MoPoshy Absolutely brilliant

RipDelight This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.

Sameer Callahan It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

Brennan Camacho Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

cricket crockett read the overwrought film notes for this short on disc 1 of the 4-disc set, THE INVENTION OF MOVIES, from Kino Co. (2005). The so-called expert contends that the "boxers" featured here are "disciplined, toned athletes," but to my eye these jokers in white shirts and dress pants obviously are "fleshy tinkers." All their punches are pulled, and they are grinning like jackals at the thought that ANYONE in the rough and tumble times of the 1890s COULD mistake them for "athletes." Since this was a camera test for Edison Manufacturing Company, it's clearly an "inside joke" met only for the girls in the New York City red-light districts where these guys spent their nights wilding (one look at this 12.13-second piece proves these guys were unlikely to have merited wives OR girlfriends!). Close observers will notice that this already brief film IS THE SAME THING SHOWN FOUR TIMES, but guys never can get enough of looking at themselves pretending to be sports heroes. Note that the rope behind the "boxers" meant to suggest a boxing ring is one of the first uses of art direction in the movies.

José Luis Rivera Mendoza (jluis1984) During the years from 1890 to 1892, there was a period of constant experimenting in Thomas Alva Edison's headquarters, as the team led by Scottish inventor Williak K.L. Dickson was working constantly in an idea that would revolutionize entertainment. That idea was the Kinetoscope, a project that Dickson had been developing since Edison told him about the "motion pictures" that other pioneers had began to make (French inventor Louis Le Prince being the first in 1988). Dickson took Edison's ideas beyond and conceived a machine able to show motion pictures through a hole, the Kinetoscope. Many experiments were done in order to discover the best way to produce movies, and what started with the raw experiments codenamed "Monkeyshines", by 1891 it would be a reality: Dickson was now able to produce motion pictures. The tests continued, each time with better quality, and this short, "Men Boxing", is another of those early American films.Directed by William K.L. Dickson and William Heise, "Men Boxing" shows a scene of a boxing match between two workers at Edison's laboratory. However, this is not a documentary movie like the ones Dickson would make for Edison in the future, the two fighters are only pretending to be boxing in a fake boxing ring (as usual, the movie was shot in Edison's laboratory), in order to test the camera. The scene allowed Dickson and Heise to test the amount of lighting necessary to achieve high quality images, as well as the recording speed the camera needed to capture the different movements of the boxers. While an entirely technical experiment (like most of the early films, this movie wasn't made to be shown to the public), it's interesting to see the two actors having fun in their roles of boxers, almost joking as the entire short seems to be done with a healthy dose of good humor.When William K.L. Dickson showed his "Dickson Greeting" short to the world, Kinetoscope was born and the era of motion pictures as entertainment was inaugurated. Soon, the Kinetoscope (or "peepshow machine") became widely popular thanks to Dickson's short films that depicted vaudeville acts and folkloric dances from around the world, as well as the short documentaries done for the devise. Like "Monkeyshines" or "Newark Athlete", the short experiment titled "Men Boxing" was a key factor in the success of Dickson's Kinetoscope, as this movie almost has the quality that the inventors desired. Charming and fun, this little experiment, while still incomplete, already shows how fun and entertaining the new medium would be. 7/10

Bladerunner• This hotly anticipated film fails to deliver. The special effects are spectacular, but the real action is lacking. The characters aren't defined at all, you simply don't identify with them in any way. The dialog has it moments to be sure, but subtitles just can't convey the idiosyncrasies of the human voice. The direction is pedestrian, at times I wondered if anyone was at the helm at all. It is a lengthy tome to be sure, but not overlong given the subject matter. The cinematography is rather good, and the decision to go monochromatic was a masterstroke. No sequels were planned or made, though many iterations have followed. This is not on the par with Rocky, and doesn't even come close to the sparkling, violent energy of Raging Bull, with which is shares a common theme (and common color - B&W). There is some very deep subliminal ideology, on several levels at work here. However, I think it will be many years before many of them are recognized and appreciated by the savvy filmgoer. All in all this is a masterpiece, even if the technical aspects, and certain performances lack the power of the subject matter and denouement.

addick-2 Perhaps the censors got to this one. For a title that offers the promise of nothing but blood splattering action this is a lame affair. Two men standing feet apart waving comical 'Mickey Mouse' white gloves at each other. I don't know if the guy on the right knew that he was becoming part of cinema history but I'm sure that he is disappointed that his five seconds of fame find him in a submissive 'come and get me big boy' stance.Still better than Rocky V though.