Mad Men Commentary: Episode 511, The Other Woman

Joan and Peggy. These two have been the subject of much contrasting over five seasons of Mad Men, and this week's episode, titled The Other Woman, casts their differences in the sharpest relief yet.

That title - The Other Woman - refers to a mistress, which is how Don and his creative team think of Jaguar. As he explains it to Megan, "The Jaguar is beautiful, but unreliable. It comes with a toolkit the size of a typewriter. You basically have to have another car to go places. What we're saying is it's your gorgeous mistress." Megan is not impressed. "So, a wife is like a Buick in the garage?" "We're trying to make a weakness into a strength. We're selling to men," Don explains. "No, I get it. Doesn't being a mistress make the car immoral?" Megan asks. "The word 'mistress' won't be in the ad," Don says. To Don, this is simply a metaphor, but for Megan, it's a reminder of Don's past, and it stirs her insecurities.

The episode gives us other mistresses, second-place women who are looking to make it in a man's world and are thus making the weakness of femininity into a strength. We're talking about Joan and Peggy and the wildly diverging paths that each takes to a better position and what they're wiling to trade to get there. And though each is able to leverage herself to a new plateau, in the end, one will feel like a trap, while the other, though terrifyingly unknown, will feel like flying.

And in the middle of all of this is Don Draper, whose great victory will be tinged with bitterness and loss.

The episode opens with Don, Stan, Ginsberg, and some freelancers huddled up in the conference room, struggling to come up with a big idea for the Jaguar campaign. They've decorated one wall of the room with various photos and icons, designed to inspire. But it's not working.

Peggy catches Don in hallway, and asks him to approve some copy for Secor Laxatives, but he's in a rotten mood and brushes her off, telling her she's in charge of everything other than Jaguar and to make a decision. It's a great vote of confidence, but in life it's not so much the message, but how it's delivered that counts.

As this exchange is wrapping, Joan shows up with a fancy lunch - lobster - that is wheeled into the conference room courtesy of Roger Sterling. The men applaud as the covers are removed from the trays. Peggy watches this from the other side of the glass wall that separates her from the big time action.

While Don and the creatives tackle the look and feel of the campaign, Pete and Ken work on the politics of the campaign, securing it against some formidable competition. This includes wining and dining guys like Herb Rennet (Gary Basaraba), the president of the Jaguar dealer's association. Herb plays his cards close to the chest, until the end of the meal, when Pete assures him that SCDP will do whatever it takes to make him happy. Seeing his opportunity, Herb tells them that there is one thing that will certainly help them win his vote - a night with Joan Harris. A night in bed with Joan Harris. In a show filled with slimy guys and shady deals, this is a new depth. Luckily, Ken Cosgrove is at the table, but just as he's about to inform Herb that Joan is married, Pete cuts him off.

Herb excuses himself for a moment, and while he's away, Ken asks Pete why he didn't tell Herb the truth about Joan, rather than lead him on. Pete says that Herb himself is married, knows that Joan is married, and doesn't care about either. Ken is disgusted at this. "Well, we wanted to be in the car business," he says, lighting a cigarette.

Don arrives home from work to learn that Megan has a big audition the next day. She's nervous and needing support, but she shifts the attention to Don, asking him what he planned on doing. "I was just going to watch Carson and cry myself to sleep," he says, giving her a hangdog look. She tells him not to worry, that he'll think of something. He says that maybe she'll think of something, inviting her to help. She goes along, and asks for the strategy. That's when he tells her about the Jaguar being like a beautiful, high-maintenance mistress.

These two have been tiptoeing through a minefield these last few episodes, each always on the verge of saying or doing the wrong thing to set off an argument. This time it's Don who gets under Megan's skin, but rather than fight, she simply retreats to the living room, leaving him with Johnny Carson and his drink.

The next morning, Pete shows up early and corners Joan in her office. "I got bad news last night," he tells her. "And I hoped you'd help me deliver it." Like it was her responsibility.

Joan, being the gossip she is, is all ears, and Pete takes his time building up to the ask. "I don't know what to do," he says. "It turns out he wanted something we're not prepared to give. Something very unorthodox." "What does he want?" Joan asks. "We're going to lose Jaguar unless an arrangement is made between you and him," Pete says. Joan is shocked, but Pete piles insult on top of insult. "If you can think of some way to break this to the company, I'd appreciate it."

This launches Joan on the offensive, and she reminds Pete of her marital status and what an asshole he is. He simply throws up his hands, saying it's Herb bringing this up and not him - the don't-shoot-the-messenger defense.

The scene is like a boxing match, and Pete counters Joan's moral outrage by being the amoral pragmatist. He brings up the idea that we all make mistakes in life - mistakes that don't get us anything. They're free. Well, this is a mistake that could help her tremendously. She could get paid from this mistake.

"You're talking prostitution," Joan says. "I'm talking about business at a very high level," Pete counters, sounding like the devil himself.

Pete goes for his knockout punch - the offer of power. "Do you think Cleopatra was a prositute?" he asks. "She was a queen," he continues. "What would it take to make you a queen?" "I don't think you could afford it," Joan says.

Round 1 - Joan Harris.

Next, we find Peggy and Ken in Harry's office. They're about to get on a conference call with Chevalier Blanc, who wants to pull their Beatles-inspired campaign. Harry asks if Peggy will pose as Ginsberg's assistant (Ginsberg can't be pulled away from Jaguar), but Peggy absolutely refuses, making Harry introduce her as Ginsberg's supervisor, which he does.

When they get on the call, Harry and Ken start off talking, but soon the hot potato is tossed in Peggy's lap, and she improvises a compelling new campaign, set in France with a Lady Godiva theme that the buyer from Chevalier Blanc loves.

Score one for Peggy - she maintains her dignity and saves the account in one call.

Pete gathers the partners together to tell them the news about the dinner with Herb Rennet and his demand. At first blush, all the men are shocked by this news and make a show of being outraged, but after Pete does the math for them, their moral outrage elasticizes, allowing for the proper rationalizations to be made that will allow them to sleep at night.

Bert simply gives way. Roger says he'll go along, but he won't pay for it. Lane makes a weak stand, telling Pete he has some nerve. "that's right," Pete says. "We've gone too far to walk away...over what?" It's a chilling remark, but Lane folds. It comes down to Don, who is no stranger to misogyny. He's against the proposal, but for mixed reasons. He's disgusted by the blatant filth and arrogance of the demand, but he also has his pride mixed up in his reasons. He thinks they can win despite Herb, based on the strength of his and his team's ideas. He wants to win the business fair and square or not at all. But Pete won't back down. Don states his position, and leaves to return to his work.

With Don gone, Pete does the math for the remaining partners, reminding them that they don't need Don's blessing to do this. "So, we're 75% of this company. There's no need to create a conspiracy by having a vote, is there?" Like Pontius Pilate, they wash their hands of Pete while giving him their blessing to pursue Joan for the deal. One by one, they slink out of the office.

Back in the writer's room, Don tells the guys to abandon the mistress concept. "It's vulgar. We're going back to racing heritage," he informs them, feeling not only the weight of what he's just witnessed, but the sting of Megan's judgment from before - that this is immoral.

So, just when Don is looking like Mr. Sensitive, in walks Harry, Ken, and Peggy, to tell him of the good news about Chevalier Blanc. It's interesting that so much of the time, Don's miscommunications with Peggy and even Pete come when they approach him right after some stress-inducing incident. Such is the case here.

They tell Don that Peggy has saved the day with a brilliant idea. Peggy plays the humble card, but there's no need. Don doesn't really hear a word they say, until Peggy gets snippy with him. He bursts her bubble by reminding her that it's Ginsberg's account, which causes her to fire back with "I guess I'm not in charge of everything else after all," which is a call-back to his earlier sarcasm. This causes him to explode on her, in front of Harry and Ken. "You want to go to France?" he asks, yelling and pulling a wad of money from his pocket. "Here! Go to France!" he says, throwing the money in her face. It's an unconscionable move, and it sends her out of the office, followed closely by Ken and then Harry.

But ain't that the way life is? One minute, you're the hero, and then you turn around and you're the world's biggest asshole.

And the same goes for Peggy. Ken follows her to her office, where she assures him that she's not crying. When he tells her he didn't think that she was, she gets nasty with him, asking "What? Suddenly, we're all interested in each other's lives?" Megan was right about them. They're SO jaded.

Ken ignores the insult and tries to soften the blow by telling her that Jaguar is slipping away, and that Don is feeling the pinch. Peggy says she doesn't care. Ken, who's turned into one of the only decent men on the show, tells her he'll get her to France, and if he doesn't then they'll leave together. She fixes him with a condescending look. "You and your stupid pact," she says. "Save the fiction for your stories." Ken says nothing. He just turns and leaves her there. Alone.

