations and a brief synopsis of each one alongside some of my own notable commentary.

TITLE: Beaufort (2007).
COUNTRY: Israel. LANGUAGE: Hebrew.
[ View Trailer ]
SYNOPSIS: In 2000 the Israel Defense Forces are withdrawing from southern Lebanon. The military group has been a strong presence in the particular area of Lebanon for about eighteen years, and are suddenly packing up and starting to leave the territory. As the military forces are preparing for their change of location the story centers upon a small group of soldiers who lives their lives in the trenches of war and have to face the psychological and physical torments of war. The film's story was adapted from the book with the same name that was written by Ron Leshem. According to a comment from the director he was influenced to create the film's visual design from such notable classics as Das Boot (1981) and Paths of Glory (1957). COMMENTARY: This film I could only imagine should strike a patriotic nerve among the Israeli citizens. The point that concerns me would be my hope to see something different. As I had alluded to in my opening statement it is wonderful to watch a foreign film to view a story that is different from the American films that I could see on any given weekend. At the core of the plot for Beaufort lies the same concept that I would see in any other war film that would be created by an American production house. However, I do believe there is the glimmer of hope that this film offers a new perspective to the American viewer. With the headlines that we read in the American papers about a war in the Middle East it may be a subject matter that feels so distant to some of us. Not every American citizen has a relative who is involved in the military. Not every American has taken a step outside of our country's borders. But to the citizens of Israel it is a call of duty and an act of honor to serve in their country's military. They can understand what it means to protect their home turf. This film should offer a unique perspective about the battles that occur in Lebanon and other parts of the Middle East and northeastern Africa. I look forward to watching this film to find out what makes interesting enough to be nominated for an Oscar.

TITLE: The Counterfeiters [a.k.a. Die Fälscher] (2007).
COUNTRY: Austria. LANGUAGE: German.
[ View Trailer ]
SYNOPSIS: Based upon the memoirs of Adolf Burger the film's story is about the largest counterfeiting operation in history. The character of Salomon Sorowitsch is the fictional counterpart for Burger's real life persona. Saloman is a professional counterfeiter who lives with the sleazy underworld of alcohol and women in Berlin, Germany during the peak era of the Nazi regime. He is thrown into a concentration camp by a Nazi superintended who later shifts him and a few other counterfeiters into a special collections group to produce counterfeit foreign currency for the Germany government. The group's illegal practice became known as Operation Berhard. COMMENTARY: Honestly, I wonder how far from the tree this film lies from other class war camp films such as The Great Escape (1963) or Schindler's List (1993). Don't get me wrong here, because The Counterfeiters sounds like a promising film that I will definitely want to check out later on when I have access to watching it. Usually dramatic narratives of true events perform very well at the Oscar ceremonies. There have been several nominations and award winners that have been based upon memoirs or historical events. I can't quite place my betting money on this film, because the topic may be a little over done. How many World War II films are really vying for the Oscar nod and will establish a guarantee win? This film does have its sentimental drawing power, and I'm looking forward to see if this will be the deciding factor for the big night.

TITLE: Katyń (2007).
COUNTRY: Poland. LANGUAGE: Polish.
[ View Trailer ]
SYNOPSIS: The Katyn massacre, also the Katyn Forest massacre, was a mass execution of Polish citizens ordered by Soviet authorities in 1940.Estimates of the number of dead range from 15,000 to 21,768. The victims were murdered in Katyn forest, Kalinin (Tver) and Kharkiv prisons and elsewhere. About 8,000 were officers taken prisoner during the 1939 invasion of Poland, the rest being Poles arrested for allegedly being "intelligence agents, gendarmes, spies, saboteurs, landowners, factory owners, lawyers, priests, and officials." (Borrowed on compliments of the Wikipedia entry for Katyn massacre.) The film Katyń is based upon the events that I've just described above that occurred during the time of World War II. The Soviets were the people responsible for the death for the thousands of bodies that were discovered by Nazi Germany in 1943. COMMENTARY: Hmm, interesting! It's another foreign war film. I wonder what's on the mind of several countries throughout the world. This marks the third consecutive title out of the five films that I'm rolling through right now that deals with this heavy topic. There is a debate among a few people about the historical value of the film. Is it accurate? Will it reflect poorly upon the Poles, the Russians, or any other involved political group? The Katyn Massacre was one of many sad stories about the mass executions during the war. I had already mentioned about the correlation with the Oscar award winning film Schindler's List which is another sad story about the war. I would consider this film has a strong possibility of winning the Oscar this year. Just don't hold me to it if the film doesn't win.

