2) Watched it this morning and this is a nice film when you don't want toget up somehow. I really liked it because it is different to thatstandard Hollywood-Story. It's a German film and you know that from thebeginning, but there are a lot that try to be like American ones andthat is what makes them wretched. Have to watch a lot of these films,cause the agreement with my girlfriend is, one film for me one for her:) But this film I watched without her, spontaneously. It is funny, butnot like a comedy with its easy and "a thousand times in every comedyseen jokes" and it is romantic, but not that hardcore sobstuff withultra slushy music. It's not like the ones where you know what the endwill be like. The two perspectives so one time from Adam's and then inEva's, well done. And if you don't have the perfect relationship (evenif you do have) with your girl or boy, guess it will make you thinkabout it. Give it a chance and I bet you will be surprised.

Sorry for my English, know it's not perfect.

2) They say, they say… They say Swedish film is not what it used to be. Andmoviegoers may have that in mind when they search for new talent. But thismovie is hilarious – and heart-warming too. The breakfast scene is aclassic. Josefin is scrumptious. Kjellman is the perfect anti-hero. Butthishas a message too – namely that nothing is given, and that if two peopleareright for each other, no history and no circumstance will categoricallykeepthem apart. This may not be Swedish film at its best, but it’s good – asgood today as it gets.

3) This was one of the best romantic movies I have seen in a long time. I amfrom Sweden, but live in the U.S. since 15 years, and often get theopportunity to watch Swedish movies. I am glad I bought this one onDVD.

The script is sharp and witty. There are a few LOL moments, but many morejust cute and amusing scenes. Something Hollywood could learn from, nottrying too hard.

The anti-hero is truly that, he wants to do the right thing, but alwaysseems to be doing the opposite. There is good chemistry between the twomain players. Josefin Nilsson does not only give a fine performance, sheisa delight to look at.

The movie did not feel too predictable and it’s about situations most ofushave been in. Not appreciating what we have, until it’s too late. Seethismovie if you get the chance!

4) A hilarious comedy that sends up film techniques while providing aninteresting character study. The film begins where Hollywood romances leaveoff. A young firefighter saves a woman from a blazing building. They kissand fall in love. The closing credits roll. Then Adam and Evabegins.

It’s exuberant directing never overshadows the characters that make up itsstory. The romance seems to have faded from their relationship and thecouple discusses divorce. Then Adam has an affair and the ball getsrolling.

Sometimes a little too much is compacted into the story, as though the filmmakerknew this was the only film they’d ever make, and they wanted to geteverything in it.

5) This master piece went straight to my heart.The performances of Josefin Nilsson and Bjorn Kjellman took the art ofacting to another level.Not to forget Reine Brynolfsson´s wonderful character as Adam´s olderbrother.I just loved it.One of the best movies I´ve ever seen.

6) I hoped a lot for this movie. I was ,to my surprise, very disappointed.Thedialogues were stupid and the situation comedy just didn’t make me laugh.What people always have been talking about is how good this movie shouldbeor how romantic it was. I must say that it WAS NOT romantic. The twoleadingcharacters didn’t spark enough for me. There are better movies to see ifyouwant to see a romantic comedy. Anything with Meg Ryan in forexample.* * ½ out of * * * * *

7) I hoped a lot for this movie. I was ,to my surprise, very disappointed. Thedialogues were stupid and the situation comedy just didn’t make me laugh.What people always have been talking about is how good this movie should beor how romantic it was. I must say that it WAS NOT romantic. The twoleadingcharacters didn’t spark enough for me. There are better movies toseeif you want to see a romantic comedy. Anything with Meg Ryan in forexample.* * ½ out of * * * * *

"Adagio" which is a philosophical parable exploring the conflictbetween a hero and the crowd is loosely based on a romantic short storywritten by the famous Russian writer Maxim Gorky about a young mannamed Danko and his burning heart. In the story, Danko belonged to atribe of strong men that were forced by their enemies to retreat intothe depths of an old dark forest filled with swamps. Danko, young andbrave, believed that there was a way out of dark and hostile forest,and he bravely led the people deeper inside. But soon they started togrumble. Fueled by fear and darkness, frustration and anger grew amongthem. Danko looked at the people and saw only hatred in their faces,and the flame of desire to save them flared up in his heart.

