Author: crunchonthis

New in Home Entertainment

November 1, 2011

Water for Elephants
Rated PG-13 for moments of intense violence and sexual content
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
After falling in love with the novel by Sara Gruen, I so badly wanted this romance that takes place in a depression-era circus to be legendary, but instead we merely got a good but forgettable love story.  The male part of the love triangle was well acted by Robert Pattinson and Christoph Waltz but Reese Witherspoon was royally upstaged by her female co-lead Rosie the Elephant.  It’s not that Reese was bad, but she was severely miscast in the role.  Still, the film was well-produced with some marvelous cinematography and a lovely score by James Newton Howard.  B+

Crazy Stupid Love
Rated PG-13 for coarse humor, sexual content and language
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
This romantic comedy about love, loss and pain comes on strong with a terrific first and second act, only to be brought down several notches by its ridiculous third.  Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Julianne Moore and Emma Stone put on a great show for most of the film but writer Dan Fogelman (Tangled) ran completely out of creative steam towards the end leaving the film with much more of a Hollywood feel than the movie deserves.  Due to the nature of the subject matter, I wouldn’t recommend it as a date movie, but it should play well as a movie that the girls will enjoy thoroughly with a bottle of wine and no men in the house.  B-

An Invisible Sign
Rated PG-13 for mature thematic material and some disturbing images
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Watching this trailer, I was really looking forward to what looked like a quirky and fun cross between Amelie and Stranger than Fiction starring Jessica Alba.  But rather than the entertaining and creative experience I was hoping for, I ended up with a miserable ninety minutes that I wish I could have back.  The film is not light at all, but rather a heavy mess that is not in the least enjoyable.  D-

Cars 2
Rated G
Available on DVD, Blu-ray and Blu-ray 3D
Critics enjoyed piling on to this latest Pixar release, but I simply can’t join the fray.  Cars 2 might be the least of the Pixar films, but when you are comparing to such perfection, that is not exactly fair.  This sequel, which follows Lightening McQueen (Owen Wilson) and Mater (Larry the Cable Guy) in a game of international espionage, is creative, funny and stunning to look at.  Where it does fall short is in the script department.  It’s not a bad script but not quite up to the standards of Pixar.  Pixar films are known for being spectacular four-quadrant films.  They are usually equally loved by males, females, young and old.  Here the adults have dismissed, while the kids seemed to have loved it.  The $549 million worldwide take in spite of poor reviews proves this point.  If you have a 3D television, the 3D is a step up for Pixar and really brings the film to vibrant life.  Also hitting stores this week are the 3D versions of the recently re-released Toy Story films.  B+

New in Home Entertainment

October 25, 2011

Captain America: The First Avenger
Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action
Available on DVD, Blu-ray and Blu-ray 3D
After the disappointment I felt from watching Thor and Green Lantern this summer, I wasn’t exactly looking forward to checking out the genesis story of Captain America.  Fortunately, the low expectations probably came to the aid of my enjoyment of the film.  The film takes place during World War II when a young soldier with a heroic heart yet underwhelming physical presence goes through a top secret government project to turn him into a muscle-bound stud with super-human speed and strength.  This new weapon helps America with the war against the Nazis and a Nazi offshoot called HYDRA.  The movie turns out to be a fun thrill ride of an adventure with a tight script and great pacing.  And unlike Thor, instead of being a big commercial for the upcoming Avengers flick, it possesses its own identity in a creative two-hour package.  B+

The People Vs. George Lucas
Not rated but contains much adult language
Available on DVD
Star Wars fans have been very vocal through the years concerning their dislike for both the new trilogy as well as George Lucas’s tinkering with the original “holy” trilogy.  This documentary gives the fanboys (and girls) their voice while also creating a strong devil’s advocate for the devotees that disagree.  The one thing we can all agree on is there is a lot of passion surrounding these movies and that the original Star Wars Trilogy is one of the most influential pieces of filmmaking since the introduction of the art.  The doc itself is so geektastic that it’s hard not to enjoy.  As someone who really loves the films (even the flawed new ones), I found a serene pleasure in listening to the hardcore fans voice their opinions. And seeing fellow Houston Critic and friend Joe Leydon lend his thoughts on the matter was a unique surprise that caught me off guard.  This is a movie that any enthusiast of the world George Lucas created should add to their queue.  A-