Lane may have given up in front of the partners, but he decides to pay Joan a visit, to give her an idea. When he brings up the demand, she is offended by the intrusion, misinterpreting his motives. Of course, his motives are as much self-serving as they are altruistic, but he does show her a way to become a queen. He points out that a payoff will not do much for her or her son's future, but if she were to push for a partnership and 5% of the company, then she'd be looking out for their future for a very long time.

There's a moment of great irony in the scene. When Joan still thinks that Lane is in it only for the company, she points out that she makes around $13,000 a year. "I guess you wouldn't even be tempted," she tells him, not realizing, of course, that he's been tempted and seduced by $8,000.

That night, as Don and his team pull a late-night writing session, they are visited by Megan and her friend Julia, the redhead whom Megan was helping audition for Dark Shadows a couple of episodes ago.

As Megan takes Don back to his office, for a little pre-audition hanky-panky to boost her confidence, Julia entertains the writers by climbing on the conference room table and crawling across it on all fours, growling and clawing at the men like a jaguar. I couldn't help but feel that, with her red hair, and the way she was shot from behind, with her butt hanging out of her panties, she was meant to be a stand-in for Joan, that it was a commentary on her role in this ecosystem - the sex kitten.

At home, Pete reads to his daughter before retreating to his hi-fi system, where he listens to classical music under a pair of headphones. Trudy comes to him, once their daughter is in bed, and he starts griping about how he was in a good mood when he left work, but the long trip home exhausts him. He informs her that once the Jaguar account is landed, he'll have to get an apartment in the city, to which she says absolutely not.

"It's an epic poem to get home, and you're dressed for bed at dinner," he complains. She tells him that his love affair with Manhattan has to end. "How can you stand living out in this cemetery?" he asks her. "There's not any good night noises anywhere." She ends the argument by telling him that she wants to raise her children in the fresh air.

It's funny how at work, he can get people to do the most immoral acts, but at home, he wields none of that influence.

Another fruitless domestic argument takes place at the Draper residence when Megan tells Don that she's gotten a call back for Little Murders, the play she needed the confidence for. At first, Don is happy, but when he learns that Megan will be traveling to Boston for out of town tryouts for a few months, he tells her to forget it. This lights the fuse to a big fight that ends with her telling Don that she's doing it anyway and storming off.

The next morning, Joan meets with Pete to discuss the arrangement. She wears a stunning brown dress with a collar done in a print - tiger...or jaguar - that provides a call-back to Megan's friend Julia.

Joan is all business with Pete. She gives him her terms, exactly as Lane advised, and when he starts to protest, she cuts him off. After a beat, he agrees.

As she gets up to leave, she pauses at the door to ask which one he is. "He's not bad," Pete assures her. "He's doing this," she says, then leaves.

Later, Ginsberg interrupts Don in his office to bounce an idea off him. "I know I'm not a manager," Ginsberg says. "But it's hard to get things done with you in another room." "Well, I obviously have the opposite feeling," Don says. "Permission to speak freely," Ginsberg says. "What?" Don is frustrated by him, but it's a funny scene that builds to a breakthrough.

Ginsberg can't quit thinking about the mistress angle, and he drops a line on Don. "Jaguar, at last, something beautiful you can truly own." Don takes a beat, closes his eyes, and sighs a sigh of relief, signifying that at last, the words have been found on which the campaign will be built. Don's relief is palpable.

At about the same time, Peggy is having lunch with Freddie Rumsen, always a welcome sight. She vents to one who knows about the peculiarities of working for Don Draper. "I can never tell, Ballerina, if you're ambitious or if you like to complain," he tells her. She wonders why she can't do both.

During the course of their conversation, Freddie gives her a ton of sound advice, reminding her finally that if Don were sitting where he sits, and he wasn't the subject of the conversation, he'd tell her the same thing - make your move.

This is hard for Peggy to digest, and as she backs away from the idea, he gets her. "You let him know you're not some secretary from Brooklyn who's dying to help out." It's that line that seals the deal because it's so true, at least from Peggy's perspective. He tags the scene by reminding Peggy that she can't get mad if he goes after he job, once it's vacant.

That night, the night before the pitch, Pete pays a visit to Don as he's wrapping up at the office. Pete compliments Don on the tagline. Pete being Pete, he's got a hidden agenda, and we soon see what it is when he tells Don that all impediments have been removed, that it will all boil down to the pitch. What Pete means is that, "Hey Don, I've Don the hard work, now you just go in there and say your magic words."

This doesn't sit well with Don, and as he leaves, he tells Pete that he doesn't want it this way. Pete couldn't be happier.

Don races to Joan's apartment, where her mother answers the door. After a short wait, Joan appears in an emerald green kimono. The mother disappears. "I wanted to tell you that it's not worth it," Don says. "And if we don't get Jaguar, so what? Who wants to be in business with people like that?" Joan seems surprised. "I was told everyone was on board." Don explains that he said no, but that they voted after he left the room. "You're a good one, aren't you?" she says. "So, you understand what I'm saying?" "Yes I do," Joan says. "I'm all right. And thank you."

As Don leaves, Joan sends him off with a tender touch to the cheek. He goes home to prepare, feeling as though he's saved Joan and preserved his chance to win fair and square.

The next day is the pitch, and this is where the show hit another level, putting on par with some of the best episodes in the entire five season run.

Don shows up at the Jaguar showroom, flanked by Roger, Pete, Ken, and the creative team, and as they stride down the middle of the showroom, a competing agency walks past, going in the opposite direction. It's like an old west showdown.

As Don gets into his pitch, he's in old form. But there's a twist.

"You must get tired of hearing what a beautiful thing this car is, but I've met a lot of beautiful women in my life, and despite their protestations, they never tire of hear it," he says. "But when deep beauty is encountered, it arouses deep emotions, because it creates a desire."

At this moment, there's a cut to the night before, as Joan shows up at Herb Rennet's place. It turns out that she did go to him. But why?

Don continues the pitch, and as he does, Joan's night with Herb is intercut, a contrast to the words Don uses, the mistress metaphor.

Finally, as Don closes his pitch, he ends with these words. "Gentlemen, what price would we pay? What behavior would we forgive? If they weren't pretty, if they weren't temperamental, if they weren't beyond our reach, and a little out of our control, would we love them like we do? Jaguar. At last, something truly beautiful you can truly own."

And here, we get the twist. The moment of brilliance. It turns out that Don showed up at Joan's just after she returned from Herb's hotel. It turns out Don was too late.

The pitch was a beautifully constructed scene that reminded me of the end of the Godfather 1, when Michael settles family business as he becomes godfather to his nephew. Don's words, used to sell a car, are perverted by the offer of the man who sits in judgment of him. Don thinks nothing of the metaphor, but Megan was right - the car has become immoral because it was bought with dirty money.

Fade to Don's triumphant return to the office. He's exultant, and as he sees Joan, he asks if she wants to have a drink with the rest of the team. She declines.

At Megan's meeting with the producers and playwright (Jules Pfeiffer), she is asked to turn around in her short dress, so they can look at her. It's a brief moment, but one that is meant, I think, to level the playing field a little. Megan doesn't get off unscathed either.

Next, it's Peggy's turn. She's at a diner, dressed up and waiting. After a moment, Ted Chaough (Kevin Rahm) shows up. He's a nemesis of Don, a hated rival, and he's eager to win Peggy over to his agency - Cutler Gleason and Chaough. Ted praises Peggy to the moon, and asks her what it will take to get her away from Don. Peggy pulls out a SCDP note pad and writes "Copy Chief $18,000/year" on it. Ted takes the pad, crosses out SCDP and $18,000 and writes $19,000 and checks the words "Copy Chief" and pushes the pad back to Peggy. "If this is your last meeting," he offers as his only condition. Peggy starts doing that nervous Peggy thing, where she jerks her head like a bird and says she needs a chocolate shake.

That night, Don returns home, surprised to find Megan there. He learns that she didn't win the role, and tries to console her. She asks about the pitch, and he keeps it low key. She knows better, and says she bets he was great. He says the same about her. "The difference is, I want you to get it," Megan says. Like Betty never would, she calls out his bad behavior, pointing out the reasons why it has to change if their marriage is to work. She reaffirms her love for him, telling him that if it came to acting or him, she's choose him - but she'd hate him for being put in the position to choose. He pulls her to him, telling her that he doesn't want her to fail.

Things seem okay for now.

The next morning, Don shows up for work to learn that Peggy is looking for him. As he calls her to his office, all hell breaks loose, as the word begins to reach SCDP of the agencies who didn't get the Jaguar business. As it becomes clear that Don won the account, Peggy fades into the background.

Roger calls for all the partners to gather in his office, and as they do, Don is shocked to see Joan enter in an emerald green dress - the same color as the emerald in the necklace that was a gift from Herb.

Finally, the official call comes. Roger takes it and thanks Jaguar for making the right choice. As he hangs up the phone, a cheer goes through the room. But Don's not celebrating. After a pause, Pete looks to Joan. "Shall we address the men?" Pete asks.

