[X] My Assistant

Helllooooooo, ladies and gentlemen!!! I have returned at last! And I've got quite a few reviews tucked under my belt. I would've done half last night, but I suffered from a New Year's Eve headache. I'm better and I decided to make a couple teeny tiny changes to the reviews from now on. See if you can spot the changes! Time for the 20th week of reviewing mayhem!!

First I'll start with the pre-New Year releases:


Rush Hour 3(Released December 23)
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The Category: Action/Comedy
The Stars: Jackie Chan, Chris Tucker, Noemie Lenoir, Yvan Attal, Hiroyuki Sanada
Price: $19.99 for single, $21.99 for 2-Disc New Line Platinum Edition
Running Time: 90 min.
Rated PG-13 for sequences of action violence, sexual content, nudity, and language.

Carter and Lee are at it again in the third entry of the action/comedy film series. This time the two guys are sent to Paris to uncover secrets about the leadership of the Triads, known as Shy Shen. Along the way, they they endure the standard gun and sword fights, and Carter strikes love with a French woman named Genevieve. The action is pretty good, but the squeaky voice of Tucker is always there to drive me insane!!!!!! Also I think Chan is trying to do what Harrison Ford and Sly Stallone are doing now:working out big stunts into their 50s and 60s. That's not right. There are some new faces, including Max von Sydow as French ambassador Reynard, Roman Polanski as Parisian Detective Revi, and French actor/director Yvan Attal, who gives a hilarious performance as a taxi driver who doesn't like Americans. The DVD is available in the standard single disc, but that's got nothing. The 2-Disc New Line Platinum Edition has commentary, deleted scenes, 2 featurettes, and trailers. Not as good as the original, but it IS better than the second one.

The Verdict: ***
The Good: The Paris setting, that good blend of action and comedy.
The Bad: Tucker's irritating voice, Chan's still doing stunts?


The Kingdom(Released December 26)
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The Category: Action
The Stars: Jamie Foxx, Chris Cooper, Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman, Ashraf Barhom, Jeremy Piven
Price: $19.99
Running Time: 110 min.
Rated R for intense sequences of graphic brutal violence and language.

When an American housing compound in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia is destroyed by Saudi suicide bombers, the FBI sends Special Agent Ronald Fleury(Foxx), Demolitions expert Grant Sykes(Cooper, a native of my hometown of KC (IMG:[invalid] style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) ), Forensics expert Janet Mayes(Garner), and Intelligence analyst Adam Leavitt(Bateman) to investigate what happened and who caused it. They team up with Saudi police officers Col. Al-Ghazi(Barhom) and Sgt. Haytham(Ali Suliman). After about 3/4 of the film, which is mostly talk and investigation, the film busts wide open with a kick-ass, non-stop action sequence from a highway to an apartment complex that is well worth the earlier parts of the film. The good cast also has good costars, including Jeremy Piven as Deputy Chief of Mission, U.S. Embassy in Riyadh Damon Schmidt, Richard Jenkins as FBI Director James Grace, and Danny Huston as Attorney General Gideon Young. The DVD has deleted scenes, commentary, a featurette showing what each character went through during the apartment shootout(the best extra on the DVD), and 2 other featurettes. It's a somewhat weak yet entertaining action film.

The verdict: ***1/2
The Good: Good cast, the non-stop action sequence, the character by character apartment shootout featurette.
The Bad: There are spots of boredom for about the first 90 min.


Eastern Promises(Released December 26)
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The Category: Crime Thriller
The Stars: Viggo Mortensen, Naomi Watts, Vincent Cassel
Price: $19.99
Running Time: 100 min.
Rated R for strong brutal and bloody violence, some graphic sexuality, language, and nudity.

The story basically revolves around a London woman(Watts) who uncovers a bit of evidence that can be used against a Russian mob. The mob decides to "take her out" but one of the mob, Nikolai Luzhin(Mortensen) has to choose one of two choices: should he help his fellow mobsters, or should he help this woman he doesn'y even know? The film is brought to us by David Cronenberg so the violence isn't for any kid to see. The film is so wonderful thrilling, it has 3 Golden Globe nominations right now. I hope they at least win for Mortensen's five star performance. The only problem is it's a little too revolting at times. The DVD has 2 featurettes. One big crime thriller you must see. 'Nuf said.

The Verdict: ****1/2
The Good: Viggo Mortensen, the creepiness, that Cronrnberg touch.
The Bad: A little too much at a few points.


The Heartbreak Kid(Released December 26)
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The Category: Comedy
The Stars: Ben Stiller, Malin Akerman, Michelle Monaghan, Jerry Stiller, Carlos Mencia, Rob Corddry, Danny R. McBride
Price: $19.99
Running Time: 114 min.
Rated R for strong sexual content, crude humor, and language.

Forty something Eddie Cantrow(Stiller) is a bachelor but he doesn't like it that way. When he meets Lila(Akerman), Eddie thinks he's found the girl of his dreams and marries her. On their honeymoon in Mexico however, she becomes a completely different person, causing Eddie to rethink his decision. To make matters worse, the guy falls in love with Miranda(Monaghan). Who to choose? This comes from the Farrelly Brothers, who gave us There's Something About Mary, which is far superior than this. There are a few funny bits but the film ultimatly falls flat. Costars include Ben's dad Jerry Stiller as Eddie's dad Doc, Carlos Mencia as Uncle Tito, who helps Eddie in a later part of the film, and Danny R. McBride from Hot Rod who plays Miranda's cousin Martin. The DVD has commentary, deleted scenes, 4 featurettes, bloopers, and an Easter Egg. This movie got part of the title right: It really was a heartbreak.

The Verdict: **
The Good: The gross out humor.
The Bad: Flat, too long, and a victim of the bad remake disease.


The Brothers Solomon(Released December 26)
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The Category: Comedy
The Stars: Will Arnett, Will Forte, Chi McBride
Price: $19.99
Running Time: 93 min.
Rated R for language and sexual content.

Brothers John(Arnett) and Dean(Forte) Soloman are your ordinary pair of dimwits. When their dying father(Lee Majors) asks to see his first grandchild as a last wish, the duo set out to "make a baby for dad". The only problem is they don't know shit about dating. WARNING: DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME WITH THIS PIECE OF GARBAGE!!!!! This is the worst movie I've seen recently. The only good thing is, if any, was the idea of the movie. The rest is 93 minutes of hell. The DVD has deleted scenes, commentary, and 2 featurettes. A Knocked Up wannabe.

The Verdict: *(I'm oh so generous)
The Good: The plot subject.
The Bad: Everything else.

Evilresident's Must Buy of the Week is......"Eastern Promises", with a near perfect score of ****1/2.

And now for this week's reviews:


Resident Evil: Extinction
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The Category: Action/Horror
The Stars: Milla Jovovich, Ali Larter, Oded Fehr, Ashanti, Mike Epps, Iain Glen, Jason O'Mara
Price: $19.99
Running Time: 95 min.
Rated R for non-stop violence, language and some nudity.

The ass kickin' Alice(Jovovich) is back for more undead slaughter in the third entry of my favorite video game series. This time she's battling in Sin City: Las Vegas, Nevada. Along the way she meets new faces, such as Claire Redfield(Larter) and Nurse Betty(Ashanti), and travels to Alaska to battle the Umbrella corporation, which includes the best battle in a M.B.G.(movie based on game): a one on one between Alice and the infamous Tyrant!! The cast includes the return of Fehr as Carlos Olivera and Mike Epps as L.J., two other survivors from the 2nd movie. New faces include Iain Glen as the evil Dr. Sam Issacs/Tyrant and Jason O'Mara as the evil yet cool Albert Wesker. The touch of turning Vegas into a wasteland was very cool and the introduction of the Tyrant and the T-Virus infected crows was also well done. The DVD is a Special Edtion and has commentary, deleted scenes, and 3 featurettes. It also has a sneakpeek of Resident Evil: Degeneration, the first animated RE film, which is set to be released this year. My fellow RE fans unite!! This is the best slice of zombie fun so far!

The Verdict: ****1/2
The Good: The deserted Vegas, the Tyrant, and more of that zombie canage that you love!
The Bad: The Tyrant fight was too short.


War
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The Category: Action
The Stars: Jet Li, Jason Statham, Devon Aoki, Luis Guzman, Terry Chen
Price: $19.99
Running Time: 91 min.
Rated R for sequences of strong bloody violence, sexuality/nudity, and language.

FBI agent Jack Crawford(Statham) has a bit of a grudge: his partner(Chen) was murdered by the assassin known as Rouge(Li). Since that moment, Crawford has vowed to avenge his partner, and catching Rouge will do fine. Meanwhile Rouge is causing a war between the Triads and the Yakuza. Throughout the movie there are a few unknown twists, but that doesn't make this a great movie. The action is so-so, and the fights get boring. Also the ending isn't too hot. However I did like seeing my man Statham sqauring off against martial arts man Jet Li. The casting is okay. This is a war worth viewing once. And I mean once.

The Verdict: **1/2
The Good: Statham vs. Li, some recognizable cast members besides Li and Staham, the twists.
The Bad: Crummy fights, bad ending.


Shoot 'Em Up
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The Category: Action/Comedy
The Stars: Clive Owen, Paul Giamatti, Monica Bellucci
Running Time: 86 min.
Rated R for prevasive strong bloody violence, sexuality, and language.

A man named Mr. Smith(Owen) delivers a woman's baby. Unknown to him, the baby is part of a political conspiracy and now Smith has to protect the tyke from a huge army of hitmen and thugs led by the deliciously evil Mr. Hertz(Giamatti). He teams up with a prostitue named D.Q.(Bellucci) and the trio run for their lives as Hertz keeps on with the chasing. Tons of violence and bullets ensue. This movie is not only action but is hilarious as well. It reminds me of Smokin' Aces, only this movie does it better. From the silly lines("Guns don't kill people! But they sure help.") to Smith's fondness of carrots. There are also some cool unbelievable moments that would even make John McClane proud. My only complaint is that the movie is way too fucking short, at only 86 minutes. The DVD has deleted scenes, a making-of, commentary, a featurette, and trailers of the film, including the uncut red band trailer. This is an action movie fan's wet dream, even if the action is too short. If you don't like this movie, then fuck you! Where else can you see Clive Owen kill a man with a carrot?

The Verdict: ****1/2
The Good: The blend of action and comedy, the stunts, and lots and lots of carrots.
The Bad: The movie needs more running time.

Evilresident's Must Buys of the Week are......"Shoot 'Em Up" and "Resident Evil: Extinction", with a near perfect score of ****1/2.


Next week the evil returns with reviews of "3:10 to Yuma", "Sunshine", "Death Sentence", and the movie I've been waiting to kill for months, "D-War(Dragon Wars)". Here's two upcoming releases for you all.


Mr. Woodcock-January 15
30 Days of Night(Yes!!!!!! (IMG:[invalid] style_emoticons/default/smile.gif))-Debating between February 19 and 26

This post has been edited by evilresident: Jan 2 2008, 22:31

Yo! Morning motherfuckers! It's Tuesday, and that means it's time for another helping of DVD goodness. Here's week 21. Blackjack!!


Death Sentence
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The Category: Thriller
The Stars: Kevin Bacon, Garrett Hedlund, Aisha Tyler, John Goodman
Price: $19.99
Running Time: 110 min.
Rated R for strong bloody brutal violence and pervasive language.

From the director of "Saw" comes this bloody tale. Nick Hume(Bacon) is a family man who thinks his son Brendan(Stuart Lafferty) is the best thing that ever happened to him. Brendan is on the road to becoming a big-time hockey player. But when Nick and Brendan stop to get gas one night, the bad news begins. A gang led by Billy Darley(Hedlund) holds up the gas station and Brendan is killed, his throat slit by Billy's bro Joe(Matt O'Leary), who is later caught and identified by Nick. After hearing that Joe won't get life, Nick decides to not testify, and he brings out his own brand of justice. After killing Joe, Billy gets PISSED and tells Nick he'll go after the rest of his family: his wife Helen(Kelly Preston) and other son Lucas(Jordan Garrett). Now Nick has to protect what is his and stop Billy. This film got bad talks from a majority of critics. But this is not too bad. The violence gets annoying. The new look of Nick in the later half of the movie better than the first half by a longshot, looking like a crappy "Taxi Driver" De Niro. The story and thrills are entertaining though. John Goodman's part as a gun salesman is pretty good too. The DVD is Unrated, adding 10 extra minutes. It also features 3 featurettes. This is better than "Saw III" and "IV", and I think you might agree.


The Verdict: ***1/2
The Good: Bacon's performance in the 2nd half, story, and it's better than the last 2 "Saw" films!
The Bad: Bacon's performance in the 1st half, the unnecessary violence.


Sunshine
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The Category: Sci-Fi
The Stars: Cillian Murphy, Michelle Yeoh, Chris Evans
Price: $19.99
Running Time: 107 min.
Rated R for violent content and language.

