LOVE this workout!

Up In The Air (4 out of 5 stars)
March 9, 2010

Of course, the Oscars are tomorrow night (and may have already happened by the time some of you read this since my readership goes way up Mon-Fri around lunchtime, you slackers) and Up In the Air is a big-time contender. Oscar nominated movies are sometimes just not that entertaining frankly, as are these smarty-pants films starring George Clooney. Mmmm….Clooney….And frig—this one’s good.
Yes, it has a few slow moments, but overall, even with all of the positive reviews (which sometimes give me way too high expectations) I really liked this movie.

Reminding us that one of the supposedly great things about America is that there’s always money to be made, Up In The Air follows the travels of Ryan Bingham, a redundancy consultant hired by firms who need to cut staff but are unwilling to deal with the soon-to-be-unemployed.  Unsurprisingly, business is good – Bingham flies around the country constantly, confidently removing the incomes and security of untold lives while chasing his real prize – frequent flyer miles.

The acting performances are wonderful, especially from the women in the film. I personally don’t think this role is much of a stretch for Clooney himself. The Up In The Air DVD and Blu-ray presentations include commentary by writer/director Jason Reitman, director of photography Eric Steelberg and first assistant director Jason Blumenfeld, deleted scenes with optional commentary and the featurette “Shadowplay: Before The Story”. The Blu-ray also includes additional deleted scenes, storyboards, an American Airlines prank and the “Help Yourself” music video by Sad Brad.

It’s a great little film and I enjoyed it despite all the hype everywhere. I’m sure it’ll do really well and doesn’t even need my stamp of approval but nonetheless, I’ll hit it with a Highly Recommended.

Where The Wild Things Are (5 out of 5 stars)
Warner/ March 2, 2010

"I didn't set out to make a children's movie; I set out to make a movie about childhood." -- Spike Jonze
Sigh….isn’t that the best? I was completely smitten with Where the Wild Things are from the moment I saw the trailer. The book is wonderful but simple and I worried that the movie wouldn’t meet my expectations.

The movie story stays simple-- Max (Max Records) is a confused, mischievous -- and, some might argue, spoiled -- boy who, while wearing a gray wolf's costume on a counter and yells to his mother (Catherine Keener), with her boyfriend (Mark Ruffalo) in the next room, "I'll eat you up!" He defiantly flouts his mother's calls to go to bed, bites her on the shoulder, and bolts out the door in the heat of the moment, later finding his way to a boat on a river bank. After hopping in and going for a late-night sail to a distant island, he's greeted to the snarls, growls, and massive bodies of mammoth beasts wreaking havoc in a far-away forest upon his arrival, showing us that they're in angered disorder. They’re a little scary at first as some little kids watching this film might think too.

These monsters are scary but gentle and we get to know them in the movie. They have names and personalities. Watching this movie is a feast for the eyes, ears and soul. The cinematography is breathtaking, the music is moving, and the characterizations will just give you warm and fuzzies all over. This movie is a work of art that has a deep respect for the original book.

The picture on the Blu-Ray is lovely indeed although I felt like it could have been even better. Detail isn't as well-defined as you would imagine, looking muddy in the beasts' coats and in the terrain shots, while anything in motion struggles a bit to keep pace with the image -- resulting in a few scattered instances of blocking and aliasing that are visible, but not distracting. But the DTS sound nails it—it’s perfection. Disc Two contains both a Digital Copy and DVD presentation of the film, though the DVD itself is without any special features.
I LOVED this movie. High Recommended.

The Informant! (4 out of 5 stars)
Warner/ February 23, 2010

The Informant is one of those quirky little movies that charms you and makes you laugh and leaves you feeling satisfied at the end. Matt Damon is excellent here as Mark Whitacre, a rising star at an agriculture company who becomes a whistle-blower on all the shady goings-on in his workplace.  It’s based on a true story which is hilarious because when you watch it, you can’t believe this guy.

