 |
Night of the Living Dead
Genius
“They’re coming to get you, Barbara!”
When George A. Romero jumped over to Dimension Extreme to make his latest entry in the Dead series (Diary of the Dead) he appears to have brought his original masterpiece with him. Now Dimension has given the classic a digital scrubbing and put some high-class extras on the film and you’ll definitely want to add it to your DVD library. Full review
|
 |
Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
Image Entertainment
Legendary director Sidney Lumet leads a high octane cast through some great paces with this melodrama (as Lumet calls it, we might say crime thriller). The Devil’s in the details and this film excels in the devilish performance department. Full review
|
 |
Cloverfield
Paramount
A group of twenty-something Manhattanites is giving their friend a going away party. They’re rudely interrupted by a creature of unknown origin that lays waste to the city that never sleeps (and may never sleep again if it ever awakens). When they get a call from a trapped friend some of them go into the danger zone to save her. Full review
|
 |
Juno
Fox
“I mean I'm already pregnant so what other kind of shenanigans can I get into?”
Juno was one of the big successes of last year and garnered four Academy Award nominations. It took away the one for best screenplay and made well over its 6.5 million dollar budget at the box office. Juno is a charming tale that’s full of heart. Full story
|
 |
There Will Be Blood
Paramount
“Drainage! Drainage, Eli, you boy. Drained dry. I'm so sorry.”
What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? Mark 8:36
Daniel Day-Lewis was a force of nature from the ground and spraying Oscar gold all about the area. However, it wasn’t real gold the film was concerned with but black gold. The oil boom in the 1900s is the focus and the things that some men will sacrifice for the wealth that bubbles up from the ground. Full review
|
 |
Sweeney Todd: Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Paramount
“I guarantee the closest shave you’ve ever known.”
Attend the tale of Sweeney Todd. Johnny Depp puts aside Captain Jack for a bit of straight razor, gallons of blood, and a lot of singing. Both the blood and music flows as Sweeney hacks his way through the gentlemen of London looking for a spot of revenge against a lecherous judge. Full review
|
 |
Bee Movie
Dreamworks
Jerry Seinfeld ventures into the hive with this animated feature from Dreamworks and finds that it really is about something as these busy bees are a vital part of our world and we can’t get along without the little buzzers. Full review
|
 |
August Rush
Warner Video
Like the recent ‘Martian Child’, this well-meaning sugar high of a film is certainly not for cynics and will be a more tolerable watch in the presence of children and tweens who will respond to the predictable corniness with less world-weary eyes. Full review
|
 |
Things We Lost In The Fire
Paramount
Directed by Susanne Bier (After the Wedding) and starring Halle Berry and Benicio Del Toro, Things We Lost In the Fire, is a fine film. Dealing with the topics of the aftermath of sudden violent death, and the evils of drug addiction, this film examines human responses to adversity without ever becoming maudlin or melodramatic. Full review
|
 |
Love Lies Bleeding
Sony PHE
A couple of young kids in love find themselves on the run with some stolen money and the poor man’s Jack Nicholson on their trail. Duke (Brian Geraghty) and Amber (Jenna Dewan) is a couple of nice kids who live in a really crappy neighborhood. They’re engaged and very much in love, but Duke can only get low level work since he has a record and Amber works for minimum wage in a supermarket. Full review
|
 |
Resident Evil: Extinction
Sony PHE
Resident Evil: Extinction doesn’t stray too far from the established formula – Milla Jovovich looks hot while shooting zombie-like creatures and splattering their heads all over the screen.
