Category: Uncategorized

Popcorn Perspectives by Danny Minton

Week of July 9, 2018

A Quiet Place
Rated PG-13 for terror and some bloody images
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 95%
Available on disc and streaming
John Krasinski writes, directs and stars in this novel new horror film about a family trying to survive and outlast an alien invasion. The kicker here is that the aliens have incredibly powerful hearing, so if a word is uttered or a sound made, an attack is imminent. The idea is simple as is the plot, but it is so well-acted and so fast-paced that you hardly have time to critique the very forgivable shortcomings. At 90 minutes, the film almost feels surgical in its horror delivery. Overall, it turns out to be a nail-biting and nightmare-inducing thriller worthy of the large audience it has already attracted. B+

Chappaquiddick
Rated PG-13 for thematic material, disturbing images, some strong language and historical smoking
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 80%
Available on disc and streaming
In the summer of 1969, an inebriated Ted Kennedy (played here by Jason Clarke) accidentally drove off a bridge on Chappaquiddick Island, Massachusetts, killing his 28-year-old passenger who was trapped inside the vehicle. The controversy set off an investigation that would eventually keep the famous Kennedy brother from ever reaching the White House. Masterfully acted by a superb cast, the movie makes it easy to imagine that you are right along with the characters, fully experiencing the tragedy and the missteps that follow. It’s a challenging film, and does not attempt to sugar coat or make excuses, but rather to lend a broader understanding to this pivotal event in our country’s political history. B

 

The Best and Worst Films of 2017

By Danny Minton

2017 was truly a tough year for Hollywood. We suffered from one of the worst summer box offices in history (mostly due to a plethora of really bad films) and then came the sex scandals. Many of the most powerful men in Hollywood fell due to sins in their past that it seems everyone seemed to know about for years. But to make lemonade out of lemons, women in Hollywood found their voice and while we will most likely see more once-powerful figures crumble, the dark secrets that have plagued Tinseltown for years, for the most part, should start to become a disease of the past. This year in particular has been tough for formulating a top 10 list. My two favorite films, for instance, both took significant fire for who was in them and who produced them. I thought seriously about dismissing them, but then I remembered that a film is more than just one person. Harvey Weinstein and Kevin Spacey might be a blight, but movies are made by hundreds of people, some of whom had to suffer while working with the monsters that are starting to be exposed. So I am choosing to honor them, along with some other really great films, by keeping them at the top of my list. Without further ado…

1) Baby Driver (On Blu-ray and DVD). Until 2017, writer/director Edgar Wright has delivered some really great quirky comedies (Shawn of the Dead, Hot Fuzz) but he has been largely unproven in the drama and action genres. But boy did he pull off a doozy with this pic about a young car thief (Ansel Elgort) who is forced to be a getaway driver in order to pay off a debt to a bank-robbing crime boss played by Kevin Spacey. The film is chalked with great performances by both new talent and some perennial favorites (Jamie Foxx and Jon Hamm are both equally scary and terrific) and the storytelling is top notch. This movie works at all levels and is absolutely the most entertaining picture released this year.

2) Wind River (on Blu-ray and DVD). Had Harvey Weinstein not become the poster child for sexual assault in Hollywood, his marketing machine might have turned this crime thriller into a top Oscar candidate. While they were quick to drop Weinstein Company from the project, there is still zero buzz behind its chances – but don’t let that fool you. This is one great movie and you need to see it. Written and directed by Hell or High Water and Sicario writer Taylor Sheridan, the story follows a young but competent FBI agent (Elizabeth Olsen) who teams with local game tracker (Jeremy Renner) to investigate the murder of a young girl on an Indian reservation in Wyoming. Every minute is riveting and the story crafting is masterful.

3) Dunkirk (on DVD and Blu-ray). Christopher Nolan’s epic war film about the evacuation of Dunkirk at the beginning of WWII is truly one of his best motion pictures and could be the movie to win him his first well-deserved Oscar. This visionary project tells the story from the points of view of the air battles, the beached military trying to escape as well as the civilians risking their lives on their small watercraft as they attempt to rescue the British soldiers from certain German annihilation. So few Americans have ever even heard of this important event (the Americans hadn’t entered the war yet so it doesn’t make it into most of our history books) but 2017 sheds wonderful new light with Darkest Hour, which tells the story leading to the evacuation, and then Dunkirk which actually gives you a window as to what it could have been like to be there.

