DVD Release Recommendation 9/26/2006

Pithy Title

Another large list of releases this week (300+), but the next couple of weeks have slimmer pickings. Do you feel like riding a bucking bomb now?

TV DVD Release of the Week

Teen Titans: Season 2

With acclaimed storylines loosely based on Marv Wolfman's comic stories from the 1980's, this highly-stylized anime show is a lot of fun, enjoyable by kids and adults alike. If only the show were still being produced.

Honorable Mentions

• The Batman: Season 2 I really liked Season 1 of this series. Unfortunately, they changed the opening track for season 2 to be all catchy; the original track was a lot closer to the character of Batman. Anyway, this is an okay series, worth watching definitely if you're a Batman fan.


• Mama's Family: Season 1 I laugh at this spin-off from The Carol Burnette Show. So funny and over the top, but I don't think it's necessarily all that much removed from reality.

DVD Release of the Week

A Nightmare on Elm Street (Infinifilm Special Edition) starring a pre-megastar Johnny Depp. This is a truly horrific movie, not just a slasher flick. There is a nice psychological bent to it. Imagine (but not too hard, please) if your dreams were not safe, that reality could truly invade your dreams or your nightmares.

Honorable Mentions

• Dracula (1931): 75th Aniiversary Edition and Frankenstein (1931): 75th Aniiversary Edition, the two major monster movies that really inspired(?) the rest.
  


• The Munsters: Two-Movie Fright Fest Frankenstein as a cuddly teddy bear who also throws tantrums like a 3-year old. Funny stuff.
  

Random Thoughts

Just some randomness going through my mind lately, mostly movie-based, but one or two other things, too.

• How do you pack up the life of a person. I helped clear out our friend Kenny's apartment this morning. Most everything was already gone, and we just basically got the furniture out. As a couple of people were clearing out the cabinets of the final little items, I stood there thinking we were just helping somebody move. Except Kenny is gone. And it made me sad that he was gone. And I thought about how you sum up the life of a person. Wonderful eulogies from his best friend and brothers. Packed memorial service (1000-ish) and funeral. Regardless of the things in his apartment and regardless of his disease that made his life difficult, Kenny touched everyone around him positively. Everybody who came into contact with Kenny loved Kenny.
  
  What can be said about me—or any single one of us?


• Work has been very hard the past couple of months. Yesterday saw the virtual end of the last big project (for a while). My movie watching has been quite low. I've only exchanged two movies via Netflix so far the entire month, as opposed to 8-12. I've got some catching up to do.


• One movie I did manage to watch is The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp. It was recommended to me based upon some pretty high ratings on other movies (almost all were five-stars). For me, this one proves that the ratings aren't necessarily the only thing to go by (though usually EXTREMELY accurate). I just could not get into this movie. It was well done, for sure, but it didn't grab me, much like (oh, the horror!) Citizen Kane. Yep, I didn't like it a whole lot. One day, I'll watch it again to see if maybe I missed something. It's happened before (Planes, Trains, and Automobiles and Rushmore being the most prominent examples).


• There are more (seemingly) fantastic movies coming out this fall that I'm looking forward to seeing, perhaps even seeing in the theatre!:
  
  • Casino Royale—11/17 (just in time for Thanksgiving; let's go out to the movies!) Check out the new trailer on the Sony site. I know purists don't think Daniel Craig can pull it off, but the trailer tells me differently.
  
  
  • School for Scoundrels—9/29
  
  
  • The Guardian—9/29 (despite Ashton Kutcher)
  
  
  • The Departed —10/6 apparently a remake of Infernal Affairs from one piece I read, which I haven't seen but will have to soon!
  
  
  • The Prestige—10/20 Hugh Jackman! Christian Bale! Magicians? Other? Directed by Christopher Nolan, who brought us Batman Begins and Memento (and Following).
  
  
  • Stranger than Fiction—11/10 Will Ferrell is Emma Thompson's character who's really alive.
  
  
  • Harsh Times—11/10 Christian Bale!
  
  
  • Happy Feet—11/17 Penguins! The greatest animals in the world (as a whole).
  
  
  
  

Theatrical Release Pick for 9/22/2006

So, while I have some time, I'm writing this up a few days in advance. No more late night Thursday for this! (Note: I wrote this Tuesday night and promptly forgot to post it until tonight. Bummer.)

