Category: Movie DVD Quicktakes (Page 19 of 41)

12 Rounds

June 30, 2009 /

Renny Harlin used to be good for the occasional guilty pleasure in the 90s (“Die Hard 2,” “The Long Kiss Goodnight”), but lately, he’s become little more than a go-to guy for genre flicks better off being released straight to DVD. In his latest film, Harlin teams up with WWE Superstar John Cena in an action thriller so ridiculous that its shameless forgery of “Die Hard with a Vengeance” will be the least of your worries. Cena stars as Danny Fisher, a New Orleans detective whose girlfriend (Ashley Scott) is kidnapped by a dangerous terrorist (Aidan Gillen) he arrested a year before. Now, he must play a twisted game with the criminal (lasting 12 rounds, natch) if he ever wants to see his girlfriend again. The idea that someone as threatening to national security could even break out of prison is a bit of a joke, but the story is filled with so many of these silly coincidences that you eventually have to just let it go – especially when Cena’s character is allowed to practically destroy an entire city in the name of saving a single life. The dialogue is terrible as expected, but what will really surprise viewers is just how dull the action scenes are. Cena might not be a good actor, but his previous effort, “The Marine,” at least had a couple of cool set pieces to keep you entertained. Unfortunately, “12 Rounds” can’t even offer that.

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Action Movies, External Movie DVDs, Movie DVD Quicktakes, Movie DVDs, Movies

Rip! A Remix Manifesto

June 25, 2009 /

A movie about the art form of mash-ups that features mash-ups of the movie within the movie itself? We’re pretty sure we just heard the space/time continuum begin to rip at the prospect. Director Brett Gaylor attempts to make sense of the intellectual property laws that allow some musicians to steal riffs and make millions (Led Zeppelin, the Stones), while other, more cutting-edge musicians are branded as criminals (Girl Talk), and the end result is “Rip! A Remix Manifesto,” a wake-up call to Big Media that, whether they like or not, the rules have changed. Gaylor declares Walt Disney to be the first mash-up artist, and absolutely pummels publishing company Warner-Chappell for refusing to let “Happy Birthday” to enter the public domain (it’s true: if you sing that song, ever, you’re a thief), and for suing Radiohead fans for mash-ups once W-C acquired the rights to In Rainbows. Truth be told, the doc isn’t quite a five-star affair – we were frankly surprised that he didn’t mention when John Fogerty was sued for ripping off one of his own songs – but we’re giving it an extra star because “Rip!” addresses an issue that needs to be sorted out sooner rather than later. Indeed, one could argue that the music industry’s very survival depends on it.

Click to buy “Rip! A Remix Manifesto”

Documentaries, External Movie DVDs, Movie DVD Quicktakes, Movie DVDs, Movies

Nobel Son

June 20, 2009 /

Writer/director Randall Miller must be a great guy to work with. That’s the only possible explanation for how he managed to snag such an amazing cast for “Nobel Son,” a headache-inducing thriller every bit deserving of its direct-to-DVD sentence. Though Miller isn’t exactly new to the business (he directed his share of bad comedies in the 90s), it’s still quite a feat to go from the land of made-for-TV movies to working with the likes of Alan Rickman in back-to-back projects. Their 2008 film, “Bottle Shock,” was one of the best reviewed entries at Sundance last year, but just because “Nobel Son” is about an award doesn’t mean it’s on the same level.

Rickman plays Dr. Eli Michaelson, a narcissitic college chemistry professor who is delighted to discover that he’s won the Nobel Prize. While away in Stockholm to accept his award, his disappointment of a son, Barkley (Bryan Greenberg), is kidnapped and ransomed for $2 million. The kidnapper (Sean Hatosy) claims that Eli stole the award-winning idea from his own father, and he’ll do whatever it takes to make him pay. Of course, it’s what happens after the initial kidnapping that really matters, but to say any more would be to spoil the film’s only redeeming quality: the web of twists that begins to unravel around the midway point. Unfortunately, the movie is so damn irritating during the first hour – from the shaky camera movements and blazing fast edits to the Paul Oakenfold techno club soundtrack – that it never has the chance to win back the audience. Miller should stick to more low-key projects like “Bottle Shock,” because his embarrassment of a Guy Ritchie impersonation just isn’t going to cut it.

Click to buy “Nobel Son”

Actors, Actresses, External Movie DVDs, Movie Dramas, Movie DVD Quicktakes, Movie DVDs, Movies

Fatal Attraction

June 3, 2009 /

Despite a premise that reads like a sci-fi film – Michael Douglas steps outside his marriage to Anne Archer with Glenn Close? In the peak of her “George Washington with a perm” phase, no less? – “Fatal Attraction” is actually a tremendously effective sexual thriller, one that remains not only a high point of the genre, but the apex of director Adrian Lyne’s career. Lyne, who has a tendency to get lost in his own fog machines, puts his visual brilliance to good use here, mixing in the usual stuff (billowing curtains, colored lights, smoke) with a delicately crafted, steadily building tension and a trio of excellent performances from Douglas, Close, and Archer. Misogynistic? Perhaps. Deserving of a Best Picture nomination? Doubtful. Two hours of sleek, (mostly) believable thrills? Absolutely.

The new Blu-ray transfer gives the movie a gorgeous 1080p facelift and a 5.1 Dolby TrueHD audio mix, but not much else; though “Fatal Attraction” comes with a healthy selection of bonus materials, including a commentary track from Lyne, an alternate ending, screen test footage, and some featurettes discussing the making of the film and its social impact, they’re all holdovers from the last DVD reissue, which is going for under $10 new at Amazon. What it boils down to – as seems to be the case all too often with these catalog Blu-ray titles – is whether you think it’s worth an extra $10-$15 to watch the movie in high-def. Unless you’ve always wanted to count the hairs on a boiled rabbit, your money is probably better spent elsewhere.

Click to buy “Fatal Attraction”

External Movie DVDs, External Movies, Movie DVD Quicktakes, Movie DVDs, Movies

Spring Breakdown

May 29, 2009 /

“Spring Breakdown” has been circling the movie release schedule for what seems like years now. After numerous date changes, though, the Ryan Shiraki-directed comedy finally appeared set for release following its premiere at Sundance, only to be dumped on to DVD a few months later. Though it didn’t get rave reviews in Park City, it wasn’t too harshly criticized either, which makes me wonder why Warner Bros. didn’t at least give the movie a limited run in theaters. After all, the film stars two of the best comediennes in the business and features a plot that, while not very original, offers plenty of opportunities for its leading ladies to shine.

Indie darling Parker Posey stars as Becky St. Germaine, the homely office manager of Texas senator “Kay Bee” Hartman (Jane Lynch), who’s heavily favored to replace the current Vice President after a scandal forces him to resign. Afraid that her daughter, Ashley (Amber Tamblyn), will attract negative press while partying on South Padre Island for spring break, Hartman assigns Becky to go undercover and keep Ashley out of trouble. Along for the ride are Becky’s childhood friends, Gayle and Judi (Amy Poehler and Rachel Dratch, respectively), both of whom are looking for a second chance at reliving their college years. What follows is your standard series of comedy shenanigans, and while many of them aren’t funny, the movie is still harmless fun. It’s not nearly as good as the quality of its cast suggests, but “Spring Breakdown” still deserves kudos for making what’s essentially a mild-mannered frat boy comedy with women as the stars.

Click to buy “Spring Breakdown”

External Movie DVDs, Movie Comedies, Movie DVD Quicktakes, Movie DVDs, Movies

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