"This flame of love for his people became stronger and stronger, andsuddenly, overpowering the sound of thunder, Danko exclaimed: 'Whatshall I do for my people?' And he tore apart his chest and tore out hisheart and raised it high over his head. It blazed like the sun, evenbrighter than the sun, and the forest, stunned by this overwhelminglove for the people, became quiet. Danko ran forward, holding high hisburning heart, lighting the road for the people, and they rushed afterhim. Suddenly, the forest ended, and they emerged into an ocean ofsunshine and fresh air, cleansed by the rain. Danko looked at the freeland, laughed proudly and fell dead. And the happy people, filled withgreat hopes and expectations, did not even notice Danko's death and didnot see that next to his body his brave heart still burned brightly.Only one person noticed it and fearing something, stomped on the proudheart and extinguished its flame… "

In his short amazing animation, Bardin was able to meditate on manyburning issues – intolerance to different opinions and religions,ignorance and lack of desire to learn the history lessons, suspicionthat easily turns to hatred for someone who stands out. It is easier toworship the dead hero than to follow him while he is alive. It isunbearable to see that someone is pure and shining – it feels great tosmear them, to make them as grey as everyone else around. "Adagio in Gminor" widely known as simply Albinoni's Adagio, one of the mostfrequently recorded pieces of Baroque music, brings tragic and sublimemourning to the film. Well, I can go on for long time about deepmeaning of Bardin's images and his pessimistic outlook at the modernsociety but first and foremost, "Adagio" is a fabulous work of art byan Artist who is known for almost supernatural sense of material.Bardin uses the objects that surround us in everyday life – matches,ropes, wires, and paper as the characters in his animated films.

The movie’s title translates as ‘Ada! That’s not polite!’ which is alsothe title of the best and most prominent song in this film’s score.

I hope I’ve spelt all these names properly. Here goes: Ada Dziewanowski(Loda Niemirzanka) comes from a respectable and wealthy family, but sheis outgoing and impulsive, instead of being the subdued ‘lady-like’type that her widower father (Antoni Fertner) feels she should be. Herfather has chosen a husband for her: Frederick (Alexander Zabcynski),the handsome young son of a baron. But Ada’s father insists that shemust learn proper behaviour before getting married. So, he sends heroff to a very strict finishing school.

As luck would have it, the school’s music teacher (Casimir Krukowski)has written a full-blown operetta. This is Ada’s cue to go into LittleMiss Fix-It mode. She squeezes enough kopecks out of her father’sexchequer to mount a full-scale production of the operetta, performedby her talented friends from the school. This movie’s scriptwriterwants to make sure there’s no possible doubt in our minds that ourheroine’s motives are unselfish, so Ada doesn’t cast herself in thelead role: that part goes to the much older Eira Roletti, who is such aflaming bitch that it’s obvious she’s not going to make it to openingnight.

SPOILERS COMING: This whole movie is froth, so the ending meets all theaudience’s expectations. At the last minute on opening night, Eiracan’t go on, so Ada (for everybody else’s sake, of course) is forced tostep into the starring role. The show is of course a huge hit, and allends happily. I was hoping that Freddy would refuse to marry Ada on thegrounds that she’s a common vulgar actress (ugh!), but I guess he wastoo busy counting her father’s money.

‘Ada! That’s not polite!’ never attempts to be anything more thanentertainment. It’s more successful than I’d expected it to be, and thephotography (especially in the crowd scenes and chorus numbers) isbetter than I’d hoped. It’s nice to know that people in Poland in 1936could still divert themselves with froth like this. In the closingnumber, I could hear jackboots approaching from stage left (Germany)*and* from stage right (Russia). I’ll rate this 7 out of 10.

• Director Cameo: [Rudy Soedjarwo] as Cinta’s brother. A rear shot of him can be seen when Cinta told her brother that she was going to leave the house, and in some photos in Cinta’s room.
• The lead character’s name, Cinta, in English translates as “Love”.
• Titled “Beautiful Day in Japan”.

This is one teen flick that you’ll regret you didn’t take the time towatch. It revolves around average people leading average lives, whichmakes it so easy to relate to. It tells a story of the choices you’veto make in your life. Choosing your friends or your boyfriend. Manypeople are faced with this challenge in life, and this movieexcellently portrays Cinta’s (Love; the girl’s name) social life(involving her four best friends) and the boy whom she fell in lovewith.

She has two choices to make–choose her friends, or Rangga (the boy).She finally has to make this decision one day when Alya (who seems tobe in a terrible state), her best friend, calls her and asks her outjust when she’s about to go and see Rangga.

What makes this movie so memorable, so beautiful is that it is no wherenear shallow. It revolves around the problems that plague teenagersaround the world today, as well as political problems that manycountries currently face. It also promotes "karya sastera", orliterature, and poetry as well as music amongst teenagers. After all,it is literature that brings Cinta and Rangga together.

I watched this movie over and over, and each time I walked out of thecinema feeling strangely elated. "Ada Apa Dengan Cinta?" reminds you ofhow it was like being young and innocent and free. It reminds you ofthe beauty of young love, and the importance of friends. It reminds youof how the strangest circumstances can bring people together and forgea bond so tight that not even distance would never be able to separatethem.

2) WARNING – SPOILERS BELOW!

