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DVD

Kevin Costner Saves Our Broken Democracy

By Brian Miller, Saturday, Jan. 10 2009 @ 4:02PM
Comments (3)
Categories: Film
swing_vote_blog.jpg

Just when we'd forgotten about Joe the Plumber, here comes Bud the Poultry Worker. Arriving Tues., Jan 13 on DVD, Kevin Costner's Swing Vote was timed--in its initial August release--to have some election-year topicality. Judging from the film's quick exit from theaters, with all of $16 million to its credit, actual voters were too concerned on the actual presidential race to pay attention to Costner's alternate America.

A producer on the film, who reportedly put his own millions into its ad campaign, Costner has been somewhat right-identified in the past, yet without outing himself as an actual Republican. A native of the SoCal suburbs who came of age in the sunny '70s, he seems like a moderate, no Rush Limbaugh ditto-head. Swing Vote (our review here) reflects his genial, middle-of-the-roadism. Which, in a year when more strident political films from the left (see W.) and right (see An American Carol) didn't do so well, still didn't save Swing Vote from box-office obscurity.

What went wrong with the picture? It's not the grandiose, ego-tripping, career-sinking epic that Waterworld represents in the Costner canon. In a year when "change" was the winning slogan, Swing Vote may've been doomed by its centrism. Though, unlike most political flicks, it was willing to name sides and parties, calling the Dems and the Republicans for what they are, the movie was unwilling to choose sides. You don't want to alienate moviegoers of either political stripe, of course, but I think Swing Vote underestimated the electorate...
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DVD

Why Don't They Hand Out Awards for DVD Extras?

By Mike Seely, Tuesday, Jan. 6 2009 @ 2:31PM
Categories: Film


Keith Fenimore, a pal of mine who now works for Howard Stern, has long had what I think is a brilliant idea to stage an awards show devoted to character actors (i.e., non-movie stars who are in just about every flick you've ever seen but whose names you don't know). The Character Actor Awards is what Fenimore has titled his idea, and he's still trying to get the requisite backing to pull it off.

Anyhow, I thought of Keith and his idea last night as I was watching the actors' commentary on Tropic Thunder, which has garnered Golden Globe supporting actor noms for Tom Cruise (undeserved and overhyped, in my opinion) and Robert Downey Jr. (who should win, in my opinion). Downey plays an Australian actor who has a pigmentation operation in order to authentically portray a black Vietnam soldier in the movie with the movie, and employs a Dolemite-era dialect throughout.

The performance is risky and brilliant by itself, but on the DVD commentary, Downey does the unexpected: he doesn't drop character, thus staying true to his character, a method maniac who says he never drops character until after the DVD commentary is in the can. Downey's improvised riffs are funnier on the commentary than they are in the movie -- and they're very funny in the movie. For this he should receive some sort of award -- only there aren't any awards acknowledging the genius of special features on DVD. Keith: Maybe if you combined this concept with the Character Actor Awards, you'd have a truly irresistible package.
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DVD

Oh My Gods! BSG 4 on Shelves in One Week

By Laura Onstot, Tuesday, Dec. 30 2008 @ 9:44AM
Comments (7)
Categories: Television
cylon6.jpg
Human? Robot? Like it isn't obvious.

By the end of Season 3, Battlestar Galactica fans (who refer to the show as BSG, use "frak" as an obscenity, and conclude sentences with "so say we all", what's up, nerds!) had a lot to contend with. If you don't watch the show (and why the frak don't you?) here's where we're at.

Eons ago, us humans invented robots--the cylons--to help us run things. Then, shocking plot twist, the artificially intelligent droids asked themselves why they should take orders, and rebelled. After an ugly war (and a hokey 70s sci-fi serial) the cylons took off, spending the next several decades avoiding us lowly humans. But then, just as it seemed the war could safely be called over, the cylons returned and nuked all the inhabited planets.  The remaining 50,000 or so humans on space ships at the time are now floating around trying to find a mythic planet called Earth to settle on, dodge the cylons, and not kill each other.