Shaolin
Rated R for violence
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Mandarin with English dub or subtitles
After a Chinese general pays a severe price for his cruelty and ambition, he escapes to a Shaolin monastery for both protection and salvation.  With a changed heart he attempts to save the people from the terrors of the new leader while at the same time restoring peace in the land.  The problem with this film isn’t the story or the acting, but rather the overlong script, slow direction and atrocious editing.  It’s okay to cut things out when they don’t serve the story and too much here serves as more of a distraction than a benefit.  That being said, the fight choreography is decent enough, especially the scenes with Jackie Chan who plays the monastery’s cook.  C

Jurassic Park: Ultimate Trilogy
Available on Blu-ray
Only a couple of Steven Spielberg’s big films have been released in Hi Def, so the addition of this new trilogy set is a very welcome event.  While I would have rather skipped the second film in this so-called trilogy (it’s the only Spielberg film I have ever panned), I loved the first and liked the third and I was especially pleased with the new six-part documentary about the world of dinosaurs Spielberg and Michael Crichton created.  Jurassic Park A; The Lost World D; Jurassic Park 3 B

Dazed and Confused: The Criterion Collection Edition
Rated R for pervasive, continuous teen drug and alcohol use and very strong language
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
On occasion you see movies released with different editions a year or more apart, but rarely do you find two blu-ray editions of the same film released two months apart.  In August Universal released Dazed and Confused in a scaled-down but sufficient blu-ray package.  This week, Criterion is upping the game by putting their spin on the film on blu-ray as well.  This incredibly influential movie which introduced us to such A-listers as Ben Affleck, Milla Jovovich, Renee Zellweger, Parker Posey, and Matthew McConaughey, was also filmed by Richard Linklater in Austin, TX, setting the scene for Austin’s vibrant film community.  So which version should you buy if you already haven’t?  If you just want to own the film, buy the cheaper Universal version.  If you want to study the film and feel the need to check out all of the great things Criterion adds to a project, by all means pick up this week’s release.  A

New in Home Entertainment

October 18, 2011

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of action/violence, some frightening images, sensuality and innuendo
Available on DVD, Blu-ray and Blu-ray 3D
In another attempt from Disney to milk this franchise for all its worth, Pirates 4 brings back Johnny Depp as Captain Sparrow and this time he is after the Fountain of Youth.  Props go to Disney for an interesting premise and the invention of blood-thirsty mermaids, but just like the previous three films, there is much more style than substance.  I like the idea of Penelope Cruz as an old flame, but the lack of chemistry between the two characters hurt the chances of a nice romantic development and instead turned into a sort of mean entanglement.  One thing I was hoping for was that the 3D would look better on TV than it did in theaters, but the film is so dark that the 3D is not just cheesy, but wasted as well.  C

Little House on the Prairie: The Complete 9 Season Set
Available on DVD
From 1974 to 1984 Little House on the Prairie was one of NBC’s biggest hits on television.  Now, several decades later, the 55-disc set is being released with as complete a collection as you will find.  All 9 seasons and several special features about the book, show and legacy are found in this attractive new set.  While I usually like to find the time to dig into DVDs I review, there was no way to watch what seemed like hundreds of hours contained here, but what I saw was a nice trip down nostalgia lane.  The episodes here are nicely restored and while I used to make fun of my mom for liking the show so much, I can now admit that it is a very enjoyable piece of entertainment.  B+

Bad Teacher
Rated R for sexual content, nudity, language and some drug use
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Cameron Diaz is the world’s worst teacher.  She comes to class each day, turns on a movie, and then sleeps at her desk while recovering from the previous night’s bender.  Her whole goal in life is to find a rich man that will take care of her, and she is convinced that a boob job she is saving up for will get her there.  In order to save enough money for her surgery, she lies, cheats and steals from any source she can find.  Just like horrible bosses, she is a despicable person that has the power to shape the lives of those she influences negatively.  But unlike Horrible Bosses, she is the hero and not the villain.  In that regard, the film is somewhat enjoyable as her behavior continues to shock from scene to scene.  The film is flawed being so over-the-top to be believable, but in light of last year’s documentary Waiting For Superman, many of her antics can be seen as possible.  The most important thing is that the film proves to be funny in spite of its many problems.  C+

Page One: Inside the New York Times
Rated R for language including sexual references
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
With traditional print media feeling a lot of pain over the last decade, Page One: Inside The New York Times attempts to explore the industry by studying one of the world’s most important newspapers.  If you have ever been interested in the inner functions of a major world newspaper, this is a great documentary to watch.  It’s not as informational as I would have hoped, but it does put you into the day by day in an engrossing way.  B-

