During his tenure on the show, Murphy played many different characters, but he is best known for his portrayals of Buckwheat, Gumby, Mr. Robinson, Stevie Wonder, Jesse Jackson, and James Brown. Time Life has recognized Eddie Murphy’s overwhelming success and appeal by releasing a collection of sketches on a DVD entitled Saturday Night Live: The Best of Eddie Murphy.

The DVD features some of Murphy’s earliest television work and a collection of his greatest characters and impersonations, from the bendable Gumby to Stevie Wonder to everyone’s favorite rascal, Buckwheat. Also included on the DVD are a selection of skits and opening monologues that feature Eddie Murphy as himself.

Other sketches include the famous James Brown’s Celebrity Hot Tub, Black History Minute, Mr. Robinson’s Neighborhood, Buckwheat News, Little Richard Simmons, and much more. There are nearly 30 scenes in all. Fans of the series will also get an opportunity to enjoy appearances by Joe Piscopo, Robin Duke, Mary Gross, Tim Kazurinsky, and other classic SNL stars.

With the release of the Saturday Night Live: The Best of Eddie Murphy DVD, Time Life has created an excellent collection of Murphy’s work for his fans. The only disappointing aspect of the DVD is the long-lost sketches that were once included on the Saturday Night Live: Best of Eddie Murphy VHS. Famous skits, such as James Brown is Annie and Kill All the White People, were included on the original VHS release, however, they have been left out of the DVD edition. Those sketches could be considered politically incorrect and perhaps that is why they have been left out of the DVD. Of course, it could be for another reason, as the entire concept of Saturday Night Live is not exactly politically correct. On the other hand, most fans will not miss these particular bits given all of the other excellent selections that have been placed on the DVD.

Overall, whether you are a Murphy fan or not, you will enjoy this collection, which is lively and hilarious, featuring some of the best moments of the classic Saturday Night Live television show and the most memorable moments of Murphy’s SNL career.

Special Note: Saturday Night Live: The Best of Eddie Murphy probably shouldn’t be view by small children. (there are a few swear words), but the scenes on this DVD could probably be considered some of Eddie Murphy’s cleanest material when compared to his famous stand-up act and even some of his movies (Shrek and Doctor Dolittle aside).

The series as it exists today revolves around the lives of four young boys – Kyle, Kenny, Stan and Cartman. They’re now in 4th grade although they were in 3rd grade for many seasons. Each lives in South Park, Colorado where it almost always snows. Yup. Only one episode called “Summer Sucks” has featured snow.

The animation is as crude as the children on the series who love to curse and discuss disgusting stuff. The topics are full of fart and shit jokes; yet, we watch and laugh. The show has charm. It’s violent at times. Hey, Kenny has died hundreds of times. Just last season, they did him in for good; or so we thought.

South Park is good because it’s so bad. It’s a guilty pleasure. It’s one you wallow in. It’s piggish. Insanely so and deliciously decadent. The show is a real treat. Trey and Matt are NOT afraid to take one anyone – or anything. Here are some of my favorite skewerings by the South Part crew:

• Hay – Lo. “Hennifer” Lopez is a hand puppet, painted onto Cartman’s left hand. She steals Ben Affleck away from the diva and her film career.
• Osama Bin Laden in a Looney Tunes parody. He’s been hunted yet can hide so easily from the United States. Why can’t we find one man in all these caves? Why? Cartman torments him like Bugs Bunny torments Elmer Fudd; he even dresses up like a girl. All Osama can say is “Hadooka Dooka Dooka.”
• Barbra Streisand is an evil monster hell-bent on destroying the world. Only Robert Smith of the Cure can save the world from her.

South Park also makes fun of Canada. They never leave that poor nation alone. In fact, the film South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut had the US invading that nation. In other episodes, the boys have gone to Canada to find Kyle’s adopted brother, Ike. He was taken away from the family due to legislation passed by Canada’s new PM – Saddam Hussein, the Devil’s gay lover.

