Author: crunchonthis

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Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps

Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps

Starring Shia LaBeouf, Michael Douglas, Carey Mulligan, and Josh Brolin
Directed by Oliver Stone
Rated PG-13 for brief strong language and thematic elements
Appropriate for ages 15+

    It’s been 23 years since the original Wall Street hit theaters and since that time Gordon Gekko has served his time in prison for insider trading and is now back in New York, a changed man, promoting his book about the life he used to lead.  But the film is not really about Gordon Gekko.  Instead, Shia LaBeouf is a young trader engaged to Gekko’s daughter (Mulligan) who badly wants revenge on the man (Brolin) who brought down his boss and mentor as well as caused him to commit suicide.  The only problem is that the daughter wants nothing to do with her father and LaBeouf needs Gekko’s mentoring in order carry out the vendetta. 

    This whole plot is all good and fine were it not for Stone losing sight at what he used to be best at: stirring up controversy.  It’s almost as if he read Too Big To Fail by Andrew Ross Sorkin and rather than recreating history and giving moviegoers something to chew on, he leaves some of the same situations but changes the names of the players and companies to where some of it is recognizable, some is a direct copy, and some of it a complete fabrication.  While it’s his story and he’s free to do whatever he wants to with it, this tale is extremely boring compared to the reality.  Were he to do something like JFK with the Finance industry, throwing Gekko in the mix, he might be looking at an Oscar.  Instead the movie might simply break even. 

    Acting-wise, the film is very uneven.  While Douglas is always great and this film is no different, LaBeouf fails to impress and Mulligan, who showed great promise in last year’s An Education, comes off as a whiny little brat with daddy issues.

    The most disappointing features of the film though were the distracting directing style of Stone, who normally isn’t like this, and the horrible choice in music.  Somebody obviously likes David Byrne and Brian Eno, but to have every song of the movie sung by them felt like a bad 80’s comedy starring Dudley Moore, not a contemporary movie about the financial crash that had such a great impact on all of our lives.

    The fact is, this movie could have been great.  All of the elements are there.  Perhaps the filmmakers didn’t have the intelligence to pull off a story that had such important significance.  That’s hard to believe given Stone’s history.  But seeing the failures of his past decade plus of directing, I think it can only be assumed that he has lost his touch.  C 

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New on DVD


New on DVD

Get Him to the Greek
Rated R for strong sexual content and drug use throughout, and pervasive language
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Jonah Hill is a record producer trying to make a name for himself when he gets the chance of a lifetime to participate in a concert event of his creation.  The problem is that he must get the legendary rock star Aldous Snow (Russell Brand), a drug-abusing sexaholic with a knack for getting into trouble, from London to Los Angeles in 72 hours for the show.  With Judd Apatow producing, it is easy to figure that this is a raunchy but funny comedy filled with bad behavior.  The downside is that instead of making it a straight-out buddy movie, the plot is over-complicated with Jonah’s girlfriend played by Mad Men’s Elisabeth Moss.  This subplot actually brings the film down a path it didn’t need to go and gets in the way far too many times.  The special features are numerous and worth checking out and there’s even an unrated edition in case the R rated version isn’t naughty enough for you.  B

Frozen
Rated R for some disturbing images and language
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
This little horror indie takes place on the slopes as three friends sneak their way onto a chairlift before the park closes only to find the park shut down half-way up the mountain.  Of course the park is closed for the week and no one is coming to get them.  There are moments in the film with some decent tension and suspense, but when you start to realize that these collegiates have zero in the way of survival skills you start to not care if the wolves get them or not.  Watching the special features, the director shot down some of my escape attempt ideas, but the easier ones seemed like they would have had the kids down on the ground and home for dinner far before the 93 minutes was up.  C-

Rich Man, Poor Man
Available on DVD
Widely known as the first dramatic miniseries to appear on American television, Rich Man, Poor Man tells the story of the Jordache Family, an epic immigrant tale that spans from 1945 to 1960.  Featuring an all-star cast including Peter Strauss, Nick Nolte, Ed Asner, Bill Bixby, and Susan Blakely, Rich Man set the pace for dramatic miniseries in America as well as put some big names on the map.  Based on Irwin Shaw’s best-selling novel, the complex story-telling dives into familiar themes of strained human relationships and the naivete of the American dream.  The set contains both Books 1 and 2, but the disappearance of Nolte on Book 2 is noticeable and frankly rather disappointing.  B-