Picture this: in the near future the sun is dying. We are dying as well. Our only hope rests with 8 people who are taking a bomb to the Sun to reignite it. That's the preimse of Danny Boyle's sci-fi fantasy. The project Icarus is the last chance for the Earthlings and among the Icarus II(Icarus I failed) is Physicst Robert Capa(Murphy), Engineer Mace(Evans), and Captain Kaneda(Hiroyuki Sanada). During their trip, a few troubles happen, including the s-word, sabotage. The effects of this film are put well, and the characters are cool, each with a major role. The main problem is what happens during the last part of the film, in which insanity plays a role. I say unnecessary! The DVD has commentary, 2 short films, deleted scenes, a behind-the-scenes, and an alternate ending. It's not 28 Days Later but it's still a good entry in Boyle's career.

The Verdict: ****
The Good: Cast, effects, and story.
The Bad: The last 20 minutes.


3:10 to Yuma
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The Category: Western
The Stars: Russell Crowe, Christian Bale
Price: $19.99
Running Time: 117 min.
Rated R for violence and some language.

When outlaw Ben Wade(Crowe) is finally got for his bad doings, he is to be transported to the Yuma prison via the 3:10 train their. One of the transporters is Dale Evans(Bale), a man who decide to help. Things go wrong, as Wade's gang of outlaws try to prevent him from making that train. Amongst the other transporters is Byron McElroy, played by legend Peter Fonda. The violence is pure western, so that means it's not for kids. The gunfights are great and Bale's performance is no joke. The problem is Crowe. Is he bad or good? Make up your minds!! The DVD has commentary, 2 featurettes, a documentary, and deleted scenes. Almost as good as the original.

The Verdict: ****
The Good: That Western vibe, the violence, and Bale.
The Bad: Crowe.



I still need to get "Dragon Wars", so this edition is TO BE CONTINUED!!!!



Here's the "Wars". Sorry.


D-War(Dragon Wars)
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The Category: Action
The Stars: Jason Behr, Amanda Brooks, Robert Forster, Craig Robinson, Elizabeth Pena
Price: $19.99
Running Time: 90 min.
Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and creature action.

Well this is hard to explain. A woman named Sarah Daniels(Brooks) who is the reincarnation of a woman named Narin. Narin was suppossed to sacrifice herself to a good guy imugi serpent, but the bad guy imugi gets to her first. She had to kill herself to prevent the bad one from becoming a dragon. Cut to present day LA. The bad serpent, named Buraki is back, and goes after Sarah. She and Ethan(Behr), the reincarnation of Narin's love, run for their lives with Buraki hot on their tales, as well as the good imugi. Okay, this is what I call the unintentional comedy of 2007. It was so bad, I started laughing my ass off. And after the success of 2006's The Host you think South Korea would have done something right with this. The only, and I mean ONLY good thing I could muster from this was that the dragon effects were not too bad. Everything else sank. The actors are pure cardboard, the story is very difficult, and the rest is utter pish-posh. This movie was success in SK, but that's them. When we look for a good movie we have this to look at, as it is what we don't want. It is only out of my pure kindness at the moment am I even giving this one star. Unless you're the ultimate dragon fan, stay away. Star far, far away.

The Verdict: *
The Good: Dragon effects
The Bad: Stale acting, confusing story, and anything else about this movie.


That's it. Next week I'm back with reviews of "Good Luck Chuck" and "Mr. Woodcock". Adios!!

This post has been edited by evilresident: Jan 9 2008, 14:26

Kind of a little short this week. Only 2 reviews for week 22.


Good Luck Chuck
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The Category: Comedy
The Stars: Dane Cook, Jessica Alba, Dan Fogler
Price: $19.99
Running Time: 96 min.
Rated R for stron sexual content including crude dialogue, nudity, language, and some drug use.

Chuck(Cook) has a problem, everytime he has sex with a woman, she falls in love with and marries the next man she sees. Now the women think he's a lucky charm, but Chuck falls in love with one girl, Cam Wexler(Alba), a class-A klutz. He finds out that ALL of the woman he's had sex with are married. Now to keep the girl of his dreams, he can't get in bed with her. Like with Employee of the Month, this movie me no likey. The premise is good, but they went the wrong way. Dan Fogler from Balls of Fury costars as Chuck's bud Stu, and he gets pretty annoying pretty quick. The DVD is Unrated and has deleted scenes, alternate scenes, commentary, 4 featurettes, and a gag reel. I like the comedy of Dane Cook, but he still hasn't found his good movie yet. This movie should have been called "No Luck Cook".

The Verdict: *1/2
The Good: Story and Dane Cook
The Bad: Rest of the film, most especially the cast.


Mr. Woodcock
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The Category: Comedy
The Stars: Billy Bob Thorton, Seann William Scott, Susan Sarandon, Ethan Suplee, Amy Poehler
Price: $19.99
Running Time: 87 min.
Rated PG-13 for crude and sexual content, thematic material, language, and a mild drug reference.

John Farley's child life was made hell in school by the feared gym teacher, one Mr. Jasper Woodcock(Thorton). Hitting kids with basketballs, beating the hell out of them on the wrestling mat, and uttering his signature phrase, "Take a lap", Woodcock made every one of his student's life a living nightmare. Travel to now, and John(Scott) has become a big-time author of the self-help novel Letting Go: How to Get Past Your Past. He returns home to accept an award for his achievements on the book. But Farley is about to need all the help he can get get. Woodcock is still there, and now he plans to marry John's mom Beverly(Sarandon). Woodcock's gonna be John's new daddy? Now Farley, along with his bud and fellow Woodcock victim Nedderman(Suplee), has to stop his mom from marrying what he calls "the anti-Christ". I want to start off by saying this is the greatest movie title ever!!!!! Why didn't anyone think of a movie title like that? There are some good scenes throughout, including a scene where Farley tries to beat Woodcock on a treadmill, but falls and is shot into a set of weights. But most of Thorton's character has already been done before. Thorton's Woodcock is like a gym teacher version of Bad Santa. The rest of the movie can tend to get really boring. Also Amy Poehler, who's character is a real bitch, was boring. The DVD has delted scenes, a featurette, and the trailer. It's no 4-star film, but if you need a good laugh, this movie's title says it all.

The Verdict: ***
The Good: Some funny moments and of course, that irreverent title.
The Bad: We've seen Woodcock's personality before.

Evilresident's Must Buy of the Week is......"Mr. Woodcock" with an okay ***.


Next week, I'll entertain you all with reviews of "The Game Plan", "Sydney White", and the fourth installment in the seires that just won't die, "Saw IV".

Week 23


The Game Plan
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The Category: Comedy
The Stars: Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Madison Pettis
Price: $19.99
Running Time: 110 min.
Rated PG for some mild thematic elements.

Boston Rebels quarterback Joe Kingman(Johnson) is the best of the best and is living the life. That is, until he finds out he has a daughter named Peyton(Pettis). Looks like Kingman might've had a fling with someone at one of his many parties. For part of the time, Peyton makes Joe's life a bit difficult, giving him cinammon cookies, which he's allergic to, and destroying some of his prized possessions. But all Joe needs is an assist in parenthood. The Rock has done some alright films in the past, like The Rundown and Doom. This is a more family friendly movie. It's got some funny moments like what I mentioned above. But the Rock in a kids movie? Yeah, let's make another movie with Arnie after he's done with being governor. The DVD has deleted scenes, a behind the scenes, a featurette, and bloopers. I'm not sacking this movie, but find a more family-friendly actor, 'kay?

The Verdict: ***
The Good: The Rock and some good comedy.
The Bad: The Rock in a kids movie.


Sydney White
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The Category: Comedy
The Stars: Amanda Bynes, Matt Long, Sara Paxton
Price: $19.99
Running Time: 107 min.
Rated PG-13 for some language, sexual humor, and partying.

If the title doesn't tell you this is a "Snow White" ripoff, you need help. This is that. Sydney(Bynes) is like Snow White. Tyler Prince(Long) is like Prince Charming. Rachel Witchburn(Paxton) is like the Evil Queen. And then there's the 7 dorks. Basically it's a teen version, with Sydney, Tyler, and the dorks trying to take over a student government. This is clearly is a teenage girl film. Guys, you won't enjoy this. The DVD has deleted scenes, 6 featurettes, the trailer, and a gag reel. This one's for the girls.

The Verdict: **1/2
The Good: It's a good movie for girls.
The Bad: It's a bad movie for guys.


Saw IV
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The Category: Horror/Crime
The Stars: Tobin Bell, Lyriq Bent, Costas Mandylor, Scott Patterson, Donnie Wahlberg, Angus Macfadyen
Price: $19.99-rated $21.99-Unrated
Running Time: 95 min.
Rated R for sequences of grisly bloody violence and torture throughout, and for language.

John Kramer, a.k.a. Jigsaw(Bell), may be dead, but the games are not over yet. This time, the main victim is Lieutenant Rigg(Bent), who had appearances in Saw II and Saw III. This one also shows Jigsaw's past, including life before becoming a killer, why he did become a killer, and his very first "test". This fourth installment features some familiar faces, such as Jeff Reinhart(Macfadyen) from Saw III and Eric Matthews(Wahlberg) from Saw II. This is just the sam old Saw we know. Grisly violence, twists, and that same damn ending. I loved the first film, the second was okay, and the third would've been useless except for the fact Jigsaw gets offed. This one wasn't needed, aside from Jigsaw's past flashbacks. The DVD is available in an Unrate Director's Cut which has a small extension of time, as well as commentary, deleted scenes, a featurette on the traps, 2 others, and a music video. Stop the Saw damn it!! But they're already starting Saw V and Saw VI.

The Verdict: ***
The Good: A gorehound's delight.
The Bad: We've already seen this stuff 3 times before.


Eviresident's DVD Must Buys of the Week are "The Game Plan" and "Saw IV", with an okay ***.


Next week I'll talk about "The Invasion", "The Comebacks", "Daddy Day Camp", and "Feel the Noise".

This post has been edited by evilresident: Jan 22 2008, 14:50

What is it with the movies going DVD recently? A lot of them suck ass!!! Will week 24 be any better? Let's find out.


Feel the Noise
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The Category: Drama
The Stars: Omari Grandberry, Victor Rasuk, Zulay Henao, James McCaffrey
Price: $19.99
Running Time: 88 min.
Rated PG-13 for sensuality and innuendos, violence, some drug use and language.

Rob(Grandberry) has the dreams of becoming a big time rapper. But when he gets in trouble with thugs, he has to flee and move to where his father, which he never knew, lives. He hatches an idea: to become a Reggaeton star. Reggaeton is the combo of reggae, hip-hop, and Latin. Along with his step bro Javi(Rasuk) and dancer C.C.(Henao), they try to achieve this goal. I call jragen. This movie is no fun. It's produced by Jennifer Lopez, and I was waiting for a damn anaconda to show up. This movie thought it was "Step Up"(I liked) but it was a step DOWN in dancing films.

The Verdict: *
The Good: It's short.
The Bad: Everything, including no anacondas(Come on, Lopez)


Daddy Day Camp
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The Category: Family comedy
The Stars: Cuba Gooding Jr., Paul Rae, Richard Gant
Price: $19.99
Running Time: 89 min.
Rated PG for mild bodily humor and language.

Charlie(Gooding Jr.) and Phil(Rae) want to expand after their successful "Daddy Day Care". They decide to make a new service, dubbed Daddy Day Camp. He faces trouble when the camp is about to get shut down. He gets his father Col. Buck(Gant) to help. The 2004 film, starring Eddie Murphy and Jeff Garlin, became a box-office success, snatching up over $100 million, making it a blockbuster. This, on the other hand, got $13 million. I hated having to see this movie in the theater so I skipped the film and went to the extras. The DVD has a making-of. I'd rather gauge my eyes out and eat them than see this again. Glad it's got a Razzie Worst Picture nom.

The Verdict: 1/2
The Good: I liked Daddy Day Care!
The Bad: I didn't like this!!


The Comebacks
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The Category: Spoof comedy
The Stars: David Koechner, Carl Weathers, Matt Lawrence, Martin Spanjers
Price: $19.99
Running Time: 84 min.
Rated PG-13 for crude and sexual content throughout and some drug material.

The subject of this spoof is sports movies. Coach Lambeau Fields(Koechner) is so bad at coaching, he IS the worst coach in the history of coaching. The guy then gets a second chance when he coaches the Comebacks and maybe get his carrer on the right track. The rowdy team includes the hot shot Trotter(Jackie Long), the underdogRandy Randinger(Spanjers), and the the mentally challenged iPod(Jermaine Williams, spoofing Radio). Hopefully he can coach the team all the way to the Toilet Bowl. Like Date Movie, Epic Movie, and the more recent Meet the Spartans, this is no good spoof. It does feature some cameos of Andy Dick, Dennis Rodman, and real-life football players, Michael Irvin, Eric Dickerson, and Lawrence Taylor. The best is Frank Caliendo, who give his hilarious performance as an announcer who imitates the voice of John Madden(Caliendo's specialty). The DVD is Unrated and adds extra running time, as well as commentary, deleted scenes, outtakes, and 6 featurettes. This movie is sacked!!!!!

