Month: June 2012

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New in Home Entertainment – June 26, 2012



New in Home Entertainment

June 26, 2012

21 Jump Street
Rated R for crude and sexual content, pervasive language, drug material, teen drinking and some violence
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
If you would have told me in January that one of the best films of the year come June would be a rehash of the old Johnny Depp TV show about cops who undercover in high school, I would have called you an idiot.  And yet here it is June, and this film still stands in the top 5 films I’ve seen this year so far.  While I’m hoping for a better slate of films in the second of half of twelve, that does nothing to diminish the fact that this is a superbly made comedy that sets itself apart from its namesake show.  Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum are as good of a comedy team as I’ve seen in recent years and the writing by Hill and Michael Bacall is fresh and extremely fun.  A

Mirror Mirror
Rated PG for some fantasy action and mild rude humor
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
The first of two Snow White tales to be released this year hit with a thud at the box office in March, even with blockbuster actress Julia Roberts attached as its star.  It’s not that the film is altogether bad.  The family-friendly twist on the classic story is a creative take on the original and the production is spectacular.  Unfortunately, director Tarsem (Immortals) knows how to make a film look beautiful but has never excelled in the fine art of pacing and story crafting.  The movie plods along in its lush scenery and ends up being a bit boring.  I wouldn’t be a bit surprised to see this film nominated for some technical awards during trophy season, but the underwhelming performance commercially might just make it a forgotten memory.  C+

Wrath of the Titans
Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of fantasy violence and action
Available on DVD, Blu-ray and Blu-ray 3D
Sam Worthington returns as Perseus, the demigod who must now rescue his father Zeus from the likes of Hades and Ares who have captured him and unleashed the ancient titans upon the world.  The first film had some major problems which I was hoping would be corrected in this second installment but instead the issues were intensified.  The film is an adventure, but it lacks thrill.  It’s a fantasy but it lacks imagination.  The 3D is embarrassingly bad.  And probably the worst problem is that its leading man lacks charisma.  Worthington has the talent as he proved in Avatar, but he fails to show it in these films.  Perhaps its the director who doesn’t know how to bring it out of his actors or it might just be the lousy material, but either way, the film comes off as much less entertaining than it should.  C-

Louie: The Complete Second Season
Rated TV-MA
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Finally getting the recognition he deserves is Louis CK, veteran standup comedian and star of this very original show on FX.  Taking a page out of the Seinfeld manual, Louis opens and closes his show with bits of his standup that relate to the material in the show.  But the episodes are like nothing you’ve ever seen before.  The show doesn’t commit to trying to be funny for 30 minutes, but rather it does give you a very interesting slice of life that you can only assume were taken from CK’s own diary.  Since you don’t have to watch the episodes in order, if you haven’t seen the show before, I highly recommend you start with his hour-long special focusing on his USO tour of Afghanistan.  You’ll be hooked and ready for season three in no time.  A

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Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
Starring Benjamin Walker, Dominic Cooper and Anthony Mackie
Directed by Timur Bekmambetov (Wanted)
Rated R for violence throughout and brief sexuality

    When novelist Seth Grahame-Smith’s first mash-up was released (Pride and Prejudice and Zombies) it seemed like a joke was being made, but then it became a joke that many readers wanted in on.  Then came his novel about our 16th president who doubles as a vampire killer and suddenly Hollywood came a knocking.  You might think that this attempt at humor and horror is very tongue in cheek, and you’d be correct, but behind it all lies an extremely entertaining movie. 

    Vampire Hunter follows young Abe, who as a boy saw his mother killed by a vampire.  Once he became a man, according to this take on history, he went after the vamp that killed his mother and upon losing the battle, vowed to commit his life to the destruction of the vampire species. 

    As I write this description of the film, I feel the silliness pour over me, but yet going in to the movie with an open mind, I found myself enjoying it immensely.  There is just enough actual history thrown in to make you explore wikipedia for an hour after the movie.  And while much liberty was taken, the vampiric events were cleverly disguised.  And that creativity is part of what makes this movie so interesting. 

    What makes this film work isn’t the gimmick though; its the product of finding the perfect director.  Bekmambetov’s films have always been visual masterpieces and Lincoln is his best to date.  His vision for the film takes what seems on the outside like a joke and instead becomes one heck of a thrill ride.  And the production team assembled here tells a story that is as visually exciting as it is cheesy.

    With a very few exceptions, 3D in movies is completely wasted and just a way for the studios to take in premium bucks for mediocre fare.  That is not the case here.  The 3D in this film is spectacular.  It adds such an incredible element to the movie that I will go as far as to say the film shouldn’t be seen in 2D.

