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A number of people completely pan this movie, and after reading almost all of the one- and two-star reviews, I think I understand why. You see, Hollywood doesn't usually come out with an art film, and when they do, nobody seems to know what to do. I am in an almost unique position in that I don't watch any television at all, and so I do not see movie ads and trailers. I also do not listen to the radio, and do not hear movie critics. When I go see a movie, I could care less who wrote it, directed it, filmed it or starred in it. The movie either gets me, or it doesn't. End of story. "The Mexican" definitely gets me. The words "art film" are thrown around a lot. In this case, I'm using one of the definitions that surfaced in the late 70s, which basically states that an art film is one which spends less time creating a believable plot and more time focusing on the internals of the characters. Think of a movie like "A Life Less Ordinary". I'm not saying that this is the correct definition of an art film, I'm just saying that this is the one I'm using here. During "The Mexican", we get to see legends from the past as they are represented in the minds of the storytellers. We also get to see quirky events from the past and present which apply directly to the main theme of the film while having no rational explanation (a traffic light mysteriously malfunctioning as we here an off-screen car accident, for example). The writers don't need to apologize for this: the style of the movie is blatantly declaring, "I am an art film. Do not judge me on my realism, judge me on my characters." The people who criticize the legend of the pistol as presented in this movie might just as well criticize the future presented in the movie Wall-E. It's not about the realism, it's about the characters! I like Brad Pitt in most of his films, and I dislike Julia Roberts in most of her films. In this film, the two were the right actors to play the right characters. I don't even need to sing the praises of our hitman -- an incredible performance is expected, and an incredible performance is delivered. The cinematography is beautiful. The movie just ends up feeling so organic. It seems that the moments of brutal violence are set so that they get your heart rate up at just the moments the director intended. I think some of the other reviewers were expecting a Hollywood movie to stick to its "every bullet blows something up" roots, but the violence in this movie is actually about as true to life as I have seen in a Hollywood movie (that is to say, nothing like most other Hollywood movies). The violence in this movie seems to follow the old aphorism, "hours of boredom punctuated by moments of sheer terror". For a movie of this sort, the violence is perfectly balanced to the story, without an ounce too much or too little. "The Mexican" requires at least two watches to fully appreciate the depth of the love story -- both of present and of legend -- and to appreciate the simple beauty of the film, in all its sound and color. I can understand why many people would dislike this film. It is not for everyone. It is like many other types of art: it is either your style, or it's not. For example, I think the world would have been better off if Picasso had never been born. On the other hand, I am utterly fascinated by Monet's use of light in his paintings. Some people are the exact opposite. This is a movie that you will either love, or hate, and if you love it as I do, you will truly love it.

May not be an epic master piece, but this movie is not bad at all. If you put Tarratino and Robin Williams in the same room and make them come up with a movie this is what you will get. A smart action comedy that is right up there with Grosse Point Blank and the Whole nine yards. I cant believe that so many people despise it. I give it atleast 3.75 to 4 stars easily. If you want to sit down a sip some tequila and have a good time, I reccomend this movie. Now if you want to nit pick and gripe about a movies imperfections all day I still reccomend it, after all its not my fault you got bad taste. dont pay attention to all the bad pub though not a classic its no way near deserving of 1 star not even 2. Oh well everybody has the right to their simple minded opnion. No I meant close minded, or did I mean both? I have to be politicly correct right? NOT!!!!

Wish I could tell you why, but I have thankfully blocked most of the plot from my memory. Avoid it if at all possible.