The Verdict: *
The Good: The cameos.
The Bad: Everything else.


The Invasion
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The Category: Sci-Fi
The Stars: Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig
Price: $19.99
Running Time: 99 min.
Rated PG-13 for violence, disturbing images, and terror.

After the crash of the space shuttle Patriot, our good planet Earth is starting to act a little odd. The problem is an alien lifeform attached and infected the shuttle's debris. Anyone who comes in contact with this lifeform becomes infected and they lose all emotions. Carol Bennell(Kidman) isn't going out without a fight. She discovers her son Oliver(Jackson Bond) is immune and he could be the cure. He, Carol, and Carol's friend Ben(Craig) have to hide any emotions as they try to stop this invasion. This fourth style of The Invasion of the Body Snatchers isn't too bad. The snatchers are creepy and Craig is in good performance. Sadly, this movie isn't too good either. It's a little bit of a headscratcher and the staying awake stuff is still nonsense. The DVD has a documentary and 3 featurettes. Tis alright.

The Verdict: ***
The Good: Craig and the snatchers.
The Bad: Staying awake to stay uninfected? Honestly.

Evilresident's Must Buy DVD of the Week is......"The Invasion", with an okay ***.

Next week will kick ass as I review "The Brave One"(Jodie Foster, Terrence Howard) and Academy Award nominated films "Across the Universe"(Evan Eachel Wood, Jim Sturgess), "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford"(Brad Pitt, Casey Affleck), and "Elizabeth:The Golden Age"(Cate Blanchett, Clive Owen).

This post has been edited by evilresident: Jan 29 2008, 23:00

Alright! Time to get rid of that mediocre shit. Each of today's reviews has earned at least a ***1/2 rating. We also have some Academy Award nominees with us today. The 25th week of my reviews begins now.



The Brave One
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The Category: Crime Drama
The Stars: Jodie Foster, Terrence Howard, Naveen Andrews
Price: $19.99
Running Time: 122 min.
Rated R for strong violence, language, and some sexuality.


Vigilantism, thy name is Erica(Foster). Erica had a normal life. She was a radio host and had a boyfriend named David(Andrews). But one night while walking her dog with David, they're attacked by some thugs and beat the two and take Erica's dog. Erica survives this attack, but David is dead. Angered that no one can help her, she decides to take out her own brand of justice and become a vigilante. She illegally buys a gun and starts capping NYC's criminals. Terrence Howard costars as Sean Mercer, a detective investing the crimes who befriends Erica, but later thinks she's the killer. This is like a female version of the Death Wish series, which stared Charles Bronson as the vigilante Paul Kersey. This movie actually plays out better than that series. Unlike Kersey, Erica doesn't feel right about killing the scum of NYC, thus meaning the film doesn't ask anyone to commit vigilantism. Also Foster gives a good performance as our hero. The film grabbed a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress-Drama(Foster). There are two prblems thoguh. First is the running time. Taking over 2 hours for a vigilante story is too muck. I'd say it's at most an hour and 40. Also, even though Foster gives a good performance, who made her dress like she's in her early 20's? She's 45 for crying out loud! The DVD has deleted scenes and a featurette. A good caper, even if it is a little long.

The Verdict: ****
The Good: Foster's performance and the vigilante justice. You go girl!!
The Bad: Too long and who did Foster's costume/makeup?

Note: Evilresident and Warner Bros. ask that you do not attempt vigilantism. it is a crime, even if you think you're doing the right think.


Across the Universe
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The Category: Musical
The Stars: Evan Rachel Wood, Jim Sturgess
Price: $21.99- 2 Disc Special Edition
Running Time: 131 min.
Rated PG-13 for some drug content, nudity, sexuality, violence and language.

British guy Jude(Sturgess) falls in love with Lucy(Rachel Wood) while looking for his pop in the good old US of A. Basically that's the story of this musical. During they're romance through incredible settings and visual effects, various Beatles songs are played. That's also another major part of this movie. Beatles fans will love this movie's soundtrack. There are some wicked cameos including U2's Bono, Eddie Izzard, and Salma Hayek. The film got nominated for Best Picture-Musical or Comedy at the Golden Globes and now it has an Oscar nom for Best Costume. I hated how long this movie was though. 2 hours and 11 minutes for a fucking Beatles musical. Bad idea. The film also gets too weird. The DVD is available in a 2 Disc Special Edition and has commentary and a featurette. A musical you may like, if you have enough time.

The Verdict: ***1/2
The Good: Colorful effects and cameos.
The Bad: Too long and trippy.


The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
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The Category: Western
The Stars: Brad Pitt, Casey Affleck, Sam Shepard, Paul Schneider
Price: $19.99
Running Time: 160 min.
Rated R for strong violence and some sexual references.

One of the most infamous outlaws was Missouri bad boy Jesse James(Pitt). Now James has a little gang, including Dick Liddil(Schneider) and Wood Hite(Jeremy Renner). But he picks the wrong guy to allow into his gang: the clingy Robert Ford(Ben Affleck's little brother Casey). Little does James know that on April 3, 1882, Ford will shoot him in the back of the head. If I have to pick the high point, it'll go to Affleck for his creep performance. He's getting an Oscar nom for Best Supporting Actor. The film is also being nominated for Best Cinematography. The thing that kills this film(no pun intended) is the extremely long running time. I think it's the longest movie of the year. Most folks will treat this like a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup, having half now and half later. The dialouge is also loopy. If you've finished 3:10 to Yuma you might try this film. But make sure you're not doing anything for the next 2 hours and 40 minutes.

The Verdict: ****
The Good: Casey's performace and that good Western feel
The Bad: Way too fucking long!!!


Elizabeth: The Golden Age
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The Category: Biography
The Stars: Cate Blanchett, Clive Owen, Geoffrey Rush, Jordi Molla
Price: $19.99
Running Time: 114 min.
Rated PG-13 violence, some sexuality and nudity.

The sequel to 1998 hit finds the Virgin Queen Elizabeth(Blanchett) in love! And with whom? Why Sir Walter Raleigh(Owen) of course! She also has to deal with King Philip II(Molla) and his Spanish Armada. Geoffrey Rush returns as Sir Francis Walsingham. This only has half of what the original had. This one suffers from some soapy drama and the costumes and sets try to think they're the stars of the show. The movie does have a shorter running time than the first, so that's a positive. Also Blanchett does pretty good. She's got an Oscar nom. The film's also nominated for Best Costume. The DVD has deleted scenes, commentary, a making-of, and 3 featurettes. It's good, but only half as good as the first.

The Verdict: ***1/2
The Good: Blanchett and a shorter running time.
The Bad: Falshy costumes and the dramatic bits.


Evilresident's Must Buy DVDs of the Week are......"The Brave One" and "The Assassination of Jesse James" each with a great ****.

Next Week I'm back with "Gone Baby Gone", "Martian Child", "No Reservations", "Why Did I Get Married?", and "We Own the Night".

Alright, let's get to work. Week 26 has one Oscar nominee(oooh!). And it's first.


Gone Baby Gone
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The Category: Crime Drama
The Stars: Casey Affleck, Michelle Monaghan, Amy Ryan, Morgan Freeman, Ed Harris
Price: $19.99
Running Time: 115 min.
Rated R for violence, drug content and pervasive language.

Pirvate investigators Patirck Kenzie(Oscar nominee Affleck) and Angie Gennaro(Monaghan) have a specialty-finding lost kids. But they get a whopper when 4-year-old Amanda McCready disappears. One possible reason is that her mother Helene(Ryan in an Oscar nominated performance) stole a big wad of cash from a drug dealer. Following a couple turns, this crime drama finishes on a kind of shocking ending. Morgan Freeman and Ed Harris costar as Capt. Jack Doyle and Detective Remy Bressant. Casey's big brother Ben directed this great caper. The running time is a just a pinkie finger's length over my suggested time. The DVD has commentary, deleted scenes, a behind-the-scenes, and a featurette on the casting, which is very good. It's not Best Picture bait, but I would've asked for a Best Actor nom for Casey.

The Verdict: ****1/2
The Good: Superb cast, a great ending, and it's Affleck's best direction so far.
The Bad: A tiny bit long.


Martian Child
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The Category: Family
The Stars: John Cusack, Amanda Peet, Bobby Coleman, Joan Cusack
Price: $19.99
Running Time: 108 min.
Rated PG for thematic elements and mild language.

Sci-fi writer David Gordon(John Cusack) lost his wife and is now a loner. But when he discovers an odd boy living in a box at an orphanage. Dennis(Coleman) is anything but ordinary, believing that he is from Mars. David adopts Dennis and with help from his friend Harlee(Peet) and his sister(Joan Cusack), he'll bring the boy down to earth. I had some high hopes for this movie, but a few of them died. Coleman nailed his performance, but John fell about halfway through. Where's that emotion we saw from the success that was 1408? It's also too safe. The DVD has deleted scenes, commentary, and 2 featurettes. This is still pretty good, if you like Cusack or sci-fi.

The Verdict: ***1/2
The Good:Coleman and that warm hearted feeling.
The Bad: A half clunky John Cusack.


No Reservations
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The Category: Comedy
The Stars: Catherine Zeta-Jones, Aaron Eckhart, Abigail Breslin
Price: $19.99
Running Time: 105 min.
Rated PG for some sensuality and language.

Skilled chef Kate Armstrong(Zeta-Jones) is one busy bee. Her life's always busy to be correct. When her sister dies in an accident, Kate has to take in her niece Zoe(Breslin). There's also a new chef where she works named Nick Palmer(Eckhart). After a rocky start, Kate and Nick get along. Hopefully Nick and Zoe can help Kate from working so much. This remake of a German film is part right. There are some goofy moments, like when Kate cooks Zoe fancy dishes where all she wants is basic food. Other than that it gets very bland and tasteless. The DVD has a featurette showing a behind-the-scenes via the Food Network show Unwrapped. Not the main course, but an acceptable dish nontheless.

The Verdict: ***1/2
The Good: It's funny...
The Bad: ...for a little bit


Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married?
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The Category: Comedy-Drama
The Stars: Tyler Perry, Janet Jackson, Sharon Leal, LaVan Davis
Price: $19.99
Running Time: 113 min.
Rated PG-13 for mature thematic material, sexual referneces, and language.

The story is simple, as 4 couples meet for an annual reunion, but secrets and infidelities are revealed on each pair. Among the dudes is Terry(Perry), Poppy(Davis), and Marcus(Michael Jai White). The girls include Patricia(Jackson), Diane(Leal), and Sheila(Jill Scott). These characters give jolly performances. But where's Madea? I spent half of the film hoping that pistol packing granny would pop out, but then I gave up. A Tyler Perry movie without his signature character? Good choice, numbnuts! The DVD has 3 featurettes. Perry fans will still enjoy this dramedy.

The Verdict: ***1/2
The Good: Character performances
The Bad: Where in the fuck is Madea?


We Own the Night
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The Category: Crime
The Stars: Joaquin Phoenix, Mark Wahlberg, Eva Mendes, Robert Duvall
Price: $19.99
Running Time: 117 min.
Rated R for strong violence, drug material, language, some sexual content and brief nudity.

We have another caper here. Bobby Green(Phoenix) is the manager of the El Caribe nightclub. His brother Joe(Wahlberg) is a New York cop. When Bobby has to attend their father Burt's(Duvall) honoring, he hears that there is going to be a war between the coppers and a batch of drug dealers, the main target being Vadim Nezhinski(Alex Veadov). Bobby, who gave up connections to the FBI a long time ago, refuses to help Joe and be an informant. But now Bobby has to make a choice: does he help the druggies and hit men(ooooh!) or does he do the right thing and help Joe? Eva Mendes costars as Bobby's girlfriend in this pretty good caper. Wahlberg still has it, but Phoenix fell a tad flat at the start. But he picked up speed along the way. Also the movie has some unnessecary causes, like the hitmen(I thought it was druggies). The DVD has commentary and 2 featurettes. After Gone Baby Gone check this out.

The Verdict: ****
The Good: Top notch performance from Wahlberg and a good after first quarter performance from Phoenix.
The Bad: The first quartr performance of Phoenix and some unnecessary bits.


Evilresident's Must Buy DVD of the Week is......"Gone Baby Gone", with a near perfect ****1/2.

Next week I'll be back with "Rendition"(Jake Gyllenhaal, Reese Witherspoon), "Margot at the Wedding"(Nicole Kidman, Jack Black), and Oscar nominees "Michael Clayton"(George Clooney, Tom Wilkinson), "In the Valley of Elah"(Tommy Lee Jones, Charlize Theron), and "American Gangster"(Denzel Washington, Russell Crowe).

Round 27, come on down!


Rendition
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The Category: Thriller
The Stars: Jake Gyllenhaal, Reese Witherspoon, Peter Sarsgaard, Alan Arkin, Meryl Streep
Price: $19.99
Running Time: 122 min.
Rated R for torture/violence and language.