The R rating is for language as there is nothing really inappropriate here besides that although I highly doubt it’s the type of movie kids would dig. Whitacre's mess of contradictory personality traits, well-meaning and sort of savvy, but also helplessly dishonest and supremely bumbling in how he carries himself, are what ultimately make this something special. And the clever way "The Informant" develops this character -- though a continuous barrage of narrated non-sequiturs about the metric system, attractions to low-priced ties and an admiration for ants' ability to capitalize on lucky breaks-- is as effective as it often is funny.

I don’t think it got too much play when it came out but it’s certainly worth a watch on DVD, or Blu-Ray as was my case. The BR looked and sounded great, I have no issues here. English, French, and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital tracks are also available, along with subtitles in those languages as well.

This was a sweet little black-comedy surprise for me. It’s a solid Recommended.

Gary Unmarried: The Complete First Season (4 out of 5 stars)
Buena Vista/ February 9, 2010

Gary Unmarried was one of the shows I latched onto last season. It was really funny at times which made dealing with the crappy parts worth it. Re-watching it on dvd now that it’s on its second season makes me realize the first season was much better.

Divorce is sad. And what if that divorce is fresh and bitter? It doesn't seem to be an area rife for laughter, but that's where Gary Unmarried is born, as Gary (Jay Mohr) has just gotten divorced from Allison (Paula Marshall), and they've begun the physical separation, with Gary is a temporary home, having lost most of his stuff, and splitting custody of his two kids. And hilarity ensues?

Kind of… The supporting cast keeps things light for sure and they’re excellent—especially his son Tommy Tom (the very entertaining Ryan Malgarini.) His ex-wife Alison is pretty freaking mean. Which is funny to us I suppose but it makes you wonder why he keeps hanging out with her. Yes, there is pretty much a pooping of masturbation joke in every episode but there are some pretty witty moments which is why I kept on watching.

This is definitely one worth checking out if you like sitcoms and pudgy Jay Mohr. It’s better than Two and a Half Men but doesn’t come close to the genius of Modern Family.

Zombieland (4 out of 5 stars)
Sony/ February 2, 2010

I was never really into the zombie genre. It used to be sort of unique and then it started popping up everywhere. Recently they’re even rewritten Jane Austen with zombies. So yes, even I was sick of zombies. But Zombieland is freaking fun.

If you fell in love with the 2004 zombie hit "Shaun of the Dead," this is right in that area. Zombieland, however, takes a different direction by mixing some mighty doses of action and an unforgettable cameo that can be described only as gut busting. In addition to a gratifying story line, Fleischer, making his feature-length debut, throws in some cleverly stylized elements that add punch to a delightfully agile motion picture.

Some decent special features are worth checking out after the film, including two cool extras that explore the production of the film and the settings. Deleted scenes, commentary, and some other odds and ends also are available. Additional extras are available on Blu-ray discs.

This is really an original take on the zombie genre and even me, a non zombie-lover, loved it. Highly recommended.

Amelia (3 out of 5 stars)
Fox/ February 2, 2010

I really think it’s a travesty that Hilary Swank has two Oscars. TWO! I really don’t think she anything special. There are a few actresses out there that deserve those Oscars more if you ask me. Still—she’s the best thing about Amelia, a move that just fails to well…take flight…snort.

Directed by Mira Nair, Amelia touches on the Queen of the Air's break into the annals of aviation history and her relentless charge toward making that flight around the world. In between Earhart's time in the cockpit, the viewer is treated to her romantic life, which included her marriage to George Putnam (Richard Gere) and her affair with plane pioneer Gene Vidal (Ewan McGregor). One of the film’s problems stem from the feature’s 111-minute runtime. At this length, the film feels rushed and misses out on key details. Its choppy presentation also points to poor editing. More importantly, the film skimps on the emotional angles of Earhart’s personal life and her struggle as a female pilot. It’s the details and idiosyncrasies that separate good biopics from the forgettable ones, and Amelia‚ fails to capitalize.

I can’t comment on picture or sound as I got a Fox screening disc.

