Speed of Lightning, Roar of Thunder

/ / Movie Reviews

Okay, I love Underdog and thanks to flicks like Chasing Amy and Almost Famous I’m a huge Jason Lee fan.  Lee’s taken to vocal role for the animated hero in live action/CGI hybrid (think back to 2000’s The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle).  Peter Dinklage will star as baddie Simon Barsinister and Amy Adams has signed on for voice the lovely Sweet Polly Purebread.  Director Frederick Du Chau (Racing Stripes) will take control behind the camera on the script by Joe Piscatella and Adam Rifkin (Small Soldiers).  Hopefully there will be no need to fear come next August.  For those of you who don’t remember Underdog was Saturday morning cartoon staple in the sixties and seventies (and re-ran through much of the eighties).  The story told of lovable Shoe-Shine Boy who would take his “magic pill” in times of danger and rescue the city from the likes of Simon Barsinister and Riff-Raff saving the day while rhyming.  No word yet if other characters like Tennessee Tuxedo, Klondike Kat, or The Go-Go Gophers will make cameo appearances.  Extra fun link for those of you who want to listen to the original theme song or see the lyrics (click here).

Underdog
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New on DVD

/ / Home Video News 

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.  This week we’ve got Johnny Knoxville “pretending” to be mentally retarded, a film December and I disagree about, another flick from my worst list of 2005, special editions of convicts flying the friendly skies, Napoleon Dynamite, Gene Hackman and Will Smith arguing on a submarine, and people chasing Will Smith (hmm, maybe they saw I, Robot), season sets of Hill Street Blues and more.  Take a peek inside for the full list.

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Here’s what is getting released today on DVD:

Film:

The Producers – Unnecessary re-adaption of the Broadway play (which itself was adapted from the original Mel Brooks film) starring Nathan Lane, Matthew Broderick, Will Ferrell, and Uma Thurman.  Extras include a commentary by director Susan Stroman, deleted scenes, outtakes, and an analysis of a scene.  The film earned a spot on my worst of 2005 (click here).  Let’s just say Broderick is no Gene Wilder.  Check out the original review here.

Winter Passing – Speaking of films I disliked (check out the original review).  This one stars Zoeey Deschanel as a moody drug addict daughter of a famous writer (Ed Harris) who goes home to find letters her parents wrote to each other years ago to sell them to a publisher.  Included on the DVD are trailers and a behind the scenes featurette.  I couldn’t find it in myself to like or care for any of these characters but December enjoyed it for what it was (read her DVD review here).

The White Countess – Ralph Fiennes plays a blind American diplomat who falls for a Russian refuge (Natasha Richardson) in Shanghai during the 1930’s.  Extras include commentary by directory James Ivory and Natasha Richardson, a making of featurette, a behind the scenes featurette, and a tribute to Ismail Merchant.

The Ringer – Johhny Knoxville and his friends scheme to make some cash by entering himself as a contestant in the Special Olympics.  The DVD includes commentary by director Barry Blaustein, screenwriter Ricky Blitt, Peter Farrelly, Johnny Knoxville, Edward Barbanell and John Taylor, deleted scenes, featurettes on the Special Olympics and the movie, and a message from the Chairman of the Special Olympics Tim Shriver.

Something New – A young black female lawyer (Kenya McQueen) finds love in the arms of a white landscaper (Simon Baker) to the consternation of her friends and family.  The DVD includes an introduction by Blair Underwood and featurettes on the making of the film and the do’s and dont’s of dating.

When a Stranger Calls – A high school student (Camilla Belle) is harassed by a threatening prank caller while babysitting only to discover the calls are (gasp) coming from inside the house.  Extras include commentary tracks from the director, writer, and cast, deleted scenes, and a featurette on the making of the film.

Special Editions:

Napoleon Dynamite (Like, the Best Special Edition Ever!) – Jon Heder as the alienated teen who, when not bustin’ the moves,  helps his friend Pedro (Efren Ramirez) run for student president.  This collection contains two discs with commentary by director and co-writer Jared Hess, Heder, and producer Jeremy Coon, and commentary with Ramirez, Aaron Ruell, Jon Gries, and Tina Majorino, deleted and extended scenes with commentary, outtakes, audition clips, and featurettes on Jared Hess, shooting on location, and the wedding.  Also included are promo spots, trailers, a still gallery, and clips from TV appearances.  All of this is also available in the “Freakin’ Sweet Collector’s Set” which also includes iPod stickers and bobble-heads of Napoleon and Kip.

