Uncategorized

Welcome lovers, today begins our week long look at romance.  Over the next few days (along with our regular content) we’ll tell you a few of our favorite romantic comedies, dramas, and hidden gems available on DVD (and maybe a few to stay away from) to get you in the mood for Saint Valentine’s Day.

Love is Funny Week
Custom Rating

Welcome lovers, today begins our week long look at romance.  Over the next few days (along with our regular content) we’ll tell you a few of our favorite romantic comedies, dramas, and hidden gems available on DVD and remind you of a couple still showing in theaters (perhaps also some a few to stay away from) to get you in the mood for Saint Valentine’s Day.

We’re here to let you know what’s out there for your entertainment dollar.  Every week a new batch of DVD’s gets shipped out and thrown onto the shelves.  Here’s what comes out today including Waiting…, Doom, Elizabethtown, the third season of Moonlighting, the best of The Electric Company and much, much more.  Take a look…

DVD Releases for February 7, 2006
N/A

Here’s a look at what’s hitting the DVD shelf today.

Film:

Doom (Unrated Widescreen Edition) – One of th worst and therefore most profitable movies of 2005 involves The Rock hunting down creatures on Mars space station.  Read our original reviews; review #1 and review #2.

Elizabethtown – Cameron Crowe’s train-wreck romantic dramedy between a shoe creator (Orlando Bloom) and stewardess (Kirsten Dunst) who he meets while traveling to his father’s funeral.  Our disagreements over this one lasted days – read Aaron’s positive review and my negative review.

Waiting… – Funny workplace comedy that takes place in a Shenanigan’s restaurant with Ryan Reynolds, Anna Faris, Justin Long and more.  Read the original review.

Breakfast at Tiffany’s (Anniversary Edition) – The classic romance with Audrey Hepburn and George “I love it when a plan comes together” Peppard gets a new anniversary edition with remastered audio and tons of extras.

Just Like Heaven – Reese Witherspoon dies only to find love as a ghost with the man who moves into her apartment (Mark Ruffalo).

Ryan’s Daughter – 1970 film about love and conspiracy during WWI in Ireland starring Robert Mitchum, Trevor Howard, Leo McKern and Sarah Miles.

The Unbearable Lightness of Being – Philip Kaufman’s take on the novel about a love story between a Czech doctor (Daniel Day Lewis) and a woman (Juliette Binoche) as the Soviets begin the invasion of Czechoslovakia.

Family/Animated:

The Best of The Electric Company – A big box set of clips, outtakes, interviews, trivia, and more from the show that was so cool from 1971 to 1985 teaching kids all they needed to know.

Wallace & Gromit in the Curse of the Were-Rabbit – Wallace and Gromit prepare for the vegetable growing contest and try to catch the mysterious were-rabbit who is eating everyone’s prize vegetables (up for best animated feature at the Academy Awards).

Wallace & Gromit Cracking Collector’s Set – includes A Grand Day Out, A Close Shave, The Wrong Trousers, The Curse of the Were-Rabbit and more.

Bambi II – Straight to video sequel about Bambi’s adventures with his father.

Teen Titans – The Complete First Season – Annoying anime take on Robin and the Teen Titans includes 13 episodes on two discs and extras.

TV:

Moonlighting – Season 3 – Maddie (Cybil Shepherd) and David (Bruce Willis) continue to go at it as they investigate mysteries large and small.  The third season (15 episodes) introduces the character of Herbert Quentin Viola (Curtis Armstrong) and includes the Taming of the Shrew episode “Atomic Shakespeare.”  Read the review for Seasons 1 & 2.

Growing Pains – The Complete First Season – Tales of the Seaver family (Alan Thicke, Joanna Kerns, Kirk Cameron, Tracey Gold, and Jeremy Miller).  22 episodes on four discs including scenes from the pilot and the reunion show.

Emergency – Season Two – The crew of L.A. County Fire Department Station 51 continue to respond to emergencies in 21 episodes.  With Robert Fuler, Julie London, and Bobby Troup.

Touched by an Angel – The Third Season, Volume 1 – The first 16 episodes of the season on four discs.  (Despite the seedy name I’m told it’s a family show)

Blue Collar TV – Season 1, Volume 2 – The final half of season one of the Jeff Foxworthy comedy (also out in a complete Season One set).  Get ‘er done.

We’re gonna try something a little different this week.  Rather than bombard you with everything on Monday overloading your hangovers and beginning of the week anxieties, we’ll ease you into the week.  Today we’ll take a look at what’s on tap on network and cable this week.  On Tuesday we’ll take a look at the list of all the new DVD releases hitting the shelves.  Starting Wednesday we’ll be reviewing some romantic themed movies and DVD’s over the next week leading you up to Valentine’s Day (including top ten lists and other features).  Check back during the week for other fun stuff as well including new movie reviews Friday for Firewall and Neil Young: Heart of Gold.

N/A

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced their list of nominees for the 78th annual Oscars.  No surprise (though a little dread) that with the results of recent award shows Brokeback Mountain (which won the Golden Globe for Drama and the Director’s Guild Best Picture) leads all films with eight nominations.  We’ll see if anyone can upset the front runner.  Walk the Line (which won the Golden Globe for Musical or Comedy) pulled in five Oscar nominations but not one for best picture.  The two best films of the year, Steven Spielberg’s amazing drama about the life after the terrorist attacks at the 1972 Olympic Games Munich and George Clooney’s Good Night, and Good Luck have been unable to cash in on their nominations and been largely ignored by awards commitees this year.  And I won’t even get started on the scarcity of nominations for the tremendous A History of Violence.  The two films with some momentum going into the Oscars that could give Brokeback some challenge are Capote with Philip Seymour Hoffman winning at almost every award ceremony for his portrayal of the title character, and Crash which just Saturday took home the top award at the Screen Actor’s Guild.  For a list of the nominees read on…

78th Academy Awards
N/A

Enough talk, we’ll be debate this list in the weeks to come (plus the films and performances we feel got snubbed by Oscar).  For now though just take a looksee at what was honored just to be nominated.

