CINEMAN VIDEO FOR 26-JUN-2009
DVD GUIDE FOR TUESDAY, JUNE 30, 2009
*BY CINEMAN SYNDICATE*
Mini Reviews of movies available on DVD
NEW RELEASES -
DARK STREETS
"The Cotton Club" collides with "The Hudsucker Proxy" in a noir
nightmare triggered by Glenn M. Stewart's little-seen stage musical
set in 1930s New York. The roster of RandB artists heard on the
soundtrack is impressive; the movie is not. Stylized to a fault, the
tale of a nightclub owner (Mann) tested by a criminal conspiracy and a
femme fatale strains to evoke menace. Any pleasurable notes get
squelched by clanging dialogue and remedial direction. The movie
doesn't do right by the genre or the blues musicians of New Orleans,
to whom it was dedicated in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. (R) BORING
MUSICAL DRAMA Dir-Rachel Samuels Lead-Gabriel Mann RT-83 mins.
THE EDUCATION OF CHARLIE BANKS
The Ivy League experience of young Mr. Banks (Eisenberg) is disrupted
by the arrival of a childhood friend (Jason Ritter) who can't control
his temper or his partying ways. Set in the 1980s, this coming-of-age
drama by Limp Bizkit's Fred Durst (made before his regrettable sports
flick "The Longshots") is good at evoking sympathy for rascals and
regular guys, but doesn't know what to do with those feelings. The
nuanced takes on class division in Peter Elkoff's script aren't
sufficient to bridge the gap and strong performances by Ritter and Eva
Amurri, as the rich girl Charlie pines for, go untapped. (R) FAIR
DRAMA Dir-Fred Durst Lead-Jesse Eisenberg RT-101 mins.
JONAS BROTHERS: THE 3-D CONCERT EXPERIENCE
The Jonas Brothers conquer Madison Square Garden in a 3-D concert film
that will likely rock the socks off female tweeners. In between
consistently raucous tunes, the movie offers up bland
behind-the-scenes footage, while during the numbers a raft of
computer-generated objects fly at the screen in gimmicky 3-D fashion.
The three siblings display a genuine knack for larger-than-life
showmanship. Still, no amount of enthusiasm on their parts can change
the eeriness of seeing young girls weeping and hyperventilating over
the focus-tested moppets, who have a look and sound so
pre-manufactured, you can almost hear the crinkle of their cellophane
wrapping. (G) FAIR DOCUMENTARY Dir-Bruce Hendricks RT-75 mins.
STREET FIGHTER: THE LEGEND OF CHUN-LI
The latest take-off on the influential video game is a flaming ball of
moldy martial arts chi that no gamer, let alone movie lover, could go
gaga over. Kristin Kreuk never looks comfortable as the mixed-race
beauty whose father is abducted in Hong Kong. Years later, Chun-Li
abandons her career as a concert pianist to avenge him, saving
Bangkok's slum-dwellers from a dastardly crime boss (Neal McDonough)
in the process. The story is ragged, the acting horrible and the
dialogue canned, which wouldn't matter if the fight choreography and
action scenes measured up. With Chris Klein and Michael Clarke Duncan.
(PG-13) POOR ACTION Dir-Andrzej Bartkowiak Lead- Kristin Kreuk RT-96
mins.
12 ROUNDS
With nary a nod to plausibility and caring not one whit that you'll
recognize the parts scavenged from far superior flicks, this dull
excuse for entertainment plays more like the blueprint for a movie
than a movie itself. Surely wrestling star Cena, a humorless hulk, is
standing in for someone more charismatic (maybe Hugh Jackman or Matt
Damon) as the New Orleans cop pitted against the bad guy who's
kidnapped his wife (Ashley Scott)? Surely Aidan Gillen, as the
terrorist/international arms dealer, will be replaced in the real
movie by an actor who can be deliciously over-the-top evil instead of
merely cartoonish: perhaps Alan Rickman? (PG-13) BORING ACTION
Dir-Renny Harlin Lead-John Cena RT-108 mins.
TWO LOVERS
No actor of his generation does emotional torment better. No peer is
so raw or so true. Joaquin Phoenix stars in James Gray's incisive,
understated romance playing a bi-polar broken heart on two legs.
Leonard lives with his parents (Isabella Rossellini and Moni Monoshov)
in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn. He works in his father's dry cleaners and
snaps the occasional arty photo, but hasn't felt alive since his
fianc� dumped him. Until he meets messed-up neighbor Michelle (Gwyneth
Paltrow) and sensuously caring Sandra (Vinessa Shaw). Leonard's simple
story unfolds with psychological plausibility and beautifully
controlled intensity, resulting in the epitome of a well-observed
film. (R) GREAT DRAMA Dir-James Gray Lead-Joaquin Phoenix RT-108 mins.
