Category: External Movie DVDs (Page 49 of 74)

An experimental film that tells its story through a handful of scenes scattered across its black canvas like an unfinished jigsaw puzzle, “The Tracey Fragments” isn’t particularly good or bad – it’s just really unique. Filmed in only 14 days (and looking every bit as under-produced), the movie stars Ellen Page as the titular character, a 15-year-old outcast who recalls the events of the past two days while riding in the back of a bus wearing only a shower curtain. Along the way, we learn all about Tracey’s search for her lost brother Sonny, her fractured relationship with her parents, her dreamlike visits to a transvestite therapist, and her schoolgirl crush on the new kid in town.

Based on the novel by Maureen Medved, “The Tracey Fragments” might just be the weirdest movie you’ll ever see. In fact, I’m willing to bet that of every 10 people that do see it, only half will make it through all 77 maddening minutes. It’s not that the film is especially hard to follow, but it’s just not the kind of movie that most people care to see. The presentation is interesting, but it begins to wear on you as you’re forced to watch the same scenes over and over from different angles. It’s also hard to keep track of what moment you’re supposed to be invested in, because while there are two or three good shots going on at once, they never quite add up to anything more. Director Bruce McDonald is clearly more interested in the technical aspect of the experiment than the story it’s supposed to help tell, and though Ellen Page delivers a good performance in the title role, it’s not one she’ll be remembered for.

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David Zucker should really think about not including the word “movie” in the title of his next spoof film, because even though he’s partly responsible for the series that breathed new life into the genre, it’s just getting too difficult to separate the bad (“Scary Movie”) from the ugly (anything by Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer). “Superhero Movie” is a spoof film done right – using the plotline of a single movie in order to create a coherent narrative – unlike the Friedberg/Seltzer method of pop culture overload. In this case, it’s the original “Spider-Man,” but instead of a radioactive spider, high school nerd Rick Riker (Drake Bell) is bitten by a genetically enhanced dragonfly. It doesn’t take long for him to recognize his newly gained superpowers, and before you know it, he’s posing as the green tights-wearing superhero Dragonfly. But when a supervillain known as Hourglass (Christopher McDonald) attempts to drain the life out of New York City so that he may become immortal, Dragonfly’s skills are put to the test as he must protect the woman (Sara Paxton) he loves. On par with the last two “Scary Movies,” “Superhero Movie” isn’t great, but it’s the funniest spoof released in years. Big props to writer/director Craig Malin for not only spoofing the Mecca of superhero movies (San Diego Comic-Con), but also including a song titled “Douchebag of the Year.” The additional superhero bits involving the X-Men and Fantastic Four (supposedly shot after initial production) are completely unnecessary, and the laughs decrease with each passing minute, but it’s exactly what fans of the genre have been waiting for.

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Fans of Bruce Lee might find a movie like “Finishing the Game” a little insulting, but considering the circumstances, it’s hard to imagine the real-life events occurred that much differently. After the shocking death of the martial arts star left his final project (“Game of Death”) unfinished, Hollywood producers set out on a worldwide search to find his replacement. Shot in the style of a mockumentary, “Finishing the Game” tells the behind-the-scenes story of five such candidates: Breeze Loo (Roger Fan), a successful B-movie action star; Cole Kim (Sung Kang), an aspiring actor managed by his girlfriend; Troy Poon (Dustin Nguyen), former star of the hit show “Golden Gate Guns”; Tarrick Tyler (McCaleb Burnett), a half-Caucasian, half-Asian equal rights activist; and Raja (Mousa Kraish), a doctor-turned-stunt double.

Though the laughs don’t come quite as frequent as you’d imagine a concept like this would serve up, “Finishing the Game” is an entertaining addition to director Justin Lin’s eclectic résumé. The reason it works as well as it does is because Lin has compiled a talented cast of Asian-American actors (most of which he’s worked with before) that are all on the same page. Sung Kang, specifically, delivers some of the film’s best moments (despite being given one of the weaker roles), while Dustin Nguyen’s parody of himself is worthy of a few giggles. Cameos by Leonard Nam (as the director’s dream replacement for Lee) and James Franco (as Nguyen’s suicidal co-star) are welcome surprises, while Roger Fan’s performance as the flashy and overconfident Breeze Loo (a melting pot of all those Bruce Lee knockoffs from the late 70s) steals the show.

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