Alrighty here's the scoop. This centers around the CIA's usage of extraordinary rendition. Anwar El-Ibrahimi(Omar Metwally) is leaving from South Africa to Chicago when he somehow disappears from the plane. His wife Isabella(Witherspoon) wants to know what happened. She heads to D.C. for answers, but gets diddly. Another part is following Douglas Freeman(Gyllenhaal), a CIA analysist who has to watch the torture of Anwar. Apparently Anwar might be a terrorist. Now Doug has to choose whether to continue dealing with this or to set Anwar free. I liked the cast of this film. You have Gyllenhaal and Witherspoon at leads, as well as Peter Sarsgaard, J.K. Simmons(Juno's Dad in Juno), Meryl Streep, and Alan Arkin. But this gets to be a real drag and kind of a snooze about 45 minutes in. It's not too hot on the time either. Over 2 hours was a risk, and it didn't come out in the film's favor. There are a few thrilling moments though. It's not an ultra-snooze, like Lions for Lambs, but wait until this hits Starz or HBO.

The Verdict: ***
The Good: Excellent cast and a few grade-A thrills.
The Bad: Too much time = a pretty bad snooze factor.


Margot at the Wedding
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The Category: Comedy/Drama
The Stars: Nicole Kidman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Jack Black, John Turturro
Price: $19.99
Running Time: 91 min.
Rated R for sexual content and language.

Margot Zeller(Kidman) is a successful writer. But she's got a problem: she always causes trouble. And when her sister Pauline(Leigh) is set to marry Malcolm(Black), Margot doesn't find it a good idea. She then becomes a complete bitch toward everyone. Malcolm, aside from a being a bit of an asshole, isn't that bad of a guy. Margot's the real bad guy, or firl, in this movie. I was hoping at somepoint someone would just punch her in the mouth. That's one of the things in this. You love to hate Margot. The whole cast is brilliant, even the bitchy Margot. This is a fine film, but its story doesn't quite take off. The DVD has commentary and the trailer. A quriky movie that's worth the watch.

The Verdict: ****
The Good: The Cast
The Bad: Plot troubles


Now a few more Oscar nominees, including a Best Picture nominee!! Yay!!! Funny fun fun!!!


In the Valley of Elah
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The Category: Thriller
The Stars: Tommy Lee Jones, Charlize Theron, Susan Sarandon, Jason Patric, James Franco, Josh Brolin, Jonathan Tucker
Price: $19.99
Running Time: 121 min.
Rated R for violent and disturbing content, language and some sexuality/nudity.

Mike Deerfield(Tucker) has just left from the war in Iraq, but now's he's gone missing. His dad Hank(Jones), who used to be with the Military Police, sets out to find make. He gets help from Detective Emily Sanders(Theron) as he tries to find his boy. What happens might shock you, it didn't for me. The supporting cast includes Susan Sarandon, Josh Brolin, Jason Patric, and James Franco. The performance by Jones is great, which led him to the film's only Oscar nomination: Best Actor. Jones also showed an excellent performance in No Country for Old Men, another Oscar nominated film that's still in theaters. The only problem is, and this is varied, is that I knew the ending. It's hard to fool me, and this film was no exception. But it's a good appetizer to No Country.

The Verdict: ****1/2
The Good: Jones' performance, as well as the others.
The Bad: Predictable ending.


American Gangster
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The Category: Crime
The Stars: Denzel Washington, Russell Crowe, Lymari Nadal, Josh Brolin, Ruby Dee, Cuba Gooding Jr.
Price: $21.99-Two disc Unrated
Running Time: 157 min.(rated)/175 min.(Unrated extended)
Rated R for violence, pervasive drug content and language, nudity and sexuality. Also unrated.

Based on the true story, this follows the rise and fall of Frank Lucas(Washington). It starts off with him getting heroin from a Chinese nationalist and hiding the goods in coffins, of dead Vietnam soldiers. Then he starts selling Harlem. Then the popularity strikes. He is now one of the most successful kingpins of all time. Meanwhile, honest cop Richie Roberts(Crowe) is on the trail of finding out about "Blue Magic"(Lucas' drug's nickname). Soon he will capture this drug kingpin, but it takes a while. The cast of Ridley Scott's soon-to-be-classic crime film include Lymari Nadal as Frank's wife Eva, Ruby Dee as Frank's mom, Josh Brolin as the corrupt Detective Trupo, Cuba Gooding Jr. as fellow kingpin Nicky Barnes, and rappers Common and RZA as Turner Lucas and Detective Moses Jones. This film is so well put! The only problem is that it's not as gritty as people are boasting. Other than that, this is flawless. The film is nominated for 2 Oscars: Best Supproting Actress(Ruby Dee) and Best Art Direction. The DVD is a 2-disc Unrated Extended version, which has 18 more minutes, the original R-rated version for all of you first timers, commentary, an alternate beginning, deleted scenes, a 5 part making-of, and 2 other featurettes. One of the best films of the year is now twice as good on DVD.

The Verdict: ****1/2
The Good: The cast and the huge bundle of goodies.
The Bad: This is bloody? Wrong!


Michael Clayton
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The Category: Thriller
The Stars: George Clooney, Tom Wilkinson, Tilda Swinton, Sydney Pollack
Price: $19.99
Running Time: 119 min.
Rated R for language including some sexual dialogue.

Attorney Michael Clayton(Clooney) is a "fixer", a guy who handles situations in often unconventional ways. Clayton finds out that one of the best attorneys, Arthur Edens(Wilkinson) has suffered a breakdown. Clayton als has to deal with the U-North, an agricultural company and workplace of antagonist Karen Crowder(Swinton). This company's is getting sued, class action style, andClayton must "fix" the situation. This sounds like a John Grisham novel, but it's not. The film is superb, and seven Oscar noms back that up, icluding noms for Clooney, Wilkinson, Swinton, Original Score, Original Screenplay, Director, and the mother of all nominations, Best Picture. But that's where this reviewtakes a dunk. This is a great movie, but certainly not Best Picture material. American Gangster and even Sweeney Todd had better chances. The DVD has deleted scens and commentary. A great thriller with a somewhat shocking ending, Michael Clayton is.

The Verdict: ****1/2
The Good: Performances, direction, and a great ending.
The Bad: Not good enough for Best Picture.


Evilresident's Must Buy DVDs of the Week are...... "American Gangster", "in the Valley of Elah", and "Michael Clayton", with a near perfect ****1/2.

Next week I'll be back with reviews of "Beowulf"(Ray Winstone, Angelina Jolie) and the vampire film "30 Days of Night"(Josh Hartnett, Melissa George).

Alright it's a tiny slice this week. But how about them there Oscars? Out of the five choices, I predicted the right movie for Best Picture(they should've nominated Sweeney Todd though). No Country for Old Men won the Best Picture award, and I'll need to remember that it, Juno, and There Will Be Blood will get my ***** treatment no matter what. But here's the DVDs of week 28.


Beowulf
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The Category: Animated Fantasy
The Stars: The voices of Ray Winstone, Anthony Hopkins, Robin Wright Penn, Brendan Gleeson, John Malkovich, Crispin Glover, Angelina Jolie
Price: $19.99
Running Time: 113 min.
Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence including disturbing images, some sexual material and nudity. Also Available Unrated.

The poem from ye olde English time, gets a visual makeover in this action piece. It's the story of Beowulf(Winstone), a guy who really likes yelling his name. He is asked to kill the monster Grendel(Glover) by King Hrothgar(Hopkins). After he succeeds, Grendel's mom(Jolie, very scantily clad) isn't happy, but persuades Beo to not kill her. Now we chroncle the rest of this bloodthirsty guy's life. Co-stars include Robin Wright Penn as Beowulf's love interest Queen Wealtheow and Brendan Gleeson as Beowulf's sidekick Wiglaf. The visuals of this Robert Zemeckis film are great. There is a fine amount of blood too, for only a PG-13 movie. But this movie has it's weak pits. First, it goes too far off from the story. If they also wanted to go the extra mile, why not just rate it R? Sure Zemeckis made The Polar Express , but all directors have their older audience films. Also, the phrase Beowulf yells is annoying. The DVD is available in an Unrated Director's Cut, which has four featurettes, a making of, deleted scenes, and the theatrical trailer. It tried to look like 300, but in the end it's only half as good.

The Verdict: ***
The Good: Stunning visuals
The Bad: Too loose and Beowulf gets annoying easy.


30 Days of Night
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The Category: Horror
The Stars: Josh Hartnett, Melissa George, Ben Foster, Danny Huston, Manu Bennett, Mark Boone Jr., Mark Rendall, Andrew Stehlin
Price: $19.99
Running Time: 113 min.
Rated R for strong horror violence and language.

Steve Niles' popular graphic novel series gets a well deserved adaption in this jolly good vampire flick. It takes place in Barrow, Alaska a town that undergoes a 30 day period of pure darkness(in reality it's about 67). The town is run by a husband and wife team, Sheriff Eben(Hartnett) and Stella(George). Before the period they arrest a guy known only as The Stranger(Foster). He taunts Eben and Stella, talking about the cold in the weather being death approaching. He's right, because this 30 day period is about to get nasty as a pack of vampires led by Marlow(Huston) decide to make Barrow their feeding ground. Through one quick attack all but a handful of survivors remain, including Eben, Stella, Eben's brother Jake(Rendall), snow plow driver Beau Brower(Boone Jr.), and Eben's deputy Billy Kitka(Bennett). Will these few mange to last? The movie has pure scares at points and is very bloody, including one of the best decapitations of all time. The vampire language is also pretty cool. But on the negative, Hartnett still can't act, and the sudden changes in time over the 30 Days was nonsense. The DVD has commentary and 8 featurettes. It's a great vampire that's worth your while.

The Verdict: ****
The Good: Creepy, and bloody.
The Bad: Hartnett still sucks and the time gaps.

Evilresident's DVD Must Buy of the Week is......"30 Days of Night", with a great ****.

Next week I'll treat you to "Awake" and the Oscar nominated film "Into the Wild".

Time for another helping of "evilresident's DVD reviews". I made a slight modification to my verdicts: they're now letter grades. I did decided to dig in my old Yahoo! and high school reviewing roots and use the A+ to F scores. Here's how they work:

0 - F
D- - 1/2
D - 1
D+ - 1/2
C- - 2
C - 2 1/2
C+ and B- - Weak 3 and Strong 3
B -3 1/2
B+ and A- - Weak 4 and Strong 4
A - 4 1/2
A+ - 5


Awake
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The Category: Thriller
The Stars: Hayden Christensen, Jessica Alba, Terrence Howard
Price: $19.99
Running Time: 84 min.
Rated R for language, an intense disturbing situation and brief drug use.

This thriller is about Clay Beresford(Christensen), a guy who needs a heart transplant. The team of docs is led by Jack Harper(Howard), a friend of Clay's. During the operation, Clay is given anesthesia but experiences "anesthetic awareness", which is a condition when the body is given anesthesia but not enough to numb the pain. Clay can hear see and everything going on, but he can't move or speak. Then he hears of a murder plot against him. Guess Harper isn't such a great friend after all. Only with help from his girlfriend Sam(Alba), Clay tries to stop this transplant from becoming the last thing he ever sees. This thriller is not top notch, but still has its perks. The latter scenes of the movie are pretty good, with a couple turns. Christensen also isn't all wood acting, unlike his Star Wars escapades. But this movie is way too short and it suffers from lack of thrills and suspense. And for only 84 minutes, they bunch all the movie up. It's a rental I say.

The Verdict: C+
The Good: Some nice twists and better acting From Hayden
The Bad: Not scary and too short.


Into The Wild
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The Category: Drama
The Stars: Emile Hirsch, Marcia Gay Harden, William Hurt, Kristen Stewart, Vince Vaughn, Hal Holbrook
Price: $19.99 - single, $21.99 - Collector's Edition
Running Time: 140 min.
Rated R for language and some nudity.

This chronicles the wilderness life of Christopher McCandless(Hirsch). Chris used to be a student at the Emory university, but he wanted adventure. So he decided to go live in the Alaska wilderness. Along the way he meets a few faces like Wayne Westerberg(Vaughn) and even a naive old man named Ron Franz(An Oscar nominated performance by Holbrook), who thinks of adopting Chris. Unfortunately if you've heard of Christopher McCandless, you know he died out there in Alaska. But this movie is fantastic. Director Sean Penn made a good decision to pick Hirsch for McCandless. And like said above, Hal Holbrook did an Oscar worthy perfromance as Ron, even thought we knew Javier Bardem had the Best Supporting Actor Oscar won. I really enjoyed the settings of the wild and the cinematography. The length is my only compliant. The DVD is a vailable in a 2-disc Collector's Edition which has 2 featurettes and the film's trailer. A great movie that just never got enough attention. Well here's your second chance to see this great film.

The Verdict: A
The Good: Te landscapes and perfromances.
The Bad: A bit too long.

Evilresident's Must Buy DVD of the Week is......"Into the Wild" with an A.