Robotech: The Complete Series
Available on DVD
In 1985, the year after Little House on the Prairie left the airwaves, another influential and very different television program became a huge hit with sci-fi fans world-wide.  Robotech follows a group of humans as they attempt to fend off their world from an alien invasion.  This new set contains all 85 episodes of the legendary anime project with over 10 hours of bonus material.  Personally, this is not my cup of tea, but it is easy to see why this series has built up such a large fan base.  I can imagine that many fans will want to hold out for the inevitable blu-ray release, but until that time, this set will give them a nice diversion.  B-

New in Home Entertainment


October 11, 2011

The Tree of Life
Rated PG-13 for some thematic material
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
The producers and stars of this new Terrence Malick film starring Brad Pitt and Sean Penn freely admit that this is a very difficult film to describe and for some it is even harder to understand.  The crux of the film revolves around a young Texas family growing up in the 50s.  But the scope is much broader as it represents God’s very complex relationship with man as well as the question of who God is, where God is, and what is His plan.  It’s an incredibly deep picture that is very rewarding to those that take it in the correct way.  Many have dismissed it as merely an ambitious film that has gotten away from itself.  I disagree.  Malick here is certainly ambitious, but his vision is pulled off in stunning fashion and for those have connected to it, like myself, there is nothing but praise.  I cannot recall a film that has ever pulled me in and given me this much pleasure to watch.  For me, this was a truly religious and ethereal experience and while yes, it does lack the typical narrative you might expect, it serves as one of the greatest pieces of artistic filmmaking I can imagine on the screen.  My one complaint about this new release is the lack of features.  While there is a terrific documentary on how they made the film, I really wish Malick would have done a commentary in order to get a deeper insight to his masterpiece.  A+

Horrible Bosses
Rated R for crude and sexual content, pervasive language and some drug material
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Most of us have had our share of bad bosses, and while rubbing a boss out isn’t exactly an appropriate response to our work troubles, when a comedy about doing such a deed is released, it sure is fun to fantasize and live vicariously through the protagonists.  In Horrible Bosses, Jason Bateman, Charlie Day and Jason Sudeikis suffer greatly from the hands of Jennifer Aniston, Colin Farrell and Kevin Spacey, so much so that they plot to have them murdered.  It’s only logical that chaos would ensue and what transpires provides us with the funniest comedy of the year.  Make sure to check out the featurette “My Least Favorite Career” where the cast discusses their worst jobs and bosses from their past.  A-

The Trip
Unrated
Available on DVD
Actor Steve Coogan (Tropic Thunder), playing himself, is asked by the Observer to travel the British countryside in order to write an article critiquing top restaurants along the way.  When his girlfriend can’t make the trip, he invites his actor friend Rob Brydon, also playing himself, to make the journey with him.  The two set off on a hilarious trip full of fun, food and tension.  In Britain this film existed as a BBC television series, but rather than export the series to America, the producers made the decision to cut the show up and serve it as a two hour narrative.  Fortunately, for us, the idea worked and the result is a slow-moving, but charming and funny pic that explores friendship, life, love, career and the concept of success.  And while the idea of fine cuisine in Britain sounds like an oxymoron, the British sense of humor is alive and well.  B

Green Lantern
Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
When an evil entity threatens the galaxy, a human (Ryan Reynolds) is recruited to join an elite group of universal super protectors.  Armed with a powerful ring that acts upon his imagination, the newly crowned Green Lantern must take on this super baddie before it engulfs the Earth and possibly the rest of the galaxy.  As is the case with most Ryan Reynolds films, he far outshines the rest of the movie.  He is a fun personality and almost makes the movie watchable.  Unfortunately, the script is confounding at too many moments throughout, leaving character choices and plot holes that will keep you scratching your head.  If what you need is a good super hero pic at the red box, check out the recent X-Men addition or wait a couple of weeks for Captain America.  C+

New in Home Entertainment

September 27, 2011

Transformers: Dark of the Moon
Rated PG-13 for intense prolonged sequences of sci-fi action violence, mayhem and destruction, and for language, some sexuality and innuendo
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
After the horrible reception of the second film (I actually received the worst hate mail of my career for my semi-positive review), the big metal robots are back for an even bigger adventure.  In this new film, the decepticons have a new weapon that threatens not just the autobots but the entire planet as well.  Just like the last film, the plot is just an excuse for a gigantic special effects extravaganza.  After watching the second film, I couldn’t imagine a bigger show of computer fire power, but director Michael Bay sure did deliver a huge spectacle with this one.  The only problem here is that the story really gets in the way of the action, and since the action seems to be more important, this turns out to hurt the film.  With Megan Fox out and new love interest played by the Rosie Huntington-Whitely in, the love story takes a sharp turn for the worse and makes Shia LaBeouf’s Sam Witwicky into a character that is very distracting from the larger story at hand.  And by the time you get to the finale you feel like you’ve wasted so much time on crap that doesn’t matter that its hard to enjoy the giant alien robots destroying Chicago.  But hey – that’s what the fast forward button is for.  My advice: grab the remote, skip any part that doesn’t have a talking piece of metal in it, and make lemonade out of lemons.  B-