The Killer Inside Me
Rated R for disturbing brutal violence, aberrant sexual content and some graphic nudity
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Casey Affleck is the polite, good-natured sheriff in a small 1950s Texas town who doesn’t even carry a gun because he doesn’t feel it’s necessary.  When he gets a request to have a prostitute (Jessica Alba) run out of town, he kindly asks her and then resorts to an ugly streak of sexual violence which brings the two together in an affair, unbeknownst to his fiance (Kate Hudson).  In order to get rid of the evidence he attempts to brutally murder her and frame it on someone else, but this web of lies begins to blow up in his face as he gets deeper and deeper into violence and deceit.  It’s funny because for the first act you really like Affleck’s character.  I found myself thinking that he’s a heck of a guy and  I wonder what kind of trouble he’s going to get himself into.  But then you get to know him, and the ugly truth is absolutely disturbing.  I wouldn’t call this an enjoyable film, but making a film noir western with a villain sheriff makes for quite the interesting story.  B

Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky
Rated R for some strong sexuality and nudity
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
French with English Subtitles
Although the two films are unrelated, if you recently saw Coco Before Chanel with Audrey Tautou, then this serves as sort of a sequel as it takes place shortly after those events.  Much liberty is taken with the plot which revolves around Coco Chanel offering Igor Stravinsky and his family the chance to live in her country house in France while he composes, all the while the two have an affair right under the nose of his sick wife.  About the only verifiable fact in the film is the wonderfully fascinating first act which takes place at the premier of The Rite of Spring in Paris where the audience actually did go into a riot over the music and choreography.  Along with the terrific beginning, everything about this film is breathtaking except the meaningless script that essentially gets in the way of the overall enjoyment of the film.  The full production including the costuming, set designs, score and cinematography make the film worth watching.  If only there could have been some semblance of a romance to add to it – they might have ended up with another English Patient on their hands.  B-

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia: The Complete Season 5
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Welcome back to Paddy’s Pub, the worst bar in Philadelphia.  Danny Devito and gang once again bring the anti-Cheers vibe where no one wants to know your name and they just might make fun of you if you dare to come in.  They’ll definitely do it once you leave.  The only issue I have with this FX sitcom is that there are only twelve episodes in the season.  The good news is that the show is still fresh and funny and full of back-stabbing and beat-downs.  Amongst the best of the laughs are kitten mittens (yes, mittens you put on cats), the gang stars in an M Night Shyamalan film, and then there’s the professional wrestling episode which left me hurting I was laughing so hard.  A-      

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The Town



The Town

Starring Ben Affleck, Rebecca Hall, Jon Hamm, and Jeremy Renner
Directed by Ben Affleck
Rated R for strong violence, pervasive language, some sexuality and drug use
Appropriate for ages 17+

    When a group of friends in Boston, who also work together as bank robbers, run into issues during a bank heist, they decide to take a hostage (Hall).  In order to keep tabs, the leader of the group (Affleck) decides to try to get personally involved with her without her knowing he was one of the criminals so that he can find out how much she knows.  In the process his emotions get the better of him and he begins to fall for her instead, all while she thinks he is a completely different person than who he really is.

    It’s awfully fun getting surprised by a film and while The Town won’t be your Oscar winner for best picture, it is a darn good drama that is full of terrific performances and headed up by an immensely talented Affleck. 

    For about the first hour I just sat there thinking about how much this movie really wants to be Heat, which is an extremely tall order considering Affleck is no De Niro, and Jon Hamm most definitely is no Pacino.  After a bit, the movie takes on a different personality, paying homage to the Godfather portraying a criminal with female problems who can’t get out of the business, but who really wants to go legit.  But everything is at least done with a fresh, modern spin that won’t get you too distracted. 

    What I admired most about the film isn’t the story, but the great performances, namely those by Renner, Hall and Affleck.  Renner is such an ass here and you just hope  and pray that he will eventually reach his comeuppance.  That is the sign of a well-played villain.

    But Affleck’s turn behind the camera is just as impressive as his one in front.  You could tell he had a knack for visual storytelling with Gone Baby Gone, but this new venture is an even more solid outing that brings its audience to the very heart of Boston and into the lives of its characters.  He’s done such a great job of reinventing himself after what could have been a devastating career move in 2003 with Gigli, and while he might never live that moment in time down, at least he can say he’s moved way beyond it. 

