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New in Home Entertainment – October 26, 2010

New in Home Entertainment

October 26, 2010

Back to the Future: 25th Anniversary Trilogy
Rated PG
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
When Marty McFly and Doc Brown first graced the big screen 25 years ago they had no idea that they would be participating in a ground-breaking trilogy that would go onto make almost a billion dollars at the box-office and even more on home video.  After all, Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale had shopped the project around Hollywood for years with no interest whatsoever.  It took Zemeckis’s success with Romancing the Stone and Steven Spielberg’s blessing to just get to the point where they could green light the project.  Then they shot five weeks of film with Eric Stoltz instead of Michael J. Fox before making the change to the Family Ties star.  So while difficulties abound in the production, you’d never know it watching these new HD transfers of the film that were so lovingly put together for the 25th anniversary.  While the second film is a little dated due to being so off on the look of the year 2015, the trilogy as a whole holds up very well and is just as fun now as it was back then.  Also included in this special edition are tons of great new special features as well as digital copy so you can put all three films on your mobile device.  A

Sex and the City 2
Rated R for some strong sexual content and language
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
In this new adventure, Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda head to Abu Dhabi to get an escape from both New York City and their boring lives.  After the success of the television show and the first film it’s no wonder the girls are back again, but why they agreed to come back for this script is beyond me.  More than ever before, this new tale shows the girls to be more self-infatuated and selfish than you can possibly imagine and for the most contrived of reasons.  From the gay wedding at the beginning to the return back to the city, the film proves to be one of the most ill-conceived films I’ve seen in years.  And if you are merely wanting to see some good fashion – look elsewhere.  While I am not a expert in the subject, if this is haute couture, I want no part of it.  The girls were wearing incredibly ugly costumes and changed their clothes in every scene.  It was almost as if the fashion designers were playing a joke on them.  The good news is that this film will probably win some major awards.  The bad news is that they will be for worst film of the year.  F

Paths of Glory: The Criterion Collection
Not Rated
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
With a chin that takes up its own zip code, Kirk Douglas provides one of the great all-time performances in Stanley Kubrick’s 1957 anti-war masterpiece.  It’s a very unconventional film in that the actors speak with U.S. dialects instead of World War One French soldiers.  That being said, I’d rather see that than a bunch of bad accents  that could have ruined the message.  More a thought-provoking picture than War action film, the script, based on the Humphrey Cobb novel does a tremendous job showing the ugliness of war and what it does to the morality of the men involved.  This newly restored edition looks pristine and I highly suggest listening to the new audio commentary by Gary Giddins which sheds light on many of the film’s mysteries.  Also check out the television interview with Douglas from 1979 which gives an amazing portrait of the legendary actor.  A-

Wild Grass
Rated PG for some thematic material, language and brief smoking
Available on DVD
French with with English Subtitles
When a woman has her wallet stolen, the man who eventually finds it sets off on an insane mission to win the woman’s heart, even with his wife’s knowledge.  This very well-made french comedy is funny due to the many unexpected actions of every actor involved, but many will find it a little too French, or at least too culturally different from their normal entertainment.  After-all, it is a very bizarre romantic tale that can’t in the least be described as a love story.  And the ending is so untraditional that it will throw much of its American audiences off completely.  So my advice: if you are feeling a little daring – check this title out.  B-

Surviving the Holidays with Lewis Black
Available on DVD
Comedian Lewis Black, along with The History Channel, takes a look at the period of time from Thanksgiving to New Years and with the help of comedian friends, experts and a shrink, and attempts to explain the history of all events you may come across with tons of funny commentary thrown in.  The special is very funny, and surprisingly clean considering the comics involved.  While some of the jokes are repeated due to a poor editing job, the show still comes across as not only interesting but hilarious as well.  B

The Girl Who Played with Fire
Rated R for brutal violence including a rape, some strong sexual content, nudity and language
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Swedish with English Subtitles
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo returns in this second film of the trilogy and this time she is in deep trouble due to some incriminating evidence found at a crime she didn’t commit.  With her goal of both escaping the law and exposing a sex trade scandal, she goes on a wild adventure that puts her life in danger.  While the movie plays much better when taken as a whole with all three films, especially the third film, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest, it is still a tremendous thrill ride and could put Noomi Rapace in the running for this year’s Oscar for Best Actress.  If you’ve seen the first one, or read the books, then you know what you are getting into, but if not, please note that this series of films are not for the feint of heart and strict attention should be placed on the rating.  A-