There is a plot somewhere in the film, but hey, no one watches these films for plot. All joking aside, the Resident Evil films are popcorn horror movies that don’t really scare, but are a somewhat entertaining way to kill a few hours. Full review
|
 |
Eastern Promises
Universal
David Cronenberg and Viggo Mortensen score once again with this violent thriller about the Russian criminal element. The film has shades of the Godfather, but has an uglier and perhaps more realistic view of this seedy side of society. Both the directing and acting is top notch. Full review
|
 |
The Bourne Ultimatim
Unversal
Jason Bourne is back and this time he’s delving deeper into his real identity. Matt Damon returns in this third film in the trilogy and the action ramps up, as the character gets closer to the knowledge of whom he really is. Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) is limping around from the events of the last film (I won’t spoil the events of that one for you) and evading the Moscow police. Full review
|
 |
Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End
Buena Vista
Captain Jack returns for one last go round in the Pirates franchise. This final entry (well, you never know) seems to be somewhat bloated, but does feature some glorious set pieces that will make you forgive what slows the film down. Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) has been marooned in Davey Jone’s locker. Full review
|
 |
Somebody Help Me
Codeblack
Since his girlfriend Serena (Brooklyn Sudano) is about to turn 21, Brendan (Marques Houston) figures what better way to celebrate the occasion than for them to spend an entire weekend with friends in his Uncle Charlie’s cabin and “get drunk all day and have sex all night long.” So, he invites four other couples up to Lake Arrowhead, not knowing that there’s a serial killer loose in the sparsely populated wooded area. Full review
|
 |
Ratatouille
Disney
A fine red wine only gets better with age. Long before that cork is popped and the first pour hits your favorite wine glass, you already know how great that vintage vino is going to taste. Much like that bottle of wine, the animated films from Pixar Studios keep getting better with time. So how appropriate is it that its latest offering, Ratatouille, is all about delicious food, family and friends, and a glass of wine to wash it all down. Full review
|
 |
Talk to Me
Universal
When Ralph Waldo “Petey” Greene (1931-1984) was raised in Washington, DC, by his own admission, his best friends were pimps, prostitutes and gamblers. Tragically, his own mother was a repeat offender who spent over 30 years in jail, so it’s no surprise that he would drop out of high school and also end up incarcerated. Full review
|
 |
Transformers
Paramount
First introduced by Hasbro in 1984, Transformers are robots disguised as everyday items, such as cars, planes and animals. The morphing action figures have proven to be so popular that the company has added to the product line every year since. Plus, the toys have been spun-off into a TV cartoon series and Marvel comic books. Full review
|
 |
Evan Almighty
Universal
In the mid-90´s, funnyman Jim Carrey shot to superstardom with a trio of smash-hit comedies, "Ace Ventura", "Dumb and Dumber", and "The Mask." It was a no-brainer for the studios to greenlight a sequel to each film. However, Carrey only reprised his role of the Pet Detective before pricing himself out of range with his $20 million fee. New Line eventually went on to make "Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd", starring two unknowns, and "Son of the Mask" with Jamie Kennedy stepping into the lead. Full review
|
 |
Ultimate Fighting Championship
First Look
The Ultimate Fighting Championship (or UFC in the fight circles) was re-invented in January 2001, by Zuffa, LLC. The new UFC has completely restructured the formerly undisciplined spectacle of Mixed Martial Arts into a highly-organized and controlled combat sport. Under the leadership of owners Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta, the new UFC is now regulated and recognized by the world’s most prestigious sport regulatory bodies including Nevada, California, New Jersey, Florida and Louisiana. Full review
|
 |
Knocked Up
Universal
It’s been a long time coming for Judd Apatow. Success, that is. Following his involvement in three of the most critically acclaimed television series of the past 15 years (“The Larry Sanders Show,” “Freaks and Geeks” and “Undeclared”), Apatow finally struck gold in 2005 when “The 40-Year-Old Virgin” became the sleeper hit of the summer. One would think that for his next project, the in-demand writer/director would play it safe before risking another R-rated comedy, but this simply isn’t the case. Full review
|
 |
Death Proof
Dimension/Weinstein
To Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez it must have seemed like a great idea at the time. Both huge fans of going to see a double bill of exploitation movies in the 70s, they decided to recreate the experience for today’s movie-going public. The only problem was that just as times change so do the people, and while QT and RR would happily sit through movies from dusk till dawn and beyond, the idea of a two-movie three-hour-plus extravaganza doesn’t appeal to Joe Public any more. Too bad nobody told them. Full review
|
 |
American Cannibal
Koch
It's hard to make a really probing documentary about show-business types, because they're way too aware of how they come across on camera. Besides, there isn't much about the soul-sucking center of the entertainment industry left unexplored. But American Cannibal: The Road To Reality still stings. It's a depressing, at times mortifying look at young TV writing partners Dave Roberts and Gil Ripley, as they try to shore up their fledgling production company by pitching a reality show. Full review
|
 |
Georgia Rule
Universal
The typical Garry Marshall film (Pretty Woman, Raising Helen) can be classified by a few words: contrived, insipid, and predictable. Georgia Rule, while not the worst work Marshall has done, is a limp misfire. There are moments during the course of the movie when it looks like it might be headed in an interesting direction, but those hopes go up in smoke during the last act as everything aligns itself for the tearful, feel-good ending. Full review
