"I have... DOUBTS!"
- Meryl Streep as Sister Aloysius
Anyone who already watched the film Doubt knows that infamous quote leading up to the ending credits. The few days after watching the movie on DVD, I would walk around my house randomly shouting out that line to give my wife a good laugh. The film however, is not as funny as my interpretation of Sister Aloysius. When a film is based on a priest being accused of child molestation, you won’t find much to laugh at. Now, where do I begin? First off, Doubt has some of the finest acting I’ve seen in a film all year. Streep’s performance of the rigid Sister Aloysius and Philip Seymour Hoffman’s falsely accused (or did he do it?) Father Flynn were both awesome roles. I also need to mention Amy Adams performance of Sister James. This naïve nun played an essential role in the film that can’t be set aside. The film itself raises a lot of questions and doubts in the viewer’s head, but provides very little answers. I thought about the film for a good day or so after watching, so it at least succeeded in being a thought provoking film. Along with the film, the DVD has some great extras including an insightful interview with the cast. Doubt is not a typical film by Hollywood’s standards. It doesn’t end the way you expect most films to, but it’ll sure shake up any assumptions you may have and leave you thinking about it after the credits roll.
You gotta love the old one-eyed beast.
Cyclops is one of the more fascinating mythological creatures. I remember being amazed at the beast whenever we read about him in mythology and always wanted to see him in his own film. Sure enough I got the chance recently on DVD! Now, when the most popular actor in a film is Eric Roberts, I don’t find myself getting excited. And when the most popular actor in the film (Roberts) acts with such blandness, it doesn’t make the film fare too well. In fact, most of the other actors in the film didn’t do too much better, except for Cyclops! Well he’s really a product of CGI, but still a main character! When the film started heading down the slope of extreme cheesiness, Cyclops came in and did some damage to make it a little interesting! I’d have to say he was the only interesting character in the film. In fact, they could have done without the cast, and just taped the entire movie with Cyclops wreaking havoc. If you have ever wanted to see the one-eyed beast in his own film, now is your chance. But like I was saying earlier, he’s the best actor of the entire cast. So if you're ok with watching a film where the best character is a CGI creation, then Cyclops should be just fine.
One of the most surprising tearjerkers of the year!
Talk about being taken for a ride. From the cover of Marley & Me, you'd think it's a cute little family film about a dog and its owners. Well, it’s not as cute as you think it would be. Marley is a dog adopted by newlyweds John and Jenny Grogan (Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston) after they move from Michigan to Miami. They have no idea how much “the world’s worst dog” is about to rock their world. This dog is a BEAST! For starters, he chews through dry wall, tears apart their home, and causes chaos at obedience school. And that’s not even half the destruction he causes! If that was real life, I’m sure any sane couple would have given that dog up in a second. But, since this is a movie, the dog must stay until the end. As important as Marley is, the film is primarily about John and Jenny’s family life, or I should say Marley’s effect on their life. Anyone who has a family can definitely identify with their struggles, especially after the kids come. All the Grogan family’s joy and pain are highlighted throughout the film in a very realistic way. Kudos to Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston for doing a decent job as a couple trying to get through life. Overall, it’s an entertaining film that’ll make you laugh and possibly shed some tears.
Just make sure you have a box of Kleenex at the end.
Danny Boyle is the man. After films like 28 Days Later and Sunshine, he has proved once again he’s a genius with Slumdog Millionaire. Rather then turn this into an ass-kissing essay on how great Danny Boyle is, let’s talk about Slumdog. This film is a celebration of life despite an extreme form of hopelessness that is rampant throughout third-world countries. It starts out with the main character Jamal Malik on the Indian version of “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?” Jamal is a young guy who grew up in the slums of India. Each question he’s asked on the show somehow ties in to a specific event in his life that helps him come up with an answer. From seeing his mom killed to sleeping in piles of garbage to watching his older brother become a thug, Malik’s life is played out in the film showing that there is hope even in the darkest times. I honestly thought the film was all hype before I even saw it. I have this thing inside me that cringes whenever people glorify a movie too much. I can honestly say that Slumdog Millionaire is NOT all hype. It’s a film that can make you happy, angry, disturbed, and hopeful all at once. It’s rare that a film can come along and affect you in such a powerful way as this one does. Now that it’s out on DVD, I’m sure I’ll be watching it again and again.
“Huh?”
