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"VAMPIRES SUCK: EXTENDED BITE ME EDITION" Blu-ray Review by Kevin Carr MOVIE: *** (out of 5 stars) DVD EXPERIENCE: ** (out of 5 stars) Rated PG-13 and Unrated Studio: 20th Century Fox Back to DVD Review Home |  |
WHAT IT’S ABOUT
The current mavens of the spoof movie, Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer, take a little more focus and aim a stake at the heart of the current wash of vampire romances. In this film, Becca moves to the new town of Sporks, Washington, and falls in love with the local vampire. But when the Chihuahua werewolf takes a shine to her, it ignites an inter-species battle for her love and her soul.
WHAT I LIKED
Like many of the critics out there, I have lamented the existence of Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer for years. Just because they worked on “Scary Movie” doesn’t mean they really know how to make a good spoof flick. However, “Vampires Suck” represents a step up from their usual fare of scatter-shot randomness of pop culture references.
What makes “Vampires Suck” work to a degree (making it the best film that Friedberg and Seltzer have done) is that it focuses on the “Twilight” vampire craze. Sure, there are some random pop culture references like Lady Gaga, but they have more focus. For the most part, the jokes are mildly relevant at least, and this puts this movie closer to what this spoof pair aspires to be (that being the ZAZ team and the Wayans).
Of course, what also works in this film is some good talent. Jenn Proske plays the character of Becca, and she does a spot-on Kristen Stewart impression. Her and Diedrich Bader had me laughing quite a few times in this film.
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
Well, it is a Friedberg and Seltzer movie, after all. The special effects are laughable. It’s not a pooping penguin from “Meet the Spartans,” but it’s also not anything that even holds up to the first “Twilight” movie... and those effects were utter crap.
They do tend to overtell a joke now and then, like when Jacob turns into a Chihuahua and Becca exclaims, “A Chihuahua?” But at least they took the tell-the-audience-the-joke-after-they-see-it Lady Gaga moment out of the trailer.
There will always be things to complain about with Friedberg and Seltzer, but at least in this film they have grown, even if it is just a bit.
BLU-RAY FEATURES
For this being a nice step-up from the Friedberg and Seltzer sewer that normally comes out in the theaters, the “Bite Me” edition was pretty skimpy on the features. But it’s not completely dead. (chuckle, chuckle)
Both the theatrical and the unrated version are available on the DVD and Blu-ray, and that unrated version adds a handful of minutes to the original release. It’s not too raw or anything, but rather just plays out some jokes a little more.
There’s also several deleted scenes and a somewhat humorous, if not under-edited, gag reel to round out the disc.
WHO’S GOING TO LIKE THIS MOVIE
Fans of the “Twilight” movies... and those who don’t really like them either.
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"INCEPTION" Blu-ray Review by Kevin Carr MOVIE: **** (out of 5 stars) DVD EXPERIENCE: **** (out of 5 stars) Rated PG-13 Available on Blu-ray December 7 Official Warner Bros. Blu-ray site Studio: Warner Bros. Back to DVD Review Home |  |
WHAT IT’S ABOUT
Dom Cobb is in a unique security business. His job is to sometimes protect and sometimes extract information from people’s minds. He gets access through their dreams, and he has a specialized team to help him do so. One day, he is contacted with an offer to implant an idea in a businessman’s rival’s head to give him an edge in the marketplace. This process of inception is incredibly difficult, but Cobb takes the job with the hope that his benefactor might pull the right strings to allow him to return to American and see his kids.
WHAT I LIKED
“Inception” is an extremely well made movie, and it represents a far greater follow-up to “The Dark Knight” than Christopher Nolan gave us with “Insomnia” to follow-up “Memento” and “The Prestige” to follow up “Batman Begins.”
“Inception” doesn’t necessarily present anything new for the experienced science fiction viewer, but what it does present is packaged so very, very well. From the powerful score to the impressive cinematography and effects, “Inception” is a train ride through Nolan’s dark mind. It is easily one of the best movies of 2010, which is reflected in both its critical rating and its box office.
I wasn’t as impressed with “Inception” in my theatrical viewing as I was on Blu-ray. Part of this was because I knew what to expect in terms of cliches and overused sci-fi plot devices. On Blu-ray, I could just enjoy the film for what it was... a pulp fiction piece with a slick veneer, and I love that kind of thing.
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
My biggest complaints with “Inception” come not from the film but rather from people’s reaction to it. The story is not that complex, and it’s not hard to follow at all. It just plain isn’t. Over the summer, it because chic to say you were confused by this movie, and I’m thinking that people are just easily distracted because it’s one of the more simple stories you will find.
It’s also not terribly original. From the 80s’ “Dreamscape” to the 90s’ “The Matrix” and “The Thirteenth Floor,” almost everything in this film has been done before. That doesn’t make the movie bad, but let’s put on the brakes for the Nolan worship, folks.
Finally, maybe it’s just my personal taste, but I thought Marion Cottilard was terrible in this movie. She may have been fantastic in “La Vie en Rose,” but she’s a bore here, and like Penelope Cruz, not that great of an actress when not performing in her native language.
BLU-RAY FEATURES
While the “Inception” Blu-ray isn’t the best of the year, it has some great extras to it. I wouldn’t call it “jam packed,” but I would say that it’s got enough in it to warrant picking up in high definition if you like the film.
Warner Bros. usually includes a branching mode for the entire film. In the case of “Inception,” they give us “Extraction Mode” which includes embedded behind-the-scenes featurettes throughout the film. This disc also gives you access to “Project Somnacin: Confidential Files,” via BD-Live, which offer the secrets to the dream-share technology.