Pick of the Week

All the King's Men, starring Sean Penn, Jude Law, Kate Winslet, and lots more people you know and love. This movie is a semi-biographical look at Huey Long, the former governor of Louisiana (where I happen to have been born). Though he and his family were vastly corrupt (supposition), they did a lot for the state. What could they have wrought apart from the corruption. Anyway, the same-named book is excellent, and the movie should prove Oscar-worthy (they're trolling already).

Honorable Mentions

• Flyboys is about the first flight squadrons in World War I (that's "one", not "eye"). THe trailers look awesome, and the early bits I've read seem to indicate that it lives up to its promise. If only the public will agree.

DVD Release Recommendation 9/18/2006

So tired. So many DVDs.

How can they keep making DVDs? One day they'll slow down, but I don't see that happening for quite a few years.

I miss you, Kenny. We all miss you.

TV DVD Release of the Week

Honorable Mentions

• Bob Newhart: Season 4 I would have picked this as the main, but I saw this on the shelf of Wal-Mart a few weeks ago, so I'm not sure why it's showing up for this Tuesday's release. Anyway, one of the funniest shows ever on TV. (Amazon and IMDb are problematic tonight; I'll check back and update this later.)


• Bob Newhart: Button Down Concert Bob Newhart. Enough said.


• Gilmore Girls: Season 6 Yes, Gilmore Girls. I like it. It's well-written and witty. Get over it.


• My Name is Earl: Season 1 One of the funnier sit-coms to come out in recent years. I don't buy into the whole kharma bit, especially since the Bible talks about good and bad happening to the good and the bad (and we're all bad anyway), but otherwise pretty funny. We can certainly learn to treat each other better now rather than waiting for some "mystical" force to encourage or demand it of us.


• Hart to Hart: Season 2 I loved watching this as a(n older) kid. I haven't watched it recently, so it might be totally hokey, but I do seem to remember it being lots of fun.

DVD Release of the Week

Sorry, no main feature here.

Honorable Mentions

This week, the TV releases RULED! There weren't really any standout movie releases on DVD this week. But I do have a couple of honorable mentions.

• Mister Roberts Henry Fonda in comedic battle with his superior officer and inferiors shipmates over getting things done and being good military men. Fun viewing and probably worth buying. Maybe I'm just too tired to be purely objective on this one.


• Backdraft A two-disc special edition is released of this movie about firefighters. Nicely done though unrealistic regarding the actual fire (there's too much light, but do we really want to see a bunch of darkness on the screen? I thought not). From the time when Ron Howard made really good movies consistently.


• Grease, the Rockin' Rydell Edition. If you learn nothing else from this movie, learn that Olivian Newton John is hot, and girls get their guy by acting/dressing like a tramp. It wouldn't be repeated so often in movies if it weren't true, right?

Theatrical Release Pick for 9/15/2006

Unpithiness abounds. I'll be out of town on retreat this weekend. A new guy started at work today to help me out (50% time), so as I was training him on what, my boss came in and said it was unimportant for him to work on my stuff and that it would take too long. Instead, he should learn this testing tool because that doesn't require any major skills to work with. Ludicrous.

The Show Must Go On

Pick of the Week

The Black Dahlia, starring Josh Hartnett, Scarlett Johanson, Aaron Eckhart, Hilary Swank. This is another unsolved Hollywood murder story (a la Hollywoodland). A young starlet, Elizabeth Short, is found dead one morning. If she were merely dead, it would have been just another sad footnote in the strangeness of Hollywood(land). However, she was brutalized horribly, and the crime has never been solved. I've known about this tale for ages, but mostly just the occasional article I'd happen to stumble across about it, the most recent one about a police officer who is convinced that his father is the murderer (knowledge, skills, though I'm not sure about the motive).

Anyway, the movie is based on the novel by James Ellroy. "So what?", you ask. Mr. Ellroy also wrote a little something called L. A. Confidential. The excellent movie adaptation was sorely overlooked in the wake of Titanic. I can only imagine the story will be excellent, even if the movie might lack.

Honorable Mention

• Gridiron Gang, starring Duane Johnson (aka The Rock), about a counsellor who decides to help some of his charges at a juvenile detention center by teaching them to play football. I hate making this an honorable mention, as I feel about as strongly about this movie as The Black Dahlia, but I think this could be a very inspiring story. It is based upon a true story, though dramatic liberty is sure to abound.

