Category: Movie DVDs (Page 93 of 100)

“Undertaking Betty”
This is what happens when good actors appear in bad movies. Naomi Watts as the town slut? Christopher Walken and Lee Evans as undertakers who prepare themed funerals? Give me a break. Anyone dumb enough to plop down twenty bucks for this turd of a movie should have the word “sucker” scrawled on their forehead with permanent marker.

“How to Lose a Lover”
Ever hear of a movie called “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days”? Well, unlike that film, which actually made it to theaters, this direct-to-DVD feature is a complete washout that simply replaces the Kate Hudson role with a male character. Oh, and one more thing. Any movie that has Tori Spelling in the fourth biggest lead should halt production before it even starts filming.

“Zu Warriors”
This film came out in China ages ago, and after failing to see a theatrical release, has been rightfully dumped to DVD. Anyone who wanted to see this already has, and that’s reason enough to avoid the film, but here’s more proof: Zhang Ziyi appears on the front cover, despite having the smallest female role in the movie. A cheeky move by Disney, but one that will undoubtedly sell units to exuberant fanboys of the Asian cheesecake.

“The Visitation”
Ever since his big debut in “Terminator 2: Judgment Day,” Edward Furlong has slowly faded away, though he did follow up that appearance with two cult classics (“American History X” and “Pecker”). More recently, Furlong has become the poster boy for direct-to-DVD trash, and “The Visitation” is no different. Based on the best-selling novel of the same name, the film centers around a local kid (Furlong) who uses his miraculous powers to seduce a town into believing he’s the reincarnation of Jesus Christ. This results in the usual Sci-Fi Channel movie-of-the-week bullshit, with one exception: some of those films are actually entertaining to watch. This one, however, is not.

“Den of Lions”
It should be noted that any film starring Stephen Dorff probably isn’t worth your time, but that goes doubly for “Den of Lions.” Honestly, I sort of stopped paying attention after the first twenty minutes, but the back of the DVD case mentions something about an FBI agent going undercover with the Russian mafia and falling in love with the godfather’s daughter blah blah blah. The story doesn’t offer anything that hasn’t already been done much better before, including casting Bob Hoskins as the villain. If you really want to see the veteran actor in a juicy bad guy role, check out the Jet Li drama “Unleashed.”

Out on DVD this week:

1) Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire – BUY: Hands down the best Potter film yet, especially considering the amount of material that needed to be cut from the book. Warner’s decision to offer three different versions of the DVD, however, was idiotic. Who wouldn’t want to lay down a few extra bucks for the two-disc special edition?

2) Jarhead – BUY: Not only did this film give critics everywhere a brand new motto for the Winter film season (“Welcome to the Suck”), but it’s also one of the best war films ever made. And get this, there’s not a single battle sequence in the film.

3) Just Friends – PASS: Yet another movie that disproves my theory about Ryan Reynolds being hilarious. Sigh.

Also out this week is the romantic comedy “Prime” and the latest Hayao Miyazaki film “Howl’s Moving Castle.”

New on DVD this week:

1) Walk the Line – BUY: The Johnny Cash biopic isn’t the greatest film of the year, but it’s certainly worth owning. The award-winning performances by Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon are more than enough reason to watch the movie more than once, but Fox has also slapped together a nice collection of special features. A word to the wise: save yourself the trouble and pick up the two-disc version.

2) The Ice Harvest – RENT: Director Harold Ramis is probably best known for his wacky comedies (like “Caddyshack,” “Stripes” and “Groundhog Day”), but his latest feature – a mix between that very style of humor and film noir – is a little different. This doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t check it out, but it’s certainly his darkest material to date.

3) Pride & Prejudice – RENT: Don’t get me wrong; I hate everything Jane Austen just as much as the next guy, but the latest film adaptation of the classic novel is just good enough to squeeze it’s way into the “rent” category. Your female friends will love it, and you’ll looking at Keira Knightley. Enjoy.

Also out this week is “Yours, Mine and Ours,” the Disney film “Lady & the Tramp,” and special edition releases of “Network” and “Dog Day Afternoon.”

New on DVD this week:

1) The Weather Man – BUY: One of the more underrated films of the year, “The Weather Man” missed my Best Films of 2005 list by only one spot. The DVD is less-than-spectacular, but its definitely worth seeing for Nic Cage and Michael Caine’s performances alone. In fact, you’ll enjoy it so much that you’ll probably end up owning it.

2) Rent – RENT: We all saw that one coming, but seriously, the film adaptation of the award-winning musical just isn’t good enough to lay down twenty bucks for. The music is mostly hit-and-miss, but it’s nice to see that director Chris Columbus kept most of the original Broadway cast intact. A strong film you should see at least once, but nothing more.

3) First Descent – RENT: Since when have documentaries been considered for a mainstream theatrical release? Well, when you have a superstar sports teen like Shaun White starring in it. “First Descent” delivers gnarly snowboarding footage, but it goes for much too long. The DVD material isn’t all that great either, but this is a must-see for extreme sports enthusiasts and moviegoers with big screen TVs.

4) Domino: RENT: Ok, so maybe Tony Scott’s semi-biographical look at model-turned-bountry-hunter Domino Harvey wasn’t as great as it could have been, but fans of Keira Knightely will definitely want to check this out for her lap dance sequence. I could watch that on a loop all day long. Drool…

Also out on DVD this week are Special Editions of “All the President’s Men” and “Midnight Cowboy,” as well as the third seasons of “NYPD Blue” and “3rd Rock From the Sun.”