hot coffee is a 2011 documentary film that analyzes and discusses the impact of tort reform on the united states judicial system .

it is directed by susan saladoff , who has practiced as a medical malpractice attorney for at least 26 years .

the film premiered at the 2011 sundance film festival on january 24 , 2011 , and later aired on hbo on june 27 , 2011 , as a part of hbo films documentary summer series .

the title is derived from the liebeck v. mcdonald 's restaurants lawsuit , in which the plaintiff liebeck was severely burned after spilling into her lap hot coffee purchased from a mcdonald 's .

hot coffee ( film )

hot coffee ( film ) <EOT> official selection of sundance , silverdocs documentary , and hot docs film festivals ; grand jury prize , seattle film festival .

most consumers don’t know that coffee this hot causes such injuries . nor do they know mcdonald’s made a practice of serving its coffee this hot .

the law school will host a screening of hot coffee , a sundance documentary film about the mcdonald’s hot coffee case , liebeck v . mcdonald’s restaurants , and its aftermath , on thursday , april 12 , 2012 .

great timing for this post . i was reading yesterday that the film hot coffee , a documentary aimed at dispelling the myths about the hot coffee case , premiered at sundance this week . have you heard whether it ' s good ?

i’m sure your rebuttal will be ” it was too hot” or “others complained they were burned . of course …its coffee its a hot drink ! !

watch hot coffee and you won’t be so quick to dismiss something as a “frivolous lawsuit” again .

plaintiff’s claims for excessively hot coffee fail to state a claim for which this court might grant relief .

this film is really about an argument against tort reform . no problem with that but it is built upon suggesting that the hot coffee case was unfairly misrepresented in the media . . .

next up for our film series @ the hollywood theatre is hot coffee , which examines the case of liebeck v . mcdonald’s restaurants , known as the “hot coffee lawsuit , ” in which a woman sued the fast - food giant after she spilled her coffee and burned herself . looking past the scathing negative publicity of the trial , the film examines the insidious reasons why mcdonald’s invested heaps of money to sway public opinion against the plaintiff .

seriously who does not know that coffee is hot no matter what temperature it is . when you go through a drive thru and get hot coffee you don’t put it between your legs . that’s what cup holders are for .

director susan saladoff will host a workshop @ nw doc to discuss the making of hot coffee , her first film , and share how she successfully screened at dozens of festivals and aired on hbo .

steve is using letterboxd to share film reviews and lists with friends . join here .

call us crazy , but we thought a film entitled , hot coffee , would mostly be about , well , the hot coffee case . after all , the film’s website heralds : “ hot coffee reveals what really happened to [ famed mcdonald’s hot coffee plaintiff ] stella liebeck . . . ” and that “ [ a ] fter seeing the film , you will decide who really profited from spilling hot coffee . ” saladoff told indiewire : “the mcdonald’s coffee case is the most famous case in the world , and yet almost everyone has it wrong . ” those are bold statements . yet the 88 minute film dedicates only ten minutes to the liebeck case . if the liebeck litigation has become the “most famous case in the world” and misunderstood by the american public , saladoff could have dedicated the entire film to debunking any purported misperceptions . certainly , that’s what the title suggests she planned to do . but that’s not what she’s done . in reality , the mcdonald’s case is nothing more than a cinematic hook to bring viewers to saladoff’s more general propaganda .

was the coffee too hot ? no , the coffee , which is supposed to be “hot” was , actually , “scalding” ( for those who work with the plain language of statute , this should not be too quickly overlooked ) .

if you thought you knew all about the mcdonald’s “hot coffee” lawsuit , you are dead wrong . i was like you . i thought , “greedy old woman , don’t you know coffee is hot ? why do you think you deserve millions of dollars for spilling coffee on yourself ? ”

this has to stop . it begins with watching hot coffee , and then learning what you can do to help .

tags : documentaries , films , hot coffee , liebeck v . mcdonald ' s restaurants , tort law , tort reform

“hot coffee” is a documentary film that reveals how big business , aided by the media , brewed a dangerous concoction of manipulation and lies to protect corporate interests . ms . liebeck’s case is one of four cases discussed in this film which shows how people’s lives were devastated by political agendas and attacks on the court system . the film challenges the assumptions americans hold about “jackpot justice . ”

i recommend you watch the documentary . it is about much more than “hot coffee” or any of the other individual cases listed . ultimately , the film is about big business being able to control the judicial system .

for more on the case , please see the abnormal use law blog’s “ stella liebeck mcdonald’s hot coffee case faq . ”

“the national coffee association actually recommends that coffee be brewed at a temperature between 195 - 205 degrees . ”

the thing is “personal accountability” goes bot ways… here mcdonalds put out something proported to be coffee but was too hot to drink and was so hot it would give you 3rd degree burns . ( btw the coffee at your house is no where near that temp )

i’m going to sue ge because i burned my hand on my stove…”it was too hot” they could have it warm food with being so hot right .

coffee served at 135 - 155 degrees f is plenty hot , but still less likely to disfigure someone than 180 degree f coffee – something i believe the movie more or less mentions with regard to the holding temperature for mcdonald’s coffee . and i can’t really imagine someone complaining because the coffee they received was merely piping hot rather than literally scalding . ( perhaps a masochist . )

4 . plaintiff has alleged that the coffee was “excessively hot” and “defective” because of its high temperature . plaintiff’s complaint , paragraph iv .

how the infamous mcdonald ' s hot coffee lawsuit and similar cases were exploited as part of a right wing crusade to weaken civil justice .

nick farr is awfully apologetic ( not really ) for saying those mean things about hot coffee , the new documentary film presenting lawsuit lobby view of the world [ abnormal use , earlier ] related : tbd , more . more : bob dorigo jones .

there can be no doubt that potable coffee is , by its very nature , hot . the evidence in this case establishes that there is nothing unique about mcdonald’s coffee in this regard : although billions of cups of coffee are consumed without incident every year , all restaurateurs serve coffee at temperatures high enough to cause third - degree burns under certain conditions . indeed , the courts of new mexico have cited coffee

this powerful doc examines how the famous " hot coffee " lawsuit against mcdonald ' s harmed the rights of americans to sue negligent corporations and doctors .

playing to her plaintiffs’ lawyer crowd , ms . saladoff’s movie portrays mcdonald’s as being cruel in refusing to settle the case for ms . liebeck’s basic medical costs . it also rehashes the fact that mcdonald’s coffee was about ten degrees hotter than coffee served in other areas in that part of new mexico . hot coffee gleefully reports that mcdonalds reduced the temperature of its coffee by ten degrees after the “hot coffee case . ” but , what the movie does not show is whether ms . liebeck’s burns would have been less severe if the coffee had been just ten degrees cooler .

tort reform is infringing on individual rights in the united states . the film does a great job explaining the issue .

hot coffee states that in the ten years prior to ms . liebeck’s accident , mcdonald’s had received over seven hundred complaints about their hot coffee . what the movie does not report is that during that ten - year period , mcdonald’s sold around ten billion cups of coffee . any business in the world that had only seven hundred complaints out of ten billion sales would believe it had performed a good job in terms of safety and care . but , if all one hears is “about seven hundred complaints , ” then one can conclude that the purveyor of the hot coffee was somehow evil and wrong . this is the “half a cup” approach taken by the film .

so the story of stella liebeck opens the new documentary “ hot coffee , ” which will be shown monday on hbo , part of its summer documentary series .

one group of reviewers has given the film a thumbs down : those who work to limit what they call frivolous lawsuits . bryan quigley , a spokesman for the united states chamber institute of legal reform , compared the film to the flat earth society .

stella liebeck received 3rd degree burns on her thighs ( pictured above , screenshot taken from hot coffee ) when she opened a cup of coffee to add cream and sugar . liebeck was not driving , she was parked and sitting in the passenger seat . it was mcdonald’s policy to “hold” coffee at a temperature of 190° .

not every hot - coffee - spill case is like liebeck v . mcdonald’s . sometimes defendants actually are negligent [ nick farr / abnormal use , earlier here and many others ]

seinfeld mocked it . letterman ranked it in his top ten list . and more than fifteen years later , its infamy continues . everyone knows the mcdonald’s coffee case . it has been routinely cited as an example of how citizens have taken advantage of america’s legal system , but is that a fair rendition of the facts ? hot coffee reveals what really happened to stella liebeck , the albuquerque woman who spilled coffee on herself and sued mcdonald’s , while exploring how and why the case garnered so much media attention , who funded the effort and to what end . after seeing this film , you will decide who really profited from spilling hot coffee .

sure , warnings , then and now , are plastered all over cups and tops : “careful , the beverage you are about to enjoy is extremely hot , ” says the starbucks cup . “caution contents hot , ” says the lid . “caution handle with care i’m hot , ” says the mcdonald’s cup .

everything i read from the coffee industry itself , recommends that coffee should be brewed at 195 - 205 , and should be stored at 180 - 190 .

the central issue was whether hot coffee , which by its very nature is hot , is an unreasonably dangerous and defective product because of its temperature . more specifically , the case concerned whether coffee served at 180 - 190 degrees is so hot that it makes the coffee itself unreasonably dangerous and defective . shortly after the trial , the wall street journal reported that mcdonalds’ internal manuals at the time–produced in the litigation— indicated that “its coffee must be brewed at 195 to 205 degrees and held at 180 to 190 degrees for optimal taste . ” … contemporary media reports suggested that the coffee was approximately 165 to 170 degrees at the time of the spill , indicating that it had cooled somewhat between the time it was served and the time it had spilled… .

the mcdonald’s hot coffee case . we all remember it . a lady was driving , spilled coffee on herself , claimed that it burned her , sued mcdonald’s and won millions ; right ? well , contrary to what i and many people believed , that isn’t exactly what happened .