South Park has touched upon the boys’ growing interest in girls. One episode has the boys becoming enamored with Bebe. She’s the first to develop boobies. It makes her very popular with the boys and hated by the girls. In another episode, Butters, a sweet little boy who’s parents tried to say was kidnapped by some Puerto Rican Guy – the same “some Puerto Rican guy” who killed OJ’s wife, Nicole and JonBenet Ramsey, becomes enamored with a sluttly little girl waitress from “Raisins”, a “Hooters” knockoff.

The show makes no apologies for itself. It is what it is and will remain that way. Trey and Matt don’t cave under network pressure. They’ve poked fun at that too. In one episode they showed how saying SHIT on TV would open up the gates to Hell. That was funny as SHIT y’all.

I could go on and on about the series here. It’s an acquired taste that requires immature maturity and a bit of a mean streak to enjoy. The religious right and many republicans have denounced it and say that it “debases the moral fiber of our great nation.” South Park moons its critics and spits in their faces. It isn’t for everyone; but, it certainly has its place in TV history. I hope there are many more hysterical and crazy episodes to come.

There are funny scenes when Nick teases Kat about her old affection for the Australian pop group, Air Supply, and her ex-boyfriend tries to tell her something but is tongue-tied. Kat’s shock when she sees Nick naked and efforts to make her ex jealous also provide amusing moments.

But the film also has its serious moments as Kat struggles with her developing feelings for Nick, her love for Jeffrey (Jeremy Sheffield) and her step-sister’s doubts about her wedding.

This is a magical and very moving, romantic comedy in which a love affair is sensitively portrayed. Kat’s issues with her family are very easy to identify with and so is her difficulty with trying to get over Jeffrey. Nick’s profession is also dealt with well and Kat, who disapproves at first, gradually grows to respect him as he shows his intelligence and understanding of people.

A great soundtrack including songs by The Corrs and the velvet sound of Michael Buble helps the fast pace of the film and every song is well-chosen for this movie. The beautiful photography of the New York skyline, London and the English countryside makes this movie lovely to look at. The stars who all play the parts well, especially Debra Messing, who plays the shy and sweet Kat with great charm, and the very good-looking Dermot Mulroney. The script is quite cleverly adapted from the book, Asking for Trouble by Elizabeth Young providing good tension between Kat, Nick and Jeffrey.

This movie has everything for lovers of movie romance.

Proud

What should have been a slam-dunk (the story practically tells itself!) becomes almost laughable in the hands of an inexperienced director. Mary Pat Kelly adapts from her book Proudly We Served: The Men of the USS Mason, and handles directorial duties. But even the presence of veteran actor Ossie Davis can’t save a script that is woefully underdeveloped. Scenes lead nowhere, and since most of the real action takes place off-screen, the audience is robbed of any sense of participation. That and copious voiceover narration tells us what we should be seeing onscreen. Skip it.

Cast: Ossie Davis, Stephen Rea, Albert Jones, Erik LaRay Harvey
Director: Mary Pat Kelly
Rating: PG
Runtime: 87 min
Release Company: Lionsgate

Technophiles are living in interesting times at present. As well as the release of the XBox 360 there is the now confirmed November release of the PS3 as well as the potential all-out war between Panasonic et al and Sony et al in the battle of the next generation DVD. Panasonic very recently revealed that while the HD DVD players are ready to be shipped they would be waiting to coincide the release with the release of the first HD DVD movie titles in April. Sony, on the other hand, is not due to release blu-ray until May.

Blu-ray, like HD DVD, is a new standard in DVD format enabling greater amounts of storage on the discs, faster reading of the data on the disc and even improved quality with some extra hardware. In exchange, there will be a fairly hefty price tag bordering on an absolute minimum of $500 for a standard player. However, you do get a food amount of bang for your buck and presumably after a comparatively short space of time, this price tag will drop in age-old technological tradition.

How Does It Differ To Standard DVD?