The film packs in some excellent special features, including old news video clips of Earhart‚'s adventures. Also on board are two featurettes, one that examines Earhart‚'s impact on women today and another that covers the making of the film. Deleted scenes also are available.

I did learn a lot—I really knew nothing about Earhart before this—but I feel it’s almost a shame that the movie wasn’t made a bit better. Her life is a great story. It’s a rental.

The Godfather: Blu-Ray (4 out of 5 stars)
Paramount/ February 2, 2010

There is nothing for me to state about the The Godfather that hasn’t been said before. It really is a masterpiece of moviemaking—especially the opening sequence.

Paramount's new Blu-ray of The Godfather is the same disc as was included in the four-disc The Godfather: The Coppola Restoration set back in September of 2008, which means that these new stand-alone releases of Godfather and The Godfather Part II are primarily for people who really, really don't like Godfather III. Or special features—as the only extra included now is Francis Ford Coppola’s audio commentary which is great—but missing is a ton of features that were included on a bonus disc in the collection.

The picture is amazing. Blacks are richer, the grain is as intended, the brownish yellow tones look as if they came straight from memory. The film comes in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC transfer and in its original mono tracks, and a True HD 5.1 surround.

The Godfather is one of the greatest films out there but The Coppola Restoration is simply a better deal if you’re a movie fan. Of course if you really don’t want The Godfather III or special features, by all means, grab this one.

Southland: The Complete First Season Uncensored (4 out of 5 stars)
Warner Bros./ January 26, 2010

Well, we’re not in the O.C., anymore are we? NBC cancelled this cop show after the first season (they truly are smart aren’t they?) and it got picked p by TNT. It’s gritty and tough and has tons of swearing which you get to hear in all its glory on this uncensored dvd (it was bleeped out on tv).

Southland takes a look at the lives and families of the LAPD, from the cops patrolling the streets to the detectives who work in the offices in one of the most crime-ridden areas in the United States. Officer Ben Sherman(Ben Mackenzie in what’s possibly the most different role he could have found form his OC days) is a rookie cop who is fresh out of the Academy and is trying to overcome the stigma from being from Beverly Hills in order to become a respected member of the force. The show doesn’t just focus on his though (even though he seems to be the face for it) it’s truly an ensemble piece. The show is great. There isn’t anything like it out there. The Wire comes close but it’s a bit of a different beast.

Picture and sound are excellent on the dvd although I don’t get why there is no blu-ray? Still, do yourself a favour and catch up on this one. It’s a keeper.

Surrogates Blu-Ray (4 out of 5 stars)
Touchstone/ January 26, 2010

Surrogates scared the crap out of me. I know it’s not meant to be a horror or anything but movies that show the future as all technological and going wrong worry me because they seem just too darn realistic. I mean, I, Robot? Totally plausible, right? Shivers…

Director Jonathan Mostow gives us a near-future where everybody is plugged into ‘surrogates’, perfected robot versions of themselves that they send out into the real world. Of course, things go wrong and Bruce Willis comes in to save the day. Anxiety and social dependence on technology is what fuels the movie and when our current society is dominated by such virtual social networks like ‘Facebook’ and ‘Twitter’, it’s hard to argue that if the technology were to show up, we’d be thrilled to hide in our houses and let the clones do the work.
So two peeps are killed through their surrogate (which is supposed to be impossible) and Willis and Radha Mitchell are sent to see what’s what. Special effects in this film are fantastic and although it’s over a little too quickly (88 minutes) I found myself really getting into this world.

The film is presented with a 1080p 2.40:1 AVC encode which looks like perfection. The same goes for the English DTS-HD Master Audio track. 

This movie sort of disappeared when it first came out, probably because the trailers weren’t that great. But it’s a little gem that I highly recommend.

Girlfriends: The Final Season  (4 out of 5 stars)
Paramount/ January 19, 2010

It’s really hard to find diversity on television these days. Sure, they say things are getting better but truthfully white folk make up about 98% of main characters on tv shows. And now they’ve cancelled Ugly Betty. But I digress…. When I teach a media class, my students (who are 95% not white) always mention the fact that they don’t see a lot of diversity and when I have them create their own tv shows, their main characters is always a reflection of their own culture.