    So this weekend is a strange one in that I fully expected Brave to be one of the better films to be released this year and I figured Vampire Hunter would be forgettable.  After seeing the two films, I can admit I was wrong on both accounts.  While Lincoln is not by any stretch a terrific film, it is an outstanding way to spend two hours during the summer.  B

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Brave

Brave
Starring the voices of Kelly MacDonald, Billy Connolly and Emma Thompson
Directed by Mark Andrews
Rated PG for some scary action and rude humor

    For a year now we’ve been watching the trailers for this much anticipated Pixar film, and if you are a Pixar fan boy like me, you have been watching with great impatience.  From the outset the trailer played the film to be a simple story about a girl who doesn’t wish to have the arranged marriage her parents want for her.  And then something with bears.  Confusing, I know, but faith in the legendary animation house would have have you knowing full well that Pixar has a great story up its sleeve and you just have to wait till June 22 to find out what it is.  Unfortunately, there is nothing up Pixar’s sleeve here.  The film is just what the trailer portrays it to be: a beautiful spoiled princess who doesn’t wish to obey the will of her parents.  And then something with bears.

    You might think I’m being a bit cruel to a film that looks so good and has such a fine pedigree.  I’ll agree that the studio has turned in some of the best films of the last twenty years including Wall-E, Up, the Toy Story trilogy, Finding Nemo, Ratatouille and my personal favorite Monster’s, Inc.  The reason for their success over the years has more to do with their meticulous story process than their relationship to Disney and the late Steve Jobs.  Until Cars 2 (of which I was one of the few critics who enjoyed apparently) their stories were perfect.  Wonderful characters in imaginative settings with stunning animation to support. Brave only delivers the stunning animation.  The look of the film is without doubt, beautiful.  The colors are rich and the cinematography could match any live action film ever released. 

    So my question is why did they skimp on the story?  There is huge potential here for a complex tale that would leave everyone satisfied.  And since the running time is only a mere 93 minutes, there was plenty of time to include a broader tale.  After all, most of the other Pixar films clock in at around two hours.

    I’m perfectly fine with a girl who wants to be free, but free from what?  This spoiled little rich girl offers no alternative.  She doesn’t have another option for her parents, such as maybe the butcher’s son who could prove himself.  What does she want to be free to do?  Ride around on her horse and shoot arrows at trees?  Climb waterfalls?  Couldn’t she still do that?  There needs to be a much stronger motivation for her temper tantrum than what is provided. 

    And where is the villain?  A film like this needs a great villain.  The witch would have made perfect sense.  The magically converted bears make very little sense and the story behind them should have been fleshed out to a greater extent.  Instead we are left with a nonsensical journey of a pretty little brat. 

    I will fully admit that should you take this film and compare it to the fare of other studios, it can hold its own.  But I’m not alone in that I expect much more from the folks at Pixar.  If you are a teacher with a brilliant student and suddenly she turns in lazy work, you would be harder on that student than you would an average student turning in the same quality. 

    While the visual artists here should be commended for a job well done, the story artists need to get a better understanding of what made Pixar so special to begin with.  C+

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New in Home Entertainment – June 19, 2012

New in Home Entertainment

June 19, 2012

Wanderlust
Rated R for sexual content, graphic nudity, language and drug use
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
When a married couple (Paul Rudd and Jennifer Aniston) lose their source of income while living in New York City, they decide to move in with family in Atlanta.  Along the drive they encounter a commune full of colorful characters that invite them in but expect them to live by their rules of peace and free love.  The story here is absolutely ridiculous but fortunately the jokes are strong.  Consisting of more improv than you would expect from a cast like this, the material was almost good enough for two movies, as is shown in the extra features.  Keep an eye out for Justin Theroux who not only turns in a great performance here as Seth, but is also becoming a major Hollywood player.  One of the many special features is a very original Bizarro Cut which takes practically the same story, but fills it in with completely different scenes and performances.  I would not advise watching the Bizarro Cut first, but it is a rather enjoyable 80 minute feature that you will want to watch after.  B

Jeff Who Lives at Home
Rated R for language including sexual references and some drug use
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Fueled by his obsession with the movie Signs, Jeff (Jason Segel), a pot-smoking loser that lives at home (thus the title), attempts to find out the real reasons behind mundane events believing everything to be interrelated and part of a much bigger picture. It’s easy to believe that you are getting a good comedy here with the likes of Segel and The Hangover’s Ed Helms, but don’t expect to laugh too much.  The film does a great job of keeping you engaged but you probably won’t be slapping your knee here.  Even though it’s not terribly funny, the indie writing/directing duo Mark and Jay Duplass do an excellent job of creating a quirky, interesting and heartwarming film.  B

