Saturday, August 28, 2010

The Back-Up Plan



We first meet Zoe with her feet up in the stirrups at her gynecologist's office. At first I assumed this was just a regular check up, but she's being artificially inseminated in the very first scene of the movie. (This is one of the problems in the movie, but more on that in a bit.) We hear her thoughts about what she is doing and flashback to her friend, Mona, trying to talk her out of it, and her other friend, Clive, refusing to be the donor. She wants a baby and there isn't any potential husbands on the horizon, so she's going to be artificially inseminated. It's that simple.

She's given up finding "the one" and so she undergoes her first treatment, but wouldn't you know it, she almost immediately meets a man, Stan. They meet in a typically sitcom fashion (there's a disagreement over a cab) and there's instant chemistry, at least the script seems to think so.
They go out on a date, but she's worried about telling him about undergoing artificial insemination. At first she puts it off, because it is unlikely she got pregnant the first time. Turns out she did get pregnant, so she has to tell him. He freaks out a bit. They deal with it. They find out that not only is she pregnant, she's pregnant with twins. It's really panic time now. They get over it. Something else comes up. More panic. Etc., etc., etc.

That's enough of the plot. Quite frankly, it's a romantic comedy and anyone who has seen more than two examples of the genre will probably be able to guess the general story arc. Like I said, predictability is common in the genre and I'm not going to hold it against the movie. What I am going to hold against the movie is the lack of chemistry between the two leads. I never once believed their romance. Maybe that's because the film is written like a second-rate sitcom, the kind of sitcom that gives other sitcoms a bad name. It's always going for the easy laugh and no joke is too old to be repeated in this movie. (Did you know pregnant women having cravings for weird foods?) These are not real people we get to know and understand on some emotional level. They are simply caricatures who are there to float along with the plot, and deliver tired, cliché riddled jokes. There are entire scenes without a single joke that works. Worse yet, there are scenes without a single joke that's even recognizable as a joke.

The film is also hurt by a very, very weak start. The credits last about two minutes. We then see Zoe in the stirrups right away, the voiceover / flashbacks happen, and by the seven-minute mark, she's met Stan. Seven minutes into the movie, and we have all of the plot we are going to get. For the next 90 minutes they are just going through the paces.

Not everything is a write-off. Jennifer Lopez does have screen presence and in the right movie, she has what it takes to be a star. Of course, it has been a while since she's been in a movie like that. (I liked her in Shall We Dance?, but that came out more than five years ago.) She really needs to choose better roles than this.


Product Description

A ROMANTIC COMEDY CENTERED ON A WOMAN WHO CONCEIVES TWINS THROUGH ARTIFICIAL INSEMINATION, ONLY TO MEET THE MAN OF HER DREAMS ON THE VERY SAME DAY.

Product Details

  • Brand: SONY PICTURES HOME ENT
  • Released on: 2010-08-24
  • Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
  • Number of discs: 1
  • Formats: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
  • Running time: 106 minutes
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Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Dexter: The Fourth Season

If you haven't watched seasons 1 - 3 of Dexter yet, you have no idea what you're missing out on. For three days after the season 4 finale of Dexter aired on Showtime, the phrase "Dexter" was constantly in the top ten trends for most searched, most Tweeted, most blogged according to both Google and Twitter. Once you finally see the last episode of season 4, you'll completely understand why. 



Season four started in a bit of controversy among Dexter fans when it was announced that John Lithgow was tapped to play the season's arch-villain, the Trinity Killer. For those of us who were used to Lithgow's comedic performances in shows like Third Rock and Harry and the Hendersons, he didn't seem to fit the normal profile of a Dexter guest star. However, like the casting of Jimmy Smits as Miguel Prado, Lithgow pulls off the demeanor of a "Normal, everyday kind of guy" serial killer to a tee. 



The show starts up by reminding us that Dexter is now the family man - a brand new baby, a brand new wife, a brand new home in the suburbs, but the same ol' Dark Passenger. The struggle to constantly balance his false family facade with the urges of his darker side is the general theme of the season; and through most of the season it seems as if Dexter is doomed to failure as his family starts to fracture and his kills get sloppier. Enter the Trinity Killer - someone, who in Dexter's eyes is another possible mentor for himself. The Trinity Killer has been an enigma for over thirty years; never caught, never seen, and not even entirely believed to be real. Dexter finds the possibility of learning from the Trinity Killer as an opportunity he cannot let pass by. 

As with all of the seasons, there are quite a few subplots involving the other Dexter cast members, but all-in-all, other than the one including Quinn and Debra, they feel somewhat tacked on. However the main plot line this season is such a driving force that the weak subplots are quickly forgotten and forgiven. The subplots are all mostly of an romantic nature, including one between Capt. LaGuerta and Angel Batista, the reappearance of a retired Frank Lundy, and the romance between Quinn and Christine Hill. This season also finds Debra digging into her past and discovering what kind of man Harry Morgan really was - which needless to say, also leads her to learn more about her brother, Dexter. 


