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"LEAVES OF GRASS" DVD Review by Kevin Carr MOVIE: ** (out of 5 stars) DVD EXPERIENCE: *** (out of 5 stars) Rated R Studio: Phase 4 Back to DVD Review Home |  |
WHAT IT’S ABOUT
When a stuffy professor learns that his twin brother has been killed back in his abandoned home town in Oklahoma, he returns home. Soon, he learns the death was faked, and he’s pulled into a bizarre plot to double-cross one of the biggest drug dealers in town, all the while learning to appreciate what he has dismissed about his old life.
WHAT I LIKED
The biggest reason to see “Leaves of Grass” is the fact that it’s a strong spotlight on Edward Norton’s acting. It’s not uncommon for someone to play twins. It has been done successfully by great actors (like Jeremy Irons in “Dead Ringers”) and terrible actors (like Jean-Claude Van Damme in “Double Impact”) alike.
Still, Norton manages to give a level of nuance to the two sides of the coin, and with the affordability and ease of digital effects, it makes even a low-budget film like this pretty convincing.
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
I’ve never been a big fan of drug movies, either stoner comedies or crime dramas showing the gritty underbelly of the drug trade. In a weird way, “Leaves of Grass” tries to be both, offering some comedic moments, mostly from director Tim Blake Nelson in a smaller role. There’s also some family white trash drama infused into the story.
Not an overt comedy, the story gets pretty dark, but this seems really unbalanced, especially near the end of the film with the conclusion of the drug dealing storyline.
“Leaves of Grass” is an okay venture into directing by Tim Blake Nelson, but he still has a lot to learn about helming a film.
DVD FEATURES
Along with the theatrical trailer, this title comes with a commentary with stars Edward Norton and Tim Blake Nelson. There’s also a making-of featurette which spends most of its running time to Edward Norton playing dual roles.
WHO’S GOING TO LIKE THIS MOVIE
Fans of a high-brow stoner comedy.
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"CHARLIE ST. CLOUD" Blu-ray Review by Kevin Carr MOVIE: ** (out of 5 stars) DVD EXPERIENCE: *** (out of 5 stars) Rated PG-13 Studio: Universal Back to DVD Review Home |  |
WHAT IT’S ABOUT
Charlie (Zac Efron) is a middle-class would-be sailor who shows real promise. But when his younger brother and trusty shipmate is killed in a car accident, Charlie abandons his dream. Because of a promise he had made his brother, he still meets his ghost for a game of catch each night. However, a new girl comes into Charlie’s life, and it threatens to break apart the relationship he has formed with his dead brother.
WHAT I LIKED
From a technical perspective, “Charlie St. Cloud” is a well made film. The look of the picture is pretty slick, and the sailing sequences still look pretty good. Additionally, there’s a certain amount of charm to the movie in a Nicholas Sparks sort of way.
In relation to this, I applaud Zac Efron for playing outside of his wheelhouse. Sure, he’s still a good looking teen hero, but at least he’s not dancing on the basketball court. He’s stretching a little bit here, and that’s a good thing. If he could do more with this, he might actually have a career outside of playing high school kids.
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
There are two big problems with “Charlie St. Cloud.” The first is the cast. Sure, Efron does a decent job, but too many of the other characters phone in their roles, from the younger brother to the bit part by Kim Basinger as Charlie’s mom and Ray Liotta as the paramedic who revives Charlie after the accident.
The other big problem is the level of cheese in this movie. There’s an interesting twist in the middle of the movie that makes it somewhat bearable, but ultimately, the film cranks up the level of schmaltz to a fever pitch, especially in the scenes with Charlie and his brother.
BLU-RAY FEATURES
The Blu-ray comes with feature commentary with director Burr Steers, plus deleted scenes that also include Steers’ commentary. Additional features include a spotlight on star Zac Efron as a leading man as well as a behind-the-scenes featurette with Efron on location.
WHO’S GOING TO LIKE THIS MOVIE
Zefron fans and people who don’t mind an unhealthy dose of cheese.
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"EXIT THROUGH THE GIFT SHOP" DVD Review by Kevin Carr MOVIE: *** (out of 5 stars) DVD EXPERIENCE: *** (out of 5 stars) Rated R Studio: Oscilloscope Back to DVD Review Home |  |
WHAT IT’S ABOUT
After getting a video camera, French immigrant Thierry Guetta couldn’t stop shooting footage. Soon, his passion for videography leads him to start documenting the work of various street artists. Soon, he crosses paths with the infamous street artist Banksy who takes a shine to Guetta. After Guetta fails at putting his footage together into anything coherent, Banksy helps edit the film into a documentary of Guetta’s transformation to newcomer artist Mister Brainwash.
WHAT I LIKED
The narrative of this feature makes it even more interesting than many fictional features out there. There’s a real passion behind this movie and an unflinching look at the lives of street artists. For someone who has lived in the suburbs all my life and hasn’t really gotten into the arts scene, it’s a neat window into that life.
The characters are as compelling as you will see in anything else. Banksy is his own antihero of the film, and Guetta is fascinating to watch in his obsessive glory.
With all this in consideration, there’s a lot of speculation that this movie itself is a hoax. With 2010 being the year of the fake documentary (e.g., “The Last Exorcism,” “Catfish” and “Paranormal Activity 2”), it’s impossible to not question “Exit Through the Gift Shop.” In a strange way, if it is its own bizarre form of made-up street art, the film becomes even more fascinating. This way, it’s no longer just a look at an artist exploding onto the scene, but rather the manipulation of the media to tell people what is art and what isn’t.
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
As fascinating as this film is about looking into the lives of people I do not normally socialize with, the interest ends there. I have nothing against art as a pursuit, but a film like this does force you to question the arbitrary nature of it all.