For the most part its pretty formulaic sci-fi drama--super sexy people in silver outfits doing battle in space. (A friend likes to point out that the producers somehow dug up the only Playboy Centerfold that can actually act. See above.) And the people who aren't lovely to look at are uber-inspiring, specifically Admiral Adama (played by Edward James Olmos of Stand and Deliver fame) who is relentless with his crew but would happily lay down his life for any of them.

But it's much more than just a drama some indeterminate time in the future, it's a space opera, there's even a little singing. The whole series could easily serve as the subject of a freshman ethics philosophy class. The characters are constantly faced with moral quandaries--when to leave someone behind, who to trust, who to kill--and the characters don't always make the choice your heartstrings tell you they should.

If you haven't started the series yet (and why the frak haven't you?) stop reading now. For everyone else, here's a bit of what to expect from the first half of Season 4:
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DVD

Bard 2 Bad

By Brian Miller, Saturday, Dec. 20 2008 @ 7:00AM
Categories: DVD
hamlet2_coogan_web.jpg

Another case of Sundance-induced hypoxia, Hamlet 2 sold for 2 much money (a rumored $10 million) during that January film festival, opened 2 rather poor reviews, and 2 predictably sank at the box office, grossing around $5 million. 2 bad, you ask?

Hamlet 2 arrived at a moment when mocking the small-town Arizona dreams of a frustrated actor and high-school drama teacher (Steve Coogan) was easy, 2 easy. In an Americanized version of his British TV host Alan Partridge (which is genius), Coogan plays yet another guy fundamentally deluded about his place in life, mistaken about his talent (i.e., the lack thereof), whose unfounded hubris is played for laughs. Dana Marschz, his clueless character here, tries to save the school drama program by staging his own sequel to Hamlet. The surprise--for him, anyway--is that Hispanic kids from Tucson take the assignment seriously, and save his sorry ass. The film came out in August, by which time any striver would be grateful for such community support. Dana led them into this mess. The movie's plot is essentially his bailout.

With the song "Rock Me, Sexy Jesus" as a hook, Dana's musical stage production of Hamlet 2 drags in controversy--cue the ACLU--the way it does supporting performers (Amy Poehler, Elisabeth Shue, David Arquette, and Catherine Keener). As a movie, however, it just plays like a series of sketches. On YouTube or as a SNL digital short, Hamlet 2 might've succeeded. Here, as the actual Hamlet gravediggers might say, the jokes are mostly food for the worms.

Hamlet 2. Universal Home Ent., $26.98. On DVD Tues., Dec. 21.
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DVD

When Remakes Go Wrong

By Brian Miller, Friday, Dec. 19 2008 @ 6:59AM
Categories: DVD
statham2_death_race.jpg

Thirty-three years ago, there was a perfectly good drive-in/exploitation flick called Death Race 2000 starring David Carradine and Sylvester Stallone. The futuristic premise was that, like the Roman circus, we the violent mob would find entertainment in a cross-country race in which the motorists scored points by running down pedestrians. So simple. So sick. So effective. It was a video game premise before there were video games. The movie was produced by Roger Corman, who understood how to mix cars, guys, and violence in a highly cost-effective formula.

So eight years past the actual date of 2000, what do we get? In the remake (review), wrongly incarcerated family man Jason Statham must race for his life in some futuristic Alcatraz at the behest of evil warden Joan Allen--to essentially drive and kill other convicts to achieve his freedom, while we watch on pay-per-view. Before, we moviegoers were the victims of Stallone and Carradine. We were implicated in our own impulse for nasty, bloody entertainment. Crushed beneath its wheels. Here, Statham and co-star Tyrese Gibson never threaten us at all. We might as well be controlling them with joysticks and Wii maneuvers at home, without moral compunction.

Like the original Rollerball (also an insipid remake), the movie framework here suggests something very disturbing about our lust for blood and gasoline. This Death Race updating could've fused NASCAR and Ben-Hur. The closest it comes is when Allen instructs her minions to "keep the viewers interested." But do our pay-per-view dollars help keep Statham and Gibson in the slammer? Is their suffering our fault? This Death Race won't say. And its vehicles never harm us as we step off the sidewalk after seeing the latest screen carnage.

