DVD Releases for June 15, 2010:
Posted on Jun 15, 2010 @ 03:06PM - Add a comment
The Book of Eli (R)
Uh-oh! The world has been destroyed, there’s no ozone and worst of all, there’s but a handful of books left on the planet. Eli is a mysterious man on a mission to protect one of the world’s last remaining books, which happens to hold the secret to saving humankind. When a power-hungry baddie gets wind of Eli’s sacred book, he wages a campaign to get it for himself so that he might control the locals. Suddenly, Eli and a pretty townie are on a run for their lives to save both themselves and the future of civilization. (Denzel Washington [Eli], Mila Kunis [Solara])
Movie Review : Karate Kid
When in Rome (PG-13)
Plucky Kristen Bell plays Beth, a lovelorn, type-A New Yorker who finally meets Mr. Right at her sister’s wedding in Rome. After Beth gets a little boozy and takes a coin from the city’s fabled fountain of love, she gets more suitors than she bargained for -- and her future with McHottie is doomed. Will she ever reunite with the man of her dreams? Let’s hope so, because the group of would-be BFs are too annoying to bear for long. (Kristen Bell [Beth], Josh Duhamel [Nick])
New DVD Reviews:
Youth in Revolt (R)
What’s a nerdy teen to do with the weight of virginity and a hot girl who loves all things French? Invent a fake personality, of course, of a smooth-talking, mustache-sporting playboy who’s capable of suavity, seduction, and even some criminal activity. Michael Cera plays the geek in question in this adaption of a novel about coming of age and learning to be a badass. (Michael Cera [Nick Twisp/Francois Dillinger], Portia Doubleday [Sheeni Saunders])
DVD Releases for June 15, 2010
Posted on Jun 15, 2010 @ 06:26AM - Add a comment
Plucky Kristen Bell plays Beth, a lovelorn, type-A New Yorker who finally meets Mr. Right at her sister’s wedding in Rome. After Beth gets a little boozy and takes a coin from the city’s fabled fountain of love, she gets more suitors than she bargained for -- and her future with McHottie is doomed. Will she ever reunite with the man of her dreams? Let’s hope so, because the group of would-be BFs are too annoying to bear for long. (Kristen Bell [Beth], Josh Duhamel [Nick])
DVD Review: Black Dynamite
Posted on Feb 02, 2010 @ 02:01PM - Add a comment
Break out the fur hats and jumpsuits: Scott Sanders’ Black Dynamite revives 1970s-style blaxploitation film in all its over-the-top, ass-kicking glory complete with big hair, bare breasts and kung fu. Michael Jai White stars as Dynamite’s titular local hero, a smooth-talking, gun-toting vigilante on a mission to fight “the man” for murdering his brother, flooding the streets with drugs and (perhaps more egregiously) selling less-than-pure malt liquor.
But it’s not just the costumes and stunts that make Black Dynamite such a gem. The film, which arrives on DVD today, is raucously funny because of a fabulous script that’s meant to be terrible with a uniformly great cast that’s capable of pulling it off. So precise is Dynamite’s awfulness that most of the jokes drop in the extra five beats where a cut should be. As Sanders explains in one of the DVD’s extra segments, other elements of the film’s humor was designed to be in the editing -- or rather, purposeful lack thereof.
NEW DVD RELEASES
Yet in places, some of Dynamite’s drawn-out scenes and fabulously awkward transitions could have simply been dropped altogether. While the film is both send-up and homage to the genre, the DVD’s extras also underscore a sense of competing inclinations therein. As editor and musical director Adrian “AJ” Younge comments in “Lighting the Fuse,” he and his colleagues realized during test screenings that audiences mostly wanted laughs over an extensive backstory. While parts of the film drag, the many extended and deleted scenes (which include more blood, boobs and bad guys) reveal just how much longer and elaborate Black Dynamite could have been.
DVD REVIEW : Hurt Locker
The film’s extra segments also reveal some of the logistical and production details that make the film feel more tangible. In fact, it’s quickly apparent through interviews with hose involved with the film -- and particularly through the film commentary with White, Sanders and co-writer/co-star Byron Minns (Bullhorn) -- that Black Dynamite was a low-budget, tight-knit affair. For those familiar with Los Angeles, for example, it’s fun to discover how and where locations were selected. Most of the film’s exteriors were shot around Crenshaw Blvd., while most of the home interiors were shot as-is in period-style houses in Ladera Heights.
Even without all the DVD trimmings, Black Dynamite offers a wealth of hilarious details, from the inclusion of Arsenio Hall in the “pimp council” to the ridiculous original songs, which narrate the action as scenes unfold. While the film is certainly not classic awards-season material, Younge at least deserves significant accolades for his brilliant compositions. As Sanders says, the music is like a character unto itself -- but it’s better than that, serving as both the perfect finishing touch and the integral glue which elevates Dynamite above its campy anchors.
MOVIE REVIEW : When In Rome
While just about everything in the film is intentionally overdone, it also intentionally walks a line between satire and spoof. An untrained eye might absorb Black Dynamite on purely a comedic level -- which is perfectly appropriate. A closer look at the DVD’s many extras, however, reveal that it’s also a lovingly constructed and grand tribute to the original genre, blending a modern-day sensibility with ‘70s-era righteousness.
Movie Review: When In Rome
Posted on Jan 29, 2010 @ 10:47AM - Add a comment
Ciao bellas, welcome to Rome! A place where the love-lorn wish for better luck by tossing coins into a fountain. The kind of city where a kid sister can marry a man she met just two weeks ago -- no questions asked. The place where, it turns out, a pretty American workaholic can meet the good-looking, well-adjusted and cookie-cutter love of her life. When in Rome, it seems, has all the ingredients for a perfect romantic comedy.
Who Wore It Best: Rose McGowan vs. Chloe Sevigny
Posted on Jan 28, 2010 @ 07:56PM - Add a comment
Who wore this Valentino dress better, Rose McGowan or Chloe Sevigny?
When In Rome...
Posted on Jan 28, 2010 @ 10:00AM - 1 comment
There was a little bit of everything on the red carpet of the Los Angeles premiere of When In Rome on Wednesday night, where stars and their significant others were rocking unique and chic duds. Kristen Bell, who stars in the romantic comedy, looked absolutely stunning in a brown, cutout gown, while her costar’s wifey Fergie, smoldered in tiered, strapless mini.
While Kristin Cavallari was thinking bright pink, Rose McGowan got nude for the evening’s festivities.
PHOTOS: Fergie’s Star Style Evolution
Kristin Chenoweth and Dax Shepard dressed down compared to their pals, but only one of them did it right. Who was it? Check out the gallery in Style to find out.
When In Rome....
Posted on Jan 28, 2010 @ 09:28AM - Add a comment
Check out the fashion at the "When In Rome" premiere!
