Judd Winick is a great guy.
931160
My son loves these books.  Judd Winick is a great guy.
1252477
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was so ballsy of Judd Apatow to have pursued interviews of comedic talent on the cusp of greatness (e.g. Leno, Seinfeld) when he was in high school working for some two bit school radio station. I was genuinely surprised and impressed all of the comics, when learning this 'radio host' was a mere teenager, politely answered all of Apatow's very qualified questions without taking the piss out of him. The current interviews of comedians + others (e.g. Spike Jonze) are interesting and more nuanced, giving the reader great insights into what makes these amazingly talented people tick. Judd Apatow seems like a great guy -- appropriately complimentary to his interviewers, never boastful about his ridiculously impressive credentials. It's a good read for anyone who loves comedy or in a creative profession.
3621109
I can't say as I remember this being released in the cinemas, so it sure took me by surprise seeing it on DVD. This is one heck of a romp.

I knew a bit about Ian Dury but not much. I knew the songs of his that managed to garner some air time and I knew he was afflicted with polio as a boy, but that's about the extent of it. Watching this movie was like walking into Ian Dury World. What an unbelievably colorful character. And what a great way to present him in a movie.

I'd seen "Ray" and "I Walk the Line" and I enjoyed them enough, but they look entirely pedestrian compared to this. Here is a movie about a rock star and it contains very little footage of him making, recording or performing music. It's about him. Who he is, how he thinks, his bad sides and good sides. He's bright and imaginative and he's almost always "on." It occurred to me that he wasn't really a musician at all but an artist that expressed himself through music. They make note of the fact that he always needed someone in the band to help him write tunes.

The movie itself is a hoot. It captures the time perfectly. It's goofy and adventurous, with a lot of funny, wild 'sign of the times' nuances in art, fashion and.......music.

The performances are generally good as well. Olivia Williams is gorgeous as ever and turns in a fine performance as Dury's wife. Naomie Harris is good as the girlfriend. But the shining star is Andy Serkis. He steals the show. I liked his portrayal so much I wanted to call him up and have a beer with him.

There is nothing I didn't like about this movie. It's a wild and fresh approach to the genre and could probably be enjoyed by someone who doesn't even know who Ian Dury is. The production values are good. I had problems understanding some of the dialogue but I'm not certain if it were in the production or the thick accents. But this is a minor quibble compared to all else it has to offer.

If you need a real shot in the arm, this might do the trick for you.
3882754
This is a goldmine of conversations between Judd Apatow and successful people in the entertainment industry (mostly comedians). I enjoyed seeing how decent and hard-working the majority were. How much they slaved to get to where they are. How smart they are. Some of it resonated for me as a writer, to see how another creative person works.

What I liked the least: when interviewees recited their job histories.

What I liked the most: when they spoke about the bigger issues about life. Here are a few examples.

Harold Ramis: "...youre famous. Now what? Now it becomes a measure of character, growth, and development. Who do you want to be from that point on?...Growth is hard...When you're almost sixty years old theres got to be something more going on. What are the challenges of being a grown-up in the world?" (Lynne: I loved this, because I'm all about rethinking things when you're around 50, 60, and older).

Jerry Seinfeld on being a dad: "...my son (insulted me) even worse than that. We were making up words as a game at dinner one night and I said, 'You know, I've made up a lot of words that people actually use as words.' And my son said, 'Uh, really, like what? UNFUNNY?'"

Larry Gelbart: "I don't worry about what (the audience will) get. I write for myself on the assumption that there are a number of people who have similar sensibilities and will appreciate what it is..."

Lena Dunham: "There are always people telling you that your experience doesnt matter, that its navel gazing or unnecessary. 'We don't need to hear about twentysomething girls who feel like they're ten pounds overweight. We don't need to hear about forty-year-olds getting divorced.' But we do need to hear it, because...it can be the difference between someone feeling like they have a place in the world and someone feeling they dont." (Lynne: I write for people who are 60-something, so thank you for the validation, Lena.)

Louis C.K. on not being chosen for gigs: "I'm glad I didn't get it. I'm glad for every single thing I didn't get."

Great interview question: Judd asks, "Who's voice is in your head that's wise?"

Mike Nichols: every scene is either a fight, a seduction, or a negotiation.

Judd: "When your parents behave in ways that make you feel unsafe, you think, 'Oh, I guess Im in charge of myself.' And when you're fourteen, thats not a great thing. It kind of never goes away. As a producer, Im always assuming things are going to crash and Im trying to figure out what could go wrong before it happens. Its helpful for work. But its a terrible way to live your life." (Lynne: amen, brother.)