Updates

Well, I've made some updates to the blog. Notice the little pattern on the dark green. I did that. I also created new graphic headers for the TV/Movie DVD Release sections. I also changed the colors of the movie titles. I also changed the list format of the Unwatched Movie list on the right-hand side. I tremendously like my new changes, though I need to make some more. It's just not right what I want. The joys of being a perfectionist.

DVD Release Recommendation 9/12/2006

Anything Worth Buying?

Every week, there are TONS of DVD releases. Some are just re-releases, like a second printing; others are special-interest DVDs with limited appeal; and some of them are just lame releases using the poorest-quality transfers possible (but at least they're out for the public until the appropriate studio decides to do something with it, if ever).

I know I really need to work on the colors on this site.

Something Special for this post: I love Audrey Hepburn. Now, before you roll your eyes, this is not the special part (it is for me). Have you seen the Gap commercial featuring Audrey dancing to AC/DC's "Back in Black"? The dancing is from the movie Funny Face (which I've never seen), and I kind of like it. It is almost as though her steps were choreographed to the modern song. Purists will declare this awful, but I kind of think she would like it.

TV DVD Release of the Week

SpongeBob Squarepants: Season 4 Vol 1

SpongeBob rocks. He's one of my favorite cartoons of the past few years, and I really laugh at with him.

Honorable Mentions

• Moonlighting: Season 4
  Great example of great dialog reminiscent of the early screwball comedies. And the stories were fun, too.
  


• The Office: Season 2
  I watched the original British series two or three years ago and loved it. I watched the first episode of the American version and thought it just missed being its own series rather than a pale imitation of the British show. Having watched more episodes in the past couple of weeks, I find that it has found its own voice that is just as strong and funny as the British show without being just an imitation.
  


• Smallville: Season 5
  I love Superman. This is a very nice fresh look at Superman as a young lad before coming out of the super-hero closet.
  

DVD Release of the Week

Lucky Number Slevin

This movie just looks interesting. It's about a case of horribly mistaken identity and the mob. Hilarity must ensue. Most critics I read didn't seem to like it too much, but that really just means it's not a great piece of art, not that it's necessarily unenjoyable.

Honorable Mentions

• Star Wars IV, V, VI
  

  The only reason I picked these is that they apparently contain the only releases of the very original movies that will ever be on DVD. If George Lucas had just released the originals rather than lumping them with his later revamps and inherent price-gouging, these would be a great buy and highly recommended. However, if you bought the original three-movie DVD release a couple of years ago or so, you already have the main feature and are forced to re-purchase them. (Just wait until the final season of MASH is released to find out what I think of Fox.)

  
  

Theatrical Release Pick for 9/8/2006

I've been excited about some of the movies coming up, so much so that I've thought about writing these things in advance to cover things when I get too busy to do these weekly. It's not like there's a whole lot of latitude to what's coming out, really.

I'm faced with a dilemma, and I feel forced to do something I never intended to do with this: not pick a new release. But it's my list, and I can do what I want, right? Hopefully, this won't be a common occurrence.

Pick of the Week

Crank, starring Jason Statham. Last week's pick is this week's pick, too. I know, but I can't really pick one of the new releases.

Honorable Mentions

• Hollywoodland, starring Adrien Brody, Diane Lane, Bob Hoskins, and Mr. Jennifer Garner, about the mysterious death of George Reeves, the man who played Superman in the TV show. I got sneak preview passes to watch it Wednesday night. It was fair and decent, and Mr. Jennifer Garner wasn't horrible, actually pretty decent. It seems that his prosthetic nose hides the fact of "I'm Ben Affleck — Aren't I great?" I'm just glad I can separate the man (George Reeves) from the character (Superman).


• The Protector, with Tony Jaa, in a pretty cool looking martial arts flick. Hopefully, the movie will have more than the three main stunts shown in the commercial. Jaa is a Muy Thai fighter who travels to Australia to fight gangsters who stole an elephant and a bull. Kind of week now that I write it out. But it still looks cool.

Stay Away, Far Away!

• The Covenant, starring interchangeable pretty boys, looks pretty awful: the latest heirs in a group of families who sold their souls for powers, one of whom was removed and wants revenge. See what I mean? Dollar movie or Netflix if nothing better.

