Duff-defying

/ / Movie Reviews

Save me from teen starlet sisters and their wacky romantic comedies.  While I’m sure young girls (and old perverts) might find something to enjoy in the latest Duff n’ Duff production, I wasn’t amused or angered at what was put in front of me.  All I could muster was an empathic feeling of embarrassment for everyone involved.

Material Girls
1 Star

I usually like nothing better than to rip a film like this to pieces, but this one is so bad that I actually became sorry for all those involved.  Rather than pointing out the films poor acting, writing, production, and directing, I’d just like to offer everyone a great big hug and a shoulder for all involved to cry themselves back to sanity.  Don’t worry; you’ll work again…probably.

The Marchetta sisters, Tanzie (Hilary Duff) and Ava (Haylie Duff), are heirs to a cosmetic fortune held in trust by their father’s best friend (Brent Spiner) after his death.  They’re rich and spoiled, but are good natured, honest, nice and sweet.

Just days before receiving control of their company the girls get an offer to sell out to their competitor, Fabiella (Anjelica Huston).  Shortly afterward news breaks on the troubling side effects of the new cosmetics put out by Marchetta, sending the girls on the run from the paparazzi.

Together with the help of a lawyer (Lukas Haas) and a scientist/valet (Marcus Coloma) the girls find happiness, despite the loss of their millions, and begin investigating the incident in order to recover their wealth and clear their father’s good name.

Where to begin?  The movie feels like a made-for-TV after school special from the eighties.  I didn’t know Brent Spiner and Anjelica Huston were so hard up for roles.  I really hope they get back on their feet and are able to put food on the table with the checks from this film.  I wonder if there’s a celebrity charity hotline I could call and offer them my help?

The film has a loose plot that revolves around the sisters getting into different kinds of trouble (the “humorous” not the dangerous kind), reconnecting with their housekeeper (Maria Conchita Alonso – Where have you been?  It’s been long time since The Running Man).  Nothing remarkable to talk about here; the hijinks of the girls are your usual B-sitcom variety.

This one’s not going on anybody’s resume.  The more I watched the film the sadder I got for the Duff girls.  Really, I wanted to advise them to burn every copy of this film.  More than anything it shows the lack of range of both sisters, who might be at home on a TV screen or in a music video, but are sorely lacking the star power needed to carry a film (at least one that was seemingly written by thirteen year-old girls over lunch one dreary afternoon).  Hopefully the film won’t lose too much money, and they’ll be able to get back their TV commercial jobs selling gum.

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Sunshine Shines Bright

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: Little Miss Sunshine
  • IMDB: link

This is a terrific little film.  It’s sad when movies such as John Tucker Must Die get huge distribution and marketing while truly wonderful smaller films such as this one will struggle to find an audience.  Little Miss Sunshine is worth both your time and money; it’s so good I didn’t want it to end.

Into every life a little rain must fall, into this family…well, wear your galoshes.  Richard (Greg Kinnear) is a self-help guru who is lives his life to “the nine steps,” determined to be a winner and not a loser.  His wife Sheryl (Toni Collette) is trying to keep the family together despite their financial and emotional difficulties.

Son Dwayne (Paul Dano) quietly worships Fredrick Nietche, he’s taken a vow of silence, and spends his time dreaming about a life flying jets.  The grandfather (Alan Arkin) is a heroin addict who’s main philosophy to the younger generation seems to be – sleep with as many women as possible.

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Sunshine Shines Bright Read More »

Comic Book Shelf

/ / Comics

Hey there true believers!  Today marks our first Comic Book Shelf edition.  Want to know what’s getting released today 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 today. 

This week’s releases include new issues of The Flash, Ghost Rider, Hellblazer, Nightwing, Deadman, Iron Man, Wonder Woman, Swamp Thing, , and more!

If your looking for graphic novels there’s Identity Crisis, Decimation: Son of M, Plastic Man Archives, Spider-Woman: Origin Premiere, The Ultimate X-Men Volume 6 and more.  For the full list check inside…

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Comic Book Shelf Read More »

New on DVD

/ / Home Video

We’re here to keep you informed on hot choices for renting or buying new DVD releases. Released this week: Scary Movie 4, RV, Hoot, Apocalypse Now (2 Disc Special Collector’s Edition) and Rome: The Complete First Season.

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Here’s what is getting released today on DVD:

Film:

Scary Movie 4 –  This year’s edition plays on the same Airplane style type of comedy (enhanced with the addition of Leslie Neilsen in a supporting role) with the body fluid and homosexuality jokes scaled back though we do get the obligatory Brokeback Mountain parody.  The star of this series remains the set designer for the level of detail recaptured in the different spoofs; I just wish the acting and writing was as consistent.  Get the rest of Alan’s opinion on Scary Movie 4. Don’t miss out on extras like Commentary by the filmmakers, 15 deleted and extended scenes, bloopers and many featurette.