4) Coco (in theaters). While we’ve had a few decent animated films this year, for the most part, this genre saw a downturn in 2017. But while Coco will easily win the Oscar for best animated film, don’t let the lack of quality competitors taint your opinion. This is an exceptional film showing that while Pixar doesn’t always hit them out of the park, they certainly still have the ability. The story follows a young Mexican boy who disobeys his living family by entering the world of the dead to find the grandfather he has never met in order to gain his blessing for him and his music – which he is not allowed to play in the world of the living. Great story and mesmerizing animation make this an inspired project and easily the best family film of the year.

5) Logan (on DVD and Blu-ray). Going into the theater to see Logan, I honestly thought the big deal was that I was going to see a R-rated Wolverine film. And while that might be technically true, that is just scratching the surface as to its importance. In a year with some really great super hero films (Wonder Woman, Thor: Ragnarok) Logan proves to be something special indeed. Hugh Jackman plays a hero at the end of his life, running from the law which would like to see him and all other mutants dead. He has lived a long life, but facing mortality is new for him and when he discovers he has a daughter with similar abilities, he pulls himself together to try to do the right thing by her. This is a dark, powerful film with an emotional punch rarely seen in this genre.

6) Get Out (on DVD and Blu-ray). Who would have thought from watching Key and Peele on Comedy Central that Jordan Peele would be able to churn out one of the most talked-about films of the year and possibly even a top Oscar contender – all with a horror film? The whole scenario is sort of mind-blowing. But once you are watching, you realize that this is no typical genre project and its themes point a flashlight on our current culture and its evolved thoughts and fears concerning race in the United States. Yes it’s scary. But it’s also funny, thought-provoking and insanely good.

7) The Big Sick (on DVD and Blu-ray). One of the biggest surprises of the year comes from this autobiographical tale from Kumail Nanjiani, who stars in the story of his life of a young Pakistani comedian whose white girlfriend slips into a coma while he is dealing with a family that will not accept anything for him but a Pakistani bride. Rocking out some really great performances here are Zoe Kazan as the comatose girlfriend and Ray Romano and Holly Hunter who play her parents, desperately trying to accept Kumail while worrying feverishly about their daughter. This film will have you laughing and crying in equal measure as you attempt to empathize with such a lovable, but flawed, real-life character.

8) Lady Bird (in theaters). This inconspicuous hit has officially been named by Rotten Tomatoes as the best-reviewed him ever, although try to get someone to tell you what its about without thinking “that sounds boring.” Hard to describe effectively it is, but it is also extremely easy to enjoy. Saorise Ronan stars as a bold young high school girl trying to figure her life out, being overly confident in things she shouldn’t be and under-confident in areas where she’s nailing it. Again – its hard to describe but so much fun to take in. It’s an unexpected gift from the movie gods, from an unexpected source, which allows us to get into the head of a teenage girl for two hours without forcing us to regret the ride afterward.

9) The Square (coming soon on DVD and Blu-ray). Winner of many awards this year including the Palme D’Or at Cannes is this Swedish social comedy about a curator who hires a marketing firm to promote his modern art museum in Stockholm, Sweden. Through the many adventures and happenings, the curator finds himself put in compromising and uncomfortable situations where the audience only slightly feels safety and security from remembering that its only a movie. While very funny at times (the film has possibly the funniest and unsexiest sex scenes ever put to film, aided by American actress Elisabeth Moss), the quirks speak loudly to the problems wealthy society has with dealing with the majority of the world around them. It is an intoxicating and memorable picture that many of you for years will no doubt pull out when discussing with your friends about which foreign films you’ve seen recently as you try to impress them. The good news is that if they watch it because of you, you will get a big thank you on the back end.

10) The Florida Project (coming soon to DVD and Bu-ray). When many of us think about hotels in Orlando, we imagine where we stay when going to Disney or Universal Studios. But many of the hotels which were built to attract tourists are actually home to low-income society, trying to keep a roof over their head and doing whatever it takes to support their families. In this story, a young girl fills her days with fun and trouble-making with her friends, while her mother struggles to survive. While the movie takes a while to get going, it wallops you over the head once it does, leaving you not with a bad taste in your mouth, but at least a very different one than you could imagine going in. The highlight for me was Willem Dafoe’s performance, which is my favorite performance of any actor this year. While I will most certainly be trying to predict who will win awards, Dafoe will be a contender I will actually be cheering for.