we mention this verdict today because the jones lawsuit was prominently featured in susan saladoff’s recent documentary , hot coffee , which we reviewed previously here . specifically , the film chronicled jones’ inability to have her claims heard by a jury due a mandatory arbitration clause in her employment contract ( although we here at abnormal use did not explore the jones case in our review because our interest in the film was prompted primarily by its discussion of the stella liebeck mcdonald’s hot coffee case ) . in 2009 , the fifth circuit ruled that jones did have the right to have her case heard by a jury . see jones v . halliburton co . , 583 f . 3d 228 ( 2009 ) .

liebeck’s story is eye - opening enough , but hot coffee goes on to present three more cases in which ordinary citizens were severely wronged by private companies , the medical profession , and political operatives . ( there’s a rape case here with a corporate response to it that will chill your soul and make your blood boil . ) watch hot coffee and you’ll learn more about the pernicious effect of tort reform , damage caps , and how state supreme court judges campaigns are sometimes conducted . ( hint : follow karl rove throughout this film . )

testified that the addition of a warning to the mcdonald’s coffee would have influenced mrs .

curiously , the warnings issue receives little attention these days . although liebeck alleged that “the container that it was sold in had no warnings , or had a lack of warnings , ” the very cup at issue is prominently displayed—with its “plaintiff’s exhibit 44” sticker still affixed—on both the website and the promotional poster of the hot coffee film . however , in the very same pictures , it is clear that the cup advises in orange text : “caution : contents hot . ”

publicity about the mcdonald’s “hot coffee case” convinced many americans that our legal system was broken . if a person could successfully bring a claim against a restaurant when they spilled coffee on themselves ( as contrasted with a waiter spilling it on a patron ) , almost anything could be fair game .

mcdonald’s had been previously warned ( due to other similar incidents ) that their coffee was too hot , and they needed to lower the temperature . they never did though , because it was more convenient for them this way , plus , people came specifically to get the hottest coffee around .

. ) . mcdonald’s declined . following the jury verdict and the trial court’s reduction of the punitive damages award , both parties appealed . before the case was heard on appeal , the parties settled out - of - court for an undisclosed sum . when the settlement was announced , wagner claimed that “mcdonald’s now ( is putting ) warnings on its coffees as have some of the other fast food chains . that was her principal objective , to make things safe . have you ever had mcdonald’s coffee ? it’s hot , hot hot . it’s as hot as the water in your radiator . ” ( “mcdonald’s settles suit over burns from coffee , ”

at my local starbucks , i asked the young barista who took my order ( grande 1 percent latte ) how hot the store brews its coffee . “we brew it at 200 degrees , ” she said . ( that is also the standard recommended by the specialty coffee association of america . )

he counters the film’s arguments nimbly , pointing out that overall economic caps like those that affected the gourleys are relatively rare , compared with restrictions on punitive damages and compensation for pain and suffering . as for the coffee case , he said , other juries have not awarded damages in similar cases , and while ms . liebeck’s defenders cite hundreds of hot - coffee complaints to mcdonalds , he noted that billions of cups were sold over the same span .

the coffee industry itself recommends brewing at 195 - 205 and storing at 180 - 190 .

the evidence presented at trial indicated that ms . liebeck would have suffered the same extent of burns had she been served coffee at a temperature as low as 130 degrees . the national coffee association actually recommends that coffee be brewed at a temperature between 195 - 205 degrees . in addition , coffee is typically served in the 170 - 180 degree range even today .

christopher appleton ( mcdonald’s manager of quality assurance ) . viewed as an ineffective witness , mr . appleton apparently admitted that he was aware of the risk of hot coffee and had no plans to reduce the temperature . (

most damning of all , as readers of posts in this space ( especially those by ted frank ) will recall , jones was given center stage in susan saladoff’s film “hot coffee , ” which periodically airs on hbo and on college campuses and has established itself as one of the litigation industry’s most durable and successful propaganda vehicles . all future discussion of “hot coffee” — and certainly any cable / broadcast airings or public screenings whose sponsors care about accuracy and fairness — will need to warn audiences that the jones case can now be seen in retrospect as almost unrecognizably different from the picture of it presented in that trial - lawyer - produced “documentary . ” if this is what becomes of one of saladoff’s central cases , how reliable ought we to consider the rest of her film ?

" hot coffee " is an eye - opener . but , be forewarned . when see what the insurance companies have done to manipulate the public ( including you ) , you will feel like a fool for . . .

written and produced by saladoff , the film offers four case studies to illustrate the alleged dark side of tort reform . beginning with the liebeck case , saladoff argues that corporations improperly exploited that famed case to promote massive tort reform . specifically , hot coffee alleges that the american tort reform association and the united states chamber of commerce misrepresented the liebeck case and duped many state legislatures into passing caps on certain recoverable damages . further , the film suggests that these advocacy groups devastated america’s civil justice system by funding the judicial campaigns of candidates willing to serve corporate interests at the expense of consumers and sympathetic plaintiffs . ( the film points to three other cases , as well , though they are less famous than the liebeck case . ) .

“……namely , they could produce ten more cups of coffee from a 10 lb bag of coffee by brewing at the 180 - 190 temperature range as opposed to the recommended 140 - 160… . . ”

the fact of the matter is that hot coffee is served , and enjoyed , hot , just as hot food is . interestingly , today , on its website , the national coffee association advises that “ [ y ] our brewer should maintain a water temperature between 195–205 degrees fahrenheit for optimal extraction” and that “ [ i ] f it will be a few minutes before it will be served , the temperature should be maintained at 180–185 degrees fahrenheit . ” even in 1994 , the national coffee association confirmed that mcdonalds’ serving temperatures were within industry guidelines ( and many restaurateurs have found that their customers complain if they lower the temperature of their coffee ) . just because a product can cause serious injury when handled negligently , does not mean that the product is unreasonably dangerous when and if used properly .

o my god that’s one of the most ridiculous trials in the history of law . she was as old as coffee how did she not know it was hot . in my opinion that trial was a waste of time and money .

13 . at no location did mr . jarrett record the temperature of freshly served coffee below 130° .

i think people are missing a major point . imagine if she hadn’t spilled the coffee . if the coffee did that much damage to her legs ( where the skin tissue is considerably stronger ) , imagine what the coffee would have done to her mouth , throat and esophagus if she had actually drank it .

by “skirting around , ” we meant to imply that , to our knowledge , saladoff has never , either in her interviews or documentary , responded to the central premise of her critics that coffee is a beverage meant to be served hot . in her reference to the jury’s allocation of fault , saladoff addresses only liebeck’s act of spilling the coffee placed between her legs . as we have suggested all along , coffee by its nature is meant to be served hot . our guess is that liebeck would have been disappointed and may have even complained had she been served coffee at a lesser temperature . this issue was presented to saladoff in the interview , but we found saladoff’s answer non - responsive .

burns were not the result of serving excessively hot coffee , as other restaurants in this community have been demonstrated to serve coffee at temperatures which , for the sake of argument , might be lower than those served at the mcdonald’s in question , but which also were high enough temperatures to have still caused the type of injuries and burns that ms .

hbo documentary films ; if not now and the group entertainment present a film by susan saladoff ; directed by susan saladoff ; produced by carly hugo , alan oxman , susan saladoff .

as a connoisseur of hot - coffee cases , i’m always excited to see a court get one right . the abnormal use blog points us to colbert v . sonic restaurants , no . 09 - 1423 , 2010 wl 3769131 ( w . d . la . sept . 21 , 2010 ) . the plaintiff made the usual gamut of “design defect” and “failure to warn” claims , but the court wasn’t buying it . note that the plaintiff claimed to be injured by the coffee at sonic restaurants , yet another refutation of the trial - lawyer claim that stella liebeck’s mcdonald’s coffee was unusually hot .

hot coffee / susan saladoff ; carly hugo ; alan oxman ; al franken ; john grisham ; martina radwan ; cindy lee , ( film editor ) ; michael r mollura ; joel goodman ; hbo documentary films . ; if not now productions . ; group entertainment ( firm ) ; docurama ( firm ) ; new video group . ; ; [ united states ] : docurama films : new video ( distributor ) , ©2011 .

stella liebeck who sued mcdonald’s after being severely burned by coffee , becoming a national symbol of frivolous lawsuits .

chris hemsworth kicks off filming for the star - studded men in black spin - off as he cuts a sharp figure in london . . . 21 years after the first film hit screens

the 2011 hbo documentary hot coffee , directed by susan saladoff , focuses on big business attempts and successes in controlling the judicial system in limiting the amount of damages that can be paid out to individuals for their wrong - doing and / or neglect .

hot coffee also documents the story of oliver diaz , a former mississippi supreme court justice , to accuse the u . s . chamber of commerce of funneling money into the judicial campaigns of pro - tort reform candidates . the film suggests that diaz found himself running against a candidate hand picked and funded by the chamber . but here’s the catch : the film concedes that trial lawyers often donate to their own judicial candidates . but the film attempts to minimize this fact by noting that trial lawyers are limited by law in the amount of money they can donate . this seems a bit unfair , right ? big corporations are buying seats for judges while trial lawyers must sit idly by due to unfair , oppressive campaign finance laws ? is the story truly so bleak for trial lawyers and their own advocacy groups ? not really .

we have become a society that totes hot liquids everywhere . our palms seem to be permanently attached to an elongated cup with a plastic lid .

also , the faq section dealing with liebeck’s cases curiously lacks any discussion about the economic motives of mcdonald’s to brew its coffee at higher temperatures . namely , they could produce ten more cups of coffee from a 10 lb bag of coffee by brewing at the 180 - 190 temperature range as opposed to the recommended 140 - 160 .

because the twenty - year - old stella liebeck case is getting another round of attention on some blogs — susan saladoff’s short film hot coffee having served quite successfully to keep the trial lawyers’ side of the controversy in circulation — it’s worth a closer look at the latest in jim dedman’s ( abnormal use ) writings deflating the case’s mythos [ defense research institute dri today , previously briefly noted in a roundup a couple of weeks ago ] . excerpt :

testified that the number of prior coffee burn victims was statistically trivial in comparison to the number of cups sold .