At the beginning of Season Four, you find Dexter juggling so many faces to figure out who he really is, and who he can be. By the end of Season Four, Dexter learns that the very act of juggling the different personas has changed his life forever. Season five has some big shoes to fill. 

Addressing the subject of DVD versus Blu-Ray, having been forced to watch Dexter on standard definition on various occasions when the cable company had some "glitches," I can safely recommend the high def over the standard versions. While you won't really "miss" anything by lacking the sharpness of the HD presentation, the atmosphere just seems much more poignant and dramatic in the high def videos. I should also mention that Dexter does take full advantage of surround sound, and it's pretty creepy when you can hear sounds off and around corners when watching Dexter sneak around to grab his next kill.


Product Details
  • Brand: PARAMOUNT HOME VIDEO
  • Released on: 2010-08-17
  • Rating: Unrated
  • Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
  • Number of discs: 4
  • Formats: AC-3, Box set, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
  • Original language: English
  • Dubbed in: Spanish
  • Running time: 632 minutes
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Sunday, August 22, 2010

Date Night

This movie had an excellent cast, and Carrel with Fey paired together was amazing. There were a few stars I didn't even know were in the film, particularly Ray Liotta. 

I'm not sure why there are so many negative reviews on this movie. I'm particularly a tough critic for movies, so I guess you either get the jokes or you don't and none of them had the intelligence level to get the jokes or maybe they were too serious to enjoy this movie and it's humor. I was rolling through the whole movie, especially during the credits with the extra scenes and gaffs. 




Tina Fey and Steve Carrel's characters I think are something we can all relate to, being married and feeling like things are just going stale, or worrying that maybe your relationship isn't up to par with your friends and co-workers' relationships. 




Hilarious movie, definitely worth seeing and definitely FIVE stars!







Product Description

IN NEW YORK CITY, A CASE OF MISTAKEN IDENTITY TURNS A BORED MARRIED COUPLE'S ATTEMPT AT A GLAMOROUS AND ROMANTIC EVENING INTO SOMETHING MORE THRILLING AND DANGEROUS.

Product Details

  • Amazon Sales Rank: #21 in DVD
  • Brand: TCFHE
  • Released on: 2010-08-10
  • Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
  • Number of discs: 1
  • Formats: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
  • Dimensions: .25 pounds
  • Running time: 88 minutes

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Tina Fey and Steve Carell are two of the most charming performers in entertainment today. Their goofy attractiveness makes them a perfect couple in Date Night: an unremarkable husband and wife from New Jersey, they get mistaken for crooks in Manhattan, sending them on a wild night replete with snooty wait staff, crooked cops, glitter-specked strippers, a shirtless superspy (Mark Wahlberg, as buff as ever), and a preposterous car chase. The movie makes no effort to be remotely plausible and the last third really goes off the rails, and it would probably be better served by less familiar faces in minor roles (bit parts are played by Mark Ruffalo, Kristen Wiig, Common, James Franco, Mila Kunis, William Fichtner, and Ray Liotta). It's disappointing that the dialogue doesn't crackle the way it does on 30 Rock or The Office. But Fey and Carell carry the movie along through sheer nerdy pluck. Rarely does a couple in a movie seem genuinely devoted to each other, not out of wild passion, but for all the things that a real marriage is built on: patience, shared humor, a willingness to deal with day-to-day annoyances, and simple affection. Fey and Carell seem like a couple you'd actually enjoy going out to dinner with. In today's world, that's more romantic than sunsets and bouquets of roses. --Bret Fetzer

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Thursday, August 19, 2010

Assassin Next Door, The

This excellent film - which is well written, directed, and acted - is the story of a woman who has to fight tenaciously to regain her freedom, and to redeem herself (in her own eyes). The central character, Galya, is charismatic and psychologically strong, but she made a terrible mistake four years previously and her subsequent life has become a nightmare - trapped by a criminal gang, forced first into prostitution, then into becoming a gangland assassin. Her fight for freedom is symbolized by her attempts to regain possession of her passport, and her quest for redemption is symbolised by her desire to return home (to the Ukraine) to a hoped-for happier life with her five-year-old daughter. While trying to save herself from the criminals, she attempts to save her friend from her friend's abusive husband. 


From the opening scene, where her eyes magnetically draw the viewer into Galya's world, Olga Kurylenko plays her part intelligently and skilfully. She's very good at emotional depth and complexity, and she convincingly projects Galya's conflicting emotions. Also well done is the way she shows Galya's fight for her life and her struggle to maintain her fundamental purity of heart, while being engulfed in the gang's earthly version of hell. She's superb at conveying feelings even when she's not interacting with the other characters. For example, on one wall of her apartment Galya creates a large drawing of herself and her child (it's a symbolic doorway to her paradise) and while she draws, Olga beautifully expresses the fleeting serenity of Galya's creativity, and the way it brings her closer to her daughter (in her imagination). 