All of that is why it’s sad to see a show like Girlfriends go off the air. Perhaps it wasn’t the best-written or the best acted show out there, but it was still funny and at times poignant, weaving in important themes through its wackiness. The show tackles subjects like the war in Iraq, pregnancy, adoption, miscarriages, and the modern marriages. There are some very serious conversations included throughout the episodes. This season is a bit abrupt though, probably because of the writer’s strike at the time and then it just got cancelled, leaving many unanswered questions and storylines.

Picture and sound are just fine as they don’t particularly need to be anything majestic for a sitcom. There are no extras except an episode of the spin-off “The Game.”

Girlfriends gets a little frantic near the end but throughout remains a refreshing show for featuring an all African-American cast. At times it’s quite funny and at times it’s quite sad. I wish it had a better ending than this season.

The Invention of Lying (5 out of 5 stars)
Warner Bros./ January 19, 2010

I love me some Ricky Gervais. That giggle—it gets me every time. He was the best thing about the Golden Globes. The premise of The Invention of Lying is brilliant—in a world where lying simply doesn’t exist, one man (Gervais as Mark Bellison) invents it. Of course, everyone believes everything that comes out of his mouth because well, why wouldn’t they? He can walk up to a bank teller and say he has $800 in his account when he only has $300 and the teller thinks the machine must be broken and hands over the cash. I mean the possibilities are endless, right?
Things are going great for Mark and this lying thing he's got going. But he runs into difficulties with it when his mother (Fionnula Flanagan, The Others) is dying, and he says a few harmless words to put her fears to rest. A rapt medical staff listens to Mark's words and believe that he's an oracle, a prophet sent to tell them what happens after they die, and what the "Man in the Sky" does while they're living as well. Mark doesn't care about the questions being asked, he just wants to comfort his dying mother and perhaps win Anna (Jennifer Garner's) attention. The latter part is tougher because while Mark's got lots of money, their having children would likely result in fat kids with snub noses which Anna does not want.

And at times, The Invention of Lying is truly hilarious. But the world with no lying is actually super-depressing. No one seems happy. People tell each other what they’re really thinking which can be rough and disappointing. But then the lying starts and that’s depressing too. So much for comedy right? This movie is much much more than just a romantic-comedy which was how it was marketed. There are some great observations about society and religion. Don’t let the fact that it was not sold properly deter you from checking this movie out.

The movie gets 1080p treatment with a VC-1 encode in 1.85:1 widescreen. It looks great. The sound is a Dolby TrueHD 5.1 surround track which frankly, doesn’t even need to be there as we have mostly talking.

Taxi: The Final Season (4 out of 5 stars)
Paramount/ December 22, 2010

One of the things I love about doing this site is that it forces me to watch things I never would have watched in a million years. While sometimes that can be painful and disastrous, other times I am pleasantly surprised to find a gem. Taxi is one of those shows that I knew nothing about, but ended up succumbing to its charms and am sad this is the final season I’ll get to review.

Set in New York, Taxi explores the lives of free-lance drivers at the lowly Sunshine Cab Company. Initially, the series' premise was that its major characters aspired to bigger and (presumably) better things, that being hackies was a means to an ultimately unreachable end. Tony Banta (Tony Danza), for instance, is an aspiring boxer; single-mother Elaine Nardo (Marilu Henner) struggles to find a way into Manhattan's exclusive art world. Only middle-aged cabbie Alex Reiger (Judd Hirsch), whom everyone turns to for help and guidance, seems resigned to his fate yet is also strangely content.

There are many funny moments on this show but my favourite episode is the season’s first-- Latka and Simka set up the gang, all single, on carefully-selected blind dates. I have to highly recommend this one and I think it was cancelled really before it should have been. I mean—there are some shows out there that have lasted past 9 seasons that suck balls right?