btw… wht did mcdonalds really get out of this… well they turned down the temp . . they started making fresh coffee throughout the day instead of superheated “coffee” once… they became knows as having good fresh coffee and now , playing off that , even gone into the mccafe business… netting 100s of millions… poor por mcdonalds ! ! ! ! !

the infamous spill . although it occurred over twenty years ago , plaintiffs’ lawyers despised the publicity that surrounded the so - called “hot coffee case . ” the “hot coffee case” spotlights stella liebeck , an elderly woman who in the early 1990s , while sitting in the passenger seat in a car at a mcdonald’s restaurant in new mexico , spilled a cup of coffee on herself . this spill resulted in very serious third degree burns which are shown graphically in the movie . while ms . liebeck’s injury is indeed tragic , the fundamental fact remains that , however terrible her injuries , a mcdonald’s employee did not spill the coffee on ms . liebeck , she spilled the coffee on herself . the automobile in which she was a passenger did not have a coffee cup holder . that fact had not been well publicized until the movie . under the movie’s thesis that others are to blame for one’s own conduct , one might wonder why ms . liebeck did not bring a design liability claim against the manufacturer of the automobile because it lacked cup holders . if there had been a coffee cup holder , she might not have spilled the coffee on herself . perhaps her lawyers thought that mcdonald’s was an easier target .

hot coffee does an excellent job presenting its position in a clear and compelling manner , illustrating its arguments with actual cases . as fascinating as the documentary subject was , i was happy to have the primary source material available via westlawnext to further inform my opinion .

we haven’t addressed the mandatory arbitration issue for a reason . our interest in this documentary derived primarily from our interest in the hot coffee case itself . for that reason , much of our discussion has focused on that issue with a bit of tort reform overlay .

stuever does not , for some reason , name any proponent of reform who has actually asserted either of the propositions . do you think that might be because he’s trafficking in absurd caricatures ? ( earlier on “hot coffee” here , here , here , etc . )

you are correct in that the film is not only about the mcdonald’s case , but i do believe that us defense nerds would have loved to see an 88 - minute expose on the subject .

if you re - read the section of my review documenting the facts presented in the film , i actually did mention the 700 prior burns . that piece of evidence is often quoted and it does raise some interesting issues . through our research , we have reason to believe that the 700 burns were not exclusively from coffee ( or any other hot beverage for that matter ) . in any event , mcdonald’s has sold over a billion cups of coffee , so even at 700 , the number of burns is miniscule ( according to the testimony of the human factors expert at trial ) .

a . the coffee purchased by her on 2 / 27 / 92 was unreasonably dangerous because it was excessively hot and defendants are liable to her for the physical and mental harm which it caused at the time of its sale and consumption on 2 / 27 / 92 .

just a quick heads - up : if you can , watch hot coffee on hbo tonight at 9 p . m . est . remember the 1994 court case of the woman who was awarded $ 2 . 9 million for spilling a cup of mcdonald’s coffee on herself ? it even became a plot point in an episode of seinfeld . well , you don’t know the half of it .

the mcdonald ' s coffee case has been routinely cited by the media as an example of how citizens have taken advantage of the legal system . we will show how this case became so popular in the media , who funded the effort and to what end . we will tell the truth and let the audience decide if spilling hot coffee is really as profitable as they might otherwise believe .

would have suffered the same extent of burns had she been served coffee at a temperature as low as 130 degrees .

hot coffee is a slick production . the music is good . the photography is excellent , and the acting to try to get and bring ms . saladoff’s points home , is superb . propaganda is at an apex with “villains” ( president bush , karl rove , certain business groups ) , as well as heroes and heroines , the victims . but , will americans see that the movie is a half cup of coffee with major facts left out in every single segment ? will the audience realize that both sides of any of the four issues : the hot coffee case , tort reform and limits on damages , judicial elections , and mandatory arbitration , are not presented ?

mcdonald’s corp . sold its coffee at 180 - 190 degrees fahrenheit by corporate specification . mcdonald’s coffee , if spilled , could cause full - thickness burns ( third degree to the muscle / fatty tissue layer ) in two to seven seconds .

the parking lot movie is a documentary about a singular parking lot in charlottesville , virginia . the film follows a select group of parking lot attendants and their strange rite of passage . . . see full summary »

of course that wasn’t really the filmmaker’s goal . ms . saladoff is , as a lawyer and now a director , an advocate . one of several strands in the film , ms . liebeck’s story shows how tort reformers deftly spun her case and others to nudge public opinion and argue for the need to shut down what industry advocates called “jackpot justice . ” the film also lays out facts of the case that are rarely heard .

you might want to consider that this documentary is simply propaganda for the other side of the equation : the trial lawyers . for those who believe that mcd had fair warning – as mentioned in the film – it received 700 complaints on 10 billion cups of coffee or . 007 % . so like many things , most films have an axe to grind

those who see the documentary may likely be persuaded of the “evils of tort reform . ” saladoff brilliantly selects cases that tug on the emotional heart strings of even the most stoic of viewers . after witnessing the struggle of parents attempting to provide for a brain damaged child or hearing a woman explain her unsuccessful quest for a jury trial after being brutally raped by co - workers , uninformed viewers may leave the film with a distaste for tort reform – at least as saladoff presents it . as a filmmaker and “documentarian , ” saladoff is persuasive , and she has garnered much attention from hollywood for her efforts . ( indeed , non lawyer film critics are falling for her propaganda ) . cynical as we are , and willing to dig deeper than casual viewers , we here at abnormal use are not so easily persuaded . once one cuts through hot coffee ‘s emotionalism , we see a film that exploits the mcdonald’s case and other sympathetic litigants to promote saladoff’s own personal agenda .

these days , with so many choices on the coffee menu , customers may be more protected today from a scalding by inadvertent shields . in 1992 , little in the way of milky coffee drinks was available that would act to drop the temperature a few degrees .

i thought you might be interested in this item at urltoken title : hot coffee author : susan saladoff ; carly hugo ; alan oxman ; al franken ; john grisham ; martina radwan ; cindy lee , ( film editor ) ; michael r mollura ; joel goodman ; hbo documentary films ; if not now productions ; group entertainment ( firm ) ; docurama ( firm ) ; new video group publisher : [ united states ] : docurama films : new video ( distributor ) , ©2011 . isbn / issn : 1422973190 9781422973196 oclc : 747048493

in selectively presenting these facts in this fashion , saladoff contends liebeck’s lawsuit was meritorious simply because she suffered actual damages and failed to show any desire to get - rich - quick . unfortunately , it is not the presence of actual damages and a noble spirit which keeps a case from being frivolous . in fact , saladoff neglects to address the point often made here at abnormal use : coffee is meant to be served hot and does not become “unreasonably dangerous” until negligently spilled by the consumer . this past week , when asked about our assertions on national public radio , saladoff skirted around the issue , citing the same line that mcdonald’s knew that hot coffee was , in fact , hot . apparently , any effort to challenge her on that point is just another dirty corporate disinformation campaign .

i do not order scalding coffee , nor do i have a reasonable expectation of doing so . i have an expectation of getting hot coffee just as i have the reasonable expectation that when i see a physician i will receive care and aid . when this doesn’t happen , then my open avenue to recourse allows me , a single individual , to influence the system , however minute , toward a greater benefit for both myself and others .

not to mention the variety of insulated , metal refillable travel mugs , with any number of push - button , sliding openings from which to sip a hot or cold brew .

our original piece chronicling saladoff’s history as a plaintiff’s lawyer and longtime affiliation with the association of trial lawyers of america rang truer than we even realized . in fact , it was cited just yesterday in the new york times by its legal correspondent john schwartz who , however , downplayed saladoff’s possible lack of objectivity . ( we wonder what schwartz would think about an environmental film produced by an oil company . ) . schwartz did concede , though , that saladoff is an “advocate . ” as editorialists ourselves , we would never object to someone simply expressing a point of view ; we love the vast marketplace of ideas ( though we find saladoff’s background highly relevant to the message she offers ) . in this case , our goal is , and has always been , to expose potential bias and inconsistency , especially in light of the film’s presentation as an objective documentary peddling in previously unknown “truths . ” just as saladoff accuses the media of exploiting an allegedly meritorious hot coffee case , hot coffee is guilty of the same offense . saladoff preys on the emotions of viewers to advance her profession’s own special interests .

mcdonald’s had full knowledge that they were serving their coffee too hot – they just didn’t care . this type of incident had happened several times before mrs . liebeck’s incident . just like a restaurant is responsible for ensuring that the food that they serve is not too cold , they are also responsible for ensuring that they do not serve food and beverages that are not too hot . there are , and have been , established guidelines for the appropriate temperatures . mcdonald’s just chose to disregard these guidelines .

this section of the film explores the idea / beliefs that states with caps on damages in malpractice suits , especially , will see a decrease in the cost of health care . this proves to be untrue , only protecting malpractice insurance companies .

firm who executed a summary judgment affidavit setting forth coffee temperature measurements he took at six local restaurants as a part of the defense case .

finally , the film tells the story of jamie leigh jones , a young women who , while working for kbr / halliburton in iraq , was drugged , raped , and then place in a shipping container by the company until eventually rescued . her case led to federal legislation spearheaded by sen . al franken ( d - mn ) , who has a prominent role in hot coffee . jamie ' s civil trial is happening as we speak . she fought for six years just to get before a jury because the company tried to force jamie into secretive mandatory binding arbitration instead .

