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Punch-Drunk Love (Single Disc Edition)

Punch-Drunk Love (Single Disc Edition)

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Very good film and a must for those who like PTA
Review: It's a small film that's not trying to do too much or even be too profound. PTA seems to like to find odd objects and spend his film time examining them from different angles. Here, Sandler is a bundle of contradictions: a man with seven sisters who seems utterly terrified of women and unfamiliar with them; in some ways obsessive compulsive to the point of dysfunction, yet the owner of his own business; wimpy and overly eager to please, yet prone to sudden outbursts of pure, distilled rage. In the film, we get to see the character, Barry Egan, grapple with two new, parallel relationships with with women: one, a nice woman he meets through one of his sisters; the other, a probably psychotic phone sex operator. The new women most likely represent the two sides of women he's come to love and hate through his relationship with his sisters. Ultimately, he overcomes his fear of the bad side and finds a way to break through and communicate with the good side. Through this device, PTA has made a great film about growing up and understanding how to give in to love and still retain your own integrity as a person. For me, the key moment in this film comes when Egan finally gets into bed with the Emily Watson character and proceeds to respond to her love talk by making quiet but horrifying physical threats against her. PTA waits a beat, and then in Emily's response he completely undermines every downbeat art house movie cliche and opens our minds to a new way of understanding anti-social, borderline psychopathic people. Very neat, and very highly recommended.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A wonderful movie
Review: Barry Egan has a lot of sisters. A LOT of sisters. They love Barry, but are unable to express that love in a way that Barry can understand. They tease him relentlessly, and Barry can not cope. He is depressed and cries alot. Barry is a little odd, and people keep reminding him of that. He confides in people who betray him. Barry has never felt loved, and as a result is prone to a rage born of desparation. Barry is victimized by his sisters, himself, as well as some thugs, who smell easy prey and try to extort money from Barry. Barry meets Lena Leonard, a blind matchup through one of Barry's sisters. Lena is intrigued by Barry, and falls in love with him. Lena sees Barry's quirks and flaws, and accepts Barry for who he is. Barry has never experienced unconditional love such as this. Lena's love gives Barry the strength and courage to live life on his own terms. This is a wonderful movie with a beautiful message. If you are expecting a light romantic comedy or an Adam Sandler farce, you will likely be disappointed. This movie is much more significant than that.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Five star movie, three star DVD
Review: This movie and Anderson's previous works have renewed my faith in the next generation of filmmaker's, but why oh why has he stopped doing commentaries on his DVDs? P.T. Anderson, apart from being a breath of fresh air as a director as well as a film nerd a la Wes Anderson, produces the best... BEST commentaries (not counting the secondary commentary on Boogie Nights with the entire cast). Where are his insights into the look of the film? The paticulars on the music? The behind the scenes in the editing and scripting? I only ask because he has been so good about it before. This DVD, though it holds up to the theatrical version of the film falls short of being a great DVD. We are given only two, that's right... TWO deleted scenes, from P.T. Anderson. I highly doubt that a director who has given us such epic marathons like Boogie Nights and Magnolia only cut out ten minutes of footage in the editing process. Don't get me wrong the Sister's Phonecall deleted scene is awesome, but that's it? That's all I get? More than any of his films I would have loved to have heard what he had to say about this one, about working with Adam Sandler, about the piecing together of the plot. Sure Magnolia deserved a commentary as well and I guess he's just following suit here. Waiting to rerelease the DVD again with MORE extras not worth putting here and making my buy it again. Yeah, it worked with Boogie Nights and it'll probably work with Magnolia too, but not this time. This is a $$ dollar DVD selling for $$ and skimping the audience yet again by not taking advantage of the format.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Simple People, True Love, And Moments Of Rage
Review: Imagine what love would look like if you could see it....

Through the eyes of Paul Thomas Anderson, love is created and beautifully crafted before the eyes of the audience through Punch-Drunk Love.

Adam Sandler absolutely shines as Barry Egen, a man who is deeply troubled from years of ridicule from his seven sisters.... A man who sometimes cries for no reason.... A man who doesn't like himself very much sometimes....

Emily Watson's character, Lean Leonard, is Barry's soul-mate.... A women who is desperately seeking love. Lena is a safe-haven. She is Barry's control for his moments of uncontrollable rage.

Punch-Drunk Love is a dark romantic comedy. The bend over laughing segments from Happy Gilmore and Billy Madison are no where to be found. For once, Adam Sandler is a real actor. However, you don't know whether you should laugh or cry when Sandler's character demolishes a restaurant bathroom or when he trips and falls with a cup of coffee while rushing is a love stricken manner.

By using vivid colors and overtones, along with music such as "He Needs Me" from the motion picture Popeye, Paul Thomas Anderson puts the audience into the lap of love.

As with all Paul Thomas Anderson movies, Punch-Drunk Love is about people.... Simple people with tremendous problems.

Avid fans of Rambo and American Ninja are advised to stay in the jungle and fight the good fight. Punch-Drunk Love is not your cup of tea. However, this is by far one of the greatest depictions of true love that has ever graced the big screen.