Next week I'll be back with "Bee Movie"(Jerry Seinfeld, Renee Zellweger), "Hitman"(Timothy Olyphant), "Dan In Real Life"(Steve Carell, Dane Cook), "August Rush"(Freddie Highmore, Robin Williams), and the movie now known as the best movie of 2007, "No Country For Old Men"(Tommy Lee Jones, Academy Award winner Javier Bardem).

Well it's Tuesday, and you all you know what that means. Time for another stash of DVD reviews. And this week we have an Oscar-winning film(ooohh!). And this is also my 30th week of doing this review service. Time to get rollin'!


Bee Movie
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The Category: Animated Comedy
The Stars: Voices of Jerry Seinfeld, Renee Zellweger, Chris Rock, Matthew Broderick
Price: $19.99 - single disc, 2-Disc - $21.99
Running Time: 90 min.
Rated PG for mild suggestive humor.

In this buzzy comedy that is about something, Jerry Seinfeld plays Barry Bee Benson, a...... bee. When Barry goes out of the hive, he nearly gets killed, but is saved by the human Vanessa(Zellweger). But Barry breaks the bees' most important rule: he talks to a human. The two develop a bit of a relationship, so to speak. But then Barry finds out that we humans are eating quite a bit of honey and he takjes it to court. The movie's co-stars include Chris Rock as mosquito Mooseblood, Matt Broderick as fellow bee Alan Flayman, and even a cameo by Ray Liotta, as an animated version of himself. This movie hit it right on the cast, and the early promotions with Jerry Seinfeld running around in a bee costume left nightmares for some, but I thought it was downright hilarious. But the buzz stops there. The plot is nothing you've really seen before, but it has bees. I also thought that Chris Rock's character deserved more screentime. Less than 5 minutes isn't exactly a big role. The film isn't that bad, but it's not honey either. Bee Movie's a B, B- actually.

The Verdict: B-
The Good: A grand cast and zany promotion from Jerry Seinfeld
The Bad: Plot's not special and you hardly see Rock's character.


Hitman
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The Category: Action M.B.G.(Movie Based on Game)
The Stars: Timothy Olyphant, Olga Kurylenko, Dougray Scott, James Faulkner
Price: $19.99 - single disc $21.99 - 2-Disc
Running Time: 100 min.
Rated R for strong bloody violence, language and some sexuality/nudity.

Meet Agent 47(Olyphant). He's a genetically engineered assassin. But when he picks off a Russian President, he is in a whrilpool of trouble. He's being pursued by Interpol and the Russian military. He also failed a mission, so the Orgainzation sends other hitmen after him. He takes off with a woman named Nika(Kurylenko) and among his pursuers is Mike Whittier(Scott), a man who really wants to catch this guy. Lots of blood and violence ensue, like the game series this is based off. When I heard Vin Diesel nor Jason Statham would play 47, I had made it my sole purpose to kill this movie. But it turns out that Olyphant, fresh off the last Die Hard film, has most of the right moves to play the bald assassin. The blood is easy to sit through and there are some good fight scenes. The movie also has the characters Agent Smith(Faulkner) and the Voice of Diana(Lisa Jascobs), who appear in the games. The major problem is that even thought Olyphant did good, he didn't hit the nail right on the head. What's with Agent 47 showing mercy? I thought he was a cold blooded killing machine. The DVD is available Unrated and also in a 2-Disc Special Edition which has deleted scenes, an alternate ending, a behind-the-scenes, trailers, outtakes, and 2 featurettes. It also has a digital copy for your computer. It's not a brilliant execution, but I put it up there with Doom and the Resident Evil series as "a pretty darn good game adaption, Uwe Boll free!!"

The Verdict: B
The Good: Olyphant can play a sufficient Agent 47 and this is at least somewhat faithful to series.
The Bad: Why so sympatetic, Agent 47?


Dan in Real Life
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The Category: Comedy-Drama
The Stars: Steve Carell, Juliette Binoche, Dane Cook
Price: $19.99
Runnig Time: 98 min.
Rated PG-13 for some innuendo.

Dan Burns(Carell) is a widow and a father of three(Alison Pill, Brittany Robertson, Marlene Lawston). He is also has a newspaper called, what else but "Dan in Real Life". When he meets Marie(Bionche), he thinks he might have found a woman. But troubles kick in when he returns to his parents'(Dianne Wiest, John Mahoney)home. It turns out that Dan's brother Mitch(Cook) is dating Marie. But Dan and Marie still try to share a not-so open relationship. This is no insanely goofy and gross comedy, which Carell has been known for. It's actually sad at points, but it still works. Dan's schlub attitude is a combo of humor and drama. But on the negative, there is Cook. The only somewhat good performance he's had recently was in the thriller Mr. Brooks. The DVD has commentary, deleted scenes, outtakes, and a making of. Dan shouldn't be so down when he hears this movie is a great film.

The Verdict: B+
The Good: Carell can be funny and sad the right way.
The Bad: Must kill the Cook.


August Rush
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The Category: Drama
The Stars: Freddie Highmore, Keri Russell, Jonathan Rhys Myers, Robin Williams
Price: $19.99
Running Time: 113 min.
Rated PG for some thematic elements, mild violence and language.

This film is about Evan Taylor(Highmore) who was abandoned by his mother's(Russell) asshole dad(William Sadler). He ends up working for the Wizard(Williams), a man who has children busk(play music in public for cash), and Evan is given the name August Rush, hence the title. The film follows Evan's mother and father(Myers) as he meets various characters, including a church choir, which got the movie a Best Original Song Oscar nomination. The film has a quite a cast including Terrence Howard as a counselor, Jamia Simone Nash as choir girl Hope, and Mykelti Williamson as Reverend James. This movie is basically just a more musical and modern day version of Oliver Twist. But Oliver Twist it isn't. The songs are good, but the acting, nyet!!! It's acting is average at best, even thought there's a great cast. The DVD has some deleted scenes. For a rental, pick August Rush. For a must buy, read the next review below.

The Verdict: C+
The Good: Actors and songs
The Bad: Acting and rip off of Oliver Twist.


And now, for the best of 2007. It beat all the rest. It's......


No Country For Old Men
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The Category: Crime Thriller
The Stars: Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, Woody Harrelson, Kelly MacDonald, Stephen Root
Price: $19.99
Oscar Booty: 4 wins, including Best Picture, Best Director(The Coen Brothers), Best Supporting Actor(Javier Bardem), Best Adapted Screenplay
Running Time: 122 min.
Rated R for strong graphic violence and some language.

From the Academy Award winning Coen Brothers(Fargo) comes this suspenseful thriller. It follows the story of welder Llewelyn Moss(Brolin) who, while hunting, comes upon a drug deal gone bad. He discovers a bag containing $2 million and decides to take it. But the money belongs to a man(Root) who's name isn't told. He hires psychopath Anton Chigurh(Bardem) to get the money. THe man also hires Mexicans and Carson Wells(Harrelson), who actually wants to help Moss. Moss discovers who's after him, and he goes on the run from Chigurh and the Mexicans. Tailing one step behind Chigurh is elderly sheriff Ed Tom Bell(Jones). He and his deputy(Garret Dillahunt) provide the humor of the film. But the star is Chigurh, a maniac with a odd hairdo and an even odder weapon of choice: a captive bolt pistol. This guy also bases his victims fates on coin tosses. That leads to the best scene, in which he makes an old gas station owner call the coin for his fate. I say Chigurh will go down as one of the best villians in cinema history. The film is pure suspense and you just don't know what'll happen next. The DVD has 2 featurettes and a making of. After seeing this, I agree with the critics in saying this is the best film of 2007.

The Verdict: A+
The Good: Everything, most importantly Javier Bardem
The Bad: Nothing at all.

Evilresident's Must Buy DVD of the Week is......"No Country for Old Men" with a perfect A+.

Next Week: "Enchanted"(Amy Adams, Patrick Dempsey), "Atonement"(James McAvoy, Keira Knightley), and "I Am Legend"(Will Smith, Alice Braga).


Here's some upcomings:

Stephen King's "The Mist"-March 25
Golden Compass-April 29
Walk Hard-April 8
Sweeney Todd-April 1
Juno-April 15
There Will Be Blood-April 8

This post has been edited by evilresident: Mar 13 2008, 22:21

Alrighty then! This week, week 31, contains a Best Picture nominee, a Best Song nominee, and one of my top 5 films of 2007.


Enchanted
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The Category: Fantasy
The Stars: Amy Adams, Patrick Dempsey, James Marsden, Susan Sarandon, Timothy Spall
Price: $19.99
Running Time: 107 min.
Rated PG for some scary images and mild innuendo.

This film starts off animated. Giselle(Adams) is a woman who shares a great friendship with animals. She is also in love with Prince Edward(Marsden), but his mom, Queen Narissa(Sarandon), doesn't like the sound of that. She banishes Giselle to a place that has "no happily ever afters". This place is none other than New York City(surprise) and this is where the film turns into live-action. She's a looney to us modern day folk, so Robert Philip(Dempsey) has to take care of her before big problems arise in the Big Apple. But Edward goes through the portal to save Giselle and Narissa goes to make sure Edward and Giselle don't have a happy ending. The film makes tons of references to older Disney films, such as Snow White(Giselle's animal friendship) qnd Sleeping Beauty(Narissa becomes an evil dragon toward the end). The fiilm was also better in live aaction, unlike most Disney fantasies. The singing is pretty good too. Three of the film's songs were nominated for a Best Original Song oscar, but Once beat them to the punch. This is a great film for the children, but for anyone who is able to see R-rated and above(this means everyone here), you won't find much. The DVD has deleted scenes, a behind-the-scenes, and bloopers. Give this to a young relative of yours.

The Verdict: B
The Good: Nice Songs and animated to live-action switch.
The Bad: Not incredibly appealing to adults.


Atonement
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The Category: Romance
The Stars: Keira Knightley, James McAvoy, Saoirse Ronan
Price: $19.99
Oscar Booty: Won Best Original Score(Dario Marianelli)
Running Time: 122 min.
Rated R for disturbing war images, language and some sexuality.

This story follows Celcilia(Knightley) and Robbie(McAvoy), two people who start a nice relationship. Cecilia is the upper-class English girl, while Robbie is the son of Cecilia's family's servant. But troubles brew when Briony(Ronan) thinks that she saw Robbie rape a girl, which he didn't. Robbie is dubbed the suspect and taken away. The rest of the movie follows Robbie and and Cecilia and we find out the truth behind that dumb little twit Briony's accusation. The film has great performances from McAvoy and Ronan, who got a Best Supporting Actress nomination. There is some excellent, award winning music from Dario Marianelli also. But why did they dub this a Best Picture nominee? Like Michael Clayton, this movie was good but in my opinion not good enough for a Best Picture nom. The DVD has a making of, deleted scenes, commentary, and a featurette. A nice little romance, with bloody war images in between.

The Verdict: B+
The Good: Excellent score and perfromances from McAvoy and Ronan.
The Bad: It wasn't no Best Picture nominee.


I Am Legend
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The Category: Sci-fi/Action
The Stars: Will Smith, Alice Braga
Price: $19.99-single disc, $21.99 for 2-Disc Special Edition
Running Time: 101 min.
Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence.

This thrid adaption of Richard Matheson's novel is the best. It follows virologist Robert Neville(Smith), who lives in New York City and is the supposed last man on Earth. Two years prior to the film's date, a deadly virus dubbed KV killed over 90% of all humans. The rest turned into psychotic mutant creatures who act like vampires(in the book they are vampires). With only his dog Sam accompaning him, Neville continues to try to find a cure for KV, but more importantly stay alive, as he is mankind's only hope. This was one helluva ride! For starters, Smith manages to deliver a strong performance as the lonely Neville. He had to deal with his family's death, viewable via flashbacks. You feel bad for the poor guy. The effects are great, with one scene showing the Brooklyn Bridge being destroyed. And the mutants, which are CGI, are terrifyingly good. Take that Roland Emmerich. 10,000 B.C. sucked ass, fucker!!! The only downside is that it's ending is kind of predictable, but that'll change, cause read the next sentence bitches. The DVD is available in a 2-Disc Special Edition whic includes 4 animated comics and AN ALTERNATE VERSION OF THE FILM, INCLUDING A NEW ENDING, wihch is nothing like any of the other adaptions' endings, including the original book! Having done that,this blockbuster has now officially earned my coveted A+. And I have $582,411,141 to back me up on that.

The Verdict: A+
The Good: Everything, from Smith's performance to the jolly special effects.
the Bad: The ending, which can actually be changed in the 2-Disc


Eviresident's Must Buy DVD of the Week is......"I Am Legend", with a prefect A+.


Next week I'll be back with a review of "The Mist"(Thomas Jane, Marcia Gay Harden).

Week 32's solo release folks.

Stephen King's "The Mist"
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The Category: Horror/Adaption
The Stars: Thomas Jane, Marcia Gay Harden, Toby Jones, Laurie Holden, Andre Braugher, Nathan Gamble, Jeffrey DeMunn, William Sadler
Price: $19.99-single disc, $24.99 for 2-Disc Collector's Edition
Running Time: 125 min.
Rated R for violence, terror and gore, and language.