TITLE: Mongol (2007).
COUNTRY: Kazakhstan. LANGUAGE: Mongolian.
[ View Trailer ]
SYNOPSIS: In the early 13th century a warrior was building his career to create an empire in which he was its ruler. The warrior's name was Genghis Khan. The film's story begins in 1172 with Khan as a child who suffers through the torments of slavery As he grows older he gains notoriety among his peers as he forms the early part of his career. By 1206 the nomadic clans of central Asia join together under his leadership to begin the quest for world domination. This film marks the first installment of a planned trilogy of the career of Genghis Khan. COMMENTARY: Did you know that the several people over in Kazakhstan have stated their gratitude for Sacha Baron Cohen's satirical character Borat? It's true! It was mentioned that if it wasn't for Borat then the country could have been overlooked by the Academy when the group was reviewing the submissions for the Best Foreign Film category. The comedic character has put the country on the map (in terms of recognition, of course). However, in regards to this film I think that it may be accepted by the American public for the way that it could be marketed to us. It appears to be a film about Mongolian people and the empirical world of Genghis Khan. It is now officially listed as an Oscar nominated film, which in its own right is a huge drawing power for people to grab the DVD off the rental shelf at Blockbuster. There may be a chance that a few viewers will want to watch this film because they heard it was produced by the country who is associated with Borat, but will it be a surprise to the viewer that this would be the only connection that the film and the character would have with each other? I believe the odds of this film winning the Oscar award are slim, but that shouldn't hinder its chances of a worldwide audience.

TITLE: 12 [a.k.a. 12 razgnevannyh muzhchin] (2007).
COUNTRY: Russia. LANGUAGE: Russian.
[ View Video Clip ]
SYNOPSIS: A modern Russian remake of the American classic 12 Angry Men (1957) the movie takes place in the republic of Chechnya where twelve jurors must decide the fate of a Chechen teenager who has been placed on trial with the charges of killing his Russian stepfather. Among the twelve jurors include a list of wide range of Russian citizens such as a racist taxi-driver, a suspicious doctor, a vacillating TV producer, a Holocaust survivor, a flamboyant musician, a cemetery manager, and several others. COMMENTARY: There are several opinions floating around about this film. One of those opinions, which I agree with, is the question of how a remake was able to receive an Oscar Nomination? But then again I must broaden my viewpoint to think that the American film producers have a laundry list of categories in which they could submit just one single title. Those same American businessmen are probably being wise by not putting all their eggs in one basket, if you know what I mean. As for the foreign film producers who only have one category in which they could submit their film I would like to think that it is a very rough competition to gain any recognition for it. Imagine a world of over 200 recognized countries and a large number of them may have the available resources to create a feature film. If all those countries were allowed to submit only one film title to one award category and compete with a couple of hundred other countries then the possibilities of getting one of the five nomination slots could be rather rough. I would have to say that the country of Russia had considered this film their best representative film for the year.

Now what makes this year interesting, as if things should really be any different, is that four out of the five nominees deal with the subject of war and fighting. There's two films about World War II, one film about the modern day civil unrest of the war torn area of the Middle East, and another film about the battle for world domination. Only one film differs from the rest of the group in terms of war related content, but it doesn't stray too far from the realm of civil unrest when it focuses upon the trial of a murder case. Considering the topics in which the films have focused upon and the history of Oscar winners I have come to a decision with placing my bet for this year's winner. My vote will be cast among Israel's submission Beaufort. Modern day war movies have proven to be the latest trend in the genre of war time dramas. Regardless of my vote, I would hope that the best candidate will win.

Review: The Fountain (2006)

Let me begin the review by pointing out the beautiful photography that appears in the film. As seen in the first photograph that I've posted below you'll see the amount of detail that went into the creation of the visual effects for the film. But instead of spending a large amount of money on computer generated imagery (CGI for short) Darren Aronofsky, the director, dipped into the realm of science. His decision to utilize micro-photography to film chemical reactions in a petri dish have created a visual world that blows any computer system right out of the water.