I could go on, but you get the idea. I think Judd Apatow poured his considerable heart and soul into this book, and I recommend it.
3943747
Ah, Tom Selleck. Love him. Great acting, great characters, wholesome entertainment, intriguing plot line, beautiful Golden Retriever, lovely scenery. A joy to watch.
3145833
RocknRolla  I think is easily Guy Richie's best film.  I don't think there's much character development going on. But it's such a good time that I didn't care. It's stylish and fun and pretty near as good as Pulp Fiction.

  The film has a great cast and a kick ass score. The music almost steals the show it's so good. However, Toby Kebbell as a junkie is the actor that steals the show. Everyone is good, but it's Kebbell who's performance was Oscar worthy.

  I should also mention that I think Gerald Butler also does his best work. The way he reacts when one of his friends in his gang confesses to wanting him, is hilarious. While his dance scene with Thandie Newton is about as strange and fun as John Travolta's with Uma Thurman in Pulp Fiction.

  Speaking of Newton she's her sexiest here as Butler's boss who sends him on life threating errands that she sees as easy jobs.  While Tom Wilkinson gives one of his best performances as a scummy mob boss. No one plays that part better than Wilkinson I think. He was awesome in Batman Begins and is just as good here. The actor who played Archie was also brilliant, I think it's Mark Strong, not sure.
388777
I saw it tonight after only having seen it in the theatres, and it has worn very well.  It's a very very funny movie that runs the cliches from other movies into the ground, and has its share of running gags of its own.  The performances are priceless:  Lithgow is a hilarious mad scientist type, and Goldblum is outstanding in a very dry performance, seemingly completely unawares of his ridiculousness.  Weller is a great, sincere straight-man to all the lunacy.  Supporting characters are great cartoons in and of themselves.  The charcater names alone are a hoot:  "John Small Berries," for instance.  Gotta love it!
2236244
I will admit that the casting here is delicious (that applies, right?) and so my appetite was wet and my interest was peaked long before sitting in the theater.  George Clooney, at the time, was one of my favorite actors (he's suffered from overexposure for me; 2005 did it for me) and you can't deny the charm and appeal of actors like Brad Pitt, Matt Damon and the undeniably brilliant Julia Roberts.  Add to the mix funnyman Bernie Mac as well as brilliant actors like Andy Garcia and Don Cheadle, not to mention a slew of young actors like Casey Affleck (who would have ever thought he'd rise from this to become `Robert Ford'), Topher Grace and James Caan's son Scott and you have yourself guaranteed success; right?

I would think you, so sadly there is just something about this movie that doesn't work.  I think the main issue is that when all is said and done `Ocean's Eleven' is just not that memorable.  Sure, the cast is great and everyone does a superb job.  Sure, the plot is decent and the dialog and funny, but in the end it all just kind of rests there, never `popping' so-to-speak.  I just expected to be wowed and I truly wasn't.

It was kind of dull.

The plot revolves around Danny Ocean, recently released from prison, who bands together with his ten partners in crime to knock off three successful Las Vegas casinos.  Sure, the money is a huge bonus, but the real reason for the caper is to win back Ocean's ex-wife Tess who is now attached to the owner of these casinos, Terry Benedict.  Benedict is not only money hungry but he's ruthless and thus it makes the job all the more difficult for Ocean and his crew.

Director Steven Soderbergh is good at extracting wonderful performances from his cast (just look at the effortlessness that permeated the sets of `Traffic' and `Erin Brockovich') and here is no different.  George Clooney is his charming, natural self (I much prefer this side of him to his over praised dramatic work) and Brad Pitt is actually quite funny.  Julia Roberts is really the heart and soul of this film though.  From the minute she walks on the screen the film turns on its head.  But even she can't save it from mediocrity.  The film as a whole just doesn't do anything special, it doesn't become anything memorable.  In the end it is nothing more than a decent buddy flick with some laughs.  It's not a movie you can really enjoy multiple times, which is sad to say since the cast alone should have guaranteed the films longevity.

I have yet to see the two sequels, yet I hear this is the best of the three so it's not a good sign.  A lot of people enjoyed this movie, but it appears after reading many of the reviews that they feel as I do.  Sure, this film has its moments and it is in no way shape or form a bad movie.  It is fun and it is enjoyable, but when it's over you won't be aching to watch it again.
3612998
A few really good movies from a truly great actor. Very entertaining and great quality
754164
Director Judd Apatow makes another R rated comedy with a heart.  He makes characters that are real and we can relate to with raunchy humor, however he slyly wraps it up with a message about responsibility as he did in 40 Year Old Virgin with celibacy.
A hilarious, real, and ultimately touching film with a message and one of the best of 2007.

This is one of the highest rated films of the year it earned a 91% positive rating out of 177 critics reviews.

Heres info I found on the dvd on movieweb:

According to The Digital Bits, Judd Apatow's box office smash Knocked Up is going to be coming to DVD in 4 different versions on September 25 from Universal Studios Home Entertainment.

