DVD Release Recommendation 8/29/2006

Ok, a day later than I'd like, but here ya go! There are a lot of releases this week, and I could suggest a bunch more, but we'll stick to this batch for now.

TV DVD Release of the Week: The Tick: The Belated 10th Anniversary Edition

I loved The Tick. Funny, twisted, and of that earnest genre along the lines of Eek! the Cat, Earthworm Jim, and Spongebob Squarepants, where the hero believes in right but doesn't necessarily accomplish it without great harm to himself. The Tick is a 400-pound, nigh-invulnerable superhero protecting The City with his cohort, Arthur, the Moth. It's just a little off-kilter, which is probably why I love it so much.

Honorable Mentions

• Arrested Development Season 3 One of the smartest shows on TV the past few years, I'm proud of Fox for sticking it through 3 seasons for this show despite its not quite finding its audience. Lines delivered so dead-pan, so matter-of-factly, that it takes a bit for the impact of what was just said to sink in. Funny funny funny.


• Andy Griffith Show Season 7 It's Andy Griffith! What more needs to be said? Okay, Good wholesome entertainment!


• Astroboy Vol. 2 Ultra Edition This is the very original series from 1960's Japan, the one that is considered the very first anime. I didn't learn about this series until I saw the modern American version a couple of years back, and I fell in love with it. It has such a sweet charm to it, and while I haven't watched all of the discs I own of all of these series (there were three total that I'm aware of), the story is quite interesting.

DVD Release of the Week: Akeelah and the Bee
I haven't seen it, but everything I've read about it (and from a couple of friends that have seen it), this is a very charming story about a young girl from a disadvantaged background that has the potential to win THE national spelling bee.

Honorable Mentions

• Jewel of the Nile Special Edition Fun adventure story with Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner along the lines of King Solomon's Mines (well, I thought so, anyway). Very worth seeing if you don't want to buy it.


• Pretty in Pink Collector's Edition One of the good 80's teen movies that wasn't just about S3X. Some good music, a good story.

Theatrical Release Pick for 8/25/2006

Welcome to the first theatrical release pick!

Last week, I would have picked Little Miss Sunshine, which I'm pretty sure opened wide (i.e., many theatres/cities, as opposed to limited release being in a handful of cities) last weekend. Everything I've heard tells me this is the one to see. And I'd have recommended avoiding Snakes on a Plane. Half the people read my column in advance ;-) .

For this week, I'm picking (grab onto the sides of your chair and steady yourself) Invincible. A football movie? Oh, yes, I did. It stars Mark Wahlberg and Greg Kinnear, both decent actors. It's a true story about open roster tryouts for the Philadelphia Eagles. And a walk-on player makes it, much to the chagrin of some people with large sticks inserted places no large sticks were intended to occupy. It looks inspirational, well done, and besides, you've got to love those bad 70's haircuts.

An honorable mention goes to Idlewild, the movie from the members of Outkast. Lots of fun, good music, and a train race. Wahoo!

Please, please, please, I beg you, please stay away from Beerfest. There is nothing redeeming or entertaining beyond the basest of humor here. I could at least understand someone wanting to see the Snakes movie, but not this one.

Well, that's the end of the first week of recommendations. Use to your heart's content.

Pardon the loss of formatting

I upgraded to the new version of Blogger (I almost wrote Boggler) tonight, and I've lost my source code. It's still around, but there's currently no way to implement those changes into the upgraded template. So, no purple window background, no fancy reverse post headings, and no movie title shenanigans. "Real soon now..."

But hey, I can add labels now, and incorporate lists of things. My obsessive nature precludes me including a list of movies of any import (maybe just 10 or something of movies currently on my radar? not that I'm an expert at movies or anything (really, I'm not)). On to the posting of a release for the weekend. Catch ya in minute

DVD Release Recommendation 8/22/2006

Okay, in the midst of my exhaustion (working way too much and about half the sleep I normally get, which isn't all that much to begin with), let's see if I can recommend a DVD or two for all two of you. (and, I apologize for no nifty graphics right now; see the beginning of the paragraph as to an explanation why).

TV Release: House, M.D., Season 2
Dr. House saves the day usually by the third diagnosis, no surprise there. But the writing on the show is pretty darn good. Everyone has a story as to why they're there, and we get to join in on the discovery. It can be intense at times, so if you're sensitive, beware.

Honorable Mention: Invasion, The Complete Series
Sadly, I didn't get to watch this much when originally broadcast this past year. I always enjoyed it when I did see it. My skin dutifully crawled at all the opportune spots, and I ached wanting everyone to see the obvious (to the audience) creep factors running around (William Fitchner's character being the prime example; man, he's played so many different parts quite well).

DVD Releases: Film Geek (2005)
Semi-autobiographical story of the writer, the film is about a young man whose life is movies, and the results when his interest is suddenly turned to someone of the fairer sex. I haven't seen it, but I imagine I might be a little uncomfortable watching it, much as I would be were I to watch The 40-Year Old Virgin, or so I've heard.