In all honesty, Punch-Drunk Love cannot be reviewed.... It must be watched and felt.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: As Charming as the Stars in the Sky
Review: It starts off dry with no opening credits or title sequence and the audience is thrown into Barry Egan's world. It opens on just another day in Barry's lonely and confusing life, and as the movie goes on, we see him grow as a person...not all in good ways. Barry represents many people out there; lonely, depressed, confused, angry at the world, low self-esteem etc. So right from the start, P.T. Anderson establishes his audiences interests. If you can't relate to Barry in any way, you will probably not enjoy this too much...even though you still may respect it.

The pace and style of this film are much different than Anderson's other films; Hard Eight, Boogie Nights, and Magnolia. Here we are treated to a once-in-a-lifetime experience and new genre that was invented by this film. You can most likely expect to never see a film like this ever again, it is truely unique and astonishing. Adam Sandler really does a fabulous job of his portrayal of Barry Egan, and should've been nominated at the Oscars.

What makes this film different, is it's visual style...I'd have to say almost a mix of cinematography from; Pulp Fiction, The Shining, and Anderson's own technique. It's very colorful yet dull at times. The colors in the film represent Barry's feelings at the moment and are really affective.

When I first saw the trailer for this movie, I was hooked...right there and then. It's one of the only trailers that doesn't mislead you into thinking the movie is something that it's not. The musical score with the film is beautiful yet haunting at the same time which really gives the movie an extra magical touch.

The Two-Disc Special Edition Set is very nice, fitting the film very well. There aren't a truck-load of extras explaining most of the symbolism of the film, but I can guess that was done intentionally. Other than that, the picture and sound are above and beyond the Superbit par, and there are lots of fun and suiting extras. It's deadpan, yet quirky, and beautiful, and angry, and charming all at the same time.

The whole experience is very dreamlike, a dream that you never want to wake up from.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: NOT SANDLER AT ALL!!
Review: I waited forever for this to come out on dvd because I was over seas when it came out and missed it. I really didn't miss anything. I LOVE Sandler and own all his movies, I bought this as soon as it came out today and was so disappointed I couldn't believe it. If you like you're typical sandler flicks like I do, don't waste your money on this one, he did not write, produce or have anyhting to do with it other than acting in it. All in all It SUX!! SOrry to ever say that about a Sandler flick but this is just lame.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: 4.5 Stars actually
Review: I'm just a guy watching a movie here. I have no special interest in this movie or any deeply analytical comments to make about it, but here is what I thought.

This is not a typical Adam Sandler movie. Meaning? No slapstick comedy (which is effectively entertaining in its own genre). This movie is funny, but if it is watched solely for comedic value, the viewer will be somewhat dissapointed.

This is the story of one man, Barry Egan (I'm sure that is an anagram, but I'm too stupid to figure it out), who can only find the strength to break out of his own neurotic life, when he finds love.

This movie is not for everyone. It portrays a very specific emotional mindframe. One must identify with Adam Sandler's character to feel something for the movie as a whole (which is hard becuase you keep expecting him to be the same character from his other movies like Happy Gilmore).

Overall, I found this movie to be refreshingly awkward in every way. The movie moved at a drunken pace (I suppose I should have known that from the title). It can test the patience of those with ADD.

I can't identify any specific element that made it a good movie for me, but it just seemed to gel together very well. Overall, this movie is interesting, so it is worth watching, even if you don't enjoy it.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Brilliant or frustrating?
Review: You'll either think this is the most special movie you've seen in a long time or the most confoundingly stupid movie ever. I happen to think that it is a wonderful film. It shows that our greatest director working, Paul Thomas Anderson, is capable of practically anything. If you truly love film, you have to see Punch-Drunk Love. Watch it with someone you love and then you can argue about it afterwards. I've always felt the best part of film watching are the conversations following the screening. Hope this was helpful.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: a beautiful, Technicolor love letter...
Review: Adam Sandler takes his trademark innocent-naïf-prone-to-sudden-bursts-of-violence character and creates an interesting, new variation on it. Barry internalizes everything as he tries, desperately, to control his world. He seems to suffer from an acute case of agoraphobia and constantly looks uncomfortable. PTA simulates this feeling by punctuating moments of silence with sudden, jarring blasts of sound. It is the presence of Lena who provides Barry with the calm and love that he so desperate needs.

Punch-Drunk Love is akin to a Technicolor Jacques Tati film, albeit starring Adam Sandler. Barry, with his ubiquitous bright blue suit and exaggerated physical mannerisms, echoes silent comedians of the past. This is readily apparent in a scene that ends with Barry dancing up and down a grocery aisle in a wonderful expression of pure happiness. It's a brilliant cinematic moment that is an absolute joy to watch.

This is an excellent DVD with a flawless transfer. The DTS soundtrack will loosen yer fillings and shake your room with its rumbling bass. The extras are appropriate for this rather abstract, oddball film -- the best of the bunch being the 12 minute extended mood music video entitled, "Blossoms and Blood." Although, the "Mattress Man Commercial" is hilarious!

My only caveat is that it would have been nice if PTA had done an audio commentary with Sandler. But I understand that he wants the film to speak for itself (the same reason why he didn't do a commentary for MAGNOLIA). Oh well. Still, this is an excellent two-DVD set for a truly impressive movie.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Major Disappointment
Review: This movie was a major disappointment coming from Paul Thomas Anderson. I loved Boogie Nights and Magnolia but this movie was really bad. I saw it at the theater with 5 other people and we all left scratching our heads and wanting our money back.


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