Phyllis and Harold (2008)

In our youth-obsessed culture, something awful happens to people of a certain age. We take away their humanity. Once white hair and wrinkles achieve a certain critical mass, we tend to think of the individual as a mute, taxidermied version of a once vital family member who gets only minimal attention. And when a couple makes it to this stage, they're looked upon as cute and cuddly - we assume happiness and harmony.

Not so with Phyllis and Harold, a captivating documentary by Cindy Kleine. It's an unflinching portrait of her parents' marriage of nearly 60 years that was anything but a storybook romance - and couldn't be told until after the death of her father.

It opens slyly with a scene of Phyllis and Harold Kleine in the kitchen, going about their day-to-day routine. They bicker. They tease. They're cute. And then, there's a cut to Kleine, who addresses the camera and tells us that for as long as she can remember she's been trying to figure out who these people are and why they were together. The answers unfold as a kind of 20th century suburban tragedy.

Harold emerges as a kind of World War II era everyman - a dentist version of the guys on Mad Men - confident and primed for success in the upper end of the post-war middle class, determined to provide his wife and two daughters with all the material comfort he can afford. He exhaustively documented his family's life, taking photographs and home movies of daily events and the globetrotting vacations he lavished on his wife. His version of their life together is a happy one.

Phyllis has a different take altogether. From her first words, Phyllis paints a picture of regret, of having settled. It's a naked confession that blows the movie wide open and turns it into something completely other than what I expected. The source of regret is an affair with a married man that began before she married Harold, but carried on into their first years as husband and wife.

Kleine interviews her parents separately, and what is striking is how alike they view the facts of their marriage, but how differently the meaning. Their interviews are intercut to a chilling effect - underscoring how people so close for so long can yet be miles apart.

Phyllis ended the affair after five years, unwilling to walk out and unable to live with the stress of a double-life. "I didn't see how you could build a building on such a hurtful relationship - all the hurt we would inflict," she said. The man "disappeared to California. But I never stopped thinking about him."

Harold, oblivious to the affair, focused on his career and a string of real estate investments, while Phyllis decorated the house and focused on their social life. Their housekeeper took care of the girls and was a source of comfort in the midst of their parents' constant battles. The Kleines come across as a family in a David Sedaris story. Phyllis systematically turned her daughters against her father through the use of secrets - withholding information from Harold that would anger or hurt him - so that, despite her emotional distance, the three were unified by a common enemy.

I would have liked to have heard more about Harold - gotten his side of the story - but I understand why Kleine gave a pat explanation for him and pushed him to the background. Secrets. That, and her mother's interviews are mesmerizing. There's a confessional quality to them that borders on the voyeuristic to watch - her emotions ranging from shame and regret to pure joy as she reflects on her true love. It's a rare glimpse into an aspect of marriage that's almost never explored this honestly.

Harold never learned of his wife's secret. He died during the making of the documentary, alleviating his youngest daughter of the burden of what to do with such hurtful material. And with him out of the way, the daughters help orchestrate a reunion with the man who siphoned off so much of their mother's attention over the years. It made me want to know more about Harold - what he did to make it so easy for his daughters to discount the betrayal and facilitate their mother's wishes.

It's easy to judge, but I'm betting we all walk around with secrets, shame, and guilt that we never confess. Cindy Kleine has given us a document of one woman's unrepentant confession, and though it may be painful to watch, it's impossible to turn away.

youtube.com/watch?v=TvmFG8JEWqU&feature=related. Providing articles, reviews and writings on movies online.

What Are the Best Film Websites to Stream and Rent From?

There are 3 main websites at the moment offering a rental/streaming service for movies and TV shows online, they are LoveFilm, Blink Box and Netflix. All three websites have their own take on the market which makes them able to attract vast amounts of new subscribers.

First of all I will examine LoveFilm.
In January of 2012, LoveFilm made an announcement that it had reached a huge two million subscribers! It says on their website that they have over 70,000 titles, and over 4 million DVD, Bluray or Games rentals per month across five countries. Through a series of large business deals the company has, in just a few short years, become arguably the leader in the online DVD rental and streaming market in both the UK and across Europe.

There are various sign up options with Lovefilm, involving a postal only rental option, online only option, and combinations of them both. This gives Lovefilm a good edge in the market as it has various different subscription options to suit buyers needs and make it the best film website for certain movie watchers.