RV –  Disconnected from his family and in trouble at work Bob Munro (Robin Williams) decides to gather his family, his teenage daughter Cassie (JoJo) and son Carl (Josh Hutcherson) and wife Jamie (Cheryl Hines), together and take an family vacation to Colorado (while secretly working on his proposal).  Since his family was set on a trip to Hawaii they aren’t too happy with the change in plans.

Of course in this kind of trip all kinds of bad luck befalls Bob including being stuck on the front of the RV as it tumbles out of control, the explosion of the waste management system, attack of a pack of rabid raccoons, and a extra-cheery RV family (Jeff Daniels, Kristin Chenoweth, Hunter Parrish, Alex Ferris, and Chloe Sonnenfeld) who even sing and yodel and I’m pretty sure you have to shoot and bury in the desert in unmarked graves to get rid of. Get the rest of Alan’s opinion on RV.

Be sure to enjoy the director’s commentary, gag reel, alternate scenes and a few featurette on this DVD.

Hoot – Carl Hiaasen’s award winning young adult novel is adapted for the big screen, and now your TV. Director Wil Shriner does his best, but doesn’t pull off much from his adult actors, luckily his young talents pulls out all the stops. Hoot has a few funny moments and some save the animals, owls specifically, moral notes. Kids will love it, but adults will be quite bored.

Special Edition:

Apocalypse Now (2 Disc Special Collector’s Edition) – Seriously, you’re not going to make me explain Apocalypse Now to you? If you don’t know what this film it about, then you are not alive. However, I will let you know what the 2 Disc Collector’s Edition includes. Just in case 2 1/2 hours wasn’t enough for you, now they have added a whole extra 50 minutes. They didn’t just add scenes, but expanded and re-edited scenes that charged the atmosphere of this gloomy time in history. “What else?”, you ask. Not only do you get the extended longer version, but both the 1979 and 2001 versions, never before seen segments, Marlon Brando’s, in full, reading of T.S. Elliot’s poem “The Hollow Men” and so much more. If your a fan, then this collector’s edition is certainly for you and if you only appreciate the film then get it for the man in your life, or woman, who loves it.

Rome: The Complete First Season – HBO ventures out to epic proportions; Rome starts with a bang, slows a bit in the center and ends with an explosion. Shot on location in Rome and on one of the most genuine replicated sets and costumes made with nothing but the real articles found in those days, Rome is one of the most expensive productions in HBO history. The story of Julius Caesar unravels with intriguing characters and great talent from Ciaran Hinds, Kevin McKIdd, Ray Stevenson, James Purefoy and many others. HBO hit another one out of the park, let’s see if they hold onto to it. If a complaint would be made about this series it would be not enough battle, a war would start and end within a 5 minute period leaving the audience wanting to see more. The disc includes 12 episodes on 6 discs; commentary on multiple episodes with different actors and director, a closer look at “The Rise of Rome” fight scene and an extravagant behind the scenes look at set design and costuming. Wait for it, there is more; actor’s boot camp, a featurette on the culture of ancient Rome, photo gallery and an eight-page character guide. Here’s a DVD set with a party included in it.

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This Week

/ / Film News & Trailers

So what’s out there this week?  Well today we’ll take a look at the films scheduled to be released on Friday.  They include Justin Long creating his own college, the Duff girls playing a pair of spoiled sisters (hard acting there!), and Samuel L. Jackson taking on Snakes on a Plane.  All that and a batch of films in limited release including Edward Norton as a magician, Rachel Leigh Cook’s unquenchable sexual desires on the eve of her wedding, Billy Crudup and David Duchovny screwing up their relationships, and new films starring Matt Dillon and James Marsden as well; read on…

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Here’s what’s scheduled to hit theaters this week.  Want to know more?  Just click on the title for film info including a full cast list.  Want a closer look?  Just click on the poster to watch the trailer.

Opening Friday:

Accepted

I’ve been a fan of Justin Long since his days on Ed.  Much like last year’s Waiting… this film puts Long into the role of a slacker who discovers deeper meaning to life by the end of the film.  Bartleby (Long) creates a fictional university, South Harmon Institute of Technology (notice the acronym?), when he’s rejected from every college around.  When other slackers enroll, his friends (Jonah Hill, Maria Thayer, Columbus Short, and comedian Lewis Black) help him to turn the farce into a real college, and win his true love (Blake Lively).  Check back on Friday for our review.

Snakes on a Plane

Samuel L. Jackson plays an FBI agent on a plane who battles hundreds of snakes, released by an assassin to kill an informant being transferred to testify.  Either you’ve been waiting impatiently for this one or you’ve been scratching your head all year about the Internet build-up.  Byron Lawson, Nathan Phillips, Julianna Marguiles, Rachel Blanchard, and Bobby Cannavale also star.  The film is directed by David R. Ellis (Cellular, Final Destination 2) which, surprisingly, hasn’t seemed to hurt the hype – seriously, Final Destination 2?  C’mon!  Check back Friday for our review.

