Dinner & A Movie

Movie Openings: Weekend of March 4th, 2011 - Rango Your Fate

2011-03-04T09:49:00.001-05:00

Well, the 2011 Oscars have come and gone and it was business as usual, with no big surprises in any of the major categories. Those who were expected to win, won. In short, the show was predictable, stale and in dire need of an overhaul. Even the two youthful hosts could not inject any excitement into the evening's well choreographed proceedings. As expected, The King's Speech took home four Oscars, for Best Picture, Actor (Colin Firth), Director (Tom Hooper) and Original Screenplay. If you are looking to take home one of those golden statues, just make a film like The King's Speech. It was the ultimate Oscar bait. No doubt, it was a great film but all the same, it was a film catered perfectly to Academy voters. While Inception deservedly picked up the Oscars for visual effects, sound editing and cinematography, the Boston-based pugilist film The Fighter took home two of the supporting actor prizes (Christian Bale and Melissa Leo). Early favorite, The Social Network picked up 3 Oscars but they were in lesser categories like Film Editing, Original Score and Adapted Screenplay. By most accounts, David Fincher was robbed as Oscar stayed true to the arcane concept of always awarding the Best Director prize to the director of the Best Picture winner. Oh well, maybe next year.......

So last weekend, which film did you think came out on top at the box office? Well, the only logical pick is of course the Farrelly Bros' raunchy comedy "Hall Pass," which easily bested the other new release, the Nic Cage-crash and burn-tour-de-force, "Drive Angry." "Hall Pass" picked up $13.5M, narrowly edging out the still-going-strong animated film, "Gnomeo & Juliet," which garnered another $13.4M to bring its 3-week total gross to an impressive $74M. The Liam Neeson thriller, "Unknown" came in at number 3 with $12.5M and finally, the teen sci-fi thriller "I Am Number Four" lived up to its moniker, coming in in 4th place with $11M. The Adam Sandler comedy "Just Go With It" rounded up the top 5 with $10.5M. So where did "Drive Angry" end up? Well, down at #9 with a mere $5.1M. Can you believe that Nicolas Cage was a former Oscar winner and going by his recent choice of bad movie roles, he can't really go anywhere else but up. Seriously, Cage needs to fire his current agent and hire someone that might have an ounce of brain matter, someone like maybe a trained chimpanzee or something.

OK, now on to this week's movie releases.......

Up first is an animated Western starring a chameleon voiced by the indomitable Johnny Depp (how appropriate, don't you think?). Directed by one of Depp's co-conspirators, Gore Verbinski (who also directed Depp in the Pirates of the Caribbean Trilogy), Rango has been positively received by many critics, calling it smart, stylish and refreshing. It's not often that we come across a non-Pixar animated film carrying such high praise. It is currently holding steady at a 79% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Here is the brief synopsis:

A chameleon that aspires to be a swashbuckling hero finds himself in a Western town plagued by bandits and is forced to literally play the role in order to protect it.

Ever wanted to tempt fate? Well, would-be US Senator David Norris (Matt Damon) does and he would do anything to win over the one woman (Emily Blunt) that he loves. Dubbed the next Inception, "The Adjustment Bureau" is loosely based on my favorite sci-fi author, Philip K. Dick's short story, Adjustment Team. Dick's writings have been adapted into some of my favorite sci-fi films of all time, films like Blade Runner, Minority Report, Total Recall, A Scanner Darkly, Screamers and Paycheck. Imagine that our fates are controlled by a mysterious force called the Adjustment Bureau and they must ensure that things always fall according to "plan." Our fates may be written but can they be changed? Check out this intriguing film to find out. Rated at a good 71% on RT, here is "The Adjustment Bureau"'s synopsis:

Do we control our destiny, or do unseen forces manipulate us? Matt Damon stars in the thriller The Adjustment Bureau as a man who glimpses the future Fate has planned for him and realizes he wants something else. To get it, he must pursue the only woman he's ever loved across, under and through the streets of modern-day New York. On the brink of winning a seat in the U.S. Senate, ambitious politician David Norris (Damon) meets beautiful contemporary ballet dancer Elise Sellas (Emily Blunt)--a woman like none he's ever known. But just as he realizes he's falling for her, mysterious men conspire to keep the two apart. David learns he is up against the agents of Fate itself--the men of The Adjustment Bureau--who will do everything in their considerable power to prevent David and Elise from being together. In the face of overwhelming odds, he must either let her go and accept a predetermined path...or risk everything to defy Fate and be with her.

How about a trip back to the 80's this weekend? A blast from the past for many from the baby boomer generation, "Take Me Home Tonight" is a raunchy comedy starring baby-faced Topher Grace (In Good Company), Anna Faris (Smiley Face) and Dan Fogler (Kung Fu Panda). If the title sounds familiar, that's because it is also the title of that famous Eddie Money song that keeps playing on the trailers for this movie. Critics are torn on this one (50% rating on RT). Hot Tub Time Machine it may not be but all the same, it could be fun. Here is the synopsis:

Take Me Home Tonight is a raunchy, romantic and ultimately touching blast from the past set to an awesome soundtrack of timeless rock and hip-hop hits. Recent MIT grad Matt Franklin (Topher Grace) should be working for a Fortune 500 company and starting his upward climb to full-fledged yuppie-hood. Instead, the directionless 23-year-old confounds family and friends by taking a part-time job behind the counter of a video store at the Sherman Oaks Galleria. But Matt's silent protest against maturity comes to a screeching halt once his unrequited high school crush, Tori Frederking (Teresa Palmer), walks into the store. When she invites him to an epic, end-of-summer party, Matt thinks he finally might have a chance with the girl of his dreams. With his cynical twin sister Wendy (Anna Faris) and best friend Barry (Dan Fogler), Matt embarks on a once-in-a-lifetime evening. From stealing a car to a marriage proposal to an indescribable, no-holds-barred dance-off, these friends share experiences that will change the course of their lives on one unforgettable night in the Go-Go 80s.

Now here's a movie specifically catered for the teen set, asking the proverbial question, is beauty skin-deep? In the new teen romance film "Beastly," Alex Pettyfer, recently seen in "I Am Number Four," stars as Kyle Kingston, who seems to have it all, good looks, wealth and even the brains to go along with all that. All that is missing is humility and when his life suddenly becomes all that he despises, Kyle must find something within himself to overcome his predicament. Billed as a modern retelling of the classic story of Beauty and the Beast, "Beastly" also stars the former Disney IT girl, Vanessa Hudgens (High School Musical trilogy). This film als stars for 80's sitcom actors, Neil Patrick Harris and Mary-Kate Olsen. Expect a predictable story with so-so acting. I mean, what do you expect? It is currently scoring a 33% rating on RT. Here is the synopsis:

Beastly is an edgy teen romance about learning how to see past false surfaces to discover true inner beauty. Kyle Kingson (Alex Pettyfer) has it all - looks, intelligence, wealth and opportunity - and a wicked cruel streak. Prone to mocking and humiliating "aggressively unattractive" classmates, he zeroes in on Goth classmate Kendra (Mary-Kate Olsen), inviting her to the school's extravagant environmental bash. Kendra accepts, and, true to form, Kyle blows her off in a particularly savage fashion. She retaliates by casting a spell that physically transforms him into everything he despises. Enraged by his horrible and unrecognizable appearance he confronts Kendra and learns that the only solution to the curse is to find someone that will love him as he is - a task he considers impossible. Repulsed by his appearance, Kyle's callous father (Peter Krause) banishes him to Brooklyn with a sympathetic housekeeper (LisaGay Hamilton) and blind tutor (Neil Patrick Harris). As Kyle ponders how to overcome the curse and get his old life back, he chances upon a drug addict in the act of killing a threatening dealer. Seizing the opportunity, Kyle promises the addict freedom and safety for his daughter Lindy (Vanessa Hudgens) if she will consent to live in Kyle's Brooklyn home. Thus begins Kyle's journey to discover true love in this hyper-modern retelling of the classic "Beauty and the Beast" story.

Movie Openings: Weekend of February 25th, 2011 - Drive Angry/Hall Pass

2011-02-25T09:31:00.000-05:00

Last weekend, we had a surprise number 1 at the box office. Liam Neeson's crime thriller "Unknown" beat out the projected box-office topper, "I Am Number Four" in a light week of movie releases. "Unknown" inched into the top spot with $25.45M, followed very closely by "Gnomeo & Juliet" with $25.41M in a dramatically tight photo finish. The teen sci-fi thriller "I Am Number Four" rounded up the top 3 with $22.7M. That "Number Four" could not wrest the number one spot in its opening weekend might be cause for concern for Disney's Buena Vista, which had hoped to put this movie on a strong footing in order to create a new film franchise ala Twilight. Unless things improve dramatically the next couple of weeks, that's just ain't happening.

The most impressive gainer this week is perhaps the animated children's film "Gnomeo & Juliet," which not only kept up with its opening week numbers but actually improved on it slightly. The Sandler-Anniston romcom, "Just Go With It," stayed strong and came in at number 4 with $21.5M, followed by the disappointing bad Martin Lawrence-in-drag comedy, "Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son." In its 2nd week of release, the Justin Bieber movie dropped almost 45% from its opening weekend business to come in at number 6 with $16.3M. Oscar nominee, The King's Speech stood steadfast in 7th place, even gaining more than 10% from its previous week's gross. And speaking of the Oscars, remember that the glitzy ceremony is this Sunday (2/27). So set your DVRs. The two hosts this year, James Franco and Anne Hathaway may not excite people as much as maybe a Billy Crystal would but let's give these two a chance, shall we? The Oscar show producers are obviously trying to attract a younger audience to the show and these two fit the bill perfectly. Who knows, maybe we might even see an Arcade Fire-like upset at the Oscars, like what happened at the Grammys this year.

Now on to this week's new movie releases:

Remember Gone in 60 Seconds, Ghost Rider and Con Air? Well, mash those three movies up and you get Nic Cage's new supernatural action thriller, "Drive Angry." Well, sort of. You see, unlike those films, this one is even less rooted in reality and is a throwback to those raunchy 70's exploitation films that has been made famous by the likes of Robert Rodriguez. Directed by Patrick Lussier, whose previous credits include My Bloody Valentine 3D and White Noise 2, "Drive Angry" is a non-stop action flick that barely takes its foot off the accelerator. Shot in 3-D, expect some nifty and impressive visual effects to appear. Paired with blonde bombshell Amber Heard (Zombieland) as Cage's sidekick and pursued by the deadpan bounty hunter from Hell called The Accountant (Michael Fichtner), "Drive Angry" promises to be one of those low rent films that will eventually find an audience once it hits the home video market. "Drive Angry" is currently rated at a passable 56% on Rotten Tomatoes. Here is the synopsis:

"Drive Angry 3D" stars Nicolas Cage as Milton, a hardened felon who has broken out for one last chance at redemption. Hell bent on stopping a vicious cult of fanatics who murdered his daughter, he has three days to stop them before they sacrifice his infant granddaughter beneath a full moon. Milton must use his anger to go beyond all human limits in order to save his last connection with humanity.

He's joined by Piper, a young sexy-smart waitress who liberates her ex-boyfriend's cherry red muscle car in order to help Milton. Now, the two of them are hot on the trail of the charismatic Jonah King and his murderous followers. King will throw every one of them faithful under the wheels of Milton's turbo-charged Black '71 Challenger, to fulfill hist destiny and unleash hell on earth.

Another week, another weak comedy. Owen Wilson hasn't been in the spotlight in a while, not since 2008's tearjerker, Marley & Me. Well, he's back this week in the new comedy "Hall Pass", together with Jason Sudeikis (The Bounty Hunter) as a couple of middle-aged guys who are feeling restless in their respective marriages. Given a free pass to do whatever they want for a whole week by their wives, these guys soon find out that the single life may not be as they had imagined. Directed by the famed Farrelly brothers (There's Something About Mary, Dumb and Dumber), "Hall Pass" may not the big comeback the brothers are looking for. True to the Farrellys' reputation, "Hall Pass" can be crude, gross and occasionally outrageous but those moments do not always gel together into a cohesive and funny comedy. But if you like the Farrellys' brand of caustic humor, this may be the movie for you. "Hall Pass" is currently rated at a measly 31% on RT. Here is the synopsis:

Rick (Owen Wilson) and Fred (Jason Sudeikis) are best friends who have a lot in common, including the fact that they have each been married for many years. But when the two men begin to show signs of restlessness at home, their wives (Jenna Fischer, Christina Applegate) take a bold approach to revitalizing their marriages: granting them a "hall pass," one week of freedom to do whatever they want...no questions asked. At first, it sounds like a dream come true for Rick and Fred. But it isn't long before they discover that their expectations of the single life-and themselves-are completely, and hilariously, out of sync with reality.

Loosely based on true events, "Of Gods and Men" is an uplifting and inspirational tale of sacrifice and faith. Set in the early 1990's, a time before the Islamic faith was hijacked by terrorists, this French drama details the intermingling of different religions and the important role that faith plays in the lives of the austere monks who are faced with difficult life-changing decisions. Reviews are in for this movie and they are all generally positive, giving it an impressive 88% rating on RT. Here is the synopsis:

Eight French Christian monks live in harmony with their Muslim brothers in a monastery perched in the mountains of North Africa in the 1990s. When a crew of foreign workers is massacred by an Islamic fundamentalist group, fear sweeps though the region. The army offers them protection, but the monks refuse. Should they leave? Despite the growing menace in their midst, they slowly realize that they have no choice but to stay... come what may. This film is loosely based on the life of the Cistercian monks of Tibhirine in Algeria, from 1993 until their kidnapping in 1996.

Opening in limited release this week is the new darling of Canadian cinema, Xavier Dolan's comical ode to unrequited sexual obsession, "Heartbeats." Winning the Youth Prize at the Cannes Film Festival and an official selection for the Toronto International Film Festival, "Heartbeats" explores the complexity of our wants and desires within the context of a love triangle as Dolan brings us through all the stages of obsessive love. This Canadian French film is currently rated at a healthy 67% on RT. Here is the synopsis:

Part farce, part exploration of the complexity of love and desire, HEARTBEATS centers on two close friends, Francis (Xavier Dolan) and Marie (Monia Chokri), who find themselves fighting for the affections of the same striking young man (Neils Schneider). The more intimate the trio becomes, the more unattainable the object of their infatuation seems, sending the friends' obsession into overdrive.

Ginger Scallion Noodles - Easy, Cheap, Delicious!

2011-02-22T13:26:00.000-05:00

Many of you may have heard of David Chang's famous Momofuku ginger scallion noodle recipe. In the book, Chang describes it as sort of your basic Asian dish that is easy to make and delicious to eat. And if you want to keep to its bare necessity principle, it's dirt cheap to make. All you need to have in your pantry are soy sauce, hoisin sauce, sesame oil, fresh ginger and scallion plus a few packs of instant ramen noodles. In a pinch, you can whip up a scrumptious meal within 5 minutes without much thinking or preparation. And if you have some leftover meats like chicken or steak, just heat that up and throw it all together.

On the one hand, you can try to glamorize the dish all you want and go all Top Chef on it but I say, just keep it simple and enjoy it for what it is. For my version, I am pairing it with some leftover wantons which had I made the day before. Put on a pot of water and depending on how hungry you are, boil one or two packets of ramen noodles. Throw the little sachets of seasoning away.

On a plate, mix together:
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1/2 tablespoon hoisin sauce
1/2 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 teaspoon finely minced fresh ginger
1-2 stalks of scallions (cut into small segments) - for garnish

When the noodles are cooked, remove from the pot, drain the excess water and just add it to the plate with the ingredients above already mixed together. Garnish with the scallions and maybe if you like it a little spicy, sprinkle some chili flakes or even some pickled peppers or jalapenos. That's it, really. Simple, no?

Blu-ray Releases: The Week of Feb. 21st, 2011 - Due Date, Superman

2011-02-22T09:48:00.000-05:00

Happy President's Day! It's also school vacation week here in Massachusetts and we are starting out the week with what else but some more snow. The good news is, it'll all be over in a few hours and none of that white stuff is supposed to stick around for long. After all, Punxsutawney Phil called for an early spring and we had a glimpse of it last week when temperatures soared into the 60's for a couple of days. But enough about the weather. It's that time of the week again to look at the new release stuff. Fortunately, this week's Blu-ray releases have some great films that you might want to add to your collection. Here they are:

In the annals of the Robert Downey Jr. movie Hall of Fame, the comedy Due Date would certainly be ranked in the bottom half. Not one of the best moments of his bumpy career, Due Date was defiled by many critics and described as "shamelessly derivative and sporadically funny." Even with Todd Phillips (The Hangover, Old School) in the director's chair and the odd pairing of Downey Jr. and Zach Galifianakis (another Hangover alumni), Due Date seldom hits the mark and relied heavily on puerile humor for laughs. Due Date is available in 2 formats, one a single disc Blu-ray and the other, a Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Copy pack. Recommendation: A rental at best.

One of the best Showtime original series (apart from Dexter), Weeds is a dark, very funny half-hour comedy about a single mother raising 2 teenage sons who had to resort to selling weed in order to make ends meet. Now already in its 6th season on the air, Weeds is still going strong and never fails to add a little twist to the ongoing saga of the dysfunctional Botwin family. My favorite hemptress should be your favorite hemptress too.Weeds comes in its regular 2-disc Blu-ray set (yes, the entire season fits on 2 discs) and if history holds, wait a few months to buy it when the price will usually drop to less than $20, which is a good deal for an entire season of such a great show. Recommendation: Wait for a price drop in a couple of months.

From the Criterion Collection comes Fish Tank, a little known but really, one of the best dramas I've seen in a while. Written and directed by Englishwoman Andrea Arnold, Fish Tank has won numerous awards including the 2009 Jury Prize at the Cannes Film festival and several BAFTAs, the British equivalent of the Oscars. It tells the story of a wayward 15-year old girl, Mia (played outstandingly by newcomer Katie Jarvis) who is stuck in a poverty-stricken neighborhood with no future to look forward to. When her mother's new boyfriend, Connor (Michael Fassbender), moves in to live with them, things become utterly more complicated for everyone. Fish Tank is an outstanding drama that is deeply rooted in British lower-class realism and will keep you enthralled till the end. One thing to watch out for is the now rarely used framing aspect ratio of 1.33:1, the equivalent of the old 4:3-sized televisions. So, do not try to adjust your set when you watch this. Recommendation: A must-view, even if you don't buy it, rent it.

Also from the Criterion Collection this week, we have Alexander Mackendrick's Sweet Smell of Success, the 1957 noirish film about the underbelly of the Broadway community and the unsavory gossip columns that can help make or break anyone who comes into their sights. It stars the late Burt Lancaster and Tony Curtis as a gossip columnist and a press agent respectively, who come to a mutually beneficial agreement to smear the reputation of a musician, romancing Lancaster's character's sister, played by Susan Harrison. This is yet another outstanding release by Criterion that lives up to its reputation. Recommendation: A must-own for classic film fans.

The story of French public enemy number one, Jacques Mesrine may not be well known stateside but the film by Jean-Francois Richet (Assault on Precinct 13) that glorifies Mesrine's life and criminal career should change that. Titled Mesrine: Killer Instinct, this is a long film that has been divided into 2 parts, with the first one releasing this week and the other, Mesrine: Public Enemy #1, releasing in March. The critical success of Mesrine lies with its star, the gifted Vincent Cassel (Black Swan, Eastern Promises), who brings a bold and magnetic charisma to the title role. Recommendation: Put it on your Netflix list.