    Overall, I really like this dark, gritty film that might have a few ripoffs here and there, but provides for a nice couple of hours of entertainment.  B+

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New on DVD



New on DVD

Modern Family: The Complete First Season
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
I’m always weary of new shows because there are so many of them and most of them go away after the first season.  When a friend of mine called mid-season through Modern Family and told me I just had to watch it because not only is it funny but there is a guy on the show that reminds him exactly of me, well, my interest was peaked.  Then I found out I reminded of him of a big flaming queen and I didn’t know what to say.  But I started to watch the show anyway and now my wife and I are hooked.  And the flaming queen, played by the brilliant Eric Stonestreet, just went on to win the Emmy, as did the show for best Comedy – a feat very difficult for a freshman comedy.  Modern Family revolves around three unique families: the dad/granddad, played by Ed O’Neal who lives with his hot young Colombian wife and her son, the somewhat normal daughter/mother with her husband and three kid outfit, and the other son who is one half of a gay couple who have just adopted a daughter from Vietnam.  The comedy is fresh and irreverent and extremely off-color which makes it that much more likable.  The only disappointment of the season was the much anticipated Hawaii episodes which were not nearly as funny as the buzz made us think they were going to be.  A

Bored to Death: The Complete First Season
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Jason Schwartzman, Zach Galifianakis, and Ted Danson star in this freshman HBO comedy about a mystery writer who is so bored that he posts an ad on the internet lending his services as a private detective in order to pass the time and maybe get a few ideas for his novel.  Each of the cases turn into madcap adventures and although Schwartzman and Galifianakis aren’t as funny as you’d like them to be, Danson turns in the best performance of his career.  The fact that he didn’t get an Emmy nomination off of this for best supporting actor shows that voters didn’t watch the show.  B

Robin Hood
Rated PG-13 for violence including intense sequences of warfare and some sexual content
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
The theatrical version of Robin Hood had some major problems that the filmmakers have attempted to clear up in this new Director’s Cut edition.  The first problem couldn’t be fixed and that is that the film is not about Robin Hood, but rather about what made him Robin Hood.  There is an interesting story somewhere there, but it also gets bogged down in the ultimate goal of setting Robin with his his destiny.  I like origin movies, but the movie needs to get into the meat of the story and not stop short.  Of course for this film to have done that it would have to be five hours long, and it already feels too long to begin with.  Where they went right this time was to axe the PG-13 for an unrated label and make it more of the R it should have been.  While the original script of the movie called for Robin Hood to be the villain and the Sheriff to be the hero, which could have been truly excellent, at least this new version gives a better look at what should have hit the big screen a few months ago.  C+

Spartacus: Blood and Sand – The Complete First Season
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Loosely based on the original character, Spartacus is betrayed by the Romans, forced into slavery, and remade into a legendary gladiator in this Starz original series.  While the story isn’t bad, the special effects, which seem to want to copy 300 but can’t quite get there, are as lousy as you can imagine.  This makes the violence completely laughable.  And then there is the surprising amount of graphic sex which is not only out of place in most cases, but has dialog written in that would make you think Larry Flynt was involved.  The only thing I can admire is the amount of time in the gym this cast spent – so as a mere inspirational television show, this one hits hard.  C

Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue
Rated G
Available on Blu-ray/DVD Combo
In this straight to video adventure, Tinker Bell makes friends with a human girl and is thought to be missing by all of her fairy friends.  As Tink tries to teach the girl about fairies, her friends set off on a rescue mission.  After seeing Alpha and Omega last week, I really needed something to cleanse my palate and this one worked just great.  The story is cute and will be immensely popular for little girls.  What I probably loved most about it were the rich, beautiful colors splashed all over the screen.  The animation here is top notch and proof that Disney knows exactly what it’s doing.  B

American Beauty: Sapphire Series
Rated R for strong sexuality, language, violence, and drug content
Available on Blu-ray
Getting the Sapphire treatment this time around is the Oscar-winning classic American Beauty about a not-so-average dysfunctional family on a road to self-destruction.  The HD transfer looks and sounds amazing, but I couldn’t find any new features to speak of.  It would have been nice to have the making-of documentary in HD possibly, or maybe something on that incredible score by Thomas Newman, but at least the special features from the DVD the first time around were pretty decent.  The commentary by director Sam Mendes and writer Alan Ball is still excellent.  While Conrad Hall won the Oscar for this one too, the definitive reflection of his life can be found on the recently released Road to Perdition which is the last film he made before he died, and directed by the same director as Beauty.  A-  

