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The Nines

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on March 27th, 2008

The Nines truly is a film that defies description, albeit in not an entirely new and convincing manner. For instance, I could tell you that I just got done eating a chicken sandwich after consuming several mojitos and a beer, and at least with that statement, you could tell what it is that I’ve done, you know? But to be fair, The Nines decides to take on some daring filmmaking and storytelling, and does it in a way that you can’t help but want to watch it again, even a little.

Gattaca – Special Edition

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on March 24th, 2008

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A decade or so ago, Andrew Niccol’s Gattaca came to a theatre near you. It received a fair amount of critical acclaim, including a few award nods for production design and music, but wasn’t much of a commercial success. Beats me why not, because the film is right up there with the best in the science fiction genre, at least in my book.

Now on a Special Edition DVD from Sony Pictures, Gattaca has another shot at the mass popularity it deserves. But does the special disc treatment add anything to improve its chances?

No Reservations (HD DVD)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on March 19th, 2008

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It seems like foodies are everywhere these days. Maybe Emeril is to blame, maybe it’s Paula Dean, maybe it’s the Food Network as a whole.I have even been sucked in my Anthony Bourdain myself (whose show is ironically also named No Reservations). Wherever there is a trend, there is guaranteed to be a romantic comedy to follow. Enter Aaron Eckhart and Catherine Zeta-Jones. Eckhart has been doing some fantastic work lately, from his work in Thank You for Smoking to lesser known films such as Conversations With Other Women, he is quickly becoming one of the best actors on the scene today.

Sex and Breakfast

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on March 18th, 2008

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Two couples, each with their own intimacy issues, set out to spice up their love life by attending a sex therapy seminar. After navigating through their problems for about forty minutes, they each settle on group sex to solve their problems, because that’s always the best solution to everything, right?

The first couple is James and Heather (Culkin and Alexis Dziena). James is madly in love with Heather, but she can’t have an orgasm when they have sex. That, my friend, is a problem. The second couple is Ellis and Renee (Kuno Becker and Dushku), who seek thrills to liven up their bored sex life. That, is a problem too… but not as bad as the first.

As fate would have it, these two couples both sign up for the same group sex therapy and… wait for it… they have group sex together. Score!
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Wall Street (20th Anniversary Edition)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on March 17th, 2008

“Greed is Good.”

No other cinematic phrase described the 1980’s better. And no other movie captures the financial corruption of the 80’s better than Oliver Stone’s Wall Street.

The film celebrates its 20th Anniversary with a 2-disc re-release that includes never-before-seen special features. And while Wall Street is very dated (my wife and I cracked up at the fashion and decorating styles), it still works as a morality tale in the era of big business.
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Curb Your Enthusiasm – The Complete Sixth Season

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on March 16th, 2008

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I now realize that the funniest funny is found in awkwardness. This is why Curb Your Enthusiasm is so popular. The main characters do things that make you cringe, often to the point where you even cover your eyes because it’s just too painful to watch. You say aloud to yourself, “Oh my god, no he didn’t just get a boner while hugging that old woman,” or “why are you talking to the TiVo guy when your wife might die?!” But with all due respect to the people that hate Larry’s character (Larry David) because he’s so rude and does stupid stuff, he often gets the short stick and apologizes when he shouldn’t have to.

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (HD DVD)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on March 13th, 2008

I am a sucker for a good biopic. Walk the Line, Ray, Man on the Moon, Cinderella Man… all these films and many more like them feature prominently in my DVD collection. With this release, I am now excited to be able to add this fine film to my collection. Brad Pitt’s James is not the one of fables and adventure books, but one grounded in reality. While charismatic criminals are frequently glorified in these types of films, it is often times hard to remember that in real life these are often times people with severe social problems. The result is a film that is more open and honest than the vast majority of the biopics that have come along in the past decade.

We Own the Night

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on March 9th, 2008

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Without knowing if he is or not, I’m willing to bet that director James Gray is a fan of The Godfather. His previous films, The Yards and We Own the Night show flashes and flourishes of The Godfather so familiar, it’s uncanny. Also, while The Yards featured Sonny Corleone, We Own the Night features Tom Hagen.

Funny, huh?

As a matter of fact, while watching We Own the Night, I was unsure who had directed it, but after a few all too familiar scenes, I reached a conclusion. It had to be Gray, and damn if I wasn’t right when the credits rolled.

If ever there is a Part IV, or dare I say it, a remake, of The Godfather, I hope Gray is the guy behind the camera. His two last movies feel like he’s actively lobbying for the position.
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Rendition

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on March 9th, 2008

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On paper, Rendition looked good. Damn good. It had Reese Witherspoon, hot off her best actress win as June Carter in Walk the Line. It had “it boy” Jake Gyllenhaal from Brokeback Mountain and Zodiac. It also had stalwarts in Alan Arkin and Meryl Streep rounding out the cast. It was directed by acclaimed Tsotsi director Gavin Hood. And it was about post 9/11 hot-button issues such as torture and imprisonment without due process.
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Tyler Perry’s House of Payne

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on March 4th, 2008

Tyler Perry has created an empire. Stand-up tours… movie studio… and now he’s thrown his hat into television with the sitcom, House of Payne, on TBS. One can’t deny Perry’s power in Hollywood. His movies are constantly at the top of the box office and his stand-up tours are always sold out.

