Category: Movie DVDs (Page 32 of 100)

Trick ‘r Treat

October 14, 2009 /

Michael Dougherty probably never imagined his directorial debut would become a cult hit before it was even released. Then again, he probably didn’t expect so much trouble in actually getting it released, either. Originally planned to hit theaters in October 2007, “Trick ‘r Treat” spent the next two years sitting on the shelf collecting dust, all while the anticipation among horror fans continued to grow. The movie has finally been released on DVD in time for this year’s Halloween celebration, and though it’s not nearly as good as the hype suggests, it is one of the most original and entertaining horror films in years – and this coming from a relative non-fan of the genre.

An anthology film in the same vein as “Creepshow” and “Tales From the Crypt,” “Trick ‘r Treat” spins four tales about mischief and mayhem in a small Ohio town on Halloween night. Dylan Baker stars as a high school principal who moonlights as a serial killer; Anna Paquin plays a young virgin on the prowl for her perfect man; Brian Cox faces off against a murderous little demon that doesn’t approve of his disregard for Halloween traditions; and a group of teenage pranksters get a taste of their own medicine.

Combining creepy imagery with some really dark humor, all four stories work well individually (especially the ones starring Baker and Cox), but it’s the way in which they’re skillfully interwoven that makes it such a blast to watch. Maintaining a sense of chronology to the film by placing characters from some stories in the background of others, Dougherty does a fabulous job with keeping the audience interested throughout the film’s brisk 82-minute runtime – even if some stories are better than others. It’s just a shame the movie didn’t get the attention it deserved, because while horror fans are stuck watching the same shitty sequels and remakes year in and year out, “Trick ‘r Treat” is exactly the breath of fresh air that the genre desperately needed. It really makes you wonder how Warner Bros. dropped the ball on this one, because while “Trick ‘r Treat” isn’t quite an instant classic, it’s a film you won’t mind revisiting every Halloween.

Click to buy “Trick ‘r Treat”

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

Trumbo

October 12, 2009 /

Trumbo

23 years after his death, Dalton Trumbo (“Johnny Got His Gun”) remains among the best-known screenwriters of all time. Ironically, that’s largely because much of his best work was done in secret. Jailed in 1950 and then blacklisted for his refusal to discuss his constitutionally protected membership in the Communist Party, Trumbo survived by writing prodigiously, using pseudonyms and “fronts” until 1960, when director Otto Preminger and actor-producer Kirk Douglas openly placed his name in the credits for “Exodus” and “Spartacus” and sounded the first death knell of the Hollywood blacklist.

Drawn partly from a play by the writer’s son, Christopher Trumbo, and featured on PBS’s “American Masters,” this documentary combines interviews with Trumbo’s family and friends, including stars Kirk Douglas and Dustin Hoffman, and dramatic interpretations of his writing by a long list of acting heavyweights such as Joan Allen, Michael Douglas, Liam Neeson, and Donald Sutherland. On the down side, director Peter Askin plays up Trumbo’s heroism while playing down his political extremism and indulges in some pretentious and annoying cinematic tics, including shooting the actors looking on pensively while their occasionally overdone readings play on the soundtrack. Still, when Askin captures the writer’s unsentimental and often humorous essence — as in Nathan Lane’s wry reading of an ingenious letter to the teenage Christopher Trumbo on the joys of masturbation and Paul Giamatti’s testy renditions of Trumbo’s broadsides at his local phone company — this is a highly engaging summary of the life and work of a singular figure in mid-century movie history.

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Actors, Actresses, Documentaries, External Entertainment, External Movie DVDs, External Movies, Movie Dramas, Movie DVD Quicktakes, Movie DVDs, Movies, Reviews

Model Shop

October 6, 2009 /

Model Shop A shambling 1969 walkabout through the Venice and Hollywood sections of Los Angeles with music by proggy psychedelic band Spirit, “Model Shop” is not for everyone. Shot in gorgeous “Perfect Color” by the late Jacques Demy with dialogue by Carole Eastman (“Five Easy Pieces”), it’s a departure for the most traditional of French New Wave writer-directors who charmed the world with the great 1964 musical, “The Umbrellas of Cherbourg.”