Standard, current, DVDs use a 605mm red laser but in comparison the blu-ray players use a 405mm blue laser. The color difference may not sound immediately important, but in actual fact this decreased bandwidth means that much more data can be stored on a single disc. The pots that contain the data can be smaller and there will be less room needed between them. This adds up to an impressive 40GB of storage on a standard blu-ray disc. This stacks up incredibly well when compared to the 4.7GB of storage on a DVD and even the 30GB of storage offered on the dual layer HD DVD disc.

Who’s Responsible?

Blu-ray is being designed and sold by Sony. A number of large companies have also given their vocal, financial and technological support in this bid to outdo the Panasonic HD DVD format but only time will tell which will prove to be more popular. Indeed, HD DVD will have a head start but Sony has it’s own advantages in this upcoming format war.

What Are The Alternatives To Blu-Ray?

The blu-ray is being released at least a month after HD DVD and this means you will be given the choice of which you want to buy. The eventual decision will be likely to be based on your personal preference because both will perform at such high standards when compared to the DVDs we are used to now. Obviously, the blu-ray discs offer greater storage but at present there is no need for this level of storage. It’s difficult to say just how long it will be before the extra capacity will be needed, though. One sort of alternative that is likely to prove popular will be the PS3. Sony will release the PS3 in November and undoubtedly there will be people abstaining from the purchase of either an HD-DVD player or a blu-ray player because the PS3 will be available at the same sort of price but will offer much more.

Known Release Details For Blu-Ray.

There are scant amount of confirmed details regarding blu-ray release except to say that it is due for release in May and a player is expected to cost consumers a minimum of $500. Also known is that the PS3 will utilize blu-ray giving you another way to buy into the next generation DVD scene without breaking the bank twice to buy a separate DVD and games console.

Overall Blue-Ray View.

It’s really very difficult to predict whether the blu-ray or HD DVD will win this war, in fact it is difficult to know whether either will even become popular, however there is a very real chance that both companies and both systems will fight out the next generation DVD format war for some time to come. It is also conceivable that they will do equally well. HD DVD has a head start but blu-ray will be incorporated into the PS3. In all honesty, a lot of blu-ray success may be riding on the back of the success of the PS3.

The pouting French sex kitten made more than 40 movies, pioneered the `bed hair’ look (at a time when no one was exactly sure what it was called), and is immortalised forever as the model for `Marianne”, France’s symbol of justice and freedom.

Born in Paris, Bardot learned ballet and singing at an early age and became a model for magazines like Elle while she was still in her teens. It wasn’t long before her gamin beauty attracted the attention of film producers.

Her first screen appearance was in the 1952 movie Le Trou Normand. But it wasn’t until she met and married French director Roger Vadim at the age of 18, that her screen career really took off.

Vadim made her his muse and his Goddess. He was ten years older than Bardot, and it was the first marriage for both of them. Their most successful film together was And God Created Woman, in which Bardot played a teenage temptress caught in a triangle with two brothers.

The film sealed Bardot’s future as a star, but it also sealed the fate of the marriage. The couple were divorced a year later. A regretful Vadim said, “from the moment I liberated Brigitte, the moment I showed her how to be truly herself, our marriage was all downhill.”

Bardot remained France’s greatest movie star of the 60s – although she was considered too hot for Hollywood in the era of Doris Day, she did make a western, Shalako, which was universally panned.

Bardot’s look epitomised 60s beauty – heavily made up eyes, soft pouting lips with beige or pale pink lipstick, tousled blonde hair and short sweet dresses (when she wore any).

Bardot made her last film in the early 70s, and retired from movies at the age of 40. A long time animal lover, she chose to devote the rest of her life to pursuing the cause of animals’ rights. She created the Brigitte Bardot Foundation, which is currently protesting the hunting of bears and other wild animals in Romania.

Brigitte is no stranger to controversy. Her blatant sexuality, affairs and marriages made her a target in the 60s, and as an activist, she continues to stir criticism.

But in spite of her dedication to her cause, she will always be remembered as the 60s most bodacious babe.