Honorable Mention: Bladerunner 2049; Darkest Hour; I, Tonya; It; Jane; Loving Vincent; Maudie; Mudbound; The Post; Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri; The Shape of Water; Trainspotting 2

The Worst:
1) CHIPS. He may be a good comedic actor, but Dax Shepard attempts and fails to connect as writer and director in this absolutely unfunny wreck.

2) Baywatch. Even The Rock and Zac Efron couldn’t give CPR to this disastrous attempt to bring beach cops to the big screen.

3) Fist Fight. Charlie Day and Ice Cube embarrass themselves in this lame and mean-spirited comedy about two teachers who commit themselves to an after-school brawl.

4) The Mummy. Tom Cruise and Universal have every desire to revive the classic monster movies, but that can’t be easy with this horrible script and a film that collapses under the weight of its own ambition.

5) The Great Wall. Zhang Yimou is still one of cinema’s great directors, but this Matt Damon starrer about a white guy who helps the Chinese fend off a dinosaur attack is just silly nonsense.

New in Home Entertainment

April 18, 2017

Split
Rated PG-13 for disturbing thematic content and behavior, violence and some language
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 75%
M. Night Shyamalan (The Sixth Sense) has been slowly building back up from a disastrous string of monumental misfires including The Happening, The Last Airbender and After Earth (I actually liked After Earth, but I seem to be quite alone there). But with 2015’s The Visit and now Split, he’s back, ready to throw you another huge twist. In this latest thriller, James McAvoy is a psycho with 23 distinct personalities, who are all ready to unleash the 24th on the world after kidnapping three teenage girls. While I wasn’t quite taken with the plot, I absolutely loved the performance of McAvoy and think that the film is worth watching just for that reason alone. One of the things I found annoying is that usually the twist is clued and it is fun to try to figure it out. In this case though the big finale comes out of almost nowhere, making the film that much less enjoyable since it was virtually impossible to figure it out beforehand. B-

The Handmaid’s Tale
Rated R for adult situations/language, nudity, violence
Rotten Tomatoes Score 29%
When this film, based on the dystopian novel by Margaret Atwood, came out in 1990, it was a very controversial project. In the story, women throughout the world have become sterile. Those blessed with fertility are sent to pseudo-pseudo convents to be indoctrinated and farmed out for rich male leaders to have babies in spite of their sterile wives. In this case, Robert Duvall brings on Natasha Richardson to give he and his wife, Faye Dunaway, a child. The story and the subject are both relevant and quite frightening. Unfortunately for this project, the script is a mess and not even close to being ambitious enough for the subject. So why is the film coming out now? My guess is that with the current political climate and the new Hulu series based on the same book, they thought it was time to put on blu-ray. Unfortunately, the film still needs to be cleaned up and polished, and it doesn’t appear as if it got a scrub here. And while this version of the work is mediocre at best, I’ve heard amazing things about the new Hulu show, which pops on April 26. C

A League of Their Own
Rated PG for adult situations/language
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 77%
Celebrating its 25th Anniversary is this classic comedy about a group of women who join an all-female baseball league while the men of the country are off fighting during WWII. Based on a true story, the film sports Tom Hanks, Geena Davis, Madonna and Rosie O’Donnell as the dysfunctional team who must get their act together to succeed. When it first hit theaters, it felt like a fresh comedy. Now it feels like a period piece, although a good one. And while it has been overplayed, Hanks’s diatribe on crying in baseball is still one of the most iconic lines in movie history, giving the film, or at least the moment, a great relevance even today. B-

New in Home Entertainment

April 11, 2017

Hidden Figures
Rated PG for thematic elements and some language
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 93%
I felt for certain that, while this was a nice story, that it must be highly sensationalized to think that three black women could have had such an impact on NASA and their early astronaut program – at the height of the civil rights movement, a time when neither blacks nor women were allowed by many industries to truly contribute. But it doesn’t take a lot research to discover that their story is mostly true (some relationships, facts and drama had to be changed for the sake of the story). I’m also truly surprised this story hasn’t made it to the big screen yet. But I’m glad that their legacy got this movie as it is really well-made with three amazing actresses (Taraji P Henson, Octavia Spencer and Janelle Monae) as the leads and a supporting cast filled with A-listers (Kevin Costner, Kirsten Dunst, Jim Parsons and the freshly-crowned Oscar-winner Mahershala Ali). And with a PG rating, the film is safe to inspire and teach all ages. A

 