Cinta (whose name means "love") is a girl at high school in the wealthyJakarta suburb of Swirijaya Golf. She and her four girlfriends – Maura,Alia, Karmen and Milly – do everything together, both socially and atschool. Cinta has a boyfriend, Borne, but has no real feelings for him.Cinta also writes poetry, and the other four girls are sure she will win theschool poetry competition. But the prize goes instead to a moody loner,Rangga. Partly out of jealousy, Cinta decides to interview him for theschool paper, but Rangga wants no part of it. He didn’t even enter thecompetition – it was his only friend, the school caretaker Mr Wardiman, whoentered one of Rangga’s poems on his behalf. Though neither Cinta nor Ranggawants to admit it, they click. Cinta begins to turn up late, or not at all,for dates with her girlfriends. Without telling them, she is seeing Rangga.Their first date ends badly when they argue and she storms out of asecond-hand book dealer’s, where they have gone on the pretext of trackingdown an out-of-print novel. Borne gets to hear about it and brings some ofhis friends to confront Rangga. They beat him up, but this only brings Cintaand Rangga back together. Cinta gets a glimpse outside her privileged worldwhen she meets Yusrizal, Rangga’s father, who is an academic. For exposinggovernment corruption in 1996, he was fired and persecuted, and evendeserted by his wife and all his children except for Rangga. Cinta is justasking him "But hasn’t there been reform now?" when thugs on motorbikes tossfirebombs through the window. Yusrizal puts out the fires as if it’s aneveryday occurrence and Rangga tell Cinta that it’s no use making acomplaint because "no action will be taken." Later Cinta accepts Rangga’sinvitation to the Blues Cafe, where Rangga’s cousin Rama is a singer. Ramainvites her to perform and she recites Rangga’s winning poem. But when shegets home, her parents are on their way to hospital. Cinta’s friend Alia hasattempted suicide after suffering years of violence at the hands of herfather. Cinta blames herself because she had chosen to go out with Ranggainstead of seeing Alia. The other girls turn on her, and she turns onRangga. But Alia recovers and the girls see their mistake. They realise thatCinta loves Rangga, and urge her to make it up with him. Then they hear fromMr Wardiman that Rangga is leaving to study in New York. The girlscommandeer the car of the school nerd, Mamet, and rush to the airport, whereCinta and Rangga are reconciled. He still has to go to New York, but heleaves her his book of poems, in which he promises to come back toher.

3) After seeing this movie for the second time, I must admit: My oppinion aboutthis movie changed completely.This movie tells the story about 5 girls, heart to heart friends, who sharetheir most inner secrets.This friendship gets damaged when one of the girls (Cinta) falls in lovewith a handsome, sometimes cool, classmate (Rangga) and she keeps thissecret for herself.Their love gets tested when one of the girls ends up in the hospital afterCinta ignores her phonecall due to her date with Rangga.The girls get back together and Cinta and Rangga? To know the answer youHAVE to wathc this movie.

This movie is unlike other Indonesian movies, a film from this millenium.The world of (upperclass) Indonesian teenagers (expensive houses, their ownrooms with stereo, driving cars), but the average teenager from Indonesiarecognizes him/herself in this drama.Comments and sighs are heard throughout the whole movie, and when the timesseem to come that the two young lovers are going to kiss, the whole audienceparticipates and encourages them. Before the kiss comes though, they have towait a long time…

Picture, sound, music, acting, it all shows that Indonesian filmmakers areon the move, and that somehow the time for Hollywood isover.Films from Indonesia, Asia, new Zealand and Uk are doing better than moviesfrom the USA, and the Asian audience as well as many westerners discoverthat there is more than Hollywood.hopefully the time comes that Indonesian movies get recognition by theinternational audience and that the films made in Bollywood get the samequality as this little jewel from Indonesia.Thumbs up for this teenage drama!!!

4) Rather than use "What’s Up with Love?" as the English translation tothe title, I would have used "What is it about Love?". Certainly, theplot is basically about two teenagers experiencing those roller-coasteremotions that come with the first yearnings of love/mutual attraction.They find themselves behaving quite unlike their usual selves, and itmakes them stop and ask the question "What is it about love?". (Ofcourse, it ties in nicely that the female protagonist’s name is Cinta,which is "love" in Indonesian).

The plot is universal enough for anyone to relate to. So the realattraction of this movie lies in the strong script, the good shots usedand the ability of the young actors to interact with each otheron-screen. They don’t seem camera-conscious and they aren’t given awfullines or skimpy clothes that seem to be standard stuff in teen movies.

I’m jaded when it comes to watching teen movies (in fact I hardlybother with them now that I’m not a teen) but this one I really liked.Cinta’s school friends certainly remind me of the friends I had inschool, so it was pretty realistic to me.

What ties it all together is the clever use of an awesome soundtrackwith all original songs written by the brilliant Melly Goeslaw. Themusic itself can tell the story, and that says a lot for it.

There are weak moments, as there are in most movies. But nothing I’vecringed at, or anything I care to remember. I cannot understand much ofthe Indonesian language and yet the movie spoke to me, so I give it mythumbs up.

5) Well, I only have a chance to watch this film on VCD because I don’t havemuch courage to go to theatre and have to deal with thoseteenagers…Speaking about age, right??This is absolutely the best Indonesian film on the last three years… Iwatched Pasir Berbisik with Dian Sastro on it as well, but I have to saythat A2DC is far more better. Not pretentious to be ‘art’ film like PasirBerbisik of course, but it is believable and somehow get me hooked into thestory….Dian Sastro should be ranked as Indonesia Sweetheart of this days…Not tocompare with those beauty no-brain on sinetron (tv show) who just mumblethrough the whole episodes without much depth exploration…!!!

