Super Bowl Trailer: Robin Hood

eh..

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DVD Review: The Boys Are Back

The Boys Are Back
Written by: Allan Cubitt based on the memoirs by Simon Carr
Directed by: Scott Hicks
Starring: Clive Owen, Emma Booth, Laura Fraser, George Mackay and Nicholas McAnulty

Special Features: The Boys Are Back - A Photographic Journey with optional commentary from director Scott Hicks, A Father and Two Sons, On Set

From the box:

Clive Owen delivers a critically acclaimed performance in The Boys Are Back, the heartwarming and uplifting drama about a man who is suddenly thrust into the role of single parent. Successful sportswriter Joe Warr (Owen) finds himself completely unprepared to raise his rambunctious 6-year-old son Artie - and juggle the challenges of a demanding job, running a household and the possibility of romance. Determined to bring joy back into their lives he develops a revolutionary approach to parenting - no rules, no chores. It's a home filled with love and chaos - and then Joe's estranged teenage son comes for a visit. Inspired by a true story and filled with emotional honesty, this poignant film will touch your heart and lift your spirits.

The Boys Are Back is a touching film about love, loss, grief, and coming to terms with these these feelings. Clive Owen delivers a wonderful performance as Joe Warr, a newly single father dealing with the loss of his wife and the sudden responsibilities that come with being a single father.

The movie isn't the most original movie around, in fact when I saw the trailer I thought it was going to be a retread of the John Cusack drama Grace Is Gone. It isn't.

The cast is great for the most part if at times a little annoying. It's the story that really grabs you. It's an honest and deeply emotional film that has some saccharine bits to it but over all you'll come away pleased and dabbing your eyes a bit.

The soundtrack is phenomenal. The film features music from Sigur Ros and the songs compliment the film wonderfully.

The DVD is pretty light on special features having only two featurettes. There are no deleted scenes, no trailer, nothing else in the way of supplemental material that would enrich the experience of the film.

Besides that the film really is worth a watch. It's not the most unique story ever told, but it tells it extremely well with a cast that elevates it beyond just another drama.

The Boys Are Back is available now on DVD.

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Video Game Trailer: Fallout New Vegas

This should be great. I hope it's as good as Fallout 3.

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Super Bowl Spot: The Last Airbender

Early reviews say that the acting is pretty bad...curious that no acting is being shown in the teasers...

Looks pretty cool though!

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Blu-ray Review: Surrogates

Surrogates
Written by: John Brancato & Michael Ferris based on the graphic novel by Robert Venditti and Brett Weldele
Directed by: Jonathan Mostow
Starring: Bruce Willis, Radha Mitchell, Rosamund Pike, Boris Kodjoe, Ving Rhames & James Cromwell

Special Features: Exclusive to Blu-Ray - Deleted Scenes, A More Perfect You: The Science of Surrogates, Breaking the Frame: A Graphic Novel Comes To Life, "I Will Not Bow" Music Video by Breaking Benjamin, Feature audio Commentary by Director Jonathan Mostow.

In the future, all of humanity has apparently become recluses, hiding away in their homes and living out their lives via robotic surrogates. Now, a weapon has been developed that not only shuts down a surrogate but kills its user as well. It's up to Bruce Willis to track down the weapon and solve the mystery around those who have stolen it.

The movie is not terrible. You should know that up front. It didn't get the best reviews and didn't perform very well at the box office but in truth, it's a pretty fun movie. It's not groundbreaking or even very original but it does have some nice action set pieces and some interested twists (albeit one that is pretty predictable).

The acting is pretty decent. Again, no one really stands out. Bruce Willis is, well, Bruce Willis here.

The film does look great on the format. The colors or bright and pristine and the sound really fills the room when you're using surround sound. The special features are a little lax. A couple featurettes and deleted scenes plus a rather forgettable music video add up to a less than desirable collection of supplements.

To be honest, Surrogates is a movie worth picking up on sale. It does make for a fun couple of hours but, it's cotton candy fun. Five minutes after you watch it you'll forget you ever saw it.

Surrogates is available on DVD and Blu-ray now.

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Blu-Ray Review: The House of the Devil

The House of the Devil
Written and Directed (and edited) by Ti West
Starring: Jocelin Donahue, Tom Noonan, Mary Woronov, Greta Gerwig, AJ Bowen & Dee Wallace

Special Features: Commentary with Ti West & Jocelin Donahue and with West, Producers, and Crew. Behind The Scenes, Cast and Crew Interviews, and a trailer.

From the box:

During the 1980s, over 70% of American adults believed in the existence of abusive Satanic Cults. This film is based on true and unexplained events.