The mind-warping backwards-moving film, Memento introduced us to director Christopher Nolan, who has since become a tour de force in Hollywood with his films, Inception, Batman Begins and The Prestige. It also starred two then-up-and-coming actors, Guy Pearce (coming off the success of L.A. Confidential) and Carrie-Anne Moss (fresh from The Matrix) that accorded this indie film some form of name recognition that proved vital to its success. It was a breakthrough film for all involved and is still one of the most uniquely-structured film ever made. Sony released Memento on Blu-ray when the format first appeared but since then, encoding technology has evolved and improved, leading to the new Lionsgate 10th Anniversary Edition that gives this amazing film a new sheen in terms of A/V quality. And the best thing is, you can own this Blu-ray for $14.99 on Amazon. Recommendation: A must-buy and must-own film.

Farro with Clams, Basil and Fresh Tomato Puree

2011-02-20T12:17:00.000-05:00

Farro is a grain with ancient roots that seems to have been forgotten by modern day consumers. Seldom do we see it on restaurant menus or on our dinner tables. So, what is farro anyway? Well, that's kind of hard to explain. Searching around the internet, I could only find various ambiguous descriptions of it and by proper definition, its real name isn't even farro. Some call it emmer while others say it is similar to spelt; both are types of wheat. Confused yet? Known as farro in Italy, it is a species of wheat that has been cultivated for hundreds, if not close to a thousand years. It was thought to have fed ancient populations of the Mediterranean and parts of the Middle East for centuries.

If you are looking for an alternative to pasta, risotto, polenta or rice, why not try farro for a change? Even when cooked, farro has a firm and slightly crunchy texture. I've seen farro utilized in salads but I prefer it as a pasta-like dish. It comes together very well when paired with a fresh tomato sauce, basil and cheese. So I thought why not make a version of linguine and clams but with farro instead.

First, here's how to cook farro. Very much like risotto, farro should be cooked, simmering in some sort of stock. Here's what you need:

2 cups farro
1 quart mix of chicken stock and clam juice
1/2 onion (diced)
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
Basil (chiffonade)
2 sprigs of thyme
1 bay leaf (optional)
5 littleneck clams
2 tablespoons butter
White wine
Salt and pepper to taste
Fresh tomato puree recipe

So let's cook the farro first. Start by getting a deep pan hot with some olive oil. Sweat the onions and then brown the garlic just enough so that it doesn't burn (typically less than a minute). Add the farro and stir it well to blend with the onions and garlic and cook for about a couple of minutes on medium heat. Add the thyme and bay leaf then add the chicken stock and clam juice mix, enough to cover the farro and turn the heat down to a simmer. Stir the farro every couple of minute or so and add more stock when it starts to evaporate. This process of cooking and adding stock should take about 15-20 minutes. Taste the farro and it should be done when it becomes soft and chewable (not the hard grain that we started with) but still has a little crunch to it. This is like cooking pasta to the al dante stage. Finally, season with salt and pepper. At this point, remove the farro from the pot and set it aside, discarding the wilted thyme and bay leaf.

In the same pan, melt the butter and cook some minced garlic. Add the tomato puree, a splash of white wine and a cup of clam juice. Add the littleneck clams, bring the heat down and cover the pot until the clams open. After that, add the farro back into the pot together with fresh cut basil, mix well and make sure everything is heated up thoroughly. Serve and garnish with shredded parmesan cheese and more fresh basil. And there you are, my version of linguine and clams with farro instead of pasta. Enjoy!

Movie Openings: Week of February 18th, 2011 - Are You #4?

2011-02-18T10:33:00.000-05:00

As the winter season meanders along, so does the current crop of new movies. Yet again, nothing really stands out this week. We have a sci-fi action thriller about special humans with powers and the mysterious aliens who hunt them, a Liam Neeson thriller in the vein of Taken, another Martin Lawrence playing dress-up film, an apocalyptic sci-fi thriller about creatures that live in the dark and finally a great horror film about a family of cannibals.

Last weekend, which also happened to be sort of a long Valentine's Day weekend, the only romantic movie to open in wide release, "Just Go With It," romanced its way to the top of the box office with an impressive take of $30.5M. I guess all the lovebirds were out in full force, doing the dinner and a movie thing. Coming up a close second was the Justin Bieber movie with $29.5M, which I had expected to top the list. Romance wins over the Biebster! The other two new release movies, "Gnomeo and Juliet" ($25.3M) and "The Eagle" ($8.7M) rounded up top four while last week's number one, "The Roommate" dropped to the fifth spot. Oscar contenders, "True Grit," which came in at number 9, breached the $160M milestone while "The King's Speech" stayed strong at number 6, bringing its total gross to over $93M.

Here are the highlights of this week's new movie releases:

Alex Pettyfer (Tormented), who played teen secret agent Alex Rider in the Anthony Horowitz novel-turned-movie, Stormbreaker in 2006, is now older and helming his first action sci-fi thriller. Together with Dianna Argon (one of the stars of Glee) and Timothy Olyphant (Hitman, Deadwood), Pettyfer plays the titular character in "I Am Number Four." Directed by D.J. Caruso (Disturbia, Eagle Eye), "I Am Number Four" is based on a young adult sci-fi novel by Pittacus Lore, which is the pen name of author James Frey (yes, the same one that was called out by Oprah years ago). This film has been berated by many critics as being yet another cookie-cutter action film that the filmmakers hope might just catch on with Twilight's tween crowd. The story trolls familiar territory: an outsider comes to town, falls for the most beautiful girl there, discovers his latent powers and finds out his true destiny of saving, maybe the world? "I Am Number Four" is treading water at the moment, rated at a dangerously low 32% by critics on Rotten Tomatoes. Here is the synopsis:

Three are dead. He is Number Four. D.J. Caruso ("Eagle Eye," "Disturbia") helms an action-packed thriller about an extraordinary young man, John Smith (Alex Pettyfer), who is a fugitive on the run from ruthless enemies sent to destroy him. Changing his identity, moving from town to town with his guardian Henri (Timothy Olyphant), John is always the new kid with no ties to his past. In the small Ohio town he now calls home, John encounters unexpected, life-changing events-his first love (Dianna Agron), powerful new abilities and a connection to the others who share his incredible destiny. John (Alex Pettyfer) is an extraordinary young man, masking his true identity and passing as a typical student to elude a deadly enemy seeking to destroy him. Three like him have already been killed...he is Number Four.

Liam Neeson is back on the big screen in a familiar edgy role as a man pushed to the brink of insanity by the events that surround him. If you have seen Neeson's previous action flick, Taken, then "Unknown" falls into that same mold. Not that it is a bad thing as I kind of enjoyed Taken. Although the plausibility meter may have been cranked down somewhat, it was an enjoyable action romp, much like many of the Jason Statham movies (Crank, The Transporter). "Unknown" gives Neeson a chance to show off his action movie chops. We all know he can act and now we know he can kick some ass too! And it looks like most critics like it as well. "Unknown" has been rated at a commendable 53% on RT, proving that movies don't have to be based on reality, just convincing enough to entertain us. Here is the synopsis:

Dr. Martin Harris (Liam Neeson) awakens after a car accident in Berlin to discover that his wife (January Jones) suddenly doesn't recognize him and another man (Aidan Quinn) has assumed his identity. Ignored by disbelieving authorities and hunted by mysterious assassins, he finds himself alone, tired and on the run. Aided by an unlikely ally (Diane Kruger), Martin plunges headlong into a deadly mystery that will force him to question his sanity, his identity, and just how far he's willing to go to uncover the truth.

Remember Hayden Christensen? He of the pivotal but much maligned role of Anakin in the Star Wars prequels? Well, Christensen redeemed himself with his next movie Shattered Glass but has been pretty quiet ever since, taking on roles in lesser known films. With this film, "Vanishing on 7th Street," that may change. Also starring John Leguizamo and Thandie Newton, "Vanishing" is a sci-fi thriller that teases us with apocalyptic scenes in its trailers and the appearance of strange beings that attack in the shadows. This looks like it could be a good thrilling movie to watch. Most critics agree as well, rating it at 53% on RT. Here is the synopsis:

From director Brad Anderson (Session 9, Transsiberian, The Machinist) comes VANISHING ON 7TH STREET, a terrifying, apocalyptic thriller that taps into one of humankind's most primal anxieties: fear of the dark. An unexplained blackout plunges the city of Detroit into total darkness, and by the time the sun rises, only a few people remain-surrounded by heaps of empty clothing, abandoned cars and lengthening shadows. A small handful of strangers that have survived the night (Hayden Christensen, Thandie Newton, John Leguizamo and newcomer Jacob Latimore) each find their way to a rundown bar, whose gasoline-powered generator and stockpile of food and drink make it the last refuge in a deserted city. With daylight beginning to disappear completely and whispering shadows surrounding the survivors, they soon discover that the enemy is the darkness itself, and only the few remaining light sources can keep them safe. As time begins to run out for them, darkness closes in and they must face the ultimate terror.

I have a confession. I can't stand movies where guys dress in drag for laughs. Tyler Perry is a big culprit and Martin Lawrence has done it so many times, especially in his Big Momma's House series of films. The third film in that series, "Big Mommas: Like father, Like Son" makes it debut this weekend and all I can say it, if that is your thang, go for it. With a total of 21 reviews in, "Like Father, Like Son" has scored 0% on RT. Yes, a big goose egg. And you know what's the sad thing about this? This film will actually do pretty good business in the coming weeks. Come on people, let's not encourage them to make even more crappy comedies, OK? Here is the synopsis:

Big Momma is back - and this time he has big backup: his teenage stepson Trent (Brendan T. Jackson). Martin Lawrence returns as FBI agent Malcolm Turner and as Turner's deep-cover alter-ego Big Momma. Turner is joined by Trent, as they go undercover at an all girls performing arts school after Trent witnesses a murder. Posing as Big Momma and as hefty coed Charmaine, they must find the murderer before he finds them.

Opening in limited theaters this week is a creepy horror film, "We Are What We Are" by newcomer Mexican writer/director Jorge Michel Grau. If you like movies about dysfunctional families, boy, is this movie right up your dark alley. It is macabre and grisly, featuring some stomach-churning violence that stands tall with any other cannibal-infested films. It has earned a great 78% score on RT and should be on every horror film buff's list of movies to watch. Here is the synopsis:

A middle-aged man dies in the street, leaving his widow and three children destitute. The devastated family is confronted not only with his loss but with a terrible challenge -how to survive. For they are cannibals. They have always existed on a diet of human flesh consumed in bloody ritual ceremonies... and the victims have always been provided by the father. Now that he is gone, who will hunt? Who will lead them? How will they sate their horrific hunger? The task falls to the eldest son, Alfredo, a teenage misfit who seems far from ready to accept the challenge... But without human meat the family will die. Shocking, bloody and deeply moving, WE ARE WHAT WE ARE is a remarkable reinvention of the horror genre - a visceral and powerfully emotional portrait of a family bound by a terrible secret and driven by monstrous appetites.

Blu-ray Releases: The Week of Feb. 14th, 2011 - My Movie Valentine!

2011-02-15T10:15:00.000-05:00

Love is in the air......not! This is the day when the cabal of Hallmark, florists, chocolatiers and most probably lingerie makers and restaurateurs as well, collude to make a pretty dime off the hordes of people willing to partake in the let's-show-our-love-fest (if only for one day). Cynical or not, Valentine's Day seems like a big manufactured hoopla that is just another excuse to spend your hard-earned cash. If you are looking to partake and buy some good movies for your loved ones, Amazon and Best Buy has some good deals this week. One of last year's best films, Inception (Two-Disc Edition) is on sale for $13.99, a great price for a great movie. Also on sale this week for $13.99 are Salt (Deluxe Unrated Edition), The Town (Extended Cut) and Easy A. Oh and remember that action star extravaganza, The Expendables? Well, the Three-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Copy version is on sale for only $12.99. So take your picks.

As for this week's releases, just one new release is worth a mention. The rest of this week's releases are mostly catalog titles that may be of interest to some people. So here they are:

Surprisingly, I've yet to watch an action film starring Denzel Washington that I didn't like. He brings an air of confidence bordering on cockiness to many of his roles. Even as the bad guy (Detective Alonzo Harris in Training Day), Washington makes his characters likeable and sympathetic. Most of all, he makes the characters he play believable. In his latest film, Unstoppable, Washington steps up again, this time with the help of Chris Pine as the duo battle not bad guys but a runaway cargo train carrying toxic chemicals. Directed by Tony Scott (Crimson Tide, Enemy of the State), who is no stranger to action blockbusters, Unstoppable is a thrill a minute, providing some edge of your seat moments that is a roller coaster ride from start to finish. Unstoppable comes in a 2-disc set with the movie available in Blu-ray, DVD and Digital Copy. Recommendation: Buy it when the price drops to $15 or less.

"I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore!" Sidney Lumet's (Dog Day Afternoon, The Verdict) iconic 1976 film Network, became the first and only film in Oscar history to be nominated for 5 acting awards and winning 3 of them (with Peter Finch (above) winning posthumously). At a time when the nation was reeling from Watergate, inflation and a gas shortage, Network became sort of a rallying cry and the Peter Finch quote above summed up what everyone was feeling at that time. Courtesy of Warner Bros., Network is now available on Blu-ray for the first time, after being released in a jam-packed 2-disc DVD version on the 30th anniversary since its theatrical release. The same special features from the DVD version have been ported over here, together with a slightly upgraded video transfer and a less than stellar DTS-HD Master Audio monaural soundtrack. Despite lacking in the high-def upgrade arena, Network is a classic film that everyone should watch at least once. Recommendation: Buy it for the superb story.

Also from Warner Bros. this week, comes another classic from 1976, All the President's Men, which starred Dustin Hoffman and Robert Redford as reporters Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward who helped uncover the Watergate scandal, which eventually led to the resignation of President Nixon. Both All the President's Men and Network seem to hand-in-hand in Warner Bros' release schedule and like clockwork, both are getting the Blu-ray treatment this week. Like Network, All the President's Men sports the same mediocre transfer and monoaural soundtrack plus the same extras from its previous DVD release. Recommendation: Again, buy it for the great story.

From director Bernado Bertolucci (The Last Emperor, The Dreamers) comes a controversial arthouse film that drips with steamy sexuality, courtesy of mesmerizing performances by Marlon Brando (The Godfather, Apocalypse Now) and Maria Schneider in the lead roles. Last Tango in Paris (1972) received an X rating (before the NC-17 rating was established) when it was first released due to its explicit sexual content and has courted controversy ever since. Brando plays a widower, mourning the recent death of his wife, who encounters a young Parisian woman, Jeanne (Schneider) and proceeds to have an anonymous and torrid affair with her without revealing anything personal about themselves, not even their names. Last Tango in Paris is now available as a single-disc movie only release on Blu-ray. While the video and audio quality have been reported as only so-so and this disc comes without any extras (except for a lame trailer), Last Tango in Paris is an emotional story about loss and pain and somehow, the presentation reflects that. Recommendation: This film may not be for everyone, rent it first.

Robert Downey Jr.'s career may be experiencing a renaissance recently with roles in blockbuster films like Iron Man (and its sequel) and Sherlock Holmes, but his genius was in full bloom way back in 1992 when he took on the iconic role of silent film star, Charlie Chaplin in the autobiographical film, Chaplin. It led to an Oscar nomination and seemed to have established Downey Jr. as an acting force to be reckoned with. Then came the drug addiction and run-ins with the law which pretty much derailed his blossoming career. After getting himself clean and sober, Downey Jr. career started to slowly take off again, culminating in another Oscar nomination for his role in the comedy, Tropic Thunder. Anyway, Chaplin is seeing a Blu-ray release this week with a curiously titled, 15th Anniversary Edition (someone at Lionsgate obviously needs to redo the math). The video transfer leaves much to be desired, leading me to believe that this transfer was taken from the 2007 DVD release with no restoration. This is just too bad because this film is a showcase for Downey Jr.'s strength as an actor. Recommendation: Skip it and wait for the true 20th/25th anniversary edition in a few years.

Finally, we have the third season of The Twilight Zone making its debut on Blu-ray. Image Entertainment has done a tremendous job with the restoration of this classic TV series, putting together packages that are beyond any fans' wildest expectations. To find out more, read my review of this 5-disc package here. Recommendation: Buy it!

Blu-ray Review: "The Twilight Zone: Season 3 (1961-1962)"

2011-02-12T08:52:00.001-05:00

Despite its relatively short existence of only five seasons (a total of 156 episodes) on television, Rod Serling's anthology series, “The Twilight Zone” should be viewed as a watershed event for the medium. Praised by most critics of its day and cited as childhood inspirations by many future television and movie writers and producers, “The Twilight Zone” not only entertained its audience with some genuinely scary stories, the show also serves as a subtle microphone for Serling to express his views about the various issues plaguing society and the politics of the day. To illustrate what an impact Serling's writing had during the lifespan of the show, he was nominated for an Emmy for “Outstanding Writing Achievement in Drama” three times and won twice (for the first two seasons of the show). The show was also awarded the sci-fi-centric Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation three years in a row, a feat that has not been matched until 2008 by “Doctor Who.”

Season 3 of “The Twilight Zone” retains most of the cosmetic changes from the previous season, with slight tweaks in the title montage as well as Rod Serling's opening introduction, omitting the ubiquitous words, “the signpost up ahead.” Running from the Fall of 1961 to mid-1962, the third season consists of 37 episodes (one more than season 1), the most in the five seasons the show was on the air. With so many episodes, there are of course great ones, so-so ones and not so good ones. In this season, Serling is again the primary writer of most of the episodes but that number has decreased compared to the previous two seasons, when he wrote the bulk of both seasons' total episodes. Penning alongside Serling are the series' now-staple writers Charles Beaumont, Richard Matheson and George Clayton Johnson. Joining them in season 3 are new scribes, Montgomery Pittman , Earl Hamner Jr. and even an episode contributed by the renowned mystery writer, Ray Bradbury. Airing as the series' 100^th episode, the Bradbury-penned episode, titled, “I Sing the Body Electric,” was however, considered by many as a major disappointment and is probably one of the weaker stories in the entire series.

It's A Good Life

The third season opens with the episode titled, “Two” and it stars a very young-looking Charles Bronson and Elizabeth Montgomery, who later went on to become a star in the TV series, “Bewitched.” This episode follows a familiar theme of isolation where two soldiers from opposing sides (one is presumably American and the other Russian) come face to face in a deserted town set in a post-apocalyptic world. Amidst the devastation, they must find ways to put their differences aside and either learn to live with one another or end up dead, sort of an unlikely love story set within a bleak future.

If you've watched many of the “Twilight Zone” episodes, you would notice familiar faces popping up in them, often looking very young. This series attracted many famous names (many of them before they became famous) to its acting fold, a reminder of how popular and good the show was during its heyday. Among the famous actors and actresses who have appeared in the series include Roddy McDowall, Burgess Meredith, Vera Miles, Dennis Hopper, William Shatner, Peter Falk, Lee Marvin, silent film legend Buster Keaton, Robert Redford (who played Death!), Carol Burnett, Donald Pleasance and many, many more.

To Serve man

Season 3 also offers up two of the most popular and intriguing episodes in the history of the series, “It's a Good Life” and “To Serve Man.” Now considered classics, these two episodes were chosen by TIME magazine to be two of the top ten “Twilight Zone” episodes of all time. Adapted by Rod Serling from a short story written by Jerome Bixby in 1953, “It's a Good Life” tells the story of a little boy with God-like mental powers, creating and destroying anything he so chooses. The adults around him walk on eggshells, careful not to displease the boy in case he “wishes” them away. To emphasize how important this classic episode is to the series, it was remade as one of four segments in 1983's “Twilight Zone: The Movie.”

Written by sci-fi author Damon Knight and again adapted for the small screen by Serling, “To Serve Man” plays on the verb “to serve,” which can be interpreted two ways: “to assist” and “to provide as a meal.” An alien race lands on Earth and informs its citizens that their intention is to help humanity. In the midst of mistrust by the humans, the aliens inadvertently leave behind a book that when deciphered, seems to carry the title “To Serve Man.” However, as I mentioned earlier, the title could go any of the two ways and it unfortunately, did not end so well for mankind. It is a fun episode with a classic “Twilight Zone” finale. This episode is also one of the rare ones where a character breaks the fourth wall and addresses the audience directly. Yet another great episode from this season is “Five Characters in Search of an Exit,” a contemplative story about living in our own version of Hell. It is also another Serling adaptation from a short story by Marvin Petal.