So can Perry make it in what is perhaps the hardest medium to succeed? The sitcom?

Big personalities and powerful people have entered the realm of the sitcom and promptly had their lunch handed to them. Names like George Foreman and Emeril Lagasse come to mind. Luckily for Perry, he’s just a producer on House of Payne so any potential humiliation from cancellation will not be filmed for all to see. But the fact that the show has two seasons already in the books proves that it’s at least somewhat successful. However, the question remains. Is House of Payne any good?
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The Invasion (HD DVD)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on March 4th, 2008

“The Invasion” is a remake of the classic “The Invasion of the Body Snatchers”. This time around, Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig are the heroes that uncover the diabolical truth behind a secret plot to take over the world. This is a film that has been re-made several times before, in various forms. Each time, the film is turned into a heavy-handed metaphor for the current political climate. That is most certainly the case this time around as well, as the oblivious citizens are expected to accept everything their leaders tell them, no matter how implausible that information might be. I’ll spare you the pop politics, but the parallels between the Bush administration and the story are rampant.

Patch Adams (HD DVD)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on February 28th, 2008

I’m going to be honest with you, I can’t stand the stand up comedy of Robin Williams. Growing up, I used to like it and thought it was pretty hilarious, but two things have changed since then. First off, my voice changed and I grew hair in strange places, but secondly, Williams stopped doing cocaine, which as any artist will tell you, seems to neuter them creatively (Eddie Van Halen, I’m looking at you). But hey, at least in his later years he seems to have mellowed out and Patch Adams seems to be a progression of that.

Face/Off (HD DVD)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on February 27th, 2008

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I am a huge John Woo fan, especially his earlier classics like Hard Boiled. I’ll admit it’s been several years since I last seen Face/Off, but I don’t have a reason why, as I remember really liking this movie then. At either rate now I have a copy of the movie to call my own, and a special two disc release at that. Let’s just hope that it is what I remember, but as a big fan of Nick Cage I don’t think I’ll be let down.

In order to catch him, he must become him. I couldn’t put it any better myself, Face/Off tells quite the eccentric story of revenge, devotion, and of course crime.
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First Snow

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on February 26th, 2008

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Guy Pierce fascinates me. He first broke on the scene in a big way in LA Confidential, which just happens to be one of my favorite films. Instead of taking the path of his co-star Russell Crow and chasing the big Hollywood dollar, however, Pierce chose to explore smaller, more interesting fringe films. Sometimes, this decision pays off for him, as was the case in the amazing Memento, or the recent The Proposition. Other times, however, the gamble falls flat, as was the case with The Hard Word. Pierce is consistently excellent, but the films he picks are hit and miss. That’s the problem with interesting projects, they either turn into surprise hits, or predictable failures. So the big question is, is First Snow a hit or a miss?

Knocked Up (HD DVD)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on February 25th, 2008

Well, since HD DVD has pretty much collapsed now, it only makes sense that we here at Upcomingdiscs clear off what’s left on the mantle, get the cobwebs out, and do our level best to take a look at this lame duck format if you will. I mean, there are movies on them after all, and Knocked Up was arguably a favorite of many in 2007, to the tune of over $150 million and helping to entrench Judd Apatow and Seth Rogen, those who were behind Superbad, as significant contributors to the world of motion picture comedy.

Pride and Prejudice (HD DVD)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on February 25th, 2008

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Written by Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice has been made into a film several times, with varying results. The novel itself is a classic, written by one of the most pioneering woman in literature history. This 2005 film version stars Keira Knightley (Atonement) as Elizabeth “Lizzie” Bennett, one in a family of five sisters, living in Hartfordshire, a small English country town. Lizzie is the second-oldest sister and should already be married, according to her overbearing mother (Brenda Blethyn, Beyond the Sea). However, much like Jane Austen herself, Lizzie wants to marry for love, and not just to please her parents (although her father (Donald Sutherland, JFK) just wants her to be happy). To add to her parents concern, once they die, the girls will have nowhere to live, as back in those days, property and money passed only to males, and in their case it goes to the girls’ cousin, Mr. Collins (Tom Hollander, A Good Year).

DA pressured by theater chain to prosecute teen

Posted in News and Opinions by Archive Authors on February 23rd, 2008

I’m Canadian, thank god. Our legal system may be going downhill, but it hasn’t reached the depths of that in the states yet. A teenage girl in Virginia filmed 20 seconds of Transformers on a digital camera for her little brother – leading to her arrest, and prosecution in court. Regal Cinemas pushed the prosecution.

