Category: DVD Review

New in Home Entertainment

December 11, 2012

Ted
Rated R for crude and sexual content, pervasive language, and some drug use
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
From Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane comes a terrifically outrageous comedy about a grown man (Mark Walhlberg) whose Teddy Bear came to life when he was a child and who still lives with him as an adult, drinking and partying with him every day and night.  There is nothing at all cute about this seemingly innocent movie.  The bear is more obscene than you could possibly imagine (and even worse in the unrated edition) and provides some of the funniest movie moments of the year.  Ted certainly had the potential to be a one joke wonder, but thanks to the hilarious writing and creativity of MacFarlane, who also voices the bear, the payoff is huge.  Some of the plot is fairly predictable, but it sure is a blast to watch it play out.  A-

The Bourne Legacy
Rated PG-13 for violence and intense action sequences
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Unable to land Matt Damon in the starring role for the fourth film, Universal recruited Bourne series writer, Tony Gilroy, to write and direct a sort of new story with a slew of talented actors (Jeremy Renner, Ed Norton and Rachel Weisz to name a few) for this franchise extension.  I’ll give it credit for being slightly different than the first three (for which the latter two feel like remakes of the first one), but once you get past the extreme amount of mindless action, what you are left with is a bunch of senseless plot that sounds utterly ridiculous should you try to explain it aloud.  If all you are looking for is a two plus hour action escape though, it will serve its purpose.  C

Girls: The Complete First Season
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Almost everything about this freshman HBO series turns me off, and yet somehow I sat through every episode, some of them twice when my wife wanted to catch up.  Playing like an anti-Sex and the City, the girls of Girls (and the boys for that matter) are obnoxious, lazy, self-absorbed New Yorkers with a flair for the dramatic and a sense of entitlement that is staggering.  Fortunately the show is well-written and acted.  Unfortunately the show is relevant.  I hope that the next generation isn’t this, but I’m fairly certain it’s more common than not.  B

Following: The Criterion Collection
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Before Dark Knight Trilogy director Christopher Nolan blew our minds with Memento, he made this little black and white neonoir in 1999 about a young writer who follows strangers around London hoping to land inspiration for his new novel.  It’s easy in retrospect to come to the conclusion that there is a talented filmmaker at the helm here.  Try to take him out of the equation and you still have a great little indie.  Put him back in and you see the early output of a genius.  While not your typical classic fare from Criterion, this is definitely a worthy release with many special features you’ll want to check out.  B+

New in Home Entertainment

December 4, 2012

The Dark Knight Rises
Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, some sensuality and language
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Anytime a film hits a billion dollars in world-wide gross, especially without being in 3D and charging the extra 3D bucks, you know the movie has to be a crowd-pleaser.  Supposedly being the third and final film in writer/director Christopher Nolan’s highly successful Batman trilogy, Dark Knight Rises tells the story that takes place immediately following the events of The Dark Knight.  Batman has basically retired until a new villain named Bane (Tom Hardy) takes over the city of Gotham, leaving Bruce Wayne no choice but to come out of hiding and take on the super villain.  While its hard to match up to the Oscar-winning performance of Heath Ledger we saw in Dark Knight, Hardy is a very frightening bad guy and the plot he is involved with is as complex as it is dark.  My only complaints are the film feels overly long at 165 minutes and PG-13 is too light of a rating.  I know they couldn’t put out an R rate movie, but to tone the violence down to such levels makes the film seem inauthentic.  And I am fairly certain that even my novice editing skills could have improved the movie by slicing and dicing about 20-30 minutes off the run time in order to help the pacing.  But still, it is a worthy finale to the Dark Knight trilogy and should be an extremely popular stocking stuffer this holiday season.  B+

Finding Nemo
Rated G
Available on DVD, Blu-ray and Blu-ray 3D
Surprisingly, this immensely famous Pixar film has never seen a blu-ray release.  I’m slightly shocked that Disney didn’t put one out last year knowing they could release again after the 3D theatrical run, and get more folks waste more cash to buy the newest edition.  Thankfully they chose to just give it a huge release now and it is stuffed with great extras new and previous.  But more importantly, the film is simply gorgeous in hi-def.  Watching Marlin and Dory on their fantastic journey to find little Nemo has never looked or sounded as good at home.  And while I’m not a big fan of many of the home 3D presentations, this one does utilize its after-market 3D effects well.  A