Nothing in the Dark

Many fans of the series rejoiced when Image Entertainment released “The Twilight Zone: The Definitive Collection,” a massive 28-DVD package back in 2006. Back then, it was indeed the best way for fans to enjoy every episode of the series with beautifully-restored video. To make this large set even better, lots of new special features were included as well and as expected, the DVD set received rave reviews. Now, Image Entertainment is back and is releasing each season individually on Blu-ray format. If you thought the 2006 set was the definitive collection, it's time to rethink that notion. Despite its lofty promises, Blu-ray does not always make every movie look or sound better. Most of the time, it does and fortunately for “The Twilight Zone,” the proverbial ball is authoritatively hit out of the ballpark this time. Like the first two seasons' debut on Blu-ray, this one is awesome as well. Fans of the series can rejoice yet again.

Video:

Like the previous seasons' releases on Blu-ray, this one continues the excellent run for the series. Encoded in AVC format, each episode gets a spanking new 1080p video transfer framed at its original 1.33:1 aspect ratio (matted to 1.78:1). The black and white images are almost pristine, looking as if they've gone through some kind of restoration and remastering. There are barely any specks nor stains to mar your viewing pleasure and hardly any instances of the dreaded edge enhancement. Unlike Season 2, when six of the total episodes were shot on inferior videotape, all of the episodes here are equal in quality with all of them shot on film. The blacks are inky and the images contain nice textures and even some level of definition.

Audio:

Each episode comes with two audio uncompressed PCM Mono options, one is restored and remastered and the other is taken unchanged from the original magnetic tapes. They both sound wonderful, with the restored track having a distinct edge. As they are originally mono tracks, do not expect any big jump in audio quality compared to newer stereo or 5.1 tracks. The dialogue is clean and clear without any residue of hissing or other artifacts and the music score is lovingly reproduced. Each episode also comes with English SDH subtitles.

Extras:

As if having remastered video and audio is not enough, this Blu-ray set is also endowed with an impressive array of extras that will blow your mind. True fans of the series will go crazy going through all these extras. Consider this: there are 19 new audio commentaries from various “Twilight Zone” experts, historians, actors, writers and producers, isolated music scores for all the episodes, 19 Radio Dramas, video and vintage audio-only interviews, sponsor billboards, image galleries, alternate end titles and more. I could list them all but that would take up too much space. Suffice to say, every episode comes with its own set of extras and they are all impeccably done. Kudos to Image Entertainment for this lovingly presented set. It is right up there with the works from the Criterion Collection.

Blu-ray Value:

For fans of “The Twilight Zone,” there is no better way to watch your favorite episode than on this Blu-ray release. Not only is the video and audio presentation so beautifully restored and brought into the 21^st century, you also get a massive amount of special features to go along with each episode. Until something better comes along, this 5-disc set is definitely the definitive collection of “The Twilight Zone” Season 3 episodes.

Movie Openings: Week of February 11th, 2011 - Never Say Bieber?!

2011-02-11T09:17:00.000-05:00

I have just one word to say: WHY?!?! Does the world really need a Justin Bieber movie? Well, if you are the Biebz and his entourage, then yes. Why not make a pretty penny off your legions of fans while you are still on top, right? The rest of us are just gonna shrug and go, "whatever." Other than the Bieber movie, we also have an Adam Snadler-Jennifer Aniston comedy, an animated tale about Romeo and Juliet starring garden gnomes and a swords and sandals Roman empire flick.

Last weekend, an upset happened at the box office. Despite some major advertising muscles, the 3-D-driven survival-adventure film, "Sanctum," finished only second at the box office with $9.5M, way behind "The Roommate," which picked up $15M. "No Strings Attached" stayed strong, picking up another $8M, boosting its total take to $51M in just 3 weeks, not bad for a rom-com. Rounding up the top 5 are "The King's Speech," which continues to benefit from its post-Oscar nominations, and "The Green Hornet." Last week's first place movie, "The Rite" dropped off by more than 60% to land in sixth place ($5.6M), followed by Jason Statham's "The Mechanic" ($5.3M). Now on to this week's movie releases:

All I can say is, the person managing Justin Bieber's career should be awarded a presidential medal for some of the best marketing and promotional strategies, resulting in this slick, made-strictly-for-his-fans movie, "Justin Bieber: Never Say Never." Oh, and it's in 3-D too. This movie is a carefully packaged promotional tool, charting Bieber's life from an unknown to an internet sensation and finally, the megastar he is today, culminating with a performance of his sold-out show in Madison Square Garden. Directed by John Chu, who also directed Step Up 3 and Step Up 2: The Streets, "Never Say Never" is concert film in the same vein as Jonas Brothers: The Concert Experience, all promoting some of this generation's biggest teen idols. Surprisingly, this Bieber movie has not been lambasted by most critics, landing a better-than-average 61% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. You be the judge. I just feel sorry for the legions of adults who have to sit through the movie chaperoning their tween daughters. Here is the brief synopsis:

Justin Bieber: Never Say Never is the inspiring true story and rare inside look at the rise of Justin from street performer in the small town of Stratford, Ontario to internet phenomenon to global super star culminating with a dream sold out show at the famed Madison Square Garden in 3-D.

How many ways can one tell the same story over and over again? I like Adam Sandler's romantic comedies (my favorite is still 50 First Dates) but at some point, they all seem to blur into this giant mess of generic rom-coms that is lacking in the ideas department. Sandler seems to have a knack for working well with kids and in this new comedy "Just Go With It," he is again paired with a couple of kids, together with former America's sweetheart, Jennifer Aniston, SI Swimsuit cover model Brooklyn Decker and Nicole Kidman. "Just Go With It" is currently ranked at a low 24% on RT, not exactly a ringing endorsement for the film. Here is the synopsis:

In Just Go With It, a plastic surgeon, romancing a much younger schoolteacher, enlists his loyal assistant to pretend to be his soon to be ex-wife, in order to cover up a careless lie. When more lies backfire, the assistant's kids become involved, and everyone heads off for a weekend in Hawaii that will change all their lives.

Just in time for Valentine's Day, we have one of the move beloved love stories ever told, "Gnomeo & Juliet." Wait, what?! Yes, the Bard's classic tale has been reduced to one set in a backyard inhabited by garden gnomes. James McAvoy and Emily Blunt voice the star-crossed gnomes, Gnomeo and Juliet and are ably backed up by the voices of Michael Caine, Dame Maggie Smith and even Jason Statham! I have mixed feelings about this one. It could be funny but then again, these gnomes seem to all have British accents. If only the Monty Python crew had their crummy hands on this one. Oh well, we can dream, right? "Gnomeo & Juliet" is also shown in 3-D and is currently rated at an OK 53% on RT. Here is the synopsis:

The greatest love story ever told, starring...garden gnomes? In the upcoming "Gnomeo & Juliet," Shakespeare's revered tale gets a comical, off-the-wall makeover. Directed by Kelly Asbury ("Shrek 2") and showcasing both classic and original songs by Elton John, the film features the voices of James McAvoy and Emily Blunt as Gnomeo and Juliet, who have as many obstacles to overcome as their quasi namesakes when they are caught up in a feud between neighbors. But with plastic pink flamingos and thrilling lawnmower races in the mix, can this young couple find lasting happiness? Two garden gnomes, Gnomeo (voice of James McAvoy) and Juliet (voice of Emily Blunt), try to avoid tragedy and find a happy ending to their star-crossed love affair when they are caught up in a feud between neighbors.

Gladiator it is not but "The Eagle" tries its best to mimic its swords and sandals brethren in this Roman Empire epic, based on the novel, The Eagle of the Ninth by Rosemary Sutcliff. Too often, films such as this suffer from believability when the supposedly Roman gladiators speak with an American or British accent. Here, it is no different. Directed by Kevin MacDonald (The Last King of Scotland) and starring a charisma-challenged Channing Tatum (G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra) in the lead role, "The Eagle" has some credibility problems and is in dire need of a good story and direction to bring it to the fore. Unfortunately, most critics gave it the thumbs down, scoring a low 37% on RT. Here is the synopsis:

In 2nd-Century Britain, two men – master and slave – venture beyond the edge of the known world on a dangerous and obsessive quest that will push them beyond the boundaries of loyalty and betrayal, friendship and hatred, deceit and heroism…The Roman epic adventure The Eagle is directed by Kevin Macdonald and produced by Duncan Kenworthy. Jeremy Brock has adapted the scr eenplay from Rosemary Sutcliff's classic novel The Eagle of the Ninth.

In 140 AD, the Roman Empire extends all the way to Britain – though its grasp is incomplete, as the rebellious tribes of Caledonia (today's Scotland) hold sway in the far North. Marcus Aquila (Channing Tatum) arrives in Britain, determined to restore the tarnished reputation of his father, Flavius Aquila. It was 20 years earlier that Rome's 5,000-strong Ninth Legion, under the command of Flavius and carrying their golden emblem, the Eagle of the Ninth, marched north into Caledonia. They never returned; Legion and Eagle simply vanished into the mists. Angered, the Roman Emperor Hadrian ordered the building of a wall to seal off the territory; Hadrian's Wall became the northernmost frontier of the Roman Empire – the edge of the known world.

Now here's a comedy we can all climb on board. "Cedar Rapids" will certainly appeal to many in a way that it is highly relatable to the common folk. Here, you won't find any of those wacky and outlandish characters that we see in so many films these days. Ed Helms (The Hangover) stars as a sheltered insurance agent, sent out of town for the very first time. Navigating the treacherous ins and outs of a business convention, our lovable agent must shed his self-imposed straitjacket and hang loose or be eaten alive by the other convention veterans. "Cedar Rapis" has been given an outstanding 87% rating on RT. Here is the synopsis:

To call insurance agent Tim Lippe (Ed Helms), "naïve" is a gross understatement. He's never left his small hometown. He's never stayed at a hotel. And he's never experienced anything like Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Sent to represent his company at the annual insurance convention, Tim is soon distracted by three convention veterans (John C. Reilly, Anne Heche and Isiah Whitlock Jr.) who will show him the ropes and push his boundaries. For a guy who plays everything by the book, this convention will be anything but conventional.

Mahi-mahi with Stir-Fried Vegetables in Kung Pao Sauce

2011-02-09T14:04:00.001-05:00

I recently acquired some Sichuan peppers, one of the pillar ingredients used in Sichuan cuisine and also one of the main ingredients in the famous kung pao sauce. With its unique aroma and tongue-numbing feature, I knew I had to try it out on a dish. But there was no way I was making kung pao chicken. Too easy and too familiar. So, last week, while I was at the grocery store, the fish counter had mahi-mahi (its Hawaiian name; also known as dolphin fish) for sale and since I loved its robust flavor and texture, I thought that it would be a good fit for a spicy dish with Sichuan peppers.

But first, a little background on these unique peppers. Although the name implies it, Sichuan peppers are not related in any way to black/white peppercorns or chili peppers. It is actually harvested as the outer husk of a tiny berry-like fruit and not an actual pepper. In Mandarin, it is called huājiāo (literally, "flower pepper") and of course, originates from the Sichuan province in China. It is one of the main ingredients used in Chinese five-spice powder and also Japanese shichimi togarashi or seven-spice mix. If you take a single Sichuan pepper and put it on your tongue, you will immediately feel a numbing and tingling sensation caused by a chemical found in the pepper. It is a rather strange feeling and would eventually dissipate in time.

To make the kung pao sauce, you'll need:
3 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
1 teaspoon light soy sauce
3 teaspoons Chinkiang black vinegar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon corn starch (made into a slurry)
1 tablespoon chicken stock
1 large shallot (small dice)
2 cloves garlic (minced)
1/2 teaspoon ginger (minced)
1/4 teaspoon Sichuan peppers (about 7-10)

Start by toasting the Sichuan peppers over hot oil until fragrant, careful not to burn them. Remove and set the peppers aside, leaving the oil in the pan. Next, fry the shallot and ginger until soft and fragrant and then add the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds or so. Add the two soy sauces plus the vinegar. Mix well and add the chicken stock, sugar and sesame oil. Let the sauce simmer in the pan while you prepare the corn starch slurry by adding water to the corn starch and dissolving it in about a tablespoon of water. Add about half of the slurry to the sauce to thicken it. Add more if needed. Now, remember the Sichuan pepper that you set aside earlier? Using a spoon or the side of your knife, crush them as much as possible and add half of it to the sauce.

Now for the vegetables. For an authentic Chinese stir-fry, you can use baby bok choy, snow peas, carrots and baby corn. I would blanch (par cook using boiling water) the snow peas and carrots first. Just add all of the above into the sauce and cook for a few minutes so that every component combines well with the sauce. As for the fish, season the top with salt, pepper and the remaining crushed Sichuan pepper and sauté until cooked. Garnish with scallions and serve.

Blu-ray Releases: The Week of Feb. 7th, 2011 - I Spit On Paranormal Activities!

2011-02-08T09:51:00.000-05:00

Well, the Packs won and the much-hyped Superbowl ads are now over and done with. Sprinkled among the commercials were several blockbuster movies debuting their new trailers, most for the first time. There was the JJ Abrams-Steven Spielberg collaboration, "Super 8" (is it E.T or is it Cloverfield?), "Captain America: The First Avenger," "Thor," "Transformers 3," "Pirates of the Caribbean 4" and a bunch of others. Did you see them? What did you think?

The first Paranormal Activity was a resounding success for two simple reasons: one, it was genuinely scary and two, it was not a cookie-cutter horror film. In fact, it was not even a proper movie per se. In the context of what we have come to assume how a typical movie should be like, Paranormal Activity defied all expectations. It was made on an indie garage film budget of approximately $15K, a pittance in terms of movie budgets and was picked up by Paramount and went on to make close to $200M worldwide! It is a Cinderella story not unlike Saw (the first film). Of course, when such good fortunes happen, people just want to cash in on the immense interest for the film and guess what? Here comes the sequels! Paranormal Activity 2 was released last October and has a pretty good theatrical run and it is now available on Blu-ray and DVD this week. Also releasing this week are a couple more horror flicks, comedies and Criterions. Here is the list of this week's Blu-ray new release highlights:

Paranormal Activity 2, based on the reputation of the original, scared up close to $170M worldwide, yet another successful outing for the franchise. As most critics agreed, this sequel is a much better made movie (remember that the first one was made without any studio support) with a better story but guess what, it does not "break new ground." Yes, that was the major complaint, that it was more of the same thing. Well, I got news for you, pal, the title says Paranormal Activity 2, doesn't it? What did you expect? So, if you liked the first one and it scared you, then you should probably like this one as well. The hype hasn't abated for this franchise (yet, just wait for sequels number 3 and 4) and it should do well on Blu-ray as well. This sequel comes in a 2-disc Unrated Director's Cut (Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Copy) package. Recommendation: A good rental if you are looking for a scary movie night.

The original I Spit on Your Grave, released in 1978, was a very controversial film for its graphic depiction of gang rape and extreme violence. Even by today's standards, the horrifically drawn out rape scenes are still considered vile and unnecessary. However, more current reappraisals of the film have redeemed it somewhat, calling it a "feminist wish fulfillment" film, not for the rape but for the violence against the male perpetrators that came after. That a remake was greenlighted at all is a big surprise but bringing the film into the new millennia doesn't make it any much better. In fact, the new I Spit on Your Grave (circa 2010) keeps to the same violent tone but makes the seconds half revenge sequences seem very Friday the 13th-like, proving that newer doesn't necessarily mean better. I Spit on Your Grave (2010) comes to Blu-ray in a single disc version and for those interested in the original as well, the 1978 I Spit on Your Grave gets a release this week as well. Recommendation: Rental, only if you have really nothing else you would rather watch.

This week seems to be big on horror films. My Soul to Take is the third and final one and it comes from well known horror movie director, Wes Craven. The creator of such classics as the Nightmare on Elm Street and Scream series, as well as The Hills Have Eyes, The Serpent and the Rainbow and The Last House on the Left, Craven seems to have lost his mojo on this one. The story sounds like a good one: a serial killer who swore that he would return to kill the seven children that were born on the night that he died. The film has been generally condemned for its lack of coherence in the script and substituting cheap thrills for real horror. My Soul to Take comes in a single disc movie-only package with some general extras like deleted scenes and audio commentary. Recommendation: Skip it.

Even though Ong Bak 3 was only released to theaters about a month or so ago in the U.S., it is now available on home video. If you are a fan of Tony Jaa, then getting this release is a no-brainer. Like the previous installment in the trilogy, the story is paper-thin but you don't watch a Tony Jaa movie for the story, do you? If you are into martial arts, especially the Muay Thai discipline that Jaa practices, then Ong Bak 3 comes highly recommended. This release is a single-disc Collector's Edition and it includes a Digital Copy of the film. Recommendation: A must for Tony Jaa and martial arts fans, all others need not apply.

Following popular perception, with a new baby, life as we know it is just about over. Well, that's at least what the latest Katherine Heigl rom-com, Life as We Know It, is trying to convey. Together with Josh Dushamel, they play single adults who hate each other but are brought together by a new baby in their lives following the death of their mutual best friends. Life as We Know It offers nothing new except they typical formulaic poop jokes and everything we've come to expect from a comedy that has a baby in it. This theme was done way better in Three Men and a Baby and that was more than a couple of decades ago. This film is released in two packages, a loaded 2-disc one with Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Copy and the other, a barebones movie only release. Recommendation: A rental at best.

Next is the cross-generational comedy You Again that stars Kristen Bell, Jamie Lee Curtis, Odette Yustman and Sigourney Weaver as mother-daughter rivals who must now come to terms with the fact that they are going to be one big happy family. The story sounds ripe for some comedic hoopla but as most critics noted, the film switched on its autopilot and cruised to yet another generic location. With a great cast (including Betty White and Kristin Chenoweth), you would think that You Again would be a shoo-in for some great laughs but alas, not a chance. This film comes in a Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo package. Recommendation: Yet another rental.

The film, Middle Men is described as Boogie Nights for the internet age. It does not quite reach the heights of the Mark Wahlberg film, but Middle Men is an interesting film nonetheless. Yes, it is all about the porn industry and how it boomed together with the internet. Luke Wilson plays Jack Harris, whose vision of peddling porn through the internet is not only prescient and enriching, he becomes a target of the FBI, trying to make sense of the new digital frontier and also the mob, who wants their cut. While the film may lack focus (it can't decide whether it wants to be a comedy, a drama or a crime thriller), it is probably worth checking out. Middle Men comes in a single disc movie-only release. Recommendation: A good rental.

Finally, the Criterion Collection is gracing us with not one but two Blu-ray classic releases this week. One is the Federico Fellini coming of age comedy, Amarcord and the other, Still Walking, a lesser known Japanese film directed by Hirokazu Koreeda. Amarcord marks the first color Fellini film to get the high-def treatment and it is a great choice with the film's rich color palette and equally colorful characters. While Amarcord is a vibrant and funny film, Still Walking strikes the opposite tone, as Koreeda explores the day in the life of a Japanese family as they commemorate the death of a family member. Koreeda has been hailed by Roger Ebert as the next Ozu and his emotional themes of loss and memory is prevalent in all of his other works. Both films come with the usual Criterion knack for high quality video transfer and audio plus tons of extras. Recommendation: Buy them!

