Even though the blockbuster season is winding down at the theaters, all those big summer hits are starting to show up on DVD and Blu-Ray. So be sure to check out these new releases as they are released if you happened to miss them while they were on the big screen.
August 3
Kick-Ass (Marv Films)
This has been one “kick ass” season for the comic book movies at the cinema. Kick-Ass is the type of movie that has an enduring quality because it breaks so many boundaries and pushes the envelope of what a superhero movie is, or what people think it should be. Dave Lizewski is an average teenage boy who has no superpowers whatsoever. But when he decides to take it upon himself to fight crime in his city, he becomes the hero known as Kick-Ass. Teaming up with Hit Girl and her father Big Daddy, they must face off against the most dangerous villains in the city: Red Mist and his father Frank D’Amico. Director Matthew Vaughn (Stardust, Layer Cake) has created a movie that will be discussed for many years to come because it has everything a superhero/action comedy needs in order to be successful: a great cast, a well thought out plot, a balance of action scenes and comedic cutaways, and a high level of believability. Keep in mind, this movie is not for everyone and has quite a bit of profanity and violence, and if those things bother you, I advise you to steer clear of this film. On the other hand, if you are looking for a superhero movie that will satisfy all of your fanboy needs, then pick this up and enjoy.
August 3
Diary of a Wimpy Kid (20th Century Fox)
Adapting from Jeff Kinney’s wildly popular series of novels, Diary of a Wimpy Kid makes a decent effort at being an entertaining comedy. It works on some levels, but for more mature audiences it misses the mark slightly. As stated, this film had a lot of potential and was stylistically similar to the classic film A Christmas Story as Zachary Gordon recalls entering into a new school, determined to be his sixth grade teacher’s new class favorite. There were a lot of moments in the movie in which it seemed to almost achieve its goal of being hilarious, but it just did not do it for me. Zachary is a wise cracking student and so has many jokes which I am sure appeal to younger crowds. The film is a safe bet for families as it contains no foul language or sexual innuendos and fans of Kinney’s work will appreciate the stick figure animations that are taken from his original work.
August 3
Spike (Maverick Entertainment)
If you were to take Beauty and the Beast and amp up the gore factor a few notches, cover the beast’s body in long protruding spikes and dump him in the woods, you would come to find that Spike is the movie that is churned out. This film does a fairly decent job of setting an eerie, surrealistic view of the world from the perspective of a misunderstood monster. Spike was a low budget independent film, but despite those setbacks, the filmmakers have done a decent job of crafting a film that is filled with both its fair share of sex and violence as well as deeply authentic emotions. It is a must see for anyone who enjoys a well done gothic romance which makes us examine human frailty as well as the complexity of human emotions and relationships.
August 10
Date Night (20th Century Fox)
Have you ever had one of those nights where all you want is to spend time out on the town with your significant other and you get mistaken for a couple of crooks which turns your quiet night out into something much more exciting and dangerous? Well if it never has, then I suggest you pick up a copy of Date Night, starring Steve Carrell (Evan Almighty, Little Miss Sunshine) and Tina Fey (Baby Mama, Ponyo) as the unwitting couple trying to breathe some romance back into their boring marriage. However, a case of mistaken identity leads to have more excitement on their date than they had ever planned. This comedy has a lot of heart and sincere laughs. As the couple embarks on their urban odyssey, they encounter gangbangers, cops and a muscled up Mark Wahlberg. Carrell and Fey are both talented comedians whose on screen chemistry is quite evident and they are allowed to improvise much of the dialogue which only adds to the hilarity of the film. In the midst of the slew of other romantic comedies we have had to endure this summer, Date Night is a refreshing breath of fresh air.
August 10
The Joneses (Echo Lake Productions)
Human behavior is an interesting concept to play with in films because of the implications that those films have. Those are often the films that often have audiences wondering, “What if that actually happened?” The Joneses is exactly that type of movie, and the statement it makes about consumerism and having the most stuff truly defining the American Dream, is frightening at times. Demi Moore (G.I. Jane, Mr. Brooks) and David Duchovny (The X-Files: Fight the Future, The Secret) play the marketing team posing as the “perfect” American family, a wealthy married couple with two gorgeous kids infiltrating a high class neighborhood in order to try and make people buy things. Everything is going as planned until the neighbors begin to suspect that there is more to this family than they knew. The film has a lot of potential with such strong performances and a highly interesting satirical concept, and in the end it leaves you examining yourself and makes you wonder if you are really and truly, only defined by what you own.