Death Race, Universal Home Entertainment, $29.98. On DVD Tues., Dec. 21.
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DVD

Beltway Bumblers

By Brian Miller, Thursday, Dec. 18 2008 @ 4:30PM
Categories: DVD
burn_tilda_swinton_web.jpg

The Coen brothers' dark comedy--almost redundant, I know--Burn After Reading got not so much love in September from critics (including our own), and only one award nomination this month, from those mysterious folks at the Golden Globes. Coming to DVD next Tuesday, the movie made me laugh, and quit a bit. (My dissent here.) If you want full, psychologically rounded characters, look elsewhere. The Coen universe amounts to a parade of fools who deserve violent deaths, and usually receive them. Though the Minnesota-born brothers provide no commentary, as usual, some of the DVD extras on this single-disc package provide insight into their methods, and why A-list talent (like Tilda Swinton, pictured above) flock to participate in their projects, even if that means possible demise by wood chipper or hatchet.
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DVD

Mamma Mia Out on DVD Today!

By Suzie Rugh, Tuesday, Dec. 16 2008 @ 1:40PM
Categories: DVD
mamma mia.jpg

Several years ago, just as my love affair with the Swedish rock group, ABBA, was beginning to bloom, I saw the stage production of Mamma Mia in Los Angeles with my parents. At the end of the show, they did a mini-concert when everyone was encouraged to get up and dance and, because we rarely turn down an invitation to make fools of ourselves, we jumped up and started grooving immediately. I looked around and saw that we were the only ones in the balcony brave enough to shake it, save one gentleman, several rows back who was dancing with his eyes closed in complete ecstasy. He looked like the ABBA tunes had whisked him away to a fantasy wonderland where he was the king of the Dancing Queens and there was no need for an SOS. I believe it was a combination of that vision, the show, and having excellent taste that ensured ABBA would be the soundtrack to which I would live my life from that moment on.

If you don't totally understand what Mamma Mia is, let me back up. The plot of the musical has nothing to do with the band ABBA except that when the characters break into song, they sing ABBA tunes. So when single mother Donna (Meryl Streep) can't believe that her soon-to-be-married daughter Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) has invited all three of the men that might be her father to her wedding (Donna was a bit of a loosey goosey in her younger years), she sings the song "Mamma Mia." Or when Donna's friend Tanya (played by the amazing Christine Baranski) is chiding a younger man for hitting on her, she sings, "Does Your Mother Know." Make sense?

This film is not without its flaws. Not everyone in the cast can sing, occasionally it looks like they inexplicably used two completely different types of cameras and it often feels a bit rushed, like the lease on their Greek isle locale was was about to run out. Yet despite all that, I still LOVED it. It works because you get the sense that they know what they're showing you isn't exactly perfect, but it's been filled with so much heart and fun, you'll be willing to look beyond the wrongs and see all those glorious rights. Julie Walters and Christine Baranski, who play Donna's two best friends steal almost every scene they're in and Seyfried has just enough wide-eyed cuteness to pull off her role without being too sappy. Meryl Streep proves once again that she can conquer any character she wants and the three male leads are endearing even if they can't all carry a tune. Plus, the Greek beaches and sun will transport you out of these frigid winter days and plant you into a story playfully told through some of the most wonderful music in the world. Don't take it too seriously and you'll love it too.

And if the stage production comes through town again, do yourself a favor and go buy tickets. You will never regret being the only person in your aisle dancing your little heart out.

Mamma Mia, Universal Studios, $29.98

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DVD

Popcorn in December

By Brian Miller, Sunday, Dec. 14 2008 @ 7:42PM
Categories: DVD
mummy_for_web.jpg

The series of Mummy pictures, launched in 1999 and staring the Cornish-trained Brendan Fraser, were better than they needed to be. In its first two installments, at least, the franchise had a certain lightness beneath all those impressive CGI effects. Fraser knew that his pre-WWII adventurer-archaeologist was a poor man's Indiana Jones. And the pictures continued the anything-for-a-scare legacy of the original Universal Studios horror films of the '30s and '40s, which basically wrote the mummy rule book.