Kudos to all of the casts and crews…Yet, I don’t know that Mang Diman hasalready passed away until I watched the last credit…*Sigh*

6) It’s a local champ, and can be a very entertaining teen flick worldwide.Real characters fill this high-school love movie. The script smoothlyrunsthe story, and strongly constructs the whole first love theme. Thelove-and-hate chemistry between the main characters works very well too.Actually, the scene where Rangga (the guy, Nicholas Saputra) dropped hisprecious book in Cinta (the girl, Dian Sastro) is too much of acoincidence… and simply the easiest way to move the story forward. Stillacceptable,though. Supporting actress Ladya Cheryll (as Alya, Cinta’s friend)deliversa very natural screen-stealing performance. Good music, good faces, goodending too. Overall, this is the kind of movie for a date, for a lazySundayafternoon, and for all time.

7) Ada Apa Dengan Cinta? What is wrong with love? that’s a good questionafterhaving seen this movie.The movie never really becomes interesting for the intelligent audience.Itis a story about love yes, but nothing special when you compare it to allthe awful cinetron’s (local soaps) that haunts the Indonesian televisionstations. "Ada apa dengan cinta" is just a soap for the cinema, and itdoesatract mostly teenagers.Well, it is actually about teenage love, and most teens who watch thismoviethink it is a movie in western style, different from the local Indonesianblockbusters.The actors however are really acting like amateurs, the story never getsreally exiting, although the screams of some teenagers during the moviemakeyou think you are watching a drama like "Shakespeare in love". Indonesianteenagers scream at any movie… For me it was very boring, although thepicture and sound quality are much better than most Indonesian movies Ihaveseen so far.I am not going to say that you should not see it, you have to judge foryourself, like you have to do with every movie. But if you expectsomethingspecial from Indonesia that will perform well on the internationalfilmfestivals, you’ve got it wrong. For that, Indonesian actors will needmore training (especially their way of talking is overdramatic), and theIndonesian filmindustry will need more funds.Maybe the succes of movies like "Jelangkung" and "Ada apa dengan cinta?"will bring financial resources to make something more beautyfull?

All you really need is one book that you don't have to be clean tohold!

So being about linguistics, is that Sophie Marceau is still lost in afrench jungle. We will still take the guy who 'tick him off, to theback, beat him up, and sue the editor for all the Star Newspaper isworth.

In America, they do it, 'for Why Let It Slide??' We'll do it, not toshow face!! And we'll go ALL THE WAY!

i LIED, they'didn't make a Rambo III.

And I'LL DO IT AGAIN! FOR My cousin!

shafique

9) I must admit that AADC is a movie in my guilty enjoyment list. The onlyreason why I watched it was because I liked its soundtracks that was onheavy airplay on MTV and couldn’t help but catch glimpses of thecuriosity-arousing scenes. And I must say, I was not disappointed.

I appreciate the elements in this movie that make it so different fromthe typical soap-ish Indonesian movie… the fact Cinta and Rangga’sinterests were rare classical Indonesian literature, the contrastingbackgrounds of Cinta and Rangga, the school fights, the bomb threats,the goofy humour juxtaposed with scenes that are cold and serious, anda dose of romance that was just right.

However, I am mostly grateful for the attitudes Rangga & Cinta decidedto have in the end–sticking to their priorities and embracing them byplacing their faith in the unknown rather than succumbing to thefairytale-ish pressure to give up their dreams "in the name of love".When Rangga said "I must go," I literally applauded. I just loveopen-ended, realistic stories that encourage its watchers that it’sokay to let go of love and be broken hearted for awhile–in the end youwill not regret sticking to your priorities rather. It’s about time westop making movies that promote sacrificing one’s future in order to bewith one’s object of infatuation whose true love is not yettested–such as the case with The Prince and Me (starring Julia Stilesand Luke Mably). I was fuming mad when Prince Edvard showed up atPaige’s graduation and wooed her to go back to Denmark with him–whatabout her future with Doctors Without Borders??? I am proud that ascreenwriter from my country (reputable for the most horrible soapoperas in case you don’t know) knows better than that.

The on-screen kiss was good… chapeau to the director who dared toincorporate it and create the controversy as the first silver-screenIndonesian movie featuring the kiss!

I’m quite curious how this movie would feel like in Japanese. By theway, why is it called "Beautiful Days" there, and how would theJapanese audience understand the context of classical Indonesianliterature, for instance? (even in Indonesia one rarely finds ateenager who’s familiar with the stuff Rangga reads… but at leastthey’d have previous exposure to some national literature)

Anyway, back to Ada Apa Dengan Cinta, everything was very wellcoordinated–great storyline, excellent choice of actors, fabulousmusical soundtrack, and chapeau to Rudi Soedjarwo for daring to goagainst the conventional!