TOP DVD RENTALS -
GRAN TORINO
Clint Eastwood is the Joe Paterno of filmmaking: an icon whose
retirement is probably overdue. He said he's contemplating quitting
acting but the box-office success of this project, in which he
portrays a septuagenarian Dirty Harry, might banish such thoughts.
Along with directing (and singing over the end credits), Clint snarls
as racist Korean War vet Walt Kowalski. After the Hmong boy next door
tries to boost his vintage 1972 Gran Torino, Walt protects him from a
local gang. The movie's a hoot, and Clint's performance is too
tongue-and-cheek and the supporting acting too awful for its message
of tolerance to be taken seriously. (R) FAIR DRAMA Dir-Clint Eastwood
Lead-Clint Eastwood RT-116 mins.
TYLER PERRY'S MADEA GOES TO JAIL
Madea heads to the Big House in writer/director/actor Perry's latest.
And unless you want to incur the wrath of his felonious matriarch, you
best heed the movie's message of forgiveness and go with the flow -
despite slapdash production values and signs the mold is starting to
crack. While scofflaw Madea fails to control her anger, two assistant
district attorneys (Derek Luke and Ion Overman) have their
relationship tested by a prostitute. Viola Davis lends gravitas
portraying a minister who helps ladies of the night turn their lives
around, but Madea preaching self-reliance in the slammer proves to be
more impactful. (PG-13) FAIR COMEDY-DRAMA Dir-Tyler Perry Lead-Derek
Luke RT-103 mins.
FRIDAY THE 13th
To borrow the subtitle of the sixth "Friday the 13th" installment,
"Jason lives" courtesy of director Marcus Nispel's franchise reboot,
which crams components of the first three "Friday" films into one
predictably terrifying package. Taken as a stand-alone feature, this
remake is a sufficiently scary crowd-rouser that knows when to linger
and when to spring from the shadows. At the same time, it delivers all
the sordid things we've come to expect from the 29-year-old franchise:
rowdy and careless drug abuse, gratuitous nudity, and creative kills
administered by Jason's shock-and-gore tactics. Apparently, when it
comes to Crystal Lake, you can go home again. (R) FAIR HORROR
Dir-Marcus Nispel Lead-Jared Padalecki RT-90 mins.
THE INTERNATIONAL
The villain in this non-pandering thriller is a nefarious Luxembourg
bank that, for reasons that go unexplained, serves as Moby Dick to an
Interpol agent's Captain Ahab. Clive Owen plays the obsessive
investigator and Naomi Watts is the assistant district attorney from
Manhattan he's working with. Although the plot's connective tissue is
thin and much of the dialogue abstract, the architectural settings are
dazzling and the tense atmosphere keeps you glued. Proving that a
movie's tactile qualities trump theoretical musings, the best scene by
far is pure action -- a long gun battle inside New York's Guggenheim
Museum. It's one you won't soon forget. (R) GOOD THRILLER Dir-Tom
Tykwer Lead-Clive Owen RT-116 mins.
PAUL BLART: MALL COP
Although never riotously funny, this slapstick comedy has ample heart
in the plus-size form of Kevin James' dedicated security guard. A
lovable loser, Paul Blart derails a gang of scruffy, acrobatic thieves
when they take hostages in a New Jersey mall on the busiest shopping
day of the year. He wins the girl (Jayma Mays) and the respect of his
detractors in the process. Adept at physical comedy, James, who
co-wrote the script, emerges the king of his retail domain. Suitable
for family viewing, the movie's self-deprecating humor is tame enough
to affirm a positive message about our society's obsession with
weight. (PG) FAIR COMEDY Dir-Steve Carr Lead-Kevin James RT-91 mins.
DVD TOP TITLES
For the week ending JUNE 21, 2009
TOP RENTALS - Last Week
1. GRAN TORINO (WB) - 1
2. TYLER PERRY'S MADEA GOES TO JAIL (LG) - New
3. FRIDAY THE 13th (WB) - New
4. THE INTERNATIONAL (SONY) - 2
5. PAUL BLART: MALL COP (SONY) - 4
6. HE'S JUST NOT THAT INTO YOU (WB) - 3
7. DEFIANCE (PAR) - 5
8. TAKEN (FOX) - 6
9. THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON (PAR) - 9
10. NEW IN TOWN (LG) - 8
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COPYRIGHT 2009 BY CINEMAN SYNDICATE LLC
JPM 9:15 AM 6/26/2009