Next up on my examination table is Blink Box
Blinkbox has near to 3 million users a month, which puts it above most of its competition. Blinkbox is a video-on-demand (VoD) website that is based in the UK and allows users to watch over 10,000 full length premium movies and TV shows online through purchase or rental options. The advantage for BlinkBox is that there is no subscription and it is essentially a "pay as you go" system, allowing users to pay to watch whenever they feel like it.

It also has quite a foothold in the smart tv market, expanding from sole PC/Laptop usage to the living room movie experience. For those who enjoy that experience they would probably consider BlinkBox the best movie website.

Finally I Will Talk about Netflix
Netflix is originally an An American company that due to its success, expanded worldwide. In 2009 Netflix was offering a collection of 100,000 titles on DVD and had over 10 million subscribers throughout the globe. Netflix has delivered over a billion DVDs to customers in it's operation. In 2011, Netflix announced 23.6 million subscribers in the United States and over 26 million worldwide. This accounts to a huge revenue (around $1.5 billion).

The shear amount of titles available through Netflix gives it a major advantage for the movie lover, making it by far the best film website for amount of titles available,

Which provider you choose is up to you, for more help on the subject check my link at the bottom for a site that compares the three, maybe this will help you decide once and for all which is the best film website! Providing articles, reviews and writings on movies online.

Celebrities And Their Electronic Accessory

Celebrities have fame and fortune, which affords them luxuries that the everyday person cannot afford. Top celebrities have the cash to enjoy the finer things in life and if they find something they want, they simply buy it! One area of shopping that celebrities tend to lean toward is electronics. Most people want to have the latest technological gadgets from sound system equipment to phones and other mobile devices. Celebrities have the funds to be able to purchase these items as soon as they come out.

Sound System Equipment

Celebrities, like everyday people, enjoy listening to their favorite artists. A purchase choice that many celebrities take advantage of is sound system options. From tricking out their car to their home theater system, celebrities have the option of purchasing whatever they like for their entertainment needs. Many celebrities have full theaters in their home and have systems that allow for screening of their latest movies or to listen to their favorite artists, including themselves!

Mobile Phones

Celebrities also stay up to date on mobile phone options. From the latest Apple or Google release, celebrities have the cash to purchase the latest mobile phones even if their contract is not up! Most of us have to wait until we can get the latest phone for free or at a very low price. However, celebrities have the cash to purchase the latest items now! We all get jealous when we see our favorite celebrities walking around with the latest mobile device, when it has barely hit the shelves!

Mobile Devices

Mobile devices are another hot electronic accessory that celebrities have easy access to. Many celebrities earn such devices during red carpet events for free, despite the fact that they can easily afford the options. From iPads, to iPods and other options, celebrities have all the mobile technology at their fingertips! Celebrities simply use the extra cash they have to purchase the latest mobile devices as they are released.

Gaming

Actor and Actress also love gaming. From Xbox 360 to Playstation 3, celebrities love playing video games with their celebrity friends and family. Celebrities can easily afford the latest gaming systems, which us regular people have to wait until holidays or save up enough cash to be able to afford the expensive systems. Celebrities are given access to the latest gaming technologies and they have the cash to be able to purchase any gaming items they wish.

Television Remote Systems

Another technology accessory that celebrities have is television remote systems. We have all see celebrities showing off their homes and they will show their huge television which has a large touch screen remote that they can use to change channels, listen to music or even control security cameras. Celebrities have access to the technology that regular people can only dream of! celebrities can pay for expensive technology to control their televisions from all locations in the home as well as other unique features.

Computers

Celebrities have to stay in the loop when it comes to the latest computer technology. Celebrities have the latest laptops, Mac systems and other computer options that are not as easy for regular people to access. Celebrities want to stay connected just like us and they need computers to connect on Twitter, Facebook and other social networking sites. Celebrities also use this technology to be able to promote themselves so it is essential to be able to have the latest technologies.

Overall, celebrities have the income to purchase any electronic accessory they wish! Just simply head the store and pick it out. It would definitely be nice to be able to live like a celebrity! Providing useful articles, reviews and writings on movies and films online.