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Alpha and Omega

Alpha and Omega

Starring the voices of Justin Long, Hayden Panettiere, and Dennis Hopper
Directed by Anthony Bell and Ben Gluck
Rated PG for rude humor and some mild action
Appropriate for all ages

    When an alpha wolf and an omega wolf are taken from their home in Canada by humans to repopulate a national park in Idaho, they go on a journey to find their way back home.

    There are so many reasons not to see this film but I will keep this fairly short.  First and foremost is the story which is insulting at its most basic level.  Kids learn so much from watching movies which is why their information should be somewhat based in fact.  The world of nature seen in this movie makes me believe that the filmmakers had wolves and bees confused with their thoughts of Alphas and Omegas.  After all, the “alphas” are just leaders, not genetically bred super wolves.  Each litter of wolves can have alphas and there are no “omegas” – just other wolves.   

    And then there is the war between the two wolf clans which is fine for story, but if there truly was a war such as that there would be no food to found and there is obviously tons of caribou all over.  The Lion King did an excellent job of showing that the food had gone completely scarce with bad decision making.  Conversely, these must be the dumbest wolves imaginable eating bones and fighting each other instead of hunting the plethora of meat widely available all over.  My point is – why create entertainment that dumbs down our kids.  Subtle changes could have enlightened our children and been a boost to their brains. 

    The film even had acting challenges.  For example there was supposed to be a wolf named Garth that upon his horrible howl, birds would fall from the sky.  This could have worked had the actor been able to emit a horrible howl.  Instead, his howl was just weak and when the birds fell, it was cute but made zero sense.  So much of the film was like this – half-thought-out ideas that might have worked with better writers and actors but upon completion didn’t work at all.

    But if all of that isn’t enough to kill brain cells, the animation surely can’t help.  This is crude animation that looks more like a student film than a theatrically released motion picture with big name voices.  The wolves look more like dogs with tiny tiny teeth with feathers rather than manes.  And the golfing goose, while a cute idea, is one of the most disturbing images I’ve seen in years. 

    Finally, if you feel you absolutely must see the movie against this entire warning – stay away from the 3D version.  They did not go all out with the 3D and it not only looks horrible but it will hurt your head and cause tremendous strain to your eyes as well.  I’ve had some bad 3D experiences so far, but this by far is the worst.  F

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New on DVD



New on DVD

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
In an attempt to recapture the franchise magic Disney had with Pirates of the Caribbean, they went to the hit video game Prince of Persia and spent an estimated whopping $200 million on this mystical tale of a young boy from the streets who is adopted by the king and eventually goes on a journey to save the kingdom from a very evil Ben Kingsley.  While considered a flop, especially since the advertising budget probably cost more than the gross, it was a pretty entertaining film overall.  Sure the heroine should have been changed out and the climactic sequence was way too nutty to be believed, but Jake Gyllenhaal is a wonderful hero and Kingsley as the villain serves as the perfect snake in the grass.  B

America: The Story of Us
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
This nine plus hour documentary from The History Channel chronicles the history of The  United States from its earliest settlers until today using epic reenactments and state-of-the-art special effects.  Beginning with a unique introduction from President Barack Obama, the film also utilizes some of the most respected names in politics, military, Hollywood, and education to tell stories and to move the narrative forward.  As for me, I’ve always wondered how they built the Statue of Liberty, Hoover Damn, the railroads across America, and other great American milestones.  I didn’t actually think I had time to watch all nine hours of the set when I started, but upon putting the first disc in I couldn’t wait to finish and check out each special feature to boot.  This is one you’ll want in your collection so you can watch now, with you kids, with your grandkids and for generations to come.  One side note.  I watched the first three episodes on DVD and the last sections on blu-ray, and this is definitely a disc that you can tell a huge difference in the quality between the two.  A