Following a freak violent thunderstorm, David Drayton(Jane) and his son(Gamble) have to go to the town supermarket for supplies. But trouble is just beginning. A mist spreads thorughout the town, engulfing every inch. A majority of the citizens are holed up in the supermarket, and shortly after the mist's arrival, they discover the terror lying within it: tentacles, pterodactyl-like monsters,and other creepy crawlies. Turns out these were the product of "Project Arrowhead". And guess who caused it? The Army of course! Oh those guys. Aside from the creatures, there's also terror within the store, as Mrs. Carmody, a religious nutjob, goes crazy and decides that she and her followers she gains throughout the film must kill David's son! This much darker version of Stephen King's novella is a worthwhile piece. The characters are interesting and include a schoolteacher(Holden) who likes Drayton, a skeptical lawyer(Braugher), the assisstant mangager of the store(Jones), and a man from out of town(King regular DeMunn). The effects are very nice as well. The designs of the monsters are so terrifying they do look otherworldly. The best part is the ending. This was a real shocker. If you read the novella and then saw this, you'd think the endings were in no way alike. And you're right. The only major complaint is the film's running time. Sure this is from the guy who brought usThe Green Mile and Shawshank Redemption, but over 2 hours for a monster movie is too much. I'd stick for an hour and 45 at best. The DVD is available in a 2-Disc Collector's Edition and has commentary, deleted scenes, 6 featurettes, and a black-and-white version, so you can feel like you're watching a 60's B-movie, which this is. Well, actually better than that. And the two disc isworth those extra 500 pennies.

The Verdict: A-
The Good: Casting, characters, effects, and that ending.
The Bad: Too long.

Evilresident's Must Buy DVD of the Week is......"The Mist" with an A-.



I'll be back next week with reviews of "Alvin and the Chipmunks"(Jason Lee, David Cross) and "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street"(Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter).

Hey dudes and dudettes, it's time for you-know-what! Week 33, and it has an Oscar winner!


Alvin and the Chipmunks
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The Category: Family
The Stars: Jason Lee, Cameron Richardson, David Cross, and the voices of Justin Long, Matthew Gray Gubler, and Jesse McCartney
Price: $19.99
Running Time: 92 min.
Rated PG for some mild rude humor.

The talking rodents of the past are back in this live-action piece. The story follows Dave(Lee), a songwriter who's not doing so hot. The record exec(Cross) hates his songs and he's going nowhere. But when talking chipmunks Alvin(Long), Theodore(McCartney), and Simon(Gubler) appear, Dave discovers they can sing pretty good. He shows them to the exec and bam, they're on a singing tour. Aside from the CGI chipmunks' singing, Dave also tries to woo a woman(Richardson) though his dates get sabotaged by them. Just because kids will love this movie doesn't mean that it's any greatness to people over the age of 10. I think the chipmunks tried to pull a "Rambo", meaning they disappeared for some time and now all of a sudden they're back. This felt too mashed. I feel bad for Long and McCartney, cause they have good careers. Same for Lee, of "My Name is Earl". The songs get more modren at least, like Daniel Powter's "Bad Day", which is sung at the start. The DVD has a couple featurettes, one on the history of the three singing rodents. But when the big guys do Alvin and the Chipmunks Deux, try to not do everything you did here, okay guys?

The Verdict: D
The Good: The songs are modern.
The Bad: Too mashed, killing nearly everything.


Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
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The Category: Musical Thriller
The Stars: Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Alan Rickman, Timothy Spall, Sacha Baron Cohen, Ed Sanders, Jayne Wisener
Price: $19.99-single disc, $22.99 for 2-Disc Special Edition
Oscar Booty: Won Best Art Direction(Dante Ferretti, Francesca Lo Schiavo)
Running Time: 116 min.
Rated R for graphic bloody violence.

Sweeney Todd(Depp in an Oscar-nominated performance) is angry. The evil Judge Turpin(Rickman) sent him to prison 15 years ago for doing nothing, raped his wife who then performed suicide, and is planning to marry his daughter Johanna(Wisener). When he goes back into the barber business, he gets a wild idea: he'll get revenge by slitting the throats of his customers. The targets include Turpin, his assistant Beadle Bamford(Spall), and tons of innocent people. And how does he get away with it? His accomplice Ms. Lovett(Carter) bakes the bodies into pies. Tim Burton's blockbuster musical(thanks to foreign countries raking in dough, unlike here) ROCKED!!!!! The singing is excellent, with "Epiphany" still being one of my favorite songs. The roles are equally great, including Sacha Baron Cohen, of "Borat" and "Ali G", as a smartass barber that is the rival of Sweeney. The set is gothic and delicious, which helped it snatch an Oscar for Best Art Direction. But beware, this is a very bloody film. So if your squeamish, sidestep this movie. The DVD is available in a 2-Disc Special Edition which includes a making of, production interviews, the trailer, and 9 featurettes. Now you can bring Sweeney into your home. But hide the razors.

The Verdict: A+
The Good: Cast, art, songs, the list goes on.
The Bad: What part of "Flawless" don't you get?


Evilresident's Must Buy DVD of the Week is......"Sweeney Todd", with a perfect A+.


Next week I'll be back with "Lions For Lambs"(Tom Cruise, Robert Redford), "P2"(Wes Bentley, Rachel Nichols), "Resurrecting the Champ"(Samuel L. Jackson, Josh Hartnett), "There Will Be Blood"(Daniel Day-Lewis), "Walk Hard"(John C Reilly), and "The Water Horse"(Alex Etel, Emily Watson).


Here's a few future releases:

Cloverfield-April 22
Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem-April 15
Rambo-May 27
Semi-Pro-June 3
The Golden Compass-April 29

This post has been edited by evilresident: Apr 1 2008, 13:14

Week 34's a big mouth! We have a psycho oilman, a fictional music star, and even Tom Cruise.


Lions for Lambs
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The Category: Politics
The Stars: Robert Redford, Meryl Streep, Tom Cruise, Derek Luke, Michael Pena, Peter Berg
Price: $19.99
Running Time: 92 min.
Rated R for some war violence and language.

College students Arian Finch(Luke)and Ernest Rodriguez(Pena)decide to help join the war in Afghanistan thanks to their professor, one Dr. Stephen Malley(Redford, who also directed this film). But these two get trapped when their chopper gets hit. Senator Jasper Irving(Cruise)has a new war plan, by taking small mountains before the Talis take them. He is being interviewed by reporter Janine Roth(Streep)on this new plan. Mean while, Malley tries to convince another student(Andrew Garfield)to do something with his life. This movie can be summed up in 1 word: snoozefest. I was expecting a war movie with politics in between. Instead I got politics with bits of war in between. The talk is so boring, I actually fell asleep on this movie. And it's got to be a pretty damn boring movie for me to actually sleep on it. There are some bits of action, and the cast is alright, including director Redford and another War on Terror film director Peter Berg, who recently did the far better The Kingdom. The DVD has commentary, a making of, and various trailers. Don't bother with this, unless you like war with a huge helping of politics.

The Verdict: C-
The Good: The cast, the fact there is a few action scenes.
The Bad: This gets skewered by all of the political jabber.


P2
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The Category: Horror
The Stars: Rachel Nichols, Wes Bentley
Price: $19.99
Running Time: 98 min.
Rated R for strong violence/gore, terror and language.

On Christmas Eve, Angela(Nichols) is on her way to a party after she has to work late. But her plans take a terrifying turn in the parking garage whne she can't get out. Madman security guard Tom(Bentley) has done this deed and killed off Angela's car. He also has a fixation on Angela. Now Angela has to get out of the garage, all while trying to foil Tom's plans of hunting her down. Remember that crappy When a Stranger Calls remake? That's what I thought this was like. You have one girl trying to run away from one dude who has tricks up his sleeve. The plot is predictable, and the lack of pure terror is enough to make this a waste of time. There are some pretty violent moments though. One involves a fingernail and...yeah I'm not going into that. The DVD had commentary and 3 featurettes. Another could've been good movie reduced to a bad piece of jargen.

The Verdict: D
The Good: Gore
The Bad: Everthing else


Resurrecting the Champ
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The Category: Drama
The Stars: Samuel L. Jackson, Josh Hartnett, Kathryn Morris
Price: $19.99
Running Time: 111 min.
Rated PG-13 for some violence and brief language.

Erik Kernan(Hartnett) is a sports writer, but at the moment he's not doing so hot. He's got no good stories and his wife(Morris) has just recently left him. But his luck takes a well needed turn when he saves the life of a homeless guy, it turns out the guy is none other than real-life boxer Bob Satterfield(Jackson). Now Erik has found his story. But along the way of resurrecting the champ Satterfield, Erik starts to rethink his own life. I like movies that deal with dramatic sports issues. And this is another good one. Jackson is spot on. But we all know that. There's some good conversations between Kernan and Satterfield as well. The acting for Hartnett, I'm afraid still isn't on the money yet. The DVD has a making of, commentary, and interviews with cast and crew. It's no Rocky, but take some time for this sports when you do.

The Verdict: B
The Good: Jackson and the script.
The Bad: Hartnett still needs lessons.


There Will Be Blood
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The Category: Drama
The Stars: Daniel Day-Lewis, Paul Dano, Kevin J. O'Connor, Dillon Freasier
Price: $19.99-single disc, $22.99 for 2-Disc Collector's Edition
Oscar Booty: Won Best Actor(Daniel Day-Lewis) and Best Cinematography(Robert Elswit)
Running Time: 158 min.
Rated R for some violence.

When Daniel Plainview(Day-Lewis) discovers oil, he becomes a tycoon from it and one of the best in California.
During one of his first drillings, a worker is killed and Plainview adopts the man's kid, naming him H.W.(Freasier). This rest of this over 2 and a half hour film chronicles Plainview's oiling days. He finds out about a man claiming to be his half-brother(O'Connor), has a run in with Eli Sunday(Dano), and ends up being too buried in his work. Day-Lewis' performance was downright terrifying. I hated Plainview so much, he was like a western Tony Montana, in my opinion. There are some excellent moments, including the oil striking scenes. I also liked the scene where Eli baptizes Plainview. The only problem at all is that H.W.'s life is threatened in this movie. I have a thin where I'm not too happy when a child at a young age(under 13) is put in danger. The DVD is available in a 2-Disc Collector's edition that has deleted scenes, trailers, and 3 featurettes. When you see this masterpiece, you'll never look ata bowling pin the same way ever again.

The Verdict: A+
The Good: Daniel Day-Lewis hypnotizing performance and some excellent scenes.
The Bad: Slight child threatening.


Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story
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The Category: Comedy
The Stars: John C. Reilly, Jenna Fischer, Tim Meadows, Raymond J. Barry
Price: $19.99-single disc, $21.99 for 2-Disc Unrated Extended Edition
Running Time: 96 min./120 min. for extended edition
Rated R for sexual content, graphic nudity, drug use and language.

This fictional tale tells the life of Dewey Cox(Reilly). When he was a child, he cut his brother Nate(whose adult ghost is played by Jonah Hill in half with a machete, leadng him to play the guitar. His father Pa(Barry) hates him and claims "the wrong kid died". Dewey starts to play in a band and eventually makes the smash hit "Walk Hard" along the way, Dewey has 3 marriages, 22 kids, and a big helping of drugs, from band member Sam(Meadows), which leads into disasterously funny results. There is some insane nudity, including a shocking penis joke. Among the musicians Reilly rips off are Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan. There are some great cameos, inculding Frankie Muniz as Buddy Holly, The Temptations as themselves, and the quartet of Paul Rudd, Justin Long, Jason Schwartzman, and Jack Black as the Beatles. The songs are great, including the Golden Globe nominated "Walk Hard". There are some dumb moments showing Reilly play Cox in his teens. There are also some old jokes on Dewey's last name. The DVD is available in a 2-Disc Unrated Extended cut, which includes song performances, deleted scenes, a gag reel, commentary, and a making of. Reilly is on his way to becoming the next Will Ferrell, and this is his proof.

The Verdict: B+
The Good: Songs and cameos galore.
The Bad: Old jokes.


The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep
"poster unavailable"
The Category: Fantasy
The Stars: Alex Etel, Emily Watson, Craig Hall
Price: $19.99
Running Time: 112 min.
Rated PG for some action/peril, mild language and brief smoking.

This children film tells the story of Angus(Etel) and a new friend he makes. One day, Angus discovers an unusual egg. When this egg hatches, the product is a "water horse". This water horse is actually a baby Loch Ness Monster. As he nurses the creature he has to keep it protected from the public. This film has great music. The composer is James Newton Howard, who did great music for films like the blockbuster I Am Legend and Michael Clayton. The effects are also nicely done for Crusoe, the water horse. The acting however, is in need of some work. This is an excellent film for childre or Loch Ness Monster whores.

The Verdict: B
The Good: Effects and music.
The Bad: Acting.


Evilresident's Must Buy DVD of the Week is......"There Will Be Blood", with a perfect A+.


