"Coyote Ugly" has to be the best romantic dramedy this year, even though this year has had it's share of bad romances-Autumn in New York, Down to You and The Next Best Thing just to name a few. The bar dancing scenes are incredible accompanied by a fantastic soundtrack including one of my favorites, "Pour Some Sugar on Me". Plus there are two new great songs from LeAnn Rimes,who is also in the movie, but I'm not reviewing the soundtrack so I'll skip this. And that's just the stuff you see in the previews. What you don't see on the surface through the previews are the great performances from newcomer Piper Perabo, Adam Garcia and the always great John Goodman. the story is mainly about Piper Perabo's character, nicknamed Jersey, who goes into the big city trying to get someone to perform her well written songs. She runs into several problems with a new boyfriend, some disagreements with her father, and many crazy encounters at the bar "Coyote Ugly". The title is explained in the movie to mean when you go home with a one night stand after a night of big drinking and you wake up with someone so ugly that you would rather chew your arm off than wake them up to know you're leaving. Believe me, you're not going to feel that way leaving this one! BUY THIS MOVIE!!!

Please keep in mind that I am one of a handful of people that saw this film ON THE BIG SCREEN IN A MOVIE THEATER instead of just on TNT, butchered for television, with commercial interruptions. It is much better the way it was intended to be seen. After seeing the film twice ON THE BIG SCREEN during its limited release, these are my comments:

Imagine a Yuppie Gerard Butler. Great looking. Confident. Successful. Gorgeous wife. Beautiful sweet daughter. The perfect life in upscale suburban Chicago. Enter mysterious menacing stalking stranger and their worst nightmare begins. He threatens the life of their daughter as insurance for their obedience to his demands.

Sound like the typical 'kidnapped kid' flick? It's not.

It's taut, suspenseful, edge of your seat storytelling combined with good solid performances by all, especially Bello and Brosnan. Butler is very good, but I've seen him better. I believe he filmed this on the heels of the grueling demands of 300 and it shows a bit. He may not be at the very top of his game here, but he still performs well.

Brosnan upped his credibility as an actor for me in this film. He played the menacing stranger perfectly. Just the right tone of voice and facial expressions, joined with his eyes and body language, spoke in unison to perfection in every scene. I'd really like to see more from him, he is a very good dramatic actor. I like him better as an older, mature man. More gritty, less suave.

Maria Bello is perfect as the mother held hostage by mother love and the need to protect her child at all costs.

I loved the score. Where you might expect a really intense, gritty score, this one opts for a quieter one with a hint of bluesy undertones and it works. It intensifies at the right moments, but never takes a front seat as often happens in thrillers. It melds with the action and helps makes each scene into an audiovisual, emotional emulsion.

In fact, the whole film is just quieter than one would expect, given what is usually served up with films of this genre. There are no car chases, no last minute rescues, no heroes. It never goes over the top. It has its feet on the ground and its eyes on what's human and real.

This film is no dud. Even though it had a very limited release, it is not the fault of the filmmakers or the actors. It is good movie-making. You may not think it's one of the best films you've ever seen, but there's a good chance you'll be satisfied that you got your money's worth. I give it a definite thumbs up.

Scale of 1-10? I give this an 8.

Warning: DON'T read much about this film. DON'T watch the trailer over and over. The less you know going in, the better your experience of it will be. Because of one seemingly innocuous remark made by someone who'd seen it, I guessed the ending about halfway through. I wasn't even trying. But things we hear stick in our minds whether we like it or not. I sincerely wish I had not guessed correctly. The rest of the film lost it's suspense for me.

Hint: This is a two timer. It's even better the second time.

If you're a fan of Payback at all, I think it's imperative that you watch this version not only because of how differently it plays out but because it is a great opportunity to see how a director's vision can be compromised by the studio system.

From the very beginning, you know you're in different waters when the tone of the film settles in. They do away with the voice over and there is far less humor in this version. Instead of the blue tinted palatte of the original, this film has a more lush and natural quality to it. The character of Porter (Mel Gibson) in this version is even more brutal and cold blooded, which is a big reason as to why the film was asked to be recut by the studio. I watched both versions back to back and I think I can say that this new version is almost like watching an entirely different movie. I like them both equally and this new version really adds to the experience.

That being said, this HD-DVD has several great supplementary features that should make your day. One in particular is a half hour doc that goes into why Brian Helgeland's original cut was rejected by the studio and contains insightful comments by key members of the cast and crew, including Mel Gibson himself who I have to give credit to for being involved with restoring this version and giving a genuinely humbling interview. The picture on this disc looks great and the sound really kicks in during scenes of gunfire and general action. I strongly recommend it, especially if you like the original cut!

...the ball was dropped on this film. Someone in Hollywood believed Brendon Fraiser and Jet Li in the same film would miraculously make this a winner. That someone should lose his job.

Synopsis: Ancient Chinese warlord is reawakened (along with 10,000 Terra Cotta warriors) to conquer the world. And there are Yetis....

The first two movies in the series were fantastically entertaining. You had action, emotion, love, despair, and discoveries of a linked past that made the movies engrossing. They had excellent scripts, beautiful effects, and acting that made it look real. I watch them over and over. This dog...well, at least I watched until the end.

Whoever cast this movie screwed the pooch. Fraser, as Rick O'Connell is, of course, excellent. I love the gung ho balls ahead character. He IS the character. In fact, he is the franchise.

Rachael Weisz declined to return citing problems with the script. Boy did she make the right call. So Maria Bello is cast as Evy. Dear God In Heaven. what where they thinking! Where Weisz played Evuy with emotion, perfect timing, and a boatload of sex appeal, Bello is a block of freaking wood who phones in her part. She has NO fluidity, no sense of timing, and not a trace of sex appeal. In fact, a block of wood could have done a much better job.

In the 2nd film, The Mummy Returns, the son, Alex, has a very strong `proper' English accent and typical `Brit' attitude. In this movie, Alex (Luke Ford) has NO trace of accent or his English upbringing. He plays the role like a young John Wayne, as if he was raised in Arizona. It totally fails.

Jet Li as Emperor Han...well, I loved him in Lethal Weapon 4, Unleashed, and The One. He should have done the role of Emperor Han with the same soft-sneering attitude he had in LW4. But he wasn't directed that way in this film. He was concrete, and wooden. There was no sense of surprise upon awakening 2000 years later. No marveling at the changes in the world. No wonder at how the world had changed. Totally unrealistic.

Redeeming factors: Michelle Yeoh (very big star in China) as Zi Yaun, the witch who betrays Han knowing his merciless character, Isabella Leong as her immortal daughter, and Russell Wong as General Ming Guo (Han's right hand man who falls in love with Zi Yaun). John Hannah plays Evy's gold-digging brother seamlessly from the prior films.

And there are the Yetis. Ya gotta love the Computer Graphics. At first, the Yetis were fluff, but then you start to like them. They are the `untarnished good' surrounded by evil.

The special effects are admirable. The battle scenes at the end are exceptional. The warriors (and Han) turning to sand and clay are so cool, myself and my friends all gave it a big `WHOA!'.

Rent it, just to see it. Own it, ONLY if you need to complete the series.

Hope this helps you decide.