|
 |
The Lives of Others
Sony PHE
It's no secret that some of the most powerful dramas are those that depict character transformations. Such is the case with The Lives of Others, the stirring and affecting feature debut of German filmmaker Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck. With a deft hand, von Donnersmarck engages us in the life of a cold, dispassionate character then takes us on a journey that transforms him from detached observer to involved partisan. Full review
|
 |
Ultimate Gift
20th Century Fox
When Red Stevens (James Garner) passed away, all of his likely heirs were summoned to the billionaire tycoon’s corporate boardroom by Ted Hamilton (Bill Cobbs), his long-time, trusted friend. The reading of the will dashed the hopes of the collection of greedy relatives who arrived with expectations of receiving big inheritances, as each was sent away with relatively-modest bequests. Full review
|
 |
Lookout
Buena Vista
Chris Pratt (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) was on top of the world till the night he decided to tempt fate by speeding down a country road with his headlights turned off. That impulsive decision to show off behind the wheel changed his life in an instant when his car plowed into a stalled farm combine. Full review
|
 |
TMNT
Warner Home Video
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were originally created in 1984 by cartoonists Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird who conceived the characters as a parody of Marvel’s Daredevil, the New Mutants and other popular superheroes of the day. Their self-published, single issue, however, caught fire in its own right, and before long it was turned into a series by Archie Comics. Full story
|
 |
300
Warner Home Video
In mid-September of 480 BC, a force of 300 Spartans, led by King Leonidas (Gerard Butler), along with 700 Thespians volunteers, defended Greece against a massive horde of marauders from Persia at the epic Battle of Thermopylae. Though badly outnumbered by adversaries whose strength was said to be in the hundreds of thousands, the Greeks made one of the most famous last stands in the annals of military engagements. Full review
|
 |
Bridge to Terabithia
Disney
By Kam Williams
Winner of the Newbery Award as the best children’s book of 1978, Bridge to Terabithia is a bittersweet, if ultimately uplifting, coming-of-age tale touching on a litany of themes, including fantasy, friendship and family. This faithful Disney adaptation of the Katherine Paterson best seller stars Josh Hutcherson, as Jesse, a shy ten year-old fed up with being teased at school. Full review
|
 |
Comedy Zen
Imaginasian/Genius
by Kam Williams
Comedy Zen, a TV series which runs on the ImaginAsian TV network, showcases the talent of some of the most dynamic Asian-American comics around, utilizing a straightforward stand-up format. This DVD is a compilation of the show’s first season, plus another 90 minutes of never before seen bonus footage. Full review
|
 |
The Last Mimzy
Warner Home Video
by Kam Williams
Based on “Mimsy Wore the Borogroves,” a short story written by the sci-fi, husband and wife team of Henry Kuttner and C.L. Moore in 1943, this escapist children’s fantasy might be best described as a cross of E.T. and Zathura. Though not measuring up to either of those excellent adventures, The Last Mimzy is a special-effects driven spectacular which still ought to hold the tykes in wide-eyed thrall, if being a bit too scattered in scope to recommend as adult fare. Full review
|
 |
Black Snake Moan
Paramount
by Kam Williams
With Hustle & Flow, Craig Brewer proved how hard it’s out there for a pimp. Now, the irreverent iconoclast has returned to Memphis to craft an equally-empathetic portrait of a nymphomaniac. Samuel L. Jackson stars as Lazarus, a weather-beaten, down-on-his-luck bluesman, whose wife, Rose (Adriane Lenox), has just done left him for another man. And like the Bible character who shares his name, Laz is in need of a spiritual resurrection. Full review
|
 |
Best of Chappelle's Show
Paramount Home Ent.
Review by Kam Williams
Although Dave Chappelle obviously had some second thoughts about the brand of humor that left him branded a genius after just two seasons on Comedy Central, that hasn’t prevented Viacom, the network’s parent company, from repackaging his program to cash-in on the irreverent comic’s conspicuous absence. Full story
|
|
|
My Brother
Codeblack
by Kam Williams
When L’Tisha Morton (Vanessa Williams) discovers that she’s dying of tuberculosis, her first concern is for the welfare of her sons, ages 8 and 11. The single-mom desperately wants them both to be adopted by the same family, because James (Christopher Scott), the younger one, is mentally-challenged. Full review
|
 |
Ali's 65
Genius
by Kam Williams
Muhammad Ali was much more than “The Greatest” boxer of all time, he was also a defiant international icon who captivated the world by articulating the feelings of the oppressed underclasses. He was an unusual sports figure in his day, being an outspoken conscientious object willing to offer an opinion on civil rights and the Vietnam War (Ain’t no Viet Cong ever called me ‘nigger’). Full story
|
 |
Rain
Codeblack
by Kam Williams
Cleo Virginia “VC” Andrews (1923-1986) is a best-selling novelist known for sweeping, intergenerational sagas revolving around shocking family revelations. Her first eight books were so successful, that after her demise her estate hired a prolific ghostwriter, Andrew Neiderman, to continue publishing under her name, and he has gone on to pen far more than Ms. Andrews herself. Full review
|
 |
Constellation
Fox
by Kam Williams
When Carmel Boxer (Gabrielle Union) passed away, all of her relatives returned to Huntsville, Alabama for the funeral, including her brother, Helms (Billy Dee Williams), an embittered expatriate living in Paris. Helms had skipped town because he had made such a mess of his life there. Full story
|