East Bound and Down: The Complete Third Season
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
In this third and most likely final season of HBO’s hit show, former major-league pitcher Kenny Powers (Danny McBride) is now back in America pitching for the minors in Myrtle Beach.  Cocky and dumb as ever, Kenny finds himself left alone with his baby he just found out about and breaks every record possible for worst father of the year.  This last season is much stronger than the second but also much darker.  And they even saved the best episode of the show for last reaching new heights for stupidity and reckless behavior.  B+ 

Star Trek: The Next Generation – Season Two
Available on Blu-ray
Comicon lovers everywhere are jonesing for this newest blu-ray release of the adventures of Captain Jean-Luc Picard and gang in their second season  aboard The Enterprise on their mission to go where no one has gone before.  The production design of the show is solid, but the difference between this hi-def presentation and the dvd isn’t overly noticeable.  Still, the new set will make many fans very happy not just because of the presentation but also because of the amount of geektastic special features included.  B

New in Home Entertainment

November 27, 2012

ParaNorman
Rated PG for scary action and images, thematic elements, some rude humor and language
Available on Blu-ray 3D, Blu-ray and DVD
Universal Studio’s latest stop-motion animated pic follows a boy named Norman who is treated like an outsider from everyone around him including his family, simply because he can see and talk to dead people.  But when an ancient curse on his town is unleashed, Norman gets the chance to prove himself to everyone as he attempts to set things right.  Just like Universal’s last stop-motion animated pic Coraline, as well as Disney’s A Nightmare Before Christmas, ParaNorman is a dark little film that’s not for everyone.  It is uniquely creative and surprisingly fun to watch, but perhaps not the best film for all kids.  That being said, my two-and-a-half year old loved it and was glued to the screen.  As far as originality, the animation is original but the story feels a bit tried.  But then again, the film’s audience will no doubt still enjoy it regardless of not being able to understand or appreciate many of the references.  B+

Lawless
Rated R for strong bloody violence, language and some sexuality/nudity
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Director John Hillcoat blew me away with his last two films The Proposition and The Road, so I was so excited to see his new vision of prohibition America as three brothers in Franklin County, Virginia attempt to fight off the feds and local law enforcement and defend their right to illegally make booze.  Tom Hardy was perfect as the tough-as-nails Forrest, but Shia LaBeouf felt horribly miscast as the youngest and most trouble-making brother Jack.  And to add injury to insult, the usually brilliant Guy Pearce was way too over-the-top to be believed in this historical drama.  I also loved Gary Oldman’s gangster villain, but unfortunately he’s not seen enough to make a difference.  C+

Men in Black 3
Rated PG-13 for sci-fi action violence, and brief suggestive content
Available on Blu-ray 3D, Blu-ray and DVD
When Men in Black came out in 1997 it showed promise of a great franchise.  But then Men in Black 2 came around five years later to ruin everything.  Now, fifteen years since the original, Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones are back as the secret G-men who regulate extra-terrestrials on Earth.  When the most horrible villain imaginable breaks out of his moon base prison, he goes back in time to kill Agent K (Jones), the man who put him in prison, and it is up to Agent J (Smith) to go back and work with the young Agent K (Josh Brolin) to prevent both his partner’s demise as well as the destruction of Earth.  The plot is much stronger than expected, although there are some major holes, and the story is a lot of fun to watch unfold.  I especially loved Brolin as the young Tommy Lee Jones.  It is an absolutely perfect performance and really helped the film’s entertainment value.  And it doesn’t hurt to have some amazing special effects and quite a few laughs as well.  Overall, I found this third film to be very enjoyable and if they can figure out another clever way to make a fourth, I’ll be a little more open-minded about it.  B+

New in Home Entertainment

November 20, 2012

The Expendables 2
Rated R for strong bloody violence throughout
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
The first Expendables had a good concept of taking a host of old and new action stars and blending them up into a big violent movie.  Unfortunately the writing and directing by its star, Sylvester Stallone, was less than great.  Two years later, Stallone has fired himself from the director’s chair and has hired a number of big writers for the even bigger sequel.  This new installment works as both a great revenge flick as well as a mercenary tale.  Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Terry Crews and Randy Couture are back with beefed up parts for Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bruce Willis.  Added to the game are Chuck Norris and young heartthrob Liam Hemsworth.  Even Jean-Claude Van Damme joins in as the super evil villain.  The film works well enough simply because the action is so non-stop you don’t have time to think.  And that’s a completely reasonable approach to a project such as this.  Sure the acting isn’t the best and much of the dialog by the big stars is completely tongue-in-cheek and self-aware, but it’s also a ton of fun and a great way to waste two hours.  B+