10) I enjoyed AAD2? and found it had the general stuff like most Hollywoodteen flicks; friendship, teen angst, independence, love and comedy,like any shallow person I enjoyed the comedy/romance at the end betweenCinta and her friends getting to the airport to get to Rangga before heleft and then leaving without Mamet.

However I also liked the undertones of societal issues such as domesticviolence leading to despair and attempted suicide. The issue ofpolitical beliefs which resulted in loss of status and in Rangga’s casefamily members who left. These types of issues are not usually found ina Hollywood teen flick and I think this is a movie that Indonesiashould be proud of.

2) This is an MGM potboiler with great colors and weak credibility. Thepicture was probably the best that repressed Hollywood could do at thetime with the legend of Earl Long, once Governor of Louisiana, and thestripper Blaze Starr. (The story was filmed many years later, with PaulNewman and Lolita Davidovich.) A singing, guitar-playing candidate forGovernor in the Depression South is quite historical. The slyself-deprecation in Bo Gillis’s stump speech at the beginning of thepicture is well done. But once he hooks up with Susan Hayward, DeanMartin becomes a marshmallow. The role must have appealed tremendouslyto a tough broad like Hayward. She was a perfect choice for BarbaraGraham in I Want to Live. I’d call the picture a failure withinteresting features.

3) This movie "Ada" hasn’t received the good publicity it deserved. SusanHayward acted her best as a hard-spoken woman, intent on serving hernew husband Bo Gilles (Gubernatorial Candidate) well. Three weeksbefore the election, Candidate Bo Gilles (played by Dean Martin – inhis first drama picture) marries Ada, a former prostitute. Basically,Bo was not a shrewd politician, but possessed charismatic qualities andwas elected in a landslide. The voters of that Southern state loved Bo,and saw him as a regular guy who even played guitar and sang.Eventually Bo realizes the crookedness of the powerful man who hadsponsored him, (Sylvester Marin), and the corruption abounding in thatgovernment. Eventually Ada’s past comes back to haunt her, but itdoesn’t stop her. Colonel Yancey top State Policeman, (a crookedoperator, well-played by Ralph Meeker) tries to bring Ada down – who atthe time is Acting Governor. The entire movie is riveting, and is amust-see if you like real movies.

4) I enjoyed this Susan Hayward film, even if it had a few holes in itsoverall plot. No film can be truly bad with someone like Susan Haywardin it (and yes, I think that goes for Valley of the Dolls (1967) too),so you can't really lose if you watch a Susan Hayward film. She'sconfident, aggressive, smart, sassy, and attractive.

As for the film itself, it had some gaping plot holes. For instance,why did Sylvester end up in a wheelchair being pushed around by anurse? Was something cut and never explained in the final cut?

Another hole: I believe that digging up the dirt that someone worked asa prostitute would be fairly easy to find. They had detectives in thosedays too. You would think that Ada's past would have caught up with hermuch earlier.

Another thing: as one reviewer also said, in the story variouscharacters speak of the rough economic times sort of alluding to theGreat Depression, yet the movie looks like a movie from the sixties.What's up with that?

Even though the ending is sort of Pollyannish, the film works in itsFrank Capra kind of way showing that the common man can make changes ina corrupt political environment. It was interesting to watch the movierealizing that we are still in the same sad shape with many lying andevil politicians.

The film is worth watching, even if it is rather forgotten.

5) Depression-era politics in the Old South, as guitar-strummin' sheriffDean Martin campaigns for Governor, meeting and marrying call-girlSusan Hayward on the trail. Soon they're dealing with legislationproblems and greedy weasels with old money, but will Hayward'sambitious nature ruin her marriage as well as bring her past history tolight? Well-produced but naive, rather plodding melodrama based on WirtWilliams' novel "Ada Dallas" gives all the juiciest scenes to Hayward;Martin, on the other, is shunted off to the side (they're quite a pairanyway: he drinks, she smokes). The atmosphere of Southern plantationsand back alleys isn't captured with much distinction (we don't evenknow what state this is supposedly taking place in), but the productionis certainly colorful, even if the human interaction is rote. ** from****

6) Susan Hayward, director Daniel Mann and producer Lawrence Weingartencame together again for another 'i'll cry tomorrow' success. But theydidn't get it. Not with Ada, a turgid drama of power and politics witha weak husband (Dean Martin) and a strong wife (Susan Hayward) inconflict.

I'm a very large fan of Susan Hayward and though her performance was asgood as always, the film magic wasn't there, i had to turn it off halfway through the time i first watched it, i gave it another chance alittle later and i resisted the temptation of turning it off again.

Not at all what i expected, especially since i've read somewhere thatwhile Hayward was dying years later this is the film of hers she askedto see, while there was other ones hanging around that are a loadbetter.

7) "Ada" has a good premise, but unfortunately does not evolve into a goodmovie. The soapy melodrama about a "puppet" gubernatorial candidatemarriedto a prostitute does not due justice to the talents of its stars. The finetalents of the three main stars are not fully explored, and theircharactersare likewise underdeveloped. The ending is hardly probable, and as aresolution, it leaves a lot to be desired.