Con Air (Unrated Extended Edition) – A former US ranger gets out of prison after serving a stint for manslaughter only to have the transport hijacked by the other fellons (John Malkovich, Ving Rhames, Steve Buscemi, Dave Chapelle).  John Cusack and Colm Meaney also star. 

Enemy of the State (Unrated Extended Edition) – “You’re not paranoid if they’re really after you.”  Yeah, whatever.  Will Smith plays a lawyer who beomes the subject of an NSA investigation when a man drops evidence a corrupt politician into his unsuspecting lap and turns his life upside down.  This edition includes a featurette on the making of the film, deleted scenes, and the trailer.

Crimson Tide (Unrated Extended Edition) – The nuclear submarine Alabama has a new XO (Denzel Washington) who doesn’t see eye-to-eye with the captain (Gene Hackman) during a possible nuclear attack by Russia.  Extras include deleted scenes and a featurette on the making of the film.

Family/Animated:

Home Movies – Season Four – The final 13 episodes of eight year-old Brendon Small’s visionary early work captured in his homemade movies staring his friends Jason and Melissa.  The set also contains bonus commentary tracks with cast, crew and guests, episode animatics, a featurette on the genesis of the series, and a bonus CD with 52 tracks collecting music from all four seasons.

Duma – Parents of young South African boy (Alexander Michaletos) bring home an abandoned baby cheetah who grows up with the boy until the day Duma becomes old enough to return to the wild.  Extras include extended scenes and the trailer. 

TV:

Hill Street Blues – Season Two – Another season Steven Bocho’s overworked inner-city cops in all 19 episodes.  The set includes commentary on two episodes, featurettes on the show, star Richard Belker, Captain Freedom, and more.

That Girl – Season One – Before Mary Tyler Moore there was Marlo Thomas as the liberated and single struggling model and actress in New York City.  All 30 first season episodes are included with the original pilot, series promos, featurettes on the making of the show, outtakes and clips, and an eight page episode guide.

The Big Valley – Season One – Western soap opera involes the brood of the Barkley Ranch in the San Joaquin Valley during the 1870’s.  All 30 episodes of the first season are collected here.

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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 this Friday including Tom Hanks trying to solve “the greatest cover-up in human history,” some animals fighting against the evils of suburbia, and a wrestler killing a buch of teenagers.  All that and more; 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.

The Da Vinci Code

Ron Howard and Tom Hanks, reuniting for the first time since Apollo 13, try to adapt of the hugely popular Dan Brown novel involving an academic (Hanks) and a cryptographer (Audrey Tutou) attempting to solve a murder and unraveling the mystery through the clues that will lead to “the truth behind the greatest cover-up in human history.”  The book is interesting though the revelation of the secret has led to as much head scratching as awe.  If you haven’t read the book I’d shy away from the trailer (which gives away the entire plot).  Jean Reno, Paul Bettany, Ian McKellen, and Alfred Molina also star.

Over the Hedge

Speaking of adaptions, DreamWorks latest is based on the comic of Michael Fry.  The story involes a group of animals (voiced by Bruce Willis, Garry Shandling, Steve Carrell, William Shatner, Thomas Haden Church, Eugene Levy, Allison Janney, Nick Nolten and Avril Lavigne) trying to resist “the evils and tempatations of encroaching suburbia.”  Co-directed by Tim Johnson (Antz, Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas) and Karey Kirpatrick who wrote the screenplay along with those from Chicken Run and The Littlest Vampire.  With this kind of talent it would be hard, though not impossible, to screw this up.

See No Evil

Oh, a horror movie starring a WWE superstar; I wonder how bad this could get (anybody else remember Blade: Trinity?).  The “plot” involves a group of teens (Craig Horner, Tiffany Lamb, Penny McNamee, Samantha Noble) sentenced to community service and end up in a spooky abandoned hotel inhabited by a psychopath (Gordon Jacobs, AKA Kane for ya’all wrasslin’ folks).  Not the first movie to star a wrestler (No Holds Barred, Suburban Commando) but this time the WWE has stepped up to co-produce with Lions Gate Film in a deal which will also bring “Stone Cold” Steve Austin to the screen later this year.

12 and Holding (limited release)

Three misfit 12 year-old friends (Connor Donovan, Zoe Weizenbaum, and Jesse Camacho) deal with the murder of on of the group’s twin brother (also Donovan) by a group of bullies and deal with the sense of loss, grief and an overwhelming desire for revenge.  Directed by Michael Cuestra (L.I.E.) and written by TV series writer Anthony Cipriano (SK8, The Jersey) the film also stars Mark Linn-Baker, Annabella Sciorra, and Bruce Altman.  The film is being distributed through IFC films through a limited release beginning Friday.

