DVD’s I Bought This Week - August 12th

Posted by Brian C. Gibson (brian@filmschoolrejects.com) on August 12, 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.

South Park: Season 11

Director: Matt Stone, Trey Parker

Cast:

Rated: TV-MA

Synopsis: Kyle, Stan, Cartman and Kenny return to South Park elementary school for another season of shenanigans.

Why Buy It?: The eleventh season of South Park seems to have become the most epic of the South Park franchise. With episodes like “Guitar Queer-o” and the epic “Imaginationland” trilogy — and not to mention the opening episode, that involves Randy Marsh having to kiss Jesse Jackson’s ass, the season 11 DVD set is a must-have for any fan of the foul mouthed denizens of South Park.

Formats: Standard DVD

Smart People

Director: Noam Murro

Cast: Randy Quaid, Sarah Jessica Parker, Ellen Page and Thomas Hayden- Church

Rated: R

Synopsis: Into the life of a widowed professor comes a new love and an unexpected visit from his adopted brother.

Why Buy It?: Easily one of the best films from this year’s Sundance Film Festival, Smart People is a hysterical look at the maladjusted existence of a highly intellectual family just trying to find their way. With spectacular performances from the entire cast, especially Ellen Page and Thomas Hayden Church, Smart People is one of the unsung comedies of the year. If you like your comedy high-brow for a change, this one should push all the right buttons.

Formats: Standard DVD, Blu-Ray

CJ7

Director: Stephen Chow

Cast: Stephen Chow, Jiao Xu, Kitty Zhang Yugi

Rated: PG for language, thematic material, some rude humor and brief smoking.

Synopsis: A poor Chinese laborer learns important lessons after his son gets a strange new toy.

Why Buy It?: Unfortunately, this film was buried in a limited release and was missed by so many adoring Stephen Chow fans across the country. You will remember Chow as the brilliant mind behind such films as Kung Fu Hustle and Shaolin Soccer. This time he plays a poor laborer who accidently stumbles upon a life form from another world that becomes a cool little toy for his son. It is an endearing, funny little film that has heart by the truckloads. If you missed it — and you probably did — you might want to at least rent it on DVD, if not jump in and make the purchase.

Formats: Standard DVD

Comedy Central’s Kenny vs. Spenny: Volume 1

Director:

Cast: Kenny Hotz and Spencer Rice

Rated: TV-MA

Synopsis: Two friends come up with depraved weekly competitions that always end with a bit of humiliation.

Why Rent It?: If you haven’t discovered the movement, nay cultural revolution that is Kenny vs. Spenny, then you are missing out. Of the same ilk as Jackass and other popular shock-value reality shows, these two friends take the concept of warring roommates to another level. Their surprisingly intelligent, but always subversive tactics are thoroughly entertaining to watch, but it is highly recommended that you try none of it at home.

Formats: Standard DVD

Bra Boys

Director: Sunny Abberton, Macario De Souza

Cast: Russell Crowe

Rated: Rated R for language, some violent content and reckless behavior.

Synopsis: A rags-to-riches surfing story with a hint of aggravated assault.

Why Rent It?: I was told about this one by a guy within the surfing community. I love surfing docs like Step Into Liquid and Riding Giants, and he told me that this was almost as close to a film about surf culture as you can get. I heard that the Abberton brothers are wicked crazy, which makes this  worth a peek.

Formats: Standard DVD

The Art of War II: Betrayal

Director: Josef Rusnak

Cast: Wesley Snipes

Rated:

Synopsis: A typecast and bad film are called out of retirement to raise/lower the bar on unnecessary sequels.

Why Avoid It?: Did anyone really see the first film? It was bad…and Wesley Snipe’s career isn’t exactly what I’d call a safe investment. Right now, I’d almost take a Channing Tatum film over a Snipe film. Excuse me while I go get a Cat-scan after that one.

Formats: Standard DVD

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