Regal Cinemas, part of the Regal Entertainment Group, says it’s the world’s largest motion picture exhibitor. The group comprises of Regal Cinemas, United Artists Theatres and Edwards Theatres. The group says it operates 6,386 screens in 539 locations in 40 states and the District of Columbia. [from Wired]

Toshiba officially announces that it will stop production on all HD DVD hardware

Posted in News and Opinions by Archive Authors on February 19th, 2008

This morning Toshiba released the following statement:

TOKYO–Toshiba Corporation today announced that it has undertaken a thorough review of its overall strategy for HD DVD and has decided it will no longer develop, manufacture and market HD DVD players and recorders. This decision has been made following recent major changes in the market. Toshiba will continue, however, to provide full product support and after-sales service for all owners of Toshiba HD DVD products.

Toshiba later mentioned that they have no current plans to transition to Blu-ray Player development. They will also be working with distributors to stockpile current HD-DVD blank media for purchase via their online store. As to future HD-DVD movie releases Toshiba stated, “it was not our business, we cannot predict their business.”

UPDATE:Universal President Craig Kornblau, today has stated, “While Universal values the close partnership we have shared with Toshiba, it is time to turn our focus to releasing new and catalog titles on Blu-ray.” Paramount is also reportedly to be immediately dedicated to switching over their HD release schedule to Blu-ray ASAP.

MI-5: Volume 5

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on February 19th, 2008

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When MI-5 first hit American shores, Alias was in full swing, and the comparisons were inevitable. After all, both were sy shows set in a post September 11 world, and both were slick, fun thrillers. Fast forward to 2006, however, and the landscape has changed dramatically. Alias is now off the air, having crashed in spectacular fashion, yet MI-5 is still going strong. In fact, the show just seems to keep getting better and better.

Waitress

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on February 13th, 2008

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Waitress is a film that could easily be passed-over as a tired, generic chick flick when perusing the DVD section of your favorite retailer. Those that take a chance on this underrated film, however, are in for a real treat. This is a film that has genuine heart, is honest and surprisingly funny.

Netflix chooses to go with Blu-ray

Posted in News and Opinions by Archive Authors on February 11th, 2008

Today Netlfix, the popular online movie rental service, decided to only acquire Blu-ray titles in the future. They listed Warner Bros. going Blu-ray exclusive as the major deciding factor since 4 out of the 6 major movie studios now side with Blu-ray. While newer HD-DVD titles will be available elsewhere for purchase Netflix will no longer be providing customers with the option to rent the HD-DVD version of newer titles. Netflix did assure current HD-DVD subscribers that their entire HD-DVD library will still be available for as long as the their current stock of titles hold up in quality. Source: Reuters

Sunshine (2007)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on February 10th, 2008

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It’ll be interesting when man travels past the moon to far away places in outer space. The science of it will be reason enough for the rest of the world’s population to pay attention, but I want to find out, more than anything, if every deep space crew in real life runs into the same problems that they do in the movies.

In Sunshine, a movie by director Danny Boyle, I thought that the deep space crew in the film would be relatively free of space movie cliches. This just didn’t seem like one of those movies. But I’ll be damned if at the end of the movie Cillian Murphy wasn’t racing panicked through the corridor of his space ship, determined to detonate a nuclear bomb before a clock reached zero.
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Mr. Brooks

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on February 9th, 2008

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Early on, it’s easy to tell that Mr. Brooks doesn’t take itself seriously.

At least I hope it didn’t.

What starts off as an intriguing look into a seemingly normal man’s life and his addiction to killing people, Mr. Brooks quickly spirals down the drain into a movie that tries to do too much and ends up doing too little.
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The Brave One (2007)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on February 8th, 2008

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Ever find yourself shuffling around your local video store, eyes glazed over at all of typical genre fare studios churn out year after year, longing for something different? You could head over to the independent/festival section for relief, but it might mean straying farther from your usual tastes than you’d like. Enter The Brave One, an intelligent thriller that takes the usual revenge tale and rearranges its DNA. It offers the unusual perspective of director Neil Jordan (The Good Thief) and Jodie Foster’s finest performance since The Silence of the Lambs.

In the Valley of Elah

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on February 6th, 2008

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In the Valley of Elah is the second film I’ve seen recently that addresses the condition of soldiers returning from the Iraq war. Unlike Home of the Brave, however, Elah is actually a strong film with impressive performances and a story that hooks you and holds on to the end. It’s a Paul Haggis production – the two-time Oscar winner wrote, directed and produced the film – so Elah has some serious cred right off the bat, thanks to the success of other Haggis projects. Maybe you’ve heard of Crash, best picture winner of 2004, Million Dollar Baby or Letters From Iwo Jima?

Those credits aside, In the Valley of Elah’s best feature is a masterful performance by Tommy Lee Jones (No Country for Old Men), who’s up for a best actor Oscar for his portrayal of an old-school army veteran searching for his son.

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