DVD Review: The Wolfman
Posted on Jun 01, 2010 @ 12:43PM - Add a comment
Being a body-shredding beast is such a drag, especially when it’s all your dad’s fault. In The Wolfman, Lawrence Talbot (Benicio Del Toro) returns to his hometown in 19th century England to find out how his brother was killed, but learns way more than he bargained for. As he digs deeper into local lore, the clues (and a nasty animal bite) lead him ever-closer to the scary truth and soon he’s in a fight for his life as the local body count jumps, one punctured artery at a time.
DVD Review: Edge of Darkness
Posted on May 11, 2010 @ 12:05PM - Add a comment
In real life, Mel Gibson has his foibles, from driving under the influence to infidelity. But in Edge of Darkness, he’s all good-guy, battling the baddies who kill his daughter and letting his morality -- and bullets -- do the talking.It’s a good thing that Gibson’s grief-stricken looks and tough-guy posturing get more screen-time than his dialogue.
Once he and the other characters start wielding fake Boston accents and incredibly cliched lines, the gory action is better than words. As detective Thomas Craven, Gibson handles his vendetta well and seems wholly believable as a bereaved dad out for revenge. The further he digs into the mystery of Emma’s (Bojana Novakovic) murder and he finds out how little he really knew about her., the more dangerous things get. Soon, he’s neck-deep in a web of secrets that involve corporate power, a cover-up and government collusion with a wimpy senator who likes to wear track suits in his free time. What’s mostly unbelievable is just how long Craven is able to stay alive -- generously, at least 25 minutes past his expiration as a viable character.
As the body count piles up, the detective is like a real-life Terminator, scaring all the evil guys in suits who evidently have no backbones (or brains), but dodging everyone like a pro. They know where he lives, where he works and even what he eats for lunch (a big hamburger, at one point). Still, Craven keeps on chugging along, peeling back the layers of secrets and lies until he’s got nothing left to lose and he’s simply a deranged, armed man in a trench coat.
Amid the carnage and tears Edge of Darkness does try to have a little fun. One of the movie’s most enjoyable -- if not mostly useless -- components is the arrival of Jedburgh (Ray Winstone), who, like Madonna, goes by one name and has a lot of power. Unlike the svelte pop star, Jed’s a portly guy with a Cockney accent who likes his booze. He has no apparent function except to show up on benches for covert meetings over, say, a glass of red wine. While Jed seems to be working for the evil suits, he and Craven do some male bonding and exchange heavy-handed quips about having no one to bury them, given that Emma’s dead and Jed’s a loner. These brief tete-a-tetes serve no real function, except to keep Jed’s alliances loose and air out deep thoughts along the Charles River. As Jed drinks, Craven threatens and the suits make evil plans, the remaining cringe-worthy motif is the repeated appearance of the un-dead Emma. Gibson holds his own as a man in mourning, and yet the film relies on countless flash-backs (with video recorder time code, just in case we don’t get it) and softly lit memories of little-girl Emma at the beach and pretending to shave.
Even worse is when Craven talks to himself -- or rather, to his deceased daughter. What’s meant to be touching seems so outlandish that when he later unravels, it’s not so shocking that there’s drool in the corner of his mouth. Somehow, despite the numerous flaws and poor pacing, the film manages to entertain. Edge of Darkness is no Braveheart, or even any one of the Lethal Weapons. Still, Gibson is in fine form, shooting, mourning and even drooling like a pro, no matter what might be going on off-camera.
New DVD Releases
Posted on May 11, 2010 @ 06:19AM - 2 comments
Celine: Through the Eyes of the World (Not Rated):
Say what you will about Céline Dion, but there’ no denying that the woman is a force of nature. Most people know her as the lady who sang that interminable theme song from Titanic, but this behind-the-scenes look at the Canadian diva at work reveals her global popularity, crazy stamina and love of what she does. Through the Eyes of the World takes fans and neophytes alike along with her and her family on her 2008-2009 world tour. (Céline Dion [herself], René Angelil [himself])
Daybreakers (R):
In a world where vampires rule and the remaining humans are farmed for blood, a covert type of blood-sucker seeks out a sexy researcher to come up with a synthetic food supply. But if you’re thinking about HBO and that handy packaged drink, think again. The gritty urban landscape of Daybreakers is no “good times” town like True Blood’s Bon Temps. Instead, real people are on the run and Ethan Hawke is their only hope. (Ethan Hawke [Edward Dalton], Willem Dafoe [Lionel “Elvis” Cormac], Caudia Karvan [Audrey Bennett])
Edge of Darkness (R):
Bad guys, beware. Mel Gibson is back in action and loaded for bear with big guns, a burning vendetta and a bad Boston accent. Mel channels his inner crime-fighter as Thomas Craven, a detective who begins to unravel when his activist daughter is mysteriously killed. As he digs for answers, he discovers that there’s much more to her murder than he ever imagined -- including her secret past, a cover-up and government intrigue. (Mel Gibson [Thomas Craven], Bojana Novakovic [Emma Craven], Ray Winstone [Jedburgh])
Legion (R):
Hollywood has said it before, and it’s saying it again: Humans must behave well, or else. Earthlings get another smack-down in this latest take on the apocalypse and survival when so-called angels descend upon the planet and start raising hell, to to speak. True to form, the only woman with protected status is pregnant with the world’s future savior, but even that might not be enough to save her and the local folk from the doom and destruction that befalls them. (Paul Bettany [Michael], Tyrese Gibson [Kyle Williams], Adrianne Palicki [Charlie])
Mel Gibson and Oksana Hit Film Premiere
Posted on Jan 27, 2010 @ 08:03AM - 8 comments
Mel Gibson and Oksana Gregorieva attend the premiere of the Edge of Darkness held at Graumans Chinese Theater, Hollywood.