I hadn't heard many good things about `The Mexican' and so I somewhat shelved the idea of ever even trying to watch it. It had come on television multiple times and I just ignored the very thought of wasting two hours of my life on it. And then, while carousing through my local video store I decided to actually read the back of the DVD case and I noticed the name of an actor whom I am eternal smitten with. James Gandolfini. Immediately I walked up to the checkout line and rented this film. I can honestly say now, Gandolfini aside, `The Mexican' was a lot of fun. I actually enjoyed this film far more than I ever expected. The plot, while a bit forced and a little improbable, is full of twists and turns, but what makes the film so enjoyable and memorable at that is the onscreen chemistry, not between Pitts and Roberts as may be assumed, but between Roberts and Gandolfini, a pairing that was made in Hollywood heaven! Brad Pitt plays Jerry, a careless man who got caught up with a gangster due to a car accident and is now paying off his debt to the man by carrying out small errands. His latest errand is to retrieve a beautifully crafted gun coined `the Mexican' that has about as much history to it as it does value. The job gets botched though when Jerry gets carjacked and loses the gun. As he tries to retrieve it himself his boss Arnold Margolese takes matters into his own hands by hiring a contract killer named Leroy to kidnap Jerry's girlfriend Samantha and hold her as hostage to trade out for the gun. Jerry's friend Ted also ventures into Mexico to help Jerry retrieve the gun. Know that all the above information is subject to change, for this is an action/comedy with twists and turns in the plot that will alter the reality of my initial synopsis. In other words, what I just wrote is what the film wants you to believe. What makes `The Mexican' such a fun and memorable film is the keen eye for character development. Maybe no so much on the part of Jerry, but the characters of Samantha and Leroy really get fleshed out. That is owed in large part to the wonderful performances by Julia Roberts and James Gandolfini. As Samantha, Roberts is at her zany best. I actually haven't seen her this much fun since her `Pretty Woman' days. She was perfect in her role, hilarious and just orgasmically entertaining. Speaking of orgasmic, James Gandolfini is just utter perfection here as Leroy. His sensitive killer is a great spin off from his portrayal of Tony Soprano. He plays Leroy a bit softer than he plays Tony, but the same sentimental elements are still there which work wonders for making Leroy a real person. His relationship with Sam is so believable you almost want them to end up together (impossible for reasons you'll soon uncover) instead of Sam and Jerry. So, in conclusion, `The Mexican' is not a bad film at all. Let go of any and all preconceived notions about this being a waste of time and give it a chance. It's highly entertaining and will prove to be a great time for everyone involved. Here's to hoping that Gandolfini gets more roles like this one now that his `Sopranos' career has ended. He's a very talented actor who shines above the rest here and deserves to remain in the limelight.

I bought this DVD for a single scene I had seen once. The scene was worth purchasing the DVD, or so I thought. Wrong! Much of the movie was worth the price of the DVD. Actually, I more than got my money's worth. The acting is great, the plot is a great tease, and it never stops moving. I would have given it 4 stars, but the language was unnecessarily much thicker than I cared for. But all in all, a VERY solid movie.

Reviews

This recording is a marval, nothing else. When I grew up I think Swedish people mostly regarded Gedda as a famous operetta star, caused by his inumerable recordings of operettas on the EMI label. Not until late in my life I understood better. Gedda gave a concert with opera arias in the Uppsala University Aula, all 1400 sets sold out. I was completely shocked. What style, what technique, what a Godsend voice. His last number was "E lucevan le stelle" from Tosca. I have NEVER heard it sung in such a convincing manner, security and beauty. Direct from heaven. And I have seen Tosca more than twenty times, three of them with Carreras, one with Ricciarelli, Wixell and Carreras. It was luckily not too late for me to go to Stockholm and hear this phenomenon of an artist in as Lensky, Cavaradarossi, Sänger in Rosenkavalier, Herzog in Rigoletto and so on. Surely he was one of the most illustrious tenors of our Century. By some reason he never recorded Cavaradarossi. Today it is available in a recording from an unforgettable night at the Royal Opera in Stockholm, December 30th, 1975 with Berit Lindholm (Tosca) in her most remarkable form and Rolf Jupither (Scarpia). Only available here: www.premiereopera.com Search on Gedda Lindholm One of the best Rigolettos existing, in Italian and with Gedda easily taking a high D: Verdi: Rigoletto by Anders Naslund, Stockholm Royal Opera Orchestra, Sixten Ehrling, and Giuseppe Verdi. BIS records. Available on www.amazon.co.uk Marvellous!

This 2 disc package is a real feast of Nicolai Gedda's art. I am not qualified to comment on the technicalities of his performances but I think you would be hard to please if you did not absolutely love this album. He sings well known arias in Italian, French, German and Russian and his diction is flawless in all languages. A wonderful rich two or more hours of beautiful singing. BUY IT - You will not be disappointed!

What a range of roles! Gedda moves from Mozart to Donizetti to Verdi and Wagner, and also sings Offenbach, Thomas, Rossini, and Tchaikovsky, inter alia. It is odd to me that his wonderful Rodolfo from "La Boheme" is not included. One of my first opera experiences was at a theater in Peoria, Illinois, in which a performance of "La Boheme" was presented (with Gedda and Mirella Freni). Gedda was remarkable in the role; I wish that some works from that opera had been included here. Some examples of his work: "Una furtive lagrima": Gedda's smooth voice works well here, in this nice aria from Donizetti's "L'Elisir d'Amore." His polished style is compelling. "Fra poco a me ricovera": From Donizetti's "Lucia di Lammermoor," this is another aria handled smoothly by Gedda. His musical treatment of this piece is nice indeed. His rich voice does justice to the music. "La donna e mobile": Nice version, although not as spirited as some. This is very musical, but I'm not sure that Ge3dda's mannered style captured the spirit of the wretched Duke of Mantua. A nice final high note. "Il mio Tesoro": From Mozart's "Don Giovanni," this is smoothly and richly sung by Gedda. His elegant style works nicely here. Mozart asks a fair amount of the tenor here, and Gedda answers the call. "In fernem land": This is from Wagner's "Lohengrin," and shows Gedda's range. From Mozart to Wagner is quite a stretch! Gedda sings this well, but his voice may not be ideally suited to this piece. In addition, Gedda sings operetta as well. If only we could have heard his Rodolfo from "La Boheme"!