Next week I'll be back with reviews of "In the Name of the King"(Jason Statham), "Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem"(Steven Pasquale, Reiko Aylesworth), "The Final Season"(Sean Astin), "Lars and the Real Girl"(Ryan Gosling, Emily Mortimer), and "Juno"(Ellen Page, Michael Cera).

Hello, ladies and gentlemen, geeks and morons, I bring you "evilresident's DVD reviews". We even have the first film that was released earlier this year. Time for Week 35.


In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale
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The Category: M.B.G.(Movie Based on Game)
The Stars: Jason Statham, Leelee Sobieski, Ray Liotta, Ron Perlman, Matthew Lillard, Kristanna Loken, Burt Reynolds
Price: $19.99
Running Time: 126 min.
Rated PG-13 for intense battle sequences.

Master of shit M.B.G.s Uwe Boll is back with yet another utter pain for your eyes. This time he's skewered the Dungeon Siege games. This idiot fest follows Farmer(Statham), a man who's child was killed and wife(Sobieski) taken by the evil Gallian(Liotta) and his army of Krugs. Farmer gathers a band of volunteer warriors to stop him. On the good side you got Statham, Kristanna Loken, and Ron Perlman. On the bad you got Liotta, Matt Lillard, and Burt Reynolds. Whoopie. Now to the negatives. I feel bad for the major stars who were in this film, as it will go down into their ultimate low point. Statham, why? And Loken was in that earlier Boll film, Bloodrayne , and it did bad. You think she'd take the hint and stay the hell away from Boll. And the way the Krugs look is laughable. The only good thing about this movie is the fact that buying the DVD is optional, which I'm certainly staying away from. The DVD has only deleted scenes and a behind-the-scenes. Take it from me and stay far away from this movie. Far, far away.

The Verdict: F
The Good: You don't have to buy the DVD.
The Bad: The movie.


Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem
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The Category: Sci-Fi/Horror
The Stars: Steven Pasquale, Reiko Aylesworth, John Ortiz, Johnny Lewis, Robert Joy, David Paetkau
Price: $19.99-single disc Unrated, $21.99 for 2-Disc Unrated Special Edition
Running Time: 91 min./101 min. Unrated
Rated R for violence, gore and language.

The Aliens and Predators are back again. It picks up where the 1st left off. The new PredAlien attacks the Predator ship its host was put on. It kills the crew and the ship crashes into Gunnison, Colorado. The aliens run amok while a lone Predator named "Wolf" is sent to eradicate this small infestation of aliens. Among the human hopefuls are ex-con Dallas(Pasquale) and his bro Ricky(Lewis), soldier Kelly O'Brien(Aylesworth), Sheriff Eddie Morales(Ortiz), Ricky's love interest Jesse(Kristen Hager), and Jesse's ex-boyfriend Dale(Paetkau). The good note on this movie is that they skipped the pussy PG-13 and went straight for the throat. The gore is back and in full effect. The PredAlien also looked pretty damn awesome. But it's the humans that kill off this sequel. The characters are practically cardboard cut outs. The ending was also way off. The lack of a good story was my third strike. The DVD slightly compensates, with a 2-Disc Unrated extended version that includes commentary, deleted scenes, a making of, a behind-the-scenes, a digital copy of the film, and 6 featurettes. Only if you're a true fan should you buy this.

The Verdict: C-
The Good: The violence and the PredAlien.
The Bad: The story, characters, and ending.


The Final Season
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The Category: Sports Drama
The Stars: Sean Astin, Rachel Leigh Cook, Powers Booth, Marshall Bell
Price: $19.99
Running Time: 114 min.
Rated PG for language, thematic elements and some teen smoking.

This true story follows the baseball team of Norway High in Iowa. They have taken 19 State titles and consider baseball their life. But due to Norway merging with another school, this will be the team's final season. Kent Stock(Astin) has to fill in the shoes of head coach. He tries to convince the team to have one last good season and prove he has what it takes to be coach. I'm a whore for sports dramas and this one is pretty good. The performance by Astin is a great effort, though nothing compared to his excellent role in Rudy. The team themselves are not too shabby. But the sport formula in cinema is being drained, and this was no exception. We've seen it before. It's worth a small gander.

The Verdict: C+
The Good: Astin's efforts.
The Bad: Same old, same old.


Lars and the Real Girl
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The Category: Comedy-Drama
The Stars: Ryan Gosling, Emily Mortimer, Paul Schneider, Patricia Clarkson
Price:$19.99
Running Time: 106 min.
Rated PG-13 for some sex-realted content.

Meet Lars(Gosling). He's a shy yet well known man in a small town. He purchases a sex doll named Bianca and mistakes her for a real woman. He introduces Bianca to his brother(Schneider) and his brother's wife(Mortimer), though they're completely baffled as to why Lars considers Bianca a real woman. However, Lars relation with Bianca isn't a threat to anyone, so the town rallies behind this man and they treat Bianca as if she were real too. This quriky gem comes from Craig Gillespie who, believe it or not, directed last year's comedy Mr. Woodcock. This is a far mar entertaining film. Gosling gives an unusual performance as Lars. His ealtionship is downright funny, and you feel happy for the guy. The only problem is the movie can be too odd. The DVD has deleted scenes, a behind-the-scenes, a featurette, and trailers. A fine investment.

The Verdict: B+
The Good: Gosling and the premise.
The Bad: Tood weird at points.


Juno
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The Category: Comedy-Drama
The Stars: Ellen Page, Michael Cera, Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman, Allison Janney, Olivia Thirlby, Rainn Wilson, and J.K. Simmons
Price: $19.99-single disc, $21.99 for 2-Disc Special Edition
Oscar Booty: Won Best Original Screenplay(Diablo Cody)
Running Time: 96 min.
Rated PG-13 for mature thematic material, sexual content and language.

Juno McGuff(Page) is 16 and a high schooler. She's also....pregnant. The father of this baby is track runner Paulie Bleeker(Cera), a goof who has a strange craving for Tic-Tacs. First she thinks about an abortion. But then she decides she'll have the baby, then give it to an adoptive couple. She finds the right couple in Mark(Bateman) and Vanessa(Garner). Vanessa is an odd one while Juno really considers Mark and cool person. The time span starts from Juno's first knowing of her pregnancy all the way to the eventual birthing. The jolly good supporting cast includes Olivia Thirlby as Juno's friend Leah, Rainn Wilson in a small yet noticeable role as thrift store owner Rollo, and J.K. Simmons and Allison Janney as Juno's parents. The dialouge from Diablo Cody, who won an Oscar for it, is hilarious. There are some great lines including Rollo's take on Juno's pregnancy test results: "That aint no etch-a-sketch. This is one doodle that can't be undid homeskillet." This may also be a movie that guys might look at and say,"nah, it's for girls", but I enjoyed this thoroughly. The DVD is available in a 2-Disc set which has deleted scenes, commentary, a behind-the-scenes, 4 featurettes, outtakes, and a digital copy. It's like Napoleon Dynamite meets Knocked Up, but more family friendly. Flawless victory.

The Verdict: A+
The Good: Every bit and piece.
The Bad: None.


Evilresident's Must Buy DVD of the Week is......"Juno" with a perfect A+.


Next week I'll be back with "One Missed Call"(Shannyn Sossamon, Edward Burns), "Charlie Wilson's War"(Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts), "The Orphanage"(Belen Rueda), and the blockbuster "Cloverfield"(Michael Stahl-David, Mike Vogel). Hell, I may even throw in a picture of the monster for ya.

This week I have reviews of the 1st truly useless horror film in years, of of the 1st truly terrifying horror films I've seen, and one of the 1st blockbuster this year had to offer. Plus Tom Hanks. Time for #36.


One Missed Call
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The Category: Horror/Remake
The Stars: Shannyn Sossamon, Edward Burns, Azura Skye, Ray Wise, Meagan Good
Price: $19.99
Running Time: 87 min.
Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and terror, frightening images, some sexual material and thematic elements.


Beth Raymond(Sossamon) has lost her friends, with all of them dying in some terrible way. There's always a calling card: A mysterious phone call by themselves in the future stating their death. She tries to get others to believe, but all she gets is weird looks. But Dectective Jack Andrews(Burns) does believe Beth, as his sister died the way Beth's friends did. Together they must work fast, cause Beth just got a phone call. This remake of the Japanese film Chakushin Ari takes the terrible remake formula to a whole new level. I don't know what the hell they were thinking when they made this. The acting is terrible for one thing. The characters were so stupid, I just forgot about being scared and found this to be a comedy rather than a horror film. They also ruined SIXX A.M.'s "Life is Beautiful" by putting the song in the damn TV spots. And again with the PG-13 downgrade. The original was R so stick with it. At least the movie's short, I guess. The DVD doesn't even have anything except for a few trailers. This'll be a bargain bin film by Summer. I mean it.
DO NOT SEE THIS MOVIE!!!!!

The Verdict: F
The Good: Short at 87 min.
The Bad: It's so bad it's funny.


Charlie Wilson's War
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The Category: Drama/Biography
The Stars: Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams
The Price: $19.99
Running Time: 102 min.
Rated R for strong language, nudity/sexual content and some drug use.

This bio tells the tale of Texas man Charlie Wilson(Hanks), a congressman from the state who's just a good old party boy. But he has to deal with the Soviets in the Cold War. He decides to support the Afghans with the help of his sidekick, the pudgy CIA operative Gust Avrakotos(Hoffman). He also sparks a love interest with anti-communist Joanne Herring(Roberts). Performances are the key to this Academy Award nominated film(was nominated for Best Supporting actor for Hoffman) and they're no pushover like One Missed Call. Hanks ditched the DaVinci creepshow hair for a more acceptable doo. But Roberts' hair is so puffed, it scares me. And Hoffman's face fuzz was equally as scary. But the performing and war style topics are in no short supply overall. The DVD has a making of and a featurette on Wilson. Nice job for a good bio.

The Verdict: B+
The Good: Nice performances all around.
The Bad: Creepy hair and moustaches.


The Orphanage
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The Category: Horror
The Stars: Belen Rueda, Fernando Cayo, Roger Princep, Oscar Casas
Price: $19.99
Running Time: 105 min.
Rated R for some disturbing content.

Laura Jenkins(Rueda) decides to buy an old orphanage and re-open it as a home for sick and disabled kids. She goes there with her husband Carlos(Cayo) and adopted son Simon(Princep). But unspeakable terror is about to be told about the orphanage. Simon has a new friend, Tomas(Casas), a boy who wears a sack over his head. This boy is not one of the living though. There's also murder involved. This is true terror. Guillermo del Toro(Hellboy, Pan's Labyrinth) serves up a real shocker. I hid under the covers of my bed watching this. The only real problem is that is shows the death of children(see There Will Be Blood review). The DVD has 4 featurettes and sneak peeks. Watch this with the lights on.

The Verdict: B+.
The Good: The terror.
The Bad: Children deaths.


Cloverfield
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The Category: Sci-Fi
The Stars: Michael Stahl-David, Mike Vogel, Jessica Lucas, Lizzy Caplan, T.J. Miller, Odette Yustman
Price: $19.99
Running Time: 84 min.
Rated PG-13 for violence, terror and disturbing images.

Rob Hawkins(Stahl-David) is headed to Japan, so his buds Lily(Lucas), Hud(Miller), and his brother Jason(Vogel) decide to hold a surprise going away party for him. All is well until a big bad beastie nicknamed Cloverfield decides to wreck havoc in NYC, where Rob and the others are. To make matters worse, Rob's could've been girlfriend Beth(Yustman) is trapped in the city. Rob, Lily, Hud, Jason, and Hud's love interest Marlena(Caplan) head into the city to rescue her while the monster continues its rampage. The entire film is shown through the lens of Hud's camera, making this a cross between The Blair Witch Project and Godzilla. The effects are spectacular, including the design of Cloverfield. The Brooklyn Bridge scene is also very nice. The ending is bullshit though. It was so open! The DVD has commentary, a making of, 3 featurettes, deleted scenes, alternate endings(thank God), and easter eggs. Make this movie a must have for your home. And I can't wait for the sequel.

The Verdict: A-
The Good: Effects and camera work.
The Bad: The ending.


Evilresident's Must Buy DVD of the Week is......"Cloverfield" with an A-.


Next week I'll be back with reviews of "27 Dresses"(Katherine Heigl, James Marsden), "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly"(Mathieu Amalric, Max Von Sydow), and "The Golden Compass"(Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig).

Week 37.


27 Dresses
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The Category: Comedy-Drama
The Stars: Katherine Heigl, James Marsden, Edward Burns, Malin Akerman
Price: $19.99
Running Time: 105 min.
Rated PG-13 for language, some innuendo and sexuality.