The Watch
Rated R for some strong sexual content including references, pervasive language and violent images
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
The Watch couldn’t have had worse timing this year.  The first ads for what was called “Neighborhood Watch” were released right before Trayvon Martins death occurred, forcing the studio to rename the film about a neighborhood watch group taking on an alien invasion to simply “The Watch.”  While this comedy starring Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn and Jonah Hill isn’t the funniest film of the year by a long shot, I firmly believe that its unfortunate timing was its box office downfall.  An open-minded viewing of the film will give you an entertaining evening, especially now that the words “neighborhood watch” are safe to utter again.  I will admit, though, that if you are looking for an alien invasion comedy, the British film Attack the Block, released last year, is a more interesting and more enjoyable rental.  B-

New in Home Entertainment

November 13, 2012

Brave
Rated PG for some scary action and rude humor
Available on DVD, Blu-ray and Blu-ray 3D
Pixar’s latest fable tells the story of a young red-headed Scottish princess who loves her freedom and doesn’t want to marry the man her parent’s wish her to.  Oh – and then there is some weird story with bears.  At least with this new home video release, there is a short story called The Legend of Mordu which attempt to better explain the bear predicament.  It’s just too bad the short is crudely animated and not actually in the movie itself.  From an aesthetic point of view, the film is fantastic.  It’s beautiful to look at, has interesting characters and a terrific score by Patrick Doyle.  Unfortunately, the film’s heroine is a horrible role model for children due to the lackluster screenplay.  She’s a spoiled brat who gets her way, even to the end.  And then there’s the complete lack of a villain.  Who makes a film without a bad guy?  There’s a very good reason they exist in fiction and Pixar here ignores this centuries old rule and the film suffers because of it.  So by far, this is Pixar’s worst movie to date, and a complete departure from what made them special to begin with.  C+

Savages
Rated R for strong brutal and grisly violence, some graphic sexuality, nudity, drug use and language throughout
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Oliver Stone (Wall Street) wrote and directed this tale of two California drug growers (Taylor Kitsch and Aaron Johnson) who get tied up with the wrong Tijuana kingpin and her henchman (Salma Hayek and Benicio Del Toro).  Just like Stone’s 1994 Natural Born Killers, the violence here is over the top.  The difference is that this film possesses some entertainment value.  Aside from the torturous performance by Blake Lively who plays the girlfriend of the growers and unfortunate lynch pin of the film, the performances here are better than I expected.  I especially liked Aaron Johnson who is one of Hollywood’s best chameleon actors.  I didn’t even realize that the Kick-Ass star was in this film until I started to write the review.  If it weren’t for Lively and the awful ending, I would recommend this film, but those flaws bring it down a few notches.  C+

Dinotasia
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Dinotasia is a group of short stories taken from The Discovery Channel’s “Dinosaur Revolution” and then repackaged as a feature length documentary with narration by German filmmaker Werner Herzog.  It’s a strange assembly of films that starts out lame and then becomes quickly captivating.  I was hoping this could be something for my dino-loving toddler, but these shorts are extremely violent and kinda scary.  There is also a sense of humor that is unexpected, such as a great scene where a dinosaur eats an hallucinogenic mushroom moments before being attacked by carnivores.  The visual effects are good but not great.  Don’t expect the big budget and you’ll be satisfied.  B

New in Home Entertainment

November 6, 2012

Arthur Christmas
Rated PG for some mild rude humor
Available on DVD, Blu-ray and Blu-ray 3D
While last year threw us some real duds in the animated feature category, a couple of films popped up unexpectedly as real winners.  A Cat in Paris, which I recently reviewed, was an excellent foreign film that snuck in with an Oscar nom, but the best of all of the category is finally getting a blu-ray release this week.  Arthur Christmas tells the story of the youngest son of Santa Clause who has a heart of gold, but is shadowed behind his older and much more arrogant brother.  As Santa is about to retire, his reliance on his oldest son leaves a child without a present and it is up to young and clumsy Arthur to save the night.  This is not only a wonderful animated film, filled with beautiful animation and story-telling, but it is one of the best Christmas films to come out in years.  The movie was far from successful at the box office last holiday, but my prediction is that this home video release could very well make this terrific film a new Christmas classic.  A