There’s also a second Blu-ray disc that includes the documentary “Dreams: Cinema of the Subconscious,” in which Joseph Gordon-Levitt talks with scientists about the nature of dreams. There’s also a motion comic book prologue called “Inception: The Cobol Job,” plus concept art, promo art, trailers and TV spots.
WHO’S GOING TO LIKE THIS MOVIE
Apparently almost everybody, if you believe the ratings and numbers.
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"FLIPPED" Blu-ray Review by Kevin Carr MOVIE: **1/2 (out of 5 stars) BLU-RAY EXPERIENCE: ** (out of 5 stars) Rated PG Available on Blu-ray November 23 Official Warner Bros. Blu-ray site Studio: Warner Bros. Back to DVD Review Home |  |
WHAT IT’S ABOUT
In the 60s, Bryce (Callan McAuliffe) has a complicated relationship with the girl next door Juli (Madeline Carroll). She seems smitten with him, but he’s letting too many outside influences dictate how he acts to her. Her family is poor, and his family looks down on them. However, as they grow older and find themselves becoming teenagers, they start to discover they actually have feelings for each other.
WHAT I LIKED
“Flipped” is cute. That’s the best thing I can really say about it. It’s nothing spectacular to write home about, but it’s a sweet coming-of-age story about kids discovering young love.
It’s also a safe movie, one that you can show your tweens at home and not worry about anything too racy getting tossed around. The performances are pretty good, and it’s nice to see Madeline Carroll start to shed her original image as the next Abigail Breslin.
“Flipped” is a quality film on most aspects, from acting to directing to cinematography. It just didn’t particularly click with me.
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
Ever since I saw “This Is Spinal Tap” and “When Harry Met Sally,” I knew Rob Reiner was a great director. Sadly, he has stumbled over the years, giving us movies like “Alex and Emma” rather than what he was originally known for. Sure, “The Bucket List” was a nice film, but we have fallen back into obscurity with him directing “Flipped.”
In the end, “Flipped” was a good movie, but I expected more from Rob Reiner. Instead, we get the theatrically released equivalent of an ABC Family film that hits too many character wrinkles, too many cliches and too many forced dramatic subplots that try to bust the stereotypes of suburbia.
BLU-RAY FEATURES
The Blu-ray comes with three exclusive short behind-the-scenes featurettes. “The Difference Between a Boy and a Girl” takes a look at the young co-stars. “Embarrassing Egg-scuses” focuses on the way the kids worked with the chickens on set. “How to Make the Best Volcano” features Callan McAuliffe showing the viewer how to make a baking soda volcano.
Finally, “Anatomy of a Near Kiss” is also available on the DVD and takes a look at Carroll and McAuliffe sharing a kiss with the cast and crew around them.
WHO’S GOING TO LIKE THIS MOVIE
The family film crowd, especially those that like TV movies.
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"KNIGHT AND DAY" Blu-ray Review by Kevin Carr MOVIE: *** (out of 5 stars) BLU-RAY EXPERIENCE: *** (out of 5 stars) Rated PG-13 Studio: 20th Century Fox Back to DVD Review Home |  |
WHAT IT’S ABOUT
June (Cameron Diaz) is just an average girl who has a chance run-in with an unbalanced superspy (Tom Cruise) on a plane. He plants a piece of secret technology on her, and that sends them on a whirlwind chase from their own government to protect the technology and its inventor.
WHAT I LIKED
“Knight and Day” was a fun little movie. I haven’t seen “Killers” yet, but I can’t imagine this isn’t better than it. And it beats the pants off of the inexplicably Golden Globe-nominated “The Tourist.” Tom Cruise still works as an action star, and Cameron Diaz is consistently bubbly on screen. Sure, she screams a lot, but she doesn’t get on my nerves like Katherine Heigl would.
On the whole, this film hits all the beats you’d expect from an international thriller. It has the well constructed action sequences, plenty of chases, attractive stars and a plot that moves forward with purpose, for the most part.
It may not be the most memorable film, but it makes a nice, safe date night movie either in the theater or at home.
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
I know this was supposed to be Tom Cruise’s return to movie stardom after a couple misfires (and not a small amount of couch jumping) in the past couple years. And yeah, he shows that he can still do the “Mission: Impossible” thing. But he is getting old. Like Cameron Diaz, they both look great... for their age. They’re not the hottest, youngest things in Hollywood any more. (I know this makes me sound like a superficial pig, but them’s the breaks, kids.)
This movie also suffers from a significant amount of focus problems. Not from a light standpoint, mind you, but from a plot standpoint. Even the title “Knight and Day” doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, and its explanation emerges in what appears to be a mess of studio meddling. At least this doesn’t get in the way of the fun action.
BLU-RAY FEATURES
While there’s a decent number of special features, they suffer under the astronomical weight of Tom Cruise’s ego. The featurette “Wilder Knights and Crazier Days” works for the most part when it’s not heaping praise on the film’s co-stars. Same goes for the location shoot featurette “Boston Days and Spanish Knights.”
Additional featurettes include “Knight and Day: Story” and “Knight and Day: Scope,” plus a few forced viral videos from the marketing campaign.
But the biggest egoboo to Tom Cruise is the “Knight and ‘Someday’” featuertte about the Black Eyed Peas writing a song for the film and gushing over Cruise at the song’s premiere.
WHO’S GOING TO LIKE THIS MOVIE
People who like a punchy international thriller and are die-hard fans of Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz.