but not just any cup . this one — called versalite , with 20 patents pending , and currently being tested in several markets — is a disposable cup that insulates the liquid to keep hot coffee from cooling but also to keep the cup from feeling hot to the touch . “we’ve known for a long time that there’s been a need for a better insulating cup , ” said jon rich , president and chief executive of berry plastics . ( incidentally , the versalite cup performs the same function for cold drinks . )

trial , known as the mcdonald’s hot coffee case , has become such a fixture of litigation lore that many are unaware of the basic facts of the case , or even where and when it was tried . litigated and reported upon before the rise of the internet , much of what appears online about the case is the worst sort of

susan saladoff ' s hot coffee concerns tort reform politics in the united states and the controversy surrounding such reform . the film is named after the infamous lawsuit that people have greatly shortchanged in its details , editorialized for their own amusement , or wrote off as senseless and that of little importance . the lawsuit is liebeck v . mcdonald ' s restaurants , which was enacted when an elderly woman named stella liebeck spilled a cup of mcdonald ' s coffee on her lap while sitting in the passenger seat of her nephew ' s car in the restaurant ' s parking lot . the cup , which was said to be at roughly 180 - 190 degrees fahrenheit , left liebeck with third degree burns and skin grafts to repair most of her lap .

the film’s most powerful argument , however , might be the horrifying photographic evidence of ms . liebeck’s third - degree burns , presented indirectly at first through shocked reaction shots during man - on - the - street interviews . then the audience gets to see .

one day in 1992 stella liebeck spilled a cup of mcdonald’s coffee into her lap . ever since , people have been fighting over what really happened .

and scanned the decision . as discussed in the film , the bulk of the award was for punitive damages in the amount of $ 2 , 700 , 000 . i clicked on the keycite button and took a look at some of related filings . upon reading the

we now have that little cardboard thing that goes around the disposable cup so you can hold a cup of hot coffee without discomfort . ( it actually has a name : the zarf , and one jay sorenson is said to have invented it in 1993 and he holds a patent on it under the trademark java jacket . now multiple companies make them . )

10 . as part of this survey , mr . jarrett used a standard food thermometer and measured the temperature of coffee brewed and maintained at these locations .

11 . mr . jarrett’s measurements of coffee were taken when it was first served to him , after approximately 15 minutes , and after approximately 30 minutes .

last week , my wife and i happened upon “hot coffee” , the 2011 documentary film analyzing the impact of tort reform on the judicial system , in our often neglected dvr queue while looking for something to watch before turning in for the night . i recollected that when i had set the recording a few weeks back , i felt smugly self - satisfied that i had chosen to record a serious documentary germane to my profession . yet , the facts that i had yet to watch said documentary and that i spent the entire previous saturday knee - deep in a doctor who marathon were ugly reminders that my tastes in entertainment remained decidedly escapist .

that message may be getting across . ann hornaday of the washington post , reviewing the film at the sundance festival , wrote that it provided “the kind of narrative that sends audiences out of the theater thinking in a brand - new way about something they thought they understood . ”

he also complained that his comments in the film were selectively edited to make him look more supportive of the film’s argument . ms . saladoff used part of a quotation , for example , in which mr . schwartz acknowledged that money flooding into judicial elections may not be a good thing ; but he said she should have also used his argument that the business lobby increased contributions in response to earlier contributions from plaintiffs’ lawyers . “both points i make are valid , ” he said , but “the money really began with the plaintiffs’ lawyers , big time . ”

the point is , the world now caters to the coffee drinker . the idea of getting into a car without cup holders and lifting the lid off the cup in order to add milk and sugar and drink the coffee , as the facts of the case show ms . liebeck did that morning , seems strangely anachronistic .

( burn specialist ) . dr . baxter offered his opinion at trial that coffee served at 180 degrees was excessive and could not be consumed at that temperature . dr . baxter opined that the optimal temperature range to serve coffee was between 155 and 160 degrees . ( historical footnote : he operated on president kennedy and governor

this would conceivably lower the number of people having to open lids , and the coffee temperature is lowered by adding the cream and / or sugar and stirring .

back in february 1992 , when stella liebeck ordered the 8 - ounce cup of mcdonald’s coffee that would famously spill and turn her , briefly , into a court - made millionaire — until the amount , the video reports , was lowered to about $ 500 , 000 — we were not the coffee culture we would become .

hot coffee is a documentary that will leave you both stunned and enlightened about the misconceptions we have about civil lawsuits , in this case , and in general . stella liebeck , 79 years - old , suffered third - degree burns within seven seconds of opening a cup of mcdonald’s coffee while sitting in the passenger seat of a parked car . all she asked for in bringing a lawsuit was the difference between what medicare paid for and her medical bills . ( liebeck required skin grafts and other operations . ) it was a jury that awarded her the large sum — which the jury noted represented a mere two days of mcdonald’s coffee sales . the judge reduced that sum , and the case was settled out of court .

and any other consumers that purchase coffee in the defective state in which it is sold by defendants , and for the marketing defect of no warning , or in the alternative , insufficient warning , because mcdonald’s corporation and mcdonald’s restaurants p . t . s . , inc . fully know of and are aware of innumerable burn cases caused by the fault , or in the alternative , negligence of their operations in the manufacture , sale , and marketing of extremely hot coffee . for this , plaintiff comes now and sues in the amount of three times compensatory damages for punitive damages .

the film also uses the story of lisa and mike gourley , a nebraska couple , to illustrate the effects of caps on damages . the gourleys’ son colin was born in 1993 with cerebral palsy attributed to medical malpractice . a jury awarded them $ 5 . 6 million to pay his lifelong medical needs .

speaking in regards to your statement that hot coffee is only dangerous when it is spilled by the negligent customer doesn’t really hold water in my book . it’s like saying that a broken threshold in the doorway is only dangerous when the customer negligently steps on it . the fact is that her injuries were foreseeable , as mcdonalds had received many such complaints in the past . foreseeability is a necessary component of negligence .

saladoff declined multiple requests from abnormal use for interviews , both in january and this week prior to the film’s hbo premier . ( actually , she initially accepted an interview request in january , then canceled at the last minute after the interview had been scheduled , and we never heard from her again . ) .

despite the fact that the review above goes easy on the hot coffee in these two respects , i thought the review was wrong to call this movie “propaganda , ” which i think is a term that is too easily abused . we need to raise the standard for what we consider genuine “propaganda , ” because the way we use the term now it basically means “a point of view i don’t agree with . ”

@ johnny o’hannah i’d like to point out that the liebeck incident took place in 1992 . cupholders in vehicles were not standard until 1996 . where should she have put her coffee ?

despite the short shrift the liebeck case receives in the film , saladoff argues that there are certain facts of the liebeck case that were either somehow concealed from the public or never brought to light which , if known , would change the perception of the case from frivolous to somehow meritorious . those facts are these :

a longtime leader of the tort reform movement , victor e . schwartz , appears in the film and pronounced himself unhappy with the result . “i’ve seen lots of plaintiffs’ lawyers’ propaganda — nothing like this , ” he said . “it’s very well produced , but it may lead people to believe something that’s not true . ”

in 1992 , stella liebeck spilled scalding mcdonald’s coffee in her lap and later sued the company , attracting a flood of negative attention . it turns out there was more to the story .

to mediate the dispute and ordered the parties to “make a good faith effort to resolve and completely settle all pending issues . ” ( “conference ordered on spilled coffee , ” associated press ,


contraband is a lost 1925 silent film produced by famous players-lasky and distributed by paramount pictures .

alan crosland directed and lois wilson stars .

the film is taken from a novel , contraband , by charles buddington kelland .

the last film directed by alan crosland the cooperation with distributor paramount pictures .

contraband ( 1925 film )

contraband ( 1925 film ) <EOT> contraband at arne andersen ' s lost film files : paramount pictures films - 1925 archived august 22 , 2015 , at the wayback machine .

cast and crew members of the film ' contraband ' pose for a group photograph on . . .

cast and crew members of the film ' contraband ' pose for a group photograph on location in cornwall . the film is being directed by fred granville for granville productions .

the american film institute catalog feature films : 1921 - 30 by the american film institute , c . 1971

future learning and skills – giving everyone the opportunity to build a lifelong relationship with film .

a growing source of silent era film information . this listing is from the progressive silent film list by carl bennett . copyright © 1999 - 2018 by carl bennett and the silent era company . all rights reserved .

alan crosland ( august 10 , 1894 – july 16 , 1936 ) was an american stage actor and film director .

the yacht race ( 1903 ) yaji kita okazaki no neko sodo ( 1937 ) yaji kita son ' nô no maki ( 1927 ) yaka - hula - hicka - ooola ( 1926 ) yale vs . harvard ( 1927 ) yama kururu ( 1921 ) yama no senroban ( 1923 ) yami o iku ( 1923 ) the yankee clipper ( 1927 ) the yankee consul ( 1924 ) yankee doodle ( 1920 ) yankee doodle dixie ( 1913 ) yankee doodle in berlin ( 1919 ) a yankee from the west ( 1915 ) the yankee girl ( 1915 ) the yankee señor ( 1926 ) the yaqui ( 1916 ) the yaqui cur ( 1913 ) a yard of puppies ( 1903 ) the years of the locust ( 1916 ) years to come ( 1922 ) the yellow arm ( 1921 ) the yellow back ( 1926 ) the yellowback ( 1929 ) the yellow cameo ( 1928 ) [ the yellow captain ] ( 1927 ) yellow contraband ( 1928 ) the yellow dog ( 1918 ) the yellow face ( 1921 ) yellow fingers ( 1926 ) yellow flame ( 1914 ) the yellow girl ( 1916 ) the yellow lily ( 1928 ) yellow man ( 1922 ) the yellow menace ( 1916 ) the yellow pawn ( 1916 ) the yellow peril ( 1908 ) the yellow peril ( 1915 ) the yellow slave ( 1913 ) the yellow stain ( 1922 ) a yellow streak ( 1915 ) [ yellow ticket ] ( 1917 ) yen rei - sun ( 1921 ) [ yerahmiel the shlemiel ] ( 1926 ) yes or no ( 1920 ) yes , we have no — ( 1923 ) yes , yes nanette ( 1925 ) les yeux ouverts ( 1913 ) les yeux qui meurent ( 1912 ) ye vengeful vagabonds ( 1914 ) the yiddisher cowboy ( 1911 ) yiddle and his fiddle ( 1912 ) yid nesbitt ( 1927 ) yi jian mei ( 1931 ) yogoto no yume ( 1933 ) the yokel ( 1926 ) a yoke of gold ( 1916 ) yolanda ( 1924 ) [ yorke and adams ] ( 1927 ) yorktown ( 1924 ) the yosemite ( 1914 ) yosemite ( 1918 ) the yosemite trail ( 1922 ) yoshitsune sembon zakura ( 1914 ) you are guilty ( 1923 ) you can’t believe everything ( 1918 )