Dog the Bounty Hunter: The Wild Ride Megaset
Available on DVD
This megaset, which includes the 45 top-rated episodes that follow Dog and his posse as they go after bail-jumpers, shows a unique side of the business in a reality format that proves to be quite interesting.  While the drama is pushed to the limit thanks to a driving soundtrack and an overly serious group of characters, the series never looks too contrived to be enjoyed.  B-

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Red

Red

Starring Bruce Willis, Mary-Louise Parker, Morgan Freeman and Karl Urban
Directed by Robert Schwentke (The Time Traveler’s Wife)
Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of action violence and brief strong language
Appropriate for ages 13+

    RED, which stands for Retired Extremely Dangerous, is the code given to ex-CIA black ops agents that could pose a threat to national security.  When retired agent Frank Moses (Willis) is forced to escape a CIA assassination plot, he gets together with some of his old RED cohorts to discover the cause for wanting him out of the picture.  When they uncover a secret plot set up by the Vice President, they attempt to turn the tides on their would be killers.

    This very unique film plays as both a thriller and a comedy with loads of action and laughter throughout.  The cast assembled here is like a who’s who of 50+ year old thespians having a late mid-life crisis.  Due to the smart script by Erich and Jon Hoeber, the movie never slows down and is full of surprises.  The biggest surprise though is Karl Urban who is best known for his role of Bones in the latest Star Trek reboot.  Due to his ability to steal every scene he is a part of, he is very much an actor I can’t wait to see more of.

    The difficulty this film will have is appealing to a younger crowd and convincing the adult audience that it’s okay to see this one in theaters.   
After all, although this film has a great appeal, it definitely lacks a broad appeal.  And the audience that is most likely to see a film like this has been notorious for waiting for the DVD release.  

    So is it worth seeing now or waiting?  If you are in need of a fun night out and don’t want to have to fight teenagers keeping you from enjoying it – I would say yes.  This is probably the greatest chance you’ll have to see an adult-skewing big action flick without many of the distractions you find in this genre.  B+
  

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New on DVD October 19, 2010

New on DVD October 19, 2010

How to Train Your Dragon
Rated PG for sequences of intense action and some scary images, and brief mild language
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Based on the best-selling children’s books by Cressida Cowell, How to Train Your Dragon tells the story of a young boy named Hiccup in a mythological Viking village that falls under the constant attack of Dragons.  When Hiccup takes down the most vicious Dragon known to Vikings, he chooses to befriend it instead of killing it.  For me, this is still the best film of the year so far.  It is full of raw emotion, thrills, daring and adventure.  It is both spectacular to look at and listen to thanks to the brilliant directing by Dean DeBlois and Chris Sanders and a breathtaking score by John Powell.  The special features are also very much worth taking a look at just so you can see the pure artistry of the film.  A+

Oceans
Rated G
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Continuing Disney’s Earth Day Nature series is a stunning look at the Oceans of the world.  Just like last year’s release Earth, the visuals are amazing and truly beautiful to take in.  The problem with this one is the horrendous script and even worse narration by Pierce Brosnan.  I consider myself to be a conservationist, but the story told here hurts the cause and serves just to annoy the viewer rather than to enhance the picture.  Maybe if you can turn the volume down all the way and turn on some nice classical music the film has a chance to be enjoyed.  C

The Karate Kid
Rated PG for bullying, martial arts action violence and some mild language
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan star in this reboot of the original 80s classic.  In this story, Jaden is forced to move to China due to his mother’s new job, and in order to not get picked on and beat up by school bullies, he must train under the tutelage of Jackie Chan and eventually face the bullies at an open tournament.  While the story is  very contrived, it is hard not to be impressed by Smith’s discipline and knowledge of martial arts.  The kid really learned to fight and  the choreography is remarkable.  The film is also pretty to look at, showing the more aesthetically pleasing parts of China and leaving out the ugliness.  I could have gone for a little better acting on the part of Smith, but his ego gets in the way of his performance.  Then again, when your mom and dad (Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith) give you your own 55 million dollar film, its hard not to get a bit of an ego going.  B-

Jonah Hex
Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, disturbing images and sexual content
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Based on the Civil War era DC Comics character, Jonah Hex (Josh Brolin) seeks revenge against the man that killed his wife and child.  While the movie contains a lot of action and violence, due to bad directing and an even worse script, the film fails to deliver an entertaining experience.  There is great potential here but the PG-13 rating keeps it from going where it needs to go to succeed and the way it’s pieced together shows the studio gave up on it before it was released.  Not even a scantily clad Megan Fox could save this comic tale.  C-