Yours, Mine, and Ours (1968)
This is actually a re-release, as I've had a copy of it for several years. This is a cute movie starring Lucille Ball and Henry Fonda as a widow and widower who meet, fall in love, and join their two large families (10 kids in one, 8 in the other) into one big happy family. Hijinks ensue from a time when ensuing hijinks was a good way to describe a movie.

There are lots of other DVDs coming out this Tuesday, many of which are re-releases, HD-DVD, or Blu-Ray (the latter two I will not endorse one way or the other; format wars, expense, etc.). I just call 'em like I (don't) see 'em. I don't see anything that just screams, "STAY AWAY! BE AFRAID!" However, that is not an endorsement of everything that comes out.

A Couple of Things

On the movie announcement last week (which I'm sure everybody is dying to read weekly), I'll do my best to post a DVD Release pick (or two) for the week by Monday (and possibly something to avoid at all costs), but I reserve the right to delay until Wednesday pending horrendous scheduling conflicts. So, if it's Wednesday, you might just have to see what I thought of the DVD you've already bought. For the movie theatrical release of the week, I'll do my best to post by Thursday.

Just so you know, I expect tons of people to be influenced by my picks, so much so that the entire movie industry will be swayed by my thoughts. And I'm going to win the lottery Wednesday, too.

The other thing referenced in the title (the movie info above being the first, even if it had two subparts) concerns a television show starting in a couple of weeks. (I won't be recommending shows except to talk about new cartoons starting 9/23.) One show in particular that will either lead or follow Grey's Anatomy on Thursday nights is entitled, Ugly Betty. One of the taglines for the show is, "Ugly is the new beautiful." I now (perhaps) have a chance, slim though it might be.

Movies — A couple of items...

Have I ever mentioned that I like movies? And I like DVDs, too. Some would classify it a sickness, and I'm not bragging, but I have over 700 titles in my collection. I really like movies (and TV shows, too—but much less on that front). And I have somewhat of a life, too, so I'm kind of a real person.

Not all of my movies/titles are material I have seen previously, which is different from not having watched all my DVDs. For example. I've seen the movie Mary Poppins many times (on TV, VHS, and DVD), but I've never watched it on a DVD in my possession; I don't consider this a never-watched title. On the other hand, I have a boxed set of Marx Bros. movies, none of which I've seen. It seems pretty silly doesn't it, to buy DVDs of titles you've never seen? I figure I'll watch it eventually, and I'll be happy to have it in my collection (more than likely). I don't buy just anything (usually), much like I don't (normally (see previous post)) watch just anything.

So I counted my unseen titles, figuring roughly 50 were in the mix. Be scared; be very scared: 157 (yes, one hundred and fifty-seven) titles! When I realized that, I decided to start mixing owned titles in with my Netflix titles. I've watched two of my movies (and bought five more—curse you Hollywood Video; curse you and your 5/$20 deals). So I'm at 160 titles unseen. (Which is really a misnomer: the Marx Bros. boxed set, for instance, has 7 movies but gets counted as one title. Humor me. Please.) So, I've decided to start telling about these titles in my blog. One day, I'll post the list of these movies in no particular order and perhaps accept suggestions for my own personal Jackflix viewing. No late fees, and NO TRANSIT TIME. I've already picked the movies, just not the time when I'll watch it. Maybe when Google upgrades Blogger for me, it might be easier to post this kind of thing (I know enough CSS and HTML I should be able to do it before then, but I'm lazy).

The other thing I've decided to start doing is picking one new theatrical release a week and why I think it should prove worthwhile. And maybe I'll do that with a new DVD release, too, but those lists might tend to overlap a bit with a timeshift. With this plan, why, in five or six years, I bet I could be up to three or four people reading this on a routine basis.

Coming soon!

It's Movie Time

Here it is August, and the summer movie season is almost over. Labor Day marks the end of anything remotely worthwhile (or, should I say "hopefully" money-making?) coming out until around Thanksgiving (U.S.), when the studios begin releasing their "please consider this for Academy Award honors as we've put out nothing worthwhile—or should we say only money-making because somebody has to pay for this swill" movies. [Ed. note: I'm not really this cynical, but even if I am, does it make it any less true?]

As I've said once or twice before, I love movies. Just this morning, I watched Persuasion, a film adapatation of the Jane Austen novel by the same name. Excellent movie. Having seen this, Emma (two versions), and Clueless (yet another version of Emma), perhaps I need to read this chick's books. The movie is excellent, with Anne Elliot's character well played by Amanda Root. For the time, she is quite put upon by all who surround her, and she bears it remarkably well even if with no great sum of cheerfulness. Good stuff.

I started watching a movie entitled Nautilus from 2000 (IMDb, 1998 according to Netflix). After 20 minutes, I gave up. Horrible story line, totally non-sensical in execution.

Example the First: a driver being chased by police throws a grenade out the window of the truck. Said grenade detonates directly underneath one of the police cars, causing a huge fireball, the likes of which I've only seen from a refinery explosion. On top of that lovely dose of realism, several buildings quite distant simultaneously cease cohesive existence due to similarly-huge fireballs.

