Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 31st, 2010
If there was a recipe book for the modern romantic comedy, it would undoubtedly include a checklist of the following: group of girlfriends in their late twenties/early thirties with neurotic ideologies revolving around dating and clothes, a writer’s quota of at least one catch phrase per scene, product placement, and the charming leading man. Maneater receives checks across the board, and so much more.
Based on the novel of the same name by Gigi Levangie Grazer, Maneater is a two-part Lifetime movie that follows vapid Hollywood socialite Clarissa Alpert (Sarah Chalke) on her search for a wealthy man to secure her future. She’s gone through the ringer of one-night stands—a reaction to, what else, her daddy issues—and decides to plan her own wedding without even having a groom. Never mind that minor technicality, because through a little coercion and scheming, Clarissa manages to woo up-and-coming film producer, Aaron Mason (Philip Winchester) into marrying her within a matter of weeks.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 19th, 2010
The series premiere of E.R on September 19, 1994 was preceded by the premiere of another medical drama, Chicago Hope, by one day. But one day didn’t seem to make much of a difference in the show’s longevity. E.R.ended after fifteen seasons on NBC in 2009. The show has seen a drastic change in cast members over the years—none of the original cast members were series regulars by the last season. We are, however, reunited with original cast members Dr. John Carter, played by Noah Wyle, Dr. Susan Lewis, played by Sherry Stringfield, and the underutilized Laura Innes as the stone-faced Dr. Kerry Weaver in season 12.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 11th, 2010
When an inside operation movie is done properly, the plot is ripe with suspense and suspicion. Who can the informer/plant trust? Have they jeopardized their family? What are they willing to do to stay undercover? Audiences have seen this play out many times before in films like Donnie Brasco and The Departed, but in 50 Dead Men Walking the setting is Northern Ireland in the late ‘80s during the Troubles—a period of violent ethno-political conflict between members of the primarily Roman Catholic nationalist community and the Protestant unionist community. The film is based on events depicted by Martin McGartland, and Nicholas Davies in the book Fifty Dead Men Walking: The Terrifying True Story of a Secret Agent Inside the IRA. This depth of history brings an edge to the film that goes far beyond typical mobster fare.
Jim Sturgess made it big in Julie Taymor’s Beatle tribute Across the Universe, but in 50 he shows a side of his acting that really surprised me. He effortlessly steps into the shoes of Martin McGartland—a young swindler who goes door to door selling stolen goods just to get by. Unable to afford a car, let alone the gas to fill it with, he has to bum rides from his friend Sean, played by Kevin Zegers. But his fortune changes one day when British police eager to infiltrate the Irish Republican Army attempt to woo him into their services with a steady job and a car. He reluctantly accepts, and that’s when things start to spiral out of control for Martin.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on December 30th, 2009
It seems to be commonly believed that Robin Williams’ acting career took an abrupt change from outlandish, eccentric comedic choices (Aladdin) to more dark, complex and satirical roles in the early ‘00s (Death to Smoochy). But Williams has always played both ends of the spectrum and roughly everything in between. He channeled a father willing to do whatever it takes to reconnect with his children in the 1993 classic Mrs. Doubtfire, a role that nabbed him a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Comedy. In writer and director Bobcat Goldthwait’s latest film, Williams once again plays a single dad, but this time he’s struggling to raise his crude, sex-obsessed teenage son.
Lance Clayton (Williams) is a high school poetry teacher whose class receives little interest from the student body and even less faith from the administration. He’s involved in a secret relationship with the perky, much-younger art teacher, Claire (Alexie Gilmore), and is constantly reminded of his own insecurities as a boyfriend — and rejected author — when Claire starts getting close to hot-shot English teacher Mike (Henry Simmons).
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on December 30th, 2009
Disney has a knack for turning television shows into profitable movie franchises-- Lizzy McGuire, Hannah Montana, and now The Wizards of Waverly Place. Since the formula hasn’t deferred much, it should come as no surprise that its latest show has caught on like wildfire. In the wake of a Harry Potter-crazed nation of tweens, Disney’s latest show follows the Russos—former wizard father Jerry (David DeLuise), non-magical mother Theresea (Maria Canals-Barrera) and their three wizards-in-training. Unlike previous Disney Channel shows, Wizards offers a refreshing cultural spin on the situational comedy with the Italian-Mexican heritage of its starring family.
The show focuses on the three children: Alex, Justin and Max. Alex (Selena Gomez) is a modern day archetypical Disney lead—a fresh-faced girl with an appetite for disobedience and a sharp tongue. She retaliates with rolled eyes and a snarky remark for nearly every parental request. Justin (David Henrie) is the Golden Child—an attractive young man who’s not above ratting out his younger sister to save his own skin. The youngest child, Max, is played by Jake T. Austin, and he essentially provides the comic relief. He’s goofy, annoying as many younger siblings are, and more confident than any pre-teen kid I’ve met lately. None of these characters are seemingly likable, but that hasn’t stopped the show from being one of the most-watched cable programs ever since its premiere on October 12, 2007. So, naturally, a movie was in Wizards’ midst. And what an impression it made. 11.4 million viewers tuned in to watch the August 28 premiere, making it Disney Channel’s second highest rated film.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on December 25th, 2009
Christmas Town deals with Liza McCann (Nicole de Boer) an overworked real estate agent that travels to Hollyville with her son to visit her estranged father. Hollyville is filled with Christmas decorations and Yuletide spirit, which frustrates Liza, who has hated Christmas since childhood. However, through a series of surreal events, Liza begins to change her viewpoint and the story unfolds from there.