Ninet Tayeb is excellent as Elinor, Galya's next-door neighbour. For example, there's a nice scene where Elinor tries to excuse her husband. Galya dismissively says "it's not your fault" but Ninet conveys in her eyes that Elinor thinks it really is her fault. Thus, by good acting she shows that Elinor is abused both externally (by her husband) and internally (by her inner critic). 

Writer/director Danny Learner cleverly structures the relationships of the characters by placing Galya at the centre, with everyone else in concentric circles around her. Galya is the sun, with Elinor in close orbit. The two women have fully developed characters, with faults as well a virtues. In the cold outer reaches of the film's solar system orbit the men, none of whom have any redeeming features: they have no love, no compassion, no sense of justice. Their only interest is in power (especially power over women). The gang leaders (well portrayed by Liron Levo as the heartless Roni, and Vladimir Friedman as the lyingly manipulative Mishka) are a collection of lost souls who have adopted enslavement and murder, including deliberate murder of the innocent, as a way of life. Their system of "business" would not be complete without its routine betrayals, and of course they betray Galya - the smaller betrayals building up to a larger betrayal. 

The film has lots of fine details. For example, the reality of Galya's life is nicely contrasted with idyllic dream sequences (which, nevertheless, are never quite free of anxiety) where she tries to reach her daughter. The interior physical space of her apartment is used as a metaphor for Galya's interior mental space - a place where she tries to find refuge and solace from external events which she can't control. The apartment is grim and mirrors the grimness of her life. But like her spirit, it also has the beautiful door to paradise - the picture on the wall, which symbolises Galya's hope of returning to a better life. 

The scenes where the women turn animosity into friendship, and later on friendship into love, are especially good. For example, early on Elinor manages to upset Galya very much by brusquely refusing her help, and a little later Elinor changes her mind and tries to befriend Galya, but by then Galya has her emotional armour in place and her response is frosty. Elinor has to work hard to break through to Galya, and Elinor/Ninet is irresistibly charming in thawing out Galya, and Galya/Olga is delightful in the way she lets herself be thawed out. In another scene, when they're on the bed together, there's a beautiful intimacy where the two women create a little bubble of love round themselves. It's a tender moment in a pair of desperate lives. Lyrical scenes like these constitute a humane slow movement in the violent symphony which is the rest of the film. 

The music is good and enhances the plot. 

I can't understand why such a good film hasn't been put on general release; it deserves to be much better known.







Product Description

In an old apartment building on the wrong side of the tracks, Galia and Eleanor share two things: an adjoining wall and a need to escape. Galia is an assassin, forced against her will to kill for the Mafia. She longs for her freedom and to reunite with her young daughter, whom she left back in Russia. Eleanor is a grocery store cashier who dreams of winning the lottery and running away from her abusive husband. The two women unite to take action against their oppressors in an action-packed fight for survival and freedom.

Product Details

  • Brand: First Look Pictures
  • Released on: 2010-08-17
  • Rating: R (Restricted)
  • Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
  • Number of discs: 1
  • Formats: Color, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
  • Original language: English
  • Dimensions: .25 pounds
  • Running time: 102 minutes
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Friday, August 13, 2010

Clash of the Titans

In ancient Greece, men have started to revolt against the gods, and the gods are not happy about this development. After a massive statue of Zeus (Liam Neeson) is dumped into the ocean, Zeus' brother, Hades (Ralph Fiennes), takes vengeance on the perpetrators, killing a family of innocent bystanders. The family includes the parents and sister of Perseus (Sam Worthington), who becomes our protagonist. Hades (who feeds off the fear and hatred of mankind) convinces Zeus (who basks in the love of mankind) to teach the silly humans a lesson. Zeus reluctantly agrees, and Hades begins a war upon the Kingdom of Argos. Only Perseus can prevent the destruction of Argos and save mankind.











"Clash of the Titans" is a bit silly at times, and like many movies of its ilk, it relies on an overly complicated back story that is related as a prologue. It's easy to lose interest and get lost before the story even gets started. However, the story here is not really that important when it comes right down to it. That'd be the sword fights, battles, and special effects. For an early summer popcorn movie, "Clash of the Titans" is above average. In particular, the special effects are quite well done without being overly fussy, especially the horrific monster, Kracken.