Director Darren Aronofsky is an artistic genius. His collection of feature films can be counted on a single hand. Currently he stands with three features films that have been released in the last ten years, and another three that are slated for a theatrical release in the next two years. He's gifted and talented, but he doesn't release a new film very often. Take a look at the gap between the time Requiem for a Dream (2000) was released and the time that The Fountain (2006) was released and you'll notice the six years difference. That's a pretty large number of years that he probably spent on writing the script and preparing the production for The Fountain. The film itself is a visual poem in the same thought line as Beowulf, The Odyssey, and The Iliad. Yes, I actually compared a contemporary film to that of several classic poetic stories.

What strikes me as the most intriguing attributes of the film was the visual style and use of microphotography. But the style of storytelling was written in such a way that allows the viewer to place his or her own personal interpretation of the character's relationships in with the storyline. Are all three characters that are played by Hugh Jackman that exact same guy? If you perceive the character of Tomas/Tommy/Tom as the same individual human then does this guy hold the same goal for accomplishment in all three time periods? In the past Tomas is a Spanish conquistador who searches the world by the request of the queen to find the tree of life. His reward for success would be her hand in marriage. In the present day Tommy is a medical scientist in search for a cure for cancer. During one particular trial surgery he uses a serum from a South American tree that reverts the patient's condition to the state he was in before contracting cancer. The South American tree was a catalyst that served as a fountain of youth, and Tommy was hoping he could use the results to save his wife from a terminal cancer. In the future Tom is transporting a large tree that bears a strong resemblance to the tree seen in the historical time period. What makes the future time period unique has been determined by the references that are alluded to it in the other two time periods.

In the historical time period with Tomas the conquistador there is a reference to the tree of life that would be the focus of his mission. In the present day Lizzy, that would be Tommy's wife, refers to the nebula as the rebirth of the world. In the future sequences the tree of life and the nebula make an appearance alongside Tom's "future self" to discover the rebirth of humankind (well, I could only imagine this would be his purest of intent). Now I would like to consider the fact that the present day Tommy does refer to both the past and present timelines in a direct manner. The book in which Lizzy, the wife, is writing clearly is a work of fiction about a Spanish conquistador who searches for a tree of life to offer to his queen. In the future period Tom frequently experiences moments of a memory flashback to the present day where he is recalling the moments he shared with his wife. At this point you would be able to discern the story of the Spanish conquistador and fiction, the present day story as reality, and the future events as a possibility. Did I lose you yet? I hope not.

So, how does these three stories tie together in a poetic fashion? It is the process in which Arronofsky has visually written the story on the film. The pictures that are projected before the audience moves gracefully across the screen in a form of a ballet routine. The words that are spoken and the way in which the film has been edited together serves as the pacing of the cinematic poem. I'm sure this all sounds rather boring and stupid to someone who thrives off the action films, but not to another viewer who may want to stop for a moment to smell the roses.

Now stick with me for a moment so that I may explain why I would consider Tom, the future persona, to be a plausible figure of reality. We are yet unsure where our scientific research may lead us. Tommy, the present day figure, is a research scientist who is determined to find the cure for cancer. It's been known that some of the greatest scientific discoveries have been found by accident. If you ever read the Bible and have the glimmer of faith that human beings were once recorded to have lived for centuries within one lifetime then you may consider the future persona of Tom to be plausible. Looking at the current statistics of the last several centuries or so you will find that the average lifetime had changed from the thirties all the way up to the eighties. If you were living during the time when the average person's life spend ended in his thirties you may be surprised to hear of the possibility to live well into your eighties. This information is not surprising to us because we are familiar with the process of a healthy diet, a moderate lifestyle, and a consistent exercise routine can be combined to help prolong our life span. I'm sure that one day we are able to discover a method to prolong the inevitable date of death for every human being. I'm not necessarily referring to cryogenics, but of the maintenance of our eating habits, exercise, and other attributes that could be taken into account.

At this point I know that my review has become rather long winded, but I hope you have made it this far with your reading. I am not very surprised to see how many people slept through a viewing of The Fountain. The pacing is rather slow in comparison with the other films that were released at the same time. The contemporary audience has grown accustomed to a screen with a camera shot that changes every two or three seconds before the film reaches a comfortable conclusion within eighty to ninety minutes. I don't mind a film that slows down and takes a relaxing stroll through the park, but the story line should be intriguing enough to hold my interest. I was bored to tears after watching Werner Herzog's slow paced film Aguirre, Wrath of God (1972) because the storyline itself played out slower than a snail crawling across a cement sidewalk. I would recommend Arronofsky's film to those viewers who are in need of a break from the usual contemporary drivel that is being released to the theaters. Give this film a try, because you may never know what to expect from it.