Ruby Sparks
Rated R for language including some sexual references, and for some drug use
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
From the directors of Little Miss Sunshine comes this unique little comedy about a writer who manages to bring his dream girl to life with his writing, and then continues to control her with every word he types.  You would think from the trailer and description that this would be a romantic comedy, but I think it’s far from it.  First off, I’m pretty certain that one of the reasons it performed so poorly at the box office was that many were turned off due it’s misogynistic central theme.  If it is demeaning to women, it certainly doesn’t mean to be, but being that the girl is almost like a programmable robot doesn’t exactly scream romance.  In fact, the movie takes quite a dark turn down this direction in the second act.  The script is brilliantly written by the films star Zoe Kazan who is obviously inspired by Charlie Kaufman more than Nora Ephron.  The casting is also perfect with her as Ruby and Paul Dano as the nerdy but kind-hearted writer.  What the film lacks in romance, it more than makes up for in thoughtfulness and creativity and it is overall very enjoyable.  A-

Your Sister’s Sister
Rated R for language and some sexual content
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
A year after the death of his brother, Jack is depressed and having trouble getting on with his life.  When his female best friend convinces him to spend some time in her parent’s remote lake cabin, he agrees only to find himself sharing the cabin unexpectedly with his best friend’s lesbian sister. Of course a drunken night with bad decision making ensues and when the best friend joins the fray, a dramedy of reflection, tension and secrets flows out.  The film itself is fairly entertaining.  The performances are good and the script is well-written, but you have to be in the mood for an adult-themed indie that is far less funny than it should be.  B-

Akira Kurosawa’s Rashomon: The Criterion Collection
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Widely considered to be one of the greatest films ever made, Kurosawa’s classic is getting a very complete treatment from Criterion in this new hi-def edition.  When a man is murdered and his wife raped, four people give differing accounts of the events, showing how different the truth can be depending on the vantage point of the viewer.  This international classic is presented here with a new digital restoration and soundtrack as well as tons of features about not only the beauty of the film but also the legacy it has left behind.  A

New in Home Entertainment

October 30, 2012

The Campaign
Rated R for crude sexual content, language and brief nudity
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Just in time for the big vote on November 6 comes this year’s hilarious election comedy starring Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis as two candidates in North Carolina running for one of that state’s U.S. House seats.  While the film is completely over-the-top and seems like a parody of our current situation, it is hiding an agenda to get its viewers to think about who is controlling some of the puppet candidates in real life.  Of particular relevance are John Lithgow and Dan Akroyd who play the Motch Brothers, a take-off of the real-life political kingmakers the Koch Brothers.  I don’t want to make this film seem like an intellectual masterpiece (it is first and foremost a raunchy comedy) but there sure is a lot of symbolism worth paying attention to.  A-

All in the Family: The Complete Series
Available on DVD
This new complete set of the gritty 1970’s CBS comedy about the Bunker family has the chance to make some fans happy and others furious.  Over the years, Sony had been releasing seasons of the show.  Now Shout Factory has taken over and released this huge set with 28 DVDs including every episode and tons of extras.  It’s the extras that have some fans up in arms.  In order to get your hands on the hours of extras, you have to buy this new set which contains a hefty price tag to go along with it.  I’ll admit, some of the extras are nice to have, especially the documentaries, but the show is the real winner and if you find you have a lot of time on your hands coming up, this will keep you busy and in stitches.  Although 40 years old, this comedy holds up nicely.  For those who haven’t been introduced to Archie Bunker and his family yet, you will certainly find this influential show familiar as this groundbreaking sitcom introduced much of America to dark comedy, and led the way to such hits as MASH and Roseanne.  A

My Top Thirteen Scary Date Movies

by Danny Minton

Movie lists are fun to make and almost everyone sticks to a list of ten, but for Halloween I think it’s more than appropriate to make it a baker’s dozen.  A bloody-aproned, knife-wielding baker’s dozen.  Scary movies can be so entertaining, and yet as most of you are fully aware, they can also be extremely lame.  This Halloween, when you are picking out the right film to snuggle up to your date with, forgo the Twilights and torture porn, and pick up one of these great little gems.

13.  The Shining.  You can’t go wrong with this classic Jack Nicholson scarer.  Stephen King wrote the book and Stanley Kubrick took care of the rest.  It’s one of the all-time greats. 