Movie Openings: Week of February 4th, 2011

2011-02-04T10:45:00.001-05:00

You've seen the countless ads and trailers on TV. You've seen the previews in theaters, on the internet and pretty much everywhere imaginable. Yup, the James Cameron hype machine is working overtime yet again. The first Cameron movie, post-Avatar, is upon us and it's going to be another 3-D extravaganza. Actually, Cameron did not sit in the director's chair this time (he executive produced), that honor went instead to unknown Australian director, Alister Grierson (Kokoda). Besides this heavily promoted release, this first week of February offers no surprises, with your usual line-up of run-of-the-mill movies that eschews creativity over formula. It's Superbowl weekend and if you're not a football fan, it's probably time to catch up with any movies that you might have missed over the holidays. I suspect the theaters would be kinda slow this weekend.

Last weekend, the creepy Anthony Hopkins took over the box-office when "The Rite" nudged "No Strings Attached" out of the top spot ($14.7M vs. $13.4M). Jason Statham's "The Mechanic" did better than expected, cashing in $11.4M (Statham's best opening box-office take) for third place. Rounding up the top 5 are "The Green Hornet" ($11.1M) and "The King's Speech" ($11M). The latter seem to have gotten a good bump because of its Oscar nominations, adding 877 new screens and a jump of almost 41% in revenue from last week., bringing its total gross to an impressive $72M. Staying strong at number 6 is the Western, "True Grit," which has now grossed $148M, the best ever for a Coen brothers' movie.

Now, let's get on with this week's movie releases:

If you are expecting "Sanctum" to come up to the quality of Avatar, you'll be sorely disappointed. This film may have James Cameron's name attached to it but the only connection is only in the 3-D technology that was used. "Sanctum" is essentially an Australian production and the movie was inspired by co-writer Andrew Wright's near-death experience during a cave diving expedition. If you don't already know, "Sanctum" is a survival-adventure film where a group of cave divers find themselves trapped underground and must venture deeper into the cave to escape. Reviews have not been kind, describing "Sanctum" as an Australian B-movie with three-dimensional caves and two-dimensional characters. It is currently rated at 32% on Rotten Tomatoes. Unless, you are into 3-D movies, you should probably give "Sanctum" a miss and go rent The Descent instead, a much better cave adventure film. Here is the synopsis:

"The 3-D action-thriller Sanctum, from executive producer James Cameron, follows a team of underwater cave divers on a treacherous expedition to the largest, most beautiful and least accessible cave system on Earth. When a tropical storm forces them deep into the caverns, they must fight raging water, deadly terrain and creeping panic as they search for an unknown escape route to the sea. Master diver Frank McGuire (Richard Roxburgh) has explored the South Pacific's Esa-ala Caves for months. But when his exit is cut off in a flash flood, Frank's team--including 17-year-old son Josh (Rhys Wakefield) and financier Carl Hurley (Ioan Gruffudd)--are forced to radically alter plans. With dwindling supplies, the crew must navigate an underwater labyrinth to make it out. Soon, they are confronted with the unavoidable question: Can they survive, or will they be trapped forever?"

I'm sure you've seen this one before. You meet a stranger who seems very nice and kind, someone who could be your new best friend.......until they suddenly turn psycho on you! With shades of Single White Female, "The Roommate" is a psychological thriller that probably belongs more on the Lifetime Movie channel than in your local cineplex. You know the drill, nice college roommate (Leighton Meester) stops taking her meds and goes nutty, becoming obsessed with her new roommate, played by Minka Kelly. Both actresses have had bit parts in several movies and here they are, finally getting their big shot at the limelight. It's just too bad this film is so formulaic and predictable, one that would soon be forgotten in a couple of weeks. This film hasn't been reviewed yet (maybe that's a good thing) and has received no rating on RT.

Natalie Portman's been a busy woman these days. After some unremarkable roles in films like The Other Boleyn Girl and Brothers, Portman rose to the occasion in Black Swan (for which she has received an Oscar nomination) and has since starred in a rom-com, "No Strings Attached" and now "The Other Woman." Based on the Ayelet Waldman novel, Love and Other Impossible Pursuits, "The Other Woman" has Portman in the role of Emilia, a newlywed and second wife to lawyer Jack (Scott Cohen) who must deal with the inexplicable loss of a child, her status as "the other woman" in the eyes of Jack's ex-wife Carolyn (Lisa Kudrow) and connecting with her new stepson. Although the film has not been viewed positively by a majority of critics, Portman's performance received a thumbs-up from most of them. "The Other Woman" has received a less-than-stellar 39% rating on RT. Here is the synopsis:

"Natalie Portman (BLACK SWAN) lights up the screen in this frank, funny, and heart-wrenching adaptation of bestselling author Ayelet Waldman's novel about life, loss, and family, "LOVE AND OTHER IMPOSSIBLE PURSUITS." Emilia (Portman) is a Harvard law school graduate and a newlywed, having just married Jack (Scott Cohen, THE UNDERSTUDY), a high-powered New York lawyer, who was her boss - and married - when she began working at his law firm. Unfortunately, her life takes an unexpected turn when Jack and Emilia lose their newborn daughter. Emilia struggles through her grief to connect with her new stepson William (Charlie Tahan, I AM LEGEND), while also trying to overcome a long-standing rift in her relationship with her father caused by his own infidelity. But perhaps the most difficult obstacle of all for Emilia is trying to cope with the constant interferences of her husband's angry, jealous ex-wife, Carolyn (Lisa Kudrow, FRIENDS, ANALYZE THIS). Ultimately, Emilia's and Charlie's playful and sometimes tender exchanges help Emilia to open her heart. Can Emilia rediscover her own capacity for love in time to salvage her failing marriage, mend fences with her parents and build a family from the wreckage? Directed by Don Roos (THE OPPOSITE OF SEX) from his own screenplay, this tearful, terrific tale proves that even with a pursuit like love, nothing is impossible."

Written and directed by Aaron Katz (Quiet City, Dance Party, USA), "Cold Weather" premiered at the 2010 SXSW Film Festival to critical acclaim and was picked up by IFC Films for a theatrical run. "Cold Weather" has been described as a slacker version of Sherlock Holmes about an aimless twentysomething who discovers his latent passion for sleuthing when his ex-girlfriend goes missing. It is getting good reviews and is currently rated at a better than expected 75% on RT. Even if you don't get to it when it hits theaters, you should definitely check it out when it comes out on Blu-ray/DVD. Here is the synopsis:

"After abandoning a promising academic career in forensic science, aimless Doug (Cris Lankenau) returns to Portland to live with his more responsible big sister Gail (Trieste Kelly). He quickly lands a dead-end job in an ice factory, but his latent passion for detective work is stoked when his ex-girlfriend goes missing. Armed with a handful of arcane clues, Doug enlists Gail and co-worker Carlos (Raúl Castillo) in a ramshackle investigation that draws the slacker sleuths into Portland's not-quite-seedy underground. Building on the lyrical style and naturalistic performances of his two previous features, DANCE PARTY USA and QUIET CITY, Katz offers a refreshingly idiosyncratic spin on genre conventions. He eschews the twisty plots and violence of modern neo-noir in favor of sly, deadpan humor and closely-observed performances. COLD WEATHER is simultaneously a story of a brother and sister getting to know each other after years apart and a mystery in the great tradition of crime and detective fiction."

Classic Penang Chinese New Year Dish: Fried Jicama-Carrot with Cuttlefish

2011-02-03T09:11:00.000-05:00

For as long I remember, growing up in Penang, I've always tasted the dish, jiu hu char (jiu hu means cuttlefish and char means fried) every Chinese New Year. It is one of those staple foods that my mother would cook in honor of the biggest celebration of the year. And the best thing is, it is not the hardest thing to make and it is one of those dishes that gets better as it sits overnight. As the name implies, the main ingredient is of course, cuttlefish and for this dish, we usually use the dried kind, which gets hydrated before using. So, here are the ingredients that you'll need to make this flavorful festive dish:

1 medium-sized jicama (peeled and shredded)
3-4 carrots (peeled and shredded)
2 leeks (julienned; can be substituted with an onion)
4 cloves garlic (fine dice)
4 dried shiitake mushrooms (hydrated and stems removed; julienned)
2-3 Chinese chives (small dice)
4 dried cuttlefish (hydrated and julienned)
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1/2 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon sweet soy sauce (ABC brand kicap manis)
Light soy sauce and black pepper (to taste)
Iceberg lettuce leaves to serve the dish on
Sambal (the recipe can be found here) as a spicy condiment

Before you start, you'll need to hydrate the cuttlefish first. Put the cuttlefish in a small pot of water and bring it to a boil and then bring the heat down to a simmer. Let the cuttlefish cook in the pot of water until soft. That usually takes about an hour or so. As for the shiitake mushrooms, soak them in hot water and remove them when they become soft and pliable. Save the liquid from the pot that you cooked the cuttlefish in as it can be used as a flavorful stock for the dish.

Using a wok, start by sautéing the leeks until soft and fragrant. Next, cook the garlic for about 30 seconds. Add the jicama, carrots, mushrooms and cuttlefish into the wok and mix everything thoroughly. Season the ingredients with black pepper, oyster sauce, sweet soy sauce, sugar and a little soy sauce. Also, add in about 3-4 tablespoons of the cuttlefish liquid that you saved from earlier. Turn the heat down and let the ingredients cook for about 15-20 minutes, stirring and mixing them regularly. Taste and season again if needed. This dish needs to have a good balance of sweet and salty flavors. To serve, scoop some jiu hu char onto a washed iceberg lettuce leaf and topped it off with a thimble of spicy sambal.

Happy Chinese New Year!

Spicy Gochujang Braised Chicken Thighs

2011-02-02T13:56:00.000-05:00

If you are ever stuck on how to cook the tray of chicken thighs in your refrigerator, consider braising as a great and much more delicious alternative to let's say, deep frying or stir-frying. And to add a little kick to the dish, why not spice it up with a little Korean fermented hot pepper paste called gochujang by adding it into the braising liquid. The basic braising principles hold true here as well, so do as you would with lets say, braising short ribs. Here are the ingredients you'll need:

Chicken thighs (1.5-2lb)
4 carrots (rough chop)
1 large onion (peeled, rough chop)
4 big slices of ginger
4 ribs of celery (rough chop)
1-2 quarts chicken stock/broth
4 cloves garlic (smashed)
2 tablespoons gochujang
2 tablespoons tomato paste
Salt and pepper to taste

Start by seasoning the chicken with salt and pepper. In a large oven-safe deep pan, heat up 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil and sear off the chicken thighs, skin side down first until the skin is crispy yummy. Turn them over and cook the other side until brown. Remove the chicken thighs from the pan and set aside. Add the vegetables (onions, carrots, celery, ginger) to the pan and cook for a couple of minutes. Next, add the garlic and stir well for 30 seconds or so. Be careful not to let the garlic turn brown or burn.

Deglaze the pan with a splash of the chicken stock and scrape the bottom of the pan to release the yummy bits of chicken stuck on the bottom, add the gochujang and tomato paste and mix well. Transfer the chicken thighs back to the pan, skin side up, and add more chicken stock until it covers most of the chicken but not the crispy skin (we try to keep the skin as crispy as possible). Finally, cover the pan with foil paper and put the pan cover on. Transfer the pan to the oven that is heated up to 375°F and let it cook for approximately an hour.

When done, remove the chicken from the pan and sieve the braising liquid, removing everything else and saving the liquid. Taste and season the braising liquid with salt and pepper, if needed. If need to, reduce the liquid by a quarter to further intensify the flavors. Use it as gravy, serving the chicken with rice and a vegetable of your choice (I like asparagus). Enjoy!

Blu-ray Releases: The Week of Jan. 31st, 2011 - Let Me In, Alice!

2011-02-01T10:14:00.000-05:00

It's not hard for me to declare Let Me In as the best horror movie of 2010 and certainly one of my top 5 movies of last year. Don't believe me? Well, the ultimate endorsement came from the horror-meister himself, Stephen King, who declared Let Me In, the "best American horror film in the last 20 years" and puts it on top of his best 2010 movies list. Yes, King may be a little biased towards that genre but you can't argue that the man knows a good horror film when he sees one. For sure, Let Me In isn't your typical teenage (in this case, adolescent) vampire movie that we've become accustomed to in recent years. It is ultimately more than that and that is why it is so good. However, it is not the only good movie out this week. Here are some of the other notable releases:

Before you watch Let Me In, go rent or buy its companion piece, the 2008 Swedish film, Let the Right One In and watch that first. Both films are based on the same novel, Let Me In by John Ajvide Lindqvist but each interpretation of the written work is slightly different. Directed by Tomas Alfredson, with the screenplay written by Lindqvist himself, Let the Right One In was well received both in Sweden and around the world. Although the basic premise of the movie is of the horror genre, Alfredson focused primarily on the intriguing relationship between the two young protagonists, one a reclusive boy who regularly gets bullied by his schoolmates and the other, a vampire girl who makes it her mission to protect her newfound friend. And that is what makes the film so powerful, flirting with the popular vampire elements but at the same time, keeping our attention focused on the childlike innocence and touching relationship between these two unlikely friends.

Now, Matt Reeves' (Cloverfield) re-imagining of Lindqvist's novel (I wouldn't call it a remake of Let the Right One In) follows a similar story path but brings it to a whole new level, keeping it both thoughtful and quietly chilling. Reeves, who wrote the screenplay and also directed the film, has done a magnificent job without getting any accolades from the industry. It is a shame that Let Me In did not even receive a single nomination for any of the major awards. Special mention should go to Chloë Grace Moretz, the child star of Kick-Ass, who plays the sympathetic vampire girl and makes it as memorable as her previous role as Hit-Girl. Let Me In comes to Blu-ray in a 2-disc set that contains versions of the movie on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital Copy and it is on sale this week for $19.99 on Amazon and Best Buy. Recommendation: Buy it now! Right now!

A good alien monster movie made on a budget? That's unheard of in this day and age of million-dollar special effects blockbusters. But as evidenced by the existence of the British indie sci-fi film, Monsters, such a creature does exist and it reveals itself this week on Blu-ray. Written and directed by first-time filmmaker, Gareth Edwards, Monsters is a fine example of guerrilla filmmaking, where filming took place on location in Mexico, Belize, Guatemala and Costa Rica, and was often done without prior permission from local authorities and using local non-actors as extras. The budget for the entire production came in at just under $500,000 and it earned more than $3.5M worldwide (making about $240K of that in the US). Monsters received generally good reviews from most critics, ranking at 71% on Rotten Tomatoes but never really got off the ground. Monsters is not just another alien movie, it is also a parable for the nation's immigration policies post-9/11 when extra-terrestrial alien life-forms spread across the US-Mexican border area, leading to a military quarantine. Part sci-fi-horror, part romance and part road movie, Monsters did not do well at the domestic box office but should get a second chance in its debut on home video. Monsters come in a Special Edition package that includes the movie on Blu-ray and Digital Copy. It is on sale on Amazon this week for $15.99. Recommendation: A great rental, buy it when the price drops to $12 or less.

Adapted from Lewis Carroll's classic Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Disney's 1951 animated film, Alice In Wonderland is a classic in its own right. Now, on the film's 60th anniversary, Disney is releasing it in high-definition Blu-ray and Disney movie fans and collectors can rejoice at the prospect of owning the ultimate version of this beloved animated film. Featuring fully restored audio and video, together with a multitude of extras, this Two-Disc 60th Anniversary Blu-ray/DVD Combo package is a must-own. Alice In Wonderland stands tall among other Disney classics that have received the Blu-ray treatment and you owe it to yourself to add it to your collection. Recommendation: Buy it!

Never Let Me Go proved to be a hard sell for theater audiences when it was released in the Fall of 2010. Based on a 2005 novel by Kazuo Ishiguro, Never Let Me Go is a tender and haunting story about love and death with a decidedly sci-fi spin. Set in a dystopian Britain where three friends, played by Carey Mulligan (An Education), Keira Knightley (Pride and Prejudice) and Andrew Garfield (The Social Network), spent their childhood growing up in an idyllic boarding school called Hailsham. But their future is more disturbing than one could ever imagined as the truth of their existence is slowly revealed. Although it did disappointing business at the box office, Never Let Me Go should get a second chance this time around as it is a hauntingly beautiful story that strikes a mournful note. Recommendation: A good rental but this film may not be for everyone.

A Woman, a Gun and a Noodle Shop is celebrated Chinese director, Zhang Yimou's (Raise the Red Lantern, Hero) remake of the Joel and Ethan Coen's critically acclaimed 1985 film debut, Blood Simple. Now, before you say anything, note that Zhang is a big fan of the Coens and this film is a great departure from Zhang's previous works. The basic story of an adulterous wife and her lover, a jealous husband and a double-crossing officer of the law is still intact, of course. Supplanting the original setting from modern day Texas to a small Chinese village during feudal times, Zhang has moved as far away, visually speaking, from the Coens' opus as one can get. With the characters donning garish costumes and even adding unconventional slapstick humor and sight gags to his version, Zhang may not be remaking Blood Simple in the true sense of the original but remaking it in his own vision, his own style and treating it the only way he knows best, with utmost respect. A Woman, a Gun and a Noodle Shop comes to Blu-ray courtesy of Sony Pictures and is a regular single disc package. Recommendation: A good rental but only buy if you are a Zhang Yimou completist.

This week, from the Criterion Collection comes The Double Life of Veronique, the 1991 French-Polish language film from renown Polish director, Krzysztof Kieślowski. The story follows two women, one in Poland and the other in France, both look identical and played by the same actress, Irène Jacob. There is a fantasy element to the story as the two women, unaware of each another on a physical plane but seem to possess similar personality traits and be connected somehow. This movie is contemplative and slow and full of haunting metaphors, emotional juxtapositions and an eerie mystique. Don't even try to understand it, just go with the flow and enjoy Kieślowski's bizarre but poetic gift to cinema. Expect Criterion's usual excellence in presenting almost perfect audio and visual quality plus relevant and notable extras. Recommendation: The Criterion Collection is a boon to cinema-philes and if you are one, go buy it. Otherwise, a good rental for the curious.

This week, from 20th Century Fox comes three catalog titles, All About Eve (1950), An Affair to Remember (1957) and the movie that shot Hilary Swank and Chloë Sevigny to stardom, Boys Don't Cry. All About Eve starred Bette Davis and Anne Baxter and a then unknown actress by the name of Marilyn Monroe and it won six Oscars including Best Picture. An Affair to Remember is considered one of the most romantic films of all time and it starred a dashing Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr. Recommendation: All 3 films should be in your collection.

Also releasing this week are a couple of films that may have slipped from most people's radar when they were in theaters just months ago. The first is Conviction, a Hilary Swank and Sam Rockwell film that is based on a true story of a single mother who put herself through college and law school in order to exonerate her brother who was wrongfully convicted of a murder. Then there is Welcome to the Rileys, which stars James Gandolfini (The Sopranos), Kristen Stewart (Twilight) and the recently Oscar-nominated Melissa Leo. It is a drama about a couple coming to terms with the death of their daughter and the unlikely stranger who brings them back together. Recommendation: Both films are worth at least a rental.

Movie Openings: Week of January 28th, 2011 - Ip Man 2

2011-01-28T11:56:00.000-05:00

At first glance, Ip Man, sounds like a strange title for a movie. No, it is not the name of a new weird superhero and the pronunciation is much different from what is literally written. Ip Man is actually the name of a well-known (in Asia, at least) Wing Chun kung-fu grandmaster (more specifically, Yip Man) and his life is chronicled in two Ip Man films that starred Donnie Yen. That film was a smash hit and have been universally praised for its explosive martial arts sequences as well as its story. This week, Ip Man 2, the sequel to the first film is coming stateside with a theatrical release, as well as an Anthony Hopkins horror film about exorcisms and yet another high-kicking Jason Statham action flick.