Toni Erdmann
Rated R for strong sexual content, graphic nudity, language and brief drug use
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 92%
This German import had a ton of buzz going for it when the Iranian drama The Salesman surprisingly beat it out at the Oscars, but it still racked up an impressive number of critical awards in 2016 and is worth a look if you are into foreign cinema. The story follows a lonely father who, after the death of his dog, decides to drop in on his workaholic daughter, pretending to be an eccentric businessman to her many coworkers and clients. While in America this might pass as a family drama with a sense of humor, here – this is German slapstick. And while the third act is a little over-the-top (get ready for a lot of nudity), the whole thing ends up as touching and smart as it is goofy. Personally, I didn’t think it was an Oscar-caliber film, but it is different and quirky, which are things I do like to see now and then. B+

Monster Trucks
Rated PG for action, peril, brief scary images, and some rude humor
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 32%
I am picturing some now out-of-work executive thinking to himself “kids love monsters and kids love trucks – so what if the truck was operated by a monster?” And so the studio gave him millions (the estimated budget was $125 million) and out came this dog turd of a movie. Officially, the story follows a high schooler who adopts a monster released from underground drilling, and then said monster learns to operate his pickup. Running from the oil company security team, the kid tries to deliver his new buddy, and his monster family, to safety. They were going for ET I’m sure, but didn’t quite hit their mark. The special effects are okay, and my six-year-old loved it, but let me tell you – it’s a challenge for adults to get through. D

South by Southwest
or… Three Days, Ten Movies and a Deep Fried Brain

     I get asked a lot about what it’s like to attend a big film festival. While there are many folks who love to attend them, most folks that would probably want to go, never brave them. One of my favorites is the infamous South by Southwest (or SXSW) that takes place in March in Austin. SXSW is really three festivals in one, with film sandwiched in between interactive and music. While music has always been the biggest and craziest part, interactive has come on strong over recent years and is now one of the largest of its kind in the world. Film, however has remained lower key – but still excellent. The festival showcases feature narratives, feature documentaries, a slew of short categories and even episodic, but I mostly love to go for the documentaries.

     You might hear horror stories of standing in long lines and still not getting into films you want to see. That can happen here. There are three ways to get into the movies shown at the festival. Buy a badge – they are expensive but you’ll have the best shot of getting into most films and you’ll even be invited to many of the big parties with free drinks and celebrities in tow. You’ll also get discounted hotels through the festival, which is a huge bonus. The next option is a wrist band, which will get you access to films after the badge folks enter. If there are seats available after the wristbands, folks can purchase a ticket for $10 per movie.

     My first film was a documentary called They Will Have to Kill Us First about musicians in Mali, Africa who were trying to bring music back to their country after Sharia Law made music illegal. While a little long-winded and in much need for some additional editing, seeing these kinds of struggles take place just to play music makes you appreciate the fact that even though a lot of our music in the U.S. is indeed bad, at least we have music.

     After grabbing a quick food truck taco, it was time to stand in line to watch a new 35mm print of Road Warrior, with director George Miller doing a Q & A. Of course everyone in the theater thought that we’d actually be seeing the new Mad Max: Fury Road instead, but it was undeniably great to see this classic on a big screen at the Paramount Theater with rabid fans and the director in attendance. And to reward the audience, Miller showed us about 20 minutes of Fury Road, which absolutely blew everyone in the audience away.

     On day two, I decided I would try to get in five films. Ambitious but doable. I started with a documentary that looks at many of the sides of the drug war in Mexico called Kingdom of Shadows. Powerful and poignant, it once again reminds you of how thankful we all should be live where we do.

     Next I wanted to see what all of the buzz was about in regard to a film called Made in Japan about a Japanese country singer named Tomi Fujiyama who dreams of returning to the Grand Ole Opry after performing there in 1964. This lovable character shines on screen and the movie became one of the highlights of the festival for me. To improve on the experience, Tomi performed for us in the theater while the credits were rolling.

     After a bowl of Kick Ass Fried Rice (that’s what it was called) from the food truck park down the street and I was ready for 7 Chinese Brothers, a narrative feature starring Jason Schwartzman as a loser who makes bad decisions in life while struggling to find himself. While the movie wasn’t as bad as its title, which had nothing to do with anything, it was one of the longest 76 minute experiences I can recall having. This was definitely my low point of the festival.

     Trying to improve upon my last film, I headed to another feature narrative after a recommendation by a well-known critic. The Frontier tells the story of a young woman on the run from the law who finds herself at a remote hotel and party to another huge crime. While a slight improvement on my last film, it still wasn’t great as the acting was iffy and the script amateurish.