If you’re not fascinated by L.A.’s history and culture, you could quickly lose patience with “Model Shop.” There’s little story and Demy’s cast is mainly comprised of amateurs and two young working actors who might as well be. Still, you may want to stick around. “Model Shop” stars Gary Lockwood (“2001: A Space Odyssey”) as an aimless young unemployed architect who may or may not be contemplating dodging both the Vietnam-era draft and his live-in girlfriend (Alexandra Hay). Eventually, however, he spots a bewitching, somewhat older, woman played by Anouk Aimée (“8 1/2,” “A Man and a Woman”), who turns out to be recreating her role from Demy’s 1961 breakthrough, “Lola.” When Lockwood finally meets up with her in a model shop – where men would once pay to take their own non-nude girlie shots (life before the Internet!) – and then in her apartment, the film’s dramatic side is salvaged thanks to a wonderfully simple and very moving performance by Aimée, who shyly and beautifully takes over the movie. Slowly, an artful mess becomes a moving romance.

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

Penn & Teller Get Killed

October 5, 2009 /

Most people have never heard of “Penn & Teller Get Killed,” let alone seen it. Whether or not it ever even had any sort of theatrical run I’m unsure, but it’s managed to amass a minor cult following on home video over the years, which makes it an ideal title for the Warner Brothers Archive series. Playing fictitious versions of themselves, it kicks off with Penn & Teller appearing on a late-night talk show, where Penn announces that he wishes someone were trying to kill him, as it would bring some meaning to his life. Before long, it appears that someone may be taking him up on the request, yet the pair has been playing an escalating series of practical jokes on one another. Is the death threat against Penn one of Teller’s elaborate ruses, or is it the real deal?

There isn’t much more to the plot than what’s written above, and the screenplay, which was penned (ahem…) by the duo, is mostly a showcase for their oddball talents and dark personalities. It elicits at least a handful of genuine chuckles, and in the final reel, delivers an unusual, quirky sense of dread as it lives up to its title. It’s difficult to recommend to anyone who isn’t a fan, as this isn’t going to turn you into one, and yet it’s a noteworthy minor pop culture history lesson: the Penn & Teller of the movie are far removed from the Penn & Teller of today. Yes, there actually was a time when these guys were all about having a good time and entertaining the audience, as opposed to the bloated Libertarian windbags they are today.

Click here to buy “Penn & Teller Get Killed”

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

That Hamilton Woman

October 3, 2009 /

That Hamilton Woman

This 1941 historical biopic from producer-director Alexander Korda about the illicit affair between the heroic nemesis of Napoleon, Admiral Horatio Nelson (Laurence Olivier), and the vivacious Lady Emma Hamilton (Vivien Leigh) benefits from the magnificent production design of Vincent Korda and some extra acting oomph drawn from a real-life adulterous affair between its two A-list stars. On the other hand, there’s an idea out there that it has been unjustly dismissed ever since its release as ponderous wartime propaganda and an overblown romance. I might say exactly the same thing, minus the “un.”

Essentially commissioned by wartime British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, who later proclaimed it his favorite movie, “That Hamilton Woman” suffers from some ham-fisted parallels between Hitler and Napoleon as well as a certain amount of hypocrisy on the question of empire. (English colonialism good! French colonialism bad!) Far worse for the movie’s entertainment value, however, is its tediously stolid hero, an awful lot of gassy romantic dialogue, ponderous pacing, and an excessive 125 minute running time. On the plus side, the young Vivien Leigh, fresh off “Gone With the Wind,” is allowed to show her powerfully sexy and funny sides, and the film’s relative frankness in dealing with an open adulterous affair is something of a miracle considering that this British production was shot in the U.S. and made under American censorship. Nevertheless, the extras on this typically crisp Criterion DVD make the case that the making-of story here is far more engaging than the actual movie.

Click to buy “That Hamilton Woman”

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

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