August 17
Furry Vengeance (Summit Entertainment)
You would think that after the travesty that was Monkeybone, Brendan Fraser would have learned his lesson about doing movies with talking animals. Apparently, he is a slow learner. Furry Vengeance is a ridiculous attempt at comedy overflowing with all too predictable scenarios, recycled jokes and god-awful CGI. Technically, the animals did not actually speak, but rather communicated through “thought bubbles” with pictures in them, like you would find in a comic strip. My guess is the filmmakers did this because they could not afford any other halfway decent actors or actresses to dub in the voices. This is the definition of sheer mindless entertainment as we watch Brendan Fraser bumble from one scene to the next as a witless contractor who is bent on building a subdivision right smack dab in the middle of a forest occupied by militant woodland creatures that will not see their home destroyed. It is all too familiar material with nothing new to offer to anyone in any age bracket. Sorry, Mr. Fraser but you really should just stick to fighting off reanimated mummies.
August 24
Dorian Gray (National Media Entertainment)
Adapted from the book, The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, Dorian Gray tells the story of a young London man who sells his soul in exchange for eternal youth in order to live a life of sin and debauchery, as long as he keeps a mysterious portrait of himself safe. The portrait which reflects his inner ugliness and corruption, ages and decays but Dorian Gray (Ben Barnes, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian )remains eternally youthful while his friends grow old. However, when his secret is almost discovered, he resorts to murder in order to protect it. This Gothic fantasy is a morality tale told from a very amoral standpoint, and deals with many issues including homosexuality in a society which condemned it and self-indulgence to the point of excess. This period piece is wonderfully shot and constructed and while some viewers might find some of the darker elements slightly disturbing, it is certainly worth seeing.
August 31
Tormented (IFC Independent Films)
When an overweight student is bullied mercilessly until he commits suicide, it can only mean one thing for the bullies who tormented him: revenge from beyond the grave. If it sounds a little bit predictable, it must be because it is. The film is being marketed as a horror/comedy, and as such some of the situations in which bullies get their comeuppance are quite entertaining and there is some witty dialogue which will get a few laughs, but overall this is a very standard slasher flick. The characters are all the stereotypical high school kids comprised of nerds and bullies, jocks and preps, the outcasts and the in-crowds. If you enter into this movie with no expectations you might be pleasantly surprised, and if nothing else, you should be entertained at the ironic and imaginative ways in which the bullies meet their inevitable demise.
The “B” Reel
A Column For The Forgotten Movies That You Should Be Watching
The Road to Wellville (Columbia Pictures)
No sex for pleasure, no red meat, electroshock therapy, regularly timed daily enemas and cleansings, and consumption of the blandest food on earth: corn flakes, for nearly every meal. These are the rules at cereal tycoon Dr. John Harvey Kellogg’s Health spa and sanatorium at the turn of the 20th century in Battle Creek, Michigan. Director Alan Parker (Midnight Express, Angel Heart) has adapted the novel of the same name by T. Coraghessan Boyle into a hilarious (and underrated) piece of offbeat comedy concerning the use of alternative medicine as a way of staying healthy. Running the spa is the well meaning but extremely eccentric Dr. Kellogg (Anthony Hopkins, Silence of the Lambs) who believes that by following his prescribed methods of treatment, one can become truly healthy. This very tongue-in-cheek comedy follows the clientele of the Kellogg sanitarium including the Lightbody’s, a married couple played by Matthew Broderick (Ferris Bueller’s Day Off) and Bridget Fonda (Lake Placid) who are having difficulties in their marriage and Charles Ossining (John Cusack, Identity) a hustler trying to make his own entry into the budding enterprise of the cereal industry, but gets hustled himself in turn. From start to finish, the raunchy look at turn of the century holistic medicine will have you laughing constantly if you keep an open mind.