     With two mediocre films in a row, I needed a whopper to finish my night. So I chose the opening film for the festival, Brand: A Second Coming, a documentary about comedian Russell Brand and how he went from a drug-addicted comedian, to a sex-addicted comedian, to a celebrity-addicted comedian to a comedian who wants to leave a positive foot print on the planet. Honestly, I expected very little, but what I got blew me away. While I still consider Brand to be quite a lunatic, I left the theater inspired by his story and impressed with him as a person. I didn’t expect that and I rather enjoyed the feeling.

     After a much needed sleep, I headed to the Austin Convention Center to take a look at the trade show and grab an SXXpress pass to get into what I thought might be a couple of crowded films later that day. The SXXpress is yet another badge perk in that it ensures you get a seat at whichever film you might be trying to attend. Upon getting to the theater for my first film of the day, Being Evel, I’m glad I had that assurance as it was mega-crowded. This documentary about the life of the famous Evil Knievel was a perfectly-made film that was as a flashy in its style as Knievel was in his stunts. As this flick was recently acquired by The History Channel, it will no doubt air on television very soon.

     After another quick taco (yes I had a lot of tacos this week), I rushed off to stand in line for one of the highest profile pictures of the festival: Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck. This documentary, directed by The Kid Stays in Picture filmmaker Brett Morgan, gives us a look at the haunted life of Nirvana front man Kurt Cobain with never-before-seen personal videos, interviews from friends and family, as well as some amazingly orchestrated animations. Yes it was depressing and exhausting, but it was also a mind-blowing look at one of our generation’s most influential lives as well as one of its greatest tragedies.

     Now I have time for one more film. I’ve had some very good luck with documentaries thus far but not with narratives. I really wanted to see a good narrative before I left, and since they had just announced the winners of the festival, I decided to try my luck at the late screening of Krisha, the narrative that won big at the festival. Here, writer/director Trey Edward Shults, a Houston native, filmed a Thanksgiving-gone-wrong drama with his own family starring as his family. This very tough film is hilarious at times but switches to sobering quickly as you watch his aunt, played by his real aunt Krisha, spiral out of control. The film has a Werner Herzog style that overpowers its audience into submissiveness.

     After 10 films my mind was a little numb, but overall I had a wonderful time in the Texas capital. If you do plan to go in the near future, let me leave you with a few suggestions. If you can afford it, get a badge. It’s definitely worth it if you are going to be there for more than a few days. And if you buy a badge, buy it early. The price goes up as you get closer to the festival. Stay downtown if you can. Booking your hotel through the festival is less expensive and you’ll save a lot on shuttle/taxi/Uber costs. Try your hardest to avoid the venues that are out of downtown. I know there are some good films showing there, but you need to really want to see them to justify driving anywhere. I had heard complaints from everyone that the shuttle service is horrible, and Uber for me was iffy. It is so much better to walk and miss the headaches associated with using vehicles. Another thing I like to do is miss the opening weekend. Most of the big, crazy audiences leave after the first three-four days and the festival becomes much more manageable. This year the film festival started on March 13 and I drove in on the 16th. Sure I missed the premiers of the sci-fi thriller Ex Machina and the Judd Apatow comedy Trainwreck, but since those will be in normal theaters shortly, I didn’t really care that much.

 

New in Home Entertainment

 

October 28, 2014

 

Begin Again
Rated R for language
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
In John Carney’s American follow-up to his hit indie musical (and Oscar-winner) Once, Mark Ruffalo is a washed up record producer who discovers a potential gold mine in young folk singer Keira Knightly who just broke up with rock star boyfriend Adam Levine. Just like Once, you get a more authentic movie musical with great songs and superb acting. While the concept doesn’t feel new any longer, this is a very well done effort by all and a risky venture as well. And while I might not have been tremendously moved, I was at least well-entertained. A-

Wish I Was Here
Rated R for language and sexual content
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Zach Braff’s newest theatrical release and beneficiary of a strong Kickstarter crowd sourcing campaign stars Zach as a married father of two who can’t seem to get his acting career off of the ground. While I thought the performances were good enough and the relationships were compelling, much of the storytelling was just too whiny and frankly hard to comprehend. I was especially lost at the more expensive sci-fi dream sequences that seemed to distract from the project more than enhance. That being said, I love Zach, Mandy Patinkin, Josh Gad and the great soundtracks Zach puts together for his projects. B-