12.  Let the Right One In.  This Swedish import tells the tale of a bullied young boy who befriends a young vampire girl who has just moved in next door.  There are some nice moments of sweetness, but don’t get too comfortable.  She may be young but she’s very hungry.  The American remake, Let Me In, is a good enough effort, but not nearly as creepy as the original.

11.  28 Days Later.  Danny Boyle’s apocalyptic film, about a group of survivors in London who attempt to stay alive in their living-dead-infested town, rescued the zombie genre.  Just be careful.  These zombies are fast and way more deadly than what you might find on The Walking Dead.

10.  Shaun of the Dead.  If you need a lighter evening, but still want to stay in theme, check out this British zombie/rom-com.  Making the way for films like Zombieland and other cross genre hits, Shaun is a delightful romp through a land filled with dead baddies.
 
9.  30 Days of Night.  The scariest vampires you’ve ever seen have just ascended on a small town in Alaska that is about to see 30 days without the daylight necessary to keep them away.  This is not for the weak of heart or stomach.

8.  Fright Night.  If you are looking for lighter vampire film that still has teeth, check out this 80’s haunter about a teenager whose neighbor just happens to be Dracula.  Note – leave the new remake on the shelf. 

7.  Army of Darkness.  This campy finale to The Evil Dead franchise, directed by Spider-Man’s Sam Raimi, is a bit silly, but full of great horror and hilarious comedy.  Bruce Campbell is a comic genius in the role of Sam Ash, the hardware salesman who gets sent back in time to fight an army of the undead. 

6.  Paranormal Activity.  I’ll freely admit – this movie scared the crap out of me.  While the gimmick has gotten out of hand, the first film in the franchise still makes the hair stand up on the back of my neck.
 
5.  Aliens.  James Cameron’s claustrophobic sequel to Alien was the first horror film I ever saw in theaters (I was a bit sheltered) and it still gets me today.  If only Prometheus could have been this scary…

4.  Perfume: The Story of a Murderer.  Before Tom Twyker co-directed the new film Cloud Atlas, he tackled this famous German tale of a perfume maker who kills attractive women in an attempt to capture their essence and create the most beautiful perfume in the world.  It was a huge hit in Europe but a dud here, even with great performances by Dustin Hoffman and Alan Rickman.
 
3.  Halloween.  The monster, the music and the mayhem all came together so well in this ultimate holiday scarefest about a psychopath with a mask and knife who loves to kill teenage girls. 

2.  The Exorcist.  So many horror films have tried to copy this classic frightener about a young girl possessed by a demon, but none have ever come close.  The acting, writing and directing prove that you can do horror and still make an incredible film.  The ten Oscar noms and two wins prove that this one succeeded admirably.

1.  The Descent.  This 2005 horror film is still the scariest thing I’ve ever seen.  Six British girls go cave-exploring in the Appalachians only to find themselves trapped.  And to make matters worse, there is a group of predators underneath the Earth hunting them.  This is a must-see if you consider yourself a horror fan.  It’s also the perfect film to get your date clinging to you tightly. 

New in Home Entertainment

October 16, 2012

2016: Obama’s America
Rated PG for thematic elements, brief language and smoking images
Available on DVD
Normally I wouldn’t think of reviewing, never mind leading off, with a film like this.  But after its relative success at the box office I just had to see what all the hubbub was about.  Now I wish I hadn’t.  Based on the best seller by Dinesh D’Souza, the author and director travels around the world in an attempt to help us learn more about our commander in chief.  The film puts on the veil of being an objective and non-biased doc with lots of repetitive visuals and a slick but silly journalistic style, but for anyone who is capable of independent thought, it is easy to see the film for what it really is: an un-American, unpatriotic, ultra-racist conservative slam-fest.  Sure the filmmaker admits Obama was born in America, but using the most absurd comparisons, he eventually asserts that Obama’s long-term sinister goal is to bring America down economically by the end of his second term. The sad thing is that many of the people who pay to see this crap actually believe it.  F

Moonrise Kingdom
Rated PG-13 for sexual content and smoking
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Writer/Director Wes Anderson (Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums) once again assembles a huge Hollywood A-List cast (Bruce Willis, Ed Norton and Bill Murray to name a few) for a feel good, slightly-less-than-family-friendly comedy about two pre-teen love birds who run away from home for an extended camping trip.  Cute and clever from start to finish, the film will put a smile on your face that you’ll regain every time you stop and think about it.  While not the best of his work, this is another in a long string of critically successful indie pics from a very creative artist.  B+

Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted
Rated PG for some mild action and rude humor
Available on DVD, Blu-ray and Blu-ray 3D
All of the zoo critters are back and this time they are gallivanting around Europe as part of a has-been traveling circus.  I’ll admit that I’ve never been a big fan of the Madagascar franchise, but upon receiving relatively high critical praise (compared to the first two films), I was actually looking forward to seeing this new installment.  All it took was ten minutes to realize my colleagues were wrong and that I was about to endure 80 more minutes of pure animated torture.  The only saving grace here is the animation itself which is at times impressive.  D

That’s My Boy
Rated R for crude and sexual content throughout, nudity, pervasive language and some drug use
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
This might not seem like a stretch for Adam Sandler, who usually panders to the minds of thirteen year-old boys, but being one of his first Rated R comedies (Funny People doesn’t count), That’s My Boy makes an attempt to win over a new audience, or at least an older version of his former audience.  The story has potential as it places Sandler as the teenage single father to a young boy after his teacher/girlfriend has a baby.    While not the horrible mess I expected (I did laugh quite a few times), the film is by no means a great one.  Just manage your expectations and you might be able to enjoy.  C+

Mad Men: Season Five
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
The fifth season of Mad Men introduced us to a new and improved Don Draper who is trying diligently to get his life together after his dark turn in season four.  But while Don’s moral compass is beginning to point north, his colleagues are heading in the opposite direction.  It might not be the best season yet, but it sure is one that will get you hooked.  A-

New in Home Entertainment

October 9, 2012

E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial
Rated PG
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
In 1982, when I was a mere ten years old, I went from being a kid who liked movies to a cinephile.  I still remember sitting on lawn chairs waiting to see the film at the Reding Four in Oklahoma City, where I would soon discover the movie that would literally change my life.  There was something in that film that I really connected with, as I’m sure millions of other people did the same that year.  For the twentieth anniversary of the film, Spielberg made some changes to the film, which upset others a lot more than I, but for all of us, this long-awaited hi def edition takes us back thirty years ago when g-men carried guns rather than walkie talkies.  The film looks and sounds amazing, and I actually compared the blu-ray to the old dvd just to see the extent of the difference blu-ray really makes.  This new version is light on new features, but the featurette Steven Spielberg & E.T. is a nice addition.  Many of the old special features are still there including the wonderful The Music of E.T. where you get to see footage of Spielberg and John Williams around the piano as Williams gives the director a taste of what he has prepared for the soon to be legendary film.  I love this film just as much now as I did when I first saw it and I am so happy that I finally have such a high quality version of it to watch whenever I want to revisit Elliott and his little alien friend.  A+

Rock of Ages
Rated PG-13 for sexual content, suggestive dancing, some heavy drinking, and language
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
I was so excited when I heard that they were making a big screen version of one of my favorite recent Broadway shows.  Having seen the live show three times, I was ready to rock out in the movie theater.  After twenty minutes of pain, I was closer to leaving a movie than I had ever been in my life.  What is supposed to be a glorious nostalgia-fest turns out quickly to be an example of how not to make a movie musical.  It’s not that the singers couldn’t sing (even Tom Cruise sounds decent) and it’s not that the Broadway version was a perfect show.  The biggest problems was the removal of the narrator, played in the movie by Russell Brand.  The show itself is very tongue in cheek and not to be taken seriously, but everything was tied together so nicely by the very comedic narration.  Without those jokes, and the overall humor they provided, the movie collapses upon itself.  This version is not very funny and at times gets down-right depressing.  In addition, any edge hair metal once had in the 80’s or even possessed on stage is lost here.  Rather than rockin’ out to some of favorite songs, I found myself understanding how bad they can be when rewritten for the cast of Glee.  F

A Cat in Paris
Rated PG
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
With last year’s animation slate turning out so lame, two foreign animated films managed to get themselves Oscar-nominated.  I discussed Chico & Rita a couple of weeks back, but now the same distributor is releasing the other, and much more worthy feature: A Cat in Paris.  Following a cat who is a pet to a young girl by day and an aid to a thief by night, the story manages to wind itself down paths you would never expect from a nice little family film when the thief’s life intersects with the girl and her family.  The story is good, but what really makes the film special is the fantastic hand-drawn animation that is as beautiful as it is creative.  With such a unique and vibrant color palette, each frame of the movie looks like it could stand alone as a piece of art.  A-