Last weekend, with no competition in sight, the Natalie Portman-Ashton Kutcher rom-com, "No Strings Attached" shot to the top of the box-office chart with a commendable $19.6M, just ahead of "The Green Hornet," which raked in another $17.6M, for a total gross of an underwhelming $63M so far. Rounding up the top 5 are "The Dilemma" ($9.1M), "The King's Speech" ($7.8M) and "True Grit" ($7.3M). With the Oscar nominations announced this week, expect to see a spike in the box office take of nominated films like "The King's Speech," "True Grit," "Black Swan" and "The Fighter." Now on to this week's movie releases:

First up, we have "Ip Man 2: Legend of the Grandmaster," the sequel to 2008's martial arts smash hit, Ip Man. It stars internationally-known Hong Kong actors, Donnie Yen, Sammo Hung and Simon Yam. First released in China and Hong Kong back in April 2010, "Ip Man 2" continues the story of real-life Wing Chun grandmaster Ip Man, the man famously known as Bruce Lee's sifu or teacher. Both Ip Man films are semi-autobiographical, with certain artistic liberties taken with the story. While the first film focused on Ip Man's early life in Foshun, China in the 1930's during the Japanese occupation of China, the sequel continued where the first film ended, shifting the setting to British-ruled Hong Kong in the 1950's. If you are a martial arts fan, both films are must-sees. Donnie Yen does a great job in the title role, as does Wilson Yip, who directed both films. If you missed the first film, it is available on Blu-ray: Ip Man (Collector's Edition). The second film should become available on Blu-ray sometime soon. So far, this film has garnered some good reviews, with a 93% rating on Rotten Tomatoes (from 14 reviews). Here is the film's synopsis:

"International megastar Donnie Yen reprises his iconic role as the real-life kung fu grandmaster Ip Man, widely created as the man who brought Wing Chun kung fu to the world with the help of his star pupil- Bruce Lee. Master Ip, a new arrival in British-occupied Hong Kong, wants to open a martial arts academy to teach his unique Wing Chun style. But a corrupt cabal of martial arts masters, led by Master Hung (Sammo Hung) refuses to allow him to teach in peace until he proves himself in a series of fights against the local master, which Ip does, in style.

But even after earning the respect of the local masters, Ip’s troubles are far from over. Hong Kong under British rule is a new world of corruption and conflict between the Chinese locals and the British expats that run the city. When a Western-style boxer named “Twister” (Darren Shahlavi) comes to town to entertain the Brits, he insults Chinese martial arts in a horrifically violent way, and Ip is forced by honor to enter a brutal “King of the Ring” boxing match against Twister- and it’s East versus West in an amazing, knock-down drag-out fight to the finish."

Guess what? Jason Statham is back (yet again) and he is about to kick more bad guy ass than ever before. The action star of The Transporter and Crank film franchises, Statham last starred with a bunch of other tough guys in The Expendables. But here he is, solo again in his latest action flick, "The Mechanic." This is typical Jason Statham territory: a lone assassin (with the usual funny deadpan quips) who lives with a strict moral code and takes sweet revenge on those who have wronged him. "The Mechanic" is just like any other Statham-helmed action films and if you like those, then you'll probably like this one as well. The film is currently rated at 51% on RT.

"Arthur Bishop (Jason Statham) is a 'mechanic' - an elite assassin with a strict code and unique talent for cleanly eliminating targets. It's a job that requires professional perfection and total detachment, and Bishop is the best in the business. But when his mentor and close friend Harry (Donald Sutherland) is murdered, Bishop is anything but detached. His next assignment is self-imposed - he wants those responsible dead."

Up next is "The Rite," the first horror film of the year and it stars the creepy-looking Anthony Hopkins as Father Lucas, a priest who is an expert in performing exorcisms. The film is based on the book, The Rite: The Making of a Modern Exorcist by Matt Baglio and it follows a skeptical priest as he becomes an apprentice to a Vatican-based exorcist and comes face-to-face with pure evil. Although this is an interesting premise, the execution of the film leaves much to be desired, as evidenced by its poor 15% approval rating on RT. As much as the critics hated the film, eviscerating the generic climax, praise have been heaped on newcomer Colin O'Donoghue's and of course, Sir Anthony Hopkins' performances. As the first horror film of the year, there may be pent-up demand for films of this genre and "The Rite" should do respectably at the box-office this weekend. Here is the synopsis:

"Inspired by true events, "The Rite" follows skeptical seminary student Michael Kovak (Colin O'Donoghue), who reluctantly attends exorcism school at the Vatican. While he's in Rome, Michael meets an unorthodox priest, Father Lucas (Anthony Hopkins), who introduces him to the darker side of his faith, uncovering the devil's reach even to one of the holiest places on Earth."

Finally, opening this week in limited theaters is "Kaboom," a film written and directed by Gregg Araki, who is noted for his gay-themed and sexual awakening films like Totally F***ed Up, The Doom Generation, Nowhere,Mysterious Skin and the stoner comedy, Smiley Face with Anna Faris and John Krasinski. "Kaboom" is Araki's latest and is a sci-fi film (believe it or not) centered on the sexual awakenings of a group of college students. It has been described as "delirious and lighthearted" and "a chaotic, trifling and oddly likeable film" and Araki fans should be lining up for this one. Currently running at a commendable 71% on RT, "Kaboom" should become a cult hit when it hits Blu-ray. Here is the synopsis:

"Featuring a gorgeous young cast, Kaboom is a hyper-stylized ”Twin Peaks” for the Coachella Generation and tells the story of Smith (Thomas Dekker), an ambisexual 18-year-old college freshman who stumbles upon a monstrous conspiracy in a seemingly idyllic Southern California seaside town. Smith’s everyday life in the dorms - hanging out with his arty, sarcastic best friend Stella (Haley Bennett,) hooking up with a beautiful free spirit named London (Juno Temple,) lusting for his gorgeous but dim surfer roommate Thor (Chris Zylka) – all gets turned upside-down after one fateful, terrifying night."

Pan-Roasted Salmon with Green Lentils

2011-01-27T08:50:00.000-05:00

For some reason, lentils complement salmon very well, some might even say it's a classic combination. And the best thing is, there are health benefits as well: low fat, high protein and of course the famed omega-3 fatty acids from the salmon. Here I have a delicious and simple recipe that would easily find a home in any restaurant.

Let's start with cooking the lentils. It is combined with a lot of the ingredients that The Flavor Bible (my personal culinary guide) states go well with lentils. Here are the ingredients:

1/2 lb. green lentils (washed and soaked for about 15 minutes)
2 carrots (small dice)
4 celery ribs (small dice)
leeks (2-inch portion, julienned)
1/2 onion (small dice)
4 cloves garlic (chopped fine)
3 strips applewood/hickory-smoked bacon (optional if you would like to keep the dish strictly vegetarian)
1 quart chicken or vegetable broth
Parsley (chopped fine, for garnish)

First, render out the bacon (rough chopped into small squares) in a deep pan on medium heat. If you are vegetarian, use canola/corn oil. Add the onions and leeks and sweat them until tender and fragrant. Next, add the garlic and cook for about a minute. Add the rest of the ingredients (carrots, celery and lentils) and cook for another minute, stirring well. Then pour enough broth into the pan, enough to cover the ingredients and bring the heat down to a simmer. We are now cooking the lentils until they become tender. That process should usually take between 20-25 minutes. As the level of the liquid reduces while it is cooking, add more broth as needed. Also, stir and mix the ingredient in the pot every few minutes.

While the lentils are cooking, let's cook the salmon (skin removed). I usually use 4oz. portions per serving. Get a pan heating with some vegetable oil. Season the fish with salt and pepper and start cooking with the flesh side down. As that sides browns, turn it over and cook the other side. Sometimes, if the salmon is too thick, it may not cook all the way in the pan (you may burn the outside before it is cooked). This is when you need to transfer it into your oven (375°F) and finish cooking it there.

Now, it is time to start plating. Scoop up a ladle of lentils and place them in the middle of the plate and garnish with some parsley. Place the salmon on the bed of lentils and garnish around the plate with more parsley. Squeeze a little lemon juice onto the fish and you are done. Simple, no? Enjoy!

2011 Academy Award Nominees Announced

2011-01-25T09:40:00.001-05:00

From CNN, here are the Oscar nominees for the major categories:

Really, no big surprises this year. "The King's Speech" led the way with 12 nominations, followed by "True Grit" with 10. The problem is, not many people have seen or know about "The King's Speech," as it is languishing in theaters in just limited release (that fact might end soon with these nominations). Despite its recent accolades, a British film about the British Monarchy may not be everyone's cup of tea and that's a shame. Colin Firth is superb as the stuttering King George VI as he tries to rally his fellow countrymen as Britain and the world plunges into World War 2. The Best Picture category is again a 10-movie field, like last year. The Social Network, winner of the Golden Globe Award for Best Picture will face stiff competition against "The King's Speech" and "True Grit" in that category. It is an open and competitive race for most of the categories and we might see some surprises come February 27th. Check out the video to see if your favorite movies made it to the big dance.

Blu-ray Releases: The Week of Jan. 24th, 2011 - Secretariat Seeing Red Over Lennon

2011-01-24T11:04:00.000-05:00

Say it ain't so, Bruce! Has my favorite action hero officially joined the old-timer's club? Did the AARP come calling and good old Brucie man up (like he always does), stood up and say, "Aye!"? Even the ever beautiful Diane Lane decided to go retro in Disney's 1970's equine tale of overcoming incredible odds. Add a John Lennon biopic into the mix and we might as well step into Marty's DeLorean and journey into retro-land! All jokes aside, this week is actually looking good on the home video front, with a bunch of good Blu-ray releases that I believe, would be great additions to any collection, either now or later.

First, let's start with the action comedy flick, Red, which stars Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, Helen Mirren and John Malkovich as retired ex-CIA agents who must now battle against their former employer after years of executing the Agency's dirty deeds. Based on a DC Comics mini-series of the same name, written by Warren Ellis and illustrated by Cully Hamner, Red (the title is actually a playful acronym for "Retired, Extremely Dangerous"), despite its geriatric cast, is an enjoyable and funny romp. The sight of Dame Mirren stoically firing a giant machine gun-ny thing-y has to be priceless. Yes, parts of the movie may consist of the usual mindless high-octane action sequences but the veteran actors know how to make it work through their sometimes mockingly oddball humor. It's may be silly and over the top at times but boy, is it fun to watch. Red will be released in 2 versions, one a barebones one with only the movie and the other a Special Edition with an audio commentary, deleted scenes and a couple of featurettes. Early reviews have praised both the video (1080p) and audio (DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1) quality as almost reference material. Oh, and the best thing is the regular version Blu-ray is on sale at Target for only $13 this week, the same price as the DVD. Recommendation: At $13, buy it!

After the success of the movie Seabiscuit in 2003, it was only a matter of time before the story of Secretariat, one of the most celebrated Thoroughbred racehorses in history, made it into your local cineplex as well. But in Disney's Secretariat, the journey of the 1973 Triple Crown winner's rise to stardom is diminished somewhat by the syrupy sweet, overly-clichéd story of various characters overcoming great odds to achieve success. Yes, these kinds of stories are meant to inspire but in Secretariat's case, it came at a price: predictability and emotional excessiveness. However, Diane Lane and John Malkovich deliver good performances as Penny Chenery (Secretariat's owner) and Lucien Laurin (the trainer) respectively, pulling the movie up from the doldrums. Lane is no stranger to playing women who must overcome big challenges in order to succeed and here, she shines yet again. As for Malkovich, he is again at his crazy-uncle best. Secretariat is available in a Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo pack and the video (1080p) and audio quality are reportedly to be superb (no surprises there). Recommendation: Buy it for the family, just wait till the price drops to $15 or less.

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest is the final chapter in Stieg Larsson's Millennium Trilogy books and it is finally being released this week on Blu-ray, together with The Stieg Larsson Trilogy, the box set containing all three movies. The twisted tale of Lisbeth Salander (Noomi Rapace) finally reaches a stirring and satisfying conclusion. This may be the weakest movie compared to the first two but the need to unravel the mystery of Lisbeth's past keeps us going. The entire trilogy is a must-watch if you haven't already. These movies were actually made for Swedish television instead of for cinematic release but watching them, you wouldn't notice the difference. This made-for-TV fact, unfortunately rears its ugly head in the video transfer. Details are lacking, as well as depth of images, common to hi-def transfers. Film grain is ever present but I'm told that it is a stylistic choice of the director. It seems that the transfers have gotten worse with the release of each film in the trilogy but sometimes it is the story that matters and here, it sustains us through all the visual artifacts. An American version of the trilogy is already in the works with David Fincher (The Social Network) directing and Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara in the lead roles. Recommendation: Buy the trilogy box set when it drops to $45 or less ($15/movie).

Biopics are funny beasts. Depending on the celebrity in question, they can be engaging or just pedestrianly interesting. Much have been said and told about The Beatles and perhaps its most popular member, John Lennon. This week, two new releases about the different stages of Lennon's life premiers on Blu-ray. The first is Nowhere Boy, a motion picture film that focuses on Lennon's adolescent life growing up in Liverpool and the other is LennonNYC, a PBS documentary (part of its "American Masters" series) that takes an intimate look the time Lennon lived in New York City in the 70's with Yoko Ono and his son Sean. Nowhere Boy has been positively received, giving first-time director Sam Taylor-Wood a debut notch on his belt. It stars Aaron Johnson (Kick-Ass) as Lennon and takes us through his teenage years, examining Lennon's relationships with his estranged mother Julia (Anne-Marie Duff) and his Aunt Mimi (Kristin Scott Thomas), which help shape and influence his journey into rock n' roll stardom. From Lennon's first meeting with Paul McCartney and George Harrison to the creation of The Quarrymen, and ending with the band heading off to Hamburg, Nowhere Boy is an engaging story that no Beatles fan should miss. Nowhere Boy on Blu-ray features outstanding 1080p video and a great DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix. If you are interested, also check out Backbeat, the tragic story of "the fifth Beatle," Stuart Sutcliffe.

For a less dramatic but no less engaging look at John Lennon's later years living in NYC, try watching PBS' documentary, LennonNYC. It is an intimate and personal look at the life of one of rock n' roll's most important figures leading up to his shocking murder. With this doc consisting mainly of archival footages, don't expect to see or hear hi-def quality video or audio. If you are a Beatles or music fan in general, having both releases in your movie library should be a no-brainer. Recommendation: Buy them!

January has been kind to fans of the Criterion Collection. From the intrepid studio this week, comes just about one of the best films ever made about the TV news business, James L. Brooks' classic 1987 drama/comedy Broadcast News. It stars Holly Hunter (her big break), Albert Brooks and William Hurt as dysfunctional co-workers in a network newsroom as they try to maneuver the treacherous waters of the cutthroat news business. Brooks' witty script is smart poignant and most of all, very memorable. Like all of Criterion's releases, Broadcast News has pristine audio/video and plenty of supplemental material to keep fans occupied. Recommendation: No doubt about it, get it! Right now!

Finally, in the "indulge if you must section" comes the final chapter (hopefully) in the Saw movie franchise. Once described as the architect of the "torture porn" genre, the Saw franchise has seen the quality of its films decline precipitously with each installment. Saw: The Final Chapter is the 7th installment in the series and it is going back to its roots, back to the first film that made it a horror sensation in the first place, with the return of the Cary Elwes character, Dr. Lawrence Gordon. Not much to say here but expect a thin plot and more morbid ways to maim and kill. Saw: The Final Chapter comes in Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo/Digital Copy and Saw 3D versions. Recommendation: Rental if you must indulge but this is definitely bargain bin material.

The Pinky Violence Collection - A Review

2011-01-22T11:22:00.009-05:00

Back in the 1960's, to counter declining theater attendance in Japan, independent movie studios like Toei introduced pinku eiga or pink films, a form of softcore exploitation films that became very popular in the 60's and 70's. Unlike its hardcore Western counterpart, these pink films were intended for theatrical release and have to conform to strict Japanese screen censorship laws, which prohibits the depiction of genitalia and pronounced sexual activity. Using the genre´s required sex scenes as a form of titillation may be its primary objective but as this new genre grew, it eventually matured into adding some form of character and story development as well. In any case, even offering big helpings of nudity and sex is sometimes not enough to lure skeptical audiences back. To further spice things up, gore and violence was later added into the mix, which, by most account, seems like a natural fit for the exploitation film scene.

So, in the early 1970's, Toei Studios came up with a sub-genre of pinku eiga that has become known as "Pinky Violence". This new sub-genre of tough-girl exploitation films features unbridled nudity, gratuitous violence and even scenes of bondage and sadomasochism. The executives at Toei figured that by jacking up the "blood and breast" quotient in their films, it would give audiences what they could not see on television. In 1968, Toei achieved some success with their "Red Peony Gambler" films with actress Junko Fuji. When rival studio Toho released the now-famous female revenge film Lady Snowblood, Toei decided to up the ante by creating an ultra-violent film that features even more sex and nudity.

Reiko Ike

Toei essentially had two types of "Pinky Violence" films: one is the sukeban (delinquent girl boss) films and the other, the "Elder Sister" films. Toei´s continued success could be attributed to two of the more famous actresses from this genre, the irresistible Reiko Ike and Miki Sugimoto (Zero Woman: Red Handcuffs). While Ike helmed the two "Elder Sister" films to great acclaim, she also teamed up successfully with Sugimoto in three other famed sukeban films, Girl Boss Guerilla (Sukeban Gerira), Terrifying Girls' High School (Kyoufu Joshi Koukou Bouroku Rinchi Kyoushitsu) and "Criminal Woman – Killing Melody" (Zenka Onna Karoshi Bushi). Ike, the more beautiful of the two, has a classical beauty that is better suited to the period era "Elder Sister" films while Sugimoto has the intense tough chick look that serves her very well in the more modern sukeban films.

Miki Sugimoto

Films from this particular genre almost always follow set plot points that are often recycled and tweaked ever so slightly every now and then. For example, the yakuza gangs, which are mostly entirely made up of men, are often depicted as caricatures that essentially label them as lecherous dim-wits or misogynistic morons who would readily sell out their own mothers for a pack of smokes. The street-wise all-girl criminal gang is also a recurring theme in many Pinky Violence films, where the underdogs are almost always sexy but deadly groups of girls who are capable of going up against the traditional male-dominated yakuza establishment. Most of these characters, especially the male ones, typically behave in an over-the-top and exaggerated manner. Of course, in these films, all the female protagonists are expected to suffer through varieties of sexual humiliation--most likely some forms of bondage or torture--before they return to outwit the gangsters by using not only their voluptuous bodies as bait but most importantly, their brains as well.

After releasing the two Reiko Ike "Elder Sister" films, Sex and Fury and Female Yakuza Tale on great DVD packages earlier (complete with beautiful video restorations), specialty arthouse studio Panik House Entertainment is back with a unique 4-movie DVD set that would make 70´s Japanese exploitation films fans salivate in anticipation. This loaded DVD set, titled The Pinky Violence Collection consists of the following four films:

"Criminal Woman – Killing Melody" (1973) (Zenka Onna Karoshi Bushi)
"Delinquent Girl Boss – Worthless To Confess" (1971) (Zubenko Bancho Zange No Neuchi Mo Nai)
"Girl Boss Guerilla" (1972) (Sukeban Gerira)
"Terrifying Girls´ High School – Lynch Law Classroom" (1973) (Kyoufu Joshi Koukou Bouroku Rinchi Kyoushitsu)

Let´s now take a closer look at each of these four movies:

"Criminal Woman – Killing Melody"

The one and only movie directed by Atsushi Mihori, "Criminal Woman – Killing Melody" is perhaps the best among the four movies included here. Helmed by both Reiko Ike and Miki Sugimoto, this film further advances the girl gang archetype that is so prevalent in the sukeban series of films. It opens with Maki (Ike) foolishly trying to assassinate a Yakuza figure but instead ends up in jail for the unfinished deed. The film then quickly switches to the prison where Maki is incarcerated. There, she gets acquainted with three of her other cellmates, Yukie, Natsuko and Kaoru but runs afoul of the nastiest inmate in the prison, resident bad girl, Masayo (Sugimoto). A woman´s prison seems to be the most ideal setting for exploitation films (remember "Caged Heat"?) but here it does not quite live up to expectations. Featuring only a knife fight between Ike and Sugimoto in the muddy prison compounds, the film then fast-forwards a few years to the day that Maki is released from prison. Having spent her many years behind bars thinking about how to exact revenge on Oba Industries (the yakuza organization responsible for her father´s death), Maki´s determination is as fired up as the first day she went to prison.

