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College Essentials: Romance 101 (Heartbreakers/Legally Blonde/The Cutting Edge)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on September 18th, 2007

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Looking for romance? This three-movie collection from MGM likes long walks on the beach, candle-light dinners and formulaic plots. The films have been around a while, but a fresh new look makes this set an attractive option.

As is usually the case for common-theme boxed sets, Romance 101 includes one stinker, one hit and one older gem you probably forgot about years ago. The movies aren’t the greatest examples of the genre, but the studio sweetens the deal, offering you three films for the price of one new-release DVD. Hit the jump for a rundown of these three discs.

Y Tu Mamá También – R Rated Edition

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on September 13th, 2007

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The film that arguably more than any other put director Alfonso Cuarón and actor Gael García Bernal on the map, Y Tu Mamá También is a smart, funny, extremely erotic tale of two young friends travelling across Mexico in the company of an older, sexually experienced woman. It’s a great film. But this isn’t the DVD you should watch to appreciate it. In this day and age of a veritable deluge of discs boasting unrated versions of their theatrical release, what, pray tell, is the point of an R rated DVD butchering of a unrated theatrical release? Fully six minutes are missing. The 100 that remain are, of course, excellent, but what is here is not the director’s vision. There is terrible irony in box boasting a blurb that exults in how “unafraid of sexuality” the movie is, when the DVD is clearly terrified.
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Commando (Director’s Cut)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on September 13th, 2007

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“Remember when I promised I’d kill you last? I lied.”

Time to relieve the glory days. Arguably the finest of Schwarzenegger’s over-the-top, muscle-bound 80s action flicks, Commando is finally getting the respect it deserves. This is the perfect example of a movie so bad it’s good. Really bad, and really good. Commando has it all: copious one-liners, a ridiculously huge Ah-nold physique, and a body count so high you’ll run out of fingers and toes in no time flat.

Yes, Commando is the quintessential 80s action extravaganza, and proof positive that the governator used to be a one-man Ah-my.

Wrong Turn 2 (Unrated)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on September 12th, 2007

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I love horror movies, but lately Hollywood hasn’t done it for me, and Wrong Turn wasn’t an exception. So I wonder how a low budget sequel is going to manage to be better than its phony prequel. But I won’t judge this one until I’ve seen, lets just hope its nothing like The Hills Have Eyes 2, or The Grudge 2, etc.

Wrong Turn 2 takes off shortly after the events of the first film. Right away I’ll let you know that other than the mutant freaks of the first film, this movie has no other links to the first installment, i.e. characters.
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Bloodlines

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on September 11th, 2007

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It’s good taste time once again, as we follow the unfortunate Amber (Grace Johnston) as she falls into the clutches of your usual gang of inbred hillbillies. These psychos have kidnapped a number of women. They then force them to fight to the death, with the idea that the winner will get to carry on the clan’s bloodline. Charming.
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Firehouse Dog

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on September 6th, 2007

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I’ve said in the past and still believe that Josh Hutcherson will be a pretty good adult actor if he chooses to go down that path. I liked his work in Little Manhattan and recently finished watching him in Bridge to Terabithia, but then he comes back and makes films like Firehouse Dog, which seem to flush away a lot of that goodwill in my opinion. He doesn’t try at all and becomes the typical sweet kid, rather than the intellectual who acts larger than his shoes.

Disturbia

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on September 6th, 2007

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(Supplemental material portions of this review are culled from Gino Sassani’s review of said film in the Blu-ray format, so enjoy or read elsewhere.)

I’ve always enjoyed Hitchcock’s Rear Window, and I’ve gotta say I was more than a little disgusted when I saw that it was going to be remade and modernized, with no less than Shia fricken’ LaBeouf in the main role. Oddly enough, LaBeouf carries the role pretty well.

Dawn of the Dead (Ultimate Edition)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on September 6th, 2007

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(You’re going to have to forgive me, I’m pulling ample portions of this review from my earlier Divimax review of Dawn, with some exceptions of course.)

Anchor Bay, holding all (or most) of the keys in George Romero’s zombie film trilogy put out a copy of this film now before overloading us we on the remake, done in grainy, handheld 28 Days Later style by director Zack Snyder of 300 lore. A stopgap one disc version was released, followed by this huge-arse four disc version that we’re viewing now.