Don follows the partners to the conference room, where the rest of the company has gathered to celebrate. Peggy is in the hallway. "You wanted to talk to me?" Don asks. "Aren't you busy?" Peggy asks. "I'm not in the mood," Don says, referring to the celebrating. "You really have no idea when things are good, do you?" Again, Peggy catches him at one of those bad moments.

Don gestures that they go to his office, where he asks her to have a drink with him. Peggy goes into her windup. She takes her time, and remains standing as he sits.

"I want you to know that the day you saw something in me, well my whole life changed. And since then, it's been my privilege to not only be at your side, but to be treated like a protégé and for you to be my mentor. And my champion."

Don shifts uncomfortably. "But..." he says.

"But, I think I've reached a point where it's time for me to have a new experience." "Really?" Don says, not taking her seriously. "I'm giving my notice. I've accepted another offer."

Don tries to buy her back with an extravagant raise, but she's made up her mind. Unlike Joan, she won't be bought. And once Don gets it, the look on his face is devastating - the realization that she's really leaving. He asks where she's going, and when she tells him, his reaction is visceral. He tells her to forget about the notice, that she can leave immediately. It's a painful goodbye, and when she offers her hand, rather than shake it, he gives it a long kiss, causing her to tear up. "Don't be a stranger," she says, choking back tears.

She leaves him there, and returns to her office, where she gets her coat, her purse, a thermos, and a mug. The rest she leaves behind. As she leaves SCDP one final time, she passes the celebration that carries on in the conference room, and as she disappears to the lobby, Joan catches a glimpse of her. The look on Joan's face provided the final contrast between these two women. As Peggy leaves on her own terms, a free woman, Joan is left behind, trapped by the bargain she's made. Yes, Joan made partner, but is she truly free?

The episode ends as Peggy takes a final look back. It's a heartbreaking moment. But as the elevator pings and the door opens, Peggy smiles as she steps into the future. And as she does, the opening riff of the Kinks' You Really Got Me sends her on her way. Providing articles, reviews and writings on movies online.

Tyler Perry's Newest Release of the Madea Movies

Tyler Perry has done it again in the latest of the Madea movies, "Madea's Witness Protection." The beloved wise-cracking African-American grandma is again making her presence known on the big screen. Played by the ever prolific and talented Tyler Perry himself, Madea opens her home to a family on the run from the Mob. Comic genius Eugene Levy plays the CFO of a New York investment house who is framed and accused of defrauding churches and charities. The boisterous "real-life" household of Madea forces his family and hers to learn some invaluable lessons. George Needleman, a high level CFO in New York City, is accused of spearheading a Ponzi scheme involving the mob. This forces his family into the witness protection program. Madea's house down south with her brother, Joe and nephew Brian is a place that absolutely no one will think to look for them.

While not necessarily intended to be Christian films, most Madea movies usually feature a distinctive Judeo-Christian worldview. "Madea's Witness Protection" takes a positive approach to the very touchy issues of race relations and shows how the average person can overcome racial bigotry by cultivating compassion and understanding. The character of Madea in Tyler Perry movies embodies a number of other themes, including: a teaching experience for living "The Golden Rule" within the family, letting go of excessive materials, and offering productive alternatives for dealing with anger. Madea helps to answer the question-Does God "punish us" for our sins? Other reinforcing moral qualities teach to welcome strangers, respect elders, and honor parents. Although Madea's character may reflect some irony with her Christian charity, she holds conviction not to be too self serving.

Perry has said in various interviews that he pulled from the various personalities in his own family to create his alter ego, Madea. However, he confesses that his childhood was difficult. "I was quiet and always felt out of place my entire life. We grew up poor, but somehow I always knew that I could have a better life. No one around me believed that. I ended up keeping all my dreams to myself because whenever I'd share them with people they'd end up tearing them apart." Yet even with all the emotional despair he suffered as a child, Tyler Perry is still able to create humorous characters like Madea who has developed into a beloved character with a fan base all her own.

"Madea's Witness Protection" is due for release on June, 29. As an American comedy-drama film directed, written, and produced by Tyler Perry, this will be the fourteenth film in Perry's film franchise, and the seventh in the Madea franchise."Madea's Witness Protection" is the fourth Tyler Perry film not adapted from a play alongside The Family That Preys, Daddy's Little Girls, and Good Deeds. Providing articles, reviews and writings on movies online.

Purposeful Practice, Dancing With the Stars Edition

Ever wonder why Dancing with the Stars is being dominated by former athletes? Most people jump to the conclusion that it is a result of their physical prowess. Certainly this does not hurt them, but I know many highly accomplished athletes who are horrible dancers. For every Donald Driver, Shawn Johnson, Apolo Anton Ohno and Emmitt Smith there is a Monica Seles, Clyde (note nickname "The Glide," which at least suggests dancing skills) Drexler, Natalie Coughlin and Ron Artest (Aka Metta World Peace) who bow out early.

Before I get too far into this let me make this disclaimer, I've never watched Dancing with the Stars. That said it is safe to say, I am about as far from being an authority on both dancing and this show as possible. However, I do know something about performance and developing skills, and that will be how I approach this topic.

I suspect a big reason that athletes seem to dominate this competition is related to how they practice and evolve through the competition. To be a successful athlete at the highest level requires that you not only spend a lot of time practicing, but that the practice is purposeful. Purposeful practice has several characteristics, including but not limited to the following: it is centered on progress rather than results, it is deliberate, and it is highly focused on going just beyond your current limits.

When the average person practices, they want to spend 90% of their time practicing what they already do well. The highly accomplished athlete knows that he must spend the majority of his or her time working on things that they are not currently good at, but which will make them much better over time. The goal of purposeful practice is always the same: progress. We learn almost everything through making mistakes. That's how we learned to walk and talk and that's how we progress.

Additionally, most athletes at the highest level are striving to get better even once they reach the higher levels of their sport. Not to take anything away from the other competitors invited to compete on Dancing with the Stars, but most of them get comfortable with their craft once they achieve success.

Once a comedian has a successful routine, they stick with it for years or longer and are more likely to hire writers than continually work at getting better. Likewise, most actors and actresses tend to play the same kind of parts throughout their careers and when studying usually spend 90% of their practice on things they are good at. They are not actively trying to get better everyday with purposeful practice like most high level athletes.

Most athletes who reach the highest level of their sport also possess the mental edge necessary to master nearly any skill they choose to pursue. So if you combine their mental edge with purposeful practice, it is quite predictable that the athletes will improve much more throughout the process of the show than their competitors. You don't have to be athletic to sing and I suspect if they come out with a show called (please no) 'Singing with the Stars,' that it is entirely likely that athletes would dominate it as well for the same reasons I stated above. Providing articles, reviews and writings on movies online.

Auf Wiedersehen Pet Series 1

In 1983, a TV show was shown on ITV, that could have been a huge hit or a ratings disaster. Thankfully for all involved, Auf Wiedersehen Pet was a huge hit for viewers and critics alike.

The UK in the late 1970's and early 1980's was a place of national strikes and huge unemployment, especially in places such as the North East. Franc Roddam the creator of the show, came up with the idea, when on returning to his home town of Norton, Stockton on Tees, found that many of his friends in the construction trade had gone to work in Germany.

Franc Roddam created the series, and worked with the brilliant writing team of Ian la Frenais and Dick Clement, who had also written for shows such as The Likely Lads and Porridge. Six episodes were written, and then the rest of the series was written around the characters, as we watched them fall in and out of love, get into fights and also find some of them back in the UK unexpectedly.

The series was a huge success, and not only down to the great writing and superb performances of the cast. The series made huge names out of Jimmy Nail, Tim Spall, Tim Healy, Kevin Whately, Pat Roach and Gary Holton.

Viewers were drawn to the reality of what they were seeing on screen, and because of what was happening at that time in the UK, it was almost like watching a documentary for many people. The series struck a chord, and still does almost 30 years on from when it was first shown on British TV.

The series revolved around a group of seven men. Four bricklayers, a carpenter, a plasterer and an electrician. The timing of the show was perfect, and to think that this type of show would be such a hit in this modern world we live in, probably not.

The series was shown on ITV from the 11th of November 1983, through to the 10th of February 1984. Viewing figures for the first series were an average of 10 million, but this would almost double for the second series when that was aired in 1986.

There were many comparisons made to this first series, with many commenting on how it was very much like watching a WW2 film, as the lads all lived in a blue wooden hut on site. This was what made the series real and gritty, and the writers and creator knew how to connect with the British public at a time when there was nothing to look forward to, except rising unemployment figures. Providing articles, reviews and writings on movies online.

Batman: The Dark Knight Rises

Christopher Nolan Rises to the Occasion!

