Dan In Real Life

August Rush
$19.98
Have seen this movie many times. It is a bit of a fairy tale imo, however, it is magical and truly inspiring as well. This movie has touched most everyone (that I've known) whom have watched it. Anyway, have upgraded to the Blu-ray version of this film. I've noticed a significant improvement in the picture quality. However, there seem to be audio issues with the Blu-ray version. Specifically, the volume has to be increased (significantly/almost extremely)higher in several areas throughout playback. Have done my checking: none of the cables are loose on either the BR player or HDtv, there are no surround sound components attached at this time, and this has not occurred with any other Blu-rays. Perhaps this copy only has issues?? Please let me know if you experience the same problem by replying to this review... Thanks.

Dan in Real Life
$19.99
I blame it solely on that horribly cheesy poster art portraying Steve Carell's head laying on a stack of flapjacks, but I wrote off `Dan in Real Life' well before actually seeing it despite the good reviews and word of mouth from friends. It was supposed to be really good, but in my head all I saw was cheesy ridiculousness pretending to be sincere. I'm really glad that I finally gave in and watched this film this past weekend.

What a treasure.

I know this may seem like an odd comparison, and I will say off the bat that the film I'm about to compare it to does have some heavier themes, but this reminded me a lot of last years independent surprise `Rachel Getting Married'. In fact, I actually think that overall, `Dan in Real Life' is the better of the two films, or at least the most complete and comfortable of the two (when have I ever shunned away from discomfort in a cinematic offering?). I had a few issues with `Rachel's construction, but here I was completely soaking up every frame. It was funny, touching, charming, emotionally resonate and beautifully structured.

In quoting the film itself, and my review's title; "Plan to be surprised".

Steve plays Dan, an advice columnist who has lost his wife to an illness and is rearing his three young daughters with difficulty. His eldest daughter just wants to be given some freedoms, his middle daughter just wants to be allowed to express her newfound love and his youngest daughter just wants a little attention. Dan, depressed yet never to the dramatically overstated and clich���d effect that many actors would have played it, is just not capable of giving them what they need. When they make a trip to visit family, Dan meets the beautiful Marie and sparks fly, but she is involved and so they part only to uncover that they will be spending a lot of time together as Marie is dating Dan's younger brother Mitch. Trying to hide their growing affection for one another, Dan and Marie try and play cool, but it soon becomes more than either of them can handle.

The film is so much more than a glorified rom-com, as it seemed to have been marketed as. I really wish that this would have gotten the push it deserved, and that it had been campaigned as what it really is; a heartfelt and honest portrait of middle-aged growth and development. There is a sincerity about the way Dan comes to terms with his own person, trying to understand who he is as a man, as a father, as a widower. Carell is outstanding here (something I never imagined that I would say). Juliette Binoche is marvelous, as usual, giving her delicate performance a layer of spunk and wit that makes her delicious in every sense of the word. I even enjoyed Dane Cook's performance, and I find him repulsive. He was genuine and charming and natural.

I just love the piano-side sing-along (piggyface), for it was scenes like that that gave the film this lovely sense of naturalness.

Between the stellar cast and the wonderfully constructed scripting (nothing is ever too clich���d and even the romance is developed with smarts as apposed to the usual laziness) that contains some comical yet appropriate dialog ("MURDERER OF LOVE!"), `Dan in Real Life' is the real deal. I am just in such a state of pleasant and very welcomed shock right now.

Now, let's talk about fixing that ridiculous cover-art.

Juno (Single-Disc Edition)
$19.98
I love Juno for reasons not only great in number, but reasons that are hard to express.
Firstly, Ellen Page is a likable teen girl who just happens to be pregnant. I can't imagine anyone other than Ellen playing Juno. Juno is a sarcastic, at times dead pan, normal girl who have her freaky quirks. Her sarcasm only hides the depth of emotion that she has, and Juno rarely lets anyone in her inner sanctum. She knows love, pain, both emotionally and physically, has high hopes for her baby, which is why she gives the baby up, and shows the true maturity it takes to raise a child. She knows that there are better things for her baby that she can't give and that there are things she wants for herself that would not be possible if she had a child. She is a child herself, just with a hardened, skewed vision of life.
Secondly, Bleeker is a cute and has an innocence to him that you don't always see in teens in movies. He loves Juno and wants to be there for her but it unsure of how to be and just does what he can to get by in the film but that generally means not sticking up for himself.
Next, I like that the movie looks differently at teen pregnancy. I am not saying that being a pregnant is easy, should be glorified or is a wonderful thing, but it is still a pregnancy, which is considered a blessing and a beautiful thing. Juno shows that it isn't just a have an abortion or "screw up" your life type of situation. People can find blessed miracles in garbage dumps of situations.
I recommend this movie for EVERYONE.

P.S. I Love You
$19.98
Funny movie with sad and moving parts. How to move on after a loss without getting totally lost - loved it