The Dark Backward

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on September 5th, 2007

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In hellish vision of a near future (?) LA, Marty Malt (Judd Nelson) is an incompetent garbage man who moonlights as an even worse comedian (his jokes aren’t funny, and he is half-crippled by stage fright). His only friend is the manipulative Gus (Bill Paxton). When Marty starts to grow a third arm out of his back, he loses his girlfriend (Lara Flynn Boyle) but attracts the attention of sleazy showbiz types Wayne Newton and Rob Lowe.
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A Night At the Roxbury (Special Collector’s Edition)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on August 31st, 2007

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I don’t care what anyone thinks, A Night at the Roxbury is awesome. Back when Will Ferrell and Chris Kattan would do the skits on Saturday Night Live I loved it, and when the movie came out I pumped. This was back when I was barley a teenager and for me, this one has still got it. The hard part is explaining why this movie is so funny to me and its cult following. It has no real story, character development, etc. But still it manages to keep me laughing, time and time again. I’ll get more into that later, for those of you who haven’t seen A Night at the Roxbury I’ll play it out for you.
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The Ex (2006)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on August 29th, 2007

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Maybe you’re wondering why there’s a movie starring Zach Braff (Scrubs) and Jason Bateman (Arrested Development) that you never heard about. That’s what I was doing when I first received this disc. I’m a big fan of Braff, and a moderate fan of Bateman, so why was I not in the know on The Ex?

I’ll tell you why. The Ex had only a limited North American release in late 2006, and under a different title: Fast Track. It bombed. Then it disappeared for all but a handful of foreign markets, before washing ashore in DVD-land.

Year of the Dog

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 27th, 2007

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Every office has one. Peggy Spade (Shannon) is that co-worker who always seems to be up. You know the kind. Always smiling even when there are a lot of crappy things going on around her, she walks through life oblivious to it all. Now don’t get me wrong. These people do have their uses and can often relieve the stress of a particularly bad day. I mean, don’t you feel a little better after just a minute or two of putting your hands around their throat and squeezing just a little? Alas, I digress. What is the source of Peggy’s blissful nature? It’s none other than Pencil, her faithful pet dog. Pencil is her emotional center, leaving her quite awkward around most humans.
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Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on August 22nd, 2007

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Every so often, a remake comes along that does the original proud. David Cronenberg’s The Fly is one. Philip Kaufman’s reworking of Don Siegel’s 1955 classic is another. For the three people out there who aren’t familiar with the plot, pods from outer space are replacing people with soulless duplicates. Donald Sutherland is the health inspector whose friend (Brooke Adams) is one of the early people to believe that someone close to her is no longer who he appears to be. Before long, Sutherland, Adams, Jeff Goldblum and Veronica Cartwright are running for their lives.
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Are We Done Yet?

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on August 17th, 2007

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Are We Done Yet? That’s not just the title of this film, it’s a form of the question you’ll be asking repeatedly during the film’s runtime, until you eventually reach a climax of desperation and cry out for all to hear, “For the love all that is good and pure in this world, when will it end?” Not soon enough, my friend. Not soon enough.

Should you find yourself watching this torturously stupid sequel to 2005’s Are We There Yet?, all I can say is, you should have known better. While opinions about movies are subjective, this one’s a special case that allows me to say with 100% confidence: if you liked Are We Done Yet? you deserve a big ol’ smack upside the head.

Meet the Fockers (HD DVD)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on August 16th, 2007

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In the day and age of sequels being thrown at us like lies from the media, the idea of a sequel surpassing its predecessor rarely occurs. I can only think of a few films that have achieved such a title. Titles like Aliens, The Bourne Supremacy and the recent comedy sequel Meet the Fockers are perfect examples, the latter which is actually funny and charming instead of being cruel and rather mean like the first.

Darkman Trilogy

Posted in Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on August 12th, 2007

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There are often stories about burn patients who lose part of their face or leave their other body parts horribly disfigured. It is sad and unfortunate. But what if you had horrible chemical and fire burns and had to take refuge in warehouses and underground? You had the strength of ten men, but could create a mask that you could use to duplicate your enemies or be the man you used to be? However, that face only lasted 99 minutes. This is the story of Darkman. A trilogy of movies that developed a cult following for its subject matter and campy presentation. Part action, part sci-fi, part thriller. But a great time as long as you left your brain at the door.
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Erin Brockovich (HD DVD)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on August 12th, 2007

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Erin Brockovich tells a story based on a true series of event. Erin (Julie Roberts in her Oscar winning role) has a tough life. Sheâ€™s a single mother of three kids, her two ex-husbands left her not supporting her or her children, she canâ€™t seem to find any work due to her lack of education, and she has $16 in her bank account. Life seems to be continuing on a downward spiral for Erin. Things start looking up when she is practically handed a job by her defense lawyer Ed Marsy (Albert Finney). Itâ€™s here that Erin stumbles upon a case involving PG&E, a $28 billion company that had been disposing a chemical into the local water supply of a nearby town called Hinkley, California.

