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New DVD/Video Release
CINEMAN VIDEO FOR 15-AUG-2008
DVD GUIDE FOR TUESDAY, AUGUST 19, 2008
*BY CINEMAN SYNDICATE*
Mini Reviews of movies available on DVD
NEW RELEASES -
HANNAH MONTANA & MILEY CYRUS: BEST OF BOTH WORLDS CONCERT
Disney Channel 'tween icon Miley Cyrus and her fictional alter ego
Hannah Montana light up the big screen during a 3-D confection that
doubles as a concert film and behind-the-scenes documentary. Miley's
country crooner dad Billy Ray sings, as do her Disney compatriots the
Jonas Brothers. In addition to hearing over a dozen always
wholesome, mostly bouncy songs, we see Miley interact with her adult
handlers. She has the singing chops and her head appears to be on
straight (even after she's dropped on it during a flubbed dance
routine), making this an ideal anti-dote to the Britney Spears saga.
(G) GOOD DOCUMENTARY Dir-Bruce Hendricks RT-74 mins.
THE LIFE BEFORE HER EYES
Vadim Perelman's follow-up to his over-praised "House of Sand and Fog"
is an abject essay in manipulation. Moving back and forth in time,
it follows Diana, played as a teenager by Evan Rachel Wood and as an
adult by Uma Thurman, who has never recovered from a tragedy she
experienced during high school. The exact nature of this tragedy is
kept secret until the climax but will be blindingly obvious to
anyone who pays attention to the title. Understandably disinterested
in the ludicrous story, Perelman devotes most of his energy to
photographing nature, leaving Wood and Thurman to fend for
themselves. (R) BORING DRAMA Dir-Vadim Perelman Lead-Uma Thurman
RT-90 mins.
MISS PETTIGREW LIVES FOR A DAY
Noel Coward's spirit possesses Mary Poppins in this comedy set in 1939
London and starring Frances McDormand as a governess. Down on her
luck, Miss Pettigrew finds herself in the employ of a floozy
American singer (Amy Adams) who's juggling three beaus--her true
love (a penniless musician), her meal ticket (a nightclub owner) and
her shot at the big time (the son of a theatrical producer). Chances
are the frumpy nanny will find romance herself. If you can overlook
the improbabilities, period anachronisms and McDormand's accent,
there's no harm in carrying a torch for this fizzy adaptation of
Winifred Watson's novel. (PG-13) FAIR COMEDY Dir-Bharat Nalluri
Lead-Frances McDormand RT-92 mins.
PROM NIGHT
A PG-13 slasher film is something of an oxymoron, since tame propriety
is fundamentally antithetical to the down-and-dirty genre. Yet while
the MPAA designation--sought so more teens can flush their
allowance down the studio toilet--explains the lack of nudity and
gore, it's hardly responsible for the absence of suspense or mystery
in this wretched approximation of a scary stab-a-thon. On prom
night, a girl is stalked by the psycho who years earlier killed her
family. What ensues is pitifully un-scary, though the film is truly
intolerable thanks to its characters, whose soul-crushingly vapid
dialogue makes one hate high school all over again. (PG-13) POOR
HORROR Dir-Nelson McCormick Lead-Brittany Snow RT-88 mins.
QUID PRO QUO
In his daring debut feature, writer-director Carlos Brooks imagines a
romance between a wheelchair-bound radio reporter (Stahl) and a sexy
blonde (Vera Farmiga). She tips him off to the bizarre underworld of
wannabe paraplegics in New York City before confessing she wishes
she were disabled. Not your everyday fetish, right? Well, this isn't
your routine movie, mixing as it does the noir with the surreal and
boasting two compelling performances. Farmiga is an alluring femme
fatale and Stahl makes his character's yearning to be able-bodied
and find love extremely affecting. It's a shame Brooks chickens out
and gets conventional toward the end. (R) FAIR ROMANTIC-THRILLER
Dir-Carlos Brooks Lead-Nick Stahl RT-82 mins.
STREET KINGS
The screenwriter of "Training Day" helms an equally brutal film about
corruption within the LAPD. If it weren't fictional, it would
constitute the department's worst public relations nightmare. Keanu
Reeves is a renegade detective prone to bagging the baddies by the
most deadly and dirty means in a vice squad run by Forest Whitaker's
captain. An ageless story pushed to the hilt, the piece has a
certain extreme integrity. Not surprisingly, Whitaker upstages
Reeves and Brit Hugh Laurie (from TV's "House") effectively cuts the
testosterone level as an Internal Affairs officer. While excessive,
the script, co-written by James Ellroy, doesn't lead everywhere you
assume. (R) GOOD DRAMA Dir-David Ayer Lead-Keanu Reeves RT-107 mins.