Partnering up with her three former prison mates, Maki devises an ingenious plan designed to bring down Oba Industries--by secretly pitting it against a weakened local rival, the Hamayasu clan. Maki´s specific plan is to rile up Tetsu (Takeo Chii) (the mad dog son of Hamayasu´s old leader) and to prod him into attacking Oba´s interest, which would definitely generate a response in kind from Oba. However, Maki´s quest for revenge isn't quite that simple or straightforward. A little bump in the road emerges when her old rival from prison, Masayo, turns out to be the Oba boss´ girl. Things get a little complicated when Masayo is able to recognize one of Maki´s girls when they try to pull a fast one on the Oba gang. What ensues is a pretty nifty story that is fast-paced and chock full of exploitation film staples like nudity, sex, catfights and torture. With "Criminal Woman – Killing Melody", director Mihori is able to craft a wholly enjoyable and creative story that successfully merges the sexually explicit elements of exploitation cinema with touches of drama and even some comedy.

Without a doubt, the irresistible Reiko Ike carries this film on her slender and sexy shoulders, with an undeniable screen presence that lights up every scene that she appears in.

"Delinquent Girl Boss – Worthless To Confess"
Possibly the weakest of the four films, "Delinquent Girl Boss" offers plenty of melodrama but substantially dials down the exploitation elements--to the point where the main star, Reiko Oshida, doesn't even show any skin and we get very few of those outrageous and unrestrained moments that Pinky Violence films are famous for. The fourth and final installment to go under the "Delinquent Girl Boss" (Zubenko Bancho) banner, this film sees the return of director Kazuhiko Yamaguchi, who also directed an earlier entry in this series.

This film opens at a girls´ reform school where Rika (Reiko Oshida) and Midori (Yumiko Katayama) are fellow inmates. One day, Midori receives a visit from her father (Junzaburo Ban) whom she´s estranged from, but refuses to see him. Sad and brokenhearted, Midori´s father hands Midori´s favorite childhood toy over to Rika to pass on to his daughter. However, Midori refuses the toy and Rika decides to hold on to it. Years later, Rika, now released from the reform school, looks forward to starting her life anew and she decides to pay Midori a visit and return her toy. There, Rika learns from Midori´s father that she is no longer living there but is shacked up with a good-for-nothing louse somewhere in the city. Taking pity on Rika, Midori´s father offers her a job at his garage, which she gladly accepts. Later on, Rika finds out about the trouble that Midori is having with the local yakuza. It seems that Midori´s unemployed boyfriend is gambling away not only Midori´s already meager earnings but has managed to rack up quite a large debt as well. Now Midori´s father is getting visits from the yakuza, demanding that he clears his daughter´s boyfriend´s debt or else they would hurt both of them.

After a promising start, the second act of this film essentially lulls its audience into a false sense of melodramatic optimism. In fact, the story becomes so relatively innocuous that one would be hard pressed to notice that he or she is actually watching a Pinky Violence film. If you were expecting topless catfights and unbridled bloodletting, you would be very disappointed till this point. It is only when the final act rolls along that this movie is saved from pummeling further down into exploitation mediocrity. Featuring an all-out vicious fight between the yakuza minions and a group of samurai sword-wielding girls (all clad in shiny red polyester coats) led by Rika, this explosive final scene oddly makes up for all the disappointments thus far. Having sat through so many promising scenes that turned out to be frustrating non-events, this chaotic fight scene at the end brings the film to a memorable and very bloody close.

"Girl Boss Guerilla"

The third movie in the popular sukeban (delinquent girl boss) series, "Girl Boss Guerilla" is a thoroughly enjoyable Pinky Violence film that brings out all the best elements of Japanese exploitation films. Helmed by legendary director Norifumi Suzuki and brought to life by the beautiful and dangerous tag team of Reiko Ike and Miki Sugimoto, "Girl Boss Guerilla", like the other sukeban films, brings forth the ever-popular concept of notorious but sexy all-girl gangs. This time, it is a group of four motorcycle-riding chicks calling itself the Red Helmet Gang and is led by the beautiful but tough Sachiko (Sugimoto). Originating from Shinjuku in Tokyo, the gang has decided to leave the big city behind and move to Kyoto, the birthplace of one of the girls, Yuki. However, these girls run straight into trouble with the local girl gang, setting up a large scale all-girl gang war. Sachiko is able to get the better of the local gang´s leader, Rika in a one-on-one fight for control of the city but Rika tries to renege on the deal. In steps Nami (Reiko Ike), the former leader of the Kyoto gang, to enforce the honor-bound deal made by Rika, effectively surrendering control of the gang to Sachiko. However, we´ve not seen the last of the disgraced Rika. Sachiko must now deal with not only the vengeful Rika but also the local yakuza gang that is demanding money from the girl gang. Thing get complicated when we find out that the yakuza´s leader is none other than Nami´s estranged brother, Nakahara.

After this great opening, "Girl Boss Guerilla" unfortunately gets mired in a rather uninteresting and melodramatic plot that delves into the relationship between Sachiko and her boyfriend, Ichiro, a handsome boxer looking for a break in the sport. Here we get to witness another side to Sugimoto´s on-screen persona, not the tough chick exterior but a tender lover with a soft side. While Sachiko´s love life is an unneeded distraction to the overall plot, Suzuki also saddles us with some low brow and gross-out humor that never quite works. However, like clockwork, Suzuki comes through in the end with a gruesome torture scene and the final confrontation between Sachiko, Nami and the yakuza. Another highlight is the enjoyable fight scene between Sachiko and Nami that starts on land but ends up in the river, with a couple of sexy muddied bodies in between.

"Terrifying Girls´ High School - Lynch Law Classroom"
Another Norifumi Suzuki offering, "Lynch Law Classroom", like "Girl Boss Guerilla", again features the Reiko Ike and Miki Sugimoto sister act. However, this time Ike gets only a small but memorable role while Sugimoto takes the lead once again. This film starts off with a well-shot and terrifying opening scene that could have come straight out of a B-grade horror movie instead of a Pinky Violence film. As the film opens, we find a frightened young girl, bound, gagged and topless inside some sort of a science lab. Around her is a group of other girls in student uniforms, with their faces covered by surgical masks and wielding scalpels. As the victim´s blood is slowly drained into a clear bottle, she suddenly breaks free and manages to escape to the roof of the building. As the other girls run after her in pursuit, a one-sided fight ensues and the poor victim is seen falling off the roof. This provides a startling but suitable introduction to the members of the Disciplinary Committee, a group of student enforcers who does the cruel bidding of the sadistic and power-hungry assistant principal, Ishihara (Kenji Imai).

This film takes place inside the ironically named School of Hope, a school for troubled girls. Ishihara has his eyes set on the principal´s post, currently held by the weak Mr. Nakata. His intention is to take over Nakata´s position right before the school´s founder, crooked politician Sato (Nobuo Kaneko), arrives to commemorate the school´s 25th anniversary celebration. To achieve his goal, Ishihara gets the Disciplinary Committee to keep the other rebellious students in line and to further seal the deal, he also supplies Sato with young girls for his carnal pleasure.

Things begin to fall apart with the arrival of three new students: girl gang leader Noriko the Cross (Sugimoto), Remi (Misuzu Ota) and Kyoko (Seiko Saburi). Ike makes an appearance as Maki, a former student and Noriko´s rival on the outside. Together, these girls prove to be more than a handful for the Disciplinary Committee and Ishihara. Featuring plenty of nudity, sex and torture, "Lynch Law Classroom" moves a long at a good clip and is able to focus on the essential ingredients that make this film such a joy to watch.

On face value, "Lynch Law Classroom" may seem like any common exploitation film that features the popular combination of repressed horny teenagers and dirty old men set inside the irresistible all-girl high school. But look deeper and you will find that it contains surprising social commentary on the corrupt nature of authority and the rise of the weak against cruel suffering and indignity. The chaotic but highly enjoyable full-scale riot at the end of the film is a fitting end to one of the best film in this excellent collection.

Video:
Panik House Entertainment has come through with stunningly beautiful transfers for each of the four movies in this collection. After gushing over the studio´s previous exploitation film releases ("Sex and Fury" and "Female Yakuza Tale"), I'm beginning to think of Panik House as the new Criterion for alternative films. It is remarkable what the studio has done to restore these cult classics from more than 30 years ago. In all the four anamorphic widescreen transfers here (measuring 2.35:1 in aspect ratio), grain is kept to a minimum and the vividly reproduced colors really pop out at you. Most of the dirt on the source material, I believe, has also been cleaned up as well. Some softness in the images persists but this is only due to the age of the material. It's hard to find anything else to complain about with these almost pristine video transfers.

Audio:
The only audio option available for all the four films is the original Japanese language Mono track. Even though it is delivered on a single channel (through the center speaker in a 5.1 setup), this Mono track contains almost stereo-like qualities, producing a deep and wide sound field that adds depth to the aural experience. I'm glad that Panik House did not go the route of producing an English dubbed soundtrack that would most certainly diminish the overall impact of these films. For English speakers, an English subtitle option is available.

Extras:
Each film comes with almost identical special features with only minor variations in content. The all contain the following:

Original theatrical trailer
Image Galleries: Movie poster and production stills (black and white and color)
Production Notes: A short but informative essay concerning the film, the actresses and the director.
Biography: Here you will find background information concerning the director and some of the stars of each film.

Also available are four audio commentaries, one for each film. The commentators are:
"Criminal Woman – Killing Melody": audio commentary by Andy Klein, editor for online website, L.A. City Beat and Wade Major, film critic for Box Office magazine
"Delinquent Girl Boss – Worthless To Confess": audio commentary by Chris D., author of the book "Outlaw Masters of Japanese Film"
"Girl Boss Guerilla": audio commentary by Panik House president Matt Kennedy and Asian Cult Cinema magazine columnist Wyatt Doyle
"Terrifying Girls´ High School – Lynch Law Classroom": audio commentary by Chris D.

All four commentaries are not only very informative in terms of content but also a joy to listen to, as the participants are quite knowledgeable on the subject of cult Japanese cinema. This is the way audio commentaries should be done: recruit well-informed individuals who are passionate about the subject matter on-screen.

Packaging:
This DVD set comes in a special packaging. In keeping with the theme, the outer shell is covered in pink vinyl, with four DVD trays inside housing the discs. Also within the package, which opens like a book, are pages of information about each film. This is not an insert booklet but rather they are bound to the package itself. Also included is a CD that contains a rare audio recording made by Reiko Ike titled, "Reiko Ike Sings!". My review set somehow did not come with the CD, so I can´t say much about it.

Film Value:
It is inherently hard to justify the existence of a film genre that demeans its female characters and treats them as simply objects that exist solely to satisfy cruel men in a sexual context. However, the world is not perfect and these types of films do exist. However, rather than portray these women as the weaker sex, many of the Japanese exploitation films you see here do use women in strong roles who often use their sexuality to gain revenge against male adversaries or to fight for justice. Panik House has compiled a great collection here comprising four interestingly distinct films from the same genre and era. Some are weaker than others but in the end all four films represent an important genre in Japanese film history that I´m glad is being preserved in such a respectful manner. Kudos to Panik House!

Movie Openings: Week of January 21st, 2011 - Company Men

2011-01-21T08:56:00.000-05:00

Already into the third week of January of the new year and still no new release movies have managed to stand out from the pack. Yes, the year is still young and we'll see our fair share of blockbusters come summertime but these first few weeks already seem to drag on forever without any good films to look forward to. Last week, "The Green Hornet" took top honors at the box office with an encouraging but tepid $33.5M, followed by the Vince Vaughn comedy "The Dilemma," garnering a disappointing $17.8M. Making up the top 5 movies are "True Grit," still going strong with a collection of $11M (total gross: $126M), "The King's Speech," finally expanding to more theaters with $9.2M and "Black Swan" coming in at $8.3M (total gross: $73.2M)

This week, we have a couple of good, middle-of-the-road movies that might just catch your attention. Both are stories of survival, one takes place in the treacherous wilds of the Siberian gulag and the other, in the equally treacherous world of upper middle management, in the time of massive corporate downsizing.

But first, a few words about the recently concluded 68th Golden Globe Awards. I'm not a big fan of these self-congratulatory award ceremonies but one can't help but get caught up in all the glitz and glamor of the movie business. These award shows are also a good way to find out which good films I missed in the theaters the next time I set up my Netflix queue. With host Ricky Gervais stepping on his fair share of sensitive Hollywood toes, the Globes concluded with The Social Network picking up the evening's biggest awards for Best Motion Picture, Best Director (David Fincher), Best Screenplay (Aaron Sorkin) and even Best Original Score (Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross). These wins not only enhance the film's chances of a good showing in the upcoming Oscar nominations but puts it as the frontrunner in many categories as well. Other notable winners include Natalie Portman ("Black Swan") and Melissa Leo ("The Fighter") for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress respectively and Colin Firth ("The King's Speech") and Christian Bale ("The Fighter") in the male category.

With that, let's move on to the week's new movie releases:

In his first movie since 2003's award-winning Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, director Peter Weir is tackling another period piece, titled "The Way Back," this time inspired by true events about a group of soldiers trying to escape the Siberian gulag in 1940. This story is based on several sources, most notably the book The Long Walk by Slavomir Rawicz as well as first-person accounts as researched by Weir and executive producer Keith Clarke. This film has some star power to attract an audience, including Colin Farrell, Ed Harris, Jim Sturgess and Oscar nominee Saoirse Ronan (Atonement, The Lovely Bones). Looking back at Weir's previous efforts, expect "The Way Back" to be another sweeping epic with filming locations in Bulgaria, Morocco and India. One big surprise I found was that this movie was made outside of the studio system, ie. not financed by one of the big Hollywood studios, making it an independent film. "The Way Back" is currently holding steady at a commendable 78% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Next is a movie that might hit too close to home for some. In our time of economic hardship and corporate downsizing, "The Company Men" is a timely look at the men and women caught up in this vortex of job-loss and the drama of self-realization, loss of self-worth and humbling humility. Featuring an all-star cast that include Ben Affleck, Chris Cooper, Kevin Costner, Tommy Lee Jones and Maria Bello, "The Company Men" is directed by John Wells, a name familiar to TV enthusiasts as the executive producer of shows like ER and The West Wing. Wells does a commendable job here, delivering the drama and character study of middle-aged middle management workers who suddenly find themselves out of work, with little prospects and having to make drastic adjustments in their lives. Like I said, this film might hit too close to home for some people and may lose some of its audience but it has received mostly positive reviews and is rated at 74% on RT. Here is a brief synopsis:

"Bobby Walker (Ben Affleck) is living the American dream: great job, beautiful family, shiny Porsche in the garage. When corporate downsizing leaves him and co-workers Phil Woodward (Chris Cooper) and Gene McClary (Tommy Lee Jones) jobless, the three men are forced to re-define their lives as men, husbands, and fathers.

Bobby soon finds himself enduring enthusiastic life coaching, a job building houses for his brother-in-law (Kevin Costner) which does not play to his executive skill set, and perhaps the realization that there is more to life than chasing the bigger, better deal. With humor, pathos, and keen observation, writer-director John Wells (the creator of "ER") introduces us to the new realities of American life."

Here is this week's token comedy, "No Strings Attached," starring Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher. OK, time for a self-disclosure. I've never liked Ashton Kutcher as an actor and I never will. The only film of his that I could watch (albeit begrudgingly) is The Butterfly Effect. None of his films matter anyway, so there is really no loss for me. Directed by Ivan Reitman (Ghostbusters, Kindergarten Cop), this film tries to answer the age-old question: Can you have sex without love getting in the way? A physical relationship without the emotional attachment. Well, we already have the answer to that and "No Strings Attached" is yet another romcom with beautiful-looking stars and not much substance. After her rousing virtuoso performance in "Black Swan," why Ms. Portman would so readily throw away her current credibility by starring in a film with Kutcher is beyond me. Anyone hoping for some R-rated stuff in this titillatingly titled film would be disappointed. Roger Ebert puts it best, stating, "It's more of a PG-13 playing dress-up." Critics are torn down the middle, as suggested by its 53% rating on RT. Here is the synopsis:

"In this comedy, Emma (Natalie Portman) and Adam (Ashton Kutcher) are life-long friends who almost ruin everything by having sex one morning. In order to protect their friendship, they make a pact to keep their relationship strictly "no strings attached." "No strings" means no jealousy, no expectations, no fighting, no flowers, no baby voices. It means they can do whatever they want, whenever they want, in whatever public place they want, as long as they don't fall in love. The questions become - Can you have sex without love getting in the way? And can their friendship survive?"

Finally, we have a sexy South Korean erotic thriller, "The Housemaid," a modern remake of a 1960 Korean film of the same title. Directed by controversial director Im Sang-Soo, "The Housemaid" is his satiric statement on class warfare within Korean society. Albeit on a lesser scale, "The Housemaid" is yet another gem coming out from the Koren film industry, led by such masterful films as Mother, The Host, Oldboy, Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, Thirst and J.S.A. - Joint Security Area. "The Housemaid" competed for the Palme d'Or at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival and comes to the U.S. courtesy of IFC Films. It has so far divided critics and comes in at a 47% rating on RT. Might be a great pick-up when it comes to Blu-ray. Here is the synopsis for this film:

"Eun-yi is an innocent young woman who is hired as an upper class family housemaid, and is tasked to take care of the family's small daughter and her pregnant mother, Hae-ra. Byung-sik is an older housemaid who has been with this family for a long time and holds many secrets. But soon enough, the master of the house, Hoon, takes advantage of his social position by slipping into the new housemaid's bed. Hoon's visits become frequent and Byung-sik reports the affair to Hae-ra's mother Mi-hee, who plots to give Hae-ra the control over her husband. Soon Eun-yi becomes pregnant by Hoon and wants to keep the baby. This is discovered by the family and Eun-yi is forced by Mi-hee to have an abortion despite the young woman's pleas to let her keep the baby and leave the house. Her forced abortion turns Eun-yi's already fragile mental condition for the worse and she decides to take the matter into her own hands."

Tom Yum Goong - Thai Hot and Sour Soup

2011-01-19T12:07:00.001-05:00

Visit any Thai restaurant and the first thing you should order is the traditional Thai hot and sour soup, also known as Tom Yum Goong. It is a shrimp/seafood-based soup that contains almost all of the traditional Thai ingredients in a single bowl. If you ever wanted to know what Thai cuisine is about, just have a sip of this delicious soup and you can feel as if you are walking in the streets of Bangkok.

One of the most accurate and encompassing cookbooks about Thai and other Southeast Asian cuisines is Robert Danhi's Southeast Asian Flavors: Adventures in Cooking the Foods of Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia & Singapore. The recipe for the soup you see here comes from this book and I can wholeheartedly tell you that it tastes as authentic as it looks. Chef Danhi spent years travelling and eating his way through the Southeast Asian region and in this book, he not only details the most authentic recipes (over 100 of them) from that region, the book is also a one of a kind peek into the varied cultures of the people living there through the food they eat. If you are interested in Asian cuisine, particularly the Southeast Asian variety, then this book is a must-own. You can also visit the book's companion website here.