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please note that this is a database of information on films produced in the silent era of world cinema . this is not a listing of available exhibition prints or home video products , since we currently do not rent or sell either .

early women filmmakers : an international anthology ( 1902 - 1943 ) . films by blaché , weber , dulac and more ! available from amazon

juanita fletcher ( m . 1917–1921 ; divorced ) ( 1 son ) natalie moorhead ( m . 1930–1935 ; divorced )

born in new york city , new york to a well - to - do family , alan crosland attended dartmouth college . after graduation he took a job as a writer with the new york globe magazine . interested in the theatre , he began acting on stage , appearing in several productions with shakespearian actress annie russell .

crosland began his career in the motion picture industry in 1912 at edison studios in the bronx , new york , where he worked at various jobs for two years until he had learned the business sufficiently well to begin directing short films . by 1917 , he was directing feature - length films and in 1920 directed olive thomas in the flapper , one of her final films before her death in september of that year .

crosland died in 1936 at the age of 41 as a result of an automobile accident on sunset boulevard in los angeles . he is interred in the hollywood forever cemetery . his grave remained unmarked for 67 years until a headstone was donated by the hollywood underground in 2003 .

his son , alan crosland , jr . ( 1918–2001 ) would also have a successful career as a television director . juanita fletcher was his mother .

this article is issued from wikipedia - version of the 8 / 8 / 2016 . the text is available under the creative commons attribution / share alike but additional terms may apply for the media files .

cast : lois wilson [ carmel lee ] , noah beery [ deputy jenney ] , raymond hatton [ launcelot bangs ] , raymond mckee [ evan b . pell ] , charles ogle [ sheriff churchill ] , luke cosgrave [ tubal ] , edwards davis [ abner fownes ] , johnny fox [ simmy ] , victor potel [ george bogardus ] , alphonse ethier [ jared whitfield ] , cesare gravina [ ‘pee wee’ bangs ] , lillian leighton [ mrs . churchill ]

references : drew - speaking p . 289 ; filmyearbook - 1926 pp . 37 , 61 : website - afi .

mckee appeared in about 175 films between 1912 and 1935 , but was most successful in silent movies . mckee fan susan hatch of florida says he was talented at scrimshaw , and worked on whales ' teeth during six months of location filming for " down to the sea in ships " in new bedford , mass . , in 1922 . hatch says he also enjoyed playing golf and raising boston terrier puppies . /

genius : movie - maker mack sennett , a genius at churning out comedy after comedy in early hollywood , boosted the careers of at least five iowans who worked at sennett ' s keystone studios . iowa ' s best : besides raymond mckee , they included chester conklin of oskaloosa , one of sennett ' s keystone kops , known for his walrus mustache ; harry langdon of council bluffs , the baby - faced comic who today is ranked with charlie chaplin and buster keaton ; stanley " tiny " sandford of osage , a tall , broad man who usually filled supportive roles ; and ernest b . schoedsack of council bluffs , who was a sennett cameraman long before he became known for making the first " king kong . " "

click here to give us feedback or to suggest a famous iowan for a future profile .


teddy bear ( danish : 10 timer til paradis , " 10 hours to paradise " ) is a 2012 danish film starring kim kold as a danish bodybuilder who travels to thailand to find love .

the film was directed by mads matthiesen and written by matthiesen and martin zandvliet .

teddy bear is based on matthiesen 's 2007 short film dennis , which starred kold in the same role .

teddy bear ( 2012 film )

teddy bear ( 2012 film ) <EOT> after finishing film school mads made his first feature “teddy bear” ( 2012 ) the film premiered at sundance film festival in 2012 where mads won the “best director” award in the “world cinema dramatic competition” . the film was nominated for the european film academy’s “european discovery” award and was a big festival hit around the world winning a dozen of awards . it was sold for theatrical release to more than 20 countries .

a boy and his x : rather , a man and his teddy bear .

silver bear for best short film : atsushi wada ' s the great rabbit .

crystal bear for the best feature film : reis çelik ' s lal gece .

be a little boy as long as he has his teddy bear with him . . .

unusually uninteresting sight : after 27 years , nobody is surprised that a living teddy bear exists .

teddy bear - 2012 plot : the 38 - year - old bodybuilder dennis would really like to find true love . he has never had a girlfriend and lives alone with his . . .

the narration claims that the stupid , evil child robert grew up to be taylor lautner ( even though the film takes place in 2012 ) .

looking for movie tickets ? enter your location to see which movie theaters are playing teddy bear near you .

seth macfarlane may be going to court over a teddy bear . according to thr , a california production company called bengal mangle productions has filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against the comedian and universal over the concept behind his hit 2012 film ted , claiming that the vulgar womanizing teddy bear character was stolen from their 2008 screenplay - turned - web series called acting school academy and charlie the abusive teddy , which starred a strikingly similar teddy bear named charlie and got over 1 . 2 million views on youtube , facebook , itunes , funny or die , and vimeo .

cologne , germany - sundance entry teddy bear - a danish drama about a shy bodybuilder looking for love ; the dutch children ' s film kauwboy and the german drama reported missing are among the titles in the running this year for the european film academy ' s european discovery 2012 - prix fipresci , the efa ' s newcomer honour .

ted ' s name refers to the fact that he ' s a teddy bear and is a less diminutized version of " teddy , " indicating that he ' s an adult .

from its title to its closing caress , teddy bear skates perilously close to the cliff ' s edge of mawkish sentiment .

kavorka man : ted had sex with numerous attractive women despite being , well , a teddy bear . with no penis .

the winner of the european discovery 2012 honor will be announced at the efa awards ceremony in malta on dec . 1 .

leno device : ted appears on the tonight show with johnny carson after being revealed to the world as a living teddy bear .

bathroom humor meets courtroom drama in " ted 2 , " seth macfarlane ' s sequel to the hit 2012 comedy about a hard - living , foul - mouthed teddy bear brought to life by a wish from his best buddy , john ( mark wahlberg ) .

“teddy bear” is the first feature by danish director mads matthiesen . the film features a cast of non - actors led by bodybuilder kim kold and will be presented in the world dramatic competition .

seth macfarlane voices teddy bear ted and mark wahlberg plays hisbest friend , john , in " ted 2 . " ( universal pictures )

movie review - ' teddy bear ' - a put - upon hardbody , but a ' teddy bear ' at heart mads matthiesen ' s teddy bear , starring real - life bodybuilder kim kold , mixes fairytale tropes and tender non - professional performances to tell the story of dennis , a stunted mother ' s boy who flees home looking for love . he ventures to thailand , where he finds kindred souls . ( recommended )

i loved this movie . it ' s a monument to humanism that never strikes the wrong chord . teddy bear deserved a much larger audience .

indiewire invited sundance film festival directors to tell us about their films , including what inspired them , the challenges they faced and what they’re doing next . we’ll be publishing their responses leading up to the 2012 festival .

and i’m proud to be portuguese : for miguel gomes’ tabu ( the most beloved film at the festival ) , winner of two awards , and for joão salaviza’s rafa , winner of the short film golden bear . salaviza won the short film palm d’or in 2009 with arena .

matthiesen and his cast have created a believable space , and that ultimately helps give teddy bear the tension of a fine suspense film once kold sits down across the kitchen table from steentoft to speak his mind at last .

all young john wants is a true friend for life . for christmas , his parents give him an enormous teddy bear the size of a first grader , and that night under the sheets with a flashlight , john asks teddy to be his real and true forever friend . teddy comes to life and agrees .

film movement , sf film production & beofilm present ; [ visit films ] ; a film by mads matthiesen ; instruktor , mads matthiesen ; manuskript , mads matthiesen / martin pieter zandvliet ; producer , morten kjems juhl .

set in contemporary denmark and in thailand , mads matthiesen ' s teddy bear is a sweetly muted domestic drama struggling to contain a fierce and ancient folk tale .

the international short film jury — emily jacir , sandra hüller and david o ' reilly — has awarded the daad short film prize to trevor anderson for the man that got away and the berlin short film nominee for the european film award to justine triet ' s vilaine fille mauvais garçon ( two ships ) .

mads was born in 1976 in copenhagen , denmark . he has a ba in comparative literature and rhetoric from copenhagen university . he graduated as director from the danish film school “super16” in 2008 . mads’ first film school project the short film ”mum” ( 2006 ) was selected for the 63 . venice film festival in the official program “corto cortissimo” 2006 , and his second film school project “dennis” ( 2007 ) premiered in the competition program for short films at sundance film festival 2008 .

silver bear for best actress : rachel mwanza  for her performance in war witch .

a slender but disarming danish film about a painfully shy bodybuilder looking for love . twitter

you ' ll feel the warmth and camaraderie of a bostonian and his little sentient bear .

silver bear for best screenplay : nikolaj arcel and rasmus heisterberg  for a royal affair .

dennis and toi’s ( lamaiporn hougaard ) endearing relationship was engaging to watch . teddy bear delves into those tender moments and an ending that makes all the awkward moments surrounding their relationship worthwhile watching .

grand prix of the deutsches kinderhilfswerk for the best film : boudewijn koole ' s kauwboy .

this article is related to : reviews and tagged l . a . film fest , review

plot developments that hint at an emerging thriller by suggesting that emma is becoming dangerously obsessive about her relationship with the sought - after photographer fizzle out too quickly , leaving the narrative to rely on palm’s relative inexperience as it plumbs the depths of emma’s despair . fans of matthiesen’s low - budget debut feature teddy bear , winner of the 2012 sundance world cinema directing award , may miss that film’s gentle humor and low - key charm , here replaced by high - strung drama and glitzy posturing .

special mention — it comes with a silver bear — goes to ursula meier ' s sister .

born of magic : ted was just a normal teddy bear whose owner wished for him to come to life with seth macfarlane ' s most overused character voice . unfortunately for everyone involved , reality ensues .

there ' s also peril involving donny , a creepy dad ( giovanni ribisi ) who as a child passionately wanted ted to be his own teddy , and his pudgy spoiled son ( aedin mincks ) , who wants ted now . their desire is pitched at such a perverse level that it approaches teddy - bear predation .