"On The Road" - An Accurate Portrayal of Jack Kerouac's Cult Classic Novel

The idea of transforming Jack Kerouac's cult classic novel, "On the Road," into a movie is as old as the novel itself. Despite attempts by Jack Kerouac decades ago, the idea has not gained traction until recently. Even Francis Ford Coppola, having acquired the rights in 1979, was unable to bring the project to fruition. The movie "On the Road" was finally made as the result of the combined efforts of Walter Salles of "The Motorcycle Diaries" fame and five film production companies from four different countries.

The movie narrates Jack Kerouac's cross-country journey through America in the late 1940s through the voice of the lead character, his alter-ego Sal Paradise (Sam Riley). A writer struggling to discover his niche, Sal Paradise meets his biggest inspiration, Dean Moriarty (Garrettt Hedlund), through his writer friend Carlo Max (Tom Sturridge). Dean's character is based on Jack Kerouac's real-life interactions with Nick Cassady. Dean can only be described as the perfect hobo. In a country obsessed with conformism, he is the free-spirited rebel who inspires Sal to find out what he truly desires to do in life.

Dean's first appearance in the movie involves answering the door butt naked. The audience is introduced to his sixteen-year-old wife Marylou (Kristen Stewart) in the same scene. She too is, unsurprisingly, naked. This comes as a bit of shock for those who are used to seeing Kristen as the virginal girl in the "Twilight" series. Marylou's fiery and free-spirited character comes as an even bigger surprise for those who imagined Kristen would never escape Bella's repressed and reticent characterization in the "Twilight" series.

What follows is a picturesque and handsomely shot journey all over America with lots of smoking, drinking, partying, sex, drugs, introspection, and discussions. A large number of family members, friends, and new acquaintances come and go, and each new character helps Sal understand himself, his friends, and his life better.

The director deserves credit for skilfully bringing in characters like Jane (Amy Adams), Ed Dunkel (Danny Morgan), Terry (Alice Braga), Galatea Dunkel (Elisabeth Moss), Camille (Kirsten Dunst), and Old Bull Lee (Viggo Mortensen) without leaving the audience confused. The characters' exit may seem abrupt but it only serves to heighten the focus on the trio of Sal, Dean, and Marylou.

Director Walter Salles prepared the cast for the movie by conducting a three-week boot camp in Montreal on the Beat Generation. The cast enjoyed access to literature related to the Beat Generation, Kerouac's biographer Gerald Nicosia, and interviews with persons who served as inspiration for the characters in the novel.

The director also provided Kristen with access to a 1978 audio interview with Lu Anne Henderson, Nick Cassady's wife and inspiration for Marylou's character in the book. This seems to have helped her get under the character's skin effectively. She also enjoyed long discussions with Henderson's daughter, helping her understand Lu Anne's personality. Kristen's multiple scenes involving physical intimacy with Sal and Dean, including a now-famous scene in a moving car, although slightly surprising, do not seem gratuitous. Overall, Kristen does an admirable job of portraying feisty Marylou as a person who is a few decades ahead of her time.

The movie does not meander too far from the book, and this creates a feeling that the director is unnecessarily emphasizing a single message instead of moving on. However, those who have read the book will agree that the entire novel is, more or less, about the angst of youngsters of the Beat Generation trying to find their life destinies.

By the end of the movie, one cannot but help notice how the three characters have been etched neatly. Sal is the confused one; Dean is the one who thinks he knows what he wants; while Marylou is the one who understands how the search for one's destiny is an endless exercise.

As the movie progresses, Sal becomes more and more assured of himself and finds himself slowly moving independently of his hero, Dean, who continues to live his life king-sized without any desire to change. Sal discovers his wild side and ends up outgrowing that phase to lead a normal life, something Marylou predicted.

Kristen joined the cast of "On the Road" without any screen testing. Apparently, Walter Salles was impressed by her performance in "Into The Wild" and chose her without any misgivings. The movie's cast, Kristen included, produced strong performances that justify the director's faith and laborious preparations, including a road trip that retraced Jack Kerouac's original journey. Providing useful articles, reviews and writings on movies and films online.

Daniel Craig's Start in Showbiz

With the release of "Skyfall," Daniel Craig has cemented his reputation as an exciting and talented addition to the James Bond franchise. His selection was a surprise to fans, many of whom had a tough time getting used to the first blonde actor to take on the role of the suave secret agent. However, Craig's portrayal of 007 has won audiences over. The success has also garnered up a good deal of interest in his start in the entertainment world.