The Reel Geezers go to the Oscars

How come I didn't know about the Reel Geezers before? It's probably because they lively old pair are "brand new" to the the film critics scene. Forget all about Ebert what's his name and the one bald dude that replaced Siskel (may he rest in peace). There is a wonderful article in the LA Times that offers the history of the pair's friendship, and I thought it would be worth your while to read the article really quick. Anyway, the pair recently sat down to prepare a two part video series for the upcoming Oscars ceremony. Take a peek at Part One...

And now for Part Two...

You can watch all of their movie reviews on You Tube by visiting their profile page. And since the pair has spent their time talking about their Oscar predictions I thought you might want to get in on some of the action for yourself. The LAMBs group (Large Association of Movie Blogs) is hosting an Oscar voting contest where you have a chance at winning a free copy of any movie of your choosing. For details about the vote and the contest visit the website's instructions page and then visit the poll itself.

DVD Format Wars 2008

Are you really confused or frustrated by the latest in the DVD format war? Well, you're not the only person who is thrown off by the technojargon and the competing media companies. PC World offers a "super guide" article on their website that was last updated almost a year ago (view the article here). But this isn't the first time that the format wars have come into the consumer playground. Remember the format war of the 1980s when VHS went head on with Sony's Betamax and the cheaper tape won? Well, here we go again! To help you shuttle your way through the format mud puddle there is a four part video series with Veronica Belmont reporting for Cnet.com's website with an overview of the situation...

In one of the videos the narrator refers to Warner Brothers utilizing a multi-format disc to meet the compatibility with several different formats. However, at the start of 2008 it was announced that the company has dumped the idea and moved on. To read more about the story you could check out the article posted at PC World's website.

Review: Pulp Fiction (1994)

You know what they call a Quarter Pounder with cheese in France? A Royale with cheese. You know why they call it that? Because of the metric system? Check out the big brain on Brett! You're a smart (guy). That's right. The metric system.

I'm sure every dedicated fan of Quentin Tarantino's classic 1994 film Pulp Fiction will recognize the aforementioned dialogue. In fact, the "Royale with cheese" banter is spoofed in a commerical for Fandango when one French puppet asks another what the English translation for "movie tickets" would be. The entire script is filled with fresh dialogue and banter between the characters that has sparked the interest of the audiences worldwide. Quentin Tarantino and Roger Avary share their 1995 Oscar win for writing the film's screenplay, and the dialogue is what proves their talent as writers. It is within this realm that I point out the conversations that take place within the film's storyline are the only form of chronological consistency for the viewer. Since each scene does not appear on the screen in the same timely fashion that it would play out on the story's timeline, the audience must rely on other visual or audio cues to follow along.

If you were to review the scene in which Butch the boxer first appears on the screen you would see Jules and Vincent (played by Jackson and Travolta; pictured above) walk into the bar wearing t-shirts and jogging shorts. It seems rather odd to see the pair wearing a rather unique selection of clothing. In the last scene that the audience had seen the pair they were wearing clean and well kept suits. In the back of my mind I would begin to wonder why they would change their wardrobe from a selection of professional looking suits (as pictured above) to extremely casual outfits (as pictured below). The audience will not know the answer for a good chunk of time later on in the film.

Once we arrive at the scene where the duo changes their clothes we understand a little bit more about what happened to Jules and Vincent. Both of them went through a rather messy situation that involved an accidental murder, and they were attempting to avoid the eyes of curious people who may notice the large amount of blood on the suits they were wearing. I hope I haven't lost you in my attempt to describe the plot that jumps around quite a bit. Pulp Fiction is not the first film that attempts to rearrange the plot's chronological order, but it did have an affect on the way films are presented to the audience for the next several years.

Now as I had mentioned before the film was enjoyable for me. I was pulled in by the dialogue that was creatively written despite being very vulgar in nature. The acting backed up the language with a wonderful style of body movement and vocal inflection. Just watch the opening scenes when Jules (played by Samuel L. Jackson) rattles on about the nuances of life including giving a foot massage to his boss's wife or about the perfection of a tasty burger. Another interesting scene that caught my attention would be the very brief moment when Christopher Walken appears in a flashback to discuss how he handled an antique watch that he wanted to give to his friend's son. In that particular moment there are only a couple of brief words from another character before Walken begins his lengthy monologue about the travels of the watch. It's rather unique story, but I doubt anyone would be able to deliver quite like Walken did. My overall review for the film rates high. I would give this film a solid eight out of ten possible review points. It was the combination of the fresh script and the performance skills of the actors that made this film gel together.