“teddy bear , ” like dennis , is understated and of few words . but , again like dennis , this makes it all the more powerful when we realize what it’s trying to say . [ a - ]

best feature 2012 : srdjan dragojevic ' s parada ( the parade ) . 2nd place : daniele vicari ' s diaz - don ' t clean up this blood . 3rd place : cao hamburger ' s xingu .

teddy bear is not the most substantial film , but it has a restrained charm and an emotional payoff in keeping with its prevailing understatement . as dennis stands up to his mother , claiming the right to happiness in his familiar laconic way but with new purposefulness , he acquires a kind of strength previously unavailable to him .

subverted kids show : tying in with the theme of growing up the film presents in the opening .

patrick stewart ' s jab at superman returns at the end . this might be motivated by bryan singer leaving the x men film series series ( where stewart plays professor x ) to make the film .

this film is not currently playing on mubi but 30 other great films are . see what’s now showing

too dumb to live : yeah , let a teddy bear who is simultaneously high off of cocaine and drunk give you a five finger fillet . ted has a point when he says the guy never should have trusted him .

notebook is a daily , international film publication . our mission is to guide film lovers searching , lost or adrift in an overwhelming sea of content . we offer text , images , sounds and video as critical maps , passways and illuminations to the worlds of contemporary and classic film . notebook is a mubi publication .

teddy bear is mostly a light - hearted film with thoughtful undertones in the difficulty of familiar relationships . unfortunately , these areas aren’t explored in depth . kold’s acting is convincing throughout the movie and gives an impressive performance . dennis is a fantastic character study that aims at the sentimental understanding of the sometimes demanding choices real people may make . the film truly focuses in on his desires and expertly highlights the obstacles that surface in these relationships .

though ted takes a few lumps ( and it ' s more a sissy fight than anything ) , it ' s inevitable they couldn ' t resist having john getting his ass handed to him by a cute little teddy bear .

inverted in that lori is the one who wants to get rid of ted , while the people who want to kidnap him are male . the general public seems to be about even in their interest in a living teddy bear .

offered by vodafone - 1 . 500 euro ( the full amount goes to the director of the film )

seth macfarlane may be going to court over a teddy bear . according to thr , a california production company called bengal mangle productions has filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against the comedian and universal over the concept behind [ . . . ]

great movie , it looks like it could be a documentary film , that ' s how life like the film is . the movie proves that sometimes a man needs to travel to another country to find true . . .

throw in the fact that quite a few significant voice actors from family guy have notable roles in this film .

special prize of the deutsche kinderhilfswerk for the best short film : billie pleffer ' s b i n o .

the main character is the manager of a sport club , nicknamed " teddy bear " by his friends and acquaintances . one day he is detained at the border just as his sport team is off to a . . . see full summary »

i loved this movie b / c of the main character , petersen , who is kind and good . i routed for him and the acting was so good that i really believed all the people were real ! teddy bear is the right title .

the laughs in " ted " come largely through the teddy bear ' s dialogue . with an edgy beantown accent and a potty mouth , ted insults and offends everyone he comes into contact with , and sees lori as a threat to his friendship with john . this despite his own pastimes , which include drugs , hookers , and as we later discover , a torrid early 1990s affair with absolutely the last female vocalist you could imagine having sex with a teddy bear — and i mean the last .

mundane fantastic : ted is treated as a normal person who just happens to be a teddy bear ( much like brian griffin on family guy ) . after 25 years , he ' s now a faded celebrity as the novelty has mostly worn off .

the film unapologetically warns us at every turn that fashion is nothing but a business , fueled by naiveté and rape .

my name is sandy + aidy hoffman . i am the creative writer and film reviewer of the aidy reviews website .

offered by evenimentul zilei - 1 . 500 de euro ( the full amount goes to the screenwriter of the film )

all five titles come with a strong festival pedigree . teddy bear won the world cinema ' s best director prize in sundance ; kauwboy and reported missing debuted in berlin , where kauwboy took the best first movie award in the generation kplus section ; broken premiered in cannes and twilight portrait has scooped up multiple festival honours , winning the best director prize in thessaloniki , the golden puffin at the reykjavik international film festival and the grand prize for best film at the cottbus festival for young eastern european cinema .

he ' s right , of course . that ' s what women do in these romantic comedies with foul - mouthed wastrel teddy bears .

when john said he wished he had gotten a " teddy rux - fuckin ' - pin " for christmas instead , ted loses it .

dennis ( kold ) has an unhealthy relationship with his controlling mother , ingrid ( elsebeth steentoft ) . film movement hide caption

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offered by the national cinematography center - 5 . 000 euro ( the full amount goes to the director of the film )

the silver bear for an outstanding artistic contribution goes to director of photography lutz reitemeier  for his work on white deer plain .

so rarely have i ever been quite beautifully claw hammered by a movie than i was by the 1965 film , who killed teddy bear ? it’s one of those films that can leave you slack jawed over what you have just seen and all the while it just seeps further and further into your consciousness . it’s been days since i last watched it and i still cannot stop thinking about it .

the tomatometer score — based on the opinions of hundreds of film and television critics — is a trusted measurement of critical recommendation for millions of fans . it represents the percentage of professional critic reviews that are positive for a given film or television show .

what ' s remarkable about " ted " is that it doesn ' t run out of steam . macfarlane seems unwilling to stop after the first payoff of a scene . he keeps embellishing . in ted , he has an inexhaustible source of socially obnoxious behavior and language , and it ' s uncanny the way a teddy bear can get away with doing and saying things that we wouldn ' t necessarily accept from a human character . this is partly because ted is a stand - up insult comedian trapped inside the body of a teddy bear .

mads matthiesen ( b . 1976 , copenhagen ) began dabbling in direction while still a student of comparative literature and rhetoric at copenhagen university . he became more widely recognized after graduating in 2005 , when his short films began turning up at a variety of international festivals , including venice , berlin , and sundance . the success of dennis ( 2007 ) was a turning point in his career : after screening at sundance it won numerous awards and became an internet hit . his next film , cathrine ( 2008 ) , competed in the generation section at the berlinale ; it was later screened at moma in new york . teddy bear ( 2012 ) , which develops the theme of matthiesen’s short film dennis , is his first feature . he was awarded for direction in the world cinema - dramatic category at sundance .

bodybuilder dennis ( kim kold ) and gym owner toi ( lamaiporn sangmanee hougaard ) share a tender moment . film movement hide caption

a very funny comedy with a very obscene humor , which curiously doesn ' t come out offensive from a teddy bear ' s mouth , but it is also surprisingly warm and sincere , showing ted as a complex character and making him totally believable with a flawless animation job .

a shared image that circled the internet at the time of the movie joked about how males were lining up to see a movie about a teddy bear , whereas women were lining up to see a movie about strippers , magic mike , which had been released at the same time .

where the phrase “ teddy bear ” implies a certain squashy cuddliness , the film’s subject is anything but . at least on the outside . but , then again , bears aren’t that cuddly in real life either . danish director mads matthiesen developed this feature from his acclaimed 2007 short , “ dennis , ” which began his exploration of the emotional resonance of an ultra - masculine figure in an incredibly emasculating situation . in the full - length version of the story , the man’s humiliation and powerlessness evolve into the quiet self - confidence of a person who has found acceptance . upon peeling back this teddy bear’s layers of fur , we begin to see the soft cotton that gives him his true shape .

he ' s still afraid of thunder through most of the film and needs to sing a song to help him cope with it .

she believes john when he says that it ' s from the notebook , indicating that she hasn ' t seen that film either .

the village voice ' s stephanie zacharek , on the other hand , concedes up front that " some movies are indefensible , and ' ted 2 ' is one of them . not only is this a movie about a libidinous , foul - mouthed stuffed bear ; it ' s the sequel to an earlier movie about a libidinous , foul - mouthed stuffed bear . but i laughed and laughed at ' ted 2 ' — as i did at the 2012 ' ted ' — and i can hardly tell you what that says about me , let alone about you . "

who killed teddy bear ? is a brave film that gives you no easy answers . sadly , it didn’t really do a thing for anyone that was involved , career - wise . mineo did continue to do film , tv and theater work , including staging a controversial version of the prison drama fortune and men’s eyes that featured a young don johnson . all of that was cut short in 1976 , when he was murdered by a drifter . elaine stritch continues to be a monolithic character actress on broadway , film and tv . juliet prowse , jan murray and daniel j . travanti , who has the small role of carlo , marian’s deaf bouncer , all went on to have healthy careers in television . the same could be said for director joseph cates , though perhaps that is the biggest shame given that he never was given the chance again to direct anything as nuanced and challenging as who killed teddy bear ? . in an ideal world , this film should have forged a different career direction for cates and certainly for mineo , whose wounded eyes and brutal actions are hard to forget . who killed teddy bear ? is ripe for proper rediscovery . it’s a mystery why this great film is still not available legally on dvd here in the us . ( it did get a release in the uk , though that appears to already be out - of - print . ) it is viewable on youtube , for anyone who does not have access to the uk , pal formatted disc . hopefully , it will someday get the proper release that it so justly deserves .

demoted to extra : john ' s co - workers alix and tanya ' s sideplot is omitted from the film ' s final cut .