Mark took classes at the Stella Adler Conservatory and co-founded the Orpheus Theatre Company. There, he participated in many aspects of production including acting, writing, directing, producing and even building sets. To supplement his income, he worked as a bartender for many years.

By chance, Ruffalo met Kenneth Lonergan, a playwright and screenwriter and soon found success in Lonergan’s play, This Is Our Youth. Around this time, he met Sunrise Coigney who would become his wife. They married in 2000. Mark won the role of Terry, the male lead in Lonergan’s film, You Can Count on Me, opposite Laura Linney. He gave an exceptional performance as Linney’s character’s brother, a troubled and irresponsible man. He received great reviews with some critics comparing him to Marlon Brando in the early years of his career.

Mark was set to appear in Signs but dropped out of the film when he was diagnosed with a brain tumor which turned out to be benign. His part went to Joaquin Phoenix. After surgery and temporary facial paralysis, Ruffalo fully recovered and returned to work, appearing in films such as Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, 13 Going on 30, Rumor Has It and Just Like Heaven.

Ruffalo continues to impress his audiences with his performances in lead roles as well as in character parts. Between big films, he occasionally directs and performs in smaller projects. He excels at playing complex characters and his fans look forward to seeing more of these from him.

Several characters in this film could potentially be identified as heroic. Robert Gould Shaw is an obvious choice in his portrayal of a shy, stubborn hero who struggles to mold his men into a competent fighting unit while overcoming racial prejudice. Denzel Washington’s portrayal of Trip is indeed award worthy and the character becomes an unlikely hero in the end. And Andrew Braugher is extremely convincing as Thomas Searles, an educated and affluent black man who is shocked at the harsh reality of the seemingly endless pain and indignities of his once enthusiastic quest to become a soldier.

A hero may be defined as someone who is moral, respectable, noble, and sacrifices himself for the greater good. While all of the aforementioned characters may fit into that mold, in my eyes, a hero is someone who is not perfect, but makes the most out of the cards he was dealt. A hero realizes his mistakes and misjudgments, and perhaps, even his shortcomings in character. However, a hero does his best to redeem himself and improve his life and the life of others. He is not boastful or arrogant, or acts supreme to others. On the contrary, a hero is someone who earns the respect and admiration of others by letting his true colors shine. The character in Glory that most exemplifies these traits is Rawlins, played by Morgan Freeman.

Rawlins was an unexpected hero. Who would have thought that a gravedigger at the beginning of the movie, who seemed to have been merely an extra, would become a key part in forming the cohesion of the 54th Regiment? Whereas Robert Gould Shaw and Thomas Searles were in the spotlight from the beginning, Rawlins seemed to have nothing more than a cameo appearance.

Rawlins morphs into a hero slowly, and finally earns his stripes when he is promoted to Sergeant. Even with rank as superior, he does not take advantage of the power bestowed upon him, but rather uses his influence to improve the men around him. His gentle manner and quiet intelligence is enough to demand the attention and respect of others. He is a hero because he has nothing to prove, little reason to step up to the plate, and yet he does it regardless, just because he believes in the greater good. He has several compelling scenes and speeches that set him above and beyond the rest of the cast. For example, after he is promoted to Sergeant, Trip (Denzel Washington) tells him that he “ain’t nothin’ but the white man’s dog,” prompting Freeman to slap him in the face. “And who are you? So full of hate that you have to fight everybody, because you’ve been whipped and chased by hounds. Well that might not be living, but it sure as hell ain’t dying. And dying’s been what these white boys have been doing for going on three years now, dying by the thousands — dying for you, fool.” Rawlins makes such a huge, heroic impact with just his words, understated actions and absence of bravado. A true hero does not repeatedly save the day and somehow conquer all evil. A true hero emerges from the background to become a leader, a brother, a father, and an inspiration to all lives he touches. Rawlins accomplished all of this through genuine compassion, strength, and the ultimate sacrifice of laying his own life on the line for the greater good.