The Tempest
Rated PG-13 for some nudity, suggestive content and scary images
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Have you ever had a movie that you were really excited to see and then you heard some bad reviews that you knew couldn’t be true?  That somehow the critics must have it wrong?  I was certain of this for director Julie Taymor’s The Tempest.  With the director of Titus and Across the Universe taking on one of Shakespeare’s greatest works with such talented actors as Helen Mirren, Alan Cumming, Chris Cooper and Djimon Hounsou, how could the film be anything short of spectacular?  Well, it’s a lot short of spectacular.  As you would expect, the film is visually interesting, but unfortunately, the film turns out to be a little too creative and underwhelming at the same time.  It doesn’t help that the acting is less than impressive.  But the blame really lies in a project that is too ambitious and a vision that falls short.  C-

CSI: The Eleventh Season
Available on DVD
I still can’t believe that after 12 years, CSI is still at the top of the ratings and it’s partners (CSI: NY and CSI: Miami – also releasing seasons on DVD this week) are also churning out investigation tales with good writing and strong acting.  Sure, some of the story lines are pretty contrived and yes, some of the plots get you asking if you’ve seen this before, but overall, CSI is still entertaining, and that’s saying a lot.  And one of the reasons they remain so popular is because unlike a lot of the shows on television today, you don’t have to watch the previous episode to know what’s going on.  This is a good thing for the viewer on the go who doesn’t have time to become committed to a particular television show – although a lot of folks with that point of view still make the time to watch all three religiously.  B   

New in Home Entertainment

September 20, 2011

Dumbo: 70th Anniversary Edition
Rated G
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
In 1941 Walt Disney was in a financial jam.  He had spent so much money making Pinocchio and Fantasia that the studio was almost broke and in dire need of a hit.  With WWII consuming Europe, the international box office was all but lost when a baby elephant with humongous ears flew in and rescued the studio.  Seventy years later the film is seen as controversial due to its portrayal of African Americans, but Dumbo is much more than a controversial film.  It still holds up as a visual and musical work of art and having put it to task with my sixteen-month-old, I can assure you that it is still capable of winning over the hearts of both children and adults.  This new enhanced digital restoration is gorgeous and with blu-ray picture and sound, the film has never been better.  I do wish Disney had included digital copy so I could pull it up on my iPhone every once in while, but aside from that the set is loaded with both new and old features.  A

Bridesmaids
Rated R for some strong sexuality and language throughout
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Desperately trying to escape the labeling of “chick flick,” Bridesmaids became a word-of-mouth sensation this past summer and should hit big with this new DVD/Blu-ray release which offers up both the theatrical and a new unrated edition.  This story of a bride and her crazy girlfriends filled the originality gap left awkwardly vacant by Hangover 2.  Watching Kristen Wiig knock it out of the park with this screenplay she co-wrote with pal Annie Mumolo is a blast.  But even more fun is watching co-star Melissa McCarthy (who just won the Emmy last Sunday for Mike & Molly) steal every scene she steps into.  She pretty much walks away with the picture and might even walk away with some statues come the end of the year.  A-

It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia: The Complete Season 6
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Seasons one through five of this comedy from FX have provided me with some of biggest laughs of the past few years.  Danny DeVito and gang, week after week, push the envelope of decency until there’s no where left to go.  So it’s no wonder that the only direction the show can turn is down weird street.  Season six has many laughs, but way too many scratch your head moments.  I loved the episodes “Who Got Dee Pregnant?” and Dee Reynolds: Shaping America’s Youth,” but cringed during “The Gang Gets a New Member” and “Mac’s Big Break.”  The good news is that season seven just started and it appears that things could be back on track again.  C+

My Life as a Dog: Criterion Collection
Unrated
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Swedish with English Subtitles
Before cranking out hit films like The Cider House Rules and Chocolat, Swedish director Lasse Holstrom hit the scene big-time with this little indie about a boy who goes on a journey of discovery when he is sent away to give his dying mother some rest.  It’s a weird little film and I’m never really fully understood it, but you can definitely see why so many people hold it up with reverence.  For a Criterion title, this release has relatively few special features but the new digital transfer looks terrific and the 1973 short film included here is an interesting look at Holstrom’s earliest work.  B-