The Twilight Zone: Season 1
Available on Blu-ray
Rather than cycling through the HD masters from when the DVD set came out back in 2004, they decided to produce brand new 1080p film transfers using the original camera negatives and magnetic soundtracks for this official HD release of the first season of the ground-breaking television television show.  After all, what would our sci-fi and horror entertainment look like right now were it not for The Twilight Zone in 1959 and 1960.  This definitive collection contains some of contents of that 2004 DVD release, but also a lot of new material including the rare, unofficial pilot episode “The Time Element.”  With 19 commentaries, tons of interviews, Rod Serling lectures, 18 radio dramas, and 34 isolated music scores, this is probably one of most complete television seasons on blu-ray I’ve ever received as a critic.  A

Letters to Juliet
Rated PG for brief rude behavior and sensual images, some language and incidental smoking
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
When a writer (Amanda Seyfried) and her chef fiance go to Verona for their pre-Honeymoon, they separate for a few days to follow their interests.  While there she finds a note a young girl wrote to Shakespeare’s Juliet 50 years ago asking for help and decides to write her back.  When this now older woman (Vanessa Redgrave) comes back to Verona to follow up with the letter she wrote, the writer, the older woman, and the woman’s grandson take off on a search to find her lost love from 50 years ago.  While the trailer for this film serves as essentially the Cliffs Notes version, its simplicity is acceptable given that it is somewhat likable.  While it has its funny moments, its not really a romantic comedy and that’s a good thing since it doesn’t have much potential to be funny and any physical humor would have just turned it into another Leap Year, and that’s the last thing we need.  Then again, there wasn’t a whole lot of chemistry between Amanda Seyfried and either of her leading men.  The only chemistry felt was that between her and Redgrave and between her and Italy.  That made the whole climactic sequence a mess and pretty stupid seeing her up on the balcony.  Sure you know where they are going and the filmmakers thought they were being clever, but it only felt forced and like they were trying to fit a theme that was only there in title and maybe in a Taylor Swift song.  C+

Glee: The Complete First Season
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Theater geeks like me and millions of Americans came out of hiding this year to watch this sometimes brilliant high school comedy musical which incorporates pop and Broadway music into school life.  Not to be confused with High School Musical (I think you can still get beat up for thinking Glee is cool but not HSM), Glee is a very original, and when you think about it very difficult piece of television production considering each week is a brand new musical event.  Sure there are a lot of eye-rolling moments and many times I think to myself that I’m watching a cheesy show about teenagers, but then Jane Lynch pops up on screen and makes me laugh myself silly right before I’m completely moved by a rousing rendition of one of my favorite Journey tunes.  Does that make me a gleek?  A-

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Machete




Machete

Starring Danny Trejo, Robert De Niro, Jessica Alba, and Steven Seagal
Directed by Robert Rodriguez and Ethan Maniquis
Rated R for strong bloody violence throughout, language, some sexual content and nudity
Appropriate for ages 17+

    When Machete was first conceived it was a joke trailer in the Grindhouse movies that Robert Rodriguez and Quinton Tarantino released in 2007.  So in the Grindhouse spirit comes the full length feature of Machete which is every bit a b-movie with no disguise of wanting to be taken too seriously.  Machete, played by Rodriguez buddy Danny Trejo, is a Mexican Federale whose wife and daughter are murdered by a Mexican version of Steven Seagal.  Thought dead, Machete turns up in Texas years later hired to botch an assassination attempt on an immigrant-hating U.S. Senator played by De Niro.  Teaming with immigration agent Jessica Alba, Machete goes after pretty much everyone in Texas that has done bad in an attempt to help the Mexican cause.

    What’s funny is that while the film isn’t overly serious, it works great as a political satire.  You can tell that the immigration issues are close to heart and there is quite a lot of Mexican pride in this film.  Perhaps they should have cared more about that and less about sticking to the fake trailer and they could have had something more substantial in the can. 

    Where they went wrong is how ridiculous the whole thing is.  First off, they felt a need to make this look like a low-budget film even if it wasn’t.  Also, while the extreme amount of violence and nudity stick with the theme, it removes the audience from the story.  Sure its fun to see the hero jumping out a window attached to a man’s intestines, but the whole scene was about that sick stunt and didn’t do a thing for the story.  I’m not sure what a naked Lindsay Lohan did either except for the hope that an audience might be drawn in to see the fallen star without her clothes on.  I’m not complaining about that last one – I just have no idea what it had to do with anything.