The cast do the best they can with the material they have. Dean MartinandSusan Hayward are both quite credible in their highly emotionalperformances. Wilfrid Hyde-White is also good in portraying a graspingandstifling villain, an unusual role for him.

When Ada was shown on TCM this past weekend Robert Osborne remarkedthat Susan Hayward requested to see this film during her final boutwith brain cancer. I remembered reading some years ago that she said inan article her three favorite leading men were Clark Gable, John Wayne,and Dean Martin. She must have liked those guys a lot because she suredidn’t do her best work with them.

But Ada is vintage Susan Hayward and again the kind of stuff thatshould have been done as a prime time TV soap opera. That’s what thesecharacters are more suited for.

In fact Dean Martin as Bo Gillis and Hayward as Ada are based on acouple of real life southern politicians. Jimmie Davis was a countrysinger/songwriter whose writing of You Are My Sunshine got him electedGovernor of Louisiana. As it turned out when Ada was in theaters, Daviswas being re-elected Governor of Louisiana again.

Miriam "Ma" Ferguson pinch hit for her husband James E. Ferguson twiceas Governor of Texas. Of course Ma Ferguson didn’t quite have thetrollop background of Ada.

Susan is working in a high class bordello when gubernatorial candidateMartin comes in for a little entertainment. Wouldn’t you know it, theyfall in love and marry.

By a wild set of circumstances, Hayward is also made LieutenantGovernor as well as First Lady. I’ll bet Bill Clinton is cursing theday he didn’t think of that instead of being stuck with that stiff hehad for a Vice president.

Fans of Susan Hayward and I’m one of them will love Ada. But it reallyis a bit much to expect the audience to swallow the incredible plotthis film has.

9) Move over Hilary Clinton and Condi Rice. You had Ada to contend withbefore your true political aspirations become known.

Bo Gillis is running for governor. He is introduced to trollop Ada, andafter a whirlwind romance, they wed.

Ada is played by Susan Hayward, always at the top of her game. Evenwith her red hair ablaze, Hayward looked haggard and not in the best ofhealth when she made this flick.

Of course, Bo, (Dean Martin) is a fool duped to run for governor bypolitical boss Sylvester, (a not so charming Wilfrid Hyde-White,) whodoes quit well in his part of a vicious back-room character whocontrols the state of business and will go as far as murder to makesure that he rules.

Bo quickly realizes that something is wrong when a governor is justcalled upon to sign bills. The Lt. Governor tells him all about theParks legislation. Sylvester makes sure that the Lt.Governor resigns.Suddenly, Ada is determined to be his replacement.

When Bo is ready to buck Sylvester, he is nearly killed in a bombplaced in his car. As Ada had volunteered to be the lieutenant, Bothinks that she is in with Sylvester.

Along for the ride is Ralph Meeker, who plays the head of the police.He is as corrupt as they come. He even makes a play for Ada. Why didn’tshe try to unload him right there and then?

What is amazing in all this is that Ada becomes very intelligentregarding the workings of government and legislation very, veryquickly.

She has her own ideas in mind to rid the state of Sylvester’s bossism.She confronts certain ladies at a tea party and reminds them of theirhusbands ties to the state, thanks to the legislation on the books thatallows them to do business with the state.

Suddenly, in a scene change, Sylvester is shown in a wheelchair. Whathappened Syl? True though, you’re as sly as ever.

Bo is released from the hospital and in the capitol gallery views theshowdown between Ada and Sylvester. Sylvester’s old tricks will notprevail.

Good for its depiction of corruption. Fairly good performances butstoryline is so predictable.

10) Apon viewing this film I felt a number of different emotions. I reallydidn’t intend to watch this film at all. However, once I started I wasquite anxious to find out how it ended.

The plot for the movie was interesting. A tramp marries the man runningfor governor three weeks prior to the election day, and they proceed toclean-up corruption in politics, when he is elected. The first thing Ithought was how hypocritical. He was elected by crooks and then decidedhe didn’t like them. That, of course, made me think of Wilson,President Wilson. He did the same thing. So I dismissed that notion. IfWilson can do it, it’s not too bad.

Next as the film went on I began to wonder why they ever got married.Susan Hayward(redhead) and Dean Martin(lounge singer) didn’t seem to bean ideal couple in my mind. I must say, they didn’t look too odd nextto each other. Their "marriage" was not a healthy one to say the least.They did work well in their roles. I enjoyed Susan’s ruthlessdetermination and Dean’s clueless and laid back attitude. I think analready established acting couple or a couple that looks like theycould have a relationship off stage would have been better. I felt likethey weren’t right together. Nonetheless, they did a good job.

The final thing was the ending. It really bothered me. There wassomething missing. Like dialogue or a kiss or some form of interactionbesides looking at each other. The scene was wonderful. I loved thewhole Congress session. But it was like the writer gave up on endingthe relationship between the main characters. He/She (I don’t rememberwho wrote it) thought we didn’t care what they did as long as they weretogether. That may be, but I need more than a hand shake to show thatthey are happy together.