Daniel Craig began acting at the age of six. His mother was responsible for fostering his interest in the stage with frequent trips to the Liverpool Everyman Theatre. Throughout his younger years, he appeared in several school plays. When he was 16, Craig auditioned for the National Youth Theatre of Great Britain. He was accepted in 1984 and subsequently moved to London to focus seriously on his acting career.

As part of the National Youth Theatre, Craig was able to tour Europe and Russia, fine-tuning his acting skills in the process. After four years, he succeeded in gaining entrance to the Guildhall School of Music & Drama where further training would introduce him to a new wave of top British actors, including Alistair McGowen, Ewan McGregor, Joseph Fiennes, and Damian Lewis.

The advanced instruction and career contacts paid off. Craig graduated in 1991, and he appeared in his first motion picture a year later. "The Power of One," starring Stephen Dorff and Morgan Freeman, turned out to be a lackluster adaptation of the popular book by Bryce Courtenay. Thankfully, it didn't slow down the young actor's career.

Throughout the 1990s, Craig stuck mainly to television roles in series like "Our Friends in the North" and "Tales from the Crypt." It wasn't until playing Alex West opposite Angelina Jolie in "Laura Croft: Tomb Raider" that his movie career really took off. Playing the underhanded treasure hunter-and rival to Britain's female counterpart to Indiana Jones-led to a role in the Tom Hanks hit "Road to Perdition" in 2002.

Craig's first award-nominating roles would come in 2004. The first was as sly cocaine dealer XXXX in "Layer Cake." This frantic, complicated story takes audiences deep into the British Mafia, where favors are owed and respect is earned and burned in a moment. The second was as Joe, a would-be rescuer and witness to a fatal accident in the drama "Enduring Love." Craig received European Film Award nominations for Best Actor for his work in both movies.

In 2005, Craig starred in Steven Spielberg's "Munich," the story of the five men hired to kill the assassins responsible for killing 11 Israeli athletes at the 1972 Olympics. Craig starred alongside Eric Banna and Geoffrey Rush in the drama that went on to be nominated for five Oscars and two Golden Globes, and it also won the AFI Film Award for Movie of the Year.

The next year would see Craig's debut as British spy, James Bond, in the twenty-first official movie in the series. "Casino Royale" wasn't just the first time a blonde James Bond hit the screen. It was a reboot of the Bond experience, resetting the clock on the spy's years in service and establishing a new canon for the franchise.

Despite critics and fans struggling to accept these new changes, "Casino Royale" opened to great success. The film has earned just short of $600 million in sales worldwide, and at the time was the highest-earning movie in the series. The studios were shocked when the movie's popularity was surpassed by "Quantum of Solace" in 2008.

Originally resistant to be tied into a long-term contract, Craig was dismayed when studios put the brakes on James Bond installments while the economy teetered. Unlike other leads for the franchise, Craig did not put his acting on pause during his contract. From 2008 to the release of "Skyfall" in 2012, the actor starred in four major films, including the English version of the popular Swedish trilogy "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo," as well as the science fiction favorite "Cowboys & Aliens."

Looking back on his long and varied career, many wonder how Daniel Craig joined the ranks of Hollywood's top actors. With his reserved demeanor and knack for staying out of celebrity gossip, Craig certainly seems to have the level of professionalism it takes to make it big. His talent in action, adventure, drama and even fantasy roles show he has the talent to continue making great films for years to come. It's humbling to realize he got his start on a typical stage in primary school among a crowd of six year olds. Providing useful articles, reviews and writings on movies and films online.

Jim Parsons: Stage, Screen and Television

Jim Parsons' role of Sheldon Cooper in The Big Bang Theory may be the only place you've ever seen him. But Parsons is a stage-trained actor who's been in plays since the age of six. Parsons has received two Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe, a Critics' Choice TV Award and a Television Critics Association award for playing Sheldon Cooper.

Growing up in Houston, Texas, he appeared in Noises Off in his junior year of high school. At the University of Houston he appeared in 17 plays in three years. After graduation he moved to New York, working on off-Broadway and in TV appearances.

While The Big Bang Theory was on hiatus in 2011, Parsons was on Broadway in The Normal Heart. From May until August of 2012, he's starring in Harvey. He's remarked that he has never seen Harvey on stage, nor has he seen the James Stewart movie. It's his 30th stage appearance.