This film attempts to transcend the typical coming home for Christmas story by infusing it with supernatural and magical elements. However, the result is a difficult pill to swallow. The performances are flat, the score is dull and the story seems all too familiar. The comedic moments of the film are cliché and boring and unfortunately the characters are not likeable either. Nevertheless, the director does salvage some of the film with a beautiful British Columbia backdrop. There are some gorgeous landscape shots and are threaded through the film well. On the other hand, when the highlights of the film are without characters or dialogue, it does not bode well for its cause. This is a Christmas misstep and should be avoided at any cost.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on November 27th, 2009
Don’t You Forget about Me is a documentary/tribute to the late John Hughes. Four amateur filmmakers set out to find answers to the questions, why did you leave? How did you capture adolescence so perfectly in your films? Why do your films remain a fixture in popular culture? After obtaining interviews with many of the John Hughes alumni such as Ally Sheedy, Judd Nelson, Alan Ruck and Andrew McCarthy, the filmmakers came to the realization that they required an interview with John Hughes to complete the film. The documentary combines the interview footage as well as covers the filmmaker’s road trip from Toronto to Illinois to acquire an interview with the reclusive director.
The marketing potential of this film rose greatly upon John Hughes’ unfortunate passing. These filmmakers are deeply interested and moved by the works of Hughes and audiences can see that. However, there is nothing compelling about the filmmakers. They are not interesting or provocative. I found myself bored with their stories and opinions. What is problematic about this documentary is the forced fusion of two stories; One being the story of John Hughes and the other being the group of filmmakers. In my opinion, the latter should have been jettisoned altogether. Audiences are engaged in these interviews and suddenly the flow is disrupted with the tiresome antics of these four filmmakers.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on November 27th, 2009
James Gray’s Two Lovers revolves around the troubled Leonard Kraditor (Joaquin Phoenix). Leonard has moved back into his childhood home to recover from his recent break up. In quick succession, two women enter Leonard’s life: Michelle (Gwyneth Paltrow), an entertaining and peculiar neighbor who transcends Leonard’s world and Sandra (Vinessa Shaw) a classy, traditional woman who is the daughter of a businessman attempting to purchase Leonard’s family business. Leonard becomes confused between desire and love and the story unfolds from there.
The performances in this film are what resonate with the audience the most. Joaquin Phoenix crafts his character from a dark place and displays great emotion in this role. His complicated past slowly unravels throughout the film and audiences become more and more aware of his emotional instability. Phoenix is truly a great performer; it is unfortunate that he has taken a recent ‘break’ from acting. Both of the female leads are strong as well. Vinessa Shaw’s performance is passionate and powerful. Her scenes with Phoenix are both romantic and realistic as well. Viewers can definitely identify with the dialogue between the two of them. Gwyneth Paltrow is not breaking new ground with her performance. However, her scenes are all remarkably interesting. Her character is deeply conflicted by her current relationship and the growing relationship with Leonard.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on November 14th, 2009
Sacha Baron Cohen is no stranger to controversy. He premiered his wankster-rapper character Ali G on Britain’s satirical late night series The ll O’Clock Show in 1998. When he earned his own program on HBO in 2000, Da Ali G Show, he ticked off public figures like Donald Trump and Andy Rooney and duped numerous celebrities and athletes into falling for his comedic antics. He even appeared in the music video for Madonna’s Music. But it wasn’t until 2006’s surprise hit Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan that Cohen broke the U.S in a big way. Grossing over $260 million worldwide made Borat a cultural phenomenon and an instantly recognizable character.
Cohen has since retired Borat, but gave U.S audiences someone else to laugh with—or at, depending on your opinion 2009. Bruno was also repeatedly featured on Da Ali G Show, but he’s the main star here.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on November 10th, 2009
The names of the characters are hardly consequential, as they are used to further storylines more than develop character. But Pacino plays a cop who is tracking a group of robbers, among them Val Kilmer (Wonderland) and Tom Sizemore (Saving Private Ryan), a group headed by DeNiro. The group receives offers for work from Jon Voight (Runaway Train), and they rob anything from gold, to coins, to bearer bonds. They are all ex-cons, and know all the ropes. They are a highly professional crew, which you see in the opening moments of the movie, despite the addition of a new man to the crew. What also helps to differentiate this from a usual cops and robbers movie are the secondary plotlines of the families involved. Pacino’s is clearly distant and breaking (played by Diane Venora and Natalie Portman), while DeNiro doesn’t have one to speak of, despite an emerging romance with Edy (Amy Brenneman, Judging Amy). At 3 hours, there are some unnecessary scenes involving a banker (played by William Fichtner), but the underlying message is that almost all of the actions in the movie do not involve just the primary characters, but also friends and loved ones of those characters. Kilmer’s wife in the film, played by Ashley Judd, desperately wants to get him out of his line of work, as she wants to start a new life for her family. An ex-con (Dennis Haysbert, 24) is stumbled upon working in a greasy spoon, and offered a chance to work by DeNiro. Haysbert’s character wants to be right, but runs into so many obstacles from it that he takes the job, only to wind up perishing in what results in a massive gunfight in the heart of Los Angeles while a bank robbery is being pulled.
With other solid supporting performances by Ted Levine (Monk), Mykelti Williamson (Forrest Gump), and appearances by Bud Cort (Harold and Maude), Jeremy Piven (PCU), Hank Azaria (The Simpsons) and Henry Rollins (The Chase), the movie is certainly not without its star power. The director behind this work is Michael Mann, who also wrote a much better than expected story. The man responsible for such striking visuals in films such as Manhunter, Ali and The Insider contributes more outstanding work here, and while it’s been out for awhile now, Warner Brothers finally gives it a high definition Blu-ray release
![Heat [Blu-ray] dvd cover art](https://upcomingdiscs.com/ecs_covers/heat-blu-ray-large.jpg)