The Sarah Silverman Program: The Complete Series
Available on DVD
From Comedy Central and Shout Factory come all 32 episodes of the different but extremely funny Sarah Silverman Program.  Playing a perverse version of herself (or maybe just playing herself) Sarah, her sister and their friends get into all kinds of situations that will leave you uncomfortable and, well, kind of icky.  But the sewers is where her comedy works the best and if you have a perverse sense of humor (and much of the time I do) and you don’t get easily offended at people trying to offend you, you’ll find the show to be absolutely hysterical.  B+

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New in Home Entertainment – June 12, 2012

New in Home Entertainment

June 12, 2012

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, and some drug material
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
In this latest adventure of the famous detective Sherlock Holmes, as told by the visual virtuoso director Guy Ritchie, Holmes (Robert Downey Jr.) and Watson (Jude Law) are back and this time out they join forces to do battle with an old nemesis played by Mad Men’s Jared Harris.  Just as in the first one, the movie and production are wonderfully shot and very nicely directed.  The problem here is that the script is far less of a mystery and much more of an action adventure film.  At least their last outing wasn’t just eye candy but gave you something to chew on as well.  This film is the least mysterious mystery movie I’ve ever seen.  Unfortunately this makes for sort of a dull picture that does nothing but serve up mindless entertainment, which is one thing a film like this shouldn’t do.  C

Harold and Maude: The Criterion Collection
Rated PG (but would nowadays be a strong PG-13)
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
This quirky masterpiece by Hal Ashby just might be the strangest romantic comedy ever made.  After all, the thought of a death-obsessed young man falling in love with an eccentric senior citizen doesn’t exactly sound like a film recipe made in heaven.  And yet it ends up being an hysterical yet dark comedy that becomes impossible to take your eyes off of.  And with the music of Cat Stevens in the back ground the film comes off as light and airy.  This new Criterion set is packed with great features including a new digital restoration, new audio commentary, new interview with Cat Stevens and more.  A

In Darkness
Rated R for violence, disturbing images, sexuality, nudity and language
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Polish with English Subtitles
Nominated for an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, In Darkness tells the true story of a Polish Catholic man who saves a group of Jews from being slaughtered during the holocaust by hiding them in the sewers that he and a friend use for smuggling.  The story itself is nothing new as it steals from many of the other various films of this genre.  Fortunately, little facts from the true story pop up making the tale watchable.  As you would expect, the film is dark (largely takes place in a sewer) and uncomfortable.  As you wouldn’t expect, it is very sexual.  The movie plays on physical relationships almost as much as it does on fear, suffering and redemption.  B-

Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance
Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of action and violence, some disturbing images, and language
Available on DVD, Blu-ray and Blu-ray 3D
Nick Cage is back as Johnny Blaze/Ghost Rider, a man whose deal with the devil forced him to become a hellblazing bounty hunter.  Now in Eastern Europe, Johnny teams up with a rebel monk in order to protect a boy from the devil.  I remember enjoying these comics as a kid and while the characters are right, the story and the writing just isn’t.  Just like Cage’s last 3D hellish adventure, Drive Angry, the 3D is gimmicky but humorous.  If you don’t have a 3D set then you will miss out on some of what the filmmakers included in order to make the film bearable.  As it is, this new Ghost Rider turns in a mediocre super hero film that could have been much better under different direction and scribe.  C

Falling Skies: The Complete First Season
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Steven Spielberg has had his fingers in a lot of television pies this last year but perhaps the best of all of them is this TNT original series about an Alien invasion.  Beginning after the invasion has already begun, what survivors are left on Earth are now gathering for support and retaliation.  Noah Wyle leads the cast of Earthlings and the show has a very nice groove to it.  Capturing the spirit of shows like The Walking Dead and the short-lived-but-excellent Jericho, Skies grabs a hold of you and forces you to be interested in their lives and their futures.  A-
 

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New in Home Entertainment – June 12, 2012