Christopher Nolan has made all Batman fans worldwide very happy, but most of all proud. Comic book fans are a very dedicated and loyal crew. They want to boast and beat their chests with pride and need the world to know just how badass Batman truly is. Batman is not the colorful Spider-Man who dances around like Tobey Maguire. Batman is dark and twisted constantly at war with Gotham city.

What if you were 8 years old, your parents take you out to a movie and some loser thug named Joe Chill kills your parents, right in front of you? Would you not be cold, distant, and perhaps even odd? Christopher Nolan has done a fantastic job telling the story as it should be told. "The Legend Ends" on July 20th, but Christopher Nolan has ensured his Dark Knight will live on for a very long time.

Bane: "The Man Who Broke the Bat"

"When Gotham is ashes, you have my permission to die. "- Bane, speaking to Batman

Who is Bane? Bane is that guy who was born and raised in prison. He is that guy who broke Bruce Wayne's spinal cord. He is a smart and physical freak who has been fighting to survive his entire life.

In Batman The Dark Knight, we witnessed Heath Ledger transform The Joker into the villain we all knew and wanted to see for so long from the comic books.

The question is can Tom Hardy bring Bane to life like Heath Ledger did with The Joker? All signs point to yes, and we can tell from the trailer that Bane is no stranger to death and destruction. Tom Hardy himself described Bane as an absolute terrorist. If he can make that transition on screen, get your popcorn ready! It is sure to be one hell of a ride! Batman The Dark Knight Rises is set to end on a high note. This movie will be the masterpiece to end an already proven and brilliant franchise.

Batman The Dark Knight Rises Cast and Crew

Christian Bale is back for his final Batman movie. He said earlier in an interview that this will be his final movie wearing the Batman costume. Gary Oldman is also returning to play Jim Gordon. Then you have Michael Caine playing Alfred, and Morgan Freeman playing Lucius Fox. The new members for this final installment is Anne Hathaway, who takes on the infamous role of Selina Kyle. For those that don't know that name, you might know her famous alter-ego of Catwoman.

Anne Hathaway gets plenty of screentime in the trailer and is sure to be a hit. Christopher Nolan also adds Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Marion Cotillard, who were both in his huge hit Inception. Overall the cast stays the same, lined with star power and an enormous amount of talent. Of course you have Liam Neeson and the above mentioned Tom Hardy.

O and did I mention Troy Polamalu, Ben Roethlisberger, Hines Ward and many other NFL Pittsburgh Steelers all make their movie debut! With the new additions this is sure to be nothing less than a blockbuster.

Batman The Dark Knight Rises into Box Office Gold!

Batman Begins, which was released back in 2005 pulled in $372,710,015 Worldwide!

Batman The Dark Knight was released in 2008 and is one of the top ten biggest grossing movies of all time! It pulled in a worldwide total of $1,001,921,825. This new and final installment, Batman The Dark Knight Rises is set to break records once again! It has an estimated budget of $250 million, up from the estimated budget of $185 million from Batman The Dark Knight. I think it is safe to say this Batman will rise right into the record books! Providing articles, reviews and writings on movies online.

Abraham Lincoln Movie, President Vs. Zombies

Introduction

Karl T. Hirsch and J. Lauren Proctor have come up with a story titled Abraham Lincoln vs. Zombies and the movie is directed by a very talented director - Richard Schenkman. An American civil war is going on and suddenly there is an outburst of the zombies and the president has to save the nation from these very dangerous undead creatures.

Plot

The very first scene of the movie is that Abraham Lincoln, a 10 year old lad is watching his father commit suicide because there has been an outbreak of the undead creatures and his father could not handle the situation.Abraham then joins the others in his community to protect the country and get rid of the zombies. This is just a small outbreak of the zombies and the people along with Abraham manage to destroy them all and save the country from further crisis.

The story is then fast forwarded to where Abraham Lincoln is the president and is informed of an outbreak of the undead in a place which is across the enemy lines. In his early days he had seen his parents succumb to these undead creatures, and has an idea what to expect and how to tackle them. He immediately gives orders to the army to go and destroy these furious undead creatures before it's too late.
This is what the Abraham Lincoln movie is all about. The bigger question is that will he be able to survive the siege and bring peace to the country and will he succeed in killing the zombies or will become a prey for them?

Cast

- Bill Oberst Jr. - Abraham Lincoln
- Jason Hughley - Wilson Brown
- Don McGraw - General Stonewall Jackson
- Brennen Harper - the young Lincoln
- Baby Norman - Mary Owens
- Raed Ali - Henry Lee Barton
- Jason Vail - John Wilkinson
- Bernie Ask - Edwin Stanton
- Amy Brice - Blonde Zombie
- Kennedy Brice - Little Zombie girl

Reception

The Abraham Lincoln movie has been made with a nominal budget of $150,000. The film being distributed by The Asylum was released on 29th May, 2012. This is the best Lincoln movie so far. The studio has made similar kind of movies previously also, but this film has raised the bar.

Review

The Asylum is back again with a 90 minutes Abraham Lincoln movie, the so called 'mockbuster'. The last half dozen Asylum films were quite bad and were disastrous at the box office too. The latest Abraham Lincoln movie vs. the Zombies will save and bring back the reputation of the Asylum as it is one of the best Asylum movies so far. We have all seen the previous Lincoln movies and have been disappointed a lot of times but with the release of Abraham Lincoln vs. Zombies your opinion towards Asylum movies will change forever.

The movie looks fantastic and the sound effects are amazing. Director Richard Schenkman has done a great job and everyone has acted quite well. For the first time there are some recognizable actors in the film.
Conclusion - If you like the zombie films and can tolerate gore then you will definitely love this one. Providing articles, reviews and writings on movies online.

Vampire Diaries: More Than Just a Fantasy

For movie enthusiasts, the Twilight series is one of the most popular fantasy movies in recent times with its introduction of romance between a vampire and a human. It's not exactly an original concept but the author added some extra features like how vampires sparkle and also the concept of a love triangle with a werewolf. Just like in movies, TV shows have its fair share of popular fantasy shows such as True Blood, The Walking Dead and Smallville. One TV show that aims to be another memorable show is the CW's "The Vampire Diaries".

Vampire Diaries follows the story of a girl, Elena, torn between her romance for two vampires who happens to be brothers. Looking at that plot alone, people may judge it as a copycat of other several vampire stories. While it may not be that original in terms of its concept, the show makes up for it in their storylines and subplots. It doesn't exactly focus on the trivial facts about vampires but on the relationship of every character, especially the main character, who finds out she is a descendant of another vampire and whose life has changed when the people around her has been affected by the presence of the vampires. Elena, played by Nina Dobrev, finds herself in the company of Stefan and Damon who tries to capture her heart. But the decision is not easy to make for her as she has fallen in love with both of them. The other characters in the show have also captured the interest of the viewers with their own storylines which are in some way connected to each other in the greater side of things. One of Elena's best friends, Bonnie is a witch who grew up under the care of her grandma and another one of her friend is Caroline who was turned by a vampire and fell in love with a werewolf, Tyler, who happens to be one of their friends. We have seen these characters grow throughout the show's run especially when Bonnie strives to have more power as a witch and finds out about her mother is alive all these years. We also see Caroline's maturity as she makes her transition from a human to a vampire. We see how she struggled with helping her boyfriend turn to a werewolf and try to keep their relationship even if vampires and werewolves were not supposed to be together. Elena also has her own set of problems especially in dealing with her parent's death and the added responsibility of taking care of her brother whom she only has left after their guardian passed away.

One of the major reasons why this show continues to keep viewers watching is that it incorporates real life problems and situations into the show. Most people like to watch drama and this show has plenty of it. There's romance, betrayal, action and a hint of humor to mix it up a bit. While this show might have vampires and other supernatural beings as the main cast of the show, it is something that humans have enjoyed in their TV viewing. Providing articles, reviews and writings on movies online.

Auf Wiedersehen, Pet Locations

When the show hit our screens in the early 1980's, it was the time before the internet, so finding out information like where the show was filmed was not easy. In modern times, you simply have to type in what you are looking for, and within seconds you have your answer.

Filming for the first 2 series of the show was mostly done in the UK, with London, Newcastle and Nottingham being used for outdoor locations. In series 1, many locations around London doubled on screen for areas of Newcastle, with only keen eyed viewers in 1983 knowing the difference.

In 1986, the show returned to our screens for a second series, and locations such as Newcastle, Wolverhampton and Spain being used on screen. Nottinghamshire was used for almost all of the UK filming, with the exception of a few scenes being filmed in Newcastle. Wolverhampton on screen was actually Beeston, Nottinghamshire and even an indoor scene in a Spanish pub was actually filmed also on location in Beeston.

It does take a very keen eyed viewer to notice that it is not where it says it is on screen, but many die hard fans of the show, will know exact spots where the cast such as Jimmy Nail and Kevin Whately stood and said there lines.

