Bright Star on DVD

Bright Star: A romantic look at the 19th-century poet John Keats and his true love Fanny Brawne. Not knowing that much about Keats, I walked into this film with no preconceptions. The first half of the movie is very charming and reels you in. I am in no way a huge fan of these English period pieces, but when it is done right, like here in Bright Star, I am down for a viewing. The essential "classical dance sequence" is very brief and the film actually has many humorous moments. As Valentines Day approaches, this wouldn't be a bad pick for you romantics out there!!

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The Hurt Locker On DVD

Hurt Locker: the Film takes place in Iraq and involves an elite Army bomb squad unit. They basically get called out when the army believes they have found a road side bomb or the like. This special unit comes in and tries to defuse it.....while keeping watch on the locals to make sure nobody detonates the bomb. Jeremy Renner plays a new "hot shot" on the squad who defuses bombs in a rather unorthodox way. The movie is filled with intense moments!! The story itself is very timely and poignant and shows us some of the hell these modern day soldiers are going through. My one complaint is the typical story line of the army Sgt who is counting down his last days in Iraq, thus we all pull for him to make sure nothing happens before he leaves for home. I liked the film very much, but not as much as most critics - however it is VERY much worth a spin...

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Julia on DVD

Julia: If this movie had parents they would be "Leaving Las Vegas & Fargo." Let that marinate for a bit. An alcoholic tries to kidnap someone she knows for ransom? Indeed! The story is one crazy ride that could have been even better had it been a few minutes shorter. However the outstanding performance of Tilda Swinton makes this an easy recommend.

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Sunshine Cleaning DVD Review

Sunshine Cleaning: Emily Blunt and Amy Adams star in a film that turns out to be much more of a drama than a light comedy. The two leads play sisters who start up their own crime scene clean-up business. They are inexperienced and not ready for some of the grotesque aspects of the job. This produces some funny moments in the film, but all the laughs are captured in a few early scenes. I was under the impression that the movie would exploit this funny plot point to death (...pun). Instead, the story takes on a serious tone as we explore the troubled life of the two sisters. Emily Blunt in particular does an excellent job playing a character that clearly is hiding some pain. Slowly we find out more about their childhood and events that have scarred them for life. I was impressed with the story and the complex characters, but felt they could have dug a little deeper. This is a case where an extra 15 minutes of celluloid could have brought much more emotion to the story.
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Defiance DVD Review

Defiance: Daniel Craig stars in the true story of the Bielski resistance. The three Bielski brothers were responsible for protecting over a thousand Jewish people who escaped Nazi-occupied Europe. They fled into the Belorussian forests where they made a small village and survived for three plus years. The Bielskis also joined Russian resistance fighters and actually fought back against the Nazis. I was hoping the movie was going to be a little more like Red Dawn with some surprise attacks, RPGs, and someone yelling "Bielskis" instead of wolverines. However the story focuses more on the "survival in the woods aspect"- which after awhile got a bit redundant. It was nice to see a film about Jewish people fighting back during WWII, but overall the movie was paced too slow and dragged on a little to long. Ahh Bielski!

"Kick it to the Floor"

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The Soloist DVD Review

The Soloist: Robert Downey Jr. and Jamie Foxx star in one of years best dramas! This film performed poorly at the box office and after viewing it on DVD I am not sure why. Foxx plays Nathaniel Ayres a homeless man who once trained at Julliard. Downey plays Steven Lopez, a L.A. Times journalist who discovered Nathaniel's story and shared it with the world. Both lead actors did a tremendous job, making the story very easy to believe. The film not only focuses on the friendship that is hatched between the two men, but it also examines homelessness on a larger scale. The movie is based on a true story and I found it to be captivating and effective. Great movies not only entertain, but also inform and educate. The Soloist does all three - it is a an easy film to recommend.

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Two Lovers DVD

Two Lovers: Joaquin Phoenix and Gwyneth Paltrow star in a film that is billed as (get this) - "Joaquin Phoenix's last movie ever". I hope you can finish reading this review before running out to snatch up the DVD in pure excitement. All kidding aside, Two Lovers is an interesting and sincere portrait of one man's struggle with life and love. Phoenix plays Leonard, a young man living with his parents after his last relationship left him confused and tormented. While his parents are trying to set him up with Sandra, the daughter of family friends, Leonard meets the more desirable and volatile Michelle (Paltrow). Leonard must ultimately decide between "tenderness" and "desire". It is the strong acting by the leads that allows you to believe in the characters and the situations they find themselves in. Give it a spin!

