(2010)
* * 1/2 (B-)
Directed by Steve Pink
Starring John Cusack,Rob Corddry, Craig Robinson, Clark Duke, Lizzy Caplan, Crispin Glover,Sebastian Stan, Cornelius Crane, Chevy Chase, Lyndsy Fonseca, Collette Wolfe,Charlie McDermott
MGM//RatedR//Comedy//93 minutes
Available on: DVD andBlu-Ray
Three middle-aged guys,Adam (John Cusack), Lou (Rob Corddry) and Nick (Craig Robinson), revisit a skiresort they frequented during college, in an effort to recapture their lostyouth. After a night spent drinking in their suite's private hot tub, the pals,along with Adam's nephew Jacob (Clark Duke), realize they've been transportedback to a fateful weekend in 1986. Given the opportunity for a do-over, theguys consider how changing their actions might impact their present lives.Spoilers would ruin the fun, but Hot Tubmanages to locate both the agony and the ecstasy of their circumstances. Chevy Chase imbues his enigmatic hot tub repairman withdeadpan droll. Other gags run the gamut from hilarious to incredibly offensive,while a few get pancaked. The film's best running joke depicts Crispin Gloveras a belligerent, one-armed bellhop in the present day, but in possession ofboth arms -- back in 1986. Watching him place his arm in precarious situationsis simultaneously funny and suspenseful. The film gleefully refuses tosentimentalize its characters, whose flaws appear destined to compromise theirfutures. Looking back, '80s lycra and big-hair are ripe for satire, but thisportal into yesterday is a reminder that it won't be long before ourtext-aholic, low-slung jeans teens will be fodder for future satirists. DVD and2-Disc Blu-Ray features: Both the theatrical version and unrated version offilm, deleted scenes, promotional spots and trailers, English or Frenchlanguage tracks, Spanish subtitles, widescreen. Blu-Ray features same plus:Production: acting like idiots, Chevy Chase: the nicest guy in Hollywood, Totally radical outfits: daynapink, Crispin Glover: one-armed bell hop, Digital Copy of the unrated versionof the film.
THE CRAZIES
(2010)
* * * (B)
Directed by BreckEisner
Starring RadhaMitchell, Timothy Olyphant, Danielle Panabaker, Joe Anderson
Anchor Bay//Rated R//Horror//101 minutes
Available on: DVD andBlu-Ray
Ever since directorGeorge Romero began using low-budget zombie flicks as a means of making socialcommentary, the genre has continued to gain traction with audiences. Producedon the heels of the Vietnam war, the original Crazies jumped on this bandwagon. While the remake isn't strictly azombie film, it deserves inclusion in the genre because the film scripts avirus that turns ordinary people into mindless killers. In other words, keepyour antiseptic gel handy! In the small town of Ogden Marsh,Iowa, a luckyfew uninfected try to escape the growing homicidal throng. The escapees includelocal sheriff, David Dutton (Timothy Olyphant), his physician wife, Judy (RadhaMitchell) her teenage employee (Danielle Panabaker), and the Sheriff's Deputy(Joe Anderson). The updated version explores the government's decision to keepits secrets at the expense of a small town. Where the Dawn of the Dead remake examined possible strategies to evade azombie lynch mob, this film asks whether anyone can survive a militarysolution. Like game show contestants, the protagonists must make correctrapid-fire decisions or die. While Crazies'leads are bland stereotypes, the film offers high octane entertainment. Italso feeds into the notion that an all-powerful federal government is notnecessarily of, by, or for the people. DVD features: director commentary,Behind the scenes with director Breck Eisner, paranormal pandemics, The GeorgeA Romero template, Make-up mastermind: Rob Hall in action, The Crazies motioncomic episodes 1 & 2, Visual effects in motion, Storyboards: building ascene, English language tracks, Spanish subtitles, widescreen. Blu-Ray featuressame plus: Trailers and TV spots, Behind the Scenes Photo Gallery, Easter Egg,DVD Disc, digital copy of film.
