DVD Releases

Anne Hathaway nearly earned herself an Oscar for her stunning performance in Rachel Getting Married, but she also starred in another 2008 movie, the little-known Passengers. A thriller about a young psychologist who is assigned to deal with the survivors of a jet liner crash only to find that the survivors not only have conflicting stories about the events but that they are apparently being hunted by the government, Passengers had potential… But there’s a reason why no one has heard of this movie.

Passengers barely received a theatrical release and almost no promotion; the trailers were downright terrible. Still, the movie has a strong cast including Hathaway, Patrick Wilson and a few others, so it was worth a chance – though I only watched it because Sony sent me the DVD to review. Unfortunately, Passengers is exactly what I suspected; a forgettable, dull thriller.

Read the rest of the Passengers movie review.

One of the leaders during the Academy Award race, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button came away with “only” three minor awards, its thunder reduced to a whisper by the underdog-that-never-really-was Slumdog Millionaire.  The movie, which stars Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett and is directed by David Fincher, is now available on DVD.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button was a very good movie, but the more I think about it, the more overrated I realize it is. While the concept is ingenious and the performances excellent, the movie lacks real conflict and just sort of plods along without tremendous drama or humor. Written by Eric Roth, who wrote Munich and, more importantly, the very similiar Forrest Gump, the movie just pales in comparison. In other words, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button doesn’t live up to its full potential.

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Mickey Rourke and The Wrestler arrive on DVD this Tuesday, April 21, 2009. Rourke, easily considered the biggest comeback kid of 2008 – if not the 21st century – went from career obscurity to major Oscar contender overnight with his tragic performance as an aging professional wrestler in Darren Aronofsky’s masterpiece.

The Wrestler was denied Oscar nominations for Best Picture and Best Director despite the movie’s superiority to the other films in the race. Frankly, this one makes Slumdog Millionaire look like a TV movie – but voters tend to like the feel-good over the flat-out brilliant. Thankfully, the movie garnered some attention through Rourke’s close race with Sean Penn for Best Actor – and Marisa Tomei’s Oscar-nominated performance.

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A little known movie called No Country for Old Men came out a couple years back, raked in a few random awards and then settled into obscurity. With few critics or audiences avidly backing the film, the movie disappeared quickly, taking with it its shoddy acting and direction. Good riddance.

Alas, Miramax believes it can make a few more dollars on the unsuspecting moviegoer, as they are about to release on Tuesday a 3-Disc Collector’s Edition. You can read my full No Country for Old Men movie review, where I fault the picture for a variety of things including its lack of excitement, questionable acting – especially by the awful Javier Bardem – and horrific direction by the Coen brothers, or you can read on for my review of this new DVD collection…

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Doubt arrives on DVD this coming Tuesday, April 7, 2009. This chilling movie features the best collective performances of 2008 by far, and even if the movie were worse than The Love Guru, it would be worth it to see the actors involved.

Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams and Viola Davis were all nominated for their performances, and director John Patrick Shanley was nominated for his adaptation of his screenplay. The movie, about a nun who suspects that a popular young priest is in fact a pedophile, is one of 2008′s best, and better than Slumdog Millionaire. Yes, better than Slumdog Millionaire. And it’s not even close.

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When I first heard about Bedtime Stories, it sounded like a disaster. You take Adam Sandler, the bane of parents everywhere for delivering inappropriate and idiotic humor to their children, and put him in a PG-rated Disney flick, thus circumcising away what makes him so popular among his fan base: I smell mega-flop. But with a Christmas-time release date and some imagination, Bedtime Stories turned into a surprise hit, and deservedly so.

Adam Shankman has a knack for taking adult-oriented actors and making successful children’s comedies out of them. While I’m not a fan of Bringing Down the House, The Pacifier or Cheaper by the Dozen 2, the director has a talent for turning the likes of Steve Martin and Vin Diesel into children’s actors. Still, it was hard to imagine that Sandler’s fan base would accept him in a kid’s flick, or that parents would want to take their children to something featuring him. Nevertheless, Shankman has made the impossible possible; Bedtime Stories is funny, entertaining and utterly harmless, exactly what a Disney comedy should be.

Read the rest of the Bedtime Stories movie review.

Will Smith is one of the most consistent box office forces there is. Even his intentionally misspelled 2007 drama The Pursuit of Happyness went on to make well over $100 million in the United States.

So, the odds were good that his 2008 follow-up Seven Pounds, which is directed by the same man, Gabriele Muccino, would continue Smith’s streak of consecutive $100-million earners.

Unfortunately for Smith – though we can hardly feel sorry for his rare flop – audiences read right through the obscure previews and opted to not see the flick – or at least wait until DVD. It was a good choice.

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The Best Picture of 2008, at least according to some unnamed Academy, arrives on DVD and Blu-Ray on March 31, 2009 – and is sure to be as big of a hit as it was in theaters. While I would argue that Fox’s decision to release Slumdog Millionaire on DVD while it is still going strong in theaters is rather stupid, it is here nonetheless, and I am going to review it.

