DVD Weekly
DVD’s I Bought This Week - July 1
Posted by Brian C. Gibson (brian@filmschoolrejects.com) on July 1, 2008
A wise man once said “It’s not just about seeing Star Wars two weeks before everyone else. You’ve gotta plow through crap like Marie Antoinette and Catwoman as well.” I have the fortune of being able to see all of the films that I want, and find out that they are only worth one viewing (or less) before I would willingly pay for the DVD…and subsequently end up hating myself later. But for every The Whoopee Boys there has to be an Indiana Jones, and because of the great films I am able to put myself further in debt every week.
City of Men
Director: Paulo Morelli
Cast:
Rated:
Synopsis: A story of boys living in one of the fiercest ghettos in the world.
Why Buy It?: This is the followup to one of the most powerful films I have ever seen, City of God. I haven’t seen City of Men yet, but it has already received some very positive praise and it follows the same amazing story that I loved so much with the previous film. If you haven’t seen either yet, Best Buy is running both for $25. Awesome deal, and at least one of the films is a for sure must-see.
Formats: Standard DVD
Yankee Stadium: Baseball’s Cathedral
Director:
Cast:
Rated:
Synopsis: An in depth look at Yankee Stadium.
Why Buy It?: While I am not a Yankee fan, I am a baseball fan. The house that Ruth built, is more than a stadium. Yankee stadium represents all that is holy with baseball. The DVD includes Lou Gherig’s famous speech, how much better can you get?
Formats: Standard DVD
My Blueberry Nights
Director: Kar Wai Wong
Cast: Jude Law, Norah Jones, Natalie Portman, Rachel Weisz, David Strathairn
Rated: Rated PG-13 for mature thematic material including violence, drinking and smoking.
Synopsis: A woman leaves her boyfriend, and strings another guy along…blueberry pie.
Why Rent It?: This is not one of those amazingly entertaining films with an all star cast. It is good, but slow and methodical. If you love anyone from the cast, you will probably like the film. I just don’t think you will want to watch this film over and over again.
Formats: Standard DVD
Drillbit Taylor
Director: Steven Brill
Cast: Owen Wilson
Rated: Rated PG-13 for crude sexual references throughout, strong bullying, language, drug references and partial nudity.
Synopsis: A homeless guy gets hired by kids to beat someone up. In other words, something you saw on youtube, adapted into a film.
Why Rent It?: So this wasn’t good, but it wasn’t horrible. It was surprising at parts, but still played out like a bad idea Seth Rogen had after getting high. Owen Wilson is getting worse with age, and this just feels like watching a paycheck getting cashed.
Formats: Standard DVD
Vantage Point
Director: Pete Travis
Cast: Dennis Quaid, Matthew Fox, Forest Whitaker
Rated: Rated PG-13 for sequences of intense violence and action, some disturbing images and brief strong language.
Synopsis: A twelve minute film, shown eight times.
Why Avoid It?: Let me break down Vantage Point’s tagline, “8 Strangers. 8 Points of View. 1 Truth.” 8 Strangers: The people going to see this movie on week two. 8 Points of View: A twelve minute film, shown eight times. 1 Truth: The studio has your money and you are pissed. This will probably be the worst film of the year - that people will like. Go ahead and waste your money, this isn’t mindless entertainment - this is entertainment for the mindless.
Formats: Standard DVD, Bluray
Meet The Browns
Director: Tyler Perry
Cast: Angela Bassett, Rick Fox, Tyler Perry
Rated: Rated PG-13 for drug content, language including sexual references, thematic elements and brief violence.
Synopsis: Tyler Perry’s - Tyler Perry. Starring: Tyler Perry.
Why Avoid It?: Yet another cash train that Tyler Perry derailed right into a theater near you. This is so painfully redundant. Film after film, Tyler Perry’s garbage ends up on thousands of screens and rakes in millions of dollars, only to end up on IMDB’s bottom 100 list. Rent or buy this one, so you can keep the guy rich.
Formats: Standard DVD
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One Comment
July 1st, 2008 at 9:58 am
I agree with your decisions, although I kinda liked Vantage Point - and I’m pretty sure I’m not mindless. Yes, it is a gimmick film, but I felt the gimmick worked in this case.
I wanna watch City of Men, though. I *loved* City of God (one of the most intense and powerful movies released in recent years) and if this sequel or spin-off or whatever it is, is more or less on the same vein as the former picture, then it is definitely worth watching.