Vanity Fair does Hitchcock

I get a kick out of seeing clever pictorials that spoof the movie industry in one fashion or another. Within the last year or so Disney had ventured out on a huge marketing campaign by hiring famous photographer Annie Leibovitz to reproduce real life versions of the company's class cartoon films. You can see some of her photographs on the blog site Super Punch by clicking here. However, the subject of this article isn't about Disney's latest ad campaign, but about Vanity Fair's recent publication of pictorial photographs. In the collection of photographs, which you can view online here, are recreated scenes from classic films that were directed by Alfred Hitchcock. What makes the photographs interesting is the collection of contemporary actors and actresses who have been dolled up in period clothing from fifty and sixty-plus years ago and then molded into a pose that would best define the film in which they are representing. A couple of my favorite photographs have been posted below.

Scarlett Johansson and Javier Bardem are checking out the neighbors in a scene from Rear Window (1954).

Seth Rogen is running for his life in the classic chase scene from North By Northwest (1959).

Keira Knightley and Jennifer Jason Leigh are torn apart with their respective loyalties in Rebecca (1940).

It's eerie to see how close the visual mode was recreated in the photographs. I'm sure a lot of energy and time was spent in nailing down every strained detail for the photo shoots. I'm extremely impressed by the photography crew for putting together the collection of pictorials for the magazine. Good job, guys!

Review: Clue (1985)

One of my favorite cult comedies of all time goes by a simple name. Clue (1985) has an all star cast of comedic actors portraying the famous characters from the classic Parker Brothers board game. The entire film focuses upon six guests who are invited to dine together at a sinister looking house located upon a high hill. Unbeknownst to them the group shares more secrets hidden in the dark corners of their own lives than in the dusty attic of the old house. What prompted the dinner invitations to be sent to these particular individuals would be their connection with governmental politics in Washington D.C. Either they were married into politics as would be the case of Mrs. Peacock, lived in the area, or worked as a governmental official as would be the case for Colonel Mustard and Professor Plum. Each of the six dinner guests was given a pseudonym to protect their real identities, but as the night progresses the group learns of the crimes and misdemeanors that each of them is accountable for. The group frantically runs around the house after they discover the bodies of the housekeepers are dropping like flies. In the manner that the film was written and produced the story line plays out as a slapstick comedy of errors. The characters are not running in fear as would be the case for a horror film. Instead, their fear invokes a string of human errors and misperceptions that creates the comedic environment of miscommunication. At the center of the group stands Wadsworth, the fumbling butler (played with a comedic perfection by Tim Curry), who acts as the audience's doppelganger who interacts with the characters. Wadsworth is the guy who invites the group together for dinner. He is the person who walks the audience through the events of the evening as a tour guide who helps the viewer solve the mystery of the murdering spree.

In the same vien as This Is Spinal Tap (1984) the point of the film should not be determined by the lack of depth that the story may entail, but upon the interactions between the characters. I know that endorsement sounds pretty weak, but it is something worth noting.

Beyond the comedic interactions lies the nostalgic adaptation of a board game that millions of people have enjoyed playing for years. For those who are experienced Clue players you may know that the ending of the game will never be the same with each play. The film was intentionally written to produce three separate endings. If you were able to watch the film during its initial theatrical run you would only be able to see one of the three alternate endings depending upon which reel was sent to the theater. This publicity element was designed to correlate with the unique style of how the game would end. I thought the technique was interesting and fun, because it proposes a sense of audience interaction. I wish they would have created six alternate endings with each one reserved for each of the six main characters, but I guess that would have been too much from a production standpoint.

If you were to rent the DVD copy of this film the menu offers two options for the viewer to select. Either you could view all three endings back to back when the film concludes, or you could select the random option which will play only one of the three endings at random. If you were to watch the film on a VHS copy you would be stuck with seeing all three alternate endings for the film's conclusion. Between the verbal slapstick comedy mixed in with the variable endings creates a fun and lightweight film that has shifted it into the realm of the cult classic.