Material Girls

Real life sisters Hilary and Haylie Duff play carefree, party all night heiresses (is one of them named Paris?) who lose all their fortune and fame in a scandal, forcing them to go out into the world and live a more simple life (sorry, I couldn’t resist).  Angelica Huston, Brent Spiner, and Maria Conchita Alonso also star.  Hey, should be better than Hilary’s next project.  TV director Martha Coolridge is behind the camera for the script penned by John Quaintance (Joey, Aquamarine) and first-timer Jessica O’Toole.  With this much “talent,” what could possibly go wrong?

Currently in Limited Release, Opening Wide on Friday:

Little Miss Sunshine

Boy, oh, boy.  When the youngest member of a dysfunctional family wins a spot in a beauty pagent the whole crew stumbles on board a VW bus and makes the trek to California.  Directed by the team of Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris (Mr. Show), the off-beat script (by first-timer Michael Arndt) stars Steve Carrell as a suicidal gay man, Paul Dano as a Nietche lovin’ mute, Greg Kinnear as the emotionally inaccessible father, Alan Arkin as the smack addicted patriarch, and Abagail Breslin as the adorable Olive.  The film finally gets a wide release this Friday; You can check out my review here.

Leonard Cohen: I’m Your Man

A new documentary by director Lian Lunson (Willie Nelson: Down Home) focuses on the life and music of singer/songwriter Leonard Cohen.  The film is compiled from interviews and performances, mostly from the tribute to Cohen in 2005 at the Sydney Opera House, by Cohen, Bono and the Edge from U2, Anthony Hegarty, Rufus and Martha Wainwright, Linda Thompson, Anthony Hagerty, Anna and Kate McGarrigle, Hal Wilner, Nick Cave, Julie Christensen, and more.  The film has received mixed reviews as many feel the actual man is barely profiled in what appears to be more a celebration of his work than a true documentary.

Opening Friday in Limited Release:

The Illusionist

Edward Norton as a magician?  Hmmm…  A magician (Norton) uses his abilities to win the love of a noble woman (Jessica Beil) from the Crown Prince of Vienna (Rufus Sewell), who is determined to prove the magician a fraud with the help of his chief inspector (Paul Giamatti).  The big question here is can the film overcome the curse of Jessica Beil – who somehow always chooses the worst films to star in (Blade Trinity, Summer Catch, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Stealth, Elizabethtown).  Is there enough magic in the world to kill this curse?  Check back Friday for our review to find out.

My First Wedding

Rachael Leigh Cook plays Vanessa, a young woman struggling with sexual fantasies and desires just days before she is to be married.  She seeks solace in a confessional, only to bare her soul to carpenter (Kenny Doughtey) doing renovation at the church, who is so taken with her (a randy sex-crazed Rachel Leigh Cook, who wouldn’t be?!) that he can’t tell her he’s not a priest.  Caroline Carver, Paul Hopkins, Claire Brosseau, Elizabeth Whitmere, and Stefanie Buxton also star.  The film opens today in limited release, look for it at an art house near you in the coming weeks.

Trust the Man

Writer/director Bart Freundlich’s (World Traveler, The Myth of Fingerprints) latest is about a couple of friends (David Duchovny, Billy Crudup) and their screwed-up relationships with the women they love (Julianne Moore, Maggie Gyllenhaal).  The supporting cast includes Justin Bartha, James LeGros, Eva Mendes, Ellen Barkin, Dagmara Dominczyk, and Garry Shandling.  Despite a near year long run at various film festivals the film has brought neither high praise, nor marketable anger.  Looks like what you see is what you get.  The film is opening in limited release on Friday.

10th and Wolf

Returning home from the military, Tommy (James Marsden) finds himself back in the old neighborhood, his brother in prison, and entagled once again with his mobster buddies.  Marsden finally gets a starring role with a fine supporting cast including Giovanni Ribisi, Brad Renfro, Dennis Hopper, Piper Perabo, Lesly Ann Warren, Val Kilmer, Brian Dennehy, and rocker Tommy Lee.  I just wish the plot sounded as good as that list of actors.  Directed and co-written by Robert Moresco (who co-wrote last year’s Crash).  The film opens in limited release on Friday.

Factorum

Henry Chinaski (Matt Dillon), the fictional alter-ego of writer Charles Bukowski, wanders around Los Angeles barely making a living while indulging in his favorite pastimes – gambling, drinking, women, and writing.  Directed and adapted from the Bukowski novel by Norwegian director Brent Hamer.  The supporting cast includes Lili Taylor, Marisa Tomei, Adrienne Shelly, Karen Young, and Fisher Stevens. The film opens exclusively in New York and Los Angeles on Friday.  Look for a wider release in art houses in the coming months.

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