In 2002, the show was revived by the BBC, and places such as Middlesbrough were used. Newcastle was used also this time, and the show spread it's wings wide and filming was also done on location in Page, Arizona, USA.

2004, saw the 4th and also last 2 episodes of Auf Wiedersehen, Pet being shown on UK screens. This time the location on screen was Cuba, but as they could not acquire a license to film their, the Dominican Republic was used instead. At the end of 2004 2 episodes were shown over the Christmas period, and this brought an end to almost 25 years of the show being on our screens. Thailand was used on screen for these 2 final episodes, featuring 5 of the original cast. Sadly in 1986, Gary Holton died whilst filming the second series of the show, and then in 2004 Pat Roach died of cancer, and did not appear in the final episodes.

If you are going to travel around the UK or even the world looking for Auf Wiedersehen, Pet locations, then please remember that many of these places are private property. I have always been welcomed to the places I have visited, and most love the fast that their property or land was used on such an iconic tv show. Providing articles, reviews and writings on movies online.

Movie Review: Prometheus (2012)

Director Ridley Scott originally intended on creating a prequel to his film Alien, but when the script writing began, he realized the wealth of material presented warranted its own separate tale (still set in the same universe, however). Such an undertaking led to copious speculation and extremely high expectations from fans for what would eventually become Prometheus. Yet for a film that supposedly merited severance from becoming a direct Alien precursor, the sequence of events in Prometheus are strikingly close to that of Scott's prior effort. In fact, certain segments seem designed specifically as a counterpart to the iconic moments now cemented in cinematic history. Unfortunately, none of these scenes come close to the shocking brilliance of those found in Alien, and while the atmospheric sets, awe-inspiring practical effects, and competent acting are present as they should be, don't expect to find the answers you're looking for - in either the notorious beasts' origins or the countless new questions raised that Scott clearly feels are better left unanswered.

When scientists Elizabeth Shaw (Noomi Rapace) and Charlie Holloway (Logan Marshall-Green) discover clues on Earth that point to possible "engineers" of mankind, they partner with the powerful Weyland Corporation to launch an expedition into space to make contact with their creators. Governed by Weyland's stern attaché Meredith Vickers (Charlize Theron) and accompanied by geologists, mercenaries, and the cryptic android David (Michael Fassbender), the crew of the spaceship Prometheus is instructed not to interact with any life forms they may encounter. But once the group reaches their destination of the moon LV-233 and discovers the remains of the beings they set out to find, avoiding exposure becomes impossible. As a deadly infection rapidly spreads and mysterious creatures begin attacking the crew, Elizabeth realizes the horrifying truth and must fight for her own life as well as the very fate of mankind.

The usually capable director has bitten off a bit more than he could chew with Prometheus, which attempts at different moments to be a great many things. Expectations are particularly high, since Scott became famous for Alien in 1979, and this film marks his return to the genre. At the beginning, he ventures into contemplating alternatives to the evolution of humankind with predominantly science-fiction philosophies; in the middle, he explores favorite themes such as the assault on feeble human flesh, the invasion of orifices, and genetic mutation - essential elements of gore for the sake of horror; and toward the conclusion, he opts for action-oriented thrills, packed with impressive CG wizardry and massive destruction. Each shift in genre disorients the story from having a clear vision, and the result is a mess of unresolved ideas and poorly defined beings (especially regarding the capabilities and function of the Engineers, their cargo, and subsequent anomalies).

Brandywine Productions, David Giler and Walter Hill as producers, the title font, notations of "LV_223," talk of company jobs, an android, a monstrous ship full of lonely corridors, hypersleep sickness, hidden agendas, sabotage, H.R. Giger's artwork, and advanced technology all harken the return of a familiar atmosphere. But while the environment, heaped with humidity, high-pitched noises, black muck, and slithery critters, remains reminiscent of Scott's original masterpiece, the plot progresses slowly and formulaically. A crew awakes from hypersleep, a bypass surgery medical pod is inspected, Jackson claims he's there for security purposes and brandishes weaponry, ship and helmet cameras feed crackling, static-filled transmissions, allochthonous walls glisten with slime, and an unsuccessful quarantine allows something to be brought back aboard the command ship. None of it is notably original and the sense of foreboding and foreshadowing is jeeringly blatant. Suspense arrives too late, horror is handled clumsily, and the poignancy of physical pain, understanding the purpose of the structures, and digesting answers to the mysteries of life is sorely neglected. The "space jockey" creation from Alien sparked an interesting question of origin and ancestry, but the solution is mightily underwhelming.

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

Adaptation Decay

When a franchise reaches a certain level of popularity, it has become a noticeable trend to adapt written works, comic books and even video games into Hollywood Pictures. This practice has become prevalent in a number of recent motion pictures: Harry Potter, Twilight, The Hunger Games, the numerous superhero movies, Transformers and games like Resident Evil and Tekken. While seeing these materials in motion is definitely a big draw of a film adaption, there is often one thing that long time fans of a franchise end up looking at when these movies finally come out: How faithful the movie is to the source material.

For fans, it often does not matter how pretty the effects are or how famous the cast and production crew are, the film is rendered pointless if nothing resembles the original. Books seem to get off the easiest in this department, as at worst content is omitted due to the fact they need to compress a large amount of content into a relatively small time frame by comparison. It is the same with comics, though they are spared because an issue is often a self-contained story and does not reach the length of a novel, though skipping through big events is still a problem present in these...

Other franchises are not as lucky however. Video games seem to lose the most when they are ported from the home consoles to the big screen. Starting with the concept with something as simple as a fighting game it was a wonder how so much was changed in regards to Tekken. The characters were not recognizable beyond their names and most of the fighting styles were not even similar, and this is taking into account the transition from video game design to real life. Resident Evil is another game series that falls short in the film adaption department, whose story has absolutely nothing to do with the games beyond there are zombies in them.

Children's franchises also take a hit here, with Transformers and Avatar the Last Air Bender also receiving a number of negative criticisms in regards to how faithful they were to the original concepts. Admittedly while Micheal Bay's Transformers is its own universe, it does not really make people think of the classics beyond wondering what happened to them and why they are like this in his version. Avatar on the other hand just has a number of problems utilizing the original's content and is once more not recognizable by fans beyond their names.

While it is not true to say all adaptations of different media are bad, they suffer a lot in the transition and makes people question whether it was really worth it in the end. Further there are times when the creator is not even consulted for such and thus the distance between the adaptation and the original becomes even further. There is no real line to be drawn at what can and cannot be done in a movie, which is what makes these creative liberties happen. Providing articles, reviews and writings on movies 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.

Where Was Auf Wiedersehen, Pet Filmed?

In the early 1980's when Auf Wiedersehen, Pet hit our screens, it was an instant hit, and at its peak in 1986, was having viewing figures of almost 17 million in the UK. As a fan of the show myself, I always wanted to know where the show was filmed, but in the days before the internet, finding out such information was almost impossible.

In 1995 I tracked down my first Auf Wiedersehen, Pet filming location, after simply telephoning Central Television who made the first two series of the show. The first part of the second series was set in a large country house in Derbyshire, so I always had it in my head, that all I had to do was narrow it down to a few huge country homes in that county.

What turned out to be a short phone call to a very helpful lady at Central Television, ended with me being told it was actually filmed in Nottinghamshire. The place of the filming was Beesthorpe Hall in Caunton, and so began a life of travelling around the Midlands searching for those locations I had seen on screen many times.

Fast forward to 2012, and I am now in the great position of being able to find out where Auf Wiedersehen, Pet was filmed at the click of a button, thanks to the internet.

For fans of the show, you will know that the first series was set in Dusseldorf, Germany, but with only a handful of scenes actually being filmed in the city. Hamburg was used as the location for the large part of the filming in Germany. What many fans of the show might now know, is that most of the building site you see on screen in the first series, was actually built using materials shipped in from Germany, on an outdoor film set in Elstree Studios in Hertfordshire. The BBC EastEnders outdoor set is now located on the very same spot.

Series 2 of Auf Wiedersehen, Pet was mostly filmed in and around Nottinghamshire, with Caunton, Redmile, Beeston and Bingham used for a number of key scenes featuring such stars as Jimmy Nail, Tim Healy and Pat Roach.

I have visited many of the locations that feature in Auf Wiedersehen, Pet myself, and it is still easy to find locations which have not changed at all, even after almost 30 years. The show was brought back to our screens in 2002 and 2004, and locations for these series include Middlesbrough, Arizona and the Dominican Republic. Providing articles, reviews and writings on movies online.

Big Film Posters of 2012

Films are getting bigger and bigger. Prequels, sequels. Remakes and more. 2012 is a big year for films, and in turn, film posters. The designers and teams behind films have probably, quite a lot on their plate. You'd be forgiven to thinking that they could just chuck then design to an intern.

