Home Video

Megamind on Blu-ray

  • Title: Megamind
  • IMDB: link

Anyone who ever enjoyed old Silver Age Superman comics and always wanted to see Lex Luthor beat the Man of Steel should go grab this movie right now. Megamind asks a simple question: What happens to a villain after he’s vanquished the hero? DreamWorks answer is as much fun on Blu-ray as it was in the theaters.

After giving us a short background on Megamind (Will Ferrell as our villain) and Metro Man (Brad Pitt as our hero) the movie quickly moves to the villain’s latest plot. Everything is going as usual, the hero is ready to save the day, rescue the girl, and thwart the bad guy. And then the unexpected happens – the villain wins.

The rest of the film focuses on Megamind trying to redefine his role in the world, his evolving relationship with intrepid female reporter Roxanne Ritchi (Tina Fey), and his own hero’s journey to be the next champion of Metro City.

Megamind on Blu-ray Read More »

All-Star Superman

  • Title: All-Star Superman
  • IMDb: link

Based on the comic of the same name by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely All-Star Superman gives us the world’s first super-hero in his final days. Lex Luthor (Anthony LaPaglia) has finally won. He’s found a way to slowly kill the Man of Steel, but the last son of Krypton isn’t going to go away quietly.

The movie begins with Superman‘s (James Denton) overexposure to the Sun’s radiation and follows a series of adventures in his final days including fighting with the Parasite, dealing with newly arrived survivors of Krypton, and finally admiring the truth to Lois Lane (Christina Hendricks).

The straight-to-DVD film is a good adaptation of the original series, but does make some changes to the story. We don’t get Jimmy Olsen / Doomsday story or Superman’s adventure to Bizarro World, and Krypto, sadly, finds himself on the cuttting-room floor as well.

All-Star Superman Read More »

Get Low

  • Title: Get Low
  • IMDB: link

get-low-dvdRobert Duvall stars as a grumpy old hermit nearing the end of a lonely life who decides to hire a local funeral director (Bill Murray) and his assistant (Lucas Black) to plan a living funeral – something never seen before in Tennessee during the 1930’s.

Duvall is given a meaty role, and Murray has some fun moments, but eventually the film simply runs out of gas. The hermit’s deep dark secret, once exposed, is… kind of lame, and far less interesting than I hoped. And the promise of others gathering at his funeral to tell tales of this mean old hermit’s violent outbursts (which have become legend in the small town) is never fulfilled, at least on-camera.

Get Low gives you exactly what you’d expect (complete with a big bright bow wrapped around the ending) and nothing more. It’s ike so many uninspired films that play it safe and don’t cash-in on the chances offered them.

Get Low Read More »

The Perfect Movie for Valentine’s Day

  • Title: Love Actually
  • IMDB: link

love-actually-dvdWritten and directed by Richard Curtis, Love Actually is a celebration of love. More than that, however, it’s a celebration of movie love. The film is jam-packed with characters, stories, situations, sampling the best romantic comedies have to offer. It’s not a spoof of romcoms, but a celebration of the best movie romances have to offer.

The film focuses on eight couples, each in a different part of their relationship as well as two additional stories which help tie them together: an aging rock star (Bill Nighy) and his manager (Gregor Fisher) attempting to win a holiday contest and jewelry store attendent (Rowan Atkinson) who shows up only when needed.

The Perfect Movie for Valentine’s Day Read More »

The Whole Nine Yards

  • Title: The Whole Nine Yards
  • IMDb: link

whole-nine-yards-poster

His role of Friends aside, I’ve been largely unimpressed with Matthew Perry (Serving Sara and Three to Tango come to mind). It’s really a shame he’s made such bad choices on scripts because when you watch this flick you realize how good he could actually be in motion pictures. 

The idea of a comedy starring Bruce Willis and Matthew Perry might not inspire much confidence, but what we get turns out to be pretty darn good. The Whole Nine Yards is a quirky, fun, occasionally dark, entertaining little movie. Full of odd characters and terrific comic sequences, most notably from Perry. And it provides not one but two love stories.

Nicholas ‘Oz’ Oseransky (Matthew Perry) is trapped. He’s living in Montreal with a horrible wife (Rosanna Arquette) who has made his life miserable for years. He continues to work at the dental practice he started with his father-in-law whose debt from an embezzlement scheme he is forced to pay off. 

The Whole Nine Yards Read More »