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Additional Scenes
Biographies:Overview of the designers and their most memorable creations
Deleted Scenes
Outtakes
The title is a quote from star Laurence "the Cuffs" Llewelyn-Bowen himself, and Changing Rooms: Trust Me, I'm a Designer is a "best of" compilation, celebrating more than 100 editions of the popular BBC home makeover show. Although it might imply that the focus is on the designers themselves, despite their larger-than-life personalities what comes through most strongly here is the practicality of actually getting the work done. The question whether anyone other than the designers themselves actually likes the results is as cheerfully up-in-the-air as ever, of course. This compilation scores highly--perhaps higher than the show itself for anyone who's not a fan--because, with so many episodes to choose from and with the opportunity to use some snappy editing, we're spared all the finge! r-drumming, pacing up and down, and general waffling about, wh! ich inev itably takes up a certain amount of time in any individual edition. Instead, we move neatly and quickly between ideas, discussions, and practical considerations in a very un-boring fashion. Of course, there's plenty of fun along the way, such as the absolutely priceless moment when Llewelyn-Bowen nearly convinces "Handy" Andy Kane that he has to board over a swimming pool and create two rooms from the resulting space using only the inevitable MDF (medium-density fiberboard). It's instructive, great fun, and a very neat package of material. --Roger ThomasDVD'SThe intense soundtrack of Boiler Room is a fitting underscore for this movie, which pulses with the vigor of young, rich, amoral men wreaking havoc. This is not the antisocietal havoc of Fight Club, but the more deliberate mayhem that comes from greed run amok. The testosterone-junkie brokers of J.T. Marlin (the only female in the office is Abby, the receptionist and love interest, played by Nia Lon! g) are out to make the sale, and whether that sale is legal or ethical doesn't matter.
Seth Davis (Giovanni Ribisi) is a 19-year-old college dropout who strives for approval from his father (Ron Rifkin), a judge who is horrified that his son operates a 24-hour illicit casino. When an old friend visits the casino with a fellow broker, Davis is impressed by their wads of money and yellow Ferrari, and decides to join the firm. In no time he's making sales and settling into the groove of the office and all the after-hours perks, but the dream fades when Davis discovers the scam that is making all of the brokers wealthy beyond their dreams.
Borrowing heavily from Wall Street and Glengarry Glen Ross, Boiler Room is at its best when dealing with matters of money, and powerful scenes of Davis learning to be a "closer" showcase the significant talent of Ribisi, Nicky Katt, and Vin Diesel. The movie flounders when developing the relationship between Davis! and his father, becoming sentimental and trite. However, as a! fable o f modern society and a nostalgic vehicle about the days of yuppies past, Boiler Room is right on the money. --Jenny Brown
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