That's what went through my head at the end of No Country For Old Men. Up until that point, the movie was great. There was some memorable dialogue, a thought provoking story, but the ending took away from what was already a great film. I won’t reveal any spoilers, but I felt it was too sudden. Other than that, this is one thrilling cat-and-mouse chase of a film. I just got through the Collector’s Edition DVD that was just released and it is a fine set to own. The 3 disc set contains the film plus over 5 hours of features AND a special digital copy of the movie. Like with most DVD bonus features, there’s the usual “Making Of” feature, which this one has. But the highlight of the bonus features for me was Josh Brolin’s (who had the best role, in my opinion) Unauthorized Behind-The-Scenes. This was a funny “behind the scenes” look at the film with some very sarcastic comments (all in good fun) made by the cast, including a very stoned looking Woody Harrelson. It was interesting to watch the cast of this very serious film goofing around and poking fun at each other. Overall, this is truly a great set to own for any fan of the movie.
I’m still not happy about the ending though.
After more than 2 years since their last album release (besides the Closer EP), Jars of Clay is back with The Long Fall Back To Earth. This album, I believe, is truly their best as it picks up where Good Monsters left off. It’s one that will probably surprise naysayers that have brushed them off as a band floating around in a Christian music ghetto. For sure, The Long Fall Back To Earth shows this is the same talented band that surprised the music industry back when 90’s alternative rock dominated the scene. Only now they rock a little bit harder and really embrace a sound that’s influenced by 80’s music. The last few albums by Jars show that they like to pull out surprises in their musical bag of tricks. And this latest album has lots of good surprises. For older fans still not used to their new sound, give the album a few listens and really let it sink in. And for skeptical critics of their older sound, this album should make it loud and clear that this is not the same Jars of Clay you heard before.
The Long Fall Back To Earth comes out on April 21.
Don't mess with Bolt!
He's a dog with super powers that would rival any hero that you can think of, only on camera. In reality, Bolt is just a regular dog that happens to be a movie star. The only problem is that he really thinks he's a super dog in real life. He has no clue that it’s all a part of Hollywood movie magic. Even though he’s really not super, he’s got the fighting spirit of a hero. When he accidentally gets shipped to New York, he goes on a journey back to LA to save his owner and co-star Penny, who he thinks is in trouble. On his adventure across the country, he’s accompanied by an alley cat he meets in NYC (Mittens) and a hamster that’s Bolt’s “biggest fan” (Rhino). With some REALLY innovative CGI animation from Pixar, the voice talents of stars like John Travolta and Miley Cyrus, and a decent story, Bolt is a fun family movie. I must admit though, I wasn’t as blown away as I thought I would be. Throughout the film I couldn’t help but feel like I have been through this story before. Then it hit me. Toy Story! The part of the story where Bolt gets hit with the truth that he’s not “super” reminded me of what happened to Buzz in Toy Story. Now, that doesn’t mean Bolt isn’t a good movie. Even though it wasn’t what I expected, I thought it was very entertaining, and the animation is a HUGE leap from Pixar’s older films. It isn’t my favorite Pixar film, but overall Bolt was an enjoyable film that both kids and adults can enjoy.
As expected with most of the recent DVD releases from Disney, the Bolt Blu-ray + DVD + Digital File Combo Pack is AWESOME. In this pack you get the Blu-ray Hi-Def edition, the standard DVD version, and a DisneyFile Digital Copy. The quality of the video and sound on the DVD was crisp and clear, which made for a better movie watching experience. There are some scenes that might not have been that effective on the DVD, if not for the high quality of video and sound. Also included are some great special features. One in particular that stood out to me is the animated short “Super Rhino”. The little hamster gets to star in his own special where he has special powers and kicks some enemy booty! Overall, the Combo Pack really is an impressive set that’s loaded with extra features making it a great collectible.
Bonus Features also include:
A New Breed of Directors: A Filmmakers’ Journey - Directors Chris Williams and Byron Howard spill the details on the making of the film.
Act, Speak! The Voices of Bolt - John Travolta, Miley Cyrus, Susie Essman, James Lipton and Mark Walton showing off their voice talents
Creating The World of Bolt - The filmmakers explain the unique design of the film
Deleted Scenes
BLU-RAY HI-DEF features include:
Bolt’s Be-Awesome Mission - Interactive game!
Bolt Art Gallery - Check out the film’s early creative concepts