This is really a good film. I love Hayward. Her characters are sopassionate and devoted. That really worked well. The "angry" sceneswere stifled because Dean’s not a "yeller." In this role it appears helacks the drive to get angry. In all, Susan steals the show and laysevery thing on the line to win our hearts and Dean’s.

I was ready to believe that all the singers were dubbed by professionalsingers as they showed some interesting and entertaining vocal rangesyet this was not the case. Also the score was another interestingaspect of the film. There were some real ‘groovey’ sounds there thatsort of made you sit back and think to yourself "man the 70s was socool…Why was I not alive then!"

Although the nature of this work is almost ‘taking the michael!’ I feelthat it could be a professional stage show. Even though it would onlyattract a small group of a particular type of audience I would love tosee this performed live and perhaps even extended with more songs.

My only bad feeling towards this show was that it felt it was missingthat big song which would make it a big success. It needed that ‘Let MeEntertain You’ song to get the audience or viewers I should say, goingwild and dancing in their seats.

In conclusion I would strongly recommend for any other rock opera ormusical theatre fans to watch this just because it is so funny andstill a great piece of music theatre.

2) This extraordinary work, first shown on BBC 3 in 2004, is a dramatisednarrative of a play originally hosted in the 1970s concerning the birthof Christ, from the oft-neglected viewpoint of the Inn Keeper who isstruggling to make a living in the harsh economic climate prevalent atthe time.

Through the medium of rock opera we witness the Inn Keeper’s struggle,, "running an inn is just mumbo and jive" he tells himself, hisstruggle is not only economic in nature as there is rival motel ownerwho has designs on his wife. The motel owner is a devious man consumedwith jealousy, he also wants the inn keeper’s inn, or as he sees it his"slice of the pie". The inn keeper’s wife can not resist the wealth andcharismatic good-looks of the motel owner and leaves the inn keeper.

This struggle takes place against a parallel sub-plot concerning thebirth of the Nazarene, Jesus. His father, Joseph Christ, opines themiraculous nature of his wife’s impregnation in his opening salvo withthe verse: "Christ I swear I never touched her". His confusion isobvious for all to see, however he still manages to escort his wife(who we never see presumably due to issues surrounding iconoclasm) tothe inn where he meets the inn keeper who has just lost his wife.

Although Joe’s wife is heavily pregnant and he is burdened with his owntroubles he still has the emotional breadth to offer sympathy to theinn keeper and his unthankful task "It’s a tuf-fuc-u-pay-shun in thenation". There is then a brief montage sequence detailing the role ofbed-and-breakfast owners throughout time. I felt this lent a connectionwith the present day, it’s all-too-easy to think of this story ashaving happened in another era but this simple technique marries thepast with the present.

In the final act the ensemble gather to witness the birth of Jesus, anevent so profound that it triggers a spontaneous epiphany in theprotagonists. The motel owner tells the inn keeper’s wife to return tothe inn keeper; the inn keeper sees himself for what he is, or was, ahard-drinking and emotionally distant man and the inn keeper’s wiferediscovers her love for the inn keeper.

The cast and chorus, who I must say were magnificent throughout theproduction, end on a very uplifting note singing the praises of "makinglove".

I am quite serious when I say this is one of the greatest things I haveever seen on the BBC. Although the wardrobe and sound quality sometimesmake it feel dated the amazing cast raise the production above theobviously limited budget and present us with a unique angle on thegreatest story ever told. The songs are also good.

In closing I would ask that a DVD release be made available, I am fedup and tired of telling people to see this when there is no actualmeans of doing so.

10/10

3) I watched this Rock Opera tonight and laughed the nervous, embarrassedlaughter that I think the creators intended. AD/BC is clearly a play onJesus Crist Superstar, and mimics that original film's clearly hippy70s feel for maximum crunch power. If you've ever seen Garth Merenghi'sDark Place or IT Crowd (also with Ayoade and Berry), or The MightyBoosh (with Adrian Barratt, Noel Fielding, and Matt Berry), you willprobably like this musical. All of these guys have a certain leaningtoward absurdist comedy with an intentional nostalgic, low-budgetproduction quality, and this is probably one of the bestrepresentational examples.

2) This is an interesting adaptation of Arthur Schnitzler's Traumnovelle,that inspired the well known Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut too. I never sawthe entire film, but it used to be broadcasted on Telecapri (an Italianregional TV station) years ago. Knowing Stanley Kubrick's meticulosityin making films, I'm sure he knew this Italian version of Traumnovelleand, for all I can remember of "Ad un passo dall'aurora", the pianomusic score was quite similar to the one he chose in Eyes Wide Shut.The film's set in Venice: the atmosphere of this unique city adds a lotof thrilling to the story. The fun part (for me) was seeing GerardoAmato starring in this adventure, 'cause in my memory he'll alwaysbelong to the role of Mario Merola's son in Zappatore!