He's also appeared in 11 films. Two were cameos. The Big Bang Theory is Parsons' 10th TV series. You can't really call them all his series, since he appeared in only one episode of six shows. He has said he auditioned for between 15 and 30 pilots. Sometimes when he was cast, the shows weren't picked up by networks. But that's how you work your way up.

The role of Sheldon Cooper changed everything. The character is a scientist and a genius, having completed college in his teens. He's surrounded by three nerdy friends whom he constantly criticizes. He is obsessive about routine, especially certain dinners on certain days of the week, and he's very upset with any change. The waitress who lives across the hall confuses him, since he's the only one in the group not attracted to her, and he never understands sarcasm from her or anyone else. Despite his narcissistic personality, he is devoid of social skills, and he intensely dislikes being touched. (He's virginal at 31.) He spouts arcane scientific details -- and his own opinions -- in rapid-fire speech. This is undoubtedly a big reason for his Emmys. The scripts must be incredibly challenging.

Fans are fascinated by the difference between Jim and Sheldon. Jim smiles a lot more than Sheldon does. Actually, Sheldon practically never does. He has an almost nonexistent sense of humor. Parsons was hilarious on a recent interview with Jon Stewart on the Daily Show. (Harvey will close in August..."get your tickets now!") His Emmy acceptance speeches were humble and grateful. And he smiled!

He loved school, and he loves his career now. He's worked hard for his success. Providing articles, reviews and writings on movies online.

Pre-Movie Entertainment

An outdoor movie night is the perfect way to entertain families. If you have carefully chosen the movie for the event based on who will be attending, your event will almost surely be a success. What about before the movie begins, though? Guests will arrive at different times, and many will come early in order to secure a good spot. This is where pre-movie entertainment comes in.

Plan to begin pre-movie entertainment about an hour before the movie is scheduled to begin. Activities before the movie starts will keep the crowd engaged, especially young children, who are likely to grow restless while waiting. Adding entertainment to the event also enhances the experience; instead of simply coming out and seeing a movie, movie night turns into a full evening of family fun. Families heading to events like this are looking for an affordable way to have fun as a family, and keep everyone entertained; offering entertainment in addition to the movie is a great way to meet these expectations for families.

What type of entertainment should you plan for your outdoor movie night? This depends, in part, on the movie you are showing, and the demographics of the expected crowd. Bounce houses, face painting and carnival games are excellent choices for family friendly events, where children will be present. Be sure to plan ahead to ensure the success of these activities. During the summer months, especially, you will need to reserve a bounce house ahead of time to ensure availability. If you are planning to rent any special concession equipment such s a popcorn machine, be sure to reserve those items ahead of time as well.

Concessions are appropriate for any event, and many guests will want to purchase snacks before the movie begins. Popcorn is a classic movie snack, others to consider include candy, and popsicles for summer movie nights.

Consider planning themed entertainment for an especially memorable experience. If you are showing an Ice Age movie, for example, consider bringing in a snow machine.

Pre-movie entertainment is also a great way to raise some money to help cover the production costs for the movie night. You can charge reasonable prices for snacks and small fees for carnival games to keep it affordable while raising money.

Hosting a successful outdoor movie event takes careful thought and some time spent planning ahead. From choosing a movie, promoting the event, securing the equipment and preparing the venue, there is a lot of work that goes on behind the scenes to make these seemingly simple events successful. Putting in a little bit of extra effort to plan some pre-movie entertainment is worth the additional time and planning. Entertainment will set your movie night apart from other outdoor movie events and give attending families a special night to remember. Providing articles, reviews and writings on movies online.

Is It Any Wonder That Movie Piracy Sites Are Thriving?

It was a rainy day today, so my wife and I decided that we should go and see a movie. We called up Grandma and asked if she would be willing to look after the kids for a few hours, and she was happy to spend some extra time with the little ones. So, after finally agreeing to go and see the new Men In Black 3 movie, we got into the car and headed to our local Cineplex theatre. When we arrived, we walked up to the ticket machine, requested 2 general admission tickets and then proceeded to pay. For the two tickets at this particular Cineplex, the grand total was $21.00, which seemed pretty reasonable. Next, we proceeded over to the concession stands to consider our options for a snack. We didn't want to get too elaborate, so we settled on a large popcorn, 2 regular sized drinks and a small bag of candy.