Example the Second: A man enters a bar on the ground floor looking for another man, an American with a shaved head. He is told—after an appropriate bribe— that the man is "upstairs". Actually, the bartender just points with his chin upwards and over, indicating upstairs. Next thing we know, the searching man is on the second floor trying to take out the sentry at the head of the stairs, which is next to an elevator. One guard for two points of entry makes a great deal of sense, and somehow the protagonist in question arrives on the second floor through—the magic of movies— neither of these access points. Teleportation anyone? And it goes downhill from there.

Normally, I try to give a movie a full viewing, figuring a better-informed opinion is only available after viewing the entire monstrosity. This movie, however, is one of those that you keep thinking can only get better yet manages somehow to prove exactly the opposite. After 20 minutes, the movie had sunk below my limits of tolerance. This movie can only be of any good as part of the (b)millions of AOL discs being turned into art.

Movies Coming Up I'd Like to See

This is a list of movies coming up in the next month or so that, based upon either a trailer or a synopsis and the patent-pending magic of Jack, look interesting and potentially worthwhile. I won't see most of them in the theater due primarily to expense and lack of time, but I want to watch them eventually. Here is the list and a sentence or two of why I think it will be worthwhile.
Opening 8/18

The Illusionist

Edward Norton, what more do I need to say? Okay, he's a magician in turn-of-the-century Vienna (1900's) tries to win the heart of a woman engaged to the prince.

10th and Wolf

An ex-Marine (James Marsden) returns home to Philadelphia and learns his brother and cousin have been inducted into the mob. (Yahoo!) I like mob movies, even if I've never seen The Godfather (one day, I promise).

Opening 8/25

Invincible

True-life story of a regular Joe who tries out for the Philadelphia Eagles. I hate football but love a good story. This appears to have both.

Idlewild

A movie from the musical group Outkast set in a speakeasy in the 1930's. The trailer looks like a lot of fun, dancing, etc.

Honorable Mentions

Factotum

Matt Dillon is a writer who can't seem to get a break.

Trust the Man

Just the stars of the film are intriguing enough for me: Julianne Moore, David Duchovny, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Billy Crudup. I like 'em all.

Material Girls

Hilary and Hayley Duff play sisters whose parents' company loses all its assets, and they must learn to live in the real world. Predictable, sure, but looks like fun. Yeah, I know...

Fakers

British flick about a man planning a series of art heists. Love them caper movies.

The Quiet

An adopted deaf girl learns the secrets of a family and their friends.

Looking for Kitty

Ed Burns assumed all mantles in this film concerning a private eye searching for the missing wife a football coach. Sounds suspiciously like the Fox show about the search for the missing wife of a senator.

Why? Please, Why?

Accepted

Boy creates his own college after not getting accepted to the one of his dreams.

Snakes on a Plane

"Snakes" is the deal killer.

Beerfest

For those who worship beer only.

How to Eat Fried Worms

The title says it all, doesn't it?

Coming Up Later

Crank

Jason Statham! Like Speed, but from the heart. Heh heh

The Wicker Man

Nicholas Cage in a scary(?) movie.

Hollywoodland

Superman!!!!! okay, George Reeves. Blech to Ben Affleck as Reeves, though the trailer looks impressive.

The Black Dahlia

Maybe now we'll know who killed that woman.

Gridiron Gang

The RockDuane Johnson tries to teach convicts life through football.

just to write something

I actually watched an episode of Grey's Anatomy tonight. I saw this same story on E.R. many years ago: a 14-year-old girl is brought in for abdominal pain only to find out upon further investigation that she is dual-gendered. (I know that's not the proper term, but I can't recall the formal term. And I know "hermaphrodite" is the old term.)

The parents weren't going to tell their child and wanted the doctor to remove the errant organs while also removing the tumor causing the problem (which happened to be pressing against the non-descended testicles, at least as far as I understood). Fortunately, the doctor refused to do this to her patient.

At 14, the child is old enough to know what's going on. She (or he) is old enough to have a say in the decision to her or his own body. Having previously attempted suicide, it should be painfully obvious to the parents that maybe there are some problems here, and just circumventing their child's ability to be involved in her own life in order to placate their own desires for a "normal" child is just wrong.

I have no children. I have no wife. What do I know? I know enough to know that a rash decision on the part of their parents—no matter how well-intended to "protect" their child from further harm—will only cause problems for all involved. In fact, the rash decision seems to only serve the parents' desire. I can't imagine how I would feel in this situation were it my child, and I don't blame the parents for wanting things to be back to "normal", for their world has just been shattered. But denying what's gone on won't unshatter their world. Ignorance isn't always bliss; sometimes it's dangerous.

Yes, it's a messed up story that is sadly pulled from real life. Unfortunately, we live in a fallen world, and stories like this will continue. As much as we prefer to live in the past when things were simpler, cases like this force us to open our minds—and our hearts.