Psycho: 50th Anniversary Edition
Rated R
Available on Blu-ray
Finally getting the much-needed HD treatment is Hitchcock’s 1960 horror classic Psycho.  The transfer looks pristine and thanks to a very talented and caring sound production crew, the movie now has a stunning 5.1 surround track.  While the movie has lost a bit of its scare over the last 50 years, it is still extremely creepy and remains one of the most influential movies of our time.  Check out the new special feature on Psycho Sound as well as some of the old features including Hitchcock’s Legacy and a great commentary by Stephen Rebello.  A

The Darjeeling Limited: Criterion Edition
Rated R for language
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Wes Anderson’s film about three brothers (Owen Wilson, Adrian Brody and Jason Schwartzman) traveling through India to visit their missionary mom is getting the ultimate collectors touch with this new Criterion set which contains tons of great special features and everything you would ever want to know about what went on in the making of the surreal comedy.  While it’s not my favorite Anderson pic, it remains probably his most artistic.  Now we just need Criterion to take on Rushmore and Fantastic Mr. Fox! B+

Predators
Rated R for strong creature violence and gore and pervasive language.  
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
While originally slotted to be the first sequel to Predator, this new Predator story tells the tale of some of Earth’s greatest killers who are all kidnapped and put onto a game reserve on another planet so the the Predators can have fun hunting them for sport.  The unlikely cast assembled are some Hollywood’s best actors including Adrian Brody, Topher Grace and Laurence Fishburne and the movie provides for a pretty entertaining butt-kicking action flick.  Sure its silly at times, but the movie doesn’t suffer from it.  B+

The Rocky Horror Picture Show: 35 Anniversary Edition
Rated R
Available on Blu-ray
The first time I saw Rocky Horror was on VHS with only three people in the room.  So its no wonder that I thought it to be a pretty crappy film.  But once I had the chance to see it with hundreds of people all screaming and going wild, I came to the realization that this is just not a good film to watch without a crazy crowd.  This blu-ray release attempts to remedy this with a picture-in-picture midnight experience that I can’t suggest highly enough.  Otherwise you’ll get the same lousy experience I had the first time and wonder what all of the hubbub is about.  B-

    

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Waiting for Superman

Waiting for Superman

Directed by Davis Guggenheim (An Inconvenient Truth)
Rated PG for some thematic material, mild language and incidental smoking
Appropriate for all ages

    Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you are probably well-aware that our educational system in America is broken.  The education our kids are getting is ranked almost last in the list of developed countries – and it is getting worse, not better.  Waiting for Superman is a documentary that explores what is wrong and why, unless drastic action is taken, the problems won’t be fixed.  By following children in both good and bad socioeconomic situations, the movie shows the harsh reality that our kids must senselessly face every day.

    If you are looking for a film that will both inform you and make you crazily angry – you can’t go wrong here.  While the point of the movie is to stir up emotions, the film also does an excellent job of throwing out ideas on how to take action. 

    It is gut-wrenching watching young children who want to excel having to rely on a lottery system in order to get the chance to get the education they deserve.  The film shows a school program in America that actually is working called KIPP (Knowledge Is Power Program) where kids are all treated like they not only can succeed, but that they should succeed.  The only problem is that there are far more kids that want in than spots available.  For the children being followed here, there are hopes and dreams of the future at stake and they are convinced, justifiably so, that their only chance is in a random drawing to attend the special school. 

    It is sad to see the kids count on such a system, but what is more sad is why aren’t schools switching to more successful ways of teaching our youth.  While the filmmakers don’t do a great job exploring issues such as bad parenting and bad students, the argument is more for why aren’t kids who want to achieve given the chance.  Much blame is placed on the Teacher’s Unions – and the fact that it is almost impossible for a tenured teacher to lose his or her job – even if they are providing an environment that is poisonous to their students.  The statistics are sound.  Only 1 in 2400 tenured teachers loses his or her license, a number that is not even closely matched by any other profession.  My question is will firing the bottom 10% of teachers make a difference?  The opinion of this film is absolutely yes.  It is the key.  Very little effort is placed in proving other arguments like more money for teachers, more money for education, and longer school years, but the central argument is well-defended. 