Slumdog Millionaire is a true rags-to-riches story, not just due to its plot but its against-the-odds path to the golden statue of excellence. The film was once owned by another studio and was almost given a direct-to-DVD release before being passed on to Fox Searchlight. The fact that a movie like this almost went straight to DVD makes one wonder what other great films have been left to waste away on the shelves of Blockbuster (though history dictates that most movies that go straight to DVD deserved to do so).

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One of the greatest – or oddest – on-screen couples of all time returns to DVD in a Centennial Collection edition. Yes, it’s Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon, and they are The Odd Couple.

In The Odd Couple, Lemmon plays Felix Ungar, a man who just been kicked by his wife. Left to fend for himself, he ponders suicide until he is taken in by his friend Oscar Madison (Matthau), a divorcee who lives simply and like a slob. Felix seems to be the perfect complement to this, as he’s a clean freak verging on obsessive compulsive. Unfortunately, Felix’s mannerisms begin to gnaw at Oscar’s soul…

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The hit James Bond action flick Quantum of Solace speeds its way onto DVD and Blu-Ray this coming Tuesday, March 24, 2009 in a two-disc special edition. The follow-up to the immensely popular reboot Casino Royale finds us with a new director, an angrier Bond and of course a new set of Bond girls, and the combination is a bit of a disappointment.

While perfectly fine as a non-stop action movie, Quantum lacks the craftsmanship and character development of its predecessor, which was honed by the direction of Martin Campbell. Marc Forster, having never directed such an action film before, was an odd choice to helm the follow-up, and his style is largely a poor knock-off of Campbell’s direction. Funnily enough, in one of the special features on the DVD, Forster explains that his approach is to just “throw everything on the screen,” which explains the lack of deleted scenes – and the senseless barrage of action in the movie.

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If you missed Role Models in theaters… what the hell is wrong with you? The Paul Rudd/Seann William Scott comedy is one of the funniest of 2008, as long as you like Judd Apatow kind of humor. Apatow, by the way, is not involved in this movie, but McLovin’ from Superbad is. Oh, and Elizabeth Banks. And Jane Lynch, who is absolutely hilarious.

Role Models is about two guys who work for an energy drink company who, after getting in an accident, are forced to do community service at a Big Brother/Big Sister-esque organization called Sturdy Wings. The two are paired with two troubled children, the antisocial McLovin’ who is most interested in medieval warfare and a foul-mouthed youngster who is… well, foul-mouthed. While at first at odds with their “littles,” they soon form a bond with the kids.

Sounds touching, doesn’t it? Well, it’s also an R-rated, profanity-laden laughfest, so if you’re looking for a nice family comedy, look elsewhere. Role Models comes to DVD this Tuesday, March 10, 2009, and the one-disc DVD comes with both the theatrical and unrated version. As one would expect from the unrated version, Universal simply tacked on three extra minutes to make it such. In other words, don’t expect anything too amazing that you didn’t see in the original version.

As far as bonus features go, the DVD does include a lot of deleted and alternate scenes. Unfortunately, save for a few, most of these were deleted for good reason. While fun to watch, very few are particularly funny or worthwhile. Thankfully, there are also some blooper, which do provide some good laughs.

In addition to a feature commentary with director David Wain, an on-the-set featurette gives a brief glimpse at what was going on behind the camera. I just watched this an hour ago and don’t remember anything about it.

The funniest items on the disc are a group of improvised interviews with some of the characters, mainly those from the medieval warfare game. Some of these characters are pretty funny, and the actors seem to have fun offering one last extension to their creations before they are retired forever.

Role Models is a great movie that’s worth owning, but the bonus features do little to push those on the cusp over the edge. You can watch all of the special features in half an hour, and very few of them offer any real laughs.

Primal Fear is one of the best courtroom dramas in the history of cinema. Not only does it feature great performances by Richard Gere and Laura Linney, but it also marks the debut of a talented young man named Edward Norton – some of you may know him. His startling performance earned him an Oscar nomination as the stuttering murder defendant and put him on the map as one of the best actors on the scene. Even better, Primal Fear features one of the best twist endings to ever grace the silver screen.

Needless to say, I like this movie. I like this movie a lot. And since Paramount Pictures just sent me the all-new Hard Evidence Edition, I now have two versions of the DVD.

This latest release of the 1996 thriller doesn’t offer enough bonus features to warrant repurchasing the picture, but Paramount has packaged a couple of short featurettes to accompany this amazing film:

• The Final Verdict – this 17-minute featurette examines the making of the film, with a focus on the challenges the crew went through to get it made. Though Richard Gere was signed on to star, he almost backed out due to a lack of a convincing script. Once the script was rectified, the director and producer faced the challenge of selling a $30-million film with only one recognizable name to the studio. Furthermore, setting up the story in a way that the twist ending would remain hidden required the right mixture of acting, writing and directing. The featurette is short, but does offer some sincere interviews with everyone involved, save Gere.
• Star Witness – Casting Edward Norton – the other 17-minute featurette on the DVD focuses on how Norton came to be casted in this role. This interesting segment of interviews has Norton talking about his experience of going into the initial audition with no expectation of landing the role through his wide-eyed realization that he’s been offered the part. This featurette offers some insights I wasn’t aware of and also offers more sincere interviews with Norton, the director and the casting director.
• The Psychology of Guilt – this 13-minute featurette explores the legal ramifications of multiple personality disorder and whether it actually exists or not. While short, the featurette is smartly put together and tackles a lot of different aspects of the alleged disorder. It was good enough to compel me to look up the Hillside Strangler(s) and a few other serial killers who all seem to have crossed paths with my alma mater’s town, Bellingham, WA.
• The original theatrical trailer and a commentary with the director, writer, producer and casting director are also included.