This film is a moving examination of the 54th Regiment and its white officers as they struggle to triumph over the obstacles of fighting a war, while overcoming prejudice. At first glance, the film may appear to be a historical take on the Civil War, but mostly this film is about the formation of relationships among men who have everything to lose, as they embark on a journey that changes each and every one of them.

In 480 B.C. there was one lone civilization that stood for freedom, humanity and progress while deeply rooted in the traditions of the past.

That civilization was Sparta, part of the unified collection of states and provinces that formed Greece. Sparta was the first democratic civilization where all men were free under the law, and women were permitted to speak freely among men.

Through many attempts by enemies and warlords to conquer the city over centuries, the people of Sparta knew that their freedom and principles did not come free or easy. Because of this, all Spartan men were taken from their homes at the age of seven to live a fierce and brutal life of training in the wilderness. From this early age the men of Sparta were trained to kill, not fear death, and defend the honor of their beliefs more bravely than any group in history.

When adult men had completed their training they would return again to live among the people of the city, ready at a moments notice to defend her if the call should go out.

From this environment is where Sparta’s King Leonidas came from. Fulfilling his destiny at only 11 years of age Leonidas slew a giant hungry wolf without fear or hesitation, and wore its fresh skin as he walked through the kingdom’s gates. Leonidas was noble and proud, and by the age of 40 was one of the greatest kings in Sparta’s history.

It is in this time frame that the Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro), the king of Persia and self-proclaimed god, began to assemble armies and invade any and all kingdoms in his path, attempting to become the first king to rule over the entire known world.

When a Persian messenger rides to the kingdom to demand Sparta’s surrender he is not only openly defied by King Leonidas (Gerard Butler), but by his wife, Queen Gorgo (Lena Headey) as well.

Sparta’s defiance triggers a full scale invasion by the Persians, who plan to take Sparta by force. King Leonidas intends to show the Persian army the full wrath of Sparta.

Unfortunately for Leonidas the religious figures and politicians of his kingdom are already corrupted and being bribed by the Persians. Receiving vast amounts of Persian gold the policy makers need only to thwart their own king. The advisors of Sparta decree that King Leonidas must not go to war or be in violation of his own laws and be subject to punishment.

With his hands tied Leonidas finds a loop hole by deciding to assemble his own force of armed body guards. The body guards consist of the 300 greatest fighting men of the kingdom of Sparta, and must accompany the king any time he is outside the walls of his kingdom.

The king decides to takes his group, joined by citizen volunteers from another Greek settlement, to a narrow mountain passing near the sea known as the “Hell Gate”. Here the lone king and his band of 300 warrior brothers will make a final stand and hold back the army of no less than 200,000 Persian warriors.

For the most part this movie was incredibly faithful to the graphic novel by Frank Miller which it is based on.

In viewing this film any average moviegoer will be stunned by the sheer beauty of it. 300 is a cinematic marvel that is both visually stunning and breathtaking.

Excellent adaptation and screenwriting by Zack Snyder and Kurt Johnstad brings real humanity to the story and viewers will quickly find themselves emotionally drawn to the character relationships within this film.

Gerard Butler and Lena Headey, as the king and queen of Sparta, give the performance of their careers in this movie. Other cast members such as Rodrigo Santiago, David Wenham (Dilios) and Vincent Regan (Captain) also turn in stellar performances.

The beauty and glory of the ancient civilization of Sparta truly live again in this film.

Although heavy on action the film is not so much short on story as it is providing only what we need to know. There is nothing wrong with that. This movie also breaks the trend of epic battle movies having to have an epic running time. The 117 minute length not only works for this movie, but works in its favor in my books. The creators have mastered the art of leaving the audience wanting more.

This is a film that I will definitely go see again when it is officially released in theatres.

Not to downplay the theatrical success of Frank Miller’s other theatrical adaptations, such as Sin City, but 300 sets a new bar for quality of graphic novel adaptations to film and surpasses its other comic based predecessors by leaps and bounds.

A knock out movie that is sure to set records in the 2007 film season.