"You boy! Intern! The one with the beard! Take a screen shot and put some reviews on it. Make it snappy. 8 million prints. In the next hour. "

However, it's worth bearing in mind that this is the studio's main route to press and excitement over their latest creation, so plenty of time and effort goes into making these posters the best they can be.

So the top film posters of 2012 for the bestsellers were as follows:

The Avengers

The Avengers posters showed the full cast of the avengers assembled (see what we did there?) with some shots of individual members, and a clear focus on the date as well as the 'A' for avengers and the studio Marvel. The brand is well established and needed little explanation, and the use of the variety of characters on their own and together added diversity and interest for fans of the individual films (e.g. Thor, Hulk, Iron Man.)

The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games posters were a mix of the full cast in a shadowy side profile, as well as the arena shot with the strap line 'the world will be watching'. For those who hadn't read the hunger games books, this unusual setting certainly gave an air of mystery to the film, with the poster giving actually little away to the genre and plot of the Hunger Games. The continuity of brand imagery, the searing orange and blacks meant that the hunger games posters were soon a noticeable fixture across the country.

Titanic 3D

Titanic 3D's posters featured jack and rose looking wet and a little harrowed (wonder why?) with the strap line 'experience it like never before'. The push here is all on 3D, and Titanic 3D, although not reinventing the wheel, was always going to be a big hitter on the anniversary of the sinking of the ship.

Wrath of the Titans

The Wrath of the Titans posters featured spearing of two headed beasts, a hunky male lead in full view of the shot, as well as the aforementioned beast breathing fire on said hunky male lead. The theme of wrath of the titan's poster was definitely 'Action!!' and gave a real indication of 'what you see is what you'll get.' It worked, grossing $298,004,440 worldwide.

So, we're not even through 2012 and we are already seeing some amazing film posters and movies hitting worldwide. The year of the blockbuster, the movie poster themes continue to push 3D, Imax and Real, and we can expect to see some great images for the upcoming Batman: The Dark Knight Rises posters and the new Spiderman posters. Keep your eyes peeled! Providing articles, reviews and writings on movies online.

Television Influence on Small Children

The Greek and Latin languages are where the word 'television' has its origin. The word is a derivative from 'tele', which is a Greek word translates, to 'far sight' and 'visio' is a Latin word that means 'sight.' In the latter part of the 1930s, the television made its way to the commercial markets. These days, television is the single most popular type of audio-visual in commercial set-ups and home. Merely mentioning the word 'television' calls to mind a medium which assists individuals in keeping abreast with entertainment issues and current affairs. No longer is the television set a single communication unit. The television has evolved in the complexity of the design to transmit recorded material that is stored on Blu-ray discs, laser discs, DVDs and video cassettes.

Television History

The television history spans over time zones and regions, in view of the fact that the technology has evolved in different places and at different times. This communication system, as it is known these days, is not the brainchild of any one specific inventor. The process has taken the endeavours of a number of engineers, over several decades, to develop along various overlapping designs, to utilize commonly accepted electronic and mechanical principles. Despite the fact that electromechanical television sets have been abandoned for the completely electronic, ultra-modern designs, the fundamental design rests on the discovery of selenium photo-conductivity in 1873. That discovery which was made by Willoughby Smith brought about the scanning disk invention from Paul Gottlieb Nipkow in 1884. In 1926, a demonstration of televised moving images was carried out by John Logie Baird, that technology was joined with the image dissector that was designed in 1927 by Philo Farnsworth, to provide viewers with the fundamental principles of the television that we currently know.

These days, the world of television is discovered by children at an incredibly tender age. A number of studies have indicated that kids who are younger than 6 years old watch television, DVD or video on a daily basis, at an average of 2 hours. In a number of instances, watching television can be useful, particularly the wildlife and educational programs that have the capacity to broaden the understanding and knowledge of your child in relation to the world around him or her. In addition, it can introduce them to a variety of communities and cultures of the world. However, at the moment the negative effects are seemingly outweighing the uplifting ones.

The Negative Influences of Television on Children

The formative years in the life of child, particularly the first two to three years, are vital to the mental growth and development of the child. Those are the years in which a child learns by way of interacting, observing, playing and discovering new things. As a result, these first few years are extremely vital for the physical and mental development. Therefore, a pattern of watching television excessively could hinder his or her social activities such as spending quality time with members of the family, reading and playing with friends.

There are a number of television programs that portray extreme violence and this could induce lots of changes in behaviour in young children. In view of the fact that kids can relate easily to what is being shown on the television screen, they will be more prone to imitating the behaviour that is depicted. As a result, you may notice aggressive behaviour in your child. In addition, it could cause the little one to develop sleeping disorders and have nightmares because his or her sense of anxiety and fear has been stimulated by what is shown on the television. In addition to this, it will possibly result in creating confusion in the mind of the young child as it relates to knowing the difference between good and bad. That is because parents most likely teach their kids that aggression and violence is bad but the program on the television will possibly show the heroes or 'good guys' perpetrating violence.

Apart from the violence, drinking and smoking scenes are depicted widely in commercials and television programs, without giving an explanation of the unfavourable consequences. The repeated and continuous exposure to these programs will make children feel as though these activities are quite acceptable and normal. As a result, kids who watch these programs on a regular basis are a great deal more likely to mimic and develop these unhealthy habits from an early stage in their development.

In the developed world, obesity is a widespread problem and television is among the important factors that are responsible for the increasing incidences of obesity among kids. Excessive watching of television decreases physical activities of the kids and simultaneously amplifies the popularity of unhealthy foods, such as potato chips, soft drinks and other snacks that they see on the commercials. Providing articles, reviews and writings on movies online.

Where To Sell Those VHS Titles

The last thing I want to do is to put you off any of your own ideas about where to sell those VHS Titles that you have accumulated over the years. Or maybe you are an enthusiastic collector who wants to free up some space in what was once a 3 bedroom house and is now a 2 bedroom house with a large shed upstairs.

But seriously, there are many places you could try to sell your VHS Tapes. There are plenty of online outlets including eBay, Craigslist.com and Amazon, etc. You can sell domestically from garage sales, car boots and the classified ads in your local newspaper.

The thing to remember is this; you want to get as targeted a buying audience as possible and that being the case - you also want that audience to be as big as possible.

Selling VHS Titles is very much a niche enterprise and that niche is split into smaller niches. Therefore, it makes a lot of sense to try to get your VHS Titles in front of all the people who might be interested.

Some buyers may only be interested in documentaries, others in trains or travel. Still others may collect comedy or live band performances etc.

But if all these people are looking in the same place, then there is a good chance that they will see some of your video titles - if they are there to be seen.

The largest marketplaces are of course eBay and Amazon.

I am only going to recommend Amazon - WHY?

For one very good reason. Amazon has a real advantage over eBay because it actually has a category called "VHS" and eBay does not.

Instead, eBay has a category called, "DVD's, Films & TV".

Yes, it's true that if you type 'VHS tapes' into the eBay search bar, then look under the categories heading, you will see, "Videos: VHS" mentioned.

But here is the real difference.....

The last time I looked, eBay was showing 2,337 listings under that heading, but at the same time, Amazon had over 83,000.

Amazon is by far the most popular place for selling and is the obvious marketplace for a niche selling enterprise.

Whether you are a collector or simply selling redundant VHS Tapes which are lying around the house - something you should definitely consider obtaining is an up-to-date and proper;y researched list of VHS Titles. A list that shows you which tapes have a value. There are many, many VHS Tapes being advertised on Amazon.co.uk for 1 penny. This is ridiculous and it will be a total waste of your time to try selling some of your VHS Titles when clearly there may be a saturated market for certain titles.

So you either need a researched list or else you will have to research each one of your titles individually. This isn't such a big deal if you only have a few, but if you have a shed-load or you are actually sourcing VHS Titles as a means of providing a second income, then having a list which tells you which VHS Titles have value, is something which will save you enormous amounts of time and also prevent you wasting money buying tapes that have little or no value.

Anyway, I hope I have given you some ideas. It only remains for me to wish you good luck in selling your tapes. Providing articles, reviews and writings on movies online.

Watch Movies Online, How to Protect Yourself

Movies are the excellent stress busters that never let you fall prey to boredom. You can enjoy them wherever you want, in a cinema hall, at home on DVD player or online. Whereas these ways accompany varied benefits, they also have certain associated pitfalls. For example, visiting a theater and making all those expenditures on tickets, popcorn and soft drinks could take a heavy toll on your pocket. Likewise, the quality of DVD you play at home may or may not be up to the mark. Interestingly, the freedom to watch movies online without paying single penny sets you free from adopting the first two options. But whether this method is safe or not, let us find out.

Security concerns while watching flicks online:

Like all the other activities you perform online, enjoying online movies as well demands sedate security measures. Unfortunately if you lag behind at any step, you are likely to get trapped in the network of hackers and consequently your computer data could be at grave risk of being stolen. In addition, copyright owners could file lawsuits against you on the offense of copyright infringement. You would definitely not like the idea to get caught amid such hassles, would you?