Hey, I'm still waiting for the next TV passage of this nice flick!

- Dario -

3) can a director of porn movies direct a transposition of an arthurschnitzler’s book? yes! 11 years before kubrick made his *eyes wide shut*,mario bianchi directed this movie based on the same book by schintzler, amovie that probably nobody has seen. I didn’t see it, too, but if you havethe opportunity, don’t miss it! and tom cruise? and nicole kidman? well,neither of them act in this movie, but what difference does itmake?

This series is much harder-edged than BUBBLEGUM CRISIS, with far greateramounts of bloodshed, dismemberment, and violent death. It’s also moresexually fetishistic, with ample shots of beautiful, lingerie-clad women(always with garters), both human and Boomer, stalking the streets ofMega-Tokyo. In one jaw-dropping scene, a woman scientist strips down andstraddles a hulking cyborg. Unfortunately, the beautiful women invariablysuffer violent, bloody deaths. On the other hand, the main policeprotagonists in each episode are women. Gina Marceau, as tough andhard-as-nails a lady cop as you’re likely to see in anime, is the leadofficer in the first and third episodes, while the young and naïve IrisCara, a member of the regular police, is the lead investigator in thesecond. (Interestingly, Gina’s partner is rookie cop Leon Nichols, whofigures prominently in CRISIS and its sequel, BUBBLEGUMCRASH.)

The first episode, "The Phantom Woman," is pretty complicated and hasGinainvestigating the illegal recycling of Boomer parts while partner Leon isstalked by a beautiful female Boomer who retains the memory of anotherfemale Boomer who’d once gone berserk and been shot by Leon. The secondepisode, "The Ripper," finds Iris investigating a series ofJack-the-Ripper-style murders of women, a case which takes her to theabandoned no-man’s-land subway station where junkies, hookers and humandregs congregate. This episode has a quasi-feminist twist in its focus onafemale chief executive who’d found biology getting in the way of hercareerso had cybernetic surgery to enable her to compete more effectively withmale rivals, to disastrous results. The third episode, "The Man Who BitesHis Tongue," focuses on Captain Billy, a member of the A.D. Police who isall cybernetic but for his tongue. When he becomes addicted to drugs andcomes under the sway of a female scientist with surprising appetites, hestarts to become unhinged and arouses the concern of Gina and the othermembers of her squad. Both "The Phantom Woman" and "The Ripper" werewrittenby celebrated anime screenwriter Noboru Aikawa (PEACOCK KING, VAMPIREPRINCESS MIYU, THE HAKKENDEN).

The animation style of these episodes is a far cry from the simpler, lessdetailed, and bolder graphics of the 1980s-style BUBBLEGUM CRISIS.There’sfar greater attention to detail, not only in the settings and cityscapes,but in the character design and animation. There’s also moreexperimentationwith style, from the use of single color schemes for some shots to theuseof montage and the reliance on pen-and-ink illustrations in the place offlashbacks in one episode. While the action is expertly animated, therearefar fewer of the intricate mecha battles that distinguished BUBBLEGUMCRISISand more of the direct, one-on-one confrontations that mark a good policethriller. Even though the setting is the same as BGC, the whole style andoverall tone are different, closer to the sci-fi noir of YoshiakiKawajiri(WICKED CITY, MIDNIGHT EYE GOKU, CYBER CITY OEDO 808) and looking forwardtosuch similarly themed works as ARMITAGE III and GHOST IN THESHELL.

2) AD Police Files 1-3 (1990): 8/10: Despite a third episode that isalmost a scene for scene remake of Robocop this is one of the sharpestAnime's around.

Sexist and racist in that unconscious Japanese way with over the topviolence and just a dash of nudity AD Police doesn't fail to entertain.The first two tales are gripping and inventive if a little hard tofollow (Character development is minimalist at best) with great moralarks about the downfall of artificial parts and artificial people.

The third episode is a letdown and quite skippable. Tons of actionkeeps AD Police moving even when the story seems to stall. The plots ofthe first two episodes are also filled with surprise and thatdelightful "I always wished someone would do that" feeling.

The animation is very well done with different styles mixing it up togreat effect. At only 3 episodes however it left me wanting more.That's usually a good sign.

3) (This is the prequel to the anime Bubblegum Crisis which I am notfamiliar with so I can’t compare the shows, but simply review it as astand alone product.) Set in MegaTokyo in the year 2046, the policeforce has been broken into two groups, Normal police (who deal withyour everyday crimes), and AD Police (who deal with the Boomers.)Boomers are robots or people who have cybernetically enhanced theirbodies by 70% and are committing criminal acts.

The extremely short series (only three episodes) deals with NormalPolice officer Leon becoming an AD Police officer and what it is liketo be a member of AD police.

AD Police is a very dark and grim look into the future. A feel of BladeRunner meets Robocop runs through this story, but with such a darkfeeling that I couldn’t really enjoy it. Plenty of blood and guts andcreepy imagery to really visually impress, but just a little too nastyfor my tastes.

** Out of ****