Alan Rapp

Superman Returns to DVD

/ / Uncategorized

Superman Returns was a big hit at the theaters this summer, though not as big as the studio had hoped (despite making just over $200 million it came up short of making back its $270 million price tag).  Still Superman proved he could be a powerful force at the box office.  The film comes out on DVD today and we’ve got a quick look.

Superman Returns
Custom Rating

I enjoyed Superman Returns in the theater, but had some problems with the script, continuity errors, and the lack of originality (all of which you can read more about in my original review).  December liked the film a little more than me (as you can read here).  So it’s been a couple months, and now it’s out on DVD, so let’s get to it.

After a five-year absence Kal-El (Brandon Routh) returns from the wreckage of Krypton to his adopted home of Earth.  On arriving he discovers life has moved on without him.  Lois Lane (Kate Bosworth) is engaged and has a young son, and Lex Luthor (Kevin Spacey) has been busy making some withdrawals from the Fortress of Solitude.

The film works as well, if not slightly better on DVD than in the theater, given it’s length and breadth, though you also have more opportunity to wonder at the lunacy of Lex Luthor’s plan.  The effects work just as well on DVD and with a proper stereo system you can sit back and crank John Williams score.

I stick by my qualms with the film.  However, I will say that with each viewing I like Brandon Routh and Kate Bosworth more and more in their respected roles.  Though Routh is no Christopher Reeve, he does have a little of his openness and charm that grows on you.  And Bosworth shines in what is one of the oddest casting decisions of the year.

But I still hate that new suit!

Is it a must have for your collection?  Probably not.  But the DVD does give you the remastered John Williams score and some nice performances and fun moments.  Aside from the look at the Marlon Brando scenes, I’m not sure the Special Edition warrants the added cost, except for huge fans of the film, and I think the single disc will serve most viewers just fine.

Superman Returns to DVD Read More »

Jack and Kyle Strike Back

/ / Movie Reviews

Despite a terrific opening and some pretty darn good music there’s something desperately wrong with Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny.  Parody, fart jokes, and a stoner two-some can only take you so far, ask Kevin Smith.  Actually the film feels quite like Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back.  I’m all for copying Smith’s style, but couldn’t you have done one of his better films?

Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny
3 Stars

It’s not as bad as I feared it would be, but it’s nowhere near as good as it should be.  Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny tells the “true story” of how the band got together and discovered their talent.  The thing is, there just isn’t much talent in the film.  It steals most of its bits and moments by parodying other films, held together by dick and fart jokes, rather than craft a coherent and compelling story.  Well, at least it’s not Nacho Libre.

The first ten minutes of Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny rock.  In an ode to rock opera, the film opens in a flashback scene as the young JB (voiced by Jack Black) is chastised by his father (Meat Loaf) for his his love of Rock.  Having his posters taken and his hide tanned, the youngster heads out to find the land of Rock, Hollywood.  (It’s bad for a film when your best moments all come in the first ten minutes.)

Years later JB finally reaches his destination and meets up with a fellow musician, KG (Kyle Gass), who agrees to train him.  Insert many parodies from Star Wars to the Karate Kid here.  Finally the two become a band, naming themselves after the matching birthmarks on their asses.  Um, yeah…

The band struggles for an audience despite their “awesomeness.”  When a guitar shop owner (Ben Stiller) tells the legend of a magic guitar pick made from the tooth of Satan (David Grohl) the two set out to the Rock Museum (conveniently relocated to Sacramento for the movie) to steal the pick and earn fame and glory.

The film isn’t much of a story, there’s the intro to the characters, the long training scenes, and the trip to steal the pick, all of which contain countless parodies from other films, music, television, and more.  The list contains Entrapment, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, “The Devil Went Down to Georgia,” Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, and many others.

There’s just such little original content here it’s hard to view the film as anything more than a funnier than avearage 93 minute SNL sketch, with a couple of good hosts and musical guests.

Despite some funny bits and some pretty good animation sequence and title cards there’s little here that’s memorable.  You’ll laugh, you’ll groan, but leaving the theater you’ll promptly forget about the film, about the wasted potential, and the broken promise of “awesomeness” those first ten minutes.  Sure you’ll enjoy yourself, but in the end, there’s just not enough there worth remembering.