How does it compare to the original 1981 film on which it is based? The 1981 version has become a bit of a camp classic, replete with horrible acting and even worse special effects. However, it's also a rather fun movie (although I haven't seen it since I was a teenager). I'd say that this new version is less fun but much better directed and acted. Ralph Fiennes is actually quite good as Hades, even if his role consists mostly of appearing and then dissipating as a cloud of black smoke. I also liked the character of Io (Gemma Arterton) - Perseus's benevolent protector. Sam Worthington is not a particularly good action hero for me; he's a bit too bland and boring. However, he can act rings around the original Perseus, Harry Hamlin. I'd call the battle of the "Clashes" a draw. I did miss the mechanical owl, Bubo (look fast for his cameo!), but many people will find his absence a blessing. Incidentally, the movie was not available in 3-D in my area, so this review is for the 2-D version.







Product Details

  • Brand: Warner Brothers
  • Released on: 2010-07-27
  • Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
  • Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
  • Number of discs: 1
  • Formats: AC-3, Color, Dolby, DVD, Widescreen, Subtitled, NTSC
  • Original language: English, Spanish, French
  • Subtitled in: English, French, Spanish
  • Dimensions: .25 pounds
  • Running time: 106 minutes
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Friday, August 6, 2010

After.Life

Life can get interestingly hard. Especially when you die. Imagine, if you will, having a relationship you love. Then imagine seeing it fall apart right before you eyes as you find out that you are going to be left behind for a better job opprotunity. That means that you will be a failure like your mother told you, stuck in the life you always dispised, alone. 

And then it happens - you collide with a vehicle and find you are dead and can only sort this out with one person, the man making you perfect for the funeral you never wanted to attend. 







In After.Life., everything was laid out wonderfully and the movie kept a question coming back to you. Why is it that this man can see the dead when everyone else cannot? He doesn't really know the answer, saying only that it is a gift he had, but these people are dead - aren't they? They show all the signs of death, look dead to everyone else, and are either really easy to talk into something or are cold and corpsy. 






Its a good thing to watch and nice, especially considering how much of it hinges on two people talking. 







Had the two people been a different group, I might have disliked this movie. This was not the case, however, and I found that it seemed to know how to pull me in and keep its secrets until the end. And even the end - it is a cold movie with cold things to say, and that ending is especially unkind. 
Personally, I loved it and thought it was a great find considering it was just a movie I found with no real fanfare at all.








Product Details

  • Brand: Fox
  • Released on: 2010-08-03
  • Rating: R (Restricted)
  • Number of discs: 1
  • Formats: Color, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
  • Original language: English
  • Subtitled in: Spanish, English
  • Dimensions: .25 pounds
  • Running time: 104 minutes
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Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Cop Out (Blu-ray)



Product Description

Officers Jimmy Monroe and Paul Hodges have their weapons drawn on a gun-wielding killer. They agree to shoot on three. But, wait, does that mean 1…2…shoot or 1…2…3…then shoot? Punches hit hard and laughs hit harder (or is it the other way ’round?) when action star Bruce Willis and ace comic Tracy Morgan pair as bickering-but-got-your-back Brooklyn buddy cops. Kevin Smith (ClerksChasing Amy) directs the gritty, goofball goings-on as the guys hunt for a stolen 1952 mint-condition baseball card (Jimmy needs it to fund his daughter’s wedding), a hunt plunging them into a gunslinging war with a deadly drug ring. Batter up, fans. The boys are ready to take you out to the ol’ brawl game!

Product Details

  • Brand: Warner Brothers
  • Released on: 2010-07-20
  • Rating: R (Restricted)
  • Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
  • Number of discs: 1
  • Formats: Color, Dolby, Widescreen, DTS Surround Sound, Subtitled
  • Original language: English
  • Subtitled in: English, French, Spanish
  • Dimensions: .40 pounds
  • Running time: 107 minutes

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Fan-favorite filmmaker Kevin Smith (ClerksChasing Amy) directs the first movie he didn't write himself: Cop Out, starring Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan (30 Rock) as mismatched cops. When a bust goes wrong, they get suspended, forcing Willis to sell a treasured baseball card in order to pay for his daughter's wedding. But while selling the card, it gets stolen, sending the pair on a wild chase featuring a parkour-loving housebreaker, a hot Latina trapped in the trunk of a Mercedes-Benz, a 10-year-old car thief, and a lot of other goofiness. It's hard to believe that Smith didn't have a hand in the writing, as the comedy has all of his loose, ramshackle habits (and his reliance on jokes about poop and male genitalia)--though much of it also has the feel of being improvised by Willis and Morgan. Cop Out wants to mock buddy-cop movies, but it also wants to bea buddy-cop movie; these conflicting impulses are never harmonized, so the whole movie feels out of tune. The star-studded supporting cast includes Jason Lee, Michelle Trachtenberg, Seann William Scott, Fred Armisen, Kevin Pollak, Adam Brody, Rashida Jones, and Susie Essman. --Bret Fetzer




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