Best Picture

Brokeback Mountain
Capote
Crash
Good Night, and Good Luck
Munich

Best Director

Ang Lee, Brokeback Mountain
Bennet Miller, Capote
Paul Haggis, Crash
George Clooney, Good Night, and Good Luck
Steven Spielberg, Munich

Best Actor

Philip Seymour Hoffman, Capote
Terrance Howard, Huslte & Flow
Heath Ledger, Brokeback Mountain
Joaquin Phoenix, Walk the Line
David Strathairn, Good Night, and Good Luck

Best Actress

Judi Dench, Mrs. Henderson Presents
Felicity Huffman, Transamerica
Keira Knightly, Pride & Prejudice
Charlize Theron, North Country
Reese Witherspoon, Walk the Line

Supporting Actor

George Clooney, Syriana
Matt Dillon, Crash
Paul Giamatti, Cinderella Man
Jake Gyllenhaal, Brokeback Mountain
William Hurt, A History of Violence

Supporting Actress

Amy Adams, Junebug
Catherine Keener, Capote
Frances McDormand, North Country
Rachel Weisz, The Constant Gardener
Michelle Williams, Brokeback Mountain

Original Screenplay

Paul Haggis and Bobby Moresco, Crash
George Clooney and Grant Heslov, Good Night, and Good Luck
Woody Allen, Match Point
Noah Baumbach, The Squid and the Whale
Stephen Gaghan, Syriana

Adapted Screenplay

Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana, Brokeback Mountain
Dan Futterman, Capote
Jeffrey Caine, The Constant Gardener
Josh Olson, A History of Violence
Tony Kushner and Eric Roth, Munich

Foreign Film

Don’t Tell, Italy
Joyeux Noel, France
Paradise Now, Palestine
Sophie Scholl – The Final Days, Germany
Tsotsi, South Africa

Animated Feature Film

Howl’s Moving Castle
Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride
Wallace & Gromit in the Curse of the Were-Rabbit

Original Song

“In the Deep”, Crash
“It’s Hard Here for a Pimp”, Huslte & Flow
“Travelin’ Thru’ Transamerica,” Transamerica

Original Score

Brokeback Mountain
The Constant Gardener
Memoirs of a Geisha
Munich
Pride & Prejudice

For the more technical awards (editing, sound mixing, etc., view the whole list here).

It’s Super Bowl week but before Sunday’s big game there’s quite a bit for your entertainment dollar.  Tueday’s DVD releases include yet another version of David Lynch’s monumental trainwreck, the retun of Anthony Banderas as Zorro, and lots of fun 80’s TV with Mr. T, a talking Trans-Am, and a detective in a Ferrari.  Planning to hit the theaters this Friday?  Well check out what’s scheduled to hit theaters this week including A Good Woman with Helen Hunt and Scarlett Johansson (check back Friday for the review).  Read on…

N/A

RazorFine gets you set up for the week with a look at what’s coming to your local theater, video store, and beamed directly into your television this week.  Here’s what’s happenin’…

TV

Conviction 9:00/8:00 Monday BBC America (Premiere)
State of the Union Address 9:00/8:00 Tuesday
Survivor: Panama 8:00/7:00 Thursday CBS (Premiere)
Super Bowl XL Sunday 6:00/5:00 Sunday

DVD
New releases for Tuesday, January 31:

Bubble
Dune (Extended Edition)
In Her Shoes
The Legend of Zorro
Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride
Essential Atom Egoyan Box Set
A-Team – Season Three
Diff’rent Strokes – The Complete Second Season
Hill Street Blues – Season One
Knight Rider – Season Three
Magnum, P.I. – Season Three
MI-5 – Volume 3
The Pink Panther Classic Cartoon Collection
The Rat Patrol – The Complete First Season

Film
Movies opening Friday, February 3:

When a Stranger Calls
Babysitter (Camilla Belle) gets harassed by strange phone calls while watching the children of a young yuppie couple.  Scared she calls the police only to discover the calls are coming from inside the house.  Almost certainly as stupid as it sounds and it’s a remake of a horror movie which never turns out good (here’s the 1979 original).

Something New
A romantic comedy by first time director Sanaa Hamri out just in time for Valentines Day about a single woman in L.A. looking for love in an interracial relationship her friends don’t understand.  The cast includes Sanaa Latham, Simon Barker, Alfre Woodard, Felicia Walker, Tanisha Harper, Tom Ratzenberger, David Monahan, and Blair Underwood.

The Three Burials of Melaquiades (Limited)
Directed and starring Tommy Lee Jones the winding tale focuses on a murder at the US / Mexico border and the body who keeps getting dug up and an investigation of the circumstances of his death.  The first time in the director’s chair for Jones, the film also stars Dwight Yokum and Barry Pepper.

A Good Woman (Limited)
Based on the Oscar Wilde play “Lady Windermere’s Fan” the movie tells the tale of a promiscuous and scandalous woman (Helen Hunt) known to take advantage of married men leaves New York and journeys overseas to where more prosperous opportunities loom just over the horizon.  A British production filmed in 2004 that is only now seeing the inside of American theaters.  With Scarlett Johannson, Tom Wilkinson, Mark Umbers, and Tom Standing.

Suits on the Loose (Limited)
Light comedy about two teenagers (Brandon Beemer and Ty Hodges) who flee desert survival camp and end up in being mistaken for Mormon missionaries by the town of New Harmony.  Written and directed by first timer Rodney Henson.