There are two parts to making this complex soup (as I said before, this is Thailand in a bowl). First is to make what Danhi calls roasted red chili paste or nahm prik pow (with emphasis on the last word!). This paste can be the starting point for many Thai dishes including stir-fries and soups. You need:

1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon dried shrimp (hydrate by soaking in warm water for 5 minutes and pat dry)
1 cup sliced shallots
1/2 cup sliced garlic
1/4 cup dried red chilies (stem and seeds removed)
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons tamarind paste
3 tablespoons palm sugar (grated)

Start by heating up the oil in a large wok over medium heat (too hot and the shallots and garlics will blacken too quickly). Add the hydrated shrimp and cook until they darken slightly. Strain, set the shrimp aside and then return oil to the wok. Now fry the shallots, stirring often until they turn golden brown. Again, strain and get the oil back to the wok and repeat the process for the garlic as well. Finally, fry the chilies for just 5-10 seconds, return everything else to the wok and set aside to let it cool. Use wither a mortar and pestle or food processor to puree until fine. In the wok, combine the pureed mixture with the fish sauce, tamarind paste and palm sugar and let it come to a boil and cook for about a minute, stirring constantly. At this point, a nice aroma will waft through your kitchen. Let it cool down and this chili paste can be stored and reused for up to 2 months.

Phew, now on to the 2nd part of making Tom Yum Goong. The main ingredient that you need to make this soup is shrimp heads. Yes, those succulent heads are the basis for the flavors in the soup and without them, don't even attempt it as the soup would not taste anywhere as good. Here are the ingredients:

2 lbs. shrimp with head-on
2 tablespoons roasted red chili paste (above)
1 tablespoon minced cilantro stems (reserve the leaves for garnish)
4-6 Thai bird chilies (split in half lengthwise)
8 cups seafood/chicken broth
6 stalks lemongrass (3-inch lengths and lightly bruised)
3 slices galangal
10 kaffir lime leaves (lightly bruised)
2 plum/roma romatoes (medium dice)
1/2 can straw mushrooms (shiitake is good as well)
1/4 cup fish sauce
1/2 cup lime juice
1/4 cup cilantro leaves

First, peel the shrimp, reserving the heads and shells and leaving the tails attached. Heat up 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a saucepan or wok over high heat and cook the shrimp heads and shells, stirring constantly for about a minute. Add the chili paste, bird chilies, cilantro stems and the stock, bring to a boil and then lower to heat to a simmer for about 10 minutes. Strain the soup into a new pot and add the lemongrass, galangal and kaffir lime leaves and simmer for another 5 minutes. Add the shrimp, tomatoes, mushrooms and fish sauce. Bring back to a simmer and remove from heat when the shrimp are cooked. Taste and adjust the seasoning with fish sauce and lime juice (no salt needed). Serve immediately and garnish with the cilantro leaves.

Yes, making Tom Yum Goong can be quite a chore but if you can procure all the exotic ingredients above, you should try it as it is so flavorful and delicious.

Blu-ray Releases: The Week of Jan 17th, 2011 - Justifying the Week

2011-01-17T13:31:00.000-05:00

When the only Blu-ray release highlight of the week is a cable TV series (albeit a good one), you just know it's time to catch up with the previous weeks' releases that you were not able to get to. Looking down the list of releases this week, nothing stands out, except for maybe for two Samuel Fuller films that are getting the Criterion treatment and a couple of hidden gems that never got much traction in their theatrical runs.

The cable network FX has been pretty consistent in churning out some of the best, most intriguing TV series the past decade. It all started with The Shield, then it was Nip/Tuck, then Rescue Me. Now, we have Sons of Anarchy, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and finally, Justified, the crime show that debuted last year and stars Timothy Olyphant (HBO's Deadwood, Live Free or Die Hard, Hitman) as a no-nonsense US Marshall, Raylan Givens, who gets reassigned to the last place he wanted to be, Harlan County, KY, where he was born and raised. Donning his trademark cowboy hat, Givens must deal with old ghosts from his past: a now-remarried ex-wife, an ex-con father, an old friend turned white supremacist, an old girlfriend and plenty of crime to keep him busy. Created by Graham Yost (Speed, Broken Arrow), the show and the character of Raylan Givens is based on crime fiction novelist Elmore Leonard's short story, "Fire in the Hole."

Justified: The Complete First Season comes to Blu-ray in a 3-disc set that includes all 13 episodes from the first season of the show plus a host of extra features like audio commentaries and some featurettes. All the episodes come in 1080p video and a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack. Having caught the entire first season of Justified on TV last year, I can attest to its brilliant writing and the intriguing development of the various characters and storylines. I can't wait for the next season to start in March. However, I can never justify (no pun intended) shelling out more than $20 for a TV show purchase. So my recommendation is to wait for the price to drop to below $25 before you buy this one. Or you can catch the first season on reruns these coming weeks. I'm sure FX will be broadcasting a Justified marathon before Season 2 starts airing.

Claustrophobic and quite brilliant, Buried is Spanish director, Rodrigo Cortés' updated ode to one of our biggest fears, being buried alive. It stars Ryan Reynolds as a US truck driver named Paul Conroy, working in Iraq as one of many contractors. One day he wakes up to find himself kidnapped, bound and gagged and buried alive inside a coffin with nothing else but a lighter and a cellphone. With the kidnappers/insurgents demanding a large ransom, Conroy must race against time to secure his own release but his efforts seem to meet with skepticism from the relevant authorities and roadblocks at every turn. Although Buried received a wide theatrical release courtesy of Lionsgate back in October of last year, the film never received much attention, despite its remarkable 85% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Now coming to Blu-ray in a Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo package, Buried should get more attention this time around. It boasts an average 1080p video (how much detail can one expect from inside a box?) and DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 audio. Recommendation: Great rental, own it when price drops to $12 or less.

Recipient of the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival, Animal Kingdom is the Australian equivalent of the crime family drama. Although many of us may not have heard of it, Animal Kingdom has received universally positive reviews from almost all critics who have seen it, scoring an impressive 96% on Rotten Tomatoes. After his mother overdoses on heroin, Joshua 'J' Cody (James Frecheville) is forced to move in with his grandmother (Jacki Weaver), the matriarch of a notorious Melbourne crime family and her three sons (the Cody Boys), armed robber Pope (Ben Mendelsohn), drug dealer Craig (Sullivan Stapleton) and the youngest brother Darren (Luke Ford), who tries to follow in his brothers' footsteps. Animal Kingdom is an engrossing character drama and a grim and suspenseful thriller all wrapped up in a well-acted package about a previously unknown underworld. This Blu-ray comes with the requisite 1080p video and DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 audio. Recommendation: Buy it!

As much as it tries to distinguish itself from the competition, Takers is yet another run-of-the-mill heist movie that is as slick as it is generic. More style than substance, Takers stars Matt Dillon and Jay Hernandez as police detectives and Idris Elba, Chris Brown, Michael Ealy, Paul Walker, Hayden Christensen and rapper T.I. as a crew of sophisticated bank robbers. Formulaic and shallow, Takers never hits its stride, as meaningless subplots only detract from the already outlandish story. Like most modern action flicks, this single disc release boasts detailed 1080p video presentation and a bombastic DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack. Recommendation: Rental at best.

Samuel Fuller is a screenwriter and film director most known for his wartime movies like The Steel Helmet and The Big Red One. Criterion Collection had previously released Fuller's first three films as part of its Eclipse Series and is now releasing two more of his films, Shock Corridor and The Naked Kiss on Blu-ray. Shock Corridor (1963) tells the tale of a journalist, played by Peter Breck, who gets himself committed into a mental hospital in order to investigate an unsolved murder while The Naked Kiss (1964) features a prostitute, played by Constance Towers, who tries to turn her life around, and has been critically described as part melodrama, part sensationalism and part surreal. Both films are classic Fuller, whom, time and again, delves into controversial subjects. Both films are great studies of Fuller's body of work and should be in the movie library of anyone interested in classic cinema. Both releases feature 1080p video and LPCM mono audio and contain Criterion's extensive list of special features. Recommendation: Buy them!

Movie Openings: Week of January 14th, 2011 - The Green Edition

2011-01-13T16:59:00.000-05:00

While last week was a major disappointment in terms of quality (and quantity of) movie releases, this week promises to offer better prospects for restless moviegoers looking for something to do this weekend. We have a 60's comic superhero remake, a third movie in a martial arts franchise, a Vince Vaughn comedy and a bunch of no name films that might or might not catch your attention.

But before we get to them, let's do a quick review of what went down at the box office last week. The tussle between "Little Fockers" and "True Grit" for box-office supremacy continued last week without much competition from some of the newer releases. After playing second fiddle to the Fockers for the past month or so, the Coen brothers' Western finally shot itself up to the top, albeit during one of the slowest January box-office takes in a decade. Overall box-office dropped 30% from the week before and "True Grit" claimed top spot with $15M, putting its total gross at an estimated $110M. This financial milestone is important for two reasons. "True Grit" just became the Coens' first movie to cross the $100M threshold and at the same time, moved it past Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid to become the 5th highest grossing Western ever, behind Dances with Wolves, City Slickers, Blazing Saddles and Wild Wild West. The best news is "True Grit" is projected to move into the number two spot on that list by the end of its run. "Little Fockers" slid into the second spot with $13.8M, followed by the dismal "Season of the Witch" at third with quite a decent $10.7M take. Rounding up the top 5 are "Tron: Legacy" ($9.8M) and "Black Swan" ($8.4M).

As always, read on and have a great time at the movies!

Highlighting this week's movie releases has to be the anticipated remake of the 60's TV series, The Green Hornet, that starred Van Williams as the Green Hornet/Britt Reid and the indomitable Bruce Lee as his sidekick Kato. The TV series lasted only for one single season (1966-1967) and most importantly, introduced American audiences to martial arts superstar Bruce Lee. While many of us may only know The Green Hornet through the TV series, it has also appeared in various media, originating from a comic book series, a 1930's radio serial program and two movie serials that appeared in 1940 and 1941. This new movie remake, directed by Michael Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Be Kind Rewind), stars comedian Seth Rogen (Pineapple Express, Zack and Miri Make a Porno) as the green superhero and Taiwanese singer, musician and actor, Jay Chou in the iconic role of Kato. Chou first got his acting break starring in 2005's Initial D, the live action Chinese adaptation of the Japanese manga/anime of the same name. The role of Kato has bounced around between Jet Li (Hero, Fearless) and most recently, Stephen Chow (Shaolin Soccer, Kung Fu Hustle) but landed on Chou's lap after Chow dropped out. This new movie is billed as an action comedy and is scribed by Rogen and Evan Goldberg (the team that also co-wrote the script for Superbad). One more thing to note is that Oscar winner, Christoph Waltz (Inglourious Basterds) also stars in this movie as the villain. It is currently running at a less than impressive 41% rating on Rotten Tomatoes as not too many critics are amused by the tagged-on 3-D effects and the bombastic story that is as deep as Rogen's acting ability. If you are looking for a half-assed superhero comedy, then this is the film for you. Spider-Man it is not. Here is the brief synopsis:

"Britt Reid (Seth Rogen), son and heir to Los Angeles' largest newspaper fortune, is a rich, spoiled playboy who has been happy to maintain a direction-less existence. When his father James Reid (Tom Wilkinson) mysteriously dies, Britt meets an impressive and resourceful company employee, Kato (Jay Chou). They realize that they have the resources to do something worthwhile with their lives and finally step out of James Reid's shadow. Kato builds the ultimate weapon, The Black Beauty, an indestructible car with every weapon and gadget imaginable and Britt decides that in order to be heroes, they will pose as villains. With the help of Britt's new secretary, Lenore Case (Cameron Diaz), they learn that the chief criminal in the city is named Benjamin Chudnofsky (Christoph Waltz). He has united all the gangs under his power, and he quickly sees that the Green Hornet is a direct threat to the prosperous criminal underworld he controls."

Next up is the latest comedy from Vince Vaughn (Wedding Crashers), titled "The Dilemma," which also stars Kevin James (Grown Ups), Winona Ryder and Jennifer Connolly. Now here is my own dilemma: even though Ron Howard is listed as the director of this film, I still can't accept the fact that the Oscar-winning director of such film classics as A Beautiful Mind and Apollo 13 would be associated with this lackluster bromance comedy. It is trending at a paltry 27% rating on RT but "Little Fockers" was trashed by critics as well and see how well it did. I would never pay money to watch these comedies but to each their own, I guess. Here is the synopsis:

"Since college, confirmed bachelor Ronny and happily married Nick have been through thick and thin. Now partners in an auto design firm, the two pals are vying to land a dream project that would launch their company. With Ronny's girlfriend, Beth, and Nick's wife, Geneva, by their sides, they're unbeatable. But, Ronny's world is turned upside down when he inadvertently sees Geneva out with another man and makes it his mission to get answers. As the amateur investigation dissolves his world into comic mayhem, he learns that Nick has a few secrets of his own. Now, with the clock ticking and pressure mounting on the biggest presentation of their careers, Ronny must decide how and when he will reveal the truth to his best friend."

What can I say about the magnificent Tony Jaa other than he represents the new crop of movie star martial artists from Asia with the charisma and on-screen physical presence to match the most eye-popping stunts that he performs without the help of wires or CGI. The language barrier and Jaa's Thai heritage may not be as sought after in Hollywood films but I'm sure a director with some vision will give this man his big break. The original Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior was first released in 2003 and created a stir among martial arts film enthusiasts, watching Jaa perform some of the most unbelievable stunts since Jackie Chan's younger days. Jaa followed up the success of the first film with The Protector (Tom-Yum Goong) in 2005 and the sequel to Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior, Ong Bak 2: The Beginning in 2008. While the stuntwork on those films border on the insane, the sometimes incomprehensible stories leave much to be desired. Jaa is now back for his third go around as he battles another Thai martial arts sensation, Dan Chupong (Born to Fight, Dynamite Warrior) for supremacy. Don't expect a great story from this final film in the trilogy but get ready for some of the bone-crushing fights Jaa's films are known for. Expect him to wow us again (this time with or without an elephant in tow) with some amazing stunts. Here is the synopsis for the film:

"The legend of Ong Bak 3 begins after Tien (Tony Jaa) has lost his fighting skills and his beloved step-father at the Garuda's Wing cliff from the raid led by Jom Rachan (Saranyu Wonggrajang). Tien is brought back to life with the help from Pim (Primrata Dechudom) as well as Mhen (Petchai Wongkamlao) and the Kana Khone villagers. Deep into the meditation taught by Phra Bua (Nirutti Sirijanya), Tien finally is able to achieve 'Nathayut'. His talents are put to the test again when his rivals including the Golden-Armored King's Guard (Supakorn 'Tok' Kijusuwan), the mysterious killers in black, and Bhuti Sangkha (Dan Chupong) return for the final massive showdown."

One of the better releases this week stars two of Hollywood's best character actors, Paul Giamatti (John Adams, Sideways) and Dustin Hoffman (Rain Man, Kramer vs. Kramer) in the drama/comedy "Barney's Version." This film also stars Rosamund Pike and Minnie Driver and it is based on a novel written by the late Canadian author, Mordechai Richler (Barney's Version was his final novel). Giamatti is again praised for his portrayal of Barney Panofsky, the film's neurotic Jewish protagonist. The movie spans over 30 years of Barney's life as he searches for love and happiness, all told through Barney's version of the truth, hence the title. "Barney's Version" currently ranks a good 77% on RT, with most critics praising the performances of the actors. Here is a brief synopsis:

"Based on Mordecai Richler's prize-winning comic novel, Barney's Version is the warm, wise, and witty story of Barney Panofsky (Paul Giamatti), a seemingly ordinary man who lives an extraordinary life. Barney’s candid confessional spans four decades and two continents, and includes three wives (Rosamund Pike, Minnie Driver, and Rachelle Lefevre), one outrageous father (Dustin Hoffman), and a charmingly dissolute best friend (Scott Speedman). Barney's Version takes us through the many highs – and a few too many lows – of a long and colorful life with an unlikely hero at its center – the unforgettable Barney Panofsky."

Up next is another indie drama/comedy, "Every Day," a by-the-numbers family story that seems to be on automatic pilot and offers up no curve balls to attract an audience or keep their attention. It stars Liev Schreiber, Helen Hunt, Carla Gugino, Brian Dennehy and Eddie Izzard and is yet another story about a dysfunctional family that seems so pedestrian and normal on the surface. This film is a hit or miss so far, garnering a 57% rating on RT. Here is the synopsis:

"Helen Hunt, Liev Schreiber, Brian Dennehy, Eddie Izzard and Carla Gugino star in EVERY DAY, a story about a family's struggle to survive life's curve-balls that ultimately bring out the best and worst in us and make us closer. Ned is a television writer on a seedy drama whose life is turned upside down when his wife's estranged father moves in with their family. EVERY DAY is an honest look at an ordinary family making it through life's challenges together."

Finally, we have "Burning Palms." So far, very little is known about it except that it stars a few well-known actors like Dylan McDermott, Rosamund Pike, Nick Stahl, Shannen Doherty and Zoe Saldana. Maybe the following synopsis can shed a little light on the film:

"BURNING PALMS is a subversive tale that interlaces five stories where no taboo is left unexplored. Framed as a graphic novel come to life, the film unfolds in five popular neighborhoods of Los Angeles as each character careens toward a dark and often comic fate."

Blu-ray Releases: The Week of Jan. 10th, 2011 - The Facebook Edition

2011-01-10T12:01:00.000-05:00

What does it take to make a great film? Bombastic CG special effects to wow the audience (as well as deafen them)? Big stars who bring much-needed name recognition to the film? A story based on historical tragedies or legendary heroes? Maybe they should just ask David Fincher, who in 2010, crafted one of year's best films out of a subject matter that seemed superficially trivial and at best, a seemingly throwaway movie that would be forgotten in a week. Or so we thought. That film is now a shoo-in for an Oscar Best Picture nomination and it comes to Blu-ray this week. Other titles slated for release this week include a schlockly fishy tale and a set of movie classics. So here they are:

Also commonly known as "that Facebook movie," The Social Network is a David Fincher masterpiece that is ironically less about the founding of the internet phenomenon than it is about a metaphor for this generation's need for power, wealth and most importantly, social standing. When I first heard about the movie, my immediate thoughts went back to the 1999 made-for-TV drama, Pirates of Silicon Valley, a film about the rivalry between Steve Jobs and Bill Gates during the fledgling years of the personal computer boom. I mean, how interesting can the founding of Facebook be? It's akin to making a story out of say, the establishment of stalwart companies like General Motors or Motorola. However, Fincher took the screenplay, written by Aaron Sorkin (The West Wing, A Few Good Men) and adapted from the book, The Accidental Billionaires by Harvard alumnus Ben Mezrich, and brought it to a whole new level. On Rotten Tomatoes, The Social Network rates an amazing 97% average from a total of over 250 total reviews, losing out only to Toy Story 3, which ranked at an even more amazing 99%. The Social Network comes in a 2-disc set with 1080p video, a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track and plenty of supplemental material. Recommendation: Buy it! Buy it! The Social Network is specially priced at $16.99 this week on Amazon and also at Best Buy.

Quick, what are the three B's that go into making a great campy cult movie classic? Babes in bikinis, bods (preferably hot) and bait (the human kind). Remaking a Roger Corman B-movie classic like 1978's Piranha (directed by John Sayles) takes balls, I tell ya. No, not because the original has so much schlock that it can't easily be topped. On the contrary, I can't imagine why would anyone even waste any time and money on such an endeavor? Well, tell that to Richard Dreyfuss (who is no stranger to battling man-eating fish), Ving Rhames, Elizabeth Shue, Christopher Lloyd, Eli Roth and Jerry O'Connell, a surprisingly large cast of well-known names who give the new remake (also titled Piranha) some much needed acting depth. Directed by Frenchman Alexandre Aja (High Tension), Piranha sticks close to it campy B-movie roots and never tries to turn it into anything else. Please be warned that Piranha is a horror gore-fest, with gallons upon gallons of fake blood spilled, limbs severed and enough naked bodies to fill an entire episode of Girls Gone Wild. lest you think of this film as just disgusting or despicable, you should consider its source material. The film comes as advertised, it is schlock for the sake of schlock and if you are mature enough to get the point, then this film is a fun romp. It is what it is and it is fun to watch. Piranha comes in a single disc version with 1080p video, a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack and a robust set of supplements and a Blu-ray 3D version with the same specifications. Recommendation: Buy it when the price drops to $10.