Suitable protective measures:

With so many demerits of accessing movie websites, and downloading one to enjoy in your free time, you can easily decide to avoid this activity. But if you can bear a little bit patience and follow certain essential tips, protecting yourself from online hassles during your stint with online movies won't be that hard affair. Below are some important tips in this context:

• Keep distance from unsolicited links that ask you to download your preferred movie, they can trick you to open doors for the malware to enter into your system

• Utilizing a Virtual private network could let you add an additional security layer towards your endeavor of relishing a movie over the internet. It will hide your real IP address with a different IP and hence will keep you anonymous online.

• Browse through websites that allow you to watch or download movies legally. Prominently two types of films fall under this category, viz a viz, public domain flicks and movies that are licensed for online viewing.

Insight into safe film categories:

Public Domain Films: These types of motion pictures are copyrighted but have their links over the web for a very short span of time. You are free to enjoy them through live streaming or by downloading them, to watch later on. These films mostly belong to classic genre and hence could be of interest for a selected category of movie buffs. You may be asked to register with the concerned websites before moving ahead.

Licensed Films: This second category of legal films is duly licensed to be watched online. Compared to the first type, movies falling under this class are latest, laced with superseding sound feature and own high quality graphics. These flicks are often accompanied by short duration commercial ads, which could be termed as one the downsides to this film type. You would not be asked to register while accessing any such site, offering licensed films. Providing articles, reviews and writings on movies online.

Men In Black 3 Movie Review

Well, it's been ten long years since Agents J and K showed off their intergalactic protection skills in Men In Black 2, and given that the film didn't exactly win rave reviews, you can't blame anyone for being a little skeptical about the likelihood of a third installment being memorable. Luckily, I am always willing to give Will Smith the benefit of the doubt, and I'm happy to report that he and the entire cast made it worth my time.

THE GOOD: In order to go forward in this story, we have to go backwards... meaning time travel to the past; the summer of 1969, to be exact, when astronauts were preparing to walk on the moon and the Mets were poised to win the World Series. Another newsworthy event was Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones) putting a foul looking alien by the name of Boris behind bars---in a prison on the moon, no less. But 40 years later, Boris has busted out of his lunar lockup and has managed to sneak through the space time continuum in an effort to find K and kill him. It's all up to J (Will Smith) to go back in time and put Boris out of commission, before he can achieve his goal. Oh, and J also needs to keep himself from getting left in 1969 as well... yes, it's sort of a "Back to the Future" twist, and it may not be as ingenious of an idea as it seemed 25 years ago, but for all intents and purposes, it works. As you can imagine, there is a social commentary to be made with J going back in time as a black man, and Smith delivers some great attitude at perfect moments when small minded people speak without thinking.

As much as I adore Will Smith however, the scene stealer in this movie is without a doubt Josh Brolin, who not only plays the younger version of Agent K, but NAILS it. There's no debating that Tommy Lee Jones has a very unique presence and mannerism, so for someone to be able to capture that with such flawlessness, it is award worthy in my opinion. From his facial expressions to his accent and timing, everything was spot on... and hilarious. Adding to that fun, we have the alien character Griffin (played by Michael Stuhlbarg) who is a sweet and perpetually anxious little creature, and has the dubious gift of seeing the future----or rather the equal possibility of several different futures, some positive and some not so much. With his misty blue eyes, Elmer Fudd wool hat, and innocent childlike responses, he might come across as goofy to some, but I adored him.

THE BAD: I can only assume that in order to capitalize on how amazing Josh Brolin is in this role, efforts were made to keep Will Smith's character from shining too brightly. Or at least, that's what ends up happening. Usually Agent J is so full of sarcasm and attitude that the laughs are pretty constant... this time around, it took almost 45 minutes for Will to have a laugh worthy moment, at least for me personally. This isn't to say that Smith isn't his usual great talent, but be prepared that he doesn't pack nearly the punch in this installment as he did in the first two.

THE UGLY: I'm torn really, as to what the most hideous part of this movie was, but I certainly have it narrowed down to two contenders: the first being Boris (Jemaine Clement) in general---this guy just brings repulsive to a whole new level---but it's his teeth specifically that had me completely nauseated. It was like an entire mouth full of giant yellow molars and reminded me of the scary monsters I imagined as a little girl. Of course none of those creatures were ever making out with a woman in black leather pants in my imagination---which brings us to contender number 2. If there is anything more disturbing than a monster like man with bad dental work, it would be watching that same man sticking his tongue in a woman's mouth. Shudder. It's like I'm a five year old girl again, with a whole new scary image to keep me awake at night.

It's a generally accepted fact that the Men In Black Franchise started off strong, then hit a low with MIB2. There will be those who won't be willing to give MIB3 a chance because they fear things will only get worse... the surprise is that, as sequels go, this one is actually worth seeing, not only because of Brolin's performance, but the touching surprise twist at the end that explains J and K's relationship.

The Trophy Wife gives this movie 3 ½ trophies.

Men In Black 3 has a running time of 106 minutes and is rated PG-13 for sci-fi action violence and brief suggestive content. No F words. Providing articles, reviews and writings on movies online.

Wes Anderson's Throwback 'Moonrise Kingdom' Brings Innocent Quirkiness to the Forefront

We've all been there. We've all felt detached at some point, with the need to make some sort of genuine connection. Whether it be as a child, feeling left out of the more popular kids' game of tag or as an on-the-go adult with very little personal time, let alone time to find some smidgeon of companionship with a partner. How about being a child, with multiple siblings, feeling total estrangement from your parents - who are both there, but really aren't? These are all themes explored by indie filmmaker Wes Anderson's latest little film; the quirky, cute and sometimes hilarious Moonrise Kingdom.

Despite being the supreme film buff that I am, it pains me to let you (indie film purists) know that I would be leading you astray, via a bold faced lie, if I sat here and claimed I feel Wes Anderson to be the GOD of all things cinematic. That's simply not true, in my very humble opinion of course. As sarcastic and dry as I can be, nor am I a big fan of his style of humor. However, I completely get it - and on occasion - he'll catch me off guard, having written lines (when delivered properly, by the right actor) that will come off in absolute gut-busting fashion. See Gene Hackman and Danny Glover's kitchen exchange in The Royal Tenenbaums for proof. Moonrise Kingdom is no exception to this rule. Anderson's uncomfortably longer-than-usual takes, awkward scene transitions and character interactions leave you feeling like you're seeing too much past what was originally intended. Like watching a neighbor walk through their front door, only to peek through the side window (not that we've ever done anything that sick...what are we, voyeurs?)...moving on.

In Moonrise Kingdom, we follow a 1965 New England Boy Scout Troup, headed by Scout Master Ward (played brilliantly simple by Edward Norton) as he sets out with his group of gangly boys to find young scout Sam (the talented Jared Gilman) who has apparently given up and gone AWOL, having fallen in love with little, eerily dark Suzy (Kara Hayward), with whom he feels a genuine enough connection to flee. Needless to say, on a small (but larger than you might think) island, two missing 11 year olds can be cause for panic, despite Sam's "commendable" scouting abilities. Ward and his khaki scouts, flanked by Suzy's worn down, together-for-the-kids, attorney parents (Bill Murray and Francis McDormand), Bruce Willis' subtly hilarious Captain Sharp and Tilda Swinton as Social Services, who is disturbingly hellbent on retrieving abandoned children, turn the small town upside down looking for the runaways.

At each and every turn, we find someone trying to make a connection with someone else. Either that, or fleeing any situation where a connection hasn't been or can't quite be made, in utter desperation. There is simply no denying Anderson has a phenomenal eye, using unconventional methods of cutting - as opposed to the 180 degree line when shooting two people in conversation - he'll shoot a medium angle of both subjects perpendicular to the action or cut back and forth, straight on, between the subjects and their interaction. It's completely awkward, but really allows the viewer to access the full emotional range given by the actors, who are all wonderful here. Particularly Gilmore and Hayward, who anchor the film in innocence.

Seeing the sense of urgency, created out of the burning desire to be wanted, reminds us of just how fast kids of today are growing up and becoming "old souls" too far ahead of their time. Let's face it, half of the technological breaches of the world, post 2000 have been accomplished by prepubescents who haven't stopped wetting the bed or watching Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. While most parents past 35 still don't know what "LOL" means. Kingdom also happens to come off as a call to parents to be more parental, taking more of an interest in their children and their need for that support structure, lest they run off and attempt to elope at the ripe age of 12...living in a tent on the rocky surface of some small, coastal New England town.

Despite stretches of some slow pacing (par for the course in Anderson's films), with a couple of pretty hilarious cameos from indie faves Harvey Keitel and Jason Schwartzman, as well as a great musical selection, Moonrise Kingdom is innocent fun with a good moral message for everyone. Having the film based in simpler time, where the very same issues being dealt with by people today don't really differ all that much, speaks to Anderson's brilliance as a filmmaker. The juxtaposition offers just enough contrast to make you really pay attention to the things that need tending to in your own life. While not quite as funny as some of his previous offerings, this is another solid character study, masked in a quirky innocence.