There is going to be an "R-rated widescreen, Unrated (and Unprotected) widescreen and Full Frame (that will sell for $29.98 each) and a 2-disc special edition in Unrated (and Unprotected) widescreen (that will sell for $30.98), as well as an DVD/HD-DVD Combo version of the Unrated edition (that will sell for $39.98)."

DVD Features:
- Audio commentary with writer/director Judd Apatow, executive producer/star Seth Rogen and actor Bill Hader
- Deleted scenes
- Extended and alternate scenes
- Gag reel
- "Line-O-Rama" Featurette
- "Roller Coaster Doc" Featurette
- "Directing the Director" Featurette
- "Topless Scene: Wed Design Company" Featurette
- Loudon Wainwright III music video
- Picture in Picture video during the film (HD version only)
3399631
I like Brian Keith in anything. He is so laid back and natural in his performances, much like Brando and Dean were.
3920063
I should have purchased it. I know I'll want to watch it many more times.  You get a wonderful sense of Ralph as a person, and get to see him create a few pieces of art at his studio. Just lovely.
4065646
I got this for my father's birthday. He loved it, and asked me to watch with him. Now I understand why.

The lead character, Paladin, is the type of character that's almost perfect in every way. He went to Harvard, traveled the world, speaks a dozen languages, knows the finer workings on a great number of subjects, and basically knows something about everything. A Gary Stu, if you know what that term means.

He manages to rise above all of that by the grace of a singe aspect: his passion on doing right. His moral compass points straight at good and never seems to waver. Regardless of who hires him, only good will come of his work. He refuses jobs that run counter to his morals. And while he is a gun for hire, he only ever uses the gun as an absolute last resort.

I'm quite impressed with the character on the whole and would very strongly recommend this to anyone. Especially those with a love for the wild west.
3625197
Funny guy, good comedy, good physical comedy as well.
3439974
This guy has heart. You gotta give this guy alot of credit. He does what he loves. And this documentary pulls no punches. I hope Speedo and his kids are doing well. If you like gritty documentaries Speedo is for you.
3921873
Had a friend once who snickered at my enthusiasm for this movie. The brainless cretin described it a "chick flick" and I had to give him a long winded explanation of why he was once more way off the beam.
"Goodwill Hunting" is a classic guy movie about guys who do guy things. Above all other story elements, this is a movie about boyhood friends and the uncompromising loyalty of those friendships. There are scenes here that should make you miss the buddies you turned of age with, those great friends who were there when you had your first drink, chased your first skirt and got into your first bar brawl.
Will Hunting is a genius and that becomes the crux of the film. He is a genius, yes. But mostly, he is a young man with the typical frustrations and misgivings that come with the age. He has issues with girls, issues with the law, and issues with his own place in the world.
This quickly became one of my all-time favorites because it is a movie with endless depth and substance. The story of the young punk with a criminal record outshining the rest of mathematical minds is compelling from the start. So is the attempt by the bedraggled but committed psychiatrist to reach the boy and the weird friendship that forms between them.
South Boston serves as a beautiful and shabby backdrop as Hunting feels himself drifting away from his buddies as his genius gets more attention from the world of universities and prestige he is unfamiliar with. He wants to continue working construction and hanging out in the seedy bars with his friends, rather than have his fluke ability exploited by men with greedy ambitions and concerns over petty things like tenure.
Matt Damon is stellar as the streetwise Hunting, an orphan with an attitude. Robin Williams leaves his goofiness behind and plays the aging psychiatrist who was once a tough young man just like the kid he is trying to help. While praising that pair, no one should overlook the talents of Ben Affleck, who was a credible actor before he started landing on the tabloid covers.
The relationship between Damon and Affleck is powerful. The latter knows his childhood friend is bound for great things and prods him to achieve in that silent, macho way good friends have.
"If you're still here in ten years, I'll kill you. That's not a threat, it's a fact. I'll freakin' kill you," Affleck says, as the two take time for a beer during lunch break at work. Because that is how good friends talk to each other when crucial matters are at hand.
Watching as Hunting battle with himself as he ponders the idea of flying away from the tough but familiar streets he grew up on is only half the allure of this film. Each character that comes into Hunting's world is rich and dynamic, and somehow vital to the decisions the young genius needs to make.
This one is never far off my top five list of all-time movie greats. And not just because it's great to see a tough southy intellectually thrashing a silver spoon college kid, either.
3738170
He's the best actor to play superman.  I never get tire of watching Christopher Reeve play superman and Brandon Routh was very good also.  Brandon Routh was actually very good in this movie and I don't why people complain about it.  I very like this movie.  Nobody will ever replace Christopher Reeve, but Brandon Routh was the next closer to him.  The new movie Man of steel was okay.