From writer/director Ti West comes perhaps the most intense shocker of the year: Desperate for quick cash, college sophomore Samantha Hughes (a breakout performance by Jocelin Donahue) takes a babysitting job in the isolated mansion of the creepy Ulman family. Ignoring the warnings from her best friend (GREENBERG'S Greta Gerwig), Samantha has no idea that a nightmare of unspeakable fear and torment awaits her within these walls. At midnight, in the shadow of a full lunar eclipse, the ultimate evil will be unleashed. Cult icons Tom Noonan (MANHUNTER), Mary Woronov (The Devil's Rejects), and Dee Wallace (THE HILLS HAVE EYES) - co-star in the acclaimed demonic thriller that fans and critics hail as an unnerving return to late '70s/early 80s classic horror.

To put it simply, The House of the Devil is the best horror film in years. Ti West has crafted a stunning and intensely horrifying film that looks and feels like it was made decades ago and locked away in a vault. It is a genuinely creepy film that is a much welcomed return to true horror. None of this torture porn crap that has invaded the genre.

Not only do we have a new horror director to watch but also a potential new scream queen the likes of which we haven't seen since Jamie Lee Curtis in Halloween, Jocelin Donahue. She delivers a wonderfully natural performance that should lead to a great career. I hope she sticks around in horror for a while though. She was absolutely perfect.

The House of the Devil also includes cult stars like Tom Noonan as the creepy Mr. Ulman, and Dee Wallace who should be seen so much more. I'd really love to see her put in more films.

I don't want to go to much into detail about the plot. The blurb from the box above explains it plenty, suffice it to say that you haven't seen anything like this in years.

The blu-ray looks great. The picture is grainy, exactly as it should be, and the sound is crisp and clear. The special features are a little light but this film doesn't need the supplements. It stands tall on its own.

If you are a fan of great, legitimately scary horror films than The House of the Devil is a must see. In fact, it's a must see regardless.

The House of the Devil is perfect little film that may just be the savior of the horror genre and is a desperately needed return to the days or truly scary horror. Not only is it the best horror film of the year, it's also one of the best films of the year period.

The House of the Devil is now available on DVD and Blu-ray.

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Oscar Nominees!

This years Oscar nominations have been announced. I'm kinda shocked that 500 Days of Summer has been completely shut out which is a better film than at least three of the ten nominees.

We'll have our picks soon (I still need to see some of the nominees!)

The Oscars air live on ABC Sunday, March 7.

1. Best Picture:

"Avatar," "The Blind Side," "District 9," "An Education," "The Hurt Locker," "Inglourious Basterds," "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire," "A Serious Man," "Up," "Up in the Air."

2. Actor:

Jeff Bridges, "Crazy Heart"; George Clooney, "Up in the Air"; Colin Firth, "A Single Man"; Morgan Freeman, "Invictus"; Jeremy Renner, "The Hurt Locker."

3. Actress:

Sandra Bullock, "The Blind Side"; Helen Mirren, "The Last Station"; Carey Mulligan, "An Education"; Gabourey Sidibe, "Precious: Based on the Novel `Push' by Sapphire"; Meryl Streep, "Julie & Julia."

4.Supporting Actor:

Matt Damon, "Invictus"; Woody Harrelson, "The Messenger"; Christopher Plummer, "The Last Station"; Stanley Tucci, "The Lovely Bones"; Christoph Waltz, "Inglourious Basterds."

5. Supporting Actress:

Penelope Cruz, "Nine"; Vera Farmiga, "Up in the Air"; Maggie Gyllenhaal, "Crazy Heart"; Anna Kendrick, "Up in the Air"; Mo'Nique, "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire."

6. Directing:

James Cameron, "Avatar"; Kathryn Bigelow, "The Hurt Locker"; Quentin Tarantino, "Inglourious Basterds"; Lee Daniels, "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire"; Jason Reitman, "Up in the Air."

7. Foreign Language Film:

"Ajami," Israel; "El Secreto de Sus Ojos," Argentina; "The Milk of Sorrow," Peru; "Un Prophete," France; "The White Ribbon," Germany.

8. Adapted Screenplay:

Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell, "District 9"; Nick Hornby, "An Education"; Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci, Tony Roche, "In the Loop"; Geoffrey Fletcher, "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire"; Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner, "Up in the Air."

9. Original Screenplay:

Mark Boal, "The Hurt Locker"; Quentin Tarantino, "Inglourious Basterds"; Alessandro Camon and Oren Moverman, "The Messenger"; Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, "A Serious Man"; Bob Peterson, Pete Docter, Tom McCarthy, "Up."

10. Animated Feature Film:

"Coraline"; "Fantastic Mr. Fox"; "The Princess and the Frog"; "The Secret of Kells"; "Up."