In all, there are only 47 minutes worth of raw bonus features – hardly enough to warrant an all-new edition. Yet, those 47 minutes are packed full of insightful interviews with most of the big names involved in the picture. My only real fault with the DVD is the DVD cover… the cheesy crime scene layout makes the picture look like some B-grade action flick rather a quality drama. Still, if you don’t own Primal Fear, this would be a good time to buy. The Hard Evidence Edition comes to stores on March 10, 2009, available in both DVD and Blu-Ray formats.

Choke arrives on DVD on Tuesday, February 17. Though the movie is from writer Chuck Palahnuik, who is best known for Fight Club, this movie isn’t anything that classic, and as such, fans may be disappointed. Nevertheless, for what it is, it works, offering some entertaining dark comedy about sex addicts and a delusional mother.

You can read my full Choke movie review here. As decent as the movie is, the DVD is nothing to scream about. While at first glance there are a lot of special features, most were made to make it look like the DVD is worth buying. Aside from some deleted scenes and one short featurette on the film’s casting, most of the bonus features are a complete waste of time.

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Loyal readers should know that I’m an atheist. And as an atheist, I’m a big fan of Bill Maher’s documentary Religulous. It’s not that I think the movie is an incredible documentary that will convert believers – after all, believers wouldn’t come within ten feet of this movie – but it makes some pretty valid points…  Most importantly, it makes the point that religion doesn’t make any sense. It never did, and it never will.

Religulous (read my Religulous movie review here) arrives on DVD next Tuesday, February 17, and with it a few bonus features including an audio commentary and a slew of deleted scenes. I haven’t listened to the audio commentary, but plan to: after all, Bill Maher should make for a good commentary. The deleted scenes are actually several deleted segments, each of which focus on a different set of people that were entirely removed from the movie. There are some funny moments found in these segments, though it’s understandable why they were removed from the final picture; some of them aren’t that entertaining, and the others are redundant when placed against existing scenes.

Unfortunately, the polygamist wives segment is surprisingly short; I would have liked to see more of them.

Complementing the deleted scenes are several “Bill Maher rants,” which feature the comedian speaking to the camera about why certain religious facets don’t make sense. Some variations are included in the movie itself, but there are several new segments that raise some good points.

All in all, I was a little disappointed to not find more deleted scenes on the disc; I would have imagined that a lot of good material was cut from existing segments (most notably at Jesus Land or whatever that place was called). Nevertheless, the Religulous DVD offers a decent set of features given the type of movie it is – I wouldn’t have expected much more.

For moderates or the downright non-believers, Religulous is a must-see. As entertaining as it is, it’s not worth purchasing – unless you plan to show it to a bunch of children to spread the truth.

The new Friday the 13th movie comes to theaters this Friday, just in time for Valentine’s Day. From the director of the surprisingly good Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake, the movie is destined to be the best of the franchise, even if by default. After all, let’s face it: the Friday the 13th series is terrible. Compared to all of the other big horror franchises such as Nightmare on Elm Street and Halloween, this series is C-grade garbage.

Of course, that didn’t stop me from watching the first three movies over the weekend. Why? Because Paramount sent me the new DVDs, which were just re-released on February 3, 2009 to take advantage of the new film. I watched all three in a 24-hour span, and have to say that they’re better than I remembered… but not by much.

Here are my Friday the 13th movie reviews…

• Friday the 13th (1980)
  I came home from a long day at work earlier this week and there, sitting on my doorstep, was the first three Friday the 13th movies. In conjunction with the upcoming release of the new Friday the 13th remake, Paramount is understandably trying to cash in by re-releasing several of the films on DVD. Despite loving slasher flicks, I’ve never been a fan of the series, but that night, with nothing better to do other than watch the utterly boring Miracle at St. Anna, I figured I might give the franchise another chance. More…
• Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981)
  Having just received the first three Friday the 13th movies in the mail the other day, it didn’t take me long to start watching them. In fact, about five minutes after I finished the first movie, I went right onto the second, eager for some Jason goodness. Of course, ‘Jason goodness’ is relative, given that Friday the 13th is one of the worst horror franchises on the market. More…
• Friday the 13th Part III: In 3D (1982)
  The wonderful director who made Friday the 13th Part 2 returns to direct Friday the 13th Part 3: 3-D. Unfortunately, he didn’t learn from his mistakes and Part 3 is shockingly worse than the last one. More…