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Valkyrie DVD

Valkyrie: Jerry Maguire dons an eye patch and plots an assassination attempt on Adolph Hitler. Although we know how the assassination attempt turns out, the movie still does a fine job of stirring up some suspense. Cruise does a reasonable job of blending in, I mention this because he normally plays “Tom Cruise” and that can be distracting in a period piece. Here he plays Claus Von Stauffenberg, a colonel in the German army who was brave enough to plant a bomb inside Hitler’s headquarters. The film does supply one action scene on the battlefield, but make no mistake, this is more of a tense thriller than it is a war movie.

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Taken DVD

Taken: Liam Neeson stars in what amounts to be a glorified “B-Movie”. Liam plays an ex-spy whose 17 year old daughter gets “taken” while on her European vacation (yes, it is as simple as the one word title). He sets out for Paris to find her and to get his revenge against the bad guys who took her. Hand-to-hand combat is the choice for most of the action with the main character mowing down people like he is in the Nintendo game Kung Fu. It all happens too easy and too fast, thus never letting the viewer care about the outcome. If it was a lesser known actor in the lead this would have been a direct to DVD release. That said, even with Liam in the movie I still thought the acting was dreadful, especially by the girl playing his daughter (I would have let her be taken).

“Kick it to the Floor”

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Nothing But The Truth DVD

Nothing But the Truth: Kate Beckinsale anchors a rather large cast in this thought provoking film. Beckinsale plays Rachel Armstrong, a political reporter for a Washington D.C. newspaper. She writes a story that accuses the President of ignoring vital information reported to him by a covert CIA agent. In her story she names the CIA agent which causes the government to come after her for breaching national security and to give up her source. When Rachel will not name her source she is held in contempt of court. I really appreciated the way the subject matter was handled. The film leaves it up to the viewer to determine who is right or wrong as this issue is not at all black and white. For this reason, the film opens up a dialogue for conversation once the credits roll.

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Let The Right One In

Let the Right One In: Now this is one great vampire movie! It amazes me how a film of this caliber can be overlooked and overshadowed by the much inferior picture - Twilight. The Story centers on two 12 year olds - Oskar, a boy who is picked on and bullied at school and Eli, the new girl who just moved next store. The two become friends and even share innocent feelings of love for each other. However there is something different about Eli….she needs to drink blood to survive. Eli lives with a Hakan, an older man who helps fulfill her needs required to survive. The movie has some gruesome and frightening elements to it, has a plot that will make you think, and has complex characters that you will care about (All of which I thought was lacking in Twilight). The more I think about this movie the more I love it! So if it is a vampire movie you want….sink your teeth into this one.

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This is a Swedish film with English subtitles, but the DVD does give you the lame option of watching it with an English dubbing (for you non-subtitle readers)

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Blindness

Blindness: Simply put, this was the worst movie that I have seen in a good 10 years. I hated it! Was it trying to make some sort of social message….I am still not sure. Maybe it was an experiment, to see if a horrible movie like this could actually blind you. As for the plot – the entire human race is going blind. The disease is contagious so the government quarantines the blind by themselves in an old hospital. Without their sight they become savages – fighting amongst themselves for survival. To add insult to injury, Danny Glover has a small role that has him wearing an eye patch and mumbling some meaningless rhetoric. Stay far away from this rubbish - it will blind you!

“Kick it to the Floor”

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Flash of Genius

Flash of Genius: I always complain that Hollywood turns out too many remakes and sequels. I want more innovative ideas. Well, when they finally decide to go with an original story we get this: The true narrative on Bob Kearns, the man who invented the intermittent windshield wiper. Lookout! He did not invent the actual wiper mind you, just the way a wiper has a small pause, used when it is a light shower outside. At the time the big three automakers in Detroit were trying to come up with the same invention. Bob beat them to it and presented his idea to Ford. Instead of selling them his idea (easy way), he wanted to open his own manufacturing plant and sell the actual wipers to them (huh?) . The rest of the story goes traditional – evil corporation steals the man’s idea and gives him no credit or money for it - man sues big corporation in a case that took almost 10 years to get to court. There is really no reason to recommend this movie, not that it was terrible by any means. I am just not sure the story deserves its own movie.