3/5 Taped Glasses. Providing articles, reviews and writings on movies online.

HBO's Game of Thrones, As Good As The Book?

Game of Thrones is the title of the first book in a yet to be finished fantasy series by George R.R. Martin, entitled A Song Of Fire And Ice. Game Of Thrones is also a recently released game on 360 and PS3, a board game, a card game, a tabletop role playing game, a graphic novel, the subject of several iOS and Google Play apps, and an upcoming Facebook game. It's also one of the hottest IP's around right now, thanks largely in part to the wildly popular HBO program currently airing its second season, as well as the DVD/Blu-ray release of the Emmy and Golden Globe winning first season, available now.

I'll be honest. I'm a proponent of the tenet that the book is always better than the movie. Only in the cases where the book was written first, that is. If it says "The novelization based on the film" on the cover, then it's kindling. I'm snooty that way. Even when I know that the book is better, because it's always better, I'm still occasionally drawn to see a film adaptation. Maybe it's because a friend, or naive critic, says something like, "every bit as good as the book." Sometimes it's because I'm such a fan of the source material that I have to see how they butcher it with my own eyes.

Either way, whenever I see a film based on a book I've read, I always have one of three reactions: 1) Pleasantly surprised (i.e. Fight Club, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile). 2) Decidedly indifferent (Trainspotting, Stephen King's It,). 3) Desporrified, a made-up word combining despair and horrified (Breakfast of Champions, everything else Stephen King's let become a movie that's not already listed here). In every case, whether surprised, indifferent or desporrified, I still come away thinking the book is superior to the film in every way. Until Game of Thrones that is. Now my worldview has been shattered.

To HBO's credit, the show remains very true to the source material, differing on only the very slightest of details. Much of the dialogue is straight from the novel, and in retrospect the pacing of the book is almost ideal for screenwriting. This may be due to Martin's previous work as a television writer, most notably for the mid-80's revival of The Twilight Zone. From the outset, the show seems to focus on Eddard Stark, Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North.

Early on in the series, he's tapped by his old friend Robert Baratheon, who has become King of the Seven Kingdoms, to help him rule as the king's top advisor, the Hand. Over the course of 10 episodes we're introduced to a myriad of nobles, charlatans, rogues and scoundrels, but at the close of season one it is apparent that the only real stars of the show are intrigue, the machinations of the court, and the things people will do while chasing power. Of course while people play their game, the shadow of a larger threat looms. Winter is coming.

It's hard to deny that the show is outstanding, as evidenced by the aforementioned Emmy and Golden Globe wins in Outstanding Drama Series and Best Television Series-Drama respectively. The casting is superb, and includes Peter Dinklage, who also won an Emmy for his portrayal of Tyrion Lannister, and Sean Bean as Eddard 'Ned' Stark. Bean is probably best known for his portrayal of Boromir in Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy (Pleasantly surprised on that one, if you're keeping track).

The cinematography is excellent as well, and adds a visual element somewhat lacking in the books. Martin's writing is focused primarily on the characters, and flowery descriptions of the environments are few and far between. Largely shot in Northern Ireland and Malta, the sets and supporting shots are beautiful, and bring to life the keeps and castles in a way that Martin himself doesn't.

Although jokingly described as "The Sopranos in Middle-earth" by series co-creator David Benioff, the description is quite apt. Like Tolkien's trilogy, Game of Thrones would have to be considered "high fantasy" due to the presence of creatures of myth and mystical/magical elements. However these things play more in the background of Martin's books, as well as the show, with Game of Thrones leaning more towards the Middle Ages than Middle-earth. The Sopranos comparison is a little more apt. Like it, and many other HBO shows, Game of Thrones is decidedly adult. Nudity and gratuitous violence abound throughout the series, and are the only real source of complaint voiced by critics of the show.

However, if you're looking for a show that has all the backstabbing and violence of The Sopranos, all of the sex of Californication, and as many people covered in dirt as Deadwood, you should probably come down to Slackers and order the first season of Game of Thrones on Blu-ray or DVD today. Even if you're not looking for a new show to watch, you still need to check this one out. I can hardly believe I'm saying this, but it really is as good as the book. Providing articles, reviews and writings on movies online.

The Story Behind Bollywood

With a world population of 182 million speakers of Hindi and a thriving cultural industry, we investigate the story behind Bollywood in translation - the focal point of traditional India cinema enjoyed the world over. However, there are lots of misconceptions about this worldwide phenomenon. Although it is commonly interpreted as a wide spanning term for Indian cinema, it is actually a smaller part of it. Bollywood is only part of the Indian film industry, which produces films in regional language. Known formally as Hindi cinema, it also has an increasingly common feature of incorporating Indian English in songs and dialogue (Hinglish in translation).

So where did the word come from? It's a portmanteau of Bombay (former name of Mumbai) and the multimillion-dollar film industry of Hollywood. However, the similarity ends here as it's not an actual physical place, although it does reside in pride of place in the Oxford English Dictionary. The name has also been contested over its original coinage - from the scholar Amit Kannar to journalist Bevinda Collaco.

The story behind Indian cinema began with the screening of six silent films at the Watson Hotel in Bombay from the Lumiere Brothers. Having watched a screening in 1910, Dadasaheb Phalke decided to make his own screening, with the silent film Raja Harishchanda in 1913.

To reflect the times socially, culturally and historically, Indian cinema and Bollywood cinema underwent many trends in subject matter. During the 30s and 40s alongside social upheavals and the partitioning of India, more lighthearted subjects came from a wave of directors who used this political backdrop and freedom movement to flavour their scripts, dissecting many various issues and bringing them to life.

Following the 1940s and 50s, the independence of India heralded the Golden Age of Hindi cinema. These covered a wide range of issues, including social themes dealing with urban life in the famous films of critical acclaim such as the Raj Kapoor films Awaara and Shree 420. Black and white films were still prevalent until the 1960s, although the 1950s heralded in the new age of colour films. The plots now gravitated to romance and dramatic themes with famous actors such as Raj Kapoor and Meena Kumari and then eventually action.

So here is a snapshot of the famous industry, with now such famous stars as Rani Mukeraji and Aishwarya Rai. Hopefully we've helped to shed some more light in translation of Bollywood and the influence it has had over history!

Read up on Hindi interpreting services for more information on the relationship between English and Hindi. 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.

Famous Hero Spiderman's Journey to the Big Screen

One of the top grossers in the big screen today is superhero movies and who could forget Marvel's famous hero Spiderman? The boy who got bit by a radioactive spider has charmed the public and was able to sell off its merchandise by storm. Among the many adventures of Spidey and his rise to fame, he was able to come up with three box office movies. And this year, there's yet another follow up that people are surely going to line up for.

Spiderman is a story about a boy named Peter Parker who was bit by a radioactive spider thus giving him his superhuman abilities. Peter Parker was the typical outcast in high school. He was way too smart for his level, he was an introvert and was always bullied in school. Moreover, his foster parents, Aunt May and Uncle Ben weren't financially well-off therefore giving Peter more pressures in life.

When Peter found out he had powers in the likes of a spider, he took advantage of it to earn more money. It made him join fight clubs in disguise by wearing a mask so that he could beat his opponent and win the prize money. However, when his uncle was killed by a robber he has set free earlier, he changed his ways and took his responsibility of fighting crime and enemies that arise in New York.

Spiderman was franchised in the 80s so that it could become a film production. It was moved to various production companies until it finally reached and stayed with the Sony Pictures Entertainment.

Sony thought it would be a smart move to hire a comic book fan to direct the movie so they called Sam Raimi. In the end, he was the director of all the three Spiderman films namely Spiderman, Spiderman 2 and Spiderman 3. The lead role was played by Tobey Maguire and his love interest Mary Jane Watson was Kirsten Dunst. Spiderman's antagonists in the sequel were Green Goblin as Willem Dafoe, Doctor Octopus as Alfred Molina, the New Goblin as James Franco who happen to be Harry, Peter Parker's best friend, the Sandman and Venom.

Raimi's trilogy had a budget of $597 million and was able to gross nearly $2.5 billion dollars worldwide. The first two films were given exceptional reviews however the third one received mixed opinions. Although there were rumors that there would still be a fourth installation, it was discontinued but made way for an upcoming movie, mid-year of 2012.

The Amazing Spiderman is a reboot from Sam Raimi's films and is directed by Marc Webb. The plot takes Peter back to his teenage years and in high school making the production replace Tobey Maquire with Andrew Garfield. Peter's love interest in the movie happens to be Gwen Stacy played by Emma Stone. Providing articles, reviews and writings on movies online.

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.