THE HANGOVER: PART II
Blu-ray Review by Kevin Carr
MOVIE: **1/2 (out of 5 stars)
BLU-RAY EXPERIENCE: *** (out of 5 stars)
When “The Hangover” came out two years ago, I was on board with how funny it was. I was also somewhat thrilled to see a movie become so successful without the aid of star power. Of course, after it made hundreds of millions of dollars, it made everyone stars. This meant that the inevitable sequel would no longer have that charm.
Of course, the filmmakers tried their hardest to not deviate from the formula that worked the first time, so much so that “The Hangover: Part II” was practically a carbon copy of the first film with repeated jokes, storylines and even snippets of dialogue. When I saw the film this past summer, that bothered me because as original as “The Hangover” was, this sequel was needlessly derivative. Of course, this didn’t stop it from becoming one of the biggest hits of the year.
Now that my initial disappointment with the film has worn off, I can watch it again fresh on Blu-ray. And I’m happy to say that it holds up better than most films do on a second viewing. I think this was partly because I was expecting the repetitive nature, and I found myself focusing on the differences rather than the blatant duplication.
This film finds the Wolf Pack traveling to Thailand for Stu’s wedding. After another night of accidental drugging, they find themselves in Bangkok trying to find Stu’s would-be brother-in-law. More shenanigans ensue with plenty of R-rated humor that includes a drug-dealing monkey, plenty of nut shots and back-room ladyboy sex.
Fans of these movies will enjoy this one again on Blu-ray. While it is still unnecessarily copying the first film, at least it’s professionally made. In fact, the look of the movie is quite impressive on Blu-ray, forgoing the rather standard shots of Vegas in the first film for sometimes brilliant and crisp yet often grimy look of Thailand.
Packaged with the DVD, the Blu-ray comes with a gag reel, which is also available on the DVD. Features exclusive to the Blu-ray include the short featurettes “The Comedy Rhythm of Todd Phillips,” “Not Your Everyday Monkey” and Ken Jeong’s comedy brilliance in “Bangkok Tour with Chow.”
There’s also a mockumentary, which is labeled an “Unauthorized Documentary.” It’s obviously self-deprecating and falsely painting the cast and crew as enormous and egregious assholes. This runs a bit long and would have been better had a recognizable actor not have been cast as the lead documentarian. Still, for die-hard fans of the series, this might get a laugh.
The Blu-ray also includes the UltraViolet Digital Copy feature which allows streaming via Flixster.
ANOTHER EARTH
Blu-ray Review by Kevin Carr
MOVIE: * (out of 5 stars)
BLU-RAY EXPERIENCE: *** (out of 5 stars)
I’m a huge science fiction fan, and it’s not just because I grew up with a steady diet of “Star Wars” in the 70s and 80s. I read science fiction. I enjoy science fiction television. I think it’s one of those genres that can really go places that normal drama cannot.
Speculative fiction, on the other hand, blows hot and cold for me. While some speculative fiction pieces have fascinating potential, the genre can often get stuffy and pretentious, using a sci-fi concept as a thin veil to just have another weepy character drama.
“Another Earth” is a great example of speculative fiction gone wrong. The movie follows a young woman who causes a car crash that kills a man’s wife and son. Her once-prosperous life is cripple by a stint in juvie and a loss of her Ivy League scholarship. Once free, she becomes a janitor and seeks out the man whose life she ruined, without his knowledge that she’s the other driver (because she was a minor when it happened). This is set against the backdrop of astronomers discovering a second Earth in orbit around the sun. As the world looks to this new Earth with hope, they plan a mission for people to travel their and possibly start a new life.
My problem with “Another Earth” is that the entire science fiction element of the plot is unnecessary. I suppose the writers and director felt it was to show a hope for the lead character to leave and start a new life, but how is that not accomplished with a trip to Europe instead of an interplanetary journey?
One of my main beefs with speculative fiction is that it is often written by people who aren’t well-versed in the science fiction field, and this yields stories that became hopelessly cliche as far back as the pulp EC comics and “Twilight Zone” episodes.
The science behind “Another Earth” makes no sense, which leaves us to wonder if the writing was just so lazy the filmmakers just wanted us to go with the subject without question. And it’s a concept I’ve seen over and over and over again.
To make matters worse, the filmmakers in behind-the-scene interviews talk about how unique and brilliant this is. Some performances are decent, but others (particularly the secondary roles) are wickedly bad… I’m talking community theater bad. Existing on a ludicrous pretense and masquerading as a daring piece of fiction, this becomes nothing more than an utterly trite kitchen sink drama.
Packaged with the DVD and a Digital Copy disc, the Blu-ray includes deleted scenes, a music video from Fall On Your Sword and three specials from Fox Movie Channel called “Direct Effect with Mike Cahill” and “In Character” with Brit Marling and William Mapother. Finally, there are the featurettes “The Science Behind Another Earth” and “Creating Another Earth.”
THE ART OF GETTING BY
Blu-ray Review
by Kevin Carr
MOVIE: *1/2 (out of 5 stars)
BLU-RAY EXPERIENCE: *** (out of 5 stars)
Noticeably absent from Fox Searchlight’s award season push, “The Art of Getting By” is one of those films that has slipped through the cracks. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, though. Starring Freddie Highmore as a privileged private school student in New York, this film tries its damnedest to be a rallying cry for the disenfranchised youth of today. Not being a disenfranchised youth of today, it was mostly lost on me.
Highmore plays George Zinavoy, a student who has lost his interest in life, the universe and everything. He’s got a crush on Sally (Emma Roberts), but she plays mind games with him, and he’s not mature enough to deal with it. His home life is shaky, threatening his lifestyle, and George just can’t seem to muster the interest to do even the bare minimum in school. Together with Sally, George tries to find a way to move forward.
Were I to have seen this film 25 years ago when I was a teenager, I might have embraced it. However, as a middle-aged man and a parent myself, I found myself consistently annoyed with the characters and their actions. It exists in a fantasy world where teenagers wish they could live, having late-night parties with no parental supervision and being able to order drinks at any bar in New York City they desire. It’s a rich slacker paradise, where teenager can mope and murmur about the pointlessness of the world.
Freddie Highmore, who was very promising as a younger actor, has gotten a lot of praise for this movie, even if the film itself hasn’t. However, his delivery of even the most simple lines fall flat. Highmore looks too unassuming and friendly to really pull of the sullen teenager bit. And his interaction with Emma Roberts, who is growing up to be an attractive and quality actress, is lacking punch. Both Highmore and Roberts have done better work.
So, it will probably click with a teenager who wishes he or she could live this way, but to anyone living in the real world, this has as much to do with real life as any of the “Twilight” or “Transformers” movies.
The Blu-ray includes the theatrical trailer, audio commentary by director Gavin Wiesen, the cable featurettes “Fox Movie Channel Presents In Character with Freddie Highmore” and “HBO’s First Look: the Making of The Art of Getting By.” Two other featurettes include “On Young Love” and “New York Slice of Life” which commits the greatest sin of featurettes by prattling on and on about how New York City is a character in the film.