Taxi Driver

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on August 9th, 2007

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There must be very few people out there who havenâ€™t seen Taxi Driver or at the very least muttered the words, â€œyou talking to me?â€ Regardless, this thirty year old film is easily a classic, and still on the top of many critics lists. It marked the blooming of an epic and ongoing relationship between Robert DeNiro and Martin Scorsese, the spawn of Jodie Fosterâ€™s career and arguably Harvey Keitelâ€™s as well. At any rate Taxi Driver managed to receive four Academy award nominations as well as gaining a huge cult following. I donâ€™t think itâ€™s a surprise that Iâ€™ve already seen and love this movie, but how does the newly released DVD pan out?
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Hard Boiled

Posted in Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on August 6th, 2007

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In the United States, we tend to take for granted; influences. In the case of movies, we take certain film styles for granted. We just figure that they always existed. Doesn’t really matter where they came from, we just know we like that style of movie; over and over and over again. Enter Hard Boiled, a 1992 film directed by John Woo. This featured Chow Yun-Fat as Tequila, a hard nosed cop who is on a quest to derail an arms smuggling ring that has both cops and innocent civilians dead in its wake.
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Being John Malkovich (HD DVD)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on August 4th, 2007

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(Non-format specific portions of this review are culled from my review of said film, so enjoy or read elsewhere.)

In watching Being John Malkovich again recently, for the first time in awhile, the thing I was struck by is how unique it is (duh!). It doesnâ€™t try too hard at being different, to the point that itâ€™s going to suck, everything is matter of fact, and itâ€™s hilarious. Its characters are flawed, but we feel for some of them a great deal. Itâ€™s funny, itâ€™s touching, itâ€™s dramatic, it works on many levels.

Daddy’s Little Girls (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on August 3rd, 2007

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Monty (Idris Elba, 28 Weeks Later) is a father struggling for custody of his three children. This has become of utmost importance to him especially since his ex wife is involved with a local drug dealer. He enlists the help of attorney Julia (Gabriel Union, Bad Boys 2) to get his children back. Of course sparks begin to fly between the two, and the children seem to take the backseat. Iâ€™ve seen this type of movie way too many times before, and I would be completely content if I didnâ€™t have to again.
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The War (HD DVD)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on August 2nd, 2007

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The War tells the story of newly returned Vietnam soldier Stephen Simmons (Kevin Costner). Steve is the father of Stu (Elijah Woods) and Lidia (Lexi Randall) and wants nothing more than to show them the meaning of life and what it (really what HE) can provide them. The only problem is that Steve isnâ€™t getting the adequate funds a soldier should receive. Bouncing from job to job because of his mental history (heâ€™s had numerous flashbacks to the war), the family struggles daily to survive. The children seem to be mixed on their father with Stu loving him, but Lidia calling him a loser.

Daddy’s Little Girls

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on August 1st, 2007

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Tyler Perry, best known for Madea’s Family Reunion, is responsible for yet another film in Lionsgate’s line of movies about nice black people. In Daddy’s Little Girls, the writer-director explores the conflict between the ghetto-class African Americans we’ve seen so much of in films and the black middle- and upper-class we haven’t. While this aspect of the conflict is relatively fresh in cinema, what the premise really boils down to isÂ an age-old tale of love between princess and pauper.
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Disturbia (HD DVD)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on July 31st, 2007

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Disturbia looks to potentially be a classic thriller; it has the elements of a classic Hitchcock film, and a noteworthy cast. Although Iâ€™m not and never will be a fan of Shia LaBeouf I will admit he has sold me with his performances several times before, but does he have the talent to carry this movie? Regardless there are some other semi-reputable names cast in Disturbia including Carrie-Anne Moss and David Morse, so hereâ€™s to hoping that this flick isnâ€™t a waste of time.
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Meet Joe Black (HD DVD)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on July 29th, 2007

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Iâ€™ve been in this run lately where Iâ€™ve seen quite a bit of Brad Pittâ€™s dramatic work from his earlier days, before he decided to funk himself up (and earn the respect of young males everywhere with Fight Club), and in the sprawling film Meet Joe Black, he tackles a different take on a character with a respected cast and crew behind him.
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