DON McKAY
(2009)
* *1/2 (B-)
Directed by JakeGoldberger
Starring Thomas Haden Church, Elisabeth Shue,Melissa Leo, James Rebhorn, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Keith David, M. Emmet Walsh
Image//RatedR//Thriller//90 minutes
Available on: DVD andBlu-Ray
An indie film, Don McKay could be the twisted child of Blood Simple, a film cited bywriter/director Jake Goldberger, as a major influence. Don McKay (Church), is abored janitor when he receives a note from Sonny (Shue) that she hasn't long tolive and wants him to come visit. M. Emmet Walsh, the memorable killer from Blood Simple, appears here as a cabbiequick to remind McKay of his past transgressions. McKay finds Sonny wearing anassortment of sexy nighties and looking splendid for a dying lady. Melissa Leoplays Sonny's enigmatic maid, conservative in appearance, save for her heavilytattooed arms. Everyone behaves oddly, including McKay who has patsy writtenall over him. Before long, there's a dead body and the problem of what to dowith it. The film's quirky rhythms and dark humor run hot and cold as do thecharacters' motivations. Sometimes inhibited by Goldberger's direction, theactors acquit themselves admirably. DVD or Blu-Ray features: commentary bywriter/director Jake Goldberger and Producer Jim Young, Deleted Scenes,Trailer, English language tracks, Spanish subtitles, widescreen.
THE ECLIPSE
(2009)
* *1/2 (B-)
Directed by ConorMcPherson
Starring Ciaran Hinds,Aidan Quinn, Iben Hjejle, Jim Norton, Eanna Hardwicke, Hannah Lynch
Magnolia//RatedR//Drama, Horror//88 minutes
Available on: DVD andBlu-Ray
Almost a horror, butnot quite a drama, Eclipse is anIrish production co-written by its Irish director. Ciaran Hinds plays MichaelFarr, an English teacher and gentle widower trying to raise his children andreenter the world two years after his wife's untimely death. Volunteering tochauffeur writers attending the CountyCork literary festival, Michael meetsand befriends both Lena Morelle (Iben Hjejle), a British author of paranormaltales, and Nicholas Holden (Aidan Quinn), a married American author determinedto resume his affair with Lena. Michaelconfides he's seeing apparitions of his dead wife to Lenawho enjoys his company and feels safe with him. As played by Quinn, Holden is ariot of charm and flaws, not safe by any means, but worthy of Lena'sattention. The horror element isn't frightening in the usual sense because thestory's point of view seems to be that we pay a price for living in ourmemories. DVD or Blu-Ray features: deleted scenes, Making of Eclipse, HDNet: Alook at the Eclipse, English language tracks, Spanish subtitles, widescreen.
PERCY JACKSON & THE OLYMPIANS: THE LIGHTNING THIEF
(2010)
* *1/2 (B-)
Directed by ChrisColumbus
Starring Logan Lerman,Kevin McKidd, Steve Coogan, Uma Thurman, Pierce Brosnan, Sean Bean, Brandon T.Jackson, Alexandra Daddario
Fox//RatedPG//Fantasy//118 minutes
Available on: DVD andBlu-Ray
In the first filmadapted from Rick Riordan's 5-novel series, present day 12-year-old PercyJackson (Lerman) learns the god Poseidon is his father. Even more disturbing,busybody Greek gods continue to interfere with mankind's fate. Zeus (Bean)commands young Percy to retrieve the one weapon capable of saving both Olympus and Earth from Hades, but before doing so. Percy,the son of a human woman (Keener), must first attend a spectacular trainingcamp for half-bloods and run by the centaur Chiron (Brosnan). Once through histraining, Percy embarks on a quest for the weapon, accompanied by half-goatGrover (Jackson) and beautiful demi-goddess Annabeth (Daddario). They meetnumerous magical characters both wondrous and loathsome. Sequels are likely.DVD and 2-Disc Blu-Ray features: Extended and deleted scenes, Bringing the Bookto Life featurette, Discover Your Powers quiz, English, French or Spanishlanguage tracks, widescreen. Blu-Ray features same plus: more Extended anddeleted scenes, Secrets of the Gods featurette, On Set with Brandon T. Jackson,Inside Camp Half-Blood, Meet the Demigods, BD-Live featurette Demigods at Work& Play: Inside the Lotus Land Casino, DVD copy of film.
THE DANCING BOYS OF AFGHANISTAN
(2010)
Starring Najibullah Quraishi
PBS//NotRated//Documentary//60 minutes
Available on: DVD
Afghan journalist,Najibullah Quraishi, investigates a disturbing Afghani practice known as BachaBazi, translated as "boy play." Posing as an interested party,Quraishi is granted total access to this dark underworld of dancing boys, thepubescent sons of impoverished families who sell them to "managers"promising to looked out for the lads. They boys are taught to dance foraudiences of middle-aged pedophiles, but are given no indication about whatelse to expect. Dressed in female clothes, the dancers are sold to the highestbidder for the night after performing. Though banned under the Taliban rule,the practice apparently didn't go away, but now attracts patronage fromgovernment officials and military officers in today's more open atmosphere. Oneman explains his wife approves his boy play in lieu of other women, but it's aperilous occupation for the boys, one of whom was killed during the filming ofthis Frontline documentary. DVD features: English language tracks, widescreen.