Fortunately, my wife has a 'SCENE' card (a promotional card that rewards purchases with points and lowers the cost of some goods when presented at time of purchase). However, even with the card, the snacks cost us another $21.00!! Now, we're not talking about pizza and fries, or hot dogs and energy drinks here....we're talking about one of the cheapest snacks known to mankind....due to the sheer abundance of raw materials available on this continent, popcorn costs mere pennies to produce, but apparently commands a GIANT price tag to consume when purchased at a movie theatre! As well, those large cups of soda are quite expensive as well (after they fill your cup with Ice, there might be the equivalent of one standard can of soda in that cup). The way I figure it, we probably got the equivalent of 1/4 a cup of popped corn kernels, 2 cans of pop and a bag of candy that could be purchased at a local grocery store for about $2. Based on some quick research that I have done, a pound of popcorn kernels is equal to about 4 cups of kernels, and a 1/4 cup of kernels will yield approximately 8 cups of popped popcorn.

So 4 cups of kernels will yield about 128 cups of popped popcorn! Oh and wait!, it's important to note that a pound of popcorn kernels costs about $2.00, so as you can see, you can produce approximately 128 cups of popcorn for about $2.00! Keeping these figures in mind, it cost the movie theatre approximately 13 cents for our large bag of popcorn, another couple of bucks for our soft drinks (calculated at a retail cost of $1 per can of soda), and about $2 or $3 for the bag of candy...for a grand total of about $5! In turn, they charged us $21.00 for those snacks!! That represents a mark-up of over 400%! As a result of this, it cost my wife and I just over $40.00 to see a movie today...and that was at a Cineplex where the price of the general admission tickets are much lower than those found at the same theatres in larger cities, where it's not uncommon to find admission prices ranging from $12 to $18 per person!

With pricing like this, it is little wonder why piracy has become such a large issue in today's society. After all, imagine if instead of Men In Black 3, my wife and I had decided to take our kids to the movies with us and take in a children's movie. Even with the cheaper kids ticket and concession costs factored in, the costs associated with such an endeavor would balloon to somewhere between $70 - $90! In the current economy, families are looking for affordable entertainment, and I do not believe that our local movie theatres are doing a very good job of providing that. Instead, families are more likely to download a newly released movie, pop up some popcorn on the stove and crack open some beverages found in the fridge... then curl up on the sofas and lazy boy chairs and have a family movie night. The costs associated with the stay at home movie night are likely under $10 bucks, and you don't have to worry about the obnoxious teenagers 3 rows behind tossing popcorn at you, while texting and speaking on their cellphones!

In the past 5 years alone I have witnessed the costs at the concession stands rise nearly 40%! I understand that some food industries have had to suffer through shortages due to issues related to weather and environment, but corn has remained very affordable throughout those 5 years. The costs associated with soda and candy has gone up slightly, but certainly not enough to justify a 40% hike at the movie concessions. So, is this just a matter of corporate and shareholder greed? Is the never ending appetite for ever increasing profits starting to get to a point that average families now face exorbitant costs just to take their loved ones to a show? Is it any surprise that movie theatres have to plaster large signs at the doors declaring "No Outside Food or Drink Beyond This Point"?

Obviously they are trying to protect their very large profit margins and thus their investors returns.....not to mention the fat salaries and bonuses awarded to their top executives! In 2010, the CEO of Cineplex received over $4.5 Million in total compensation - most of which was received in additional incentives beyond his base salary based on performance and profit targets! His base salary was just $803 Thousand dollars.....but he earned over 5 times this amount once all of the additional bonuses and incentives were paid....and you can bet your bottom dollar that those rising ticket prices and exorbitant concession prices factored largely into his compensation package....but hey, who can live on a paltry base salary of $803,000/year anyways right?

Here is an idea for Cineplex that would result in continued growth of profits and thus, investor delight. Why don't you drop your prices 40%, encouraging more families and individuals to visit your theatres and grow your business through expanded ticket and concession sales! As a result, you could positively affect the employment figures and employ more people to serve the influx of customers who can now afford to come to the movies, and more people could enjoy the magic of watching movies on the big screen, rather than downloading those movies to hard drives at home that are hooked up to their large screen televisions. I think you will find that people are more willing to pay a fair price for the entertainment you are providing, than stay at home and watch their free downloads because they cannot afford to pay your unfair and outlandishly exorbitant fees.