WKRP in Cincinnati: The Complete Series
Available on DVD
This is one of my favorite childhood shows that you don’t really see much in syndication any more. I still have fond memories of Johnny Fever, Venus Flytrap and the gang as they weave their way through the late seventies and early eighties with a great sense of humor and an even better music selection. B+

 

New in Home Entertainment

 

September 23, 2014

 

Neighbors
Rated R for pervasive language, strong crude and sexual content, graphic nudity, and drug use throughout
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
In this latest entry to the frat house comedy genre, Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne are thirty-something parents who are completely happy with their calm lives when Zac Efron and his fraternity purchase the house next door. While much of the bad behavior is expected and still very funny, what works best here are the many surprises. For what it is, the film is solidly written and only has the occasional eye-rolling moment. And while some of the best gags are featured in the trailer and commercials, many are not, mostly due to the very graphic nature of the jokes. Overall though, it turns out to be an impressively thoughtful raunch-com. B

Rover
Rated R for language and some bloody violence
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Writer/Director David Michod turns in another bleak but powerful picture about a man (Guy Pearce) in Australia whose car is stolen and who will do anything to get it back, including team up with the car thief’s brother (Robert Pattinson) to go after him. Upon revisiting the beginning, I realized that I missed the very vital intro that stated that the movie takes place 10 years after a societal collapse, so I just assumed that people crucified from telephone poles might be a normal sight in the remote outback. That being said, I was glued to the screen from start to finish watching this absolutely frightening world unfold onscreen. Pearce is dynamite as the loner and Pattinson almost makes up for the misery he put me through in Twilight. While its not a film for everyone, I was blown away by the picture and while not as strong as Michod’s first film, Animal Kingdom, it is equally as riveting. A-

Roman Polanski’s Macbeth: Criterion Edition
Rated R
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
In between making Rosemary’s Baby and Chinatown, Roman Polanski directed this visionary interpretation of Shakespeare’s famous work. This tale of jealousy, murder and revenge is still a miserable story to watch, but very well done. The production is fantastic and the fight choreography at the end is fantastic and memorable. I’m still not a fan of the play Macbeth, but watching your favorite directors tackle it can be rewarding. B+

New in Home Entertainment

April 1, 2014

Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues
3 Versions:  PG-13, R and Unrated
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
The iconic Ron Burgundy (Will Ferrell) is back as he and his cohorts (Paul Rudd, Steve Carell and David Koechner) try to take over the brand new 24 cable news phenomenon by reporting fluff rather than real news in order to get ratings.  While the jokes aren’t as fresh or funny in this new installment, there is an excellent social commentary to be found here.  Until three weeks ago, I actually defended CNN but with the recent plane coverage, CNN scarily resembles what we see in this movie trying to make fun of it.  My biggest problem with the film is how many old jokes it clings to such as the anchor gang fight and the sequence where Burgundy goes blind which too closely resembles a similar sequence in Talladega Nights.  Its safe to say that I did laugh and I did think, but I didn’t do too much of either.  While I didn’t care for the movie as much as I wanted to, I must admit that the Ron Burgundy-themed Ben & Jerry’s Scotchy Scotch Scotch ice cream was a joy to eat while taking in the mindless entertainment.  C+

Delivery Man
Rated PG-13 for thematic elements, sexual content, some drug material, brief violence and language
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
This remake of the French-Canadian comedy Starbuck about a man whose sperm bank efforts fathered 533 children is basically the same movie, written and directed by the same writer/director.  While the foreign import did pretty well in the U.S., we all know that when it comes to movies, most Americans don’t read, so I guess its inevitable that a remake should come along.  In this case Vince Vaughn is the aloof meat delivery man whose hundreds of children all are suing to discover the identity of their father, and he does an admirable job with the material given him.  Unfortunately, just as in its predecessor, the movie is all heart and no brain.  Like a Hallmark commercial, the movie is meant to make you ahhhh and shed a few tears, but when you start to think about it, there’s not much about the movie that isn’t just plain stupid and disingenuous.  C-

The Pirate Fairy
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
From the world of Tinkerbell and Peter Pan comes this new straight-to-DVD Disney adventure about an outcast fairy who becomes a swashbuckling pirate.  While not nearly the quality of its recent films such as Frozen, Tangled and Wreck-It Ralph, it is a far better picture than some of the other recent trash being slung at kids of late such as Planes, Turbo and Free Bird.  At least the story is polished and the animation is gorgeous.  And there even happens to be a very singable pirate song included in the mix.  B