11. Art Direction:

"Avatar," "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus," "Nine," "Sherlock Holmes," "The Young Victoria."

12. Cinematography:

"Avatar," "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," "The Hurt Locker," "Inglourious Basterds," "The White Ribbon."

13. Sound Mixing:

"Avatar," "The Hurt Locker," "Inglourious Basterds," "Star Trek," "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen."

14. Sound Editing:

"Avatar," "The Hurt Locker," "Inglourious Basterds," "Star Trek," "Up."

15. Original Score:

"Avatar," James Horner; "Fantastic Mr. Fox," Alexandre Desplat; "The Hurt Locker," Marco Beltrami and Buck Sanders; "Sherlock Holmes," Hans Zimmer; "Up," Michael Giacchino.

16. Original Song:

"Almost There" from "The Princess and the Frog," Randy Newman; "Down in New Orleans" from "The Princess and the Frog," Randy Newman; "Loin de Paname" from "Paris 36," Reinhardt Wagner and Frank Thomas; "Take It All" from "Nine," Maury Yeston; "The Weary Kind (Theme from Crazy Heart)" from "Crazy Heart," Ryan Bingham and T Bone Burnett.

17. Costume:

"Bright Star," "Coco Before Chanel," "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus," "Nine," "The Young Victoria."

18. Documentary Feature:

"Burma VJ," "The Cove," "Food, Inc." "The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers," "Which Way Home."

19. Documentary (short subject):

"China's Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province," "The Last Campaign of Governor Booth Gardner," "The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant," "Music by Prudence," "Rabbit a la Berlin."

20. Film Editing:

"Avatar," "District 9," "The Hurt Locker," "Inglourious Basterds," "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire."

21. Makeup:

"Il Divo," "Star Trek," "The Young Victoria."

22. Animated Short Film:

"French Roast," "Granny O'Grimm's Sleeping Beauty," "The Lady and the Reaper (La Dama y la Muerte)," "Logorama," "A Matter of Loaf and Death."

23. Live Action Short Film:

"The Door," "Instead of Abracadabra," "Kavi," "Miracle Fish," "The New Tenants."

24. Visual Effects:

"Avatar," "District 9," "Star Trek."

Source

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Blu-Ray Review: Fame(s)

Fame: The Original Movie (1980)
Written by:  Christopher Gore
Directed by: Alan Parker
Starring: Irene Cara, Paul McCrane, Barry Miller, Laura Dean, Maureen Teefy, Gene Anthony Ray and Lee Curreri

Special Features: Class Reunion Commentary with Branching Video Highlights and featuring the director and cast members, Vintage Featurette On Location with Fame, Fame Field Trip visits the school that inspired the movie, Theatrical Trailer.

http://astore.amazon.com/popculbea-20/detail/B002XTXFX0
Fame (2009)
Written by: Allison Burnett based on the screenplay written by Christopher Gore
Directed by: Kevin Tancharden
Starring:  Debbie Allen, Charles S. Dutton, Kelsey Grammer, Megan Mullally, Bebe Neuwirth, Asher Book, Kristin Flores, Paul Iancono, Maul McGill, Naturi Naughton, Kay Panabaker, Kherington Payne, Collins Pennie, Walter Perez, and Anna Maria Perez De Tagle,

Special Features: Theatrical and Extended edition of the film, Deleted Scenes, "Fame"Music Video, Remember My Name Character Profiles, Fame National Talent Search Finalists Featurette, The Dances of Fame Featurette, and a digital copy of the film.

Available on Blu-ray now are both versions of Fame.  Both the 80's original and the 2009 "reinvention" look great on the format and have some decent special features but which one is more worth your time and dollar?

Well, my money is on the original.  It's an inspirational and raw look at people chasing their dreams and it comes off so much more believable than it's current remake.   The acting is better, the direction is sharper and the script is very well done.

While the cast of the remake may be more attractive it's just too flashy and by now cliche to surpass it's predecessor.  It just doesn't have the passion of the original.  It tries extremely hard and it has moments but it just doesn't hold up.  In fact, I was more interested in the teachers than I was with the students.  There wasn't near enough of them in the film.  You have some amazing people like Bebe Neuwirth and Megan Mullally who were just way under utilized.

Some viewers may find themselves turned off by the dated look of Fame and those people should probably watch the remake so they can get their fix of flashy dribble.  But those who can get past the dated look will find themselves inspired by a classic film and an incredible soundtrack.

Is the remake all bad?  Not at all. It's still enjoyable if cliched but it simply fails to live up to the original.  Still, it is worth a rental while the original is worth a purchase.

Fame and Fame are both available on Blu-ray and DVD now and you can pick them up from the Pop Culture Beast store!

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