    Whatever the cure is, this film shows the need for one and will hopefully be a powerful agent for change.  If you are a parent, teacher, or an individual who is just merely concerned that things are going downhill fast, this is a must-see film.  Sure it will make you angry, and will most likely make you want to act out of that anger – but maybe that is just what this film is trying to be – a catalyst for revolution.  A   

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New on DVD October 12, 2010



New on DVD October 12, 2010

Splice
Rated R for disturbing elements including strong sexuality, nudity, sci-fi violence and language
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
When two scientists attempt to splice human DNA into a creature that they have created from multiple animals, they are forced to steal their creation and go underground when the pharmaceutical company they are working for pulls the plug on the project.  At first the creature takes on the properties of a human, but as time elapses it becomes a hybrid of many different animals and extremely dangerous to all those around it.  Splice is a strange little film that starts out like a horror film, transforms itself into a weird little family story, and then propels itself back into a horror film again.  The acting by Adrian Brody and Sarah Polley is excellent and the production values are terrific especially considering the relatively low budget of the film.  The problem is that this film becomes exceedingly uncomfortable to watch towards the end due to some really deranged choices by the writer.  B-

Benny Hill: The Complete Megaset
Available on DVD
For twenty years Benny Hill ruled the sketch comedy genre with his racy yet hilarious characters and witty writing.  Especially nostalgic for me, my father and I got in so much trouble, time after time, when my mom would come home and find us watching him.  Compared to now, the comedy is tame, but from 1969-1989 it was considered one of the edgiest shows on TV.  This new set contains pretty much all of it including almost 600 sketches on 18 DVDs.  B+

The Exorcist: Extended Director’s Cut & Original Theatrical Version
Rated R for strong language and disturbing images
Available on Blu-ray
When The Exorcist was released in 1973 it took the world by storm and changed the horror genre forever.  Widely hailed as the scariest film of all time, it tells the story of a young girl possessed by a demon and the priests that attempt to rid her body of the unwanted entity.  This new remastered release contains both the original 1973 version and the Extended Director’s Cut released in 2000, both in stunning HD.  The beautiful collector’s set is packaged in a book-like format with the discs and notes about the film.  Also on the disc is a new 3-part documentary on the movie’s production and legacy.  A

Sex and Lucia
Unrated
Available on Blu-ray
In Spanish with English Subtitles
Paz Vega (Spanglish) stars in this erotic drama about a young woman who after the death of her boyfriend moves to a secluded Mediterranean island where she meets a new man as she reflects upon her troubled past.  This intensely erotic film is more graphic than you would expect but the movie is superbly written, directed, and acted by a daring cast.  I did find the movie to be somewhat confusing as it is not told in a linear fashion and instead only gives subtle clues as to timelines and reality.  B-

Arn: The Knight Templar
Rated R for violence
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
In English, Swedish, Arabic, French, and Latin with English Subtitles
After being accused of a crime he didn’t commit, Arn Mangusson is sentenced to the life of Knight Templar and sent to the Crusades to fight for his church.  While there he uses his wit and skills as a fighter to change the course of the war, and hopefully the chance to return to his long-lost love in Sweden.  I have to admit that this Swedish epic took me by surprise.  It looks just as good as a Hollywood big-budget film and has a great story that is well-acted by its talented cast.  Unlike most American films, which are mostly told in English, this film uses pretty much every language that would have been used at the time giving it a sense of reality that you don’t normally see in these kinds of features.  If you are looking for a good film about the Crusades – you can’t do much better than this one. A-

The Last of the Mohicans: Director’s Definitive Cut
Unrated
Available on Blu-ray
When Mohicans was last released on DVD with a special director’s cut much of what people loved about the movie was taken out and replaced with material that fans were ambivalent to.  For the Blu-ray release, Michael Mann created a brand new definitive cut, putting back in much of the cut material and making it a more worthy fan-friendly picture.  This retelling of the story of a white man, along with his adopted Mohican father and brother, who protect a British general’s daughters from a group of vengeance-seeking Indians is both tremendously exciting and romantic at the same time.  While the new cut is certainly great, the transfer to HD is not.  Much of the film takes place at night or indoors and these scenes are almost too dark to watch, even after huge television adjustments.  I was hoping that this was just a problem with my copy, but it turns out to be an issue everywhere from what I have learned in my research.  I am hoping that this is something Fox will rectify with a recall and hopefully new copies for those who have already purchased, as I would hate to see this new version dismissed due to a quality check error.  While the film is still one of my all-time favorites, I would wait to buy this new version until the problems have been fixed.  A-

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The Social Network

The Social Network

Starring Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, and Justin Timberlake
Directed by David Fincher (Fight Club)
Rated PG-13 for sexual content, drug and alcohol use and language
Appropriate for ages 13+

    While a two-hour movie about the creation of the popular social media site Facebook sounds excruciating at first thought, The Social Network proves that when you get a good enough director, writer, and cast – any story can be made not only interesting but thrilling as well.

    The Social Network begins with the not so humble albeit brilliant Mark Zuckerberg (Eisenberg) as he succeeds in getting the authorities at Harvard riled up by crashing their servers.  From there he lands himself in hot water when he decides to create the first version of Facebook and people come out of the woodwork claiming that he stole their ideas and even their right to the profits of the site.  We all know what happens in the present, but following these early years (all of which take place within the last decade) asks many questions that have never really been answered and tells the tale of a brash young genius who doesn’t care about money but does care deeply about the credit.