Video and Audio are pretty much what you’d expect from a 1982 show albeit both pretty clean. No real extras to speak of which blows, since this is the final season. If you’ve never seen this show, check it out—it’s pretty damn funny.

Make It or Break It: Volume 1 (4 out of 5 stars)
Disney/ January 12, 2010

When this one arrived at my door I sort of rolled my eyes. I mean, really? A gymnastics-based drama from ABC Family? It’s going to suck the big one right? I am totally ashamed yet pleased to say that it’s kind of addicitive! Volume 1 includes the 10 first episodes which center around Lauren, Kaylie, and Payson who have been the top three girls at their gym, training to make the U.S. Olympic Gymnastics Team, forever. Of course a new girl shows up and conflict abounds.

There are some clichés in this show (it IS Disney after all) but there is plenty to keep you interested. And yes, it’s not exactly realistic as these gymnasts are tall, curvy and wear full makeup to practice. These girls sneak out of the house, they hold secret part-time jobs, they rendezvous with boys, they attend keggers and get smashed, and they spend more time on the floor focusing on their off-the-floor problems than they do on getting their vaults down pat. That's probably because watching real gymnasts train would be so boring people would want to gouge their eyes out.

But it’s a cute show and one that the tweens will love. And can I just say how awesome it was to spot Candace Cameron Bure in it! Sigh…I miss Full House. Picture looks great and the audio is a Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround in English, with French and Spanish subtitles. It sounds fine but there are a few volume drops.

Overall, it’s kind of hokey and unrealistic but it kept me watching all ten episodes. And yes, it has been renewed for another season. I say it’s recommended for tweens, teens, and their mommies to watch with them.

Fame 2009 (2 out of 5 stars)
Fox/ January 12, 2010

The original Fame was gritty and kind of depressing in between dance numbers. It was also not a PG movie and the new remake is. It’s much shinier and happier, this new remake, and there is a lot less swearing. Boo. But the thing that bugged me most about it is its propagation of entitlement.

Being a high school teacher, my biggest issue with teens these days is that so many of them thing they should just get stuff. They don’t think they need to work for it. And that’s how this new Generation Fame is. They all act like they deserve to be famous and get everything without having to put in the time and the work. The original got across that this type of life is tough, it’s unforgiving and at times heartbreaking. New Fame tries, but it ends up as just another teen flick. So sad, too bad.

Fox sent along a DVD-R screener for review with pretty bad picture quality so I can’t comment on that. Just know that the movie is presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen, with a Dolby 5.1 soundtrack. French and Spanish 5.1 dubs are included, as are English SDH and Spanish subtitles.

Overall, I’d say this is one to skip or if you’re really into performance movies, rent. I say get thee to the original instead (which comes out on Blu-Ray on the 26th). Yay!

(500) Days of Summer (4 out of 5 stars)
Fox/ December 2, 2009

There is always some Indie flick that is beloved by critics that I am excited to watch. There has been Rachel Getting Married and Margot at the Wedding (strangely enough) recently, both of which I was bored to tears with. Not sure what that means (am I dumb? Uncouth? Dumb?) but it was with great trepidation I started (500) Days of Summer, the most recent beloved rom-com that critics couldn’t get enough of.

And then…it was good! Not great. Quite slow at times. But thanks to the charms of Joseph Gordon-Levitt (who is effing adorable) and Zooey Deschanel (who I want to look like, just for one day to see what it’s like) it ends up as a charming little movie that does not conform to your standard rom-com clichés. Perhaps because it’s not really a love story but more of a what-the-hell-went-wrong story.