Released in August, The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor changed locales, kept the effects (and added some), bloated its run time (two and one-half hours), forced a new family theme (with an heir to anchor a new series), and made some crucial cast substitutions. Among the latter, we're always glad to see Michelle Yeoh (pictured above). But as the largely indifferent reviews indicated, something had been lost from the originally fun Mummy formula...


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DVD

Why L&O's Sixth Season Is Worth Reliving

By Chris Kornelis, Wednesday, Dec. 10 2008 @ 2:38PM
Comments (2)
Categories: DVD
thegang6.jpgDVD: Law & Order: The Sixth Year
Release Date: Dec. 2
Universal, $59.98
Stars: Jerry Orbach, Sam Watterson, Jill Hennessy, Benjamin Bratt, etc.

From my futon in the winter of 2008, I see three acts of Law & Order: the Chris Noth days of thick leather jackets and no female leads; the Jerry Orbach (Det. Lennie Briscoe)/Sam Watterson (Executive A.D.A. Jack McCoy) domination; and everything after Orbach.

Season six is the sweet spot in act two, the halcyon days of the venerable series that makes today's L&O seem like it's gasping for breath compared to the yarns spun and structural liberties taken by Dick Wolf's crew in what is, rather dramatically, Jill Hennessy's (A.D.A. Claire Kincaid) swan song.

This was before the series would be spun off three efforts (you've already forgotten the canned Trial By Jury, I'm sure), and it is perhaps because the franchise has yet to stretch it legs with Criminal Intent and Special Victims that the writers and producers allow themselves to stray from the billion-dollar formula. They try campy moves like cross-over episodes with Homicide: Life on the Street, where we meet Richard Belzer (Det. John Munch, later to jump to Special Victims). And it's just harder to predict the outcome by the clock on your wall (Wait, he couldn't have done it, there's 15 minutes left!)

1996 was a different time, to be sure. And for those suffering from a bout of '90s nostalgia of late, this is the gift that won't quit. Det. Rey Curtis (Benjamin Bratt) comments that he had to get down on his knees for a seven-percent interest rate on his home. Amanda Peet turns up as a pre- "Ripped From the Headlines" Patty Hearst; Jennifer Gardner appears as the seductive college kid that beds the married Curtis. Detectives ask their suspects if they're "online," and Briscoe muses," Did you know 100 million new words go on that thing every day?"

Ahhh, the '90s.
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DVD

Deadwood: The Complete Series (Or, My Life Is Now Complete)

By Sara Brickner, Wednesday, Dec. 10 2008 @ 12:17PM
Comments (2)
Categories: DVD
deadwood.jpg

Title: Deadwood: The Complete Series
Price: $179.97, HBO
Release Date: December 9, 2008


That's right: for those of you who don't own any of the DVDs yet, you can now have them all in one neat, clean little package.  Unfortunately, this release pretty much dashes my hopes that Deadwood, the "based-on" historical Western series known for scandalizing America with its liberal use of fun curse words, will ever be revived to conclude in a somewhat satisfactory manner.  I won't give it away, because I know there are a lot of you out there who have, but the ending totally pissed me off, because it wasn't even an ending. The show seemed to have been building up to something, and then it just stopped abruptly. 

Which is why the first disc I watched out of all 19 discs in the box set was the final bonus disc, which contains creator/producer David Milch's commentary on the meaning of endings.  It was very obvious to me, and pretty much everyone else who watched the entire series, that the conclusion of the series was not planned for, because it was messy and unsatisfying.  Well, Milch admits that, which is a minor consolation-- always nice to bask in the glow of your own rightness.  "The consolation I try to find, when I'm not busy just being pissed off, is that the idea of the end of a thing...is one of the lies agreed upon that we use to organize our lives," he says. And he also said that while a TV show may appear to be building up to a grand conclusion, this is an untruth. The reality, he explains, is that everyone in this business of TV is that the show happens one episode and one day at a time. Nothing is guaranteed in TV, and nothing is guaranteed in life. Touche, David Milch, touche. It's advice that all those pissed off Arrested Development fans (myself included) should probably take to heart. But the best quote from him, I think is this: "The biggest lie is that we are entitled to a meaningful and coherent summarizing-- a conclusion of something which never concludes."
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