DVD Release Recommendation 9/5/2006

Look, Ma! More DVD Releases!

More releases; somehow, the studios manage to put out new DVDs every week. This week, there are a bunch of re-releases. One of these is Good Bye, Lenin!. I *highly* recommend this to you, but it's a re-release, which doesn't fit into my own rules. Granted, I could bend them at any time (as I think I originally said I wouldn't recommend TV releases, but here's the third one after checking, I said no such thing). Also, I try to pick titles I think are worthwhile, not just my personal favorites (though there's a big overlap there). On with the show after this message...

Condolences to the family of Steve Irwin, world-renowned as The Crocodile Hunter. He was tragically killed today off the Great Barrier Reef by a stingray. I share in the grief of many and extend my prayers for his family in this terrible time of loss. Thank you, Mr. Irwin, for showing us nature, for helping us to see the many great wonders God put on this earth for our wonder and awe.

TV DVD Release of the Week

Supernatural: Season 1

This show is a little bit X-Files, a little bit Kolchak the Night Stalker, and a little bit Hardy Boys. The spooky show follows the adventures of two brothers looking for their father, who is in search of the creature/demon that killed his wife and their mother many years earlier. The brothers, too, encounter their own bizarre happenings in their quest. The brothers seem like real brothers, at least as I imagine them: not buddy-buddy but not mortal enemies, either. There are realistic portrayals of the effects of what they believe their dad thinks about each of them (as opposed to the reality), and their assumptions as to motivations tend to be flawed, as well. But they love each other, in spite of any protestations to the contrary.

Honorable Mentions

Everything else is dishonorable this week. Well, I wouldn't mind the Dr. Who stuff coming out, but that's a very niche product I would not recommend to everybody.

DVD Release of the Week

Seven Samurai: Criterion Collection (3-disc)

This was my first Samurai movie, and my first Akira Kurosawa movie. In both respects and more, this is an outstanding movie. While there is a previous release of this film from Criterion, this is a new release and new transfer with new material. Kurosawa is considered by many to be the greatest director ever to have lived, and this movie is a prime example of his greatness. The story is about seven samurai who are engaged to protect a town from marauders. Excellence abounds. FYI: This movie gave rise to the American western classic, The Magnificent Seven.

Honorable Mentions

• Brazil: Criterion Collection (3-disc)
  Another re-release from Criterion; again, this is a new transfer with additional special material. This movie defies description (sci-fi, fantasy, drama, but so much more), and I always find something new every time I watch it. This film is a beauty whose depths I do not completely plumb, but I recognize there is so much more, something a lifetime's worth of viewing could provide great reward.


• Gojira
  The original king of the monsters returns in a brand-new two-disc special edition release which includes the original Japanese and the American edition starring Raymond Burr. Regardless of the shallowness of the movies to come (rubber suits, bad effects, etc.), this film is a classic and should be seen by any semi-serious movie aficionado.

Theatrical Release Pick for 9/1/2006

Again, a day later than I had hoped. In my defense, I've been ill. So there. On with the show.

I pick: Crank, starring Jason Statham, about a guy who gets injected with a poison that is counteracted only by adrenaline, so he has to keep his heart rate up in order to live. As I mentioned earlier, it's like Speed, but from the heart.

Close behind it, almost a toss-up, really, I would pick The Wicker Man, starring Nicholas Cage, Ellen Burstyn, and LeeLee Sobieski. It's about a police officer (Cage) who sees a little girl die but then appears alive. Apparently, this is a remake of a horror film, but this version doesn't appear to hold to the horror trappings other than the girl seeming to come back to life.

And He Lost?

Wow, I came across this performance from Australian Idol. I can't believe this guy lost. And why doesn't American Idol get guys that can sing like this? I like Clay, Bo, and Chris pretty well, but they don't begin to hold a candle to this guy!

Anthony Collea - The Prayer



Perhaps the reason guys like this never make it through here in the US is that the producers don't feel America would "get" singers like this. That's such the problem with American music these days (though improving), too much homogeny, too formulaic, too molded. Look at American Idol's first winner, Kelly Clarkson. Only when she started doing more of her own thing did she start gaining (positive) notoriety on her own merit than just being the "American Idol winner". Perhaps The Machine got her going to the point where she could have success on her own, but that's still a fault of American audiences and music execs, that it takes so much more than talent to even get noticed.