Next up is a another great release from the Criterion Collection titled, Army of Shadows (1969), a film about the French Resistance during World War 2. It is directed by legendary French director Jean-Pierre Melville, who is most famous for his epic gangster films Le Samourai and Le Cercle Rouge that starred another famous French name, Alain Delon. Army of Shadows (L'Armée des ombres) is Melville's masterpiece about an intrepid band of Resistance fighters culled from all walks of life who must not only fight against Hitler's occupying regime, they must also grapple with honor, loyalty and suspicion in a climate of mistrust. Based on a novel by Joseph Kessel, Army of Shadows has been hailed as one of the most authentic cinematic portrayal of the French Resistance. Army of Shadows is released in a single disc set with restored 1080p video and a choice of French LPCM Mono or DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 tracks. Like all other Criterion releases, there is no shortage of supplemental material accompanying this release and fans should be pleased. Recommendation: Buy it!

These are the 3 big releases of this week but 3 other previously released classic films gets the Blu-ray treatment as well. They are: Martin Scorsese's boxing epic, Raging Bull (30th Anniversary Edition) (which won Robert DeNiro a Best Actor Oscar), Sergio Leone's Once Upon a Time in America (also starred DeNiro) and the 1990 Best Picture winner, Kevin Costner's epic Western, Dances with Wolves (20th Anniversary Edition).

Raging Bull was first released on Blu-ray in 2009 as a single disc set. Now, on its 30th anniversary, the award-winning film is getting another hi-def treatment, this time in a 2-disc Blu-ray/DVD set that adds a further 50 minutes of new supplemental material. As for the other two releases, this is their first time on Blu-ray. Once Upon a Time in America is presented here in its uncut 229-minute. Early reports have stated that the high-def transfer is, although much improved from its standard-def DVD transfer, leaves room for improvement. Apparently, Warner Bros. used the MPEG-4 encode instead of the usual VC-1 encoder, resulting in a lower bitrate. On the other hand, the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track supplies a much richer depth to the Dolby Digital 5.1 track from the DVD. Dances with Wolves (20th Anniversary Edition), on the other hand, has been given a great Blu-ray treatment. This 2-disc set possesses great 1080p visuals and a DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 audio that is off the charts. All three films get a "Buy it!" recommendation.

Movie Openings: Week of January 7th, 2011 - Slow, Slow, Slow

2011-01-07T10:56:00.000-05:00

The first week very of 2011 is turning out to be a very slow week at the movies, with only a Nicolas Cage period thriller opening together with a couple of foreign language dramas (opening in limited theaters). Next week's list looks to be more promising, with the release of the first of a bunch of superhero/comic book-adapted films slated for this year, "The Green Hornet."

Speaking of superheroes, remember those Fockers? I tell ya, those little Fockers are quite resilient. They narrowly held onto the box office lead (again) on the last weekend of the year and came out just on top, pipping the Coens' "True Grit" by the narrowest of margins ($25.8M vs. $24.4M). I guess bad reviews will not stop people from watching something that they are familiar with. Or maybe people are just looking for some laughs to finish off the year. "Tron: Legacy" came in 3rd again with $18.8M ($131M overall) and rounding up the top 5 are "Yogi Bear" with $12.4M ($65.8M) and "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader" with $10.3M ($86.9M). As you can see, both "Tron" and "Narnia" are underperforming despite the name recognition and big budgets of both franchises. To put it all into perspective, "Little Fockers" have amassed a domestic box-office gross of $103M so far, making light of the special effects-heavy films that simply cost more to make. And looking at this week's releases, the top 3 movies after this weekend is unlikely to change.

The only notable release this week is the medieval supernatural thriller "Season of the Witch," starring Nicolas Cage (National Treasure, Ghost Rider) and Ron Perlman (Hellboy, Hellboy II: The Golden Army). Directed by Dominic Sena, who also worked with Cage in Gone in 60 Seconds, "Season of the Witch" has been lambasted by critics nationwide as "bizarre and pointless," "utterly forgettable" and "a time-waster." One of the biggest pet peeve of most of the critics is the script's use of contemporary language (ie. modern cuss words) even though the movie is supposed to take place in the 14th century. Even high caliber actors such as Cage and Perlman, who are both not strangers to medieval movies, cannot save Bragi Schut's horrible screenplay. If only Sena had an idea of the absurdity he had brewing while filming and wholly embraced its B-movie sensibilities and just have fun with it. "Season of the Witch" is trending at a measly 3% (and dropping) on the Rotten Tomatoes meter. Here is the synopsis, if you are still interested:

"Oscar winner Nicolas Cage and Ron Perlman star in this supernatural action adventure about a heroic Crusader and his fellow soldier who must transport a woman accused of being a witch to a remote monastery. The arduous journey across perilous terrain tests their strength and courage as they discover the girl's secret and find themselves battling a terrifyingly powerful force that will determine the fate of the world."

Opening in limited theaters, "The Time That Remains" is an intimate semi-autobiographical portrait of a Palestinian family living as a minority in their own homeland between 1948 to the present day. In this film, director Elia Suleiman, an Arab born in the Israeli city of Nazareth and currently residing in Paris, slyly presents a half-century worth of conflicts and suffering as a series of mordant comic vignettes. No, he doesn't make light of the tragedy that many living in the occupied territories faces everyday but instead draws inspiration from his own experiences growing up and presents a contemplative yet light-hearted narrative. There is a definitely deep sense of absurdity to it all. "The Time That Remains" has gained a respectable 80% rating on RT.

Finally, opening only in New York, is Romania's official entry into this year's Oscar competition, "If I Want to Whistle, I Whistle." Nothing much is known about it except that it employs a cast of mostly amateur actors who bring a great sense of reality to the film. Here is the synopsis:

"Silviu has only two weeks left before his release from a hostile juvenile detention center. But when his mother, who abandoned him long ago, returns to take his younger brother away - a brother Silviu raised like a son, those two weeks become an eternity. While his outcries for help fall on deaf ears, he finds himself mercilessly taunted and harassed by the other inmates. And just as Silviu's frustration evolves into full-throttled aggression, he is introduced to a beautiful social worker that he can only dream of being close to. Faced with a slew of conflicting emotions and wild with desperation, Silviu is driven to a surprising act of defiance as he makes a last grasp for freedom."

Grilled Honey Chipotle Shrimp Taco with Pineapple Salsa

2011-01-06T11:58:00.000-05:00

To me, a simple taco should be a delicious bite of freshness and a burst of bold flavors. Somehow, you just can't really find those things in a regular beef taco. This is why I've turned to my favorite seafood, shrimp, for some new taco inspiration. First off, I like spicy food and I happen to have a can of chipotle peppers (in adobo sauce) lying around the pantry. Chipotle are smoked-dried jalapeño peppers and they offer both the smokiness and biting spiciness that I love. So, let's start by making the sweet and spicy marinade for the shrimp.

Here are the ingredients for the honey-chipotle marinade:
1 lb. shrimp (peeled and deveined)
1 can chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (rough chop the whole peppers)
2 cloves garlic (minced)
1-2 tablespoons honey (depending on how sweet you like it)
1 tablespoon lime juice
A pinch of salt
1 tablespoon tequila (optional)
Add all the ingredients above and marinade the shrimp in it for about 30 minutes or so. Set that aside in the refrigerator.

Now for the pineapple salsa. You'll need:
1 can pineapple (cut them into small chunks) together with the syrup
1/2 cup frozen corn (thawed)
2 tablespoons cilantro leaves (rough chop)
1 medium tomato (seeds removed, small dice)
1 jalapeño pepper (small dice, optional)
Salt and pepper to taste
Again, mix all the ingredients above and set aside in the refrigerator for the flavors to come together.

As for the other components, chop some iceberg lettuce leaves, grate some colby or monterey jack cheese and pick more cilantro leaves. Also, gather some sour cream. Now on to grilling the shrimp. I like using skewers when I grill shrimp so that they'll all stay together and you can turn them all at once easily. To put it all together, I start with the lettuce on the bottom, followed by some pineapple salsa, sour cream, grated cheese and finally, the shrimp. Just before serving, squeeze some fresh lime juice onto the shrimp to freshen it up and top with some cilantro leaves as garnish. And there you go, a simple yet beautiful dish that you can serve anytime of the day.

Valhalla Rising: A Review

2011-01-06T10:13:00.001-05:00

Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn is famous in his home country and Europe for his Pusher movie trilogy, three gritty tales of life and death in the Copenhagen crime underworld. One of the big revelations from the Pusher movies is the exciting debut and discovery of actor Mads Mikkelsen. Many of you may not know Mikkelsen by name but I'm sure you would recognize him if I told you he played the role of Bond villain, Le Chiffre in 2006's Casino Royale. In 2009, Mikkelsen and Refn teamed up again, this time to make a period film set in the year 1000 AD.

Titled Valhalla Rising this movie is violence incarnate. It really is. The viewer can virtually feel and hear every skull cracked, every bone broken, every gut sliced opened and many other perverse ways that a human body can be mutilated. Mikkelsen plays a one-eyed nameless Viking warrior who is held captive by a Scottish clan and is forced to fight to the death against Celtic warriors from other clans for sport. Match after match, the Viking (nicknamed One Eye) brutally dispatches every opponent without even flinching. Skillful in the art of combat, strong, tough and without remorse, One Eye is the perfect killing machine and seems to be a loyal servant to his Celtic masters. The only person around that would dare go near the vicious Viking is a young boy named Are (Maarten Stevenson), who helps secure his chains every day and serves him food. When the perfect opportunity finally arises, One Eye makes his escape, killing his captors in the most cringe-inducing ways. With nowhere else to turn to, Are decides that it is probably better for him to follow One Eye (albeit from a distance) as they roam the Scottish highlands.

Soon, the unlikely duo come upon a band of English Crusaders, who are on their way to the Holy Lands to fight for their religious cause. Rather than risk getting into a fatal fight, the Crusaders managed to convince One Eye and Are to join them on their journey. After weeks upon weeks of drifting aimlessly on the open sea, they finally stumbled on land but it is not the destination that they initially set out for. Instead of the Holy Lands, they find themselves marooned in the wilds of the New World and facing the vicious wrath of a tribe of native American Indians.

At its core, Valhalla Rising is an uncomplicated but violent tale of one man's savage journey from one hell into another. However, it somehow manages to stumble badly across the finish line, converting a once promising premise into sort of a 70's head-trip film like no other. It is as if Refn ran out of original ideas on how to develop the story further and decides to cop out and deliver a swirling acid trip into the minds of the characters as they succumb to their own insanity. If Refn intended to deliver a ferocious but poetic film tinged with religious themes, Valhalla Rising only met half of its goals. It became a mesmerizing exercise in patience towards the end, probably losing most of the audience by that point as many won't be able to make heads nor tails of where the plot is heading.

The film starts out encouraging enough, giving the audience an epic picture of this silent but proud Viking warrior who is forced to kill for the entertainment of others. These opening fights will pummel your senses to its core. Once free of his slavery chains, I expected One Eye to plot revenge against those who have wronged him and go on a massive rampage across the highlands. Instead, the film devolves into a sticky mess that neither carries the story forward nor does it help the audience understand any of what is really going on in the final third of the film. If Refn had wanted to delve into the psychological madness of his protagonist, going on an isolated journey to nowhere with a group of religious wackos is not one of the better ways to do it. Especially hard to get through is the overly long boat journey that, apart from driving some of the men crazy, could have the potential of driving the audience into a deep snooze.

Valhalla Rising is divided into six titled chapters, “Wrath,” “Silent Warrior,” “Men of God,” “The Holy Land,” “Hell” and “Sacrifice,” each distinctively describing one part of the story, giving the audience a small glimpse into what to expect. As helpful as that is, it doesn't prepare us for the overt brooding or One Eye's flash-forwards that never gets explained away. Is he some sort of a fallen prophet sent to sacrifice himself for Man? Refn doesn't say and by the end of this convoluted psedo-arty movie, I really can't be bothered to ask.

Film Value:

Apart from the inspiring opening 30 minutes or so, the only other shining moment within Valhalla Rising is Mads Mikkelsen's astonishing performance. Every nuanced emotion (or sometimes the lack thereof) is delivered through his face alone, as One Eye is silent throughout the film. Even as Refn tries to slow things down in the second half of the film with some meditative and somewhat religious observations, it worked against the film and never gave the audience a chance to embrace or enjoy the once-promising plot.

Blu-ray Releases: The Week of Jan. 3rd, 2011 - Robert Rodriguez Extravaganza

2011-01-03T12:34:00.000-05:00

The first week of 2011 (boy, I need to get used to writing the new year) brings us glad tidings, Robert Rodriguez style. If you like your action films violent, campy and flavored with some Tex-Mex seasoning, you are going to love what's coming out on Blu-ray this week. Also on tap are five so-so new releases plus a ton of catalog titles, either re-released or getting their first high-def treatment. All told, not a blockbuster release week but there is definitely something for everyone. OK, so let's get 2011 started, shall we?

Born out of a short faux trailer in the film Planet Terror (one part of the double-feature Grindhouse experience), Machete plays to all of its director, Robert Rodriguez's strengths--that is if you are into his throwback B-movie 70's exploitation style of filmmaking. In Machete, Danny Trejo finally gets his first major starring role, a role that he was simply born to play. Trejo's weather-worn face and ex-convict background gives him straight up credentials to play the title character, Machete, a renegade former Mexican Federale who is double-crossed and almost killed but rises from the ashes to bring the pain to those who have wronged him. A prolific actor, Trejo has starred in many of Rodriguez's films including Desperado, Once Upon a Time in Mexico, From Dusk Till Dawn, Spy Kids and Predators. Machete also boasts a host of movie stars like Steven Seagal, Michelle Rodriguez, Lindsay Lohan, Jeff Fahey, Jessica Alba, Don Johnson and Robert DeNiro.

Interestingly, Trejo's characters in Rodriguez's films have all been named after sharp instruments. For example, Trejo was Razor Eddie in From Dusk Till Dawn, Navajas (traditional Spanish folding knife) in Desperado, Cuchillo (knife in Spanish) in Predators and of course, Machete in Machete. Without a doubt, Machete is catered towards a specific audience as not everyone will appreciate Rodriguez's violent campy sensibilities. If you liked El Mariachi, Desperado and Once Upon a Time in Mexico, then Machete is essentially more of the same, with just a tad more story sophistication hiding beneath its campy exterior. Machete comes in a 2-disc Blu-ray and Digital Copy release with 1080p video and DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 audio. And to accompany Machete's release this week are the other three Robert Rodriguez "Mariachi" films, El Mariachi / Desperado (in a Blu-ray 2-pack) and Once Upon a Time in Mexico. Recommendation: Buy it when the price drops to below $15.

There is a fine line between being funny and just being cruel. Jay Roach's (Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, Meet the Parents) Dinner for Schmucks tries to do both and somehow manages to generate very little laughs and even less taste. Based loosely on an obscure French comedy, The Dinner Game, Dinner for Schmucks is a class-oriented comedy whose premise is as outrageous as Steve Carell's fake buckteeth and tepid hairpiece. To help him climb the corporate ladder, ambitious financial analyst, Tim (Paul Rudd) must take part in a cruel dinner ritual hatched by his boss (Bruce Greenwood) for the amusement of his fellow fat cats. Each guest invited to the party must bring with them an "idiot," someone who is just plain clueless, and the person with the biggest "idiot" wins the boss' favor. Barry (Carrel) is Tim's so-called "idiot" but he is so much more obnoxious and unlikeable than the "lovable idiot" character we might have imagined, effectively erasing the whole point of the film. Someone once said, "Dying is easy. Comedy is hard." How true. Dinner for Schmucks comes in a single disc release with 1080p video and a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack. Recommendation: At most, a rental.

What happens when a psychological horror film breaks very little ground and turns in a formulaic story with very little suprises? In the case of Case 39, it becomes merely a late-night movie rental when there is nothing else to watch on TV. Ever since Cinderella Man, Bridget Jones Diary and Cold Mountain, Oscar winner Renée Zellweger has not had much luck in landing good roles in good films. Case 39 is her latest in a series of missteps. Although there is truly nothing to complain about in her acting abilities, Ms. Zellweger should hire a new agent. Case 39 is the latest in the demon-child horror sub-genre (Village of the Damned, Children of the Corn, The Omen are notable entries) but is simply lacking in any imagination or chills. From the get-go, it doesn't take long for any decent person to deduce what is really going on with 10-year old Lilith (Jodelle Ferland), with the exception of the clueless characters around her. On Blu-ray, Case 39, as usual, comes in 1080p video and DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 audio and is a barebones single-disc release. Recommendation: Rental if you have time to kill.

Directed by newcomer Daniel Stamm, The Last Exorcism is another entry in the faux documentary, jittery camera genre (see Cloverfield, Paranormal Activity, The Blair Witch Project) and it actually comes across as a decent horror film albeit with a been-there-done-that vibe. The film starts off well with charismatic preacher, Reverend Cotton Marcus (Patrick Fabian), setting out with a documentary crew to expose the exorcism ritual as a playground for disingenuous practitioners who prey on woeful believers. However, you just know that the rug would eventually be pulled from under the good Reverend and that going into the second half of the movie, we're about to witness a real demonic possession. The Last Exorcism is being released on Blu-ray with a Digital Copy and DVD copy as well and it sports the usual 1080p video and DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 audio. Recommendation: A good rental if you are looking for a scare.

James Franco has come a long way since working on the acclaimed but short-lived TV series Freaks and Geeks. Franco has steadily raised his game with each subsequent film that he has starred in. Witness Spider-Man, James Dean, Milk and 127 Hours. Now he has topped himself again in Howl, the autobiographical story of the late poet Allen Ginsberg. As the icon of the Beat Generation, Allen Ginsberg's epic poem, "Howl," when it was first written, helped transcend and shape American culture in a way that championed personal freedoms and bring to light the destructive forces of capitalism and conformity on the country. Howl is part biopic and also part-interpretation of the title poem. Written in the free verse style of 19th century poet Walt Whitman, "Howl" became the subject of an obscenity trial in 1957 as it was termed filthy, vulgar and obscene because of its depiction of homosexuality. Howl (the movie) is very hard to pin down as it tries to reproduce a sense of what the poem might have sounded and felt like at the moment of its creation. Is it a biopic? Is it a documentary? Is it a loose adaptation of the writings in "Howl"? The movie is in fact all of the above; very hard to pinpoint exactly which category or genre it falls into. I guess you would have to watch it to make up your own mind. Howl come to Blu-ray in a 2-disc Blu-ray/DVD set and offers 1080p video and DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 audio. Recommendation: Rent it first but James Franco's performance definitely deserves a closer look.

Finally, we come to our last new release of the week. From directors Ariel Schulman and Henry Joost comes the "reality documentary" film, Catfish. It is a film that benefits greatly from the audience not knowing anything about it going in. But I'll just give you a brief, spoiler-free synopsis: Areil's brother Nev, a photographer, is the main subject of this film as the filmmakers start documenting his friendship with Abby, an 8-year old girl from Michigan who is a prodigious painter and has reproduced his photographs with her talented brush strokes. Soon, Nev also forges a relationship with Abby's mother and her older sister Megan. The relationship centers around the effects of social networking and living one's life on the internet. While the filmmakers have "sworn" that the events that unraveled in the film are totally "real," it is hard not to doubt their statement a little. Bottom line is, you should go into this film with as little information as you can and experience it with an open mind. Then you can make up your own mind. Recommendation: Rent it!