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Disaster of a Film

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: Poseidon (2006)
  • IMDb: link

rogue wave – relatively large and spontaneous ocean surface waves which can sink even large ships and ocean liners; they are more concisely defined as waves that are more than double the significant wave heigh, which is itself defined as the mean of the largest third of waves in a wave record.  Once thought to be only legendary, they are now known to be a natural (although relatively rare – except in Hollywood) ocean phenomenon.  (Wikipedia)

Poseidon is a tepid, detached, derivative, boring, silly, banal, unimaginative, stupid little film.  It will probably make $160 million by the end of the summer.  The movie feels more like a made-for-TV Sci-fi Channel disaster flick like Deep Shock or Descent than an actual theatrical film.

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The Notorious Bettie Page

/ / Movie Reviews

This was one of the harder films for me to review; there is so much I enjoyed about the film and yet so much more that I found fault with.  In the end The Notorious Bettie Page is a very good film that had a chance to be truly great.  The film has been playing for a couple of weeks in limited release and tomorrow gets pushed into wide release; we’ve got the review…

The Notorious Bettie Page
3 & 1/2 Stars

For those of us too young to remember Bettie Page was the pin-up girl of a generation whose popularity rivaled (and in many circles eclipsed) that of movie icon Marilyn Monroe.  For many she was the icon of her age.  The new film tries to capture snapshots of her life dealing mostly with her career in front of the camera and takes a look at the young southern gal who would become The Notorious Bettie Page.

Bettie Page (played as an adult by Gretchen Mol) is a nice religious girl who survived some horrific incidents in her early life including sexual abuse by her father, a sexual attack by a group of strangers, and an abusive husband.  Somehow Bettie survives and keeps that upper lip and spirit high.  After leaving her husband she finds some work modeling and quickly becomes the pin-up girl for a generation.  She also begins posing for a series of bondage photos and films which become the focus of a Senate Subcommittee on Juvenile Delinquency (which includes David Strathairn in an interesting casting move considering his last film).

I loved Gretchen Mol’s performance of Bettie and if there’s any justice in this world she’ll be making the award circuit at the end of the year.  She infuses Bettie a vulnerability and strong character that allow you to care what happens to this woman.  From her first to last moment on screen she owns the role and this film.  The film is also filled with good supporting performances from Chris Bauer and Lili Taylor as bondage photographers Irving and Paula Klaw, and Sarah Paulson as then unknown photographer Bunny Yeager.

The choice writer/director Mary Harron (American Psycho) makes is to present Bettie’s life rather than judge it.  The awful events of her youth are hinted at but not shown, and the effects of them do not seem to linger on our protagonist.  This Bettie Page is just looking for fun and enjoys being playful in front of the camera with what are “just pictures” after all.  It paints no one as a hero or as a villain instead choosing to present a portrait of her life.  This allows a film that deals with both pornography and reborn Christianity to not be preachy, but at the same time misses moments, effects, and consequences that should be explored further.

Sadly Harron makes some mistakes that do detract from the film.  The first is the switch from the beautiful black and white to color in scenes which take place in Miami or in the woods during photo shoots.  There are not timed well (it’s nearly an hour into the film first occurs) and the effect removes your attention from the story to focus on the reasons for this radical shift.  Because of this in the end we are left with a film that doesn’t quite match.  More of a problem are the many odd tonal shifts of the film.  Overall the film is upbeat, yet you get scenes that hint at real darkness and issues that should scar or even destroy a person yet the next scene is back to the merriment of life again.  The choice of cramming most of Bettie’s life into the film creates problems as there isn’t time enough to deal with the effects of those darker days in her past and so they are all simply shown, glossed over, and we move onto what comes next.

At the same however she finds just the right way to recreate the look of the time period and the vintage shots and films Bettie Page was so much a part of.  There are many clever devices used during the film including some moving covers of Bettie’s photo shoots.  The loving way in which they are reproduced and obvious joy of Bettie in those situations may turn off some viewers who have strong moral objections to pornography.  If the film has any one message it would be pornography (like firearms) isn’t good or evil though it can be misused.

There is much to celebrate here including an award caliber performance by Gretchen Mol.  The faults of the film, all of which can be laid at the feet of director Mary Harron and editor Tricia Cooke, deflate the movie and hold it back from what appears to be a film that everything it needed to be great.  In the end we know a little more about Bettie Page’s life but not that much more about the woman herself and how the events of her life touched her and changed her – which for a biopic film is inexcusable.  Yet even with such issues the film is still worth taking a look at and enjoying for what it is; I just wish it had been more.

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