New in Home Entertainment

June 12, 2012

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, and some drug material
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
In this latest adventure of the famous detective Sherlock Holmes, as told by the visual virtuoso director Guy Ritchie, Holmes (Robert Downey Jr.) and Watson (Jude Law) are back and this time out they join forces to do battle with an old nemesis played by Mad Men’s Jared Harris.  Just as in the first one, the movie and production are wonderfully shot and very nicely directed.  The problem here is that the script is far less of a mystery and much more of an action adventure film.  At least their last outing wasn’t just eye candy but gave you something to chew on as well.  This film is the least mysterious mystery movie I’ve ever seen.  Unfortunately this makes for sort of a dull picture that does nothing but serve up mindless entertainment, which is one thing a film like this shouldn’t do.  C

Harold and Maude: The Criterion Collection
Rated PG (but would nowadays be a strong PG-13)
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
This quirky masterpiece by Hal Ashby just might be the strangest romantic comedy ever made.  After all, the thought of a death-obsessed young man falling in love with an eccentric senior citizen doesn’t exactly sound like a film recipe made in heaven.  And yet it ends up being an hysterical yet dark comedy that becomes impossible to take your eyes off of.  And with the music of Cat Stevens in the back ground the film comes off as light and airy.  This new Criterion set is packed with great features including a new digital restoration, new audio commentary, new interview with Cat Stevens and more.  A

In Darkness
Rated R for violence, disturbing images, sexuality, nudity and language
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Polish with English Subtitles
Nominated for an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, In Darkness tells the true story of a Polish Catholic man who saves a group of Jews from being slaughtered during the holocaust by hiding them in the sewers that he and a friend use for smuggling.  The story itself is nothing new as it steals from many of the other various films of this genre.  Fortunately, little facts from the true story pop up making the tale watchable.  As you would expect, the film is dark (largely takes place in a sewer) and uncomfortable.  As you wouldn’t expect, it is very sexual.  The movie plays on physical relationships almost as much as it does on fear, suffering and redemption.  B-

Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance
Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of action and violence, some disturbing images, and language
Available on DVD, Blu-ray and Blu-ray 3D
Nick Cage is back as Johnny Blaze/Ghost Rider, a man whose deal with the devil forced him to become a hellblazing bounty hunter.  Now in Eastern Europe, Johnny teams up with a rebel monk in order to protect a boy from the devil.  I remember enjoying these comics as a kid and while the characters are right, the story and the writing just isn’t.  Just like Cage’s last 3D hellish adventure, Drive Angry, the 3D is gimmicky but humorous.  If you don’t have a 3D set then you will miss out on some of what the filmmakers included in order to make the film bearable.  As it is, this new Ghost Rider turns in a mediocre super hero film that could have been much better under different direction and scribe.  C

Falling Skies: The Complete First Season
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Steven Spielberg has had his fingers in a lot of television pies this last year but perhaps the best of all of them is this TNT original series about an Alien invasion.  Beginning after the invasion has already begun, what survivors are left on Earth are now gathering for support and retaliation.  Noah Wyle leads the cast of Earthlings and the show has a very nice groove to it.  Capturing the spirit of shows like The Walking Dead and the short-lived-but-excellent Jericho, Skies grabs a hold of you and forces you to be interested in their lives and their futures.  A-
 

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Prometheus

Prometheus
Starring Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender and Charlize Theron
Directed by Ridley Scott (Alien)
Rated R for sci-fi violence including some intense images, and brief language

    When Ridley Scott set out to make Prometheus, he was very adamant that this was not a prequel to his 1979 film Alien but rather more of a connected film.  That being said, I think that the millions of Alien fans out there, like me, were hoping that he was just saying that to trick us. 

    I have very fond memories of Alien and Aliens.  When I was about 8 I was at a friends house where the adults were watching Alien and the kids were watching some animated film in another room.  I snuck out and hid where I could see Alien without the adults noticing and I loved it.  When I was 15 my grandfather took a tongue lashing from my mother for taking me to see the R-rated Aliens in theaters, where once again I fell in love with the strange and extremely scary universe.  As I sit and write, I can see the lamp where an Alien is crawling out of it’s lighted pod.  I mention this only because I was hoping for an actual prequel to the Alien saga out of mere nostalgia, when I should have taken Scott for his word.

    Prometheus begins with what we can assume is our very distant past as an Alien creature (who will later be known as one of the Engineers) sacrifices himself near a waterfall (on earth perhaps) only to have his DNA transform in the water.  What does this mean?  I’m sure that will be debated for years to come, but one thing is for certain: it is vital to the plot of the film.  Jump to our near future where archeologists discover proof that our possible creators have given us coordinates to a distant star system with who-knows-what as their intention.  The archeologists join a team of scientists as they travel to the distant moon where they think their makers have invited them to visit. 

