Home Video

Enough Said

/ / Home Video
  • Title: Enough Said
  • IMDB: link

Enough SaidJulia Louis-Dreyfus and James Gandolfini star as two divorced parents of daughters on their way to college. Their burgeoning relationship is put in jeopardy by Eva’s (Louis-Dreyfus) new friendship with the masseuse’s latest client who turns out to be her new boyfriend’s ex-wife (Catherine Keener).

The set-up of the unusual situation works well. However, rather than deal with the unique situation the three people find themselves, Eva decides to take a page from your average Katherine Heigl or Kate Hudson flick, and try to secretly carry on both relationships.

Despite an intriguing middle-age love story, a pair of likable stars, and a strong first act, the latest from writer/director Nicole Holofcener eventually devolves into predictable romcom cliche. Although I still think the film is worth seeking out for its two stars, and the subplot involving Eva’s relationship with both her daughter (Tracey Fairaway) and her daughter’s best friend (Tavi Gevinson), eventually the shenanigans of the film’s second-half overshadow the intriguing story which is buried under too many groanworthy moments.

…

Enough SaidRead More »

Enough Said Read More »

Fruitvale Station

/ / Home Video
  • Title: Fruitvale Station
  • IMDB: link

Fruitvale StationBased on a true story, Fruitvale Station offers a single day slice-of-life look at the life of Oscar Grant (Michael B. Jordan) on the day he was killed by a police officer (Kevin Durand) at a subway station on New Year’s Eve. Writer/director Ryan Coogler offers one of most emotional films of 2013 showcasing Oscar’s trouble staying on the straight and narrow, holding down a job, and doing right by his girlfriend (Melonie Diaz), mother (Octavia Spencer), and daughter (Ariana Neal) all while leading up to the final few minutes of his life.

Despite an 85-minute running time Fruitvale Station has issues filling the film with sequences from Grant’s unremarkable final day. Although it offers flashbacks to Oscar’s time in prison to explain his relationship to his mother we get very little of the rest of his life prior to this day. The movie also has several filler sequences of Oscar driving around the city which feel included only to boost the running time closer to a feature-length 90 minutes.

…

Fruitvale StationRead More »

Fruitvale Station Read More »

Guilty Pleasure – Blind Date

/ / Home Video
  • Title: Blind Date
  • IMDB: link

“I warned you not to let her drink.”

Blind DateNeeding a date for an important business dinner with a prestigious Japanese firm, workaholic Walter Davis (Bruce Willis), against his better judgement, allows his brother (Phil Hartman) to set him up on a blind date. Warned not to get Nadia (Kim Basinger) drunk, Walter doesn’t realize just how crazy his night will get after sharing a few glasses of champagne. By the end of the night Walter is fired, crazed, robbed, his car are best suit are both ruined, and he’s arrested for a violent scene involving Nadia’s psychopathic ex-boyfriend (John Larroquette).

Directed by Blake Edwards, Blind Date is pretty much a one-joke movie as Nadia’s increasingly wild behavior drives Walter further and further over the edge. Despite the worst night of his life, and everything he looses over the course of the evening, Walter falls for Nadia using her weakness to alcohol to win her back from her ex-boyfriend in the film’s final moments after Nadia, blaming herself for the entire night, makes a deal with him to keep Walter out of jail.

…

Guilty Pleasure – Blind DateRead More »

Guilty Pleasure – Blind Date Read More »

Psych – The Complete Seventh Season

/ / Home Video
  • Title: Psych – Season Seven
  • wiki: link

Psych - The Complete Seventh SeasonThe Seventh Season of Psych brings changes to Santa Barbara as Shawn (James Roday) and Juliet‘s (Maggie Lawson) relationship gets serious, Juliet learns the truth about Shawn’s psychic abilities, Lassiter (Timothy Omundson) and Marlowe (Kristy Swanson) get married, and Gus (Dulé Hill) gets a girlfriend (Parminder Nagra). The season also ends on a cliffhanger with Shawn and Gus being fired as consultants and Harris Trout (Anthony Michael Hall) stepping-in to take over as the SBPD’s new head honcho following Chief Vick’s (Kirsten Nelson) suspension.

Highlights from the season include Shawn trying to help Gus cover-up his apparent involvement in a murder (in one of the series’ best episodes), Henry‘s (Corbin Bernsen) unscheduled Mexican vacation with Juliet’s untrustworthy stepfather Lloyd (Jeffrey Tambor), the mystery behind Juliet’s new roommate, and an extended-cut of the series’ 100th episode which reunites several of the cast members of Clue (Lesley Ann Warren, Christopher Lloyd, and Martin Mull) for a murder mystery in the style of the 80’s film.

…

Psych – The Complete Seventh SeasonRead More »

Psych – The Complete Seventh Season Read More »

Prisoners

/ / Home Video
  • Title: Prisoners
  • IMDB: link

PrisonersPrisoners is an infuriating movie that wastes the strong set-up of the raw emotions of families going through the kidnappings of their young daughters in favor of a descent into average thriller territory that continues twists and turns long after you’ve given up caring. Had the film stayed with the themes of emotion and loss and how far one will go for answers when the lives of their children are at stake, rather than force an unnecessary whodunit twist ending involving puzzles, complicated motives, and elaborate reveals, director Denis Villeneuve‘s film would have been much better off.

Hugh Jackman and Terrence Howard star as fathers who face the hard reality of their daughters disappearing on lazy weekend afternoon. Although convinced the police have the right man in custody, a mentally-retarded Paul Dano, Keller Dover (Jackman) becomes increasingly agitated when the police release the man from custody.

…

PrisonersRead More »

Prisoners Read More »