The story is non-linear; each scene opens with a number in parentheses (as in the title), indicating which day of the leads' relationship we are about to see. Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) works for a Los Angeles greeting card company; an aspiring architect, Tom is not satisfied with the detour his career has taken. A new hire, Summer (Zooey Deschanel), catches his eye and he immediately falls for her. Although Summer warns Tom from the start that she's not looking for anything "serious," the two grow closer. Of course, Tom is far more invested in the relationship, and he lies to Summer about being okay with her more aloof attitude. Summer eventually pulls away from Tom, leaving him devastated. Later, Tom meets Summer on the way to a mutual friend's wedding; they re-connect there, and Tom believes that their relationship is on the verge of a rebirth. Summer invites him to a party at her apartment, and Tom goes full of anticipation - but meets disappointment all over again. Tom is driven to focus on architecture - he studies and compiles a portfolio and applies for jobs. In the middle of this, Tom finds Summer at his favourite spot in the park. They talk and Tom starts to understand what really passed between he and Summer.

Both stories are told with care and you end up feeling for both characters. They don’t end up together which is refreshing (it’s not a spoiler!) because they ultimately weren’t meant to.

Fox sent me one of their horrific screeners (the picture is quite atrocious in parts) so I can’t comment on all the thechincal stuff. Not too many extras—just a commentary track featuring director Webb, writer Michael Weber, co-writer Scott Neustadter, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and fourteen minutes of deleted scenes.

10 Things I Hate About You: 10th Anniversary Edition (5 out of 5 stars)
Buena Vista/ January 5, 2009

It’s hard to find a good teen movie these days. So many are just all about sex or toilet humour or drugs. Loosely based on Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew, 10 Things I Hate About You is a teen movie that hits all the right notes, even now, ten years after its release. Of course, a big draw here is Heath Ledger, whose tragic death made this a best-seller again soon after. And he is great. But there is a lot of great about this flick.

The plot concerns Kat and her sister Bianca (Larisa Oleynik), who is apparently the hottest girl at Padua High. The girls' father (Larry Miller), an obstetrician, has a ban on dating, but at Bianca's insistence, he loosens his hold on her slightly with a modified rule: Bianca can date when Kat does. Bianca has two potential suitors: new kid Cameron (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) or tube sock and underwear model Joey (Andrew Keegan). Cameron and his school tour guide Michael (David Krumholtz) hatch a plan: find someone with enough backbone to court Kat and convince Joey to pay the guy off for his efforts, with the pretense that all Cameron and Michael want is a little "cool by association" popularity and Joey will get Bianca. That someone turns out to be Patrick (Heath Ledger), who may or may not have eaten a whole duck (except the beak and feet) and set a state trooper on fire.

It’s funny and charming and I would even go further to say it’s a little classic. Yup, I said it. The fact that it’s still popular 10 years later and that teenagers still end up loving it (and I know, I’ve shown it in class after studying the play)is a testament to its strength. I love it. I don’t hate it. I don't hate it, not even close, not even a little bit, not even at all.

The picture is excellent (finally an anamorphic transfer) and the 5.1 is solid as well. Extras are so-so and actually billed as more than there are—they’re mostly all stuck together into a larger featurette. Boo.

Jennifer’s Body (2 out of 5 stars)
Fox/ December 29, 2009

Let me just state for the record that I have a hate-on for Megan Fox. She says stupid things and always has an effing finger in her mouth. She does not interest me. Of course, she does interest many many many males out there. I took this to mean Jennifer’s Body would simply be a vehicle for her sexuality to ooze all over my carpet. And that shit’s hard to het out, ya know?

So I was pleasantly surprised that the movie isn’t just about Megan Fox’s Body. It tries to be a funny and campy horror flick. Thankfully it’s not really scary because I can’t handle scary things. But it’s also not really that funny. When Jennifer gets stabbed through the midsection with a pole and starts pouring blood she asks for a tampon. Oh hahahahahahaha. Oy, Diablo Cody. I was expecting so much more from you. But so was everyone else and really, can anyone ever top Juno? Thinks not. Plus, even the lines that could have been funny fall flat with Fox’s delivery. Also starring here is Amanda Seyfried who is supposed to be a mousy dork just because she wears glasses. Sigh.

I say skip or rent. There isn’t much here to be enjoyed. Can’t comment on picture and sound because I had a Fox screener disk.