    Any more information might give away too much, and since I don’t like to be a bearer of spoilers, I will stop with the description of the story. 

    So the question most of you are asking has to be “is it good?”  Leaving the theater my answer was “I’m not sure but leaning towards disappointed.”  Most of my opinion was based on two observations.  First, being a fan of the fear I felt with the Alien films, I so badly wanted the movie to be scary and it wasn’t.  Secondly, the movie is challenging to understand.  That second point however is really now the reason why I am beginning to like it.  This is not a surface-level film.  Nothing is said or done without reason.  There is subtext and mystery behind almost every word and action, making this truly a thinking man’s (or woman’s) film.  My advice is to especially pay attention to the relationships between the android David and the humans.  While Noomi Rapace is certainly seen as the main character of the movie, Michael Fassbender’s David is equally as important. 

    Visually the film is stunning and thankfully the 3D enhances it.  The special effects team has a lot to proud of here.  The only part of the production that didn’t work for me was the mixed score by Marc Streitenfeld  and Harry Gregson-Williams.  Streitenfeld’s pieces fit the tone of the film, but Gregson-Williams’s seemed out of place, like they belonged in a WWII film rather than a sci-fi epic.

    The acting is, for the most part, pretty good.  Michael Fassbender turns on the creepy charm and Noomi Rapace, in spite of some strange sounding accent switches, makes for a decent enough heroine. 

    The film does have some credibility issues however.  After all, it’s hard to believe that a respected xenobiologist, renowned enough to be sent millions of miles into space, would just try to give a friendly petting to a potentially dangerous creature on a foreign planet.  Also, it’s hard to imagine anyone doing serious running, even with an incredible adrenaline rush, directly after having a major surgery. 

    I think the thing I like most about this film is that it will spark many, many interesting conversations.  So many people will have so many takes on the film and I am really looking forward to joining the debates.  I also think that many people will have a copy my experience as they try to figure this one out.  A-

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New in Home Entertainment – June 5, 2012

New in Home Entertainment

June 5, 2012

John Carter
Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action
Available on 3D Blu-ray, Blu-ray and DVD
John Carter, based on A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs, is one of the oldest and most famous sci-fi tales of all time, which bears mentioning since it has taken Hollywood almost a century to try to bring it to the big screen.  This might be because the story, about a Civil War soldier who finds himself in the middle of a war on Mars, is a very difficult adaptation.  It could also be because Disney’s vision was all wrong.  Whatever the problem is, the film blew it at the box office big time.  Granted, while it only made 72.5 million in the states, it grabbed another 200 million overseas.  But with the amount of money Disney spent on this film, they will be counting heavily on a strong home entertainment release to hopefully break even.  Is it a bad film?  Not terribly.  The special effects are stellar and the overall production is very good.  The acting is a little rough and the film’s pacing makes it seem like a three-hour picture when in actuality it’s only a little over two.  From the special features in this set, you can tell a lot of love went into the making of it and that is worth something.  B-

Safe House
Rated R for strong violence throughout and some language
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Ryan Reynolds is a young CIA agent who is forced to protect Denzel Washington who plays a fugitive wanted by both the CIA and terrorist groups around the world.  This really could have been a good film if it wasn’t based on a hugely absurd premise.  I was fine with the bad guys coming into the safe house to kill Washington, but being forced to keep him safe for the length of time asked of him, and then the actions he takes, make the film more and more unbelievable as it goes on.  Sure the movie is full of action, but overall its senseless.  The acting is good enough by this very talented cast, but the movie itself needed another rewrite.  C+

Breaking Bad: The Complete Fourth Season
Rated TV-MA
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
The first season of AMC’s hit show Breaking Bad played like a slightly more serious version of Showtime’s Weeds.  The second season played like a fantastic crime drama.  The third season started to develop into something big.  And now this fourth season turned out to be television’s answer to The Godfather.  Forced to work for a drug kingpin, Bryan Cranston goes up against one of the most evil of characters with not only his but his family’s life on the line as well.  If you’ve missed out on this season, I can’t think of a better way to spend a weekend than to watch all of the episodes back-to-back, ending with one of the best season finales I’ve ever had the pleasure of seeing.  A+

Curb Your Enthusiasm: The Complete Eighth Season
TV-MA   
Available on DVD
It’s hard to imagine that we have put up with eight seasons now of the obnoxious Larry David and the show still finds a way of looking fresh.  Living in New York now, Larry manages to offend the entire city in one way or another, ending in an hysterically funny season finale after trying to take on Michael J. Fox.  A-