Giving it a slight “kick to the floor”

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Changeling: Like many, I associate this film with those annoying ads where Angelina Jolie is heard yelling “This is not MY son” along with “I want MY son back”. Enough already! Besides being annoyed by the ads, I also thought I knew exactly what the film was going to be about. To my surprise, the movie is much deeper and much more complex than I expected. The aspect of the police returning the wrong missing boy to his mother is present, but there is also a suspenseful, hideous, criminal aspect as well. The two story lines are interwoven meticulously by director Clint Eastwood. I found myself more and more intrigued as the story played out, never really knowing how it was going to end. Although the movie does run a little long – this is a terrific rental!

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Chicago 10

Chicago 10: Is one of the more creative and fascinating documentaries that I have ever seen. The subject is that of the Vietnam protests at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago and the subsequent trial of Abbie Hoffman and seven others who were thought to have incited the riots. The film uses old footage, animation, and a wonderful soundtrack to tell the story. The footage shown is remarkable to see, especially for a Chicagoan who did not grow up during that era (this itself is worth a watch). Animation is used to depict the court scenes with the outrageous dialogue and actions coming straight from court transcripts. The film drives home its point and reminds this generation that we the people have the right to protest and the right to be heard!

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* Certified *

Ry Recommended

Lust, Caution

Lust, Caution: Ang Lee brings us a story of espionage set in Shanghai, China during WWII. A young troupe of radical college kids plot to assassinate Mr. Yee - a high level Chinese official who is collaborating with the Japanese. Their plan is to have one of their own, Wong Chia Chi aka Mrs. Mak befriend his wife and then befriend Yee himself. As the relationship between Mrs. Mak and Mr. Yee develops (and DOES IT develop), the line between good and evil becomes cloudier. The film does an excellent job of showing the spectrum of emotions that the characters feel for one another as well as the complexity of the human heart. If you are up for a good foreign film about spies that centers around a very untraditional love story which contains some very graphic sex scenes……give this beauty a spin.

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Cassandra's Dream

Cassandra’s Dream: Colin Farrell and Ewan McGregor star as brothers who get themselves into financial trouble. One brother owes a gambling debt, while the other needs money to keep impressing a new girl in his life. An opportunity arises that can get them the money they need, but the question is – can they live with the consequences? The film is written and directed by the great Woody Allen and bears a resemblance to his works: Match Point & Crimes and Misdemeanors. However compared to those two films, especially that latter, I would label this movie as “minor Allen”. The story intrigued me enough for me to recommend, but I could see the heavy dialogue turning some viewers off.

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Before the Devil Knows You're Dead

Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead: I saw this during its theatrical run and did not have time to review it then. Now on DVD I want to highlight this twisted tale. Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Ethan Hawke star as brothers who concoct a plan to rob a jewelry store. What makes this idea perverse? The jewelry store is owned by their parents. The movie is split up to show each character’s perspective leading up to and during the robbery. Of course nobody makes a movie about a robbery that goes off without a hitch. The plans go very bad and then get worse. This is a nervous, but very fun watch that will keep you engrossed to the very end!

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Rendition on DVD

Rendition: A suspenseful thriller that takes a look at the secret measures the U.S. government takes to obtain “intelligence”. After a terrorist bombing that takes the life of an American agent, a man of Egyptian decent is detained on his way home to the states. By all accounts he is an innocent family man (married to an American woman) with no connection to the Egyptian terrorist group, but what we find out is just how thorough the U.S. government is of their detainees. The film walks the “believability line” a couple of times and Reese Witherspoon was clearly miscast. However the film has great structure amid the storylines and was able to slip a twist in that made it that much more enjoyable.

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The Assassination of Jesse James DVD

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford: I loved this movie! This is easily one of the best 2007 films I have seen. With the climax given away in the title of the movie, it comes down to great storytelling to keep viewer interest. What I thought made this an OUTSTANING motion picture were the multiple layers the story had and the emotion each layer brought with it. The fascinating story is thought provoking – not only in direct relation to the characters and their motives, but also the symbolism it has in regards to today’s “media/celebrity infatuation”. Casey Affleck plays Robert Ford and to say he did an excellent job is an understatement. With this one role I would say he overshadows anything his big brother Ben ever did on screen and should be the Affleck we see more of going forward. Brad Pitt is perfect as Jesse James. It is crucial that Jesse has a dominant and intimidating presence and Pitt brings this tenfold. The one complaint I have heard with this film is the slow moving and long runtime (160 minutes) – I only mention this so that you can properly prepare yourself to appreciate this masterpiece!

“Pick it Up” !!!

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