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The Ambassador

Alan Rapp / November 16, 2012 / Home Video

Title: The Ambassador
IMDb: link

A funny film about blood diamonds? As odd as that sounds, it’s exactly what The Ambassador delivers. For his latest work Danish journalist and filmmaker Mads Brügger undertook the challenge to expose the corruption of diplomatic titles sold on the black market and the African conflict diamond trade in the Central African Republic by purchasing a diplomatic title and becoming the newest ambassador for Liberia.

Through the use of hidden cameras Brügger is able to document the alarming amount of corruption, bribes, and backroom dealing for those with enough money the grease the wheels of the corrupt government of the CAR.

Despite good intentions, Brügger is no white knight. The filmmaker never takes a moral stand on the situation, and his involvement only increases the wealth of the corrupt officials he exposes while giving false hope to citizens who believed the man’s cover story of opening a match factory in the region which would have employed hundreds, if not thousands, of workers.

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The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Disney Style

Alan Rapp / October 31, 2012 / Home Video

Title: The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad
IMDB: link

“With a hip hip and a clippity clop, He’s out looking for a head to swap, But don’t try to figure out a plan, You can’t reason with a headless man.“

There are numerous holiday specials, mostly Christmas inspired, but a small collection of really good Halloween cartoons. Many fondly remember It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown from their childhood, which I’ll admit also has a fond place in my heart, but my favorite Halloween cartoon was a Disney short that was inspired by Washington Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.

As our story opens the nerdy new school teacher, Ichabod Crane, arrives in the small New England town. Although Ichabod is soon popular with the ladies for his manners, training, and knowledge of books, even catching the eye of town beauty Katrina Van Tassel, he’s far less liked by the town’s rough-and-tumble man’s man Brom Bones.

Not willing lose a girl like Katrina to a man like Ichabod Crane, Bones decides to prove Crane’s cowardice and scare him by telling the story of the Headless Horseman who haunts the local woods looking for a new head. Ichabod is thoroughly frightened and his night horse ride home has him seeing ghosts and specters at every bend and turn.

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The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

Alan Rapp / October 31, 2012 / Home Video

Title: The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
IMDB: link

Directed by John Madden, and adapted from Deborah Moggach‘s bestselling novel by Ol Parker, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel offers a rich cast of English actors in an ensemble piece about a group of elderly pensioners who all move into the same retirement community in India.

The cast is better than the material, but The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel sports some noteworthy performances (particularly that of Judi Dench as a recent widow) and boasts the kind of feel-good story most should enjoy without becoming sappy or overly sentimental.

Our group of travelers include a penniless widow (Dench), a gay man (Tom Wilkinson) returning to India looking to reconnect with the love of his life, a henpecked husband (Bill Nighy) and his demanding wife (Penelope Wilton), a kindly but somewhat racist housekeeper (Maggie Smith) in need of a hip replacement, an aging ladies man (Ronald Pickup), and a woman (Celia Imrie) in the market for a new husband.

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Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted

Alan Rapp / October 30, 2012 / Home Video

Title: Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted
IMDB: link

In their third film the four animals from Madagascar – Alex (Ben Stiller) the lion, Marty (Chris Rock) the zebra, Melman (David Schwimmer) the giraffe, and Gloria (Jada Pinkett Smith) the hippopotamus – join a European circus and finally make it home to New York City. After growing tired of waiting for the penguins to return to Africa, the NY foursome travel to Monaco to retrieve their friends and start the journey home only to have to hide out in a rundown traveling circus to escape a crazed Animal Control officer (Frances McDormand) who wants Alex’s head stuffed and mounted on her wall.

Fans of both the first and second film should enjoy themselves here as the third entry into the franchise gives us more crazy plans and inventions from the penguins, more zany travel adventures for our fearsome foursome, new wacky supporting characters, and even a love interest (Jessica Chastain) for Alex this time around.

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