TOP DVD RENTALS -
NIM'S ISLAND
It's hard to predict whether kids will cotton to this grinder about a
girl and her marine-biologist father (Gerard Butler) who live on a
fantasy island in the South Pacific and are visited by a phobic
authoress (Jodie Foster). Adults can safely make the sacrifice since
suitable platitudes about self-actualization fly, along with lizards
and a trusty pelican that sounds like a parrot. Plenty happens to
limit unnecessary trips to the concession stand or toilets, though
the time to duck out is during one of Foster's embarrassing stabs at
physical comedy or when a flatulent sea lion tries to repel Aussie
tourists. (PG) FAIR FAMILY ADVENTURE Dirs-Mark Levin & Jennifer
Flackett Lead-Abigail Breslin RT-95 mins.
21
Ever heard the expression "The house always wins"? Well, when it comes
to this flashy adaptation of Ben Mezrich's compelling bestseller,
the book always wins. Both recount how a team of math whizzes from
MIT made millions counting cards at Las Vegas blackjack tables. But
the book presented a number of interesting arguments that the movie
simply ignores. It does mark a stylish upgrade for director Robert
Luketic ("Legally Blonde"), who, with Kate Bosworth seated at the
table, emphasizes the sexy gloss of Sin City. Even so, it's about as
dangerous as betting the minimum at the $5 tables. With Kevin Spacey
and Laurence Fishburne. (PG-13) FAIR DRAMA Dir-Robert Luketic
Lead-Jim Sturgess RT-110 mins.
HAROLD & KUMAR ESCAPE FROM GUANTANAMO BAY
The sequel to 2004's hilariously raunchy reefer comedy takes liberties
that are hard to defend. If the two movies were graded like
cannabis, "White Castle" would be Maui waui and this would be ditch
weed. An enlightened satirical premise is replaced by blunt attempts
to skewer post-911 security hysteria and jingoism. While flying to
Amsterdam, our pothead pals are arrested on suspicion of terrorism.
Rendition is an appropriate punishment for those who would guffaw at
the movie's cruder scatological gags and harsher sexual references.
The line between vulgar-funny and just plain vulgar is crossed too
often. (R) BORING COMEDY Dirs-Jon Hurwitz & Hayden Schlossberg
Lead-Kal Penn RT-102 mins.
NEVER BACK DOWN
A remake of "The Karate Kid" using mixed martial arts (trendy right
now) and the bare-knuckle therapy of "Fight Club." Restless Florida
teenager Jake Tyler (Faris) enters a new school and makes instant
enemies with a popular bully (the charismatically wicked Cam
Gigandet). Tired of being fed his front teeth, he takes MMA lessons
from a Zen instructor (Djimon Hounsou) and trains for an underground
tournament titled The Beat Down. Subtle. Director Wadlow's fight
scenes are visceral, but the screenplay he co-wrote is terrified to
step outside its coming-of-rage box. Anytime the picture dares to be
original, the formula delivers a knockout punch. (PG-13) FAIR DRAMA
Dir-Jeff Wadlow Lead-Sean Faris RT-106 mins.
THE BANK JOB
Getting taken by this smart, suspenseful heist movie is a pleasure,
and your willingness to go along is increased because it's based on a
scandalous true story from 1971 involving a member of Britain's Royal
Family. A London model (Saffron Burrows) recruits her childhood pal
(Statham) and his gang of amateur thieves for a seemingly
straightforward boost that turns out to involve a black nationalist, a
Soho pornographer, MI5 (or is it MI6?), bent coppers, and kinky MPs.
Every character--posh, low-life or somewhere in between--is
compromised, but the viewer comes up smelling like a rose, as do
members of the ensemble. (R) GOOD THRILLER Dir-Roger Donaldson
Lead-Jason Statham RT-110 mins.
DVD TOP TITLES
For the week ending AUGUST 10, 2008
TOP RENTALS - Last Week
1. NIM"S ISLAND (FOX) - New
2. 21 (SONY) - 1
3. HAROLD & KUMAR ESCAPE FROM GUANTANAMO BAY (NL/WB) - 2
4. NEVER BACK DOWN (SUMMIT) - 3
5. THE BANK JOB (LG) - 5
6. DOOMSDAY (UNI) - 4
7. THE BUCKET LIST (WB) - 7
8. VANTAGE POINT (SONY) - 6
9. DRILLBIT TAYLOR (PAR) - 9
10. STARSHIP TROOPERS 3 (SONY) - New
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COPYRIGHT 2008 BY CINEMAN SYNDICATE LLC
JPM 11:13 PM 8/14/2008