Category: Movie DVD Quicktakes (Page 14 of 41)

The Goods

December 10, 2009 / Jason Zingale

You know that a movie isn’t very good when the studio comes running to you with an interview opportunity after opening weekend (speaking of which, check out Will Harris’ chat with producer Adam McKay), but although “The Goods” may not be very funny, it’s still a better-than-expected comedy thanks to its ensemble cast. Jeremy Piven stars as Don Ready, a smooth-talking car salesman who’s made a living by conning his way to the next big sale. But when his traveling team of liquidating specialists (including Ving Rhames, David Koechner and Kathryn Hahn) is hired to save a flailing dealership by selling every car on the lot, Don discovers that the job might be too big even for him. Though the idea is ripe for some pretty funny material, the story feels a little too safe compared to the crude humor that appears throughout. Thankfully, director Neal Brennan is completely unforgiving of the film’s vulgar tone, and it ends up working to its benefit. Piven’s confident, fast-talking schtick is tailor-made for the lead role, but it’s character actors likes Ken Jeong, Rob Riggle (playing a 10-year-old boy with a pituitary disorder), and Craig Robinson who end up stealing the show. “The Goods” isn’t for everyone, but for fans of the comedians involved, it’s probably worth checking out.

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Adam McKay Craig Robinson Don Ready Jeremy Piven Ken Jeong Neal Brennan Rob Riggle The Goods The Goods DVD review

The Limits of Control

November 29, 2009 / Jason Zingale

Jim Jarmusch’s latest film, “The Limits of Control,” has been categorized as a thriller, and I’m not really sure why. You see, to qualify for that genre, not only does there need to be some kind of underlying tension in the story, but an actual story needs to exist. There are crumbs of plot development scattered throughout – something to do with a man (Isaach De Bankolé) sent to Spain on a secret mission – but it goes nowhere fast as the audience is forced to watch him perform menial tasks like sleeping, meditating, and waiting around for his next contact. All of the people he meets with greet him the same way, and one of them – a lustful woman played by Paz de la Huerta – is completely naked throughout, seemingly for no particular reason other than to tempt Bankolé’s reserved assassin. This has to be one of the dullest films ever made. Jarmusch isn’t so much telling a story as basking in the beauty of Spain, and though Christopher Doyle’s cinematography is as gorgeous as ever, it’s the film’s only redeeming trait. Falling somewhere between “Coffee and Cigarettes” and “Ghost Dog” in tone, “The Limits of Control” is simply too pretentious for its own good. You’d be wise to keep the remote nearby for this one, because you’ll be fast-forwarding more than you’d like to admit.

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Christopher Doyle Coffee and Cigarettes Ghost Dog Isaach De Bankole Jim Jarmusch Paz de la Huerta The Limits of Control The Limits of Control review

Blood Sweat + Gears: Racing Clean to the Tour de France

November 12, 2009 / Jim Washington

When the weather turns chilly, most cyclists accept the reality of more time on the indoor trainer as a way to stay in shape. The trainer is effective, but boring, so a DVD player helps. Watching anything makes the time go by quicker, but some folks like cycling-specific fare such as Tour de France highlights or one of the few cycling movies like “Breaking Away.” Somewhere in between is the cycling documentary “Blood, Sweat & Gears: Racing Clean to the Tour de France,” which premiered on the Sundance Channel earlier this year. The movie follows the upstart Garmin-Chipotle Slipstream team, a ragtag group which includes a famous ex-doper, fading names and rising stars (plus a guy nicknamed “Meatball”) all with one goal – get invited to cycling’s premier race completely clean in a sport tainted by drugs. It’s an entertaining behind-the-scenes look at the intense training and racing, which can wreck dreams, marriages and careers. The movie’s secret weapon is team director Jonathan Vaughters, a profane and painfully honest cheerleader/coach/pr man who isn’t afraid to ask questions of his riders such as “what the fuck are you thinking?”

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Blood Sweat + Gears Blood Sweat + Gears: Racing Clean to the Tour de France Christian Vande Velde David Millar Jonathan Vaughters Nick Davis Racing Clean to the Tour de France

Blood: The Last Vampire

October 28, 2009 / Jason Zingale

Based on the anime of the same name, “Blood: The Last Vampire” isn’t exactly a terrible film, but it’s pretty bad considering it was actually given a theatrical release. Set in the 1970s, the story follows a half-human/half-vampire demon hunter named Saya (South Korean film star Jeon Ji-hyun, now going by the stage name Gianna) as she tracks down the head bloodsucker who murdered her father. When her undercover identity is blown by a military brat (Allison Miller), however, she’s forced to play babysitter as she prepares for the biggest battle of her life. I’m not exactly sure how Miller continues to get work, because although she has a much better understanding of the English language than her Asian co-star, she fumbles over her lines like she’s the one in need of a dialogue coach. That might be forgiven if the special effects weren’t so noticeably low-budget, but between the CG blood that sprays out of every character and the gargoyle-like creatures that the vampires transform into, this film has B-movie written all over it. So why the generous rating? Because in the right hands, this could have been a half-decent movie. The stylish swordfights alone make “Blood: The Last Vampire” more entertaining than it should be, but it’s still only worth seeing if you’re a fan of the anime.

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Allison Miller Blood: The Last Vampire Blood: The Last Vampire review Gianna Jeon Ji-hyun vampire anime vampire films

Triangle

October 22, 2009 / Jason Zingale

“Triangle” is one of those films where the concept is more promising than the final product. Told in three 30-minute segments — with each one helmed by a different director — the movie stars Simon Yam, Louis Koo and Sun Hong Lei as a trio of drinking buddies who are down on their luck. But when a mysterious man approaches them one night with information about an ancient treasure buried underneath a government building, the three friends attempt to pull off the perfect heist. Unfortunately, just about everything that can go wrong does, and while that certainly makes for an engaging crime thriller, it’s also the film’s biggest problem. There are simply too many people with their hands in the pot, from the three directors (Tsui Hark, Ringo Lam and Johnnie To) to the six writers credited for the script. As such, the story is confusing as hell at first, testing the audience’s patience with very little background info and numerous subplots. By the time Lam’s second third has run its course, however, the pieces are all in place for a tension-packed final act that To masterfully directs with equal parts action, comedy and drama. “Triangle” isn’t one of their finest films, but fans of the directors will no doubt enjoy watching how it evolves in the hands of some of Hong Kong’s greatest filmmakers.