Jack and Kyle Strike Back Read More »

Haven’t I Seen This Before?

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: Deja Vu
  • IMDB: link

deja-vu-posterA cop goes back in time to prevent the murder of a woman who will give birth to the future leader of the human race and lead them against the machines run by Skynet … um, I mean a woman who, well, isn’t really that important at all.  But she’s cute, so there’s that.  Yeah…

When a ferry explodes killing Naval officers and civilians, ATF agent Doug Carlin (Denzel Washington) is called in on the case.  The discovery of a woman (Paula Patton)  killed moments before the explosion leads Carlin on the path of a terrorist (James Caviezel), but even if he succeeds he can’t save the girl.  Or can he?

A new top secret military project (headed up by Val Kilmer and Adam Goldberg) allows a team to look back exactly 100 hours into the past to discover the events that led to Clarie’s death and the identity of the terrorist.  Doug joins the team to find the identity of the killer, but also begins to wonder if it might not be possible to journey through time and chance the past.

…

Haven’t I Seen This Before?Read More »

Haven’t I Seen This Before? Read More »

For Your Consideration

/ / Movie Reviews

Christopher Guest has enjoyed poking fun at many different groups of people, from folk singers (A Mighty Wind), to dog lovers (Best in Show), to community theater (Waiting for Guffman), to a heavy metal band (This is Spinal Tap).  Here Guest takes on those ripe for parody – the entertainment industry, and the fickle and surprising effects the word Oscar can cause amongst them.

For Your Consideration
3 & 1/2 Stars

The latest from writer/director Christopher Guest is a scathing look at the entertainment industry.  Though it seems to lack the heart of some of Guest’s better work, the jokes are deliciously droll and derisive.

A new film titled “Home for Purim” gets some unexpected Oscar buzz on the Internet (“the one with e-mail”) for aging actress Marilyn Hack (Catherine O’Hara), commercial actor Victor Allen Miller (Harry Shearer), and comedian turned actress Callie Webb (Parker Posey) whose one woman show, “No Penis Intended,” was described distinctly as “a humorless romp.”

All of a sudden these struggling actors are the focus of interviews, speculation, and studio intervention to try and convince the writers (Bob Balaban, Michael McKean) to make the film “less Jewish” to appeal to a broader audience.  And Jennifer Coolidge provides an example of what Guest believes the role and importance of a producer to be.

The film sinks its teeth into Hollywood’s self-importance and just rips it to shreds.  Particularly vicious, and amusing, are Fred Willard and Jane Lynch as Entertainment Tonight/Access Hollywood “reporters,” and the writer’s public appearance on The Charlie Rose Show (which might be the best scene of the film).

The major problem with the film is every situation and every person is rife for satire and so become walking punchlines.  Unlike some of Guest’s previous films, we don’t get a sense that he cares for these characters, and so why should we?  Still, he manages to put them in humorous, and sometimes near perfect, moments to laugh disdainfully with glee at their misfortune.  Cruel?  Without a doubt, but damn funny too.

It’s not Guest’s best work, but the film contains many good jokes and gags and some bitterly funny parodies of what has been come to be known as “entertainment news.”  Fans of his other films will enjoy themselves while others might wonder if the writer/director hasn’t chosen a subject too easy for him to mock, and too hard for him to care about.

For Your Consideration Read More »

Comic Book Shelf

/ / Comics

Hey there true believers!  Due to the short week, and our need to stuff our faces with turkey and stuffing, the fifteenth issue of our Comic Book Shelf edition hits our newsstand one day early.  Want to know what’s getting released tomorrow at the old comic shop but too busy, or lazy (not that there’s anything wrong with that), to bother?  Well no sweat Bat-fans as we’ve got the scoop of what comics and graphic novels are hitting the shelves tomorrow.

This week’s releases include Conan, Daredevil, Green Lantern, Hawkgirl, Heroes for Hire, Red Menace, Superman/Batman, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Wolverine, and more!

If you’re looking for graphic novels you don’t want to miss Captain America: Red Menace, Marvel Holiday, Emily the Strange Vol. 1, Showcase Presents: The Unknown Soldier Vol. 1, Superman/Batman: Absolute Power, Swamp Thing: Infernal Triangles, and more.

For the full list check inside…

…

Comic Book ShelfRead More »

Comic Book Shelf Read More »