    Then there is Danny Trejo.  He is fine for some parts.  But a leading man?  Hardly.  He is the buddy of the director and he looked uncomfortable for the entire picture like he was constantly thinking “are they really making a movie with me as the star?”  And he’s not a star.  He’s a fun character actor.  You pull him in for five minutes of screen time when you need a scary villain, mercenary or a mechanic (at least those are my favorite parts he’s played).  You definitely don’t want to watch him make out with Jessica Alba and Michelle Rodriguez.  It gives me hope that maybe I could have my own picture.  Of course I need to find a best friend director first.

    But with all of this criticism, I still somehow found the movie to be enjoyable.  I laughed my way throughout and took it about as seriously as the filmmakers.  It’s not Rodriguez’s best work, but I’ve seen him do worse.  B- 

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Going the Distance

Going the Distance

Starring Drew Barrymore, Justin Long, and Christine Applegate
Directed by Nanette Burstein (American Teen)
Rated R for sexual content including dialogue, language throughout, some drug use and brief nudity
Appropriate for ages 17+

    When Erin (Barrymore) and Garrett (Long) meet and fall for each other in New York City, they wind up in a long distance relationship when she has to return home to San Francisco to complete school.  Over the course of many back and forth trips, the two of them must decide what is best for them – their careers or each other. 

    Right away this film shows problems due to its horrific title.  Going the Distance sounds like a bad Hilary Duff film rather than a raunchy adult comedy.  So knowing that the film doesn’t know what it is enough to pick an appropriate title is a huge warning flag. 

    And then you get into the picture and realize that while the language is dirty as can be and the cast thinks they are funny, the lack of energy keeps the film from ever getting off the ground. 

    I can’t fault this very talented cast for the lack of energy because while the premise isn’t bad, the script is full of some of the unfunniest material I’ve seen in years.  From the mustache to dry humping, the jokes just don’t work for the most part.  Of course there are the few chuckles that slip by which I can only assume are riffed by the actors, but to be considered a comedy the film needs a bit more than what this picture offers. 

    Another problem here is a bad choice of director in Nanette Burstein who has made some excellent documentaries (if you haven’t seen The Kid Stays in the Picture – put it in your Netflix queue tonight), but whose filmmaking style doesn’t translate well at all in this medium.  Maybe a more experienced comedy director could have come in and picked up the pace a bit and not had me looking at my watch every third second wondering when this ordeal would end. 

    And thus the romantic comedy slump continues.  C-

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New on DVD

New on DVD

Red Riding Trilogy
Not Rated but contains strong violence, sexual content and language
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
This set of three crime dramas based on the novels written by David Peace focuses on three sets of heinous crimes committed by serial killers and the corrupt police department running the investigations.  Each one takes place in a different year.  In 1974, a young reporter, played by the future Spiderman Andrew Garfield, attempts to put the pieces together when a string of young girls show up dead with swan wings sown to their backs.  In 1980, In America’s Paddy Considine is a detective in the same town trying to solve the notorious Yorkshire Ripper murders.  And in 1983, David Morrissey is a senior detective that attempts to solve the 1974 murders when a young girl is kidnapped with the original killer’s M.O. in spite of the killer supposedly being locked away.  While you can possibly watch the first film without having to see the others – I’m not sure why you would.  This trilogy was made to be watched in its 308 minute entirety.  And it is so rewarding when you do.  By the the end of 1983 I could hardly catch my breath I was so overwhelmed.  Yes its dark and gritty and pretty darn hopeless, but taken all in together I would have to say this is one of my favorite films of the year so far.  A

Harry Brown
Rated R for strong violence and language throughout, drug use and sexual content
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Michael Caine is Harry Brown, a retired Royal Marine living on a pension in a part of town being run down by dangerous kids.  When his best friend is killed by a gang of thugs and let go by the police, he goes after them, Death Wish style, to not only get revenge, but to make the streets safer for people like him to live.  This is a very upsetting, uncomfortable film with one heck of an actor at the lead.  Regardless of decisions of the writer and director, it’s hard not to find yourself cheering for this underdog vigilante and you want everything to happen to these kids that’s coming to them.  At Michael Caine’s age, it’s hard to get leading roles – especially for action films.  To see him knock one out of the park like this in his late 70’s is pretty fantastic.  B+