This is but a subset of the glorious recorded singing by Nicolai Gedda; however, it is a good sampler of the repertoire that made him legendary. And, at least a couple of the tracks ("Asile Hereditaire" and Lenski's aria) seem to be his best recordings of those particular works. Gedda is a member of a small circle of famed tenors noted for disciplined and artistic vocal production. He could find and consistently produce the "ping" we all love to hear. And, that was necessarily accompanied by flawless breath control. He holds the last note of the rousing "Hereditaire" for approximately eleven seconds! Onward! Ho! The emotion and delicate treatment he showed in Lenski's aria is a high-water mark. I can not imagine it being done better. I first heard him in a recording of La Boheme (with Freni) in 1975 and have heard him in person both in Faust (1976) and in recital (1981). Whether on stage or in recording, Gedda is remarkable and consistent. If you are new to opera or are younger and addicted to the stars of today (and some of them are very good too), you should hear Gedda. It will raise your definition for what it takes to be a great tenor. Go find a recording of Fritz Wunderlich too.

Beautiful, easy lyric tenor; also great diction and phrasing -- a good example to any tenor on how this rep. should be sung.

Reviews

I haven't tried this product yet. I'm about 8 1/2 months pregnant and I plan on using it when the baby arrives. So far, it's a great quality product. The ball seems really sturdy, and comes with 3 DVDs. If I were you, I would purchase this at Target. They sell it for $19.99. I'm sure that's the regular price. I have no idea why they are selling it on Amazon for almost $40. That's just a rip off!

I made the mistake of buying a single Bender Ball online. They "automatically" sign you up to receive $19.99 monthly charges. If you call Bender Ball, at 1-800-601-7088, they'll say that they'll take you off their monthly charge list, but they don't. You'll see 19.95 charges every month to your credit card. Leslee Bender should be molasses and feathered and marched through downtown L.A. She is a predator thief. Boo ! She's a crook.

I bought the bender ball thinking this was just a gimic but it seems I usually try just about everything so I figured we'll give it a try. I love this ball. It really works and it's so easy. I recieved 3 DVD's with it and they are short so you really have time to do them. It really does hit the core muscles and the exercises they show you are very easy to do. If your looking for something really quick and easy this will do the job plus it really works.

I bought the bender ball a few weeks ago, within the 1st couple days I noticed results. I love it! I do not know how I exercised my abs without it. I have tried other workout programs & nothing compares!!!!

As described. A little hard to get the air in and keep it in. You have to blow without an aids to get the air in.

Reviews

It's a great texture, but not very sturdy. I expected it to be stronger and I find that the vinyl is a little weak. It's also really hard to blow it up to the right volume.

I searched a number of sites trying to locate the right size therapy ball for home use and Amazon came to the rescue...Delivery of the item was timely and it proved to be just what I was looking for.

Reviews

I love this ball. It is very soft, easy to handle and I use it to strengthen the thigh and pelvic muscles. It is perfect to help with the Kegel exercises. It has held its air very well and after two weeks of use I have not had to re-introduce air to it.

This appears to be a nice produt. It is much stronger than the last one I had. Since I weigh 240 #'s I am concerned about the strenth of the ball. So far so good. One of the exercises I do is to put the ball behind my knee and tighten while doing some pilates exercises. I find it hard to get it to stay in there. It would be nice if it had a little more grip. Not much though because it is close. You would not want it to be to rough. Or maybe one inch smaller option form a product list would do it. Thanks for listening.

I do inner thigh sqeezes with this ball and lower ab work and it works great!

This ball is very easy to use, and it has helped a lot with the lower belly bulge.

It's soft but sturdy, light and the perfect size for stabilizing and position control for stretching exercises and support for things like sit-ups. It even comes with its own little aid for getting it blown up into shape, so there's no need to hunt around for a pump and making it easy to get just the right amount of individualized firmness. It's even fun -- and reasonably safe -- to chase around the house getting in those last few steps to meet my daily step quota!