" teddy bear " is a good film but not a great one . it was made in denmark by mads matthiesen and stars real - life bodybuilder kim kold . it is the first feature film for both matthiesen and kold , telling the story of a man approaching age 40 but still trying to break free from the domineering power of his mother . the most striking thing about the film is the contrast between the main character ' s physical power - - he truly looks like the hulk - - and his emotional powerlessness . i very much liked this study in contrasts and the examination of contradictions that often come with hyper - masculinity . i also liked the hints at the end of why the mother and son are so deeply bonded . i won ' t reveal the surprises . i ' ll just say that the man ' s devotion to his mother appears more comprehensible in the end . but " teddy bear " never really takes your breath away . it ' s absolutely competent but not much more than that .

best documentary 2012 : matthew akers ' s marina abramovic the artist is present . 2nd place : malika zouhali - worrall and katherine fairfax wright ' s call me kuchu . 3rd place : namir abdel messeeh ' s la vierge , les coptes et moi ( the virgin , the copts and me ) .

the funniest movie character so far this year is a stuffed teddy bear . and the best comedy screenplay so far is " ted , " the saga of the bear ' s friendship with a 35 - year - old manchild . i know ; this also was hard for me to believe . after memories of mel gibson ' s bond with a sock puppet , " ted " was not high on the list of movies i was impatient to see .

died of lou gehrig ' s disease . earlier in the film , john says to rex that he hopes he gets lou gehrig ' s disease

" the ballad of narayama " is a japanese film of great beauty and elegant artifice , telling a story of startling cruelty . what a space it opens…

offered by the romanian cultural institute - 15 . 000 euro ( the amount will be equally shared between the director and the majority producer of the film )

film rests solely on his big shoulders . the title says it all ; nail biting to see a man with this power be a scared little boy .

park city – the title implies something adorable but also soft , and it’s the avoidance of that latter quality that makes teddy bear a pleasurable character study . danish director mads matthiesen ’s feature expansion of his much - lauded 2007 short film , dennis , recounts a gentle giant’s struggle to overcome crippling shyness and take hold of his life . in other hands , the material might have drowned in cute quirks , but matthiesen’s unadorned observational style has a distinctly scandinavian stoicism that trusts both the comedy and sentiment to emerge organically .

i have never written a review on amazon after thirteen years of having an account . i don ' t have the words to say how much this film touched me .

rufus norris ' " broken , " german drama " reported missing " and russian film " twilight portrait " are also in the running for efa ' s newcomer honor .

dennis ' graduation to adulthood makes a touching , often funny story , its protagonists ' awkward decency enhanced by the stiff performances of the mostly non - pro actors . as a love story , though , teddy bear is a touch thin , perhaps because the warm heart it wears on its sleeve keeps cracking to reveal buried domestic horror . talk about something rotten in denmark .

ted opens in 1985 in a wintry boston so full of violence and prejudice , narrator patrick stewart tells us , that a jewish kid immediately joins a band of irish - american antisemites in tormenting the film ' s lonely eight - year - old hero , john bennett . john gets a large teddy bear for christmas , christens him teddy and wishes that he could come to life . which he does , not as an imaginary friend of the kind we all have had or as an invisible rabbit like harvey , but a real - life " thunder buddy " to console him at anxious moments . ted immediately becomes a national celebrity , and in a glorious montage we see his rise to fame , his scabrous repartee causing johnny carson to collapse with laughter on his tv talk show . but as with everything else the audience gets bored with the novelty of a talking bear and ted ' s popularity is short - lived .

a pleasurable character study [ teddy bear ] has a restrained charm and an emotional payoff . - - hollywood reporter sweet and steady . . . you want him to find love [ and ] it all pays off - - christopher campbell , indiewire sweet and steady . . . you want him to find love [ and ] it all pays off - - christopher campbell , indiewire

the film itself is a powder keg of beautifully moody b & w cinematography and the grimy underbelly of the human condition . the opening credit sequence alone sets the tone , featuring a blurry undulation of bodies as a little girl watches , clutching her cherished teddy bear . she turns away , only to fall down the stairs , with her face now suddenly blank , as if she is dead or brain damaged . without a breath of relief , the actual film starts in a cramped , shadowy bedroom , complete with a nightstand littered with lurid publications , featuring titles like french frills and when she was bad . a mirror reflects the image of a man caressing his bare chest while looking at photos of norah , right before calling her up .

“the film very much deals with different perspectives of love . it is about the love between mother and son , in contrast to the love dennis is seeking in a female partner .

exclusive : when i was covering toronto , the big talk was all about deals for completed films . but the one script buyers were talking up was the imitation game , graham moore’s heralded screenplay about alan turing , the english mathematician , logician , cryptanalyst , and computer scientist who single - handedly helped crack the german “enigma code” during world war ii that helped the allies stave off defeat . in a competitive situation , teddy schwarzman’s black bear pictures has come aboard to finance production of the film , with schwarzman producing with ampersand pictures’ nora grossman and ido ostrowsky , with moore exec producing .

the miracle of a walking , talking teddy bear of course makes the little stuffed creature an overnight celebrity , and he appears on the carson show . but his fame fades ( " like corey feldman , " the narrator explains ) , and he settles in as john ' s roommate for life . years pass . teddy is now a little frayed , and john ( mark wahlberg ) , at 35 , has a counter job at a rental car agency . against all odds , he also has a fragrant girlfriend named lori collins ( mila kunis ) , who has been waiting four years for a marriage proposal .

' s " romance versus bromance " plot is familiar , but the film ' s held aloft by the high - concept central premise and a very funny ( albeit inconsistent ) script .

when ted is kidnapped , he ' s shown to be no more durable than any other teddy bear when the villains cut his ear off and tear him in half . what makes it weird is that earlier , ted beat the shit out of john with ease , although this could be justified as john and ted were hitting each other with blunt force whereas in this fight he was attacked with sharp objects .

a significant portion of the film’s focus rests on dennis’ home life and meeting intimidating women in thailand before it arrives at substantial plot developments–the film sort of drags a little before the poignant scenes . especially when dennis was out touring hectic pattaya–causing a huge deal of anxiety for him ; the thai girls were overly interested in dennis’ herculean physique , putting a damper on his ideals of love .

the story recounted in teddy bear is about feeling like an outsider . i have always been fond of portraying people who do not fit in that well with society . what prejudices do we harbor when confronted with a tattooed , muscle - bound man ? at any rate a hard , emotionally stunted individual – and hardly a vulnerable , shy , affectionate person with an overly close relationship with his mother . likewise , there are many prejudices against men who travel to thailand in search of love . in teddy bear i attempt to play around with people’s prejudices , and turn them upside down . for things are seldom as they appear from the outside … the film portrays different aspects of love . a mother’s clinging love for her son and also the very different pathways love between men and women can take in denmark and thailand . people in the west have other criteria when they seek love than purely financial considerations . in thailand a woman has to find a husband who can support the family . therefore poor girls head for pattaya to find a western man who hasn’t been able to find love back home . teddy bear is about love , and the search for happiness . it is about the bonds , healthy and unhealthy , that we create with the people we are fond of . and it is about dennis , who has to learn how to pursue happiness according to his own needs , and not allow himself to be dictated by his surroundings .

winner of the best director award at sundance this year , teddy bear is your usual son - under - the - thumb - of - mum story except this time he is a gigantic ageing real - life bodybuilder called ' dennis ' . it ' s a lovely and delicate tale of identity / masculinity and overcoming ones obstacles be they physical or mental . a great example of low - budget filmmaking . 4 stars

the theatrical campaign for ted , seth macfarlane ' s hit comedy about a salty talking teddy bear , won the top gong at the 41st annual hollywood reporter key art awards . the ceremony , which celebrates the best movie ad campaigns , dished out its gold key art award for ted ' s integrated campaign and also awarded gold in the print category , for the billboards and one - sheet teaser posters depicting ted and best buddy mark wahlberg variously swigging beers on a couch and urinating with their backs to the viewer . another poster announced : " ted is coming " , and showed a possibly - masturbating bear behind a laptop .

after young john announces that his teddy bear has come to life , his parents assume he ' s playing and dismiss him . then when ted walks out of the bedroom and says hello , they freak out and john ' s dad tells his mom to get his gun and call the police . the do warm up to him after a few minutes , though . once it ' s clear he ' s not gonna hurt anybody .

the first silver bear , the jury grand prix , goes to bence fliegauf ' s just the wind . ( last year , this prize went to a hungarian as well , to béla tarr for the turin horse . )

moore is repped by caa and managed by tom drumm of the safran company . his attorney is fred toczek . caa put the financing together and will rep distribution rights . attorney alan wertheimer repped the producers and schwarzman for black bear .

family guy creator seth macfarlane brings his boundary - pushing brand of humor to the big screen for the first time as writer , director and voice star of ted . in the live action / cg - animated comedy , he tells the story of john bennett ( mark wahlberg ) , a grown man who must deal with the cherished teddy bear who came to life as the result of a childhood wish . . . and has refused to leave his side ever since . - - ( c ) universal

what’s it about ? “teddy bear” is about the 38 year old dennis and his trouble with finding love . dennis is a bodybuilder : 6’7 feet tall , 308 pounds of raw muscle power . despite his rough appearance , he is a very shy and insecure man . dennis has problems with finding love and believing in himself . he lives with his mother in a tight and unhealthy relationship . the film deals with dennis and his attempt to break free from his mother and make it on his own . when dennis’ uncle returns from thailand with a thai wife , dennis decides to travel to thailand on a quest for love . maybe in thailand , far away from his mother , he can find the courage to begin a relationship with another woman .

i must end on a note of warning . " ted " is not merely an r - rated movie , but a very r - rated movie — " for crude and sexual content , pervasive language and some drug use , " according to the mpaa , and what they mean by " some " is hard to figure , because it could hardly contain more . no matter how much kids want to see the teddy bear movie in the ads on tv , steer them to " brave . " trust me on this .

not exactly a movie about lurid sex tourism , though coming awfully close , the film does risk credibility at times with a protagonist so out of touch , that he seems to hardly have a clue about the difference between hookers and potential housewives .