Mel Gibson & Oksana Grigorieva Light Up Edge Of Darkness Premiere
Posted on Jan 27, 2010 @ 06:00AM - 5 comments
Mel Gibson and his new love Oksana Grigorieva looked the happy couple Tuesday at the Hollywood premiere of his comeback film, mystery-thriller Edge of Darkness.
PHOTOS: Mel Gibson & Oksana Grigorieva At Edge Of Darkness Premiere
Both Gibson and the beautiful Russian singer -- who have a 3-month-old daughter named Lucia -- looked great in all black get-ups at the screening, which was held at the iconic Grauman's Chinese Theater.
VIDEO: Mel Gibson Gets Defensive When Questioned About Anti-Semitic Remarks
Posted on Jan 20, 2010 @ 05:49PM - 37 comments
Mel Gibson became very defensive and almost aggressive during a recent junket interview for his new movie Edge of Darkness when questioned by veteran newscaster Sam Rubin.
In a clip from the interview, shown on KTLA 5 Los Angeles, Gibson is seen being interviewed by Rubin along with co-star Ray Winston.
PHOTOS: Mel Gibson & Oksana Grigorieva Step Out
Rubin says everything started off fine, exchanging pleasantries but then the tone changed when Rubin mentions Gibson's anti-Semitic rant that he went on following his now infamous arrest for drink driving.
Gibson starts out nicely enough talking about his career comeback, saying that this is his first film "in front of the camera" in "7 or 8 years to star in" and explaining that he felt he was getting "a bit stale" and that he chose to "walk away".
But Gibson visibly changes when Rubin says to the devout Catholic actor, "Some people will welcome you back, some people will say you should never come back."
A testy Gibson fires back with, "Why?" And Rubin goes on to explain, "Because of what happened before." "What happened?" Gibson demands. "The remarks that were attributed to you," Rubin says.
EXCLUSIVE PHOTOS: See The First Photos of Mel and Oksana In a Passionate Embrace On The Beach
Gibson, defensively, and some would say aggressively, replies with, "The remarks that were ATTRIBUTED to me. I didn't necessarily make those comments."
He then goes on to question Rubin, "I gather you have a dog in this fight? Do you have a dog in this fight? Or are you impartial?" Seemingly alluding to the fact that Rubin is Jewish.
According to a leaked police report, when Gibson was arrested for drink driving back on July 28th 2006, he unleashed a bizarre anti-Semitic rant at the Jewish arresting officer, Deputy James Mee.
Allegedly Gibson became aggressive before ranting, "F*****g Jews - Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world" and then asked Deputy Mee, "Are you a Jew?" The police report further alleged that Gibson refused to enter the patrol car and had to be handcuffed.
It is also alleged that he called a female cop "sugar tits".
PHOTOS: Mel Gibson & Jodie Foster On Set Of The Beaver
Gibson's arrest was later expunged from his record, he was given three years probation, a fine and was ordered to attend mandatory alcoholics anonymous meetings.
Following the arrest there was outrage from the Jewish community and many others.
Gibson, whose father told the New York Times that he did not believe the Holocaust happened, issued a statement apologizing. He said: "I acted like a person completely out of control when I was arrested, and said things that I do not believe to be true and which are despicable. I am deeply ashamed of everything I said. Also, I take this opportunity to apologize to the deputies involved for my belligerent behavior. They have always been there for me in my community and indeed probably saved me from myself."
He added: "I have battled with the disease of alcoholism for all of my adult life and profoundly regret my horrific relapse."