PRETTY BIRD
(2008)
* 1/2 (C-)
Directed by PaulSchneider
Starring Billy Crudup,Paul Giamatti, David Hornsby, Kristen Wiig, Elizabeth Marvel, Denis O'Hare,Garret Dillahunt
Paramount//RatedR//Comedy//99 minutes
Available on: DVD
This tale of threewould-be entrepreneurs bombs in spite of an excellent cast. Crudup plays Curt,a transparent wheeler-dealer determined to create and market a personal jetpack. Curt ropes in his gullible friend Kenny (Hornsby) as financier. Curt nextpersuades unemployed rocket scientist Rick (Giamatti) to design a key jet packcomponent. After Rick miraculously accomplishes the task, Curt spirits theinvention away to an undisclosed location. A supposedly comic turn ofkidnapping ensues, but since the film never creates any tension, its intendedmadcap comic ending falls flat. No special DVD features.
PREDATOR
(1987)
* * *1/2 (A-)
Directed by JohnMcTiernan
Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger,Bill Duke, R.G. Armstrong, Jesse Ventura, Elpidia Carrillo, Carl Weathers,Sonny Landham, Richard Chaves, Kevin Peter Hall
Fox//Rated R//Sci-Fi,Action//107 minutes
Available on: Blu-ray
In a South Americanjungle, Maj. Dutch (Schwarzenegger) and his commandos are attacked by aninvisible killer that wields superior weapons and favors skinning its prey.Dutch Dillon (Carl Weathers), and Blain (Ventura),correctly conclude that whatever is hunting them is not the usual enemy. Thefinal act is so suspenseful you have to remind yourself to breathe. The filmstars two future governors (Schwarzenegger and Ventura), spawned two sequels and twosidequels pitting the Predator against James Cameron's Alien. Blu-Ray features:All-new Digital Restoration of Predator, Director commentary, deleted scenes,outtakes, New - Predator: Evolution of a species, Inside the PredatorDocumentary, Text commentary by film historian Eric Lichtenfeld, featurettes:Making of, Special F/X, Short Takes w/filmmakers, Photo Gallery, PredatorProfile, Sneak Peek at the New "Predators," English, Spanish orFrench language tracks, widescreen.
Also Out This Week:
UNTHIINKABLE
(2010)
Directed by Gregor Jordan
Starring Samuel L.Jackson, Carrie-Anne Moss, Michael Sheen, Brandon Routh, Benito Martinez
Sony//RatedR//Thriller//97 minutes
Available on: DVD andBlu-Ray
Largely ignored despitethe presence of Samuel L. Jackson, the film examines whether the hard linetactics employed by expert interrogator "H" (Jackson) are justifiedwhen he attempts to coerce a suspect (Sheen) into revealing where he hasplanted three nuclear bombs. DVD features: Extended version of the Film withAlternate Ending, director commentary, English language tracks, widescreen.Blu-Ray features same plus: movie IQ sync and BD Live connect.
AIRLINE DISASTER
(2010)
Directed by John WillisIII
Starring MeredithBaxter, Scott Valentine, Lindsey McKeon, Jay Beyers
Asylum//NotRated//Action//90 minutes
Available on: DVD
A state-of-the-artairliner, piloted by the President's brother, is hijacked. Meredith Baxterappears as the Commander in Chief, forced to make gut-wrenching choices thatcould put the nation as well as her brother, in peril. Special effects includea crash into the Washington Monument. DVD features:Making of featurette, Bloopers, Trailers, English language tracks, widescreen.
THE REAL McCOYS: Season 4
(1961)
Created by IrvingPincus
Starring WalterBrennan, Richard Crenna, Kathleen Nolan, Lydia Reed, Michael Winkelman, TonyMartinez, Andy Clyde, Madge Blake
InfinityEntertainment//Not Rated//Comedy//897 minutes
Available on: DVD
"The RealMcCoys" (1957-1963) had the dubious distinction of paving the way forcomedy shows featuring rural Americans, "Gomer Pyle U.S.M.C.,""The Beverly Hillbillies," "Petticoat Junction" and"Green Acres." When a happy-go-lucky West Virginia mountain family moves to a Californiaranch in San Fernando Valley, Grampa AmosMcCoy (Brennan) just can't help but meddle in everyone's affairs. Joining himare grandson Luke (Crenna), Luke's bride Kate (Nolan), teenage sister,"Aunt" Hassie (Reed), 11-year-old brother Little Luke (Winkelman),farm hand Pepino (Martinez), and their argumentative neighbor, George (Clyde)whose spinster sister Flora (Blake) has eyes for Gramps. 4-Disc DVD set hasbeen digitally remastered and has no special features.