Furthermore, the movie industry going after the websites that provide free downloads of your movies will never yield any great blows to the infinite community of piracy sites that exist out there in the wild of the world wide web....but charging people affordable prices to visit your theatres will slowly start to win back customers who are tired of being overcharged to watch movies that rarely live up to their trailers! While the cost of your tickets and concessions have been steadily going up, the cost of large screen televisions and the technology used for downloading content has been steadily going down. If that trend continues, theatre companies like Cineplex will continue to see their viewership decline (Between the years 2000 - 2010, cinema attendance has dropped by over 22%, while during the same period, ticket prices have increased over 15%!), and large electronic retailers like Best Buy, Future Shop and Amazon will continue to benefit from the increased demand for new big screen TV's!

The bigger concern for companies like Cineplex should be...how long can they continue raising prices to offset the decline in ticket sales before they begin seeing massive drops in cinema attendance! Only time will tell, but if I were the CEO of Cineplex, I would be very concerned with the long term prospects of my job. Of course, the question remains whether the current CEO has enough foresight and courage to challenge the traditional business model that has over the past 10 years continued to show steady declines in attendance! Personally, I hope the industry turns itself around, and many more generations of people can continue to experience the magic of the big screen at an affordable price. Providing articles, reviews and writings on movies online.

Movie Review: Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (2012)

From the concept of a former president's double life as a monster slayer to the outrageously unhinged action sequences, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter will test your suspension of disbelief. Films of this nature are often hard to digest in the first place, but a more careful attention to creating a coherent narrative and a greater focus on explanation over theatrics would have better prepared the mind for the outlandish situations presented. Few rules are set for the abilities of our hero, even fewer for the foes, motives are blurry at best, and gravity (of any kind) rarely makes an appearance. There's a reason you've never seen two people fighting atop a stampede of wild horses - it's just not believable no matter how substantial the special effects.

When ruthless businessman Jack Barts (Marton Csokas) murders his mother (with a conspicuous bite that causes a sickness for which there is no febrifuge), Abraham Lincoln (Benjamin Walker) becomes obsessed with revenge. But on the night he finally musters the courage to kill Barts, he discovers his nemesis is actually an immortal vampire. With the aid of the mysterious vampire hunter Henry Sturgess (Dominic Cooper), Lincoln learns how to destroy the undead and becomes a skilled killer. Hiding his demonic exploits from his love, Mary Todd (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), Lincoln begins a career in law and politics. His successes in both his public and private endeavors brings the unwelcome attention of the deadly vampire leader Adam (Rufus Sewell), causing a war to ignite that will determine the very fate of mankind.

The extent of the ridiculousness in Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter cannot easily be compared or understood. It's not dissimilar to director Bekmambetov's other wildly eccentric projects, although it is drastically less polished. He makes interesting choices with adaptations, but is starting to reveal himself to be limited to the creativeness of the source material and the level of over-stylized special effects he can fuse into the blueprint. As his selections become further and further disconnected from believability, the errors and ludicrousness are much more apparent. It's bad enough that history is being grossly (not cleverly) distorted; with the exaggerated fight sequences, physics-defying stunts (an occasional few of which aren't entirely disappointing), unconvincing CG medley, and superhuman abilities of a character defined as ordinary, this hopelessly silly premise repeatedly approaches insulting.

"Vampires are real, Mr. Lincoln," matter-of-factly states Henry. This line occurs early on, with an abruptness and a bluntness that establishes the general degree of hasty introductions for every character and setting. There's never time to absorb the elements of the supernatural, the twist on the historical legend, or the shocking physical strength and ninja-like agility of Lincoln (which never subsides, especially noticeable when he turns 50). Even the unique aspects of the bloodsuckers, including invisibility, acclimation to sunlight, and the invulnerability of vampires to other vampires, present themselves out of thin air and without explanation. Abraham is taken as a pupil instantly, a training montage materializes swiftly, and genuine danger seems remote. If it isn't peculiar enough hearing factual names, famous battle locations, and civil rights milestones mentioned in context with slaying monsters, or the use of recognizable comedy character actors (Alan Tudyk, Jimmi Simpson), or hilariously violent and intentionally gratuitous death scenes, the 20+ year gap in vengeance (the villains just ignore the hero for decades) and acrobatic duel atop charging stallions might do the trick.

- The Massie Twins (GoneWithTheTwins.com) Providing articles, reviews and writings on movies online.