    David Fincher does such an excellent job creating a crazy, frantic mood and he gives the film a great deal of its dark personality.  That being said, without the amazing script by Aaron Sorkin (The West Wing) it’s hard to imagine this movie being worth watching at all.  It might not be completely non-fiction, since the story did not come from the keyboards of those that were there, but it’s as close to non-fiction as we’ll probably ever get and the events are what are most important.  Getting from one stage to the next is all in the hands of one of the best writers of our generation.

    Also of great importance is the extremely talented cast.  Jesse Eisenberg has always played such nerdy, wimpy characters and for him to come on as the man whose brain can beat your brawn is truly impressive.  Andrew Garfield and Justin Timberlake also provide terrific performances that could land either or both an Oscar nom this year. 

    The film’s not perfect by any means.  There are moments where the technicalities cause it to drag and while the tale might be true, the story objectifies and demeans women to a place where they are nothing more than girlfriends or wannabe lovers of smart men, not capable of actually contributing to the success of Facebook, except for in an inspirational manner. 

    Still, these are forgivable sins, and the pic ends up being one of the most entertaining films to be released so far this year.  A-

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New on DVD

New on DVD

Baseball: The Tenth Inning
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Ken Burns professes on the special features of this documentary that he refuses to make additions to his award-winning specials, but with Baseball something happened that caused him to change his mind: The Red Sox finally won the world series.  So starting where he left off, Burns explores the history of baseball over the last two decades, from the labor strike that almost crippled the sport, to the home run contest between Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa, to the steroid controversy, and onto his home team finally giving their fans a world series win.  While I’m not really a big fan of baseball, it’s impossible to watch this and not be enthralled by the history of the sport.  As usual, the film is extremely well-edited, well-produced, and superbly narrated by actor Keith David.  A

Beauty and the Beast: Diamond Edition
Rated G
Available on DVD/Blu-ray combo
Back when the Oscars only had five movies in their best picture category, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast was the first animated film to ever be nominated for Best Picture.  While it didn’t end up beating out Silence of the Lambs (what could), it did end up winning the Golden Globe for best comedy/musical – another unaccomplished feat before 1991.  Now for the first time on Blu-ray, I think most folks will perceive it to be a no-brainer that HD is only way to take in this ground-breaking film, but also of note are the extensive special features Disney has added to the mix.  All of the previous features are still present, but check out the supplemental disc for the documentary Beyond Beauty which tells the decades long story of how Beauty finally got made and what, exactly, went into making it.  Even if you already own the DVD, this new edition is well worth replacing the old.  A+

A Nightmare on Elm Street
Rated R for strong bloody horror violence, disturbing images, terror and language
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
This new Michael Bay reboot of the teen slasher film replaces Robert Englund with Jackie Earle Haley as the infamous Freddy Krueger – a maniacal monster that haunts teenagers’ dreams and kills them in their sleep.  There seems to be a lot more fright in this new version, but the one thing this redo lacks that the other one had in spades was a sick sense of humor that made the film fun.  This isn’t fun at all, but rather just a bunch of pretty kids getting killed and a silly story.  The acting and production are all fine, but without entertainment value this version proves to be just a waste of a good remake.  C

The Human Centipede: First Sequence
Not Rated but not meant for anyone under 18
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
When two American teenagers seek shelter from a storm while on vacation in Germany, they find themselves victim to a mad scientist who wants to use them in his latest experiment: creating a human centipede by attaching them mouth to buttocks with another victim recently captured.  This is the epitome of sick, twisted, vile films that will probably do well as a cult classic (just the trailer has been widely publicized) and will unfortunately be the older teenager late-night sleepover film for years to come.  While it never takes itself too seriously, it is still a film that is not even remotely pleasant to watch.  And if you make some popcorn while watching – it’s liable to find its way back into the bag.  C

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre and The Maltese Falcon
Both Available on Blu-ray
Finally on HD are two of Humphrey Bogart’s best films from his career: The Treasure of the Sierra Madre and the film noir classic The Maltese Falcon.  You might be asking yourself “why is HD important for these old film?”  It’s simple – increasing lines of resolution on a restored black and white print makes the film look crisp and pristine – maybe even as good as when it first came out.  Both discs are loaded with special features including a night at the movies feature introduced by Leonard Maltin and informative commentaries by Bogart biographer Eric Lax.  Treasure: A-; Maltese Falcon A+    

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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+