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The Imposter

  • Title: THe Imposter
  • IMDB: link

the-imposter-dvdThe Imposter is nearly impossible to believe, even when you know going in it’s a documentary of real events. The British film focuses on the story of a young American teenager named Nicolas, who reappears in France years after his disappearance. But that’s only the beginning.

For those who haven’t heard much about the film I’m hesitant to give too much away. Needless to say not everything about Nicholas is exactly what it seems. Told through a mixture of first-person accounts and recreations, The Imposter has a bit of an Unsolved Mysteries feel to it, but it’s far more bizarre than any tale Robert Stack brought to viewers’ attention.

Director Bart Layton‘s documentary is a disturbing look at a story so unbelievable Hollywood would have to make it up if it wasn’t already true. Filled with several twists and turns, the film will continue to surprise, even if you already know the big twist (although it’s given up pretty earlier in the film I won’t spoil it here).

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Dredd-ful

  • Title: Dredd
  • IMDB: link

dredd-dvdYou know you’re in trouble when you begin comparing the film you are watching to a universal derided mid-90’s fiasco of a film starring Sylvester Stallone and Rob Schneider and find the new version you are currently watching wanting.

I’ll say this for director Pete Travis‘ take on the comic book character, it understands the character of Judge Dredd far better than Sly’s flick ever did, but it’s bleak dystopian setting and forgettable story is about as much fun as a root canal. Dredd is 95 minutes of joyless action in which no one, including the audience, is having any fun.

Set some time in the distant future, where most of the world has become uninhabitable and forced people to flock to huge Mega-Cities ruled by Judges who are in effect judge, jury and executioner all in one, Karl Urban stars as Judge Dredd. As the film opens Dredd has been tasked to take a struggling recruit (Olivia Thirlby) out on assignment to judge her future.

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Smash – Season One

  • Title: Smash – The Complete First Season
  • tv.com: link

smash-season-one-dvdNBC’s attempt to cash-in on the success of Glee and American Idol produced an up-and-down first season of the soapy backstage goings on behind the scenes of a Broadway musical based on the life of Marilyn Monroe.

Katharine McPhee stars as Broadway newbie Karen Cartwright, the most talented member of the cast eventually chosen by the show’s director (Jack Davenport) as the show’s lead, even if he is dating her main competition (Megan Hilty). Other storylines involve the various love lives of the musical’s writers (Christian Borle, Debra Messing), bedhopping, drug problems, and the struggles of the show’s producer (Anjelica Huston) in both her personal and professional life.

The addition of Uma Thurman late in the season as a Hollywood celebrity who lacks the singing and dancing chops necessary to pull off the lead of a musical offered the role of Marilyn to keep the flagging production afloat, is, like everything else about the First Season, only partially successful.

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Samsara

  • Title: Samsara
  • IMDB: link

samsara-blu-rayNearly five years in the making, director Ron Fricke‘s attempt to capture the Buddhist idea of samsara (the cycle of birth, life, death and rebirth) on 70mm is an intriguing proposition. Filming in more than 25 countries across five continents, Fricke and his team captured shots across the globe of nature, temples, ruins, cityscapes, their various inhabitants, and more.

Samsara doesn’t have a narrative structure in the conventional sense, but the amazing amount of timelapse footage from Fricke and his team paints a beautiful (and occasionally creepy) picture of our planet and its inhabitants sometimes set to music and sometimes set only to the natural sounds of the surroundings.

As as a cinematic achievement Samsara is impressive, however some viewers may find the film’s lack of structure or more coherent message disappointing.

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Frankenweenie

  • Title: Frankenweenie
  • IMDB: link

frankenweenie-blu-ray-dvdTim Burton goes back to the well again with Frankenweenie, a remake of his short film and obvious parody of Frankenstein. Set in the town of New Holland, our story centers around social outcast Victor Frankenstein (Charlie Tahan) who sets his genius to bringing his dog Sparky back to life after he is hit by a car.

What follows are the misadventures of Victor, Sparky, and Victor’s various classmates who use his knowledge to bring back other pets from the grave in an attempt to win the school science fair. The film also throws in a preteen love story between Victor and the equally socially awkward Elsa van Helsing (Winona Ryder).

Burton has some fun in casting old friends, particularly with Martin Landau as the school’s science teacher who is attacked after the town discovers what Victor used “science” to do.

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