first he needs to deal with his mother , ingrid ( elsebeth steentoft ) , a wisp of a woman with sharp features and a bitter affect . a tiny , proud beauty , ingrid lords over the small , drab house she shares with dennis , her only child . the two live in a colorless quarter outside of copenhagen , but they also bicker and overshare in that realm known as the contemporary art film , at that junction where lives of quiet desperation meet the cinema of sobriety . by this i don’t mean that anyone is a teetotaler in “teddy bear , ” though dennis’s breakfast slurry of nuked nutritional powder and egg whites is punishingly spartan . it’s only to say that the movie’s no - frills realism derives from common aesthetic strategies like hand - held cinematography and nonprofessional acting .

the bodybuilder kim kold doesn’t loom over the world of “teddy bear , ” a low - key danish drama about saying hello to love and goodbye to dear old , horrible mom , he towers . as dennis , the movie’s emphatically noncuddly title character , mr . kold has a diffident manner that appears at odds with his outrageous physical size and his character’s expert exhibitionism . a hulking contradiction tucked under a stratum of ropy muscle , his dennis is at once massive and passive , as big as a house and shy as a mouse . he needs to roar .

though the budding relationship between this odd couple is sweet and heartening , “teddy bear” is not really about their romance . it isn’t really a romance at all , but a coming - of - age ( at a very late date ) story , an account of the changing interactions between dennis and ingrid . it’s their relationship that takes center stage in the first and third acts , in a structuring device where toi nearly becomes the other woman . this focus creates a heartrending , and sometimes disheartening , film . the mother - son relationship is full of devastating moments , and the consequences of the mother’s suffocating neediness — the effects it has on her son — are especially painful to watch . in more than one shot , we see dennis standing alone , framed in silhouette , as he views the bustling world around him .

as for " ted 2 ' s " critical reception , we have a bit of a hung jury . some critics appreciate or at least give in to the film ' s onslaught of risque humor , while others say it ' s unamusing and out of touch .

bowdlerise : the japanese version premiered a pg - 12 version of ted in july so that younger audiences could watch , toning down and cutting out the film ' s more raunchy parts . however , the uncut r - 15 version is still available for the older audience to see .

paolo and vittorio taviani ' s caesar must die has won the golden bear at this year ' s berlinale . the other awards , presented by mike leigh and his international jury ( anton corbijn , asghar farhadi , charlotte gainsbourg , jake gyllenhaal , françois ozon , boualem sansal and barbara sukowa ) :

these observations are provoked by some very sniffy and patronising reactions to the calculatedly provocative film ted . it ' s the big - screen debut as director , co - writer and co - producer of seth macfarlane , author of the popular , envelope - pushing american tv series family guy and american dad . i found this weirdly disturbing movie funny in both of the senses referred to in the 1945 british film the rake ' s progress . told by her suave english lover rex harrison that she ' s funny , the austrian refugee lilli palmer asked : " funny ha - ha or funny peculiar ? "

black bear launched early last year , and is a producer of broken city , the allen hughes - directed drama that stars mark wahlberg , russell crowe and catherine zeta - jones , with emmett / furla financing and fox distributing . black bear also produced the ramin bahrani - directed at any price with dennis quaid and zac efron , with sony pictures classics releasing ; adult childen of divorce , the comedy that stars adam scott , richard jenkins , amy poehler , jessica alba and jane lynch ; and all is lost , the survival tale written and directed by margin call ‘s j . c . chandor , with robert redford starring .

“brideshead revisited” took nearly two years to film ; its editor , anthony ham , estimated that half a million feet of footage was shot , only 26 , 000 of which ended up in the finished product . small wonder , then , that the cast and crew practically smothered mr . sturridge with silly string when shooting wrapped .

from its title to its closing caress , teddy bear skates perilously close to the cliff’s edge of mawkish sentiment . dennis ( kim kold ) , a sweet but emotionally stunted 38 - year - old danish bodybuilder , lives in a state of arrested development with his deceptively birdlike little mother , ingrid ( elsebeth steentoft ) , who’s sunk her talons deep into him and has no intention of letting go . just one hollywood - style speech , with dennis ranting about being a boy in a man’s body or railing about how the need to overcompensate drove him to create that hulking carapace , would have blown this lightweight contraption right over that cliff , but director mads matthiesen lets kold’s cartoonish body and sweet face tell the story .

as shooting dragged on , there were further snags . mr . irons popped off to film “the french lieutenant’s woman . ” on the bonus section of the new 30th anniversary “brideshead” dvd released by acorn media , ms . bloom ( lady marchmain , sebastian’s mother ) can be heard muttering , “i’ve been playing this part too long . ”

the series’s lush evocation of a bygone era of english high living was infectious . in new york , bloomingdale’s unveiled display windows of “brideshead” - inspired fashions . young men emulated sebastian by toting teddy bears they named aloysius . a new yorker cartoon depicted a woman introducing a dowdy middle - aged companion : “this is my cousin sebastian . but , of course , not the sebastian . ”

directed by mads matthiesen from a schematic screenplay by him and martin pieter zandvliet , “teddy bear” is a largely likable tale about a 38 - year - old man - child trying finally to grow up . when the movie opens , dennis is having a nightmarish presumptive first date with a bored chick who listlessly picks at him and her food . dennis explains that he’s a professional bodybuilder , but that he has to work in security to pay the bills . from the way he hides out for a spell in the men’s room , his heavy head listing toward the sink as if he were about to retch , it seems obvious that this isn’t his first lousy match . he brings to mind an easter island statue teetering and nearly toppling .

i really enjoyed this movie , it is understated and gentle with a really likable performance from kim kold as this giant bodybuilder who ' s just trying to break free from his domineering mother who guilt trips him into taking care of her even if it means destroying dennis ' chance at creating his life and achieving happiness on his own . what ' s great about the performance , at least from dennis ' mother , is that she ' s not over the top , her manipulation is far more subtle and therefore that makes her more effective as a character since she plays the character in a believable manner . and that ' s the strength of the film , the fact that a lot of the actors cast were pretty much unknown adds believability to the proceedings . as mentioned kim kold is has a very likable presence and he does a great job at carrying the film , especially for someone who is as inexperienced as he was at acting . while the character is very much a teddy bear , i think the character isn ' t as simple as that , he ' s far more complex at least in the way how he leads a sheltered life as to not upset his mother . a lot of people may not like the movie because it may be slow and when you watch the film it doesn ' t seem like a lot happened , but i found it interesting and it has some really good storytelling but , again , it ' s more subtle and understated . it ' s still a very sweet and gentle story , but it doesn ' t beat you over the head with it . the movie could ' ve used more comedy , but that ' s hardly a complaint . i really enjoyed this movie , it isn ' t perfect but it is damn good .

“it’s hard to pinpoint one single challenge that was the hardest while doing this film . one of them was definitely the fact that i wanted to work with “real” people in the cast . most of the actors in the film are real people ( “non actors” ) casted in the environment we were filming . the bar girls in thailand are real bar girls , the men around them are the real people who hang out in these places , and of cause , kim kold , the lead actor , is a real professional bodybuilder . working mostly with amateurs was a big challenge but also a gift , because you get a great deal of authenticity when you work with real people in real environments .

was it good television ? mark broughton , the author of a history of the show to be published this year by the british film institute and palgrave macmillan , thinks so . he called the mini - series “far more effective” than waugh’s novel because it better revealed the damage done to jeremy irons’s character by a deceptively charming , immensely wealthy family .

the crunch comes when lori and john return from a dinner celebrating the anniversary of their first date to find ted carousing with three hookers , one of whom has defecated in the corner of the living room after playing truth or dare . the bear must go , and he ' s found a job at a supermarket where his every outrageous depredation is followed by a forgiving promotion . but he constantly leads john astray , most notably attracting him to an orgiastic party attended by their hero , the minor movie star sam jones , who played flash gordon in the 1980 film version of the comic strip . the two are enthralled by the popular culture of the 1980s , and ted has an encyclopaedic knowledge of films and tv .

in one of the more favorable reviews , the times ' rebecca keegan writes , " while ' ted 2 ' is absurd and occasionally disgusting , it is also wickedly funny . " macfarlane and wahlberg " embody the comedy truths that a cute , cuddly toy can get away with anything and a boston accent is inherently entertaining , " while the film around them is " surprisingly earnest . "

still on the fence ? the chicago tribune ' s michael phillips calls the sequel " madly uneven " but says , " this one ' s an easy predictive call . if you got your laughs out of ' ted , ' you ' ll likely come crawling back for ' ted 2 . ' it ' s not the same film , but it ' s same - adjacent . "

a jury comprising efa members helena danielsson ( sweden ) , els vandevorst ( the netherlands ) , pierre - henri deleau ( france ) , jacob neiiendam ( denmark ) , alin tasciyan ( turkey ) , paulo portugal ( portugal ) and mihai chirilov ( romania ) selected the five films for the efa discovery award shortlist , together with members of fipresci , the international federation of film critics .

the high - pressure world of elite fashion modeling comes crashing down around an inexperienced young woman in the model , an intense psychological drama that enticingly feints toward obsessive thriller before settling into a cautionary character study . audiences accustomed to the glamour of high - fashion reality tv shows may find the film’s somber tone an adjustment , but the familiarity of the material should make it accessible in a wide variety of markets .

two striking things about this film , among others . an improbable couple is formed , a hulkish figure from the ranks of hypermasculinity meets a tiny widow from the country where many females are swept away from their innocence and cast into the tentacles of prostitution and slavery . and the middle aged western men that seek to acquire wives are strangely a vision of how tech made us closer and yet kept us far away .

dennis is so cute and shy that right from the start you root for him , hoping that he will be able to break free from his mother ' s emotional oppression . the film itself is very ' nordic ' and restrained , only the mother loses her temper near the end . it ' s not particularly memorable but it kind of made me wanna go to thailand someday ( and not for the prostitutes . . . ! )