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Romance & Cigarettes, a review by goodguy

Romance & Cigarettes (2005) Written & Directed by: John Turturro Starring: James Gandolfini, Susan Sarandon, Kate Winslet Also Starring: Steve Buscemi, Bobby Cannavale, Mandy Moore, Marie-Louise Parker, Aida Turturro, Christopher Walken DVD: R1-US Sony (2008)

Cover Blurb: From writer/director John Turturro and the Coen Brothers comes an offbeat, down and dirty musical. With blistering dialogue, whimsical set-pieces, and an all-star award-winning cast, Romance & Cigarettes is like nothing you've seen before! When Kitty (Susan Sarandon) discovers Nick (James Gandolfini) is having an affair with the sultry seductress Tula (Kate Winslet), their rocky relationship gets a whole lot rockier. Nick finds himself facing a full-scale revolt from his daughters (Mary-Louise Parker, Mandy Moore and Aida Turturro) at home, and Kitty enlists her oddball cousin Bo (Christopher Walken) to track down Tula. As bawdy as it is comical, this battered fairy tale deals with love and hate, life and death, and romance and cigarettes, all set to the eclectic classics of Bruce Springsteen, James Brown, Dusty Springfield and many more.

The blurb is surprisingly precise in describing what you get here. Only "set to the classics" doesn't really convey that it is a sing-along musical. That's right. The actors usually sing along to (or on top of) the original recordings. And believe me, it is glorious.

The setting is very down-to-earth with ordinary blue collar people. It is more in the European tradition of Potter and Demy, miles away from those typical flashy US musicals. Nontheless, it is strikingly beautiful and inventive. The entire cast is marvelous, which isn't really a surprise considering the names listed. There is a lot of comedy and vulgarity, but not in the dumb and cringeworthy way that denunciates the characters. It is hilarious and anarchic, but with true respect for the portrayed characters, as foolishly and absurd they might behave.

Although the movie premiered in 2005 (Venice & Toronto) and was widely shown in Europe during 2006, it took until the end of 2007 for a limited US release. That was due to rights-related studio troubles, which are probably also the reason it didn't get a chance at the Oscars. Because I can tell you, despite the very strong Best Picture nominees and winner this year, R&C beats them all by a pretty large margin.

I recommend the new US DVD. Unlike the barebone UK release of 2006, it includes an AC by Turturro, a Making-Of and some Deleted Scenes.


(From May 2008 Man/Men Marathon - Discussion Thread on May 5th, 2008)

Zootopia, a review by addicted2dvd

Zootopia (2016/United States) IMDb |Wikipedia |Trailer | Buena Vista Home Entertainment (United States) Director: Byron Howard, Rich Moore Writing: Byron Howard (Story By), Rich Moore (Story By), Jared Bush (Story By), Jim Reardon (Story By), Josie Trinidad (Story By), Phil Johnston (Story By), Jennifer Lee (Story By), Jared Bush (Screenwriter), Phil Johnston (Screenwriter) Length: 108 min. Video: Widescreen 2.39:1 Audio: English: DTS-HD Master Audio: 7.1, Audio Descriptive: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo, French: Dolby Digital: 5.1, Spanish: Dolby Digital: 5.1 Subtitles: English, French, Spanish

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Stars:
Ginnifer Goodwin as Judy Hopps
Jason Bateman as Nick Wilde
Idris Elba as Chief Bogo
Jenny Slate as Bellwether
Nate Torrence as Clawhauser

Plot:Extras:

• Scene Access
• Bonus Trailers
• Deleted Scenes
• Featurettes
• Music Videos
• Digital Copy

This is one I picked up on a whim when I saw it on a good sale at work. I found it to be a cute and fun film. The story easily kept my attention. While it is slightly longer then most animated films I have seen it... it seemed to be over before I knew it. A good film the entire family can enjoy. Worth the time put in to watch it.



(From What Movies I Been Watching on September 19th, 2016)

, a review by

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