Additionally, this might make me sound like a fuddy-duddy, but I’m not all that hip to the street art love. I know there are certain elements that can be fascinating, and anyone would love it if Banksy made a canvas out of their front door. But for lesser artists, it’s nothing more than graffiti. And people who claim to love street art might change their tune if an artist they didn’t quite like decided to deface their personal property in the process.
DVD FEATURES
The disc itself contains some neat supplementals to the film – and the world of street art itself – which make it worth checking out. First, there’s “B Movie,” which is a middle-length documentary about the art of the elusive Banksy.
There’s also a hefty number of deleted scenes, plus the “Lawyer’s edit” of Thierry Guetta’s first crack at filmmaking “Life Remote Control.” It’s seizure-inducing, sure, but interesting to watch against the context of this film.
If you’ve sprung for the full DVD package, you also get a fold-out package featuring street art, a pair of star glasses and post cards and decals featuring the work of Banksy and Mr. Brainwash.
WHO’S GOING TO LIKE THIS MOVIE
Edgy fans in the arts community.
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"THE BACK-UP PLAN" Blu-ray Review by Kevin Carr MOVIE: * (out of 5 stars) DVD EXPERIENCE: ** (out of 5 stars) Rated PG-13 Studio: CBS Films Back to DVD Review Home |  |
WHAT IT’S ABOUT
Jennifer Lopez plays a woman in her late-30s who is feeling her biological clock ticking away. So she goes through the process of artificial insemination and gets pregnant. However, the moment this happens, she finds a man she quite likes and falls in love. They must learn to discover love together while becoming a bizarre new set of parents.
WHAT I LIKED
Tom Bosley was in it. Poor guy. This was his last film.
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
Jennifer Lopez has left an exploded mine field behind herself of bad films. From “Gigli” to “Monster in Law,” Lopez has become a kiss of death for a movie. Part of it is her acting, which has never been that good. Part of it is her voice, which grates through all the dialogue like sandpaper. Part of it is her ego, which doesn’t allow her to be self-deprecating in this role and shows a narcissistic focus on her body image, even when she’s pregnant.
The love story is vacuous and makes no sense. Decisions are made to stay together and to not necessarily have a physical relationship out of randomness. Plus, the movie doesn’t even know what it’s trying to go for, a sweet romance or a raunchy comedy.
“The Back-Up Plan” has all of the cliches of a bad rom com, but it’s not enough to fall into that formula. It also tries to be a raunch fest like “Knocked Up.” If you have seen the “Water Birth” Super Bowl spot, you’ll know what I’m talking about.
As a father of three kids, I know that the entire pregnancy and birthing process can get ugly at times, but we don’t need to see all of that on screen... especially with Jennifer Lopez as the focus.
BLU-RAY FEATURES
Normally with a film this bad, at least a handful of decent special features can balance things out. Sadly, this isn’t the case here. The Blu-ray is not completely void of material, and it includes some deleted scenes and a making-of featurette. Unfortunately, the filmmakers (including clueless director Alan Poul) talk about making the film as if they were shooting a grand Shakespeare comedy. (Hint... they weren’t.)
WHO’S GOING TO LIKE THIS MOVIE
Alan Poul and maybe his family. (I can’t believe that J-Lo even liked it.)
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"SPARTACUS: BLOOD AND SAND THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON" Blu-ray Review by Kevin Carr MOVIE: *** (out of 5 stars) DVD EXPERIENCE: **** (out of 5 stars) Not Rated Studio: Starz Back to DVD Review Home |  |
WHAT IT’S ABOUT
The hit Starz series tells the story of Roman slave Spartacus who leads a rebellion against the Roman Republic. And there’s lots of blood, boobs and sex to help him along.
WHAT I LIKED
I had the fortunate of recently watching Stanley Kubrick’s “Spartacus” on Blu-ray not too long ago. This gave me a unique perspective on watching this series. The two versions of the Spartacus story have very little in common except for some costume design, which makes it neat to watch how different two versions can be.
Anyone who loved the film “300” and would like to see it as a regular series will eat this show up. It’s got plenty of action, blood and sex in it... almost to a ludicrous level. The series is an exercise in excess, which offers a certain amount of charm.
I wouldn’t teach anyone history lessons from this series, but it puts old Roman television series to shame. After all, “I, Claudius” doesn’t hold a candle to this film in terms of production design and value. Sure, “Spartacus: Blood and Sand” is a big, macho show with a modicum of substance, but it’s fun to watch in small doses.
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
If you’re expecting an intellectual look at the Roman Republic, you won’t get it here. You’ll get some quality actors showing up, like Lucy Lawless and John Hannah, but you won’t get a history lesson.
There is a bit too much CGI in this show for my tastes, though it makes sense as the show seems to be capitalizing on the “300” angle a bit too much.
Still, there’s boobs in it, and that’s not so bad, after all.
BLU-RAY FEATURES
This Blu-ray set is a great package simply for its healthy dose of bonus features. Extended episodes are exclusive to the Blu-ray, and there are audio commentary options as well. Other features include a pop-up history option called “Spartacus Historicus” (a cheesy name, I know) and the movieIQ feature which tests your knowledge during the show.
There’s also a slate of featurettes, including a general behind-the-scenes look at the series. Other featurettes includes “Spartacus: Battle Royale,” “Gladiator Boot Camp,” “Grime and Punishment,” “Andy Gets Plastered,” “Legend Re-Imagined,” “Oh, Those Randy Romans,” “Shooting Green: The Shadow of Death” and “Exposing Your Ludus.”
WHO’S GOING TO LIKE THIS MOVIE
Anyone who thought the Stanley Kubrick version of “Spartacus” could have used a few more boobs in it.