This tale follows Jane Nichols(Heigl), a bridesmaid of 27 weddings, hence the title. After one wedding, Jane meets New York City Journal column writer Kevin Doyle(Marsden) and when he comes across her planner, he decides to write stories about bridesmaids. Kevin may start falling for ane though. Meanwhile, Jane's boss George(Burns) starts going out with her sister Tess(Akerman) and soon they plan to get married. But it may be Jane who likes George. This has some nice touches, the multiple love tangles and all. Burns actually does better than in that gut ugly One Misssed Call remake, so at least he's on track. However, the lack of a plot for both the gals and us dudes can both enjoy is on my nerves. The DVD has 4 featurettes, trailers, deleted scenes, and a look at the upcoming film What Happens in Vegas. Another one for the gals.

The Verdict: C+
The Good: Plot(for women) and a rehabilitated Burns.
The Bad: Not for both genders.


The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
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The Category: Foreign
The Stars: Mathieu Amalric, Emanuelle Seigner, Max von Sydow
Price: $19.99
Running Time: 112 min.
Rated PG-13 for nudity, sexual content and some language.

This French biopic follows Jean-Dominique Bauby(Amalric),a Frenchman who was once an editor of a French magazine called "Elle". But soon he has to deal with the extremely rare locked-in syndrome, a condition where the body is completely paralyzed. Only Bauby's left eye remained unharmed. He uses this to his advantage and communicates by blinking the eye. The man ends making a memoir and we also see part of his past. Amalric plays very good as the paralyzed Bauby in this great foreign film. There are not many problems at all, just the fact they could've skipped the English audio for its U.S. release. That's what subtitles are for. The DVD has commentary, a featurette, and and interview with the director. Foreign films are good, so start with this one.

The Verdict: A
The Good: All but below.
The Bad: No English audio please.


The Golden Compass
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The Category: Fantasy
The Stars: Nicole Kidman, Dakota Blue Richards, Daniel Craig, Sam Elliott, Eva Green, Christopher Lee
The Price: $19.99-single disc, $21.99 for 2-Disc Platinum Edition
Oscar Booty: Won Best Visual Effects.
Running Time: 113 min.
Rated PG-13 for sequences of fantasy violence.

Lyra Belacqua(Richards) is a girl who becomes in possession of an item known as the golden compass in the parallel universe of Oxford. This compass gives the answer to any question the user asks. When the evil Ms. Coulter(Kidman), who uses children in nasty experiments, finds out about this, she tries to get it from Lyra, but she escapes and goes on the run with her daemon(animals with human personalities) friend Pantalaimon(voice of Freddie Highmore) and meets many characters along her journey of staying one step ahead of Coulter, including her uncle Lord Asriel(Craig), aeronaut Lee Scoresby(Elliott), witch queen Serafina(Green), and polar bear warrior Iorek(voice of Ian McKellan). Now effects can be used for most of a film, but this completely whored it out. About 95% of this film is special effects. But you can't have a great movie without grand acting, and that's where this film fails. The acting is pathetic at times, you think the CGI daemons and polar bears are the only real actors. I mean the acting took a big chunk out of what could've been a real family treat. The DVD comes in a 2-Disc Platinum Edition and has commentary, trailers, and documentaries. May the sequel have good acting!

The Verdict: C
The Good: Great effects.
The Bad: Horrible acting.

Evilresident's Must Buy DVD of the Week is......"The Diving Bell and The Butterfly" with an A.


Next week I'll be back with reviews of "Over Her Dead Body"(Eva Longoria Parker, Paul Rudd), "First Sunday"(Ice Cube, Katt Williams), "I'm Not There"(Cate Blanchett, Heath Ledger), and "P.S. I Love You"(Hilary Swank, Gerard Butler).

No. 38, your time has come! Today we got a sad love story, a robbery in a church, a vengeful deceased wife, and an Oscar nominated woman playing a man. What a week!


Over Her Dead Body
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The Category: Comedy
The Stars: Eva Longoria Parker, Paul Rudd, Lake Bell, Jason Biggs, Stephen Root
Price: $19.99
Running Time: 95 min.
Rated PG-13 for sexual content and language.

Henry(Rudd) once nearly had a wife named Kate(Parker). But a year ago, she died in an ice sculpture accident on their wedding day. Now Henry has to get on with his everday life....and love life. He finds someone in the psychic Ashley(Bell) and now things are running on track again for Henry. But the train's about to roll off, because Kate's ghost is here and she isn't happy about what her ex-fiance is doing. Now she's got to break up these to lovebirds. Insert mayhem. Now when you see Paul Rudd, you think class-A humor, but without Judd Apatow or Will Ferrell, he seems to be hopeless. The lack of grand acting is partly his fault. Where's that humor we saw in Anchorman or 40-Year-Old Virgin? There's also a subplot involving Ashley's gay assistant played by Jason Biggs, but even the pie fucker can't get his act straight. This subplot has also been rehashed times before. Next time Rudd does a film, he best be with Judd, Will, or Steve, cause this just ain't gonna cut it.

The Verdict: D
The Good: You see a funny guy.
The Bad: The funny guy and the others can't act worth anything, a useless subplot.


First Sunday
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The Category: Comedy
The Stars: Ice Cube, Tracy Morgan, Katt Williams
Price: $19.99
Running Time: 98 min.
Rated PG-13 for language, some sexual humor and brief drug references.

This holy caper follows small time crooks Durell(Cube) and LeeJohn(Morgan). These idiots get in big, and are sentenced to 5,000 hours of community service. No problem, right? Well, if Durell doesn't cough up $17,000, he'll lose his son(C.J. Sanders). So Durell, along with the witless LeeJohn, decide to make another robbery: the neighborhood church's building funds. Oh, and the church is run by Rickey(Williams). The other problem is, the cash has already been taken, so now it moves from robbery to hostage situation as the dimwits hold everyone in the church against their holy will. Don't think that because this has Ice Cube and a day of the week in the title that it has anything to do with his infamous Friday films. Cause those are Oscar compared to this. First is the 'fro sported by Cube. Stick with a buzzcut or somethin' else man. Geez, embarassing. Then comes the need of better help from the actors. The finisher is a humorless story is plain stupid rather than funny. The DVD has commentary, deleted scenes, outtakes, a gag reel, and a featurette. Lord I've seen the light, and it's telling me to prevent you from seeing this. It is the devil!!!

The Verdict: D
The Good: Ice Cube
The Bad: Ice Cube's doo as well as the whole rest.


I'm Not There
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The Category: Biography
The Stars: Cate Blanchett, Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Richard Gere, Ben Whishaw, Marcus Carl Franklin, Kris Kristofferson
Price: $21.99
Running Time: 135 min.
Rated R for language, some sexuality and nudity.

This grade-A film shows several characters portraying the legendary Bob Dylan in different points of his life. First, as the kid Dylan, is the tale of an African American 11-year-old who calls himself Woody Guthrie(Franklin). Second, as young folk singer and born against Christian Dylan, is Jack Rollins(Bale) who later becomes "Pastor John". Third, as Dylan at his best, is Jude Quinn(Oscar nominated Blanchett). Fourth, as the rebel Dylan, is a man who calls himself after Arthur Rimbaud(Whishaw). Fifth, as the divorced Dylan, is actor Robbie Clark(the now deceased Ledger in one of his last roles). The final portrayal, of the elderly Dylan, is the Western Billy the Kid(Gere). Spot on bios have another to add to their list and its name is I'm Not There. The actors are all spot on, especially Blanchett, who is the lone woman of the six. There are some other familiar faces in this film, including David Cross as poet Allen Ginsberg, Julianne Moore as Alice Fabian, and Kris Kristofferson as the narrator. The flawless DVD is available in a 2-Disc Collector's Edition that has commentary, deleted scenes, behind the scenes, a filmograhy and dscography on Dylan, a gag reel, and more. Brilliant!

The Verdict: A+
The Good: Everything
The Bad: Well what do you think?


P.S. I Love You
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The Category: Comedy-Drama
The Stars: Hilary Swank, Gerard Butler
Price: $19.99
Running Time: 126 min.
Rated PG-13 for sexual references and brief nudity.

This tearjerker tells about Holly(Swank) and her Irish hubby Gerry(Butler). Gerry dies from a brain tumor and Holly is completely devastated. Then letters from the late Gerry appear. He wants her to move on and to have fun with her life by leaving tasks in the letters. One task includes goin to the first place they met in Ireland. All Holly needs is a shove in the right direction and hopefully these letters do so. This is yet another one for the gals. The drama's for the females, while the humor is for us dudes. But that's short in stock cause this is a serious film. The DVD has deleted scenes, 2 featurettes, and a music video.

The Verdict: B-
The Good: Great for women.
The Bad: Terrible for the majority of guys.


Evilresident's Must Buy DVD of the Week is......"I'm Not There" with a perfect A+.

Next week I'll be back with reviews of "Untraceable"(Diane Lane, Colin Hanks), "Mad Money"(Queen Latifah, Diane Keaton), and "The Great Debaters"(Denzel Washington, Forest Whitaker).

Open wide, cause I'm about to feed you another week's worth of reviews. For #39, we've got an Internet killer, three theiving women, and Denzel Washington.


Untraceable
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The Category: Thriller
The Stars: Diane Lane, Colin Hanks, Joseph Cross, Perla Haney-Jardine
Price: $19.99
Running Time: 101 min.
Rated R for grisly violence and torture, and some language.

FBI cybercop Jennifer Marsh (Lane) is one of the best. she can hunt down practically any crook via the Net. But one night, she and her detective buddies discover a site called killwithme.com. You then see a cat die of starvation. Next is humans though, and everyone starts to watch the webmaster's(Cross) grisly torture. Marsh realizes that the more hits the site generates, the faster the helpless victims die. And Marsh, along with Agent Griffin Dowd(Hanks), have to work fast, because the killer has found a probable candidate for his next film, and her name's Jennifer Marsh. This is torture porn at times, basically. But there are some perks. First is a very acceptable performance by Lane. The plot does have a good run speed, and there are some eye shielders, including an acid bit. The violent scenes can be downright gross, and there's once again child endangerment, this time involving Marsh's daughter Annie(Haney-Jardine). The DVD has commentary, and 4 featurettes. A nice taste of suspense, and some torture for you sick freaks out there. Others should give a rent to this.

The Verdict: B
The Good: The lead performance, a good plot, and some good ol' suspense.
The Bad: Too much at points and kids are put in danger.


Mad Money
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The Category: Crime/Comedy
The Stars: Diane Keaton, Queen Latifah, Katie Holmes, Ted Danson, Stephen Root
Price: $19.99
Running Time: 104 min.
Rated PG-13 for sexual material and language, and brief drug references.

When Bridget Cardigan(Keaton) and her husband Don(Danson) find out they're in mad debt, she hatches a plan to grab some quick cash. Taking a job as a janitor at the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, onwed by Glover(Root), she, bill shredder Nina(Latifah), and dim-witted cart transferer Jackie(Holmes) plan to steal damaged money from the bank. Follow a few simple steps and bingo, they're in the money. But they don't want to stop. A fine example of yet another hopeful down the tubes. This movie was truly a disappointment. I hated the acting, minus Root, and the next time you want a heist to be pulled, don't put Diane Keaton in the mix!! at least it has some good sneak around bits, with cops vs. robbers(the ladies). The DVD has commentary, a behind the scenes, and the trailer. Yawn, next please.

The Verdict: C-
The Good: A not entirely flawed supporting cast and some nice humor-suspense.
The Bad: Very bad lead acting and all said in the review.


The Great Debaters
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The Category: Drama
The Stars: Denzel Washington, Forest Whitaker, Denzel Whitaker
Price: $19.99-single disc, $21.99 for 2-Disc Collector's Edition
Running Time: 126 min.
Rated PG-13 for depiections of strong thematic material including violence and disturbing images, and for language and brief sexuality.

Based on a true story, this tells of Melvin B. Tolson(Washington, also director), an African American man who wants to put together a team of all-black debaters in 1930s U.S.. But the 1930s was the time when the whites discriminated the blacks. Nonetheless, Tolson gets his team. Included is soon-to-be well known civil rights activist James L. Farmer, Jr.(D. Whitaker). Tagging along for the debates is his father, James L. Farmer, Sr.(F. Whitaker). Soon this team will make their way to Harvard for a one-of-a-kind showdown. Right on, Washington! 2007 was a good year for him, and this was proof. The dabates can get pretty interesting but they cant also get boring fat to you adrenaline fueled junkies to expect a Remember the Titans version of debating. Other than that, the acting is superb and this has a true story vibe that it should have. The DVD is available in a 2-Disc Collector's Edition that has commentary, deleted scenes, featurettes, a documentary, and music videos. Jolly good, old bean!

The Verdict: A-
The Good: Acting, true story vibe, and an overall effective film.
The Bad: Can get boring easily for some.


Evilresident's Must Buy DVD of the Week is......"The Great Debaters" with an A-.

Next week I'll be back with reviews of "Strange Wilderness"(Steve Zahn, Jonah Hill), "George A. Romero's Diary of the Dead"(Shawn Roberts, Michelle Morgan), and "National Treasure: Book of Secrets"(Nicholas Cage, Ed Harris). Here's a few upcoming releases.

The Eye-June 3
Step Up 2 The Streets-July 15
10,000 B.C.-June 24
Jumper-June 10
Vantage Point-July 1