Anchorman: The “Rich Mahogany” Edition
Rated PG-13 for sexual humor, language and comic violence
Available on Blu-ray
If you are a big fan of the mustache-toting San Diegan from the 70s, then you might like this very, very complete Will Ferrell blu-ray set.  While I couldn’t find anything new on it, the collection of old from several sources is huge.  Most notably is a special movie that must have been filmed on the side called “Wake Up, Ron Burgundy” which follows the further adventures of Ron and gang with an entirely new plot.  Just like in the movie, many of the jokes don’t hit, but many of them do and it’s hard not to find yourself laughing throughout.  Also included in the set is Ron’s 32 page diary and a set of 12 trading cards.  B

The Evil Dead: Limited Edition
Not Rated
Available on Blu-ray
Many of the the most famous directors in Hollywood started out with low budget horror films but one of the most famous cases is Spiderman director Sam Raimi’s The Evil Dead.  Following the chronicles of Sam Ash, played by the iconic Bruce Campbell, Evil Dead sounds a whole lot scarier than it really is.  In fact, many consider it to be quite the comedy.  This new blu-ray received the royal treatment with an all-new commentary by Raimi and Campbell as well as tons of other great special features.  A-

9th Company
Rated R for sequences of strong bloody warfare, pervasive language, some sexuality/nudity and drug use
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Russian with English subtitles
When this film about the Russian/Afghan war was released a few years back it was the top grossing film in Russian history.  That doesn’t mean it’s good though.  It starts off with promise as you think you might get a Russian Full Metal Jacket, and the director sure does know his Kubrick, but once the half-way point hits, it almost becomes laughable.  And if you like to research your films to check out the trueness of their “true stories” this one will shock you.  Almost all of the final battle was not only silly, but completely fabricated.  Granted, the set pieces were impressive but if you are only satisfied with quality war films, you will find this one not able to offer much.  If you do check it out though, make sure you turn on the English language dub which makes all of the characters go from thick Russian to Gomer Pyle.  D

Flight of the Conchords: The Complete Collection
Available on DVD
I was bummed when HBO’s show about “New Zealand’s 4th most popular folk parody duo” ended at two seasons, but hey – at least I had two seasons.  Each episode of the hysterical comedy followed Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie as they tried to make it with their two-man band in New York with one rabid fan and the world’s worst manager.  But these are no ordinary musicians.  They sing and dance in every genre possible with some of the most creative music, lyrics and directing you’ve ever seen or heard.  In their own words they “rap about reality – like me and grandma drinking a cup of tea – there ain’t no party like my nana’s tea party – hey – ho.”  While I’m sure this won’t be the last set you’ll see released, since a blu-ray is yet to see the light of day, this “Born To Folk” edition contains both seasons and their One Night Stand live concert and is enough to put a big cheesy grin on your face that will last quite a while.  A

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Piranha 3D

Piranha 3D

Starring Elisabeth Shue, Ving Rhames, and Jerry O’Connell
Directed by Alexandre Aja (The Hills Have Eyes)
Rated R for sequences of strong bloody horror violence and gore, graphic nudity, sexual content, language and some drug use
Appropriate for ages 18+

    When an earthquake opens up an underwater cavern that has been sealed for millions of years, scores of prehistoric piranhas are unleashed upon unsuspecting teenagers as they party it up during spring break. 

    There is no disguising a movie like this.  It is designed to be a b movie from start to finish.  Every bit of it is completely tongue in cheek, complete with tons of senseless, silly violence, truckloads of fake blood, and oodles of naked and half-naked teenagers doing nothing but drinking, dancing and getting killed in terrible ways.  It is heaven for the right audience and hell for those looking for a real horror film.

    That being said it works really well as a comedy.  I laughed harder here than at many of the other real comedies that have graced our screens this year.  While I did find it a bit gross, I found it to be more entertaining due to the sheer ridiculousness of it and I’m certain this was planned by the filmmakers.  While many are trying to compare it to Jaws, its only similarities are killer fish and Richard Dreyfus.  There is very little in the way of suspense, great writing, fine acting, or true scares here.  There could have been if they wanted, but the choice was made to make it into a carnival side show complete with 3D glasses which were there more for the nudity than for the pisces. 

    If this pic contained all of those great ingredients could it have been something more?  Maybe.  The backstory isn’t horrible and the right elements are there, but for pure entertainment value and dollar-making potential I think they made the right choice, even if it comes across as extremely crude and perverse. 

    Then again, it has the potential to be another Snakes on a Plane, relying more on a gimmick than a real moving narrative.  C